Steven Brust - Yendi

“I don’t have one yet. First, I want to think over what we know and see if I can make some sense of it.”

“All right.”

“Cawti, why don’t you find Norathar and Aliera?”

She nodded. Morrolan said, “You might need help,” and the two of them went off.

I sat pondering for about half an hour, until the four of them returned, along with Sethra.

“Well,” said Aliera, “what have you figured out?”

“Nothing,” I said. “On the other hand, I haven’t given up, either.”

“Great,” said Norathar.

“Sit down,” I suggested. They all pulled up chairs around me. I felt like I was back in the office, with my enforcers sitting around waiting for orders.

“ Vladimir? ”

“ Yes, Cawti? ”

“ Morrolan told Aliera about the Sorceress in Green. I didn’t think to warn him not to. ”

“ Damn. All right. So either the Sorceress is warned, or Aliera isn ’ t involved. I ’ m beginning to doubt that Aliera is behind this in any case. We ’ ll see. ”

I said, “First of all, Lady Norathar, can—”

“You can drop the ‘Lady,’ Vlad.”

I was startled. “Thank you,” I said. I saw Cawti flash her a smile, and I understood. “All right, Norathar, are you sure you can’t tell us how you found out what Laris did?”

“Yes,” she said.

“All right. But think about it. If it was the Sorceress in Green—”

“It wasn’t.”

“Whoever it is, that person might be working with the Sorceress in Green, or perhaps is being used by her. I wish you could tell us who it is.”

“Sorry. But I don’t think it would help.”

Cawti said, “Do you really think the Sorceress in Green is behind it?”

“Let’s just say it’s a real good guess. We won’t know for sure who’s behind it until we know what they’re after.”

Cawti nodded.

I continued. “Let’s try to put the events in order. First, just before the Interregnum, someone decides that he doesn’t want Lord K’laiyer to take the Orb. Maybe this someone is the Sorceress in Green, or the Sorceress in Green is working for him, okay?”

There were nods from around the room.

“Okay, the first thing he—or she—does is make it look like Norathar is a bastard. Of course, when confronted with this, K’laiyer fights, and, naturally, when fighting Sethra, loses. During the battle, they make sure K’laiyer ends up dead. This makes Adron the heir. So far, so good. Either that is what they wanted, or they didn’t have time to deal with him. Because then we have Adron’s Disaster, and two-hundred-some years of Interregnum. Still, nothing happens. Afterwards, Morrolan is the heir. Still nothing happens.”

I looked at them again. They were watching me closely. I continued. “For over two hundred and forty years after the Interregnum, nothing. So whoever is behind it, if he is still around, doesn’t object to Morrolan. But then, three years or so ago, Aliera shows up. Within a year Baritt, who is probably one of the conspirators, is assassinated. Two years after that, Norathar is set up, killed, revivified, and is suddenly going to be the heir. That’s where we are as I see it.”

Either Aliera hadn’t caught any implication against her, or she was a fine actress. She seemed deep in thought, but not otherwise affected by what I’d been saying. Norathar said, “Vlad, is there any chance that the Sorceress in Green could have known Aliera well enough to know that we’d be brought back?”

I said, “Uh . . . you mean, then, that even that was part of her plan? I don’t know.” I turned to Aliera.

She chewed her lip for a moment, then shrugged. “Anything is possible with a Yendi,” she said.

“Not that,” said Morrolan. We turned to him. “You are forgetting that I was there, too. If you are supposing that she set it up so that Aliera would kill, then revivify, Norathar, then she must have known that I would be with Aliera. I will not believe that she could predict exactly where we would have been standing when we teleported, and if I had happened to be closer to Norathar than Aliera was, I’d have attacked, and I’d have used Blackwand.”

Norathar paled as he said this. I swallowed and felt a little queasy myself. If Norathar had been killed by Blackwand, nothing and no one could have revivified her, nor would she have been reborn, as Dragaerans believe happens to anyone who isn’t brought to the Paths of the Dead, and some who are. I wondered if Aliera could have arranged that. Or was Morrolan in on it too?

“ You’re getting paranoid, boss .”

“ Occupational hazard, Loiosh .”

I cleared my throat and said, “I think we can safely assume that Norathar was expected to die permanently.”

The others agreed.

“Now,” I said, “let us turn to Laris. He may be well hidden, and well protected, but he is certainly losing money and taking big chances by not killing me. Why?”

“I imagine,” said Cawti, “that he’s being well paid.”

“He’d have to be paid a lot to take that big a risk.”

Cawti shrugged. “Perhaps he owes her a favor, or something.”

“A big favor. Besides, I’m guessing that he killed Baritt as repayment of . . . wait a minute.”

They all looked at me. Finally, Morrolan said, “Yes, Vlad?”

I turned to Cawti. “What do you know of Laris’s history?”

“A fair bit. When I was studying you, I came across references to him from time to time, back when you both worked for Welok the Blade. And of course, I hear things now and then.”

“Did you hear that he ran the war for Welok against the Hook?”

She and Norathar nodded.

“I was involved,” said Norathar.

“Why did Welok let him run the war? And how did he win? He didn’t have any experience at the time.”

Cawti and Norathar studied me. “The Sorceress in Green?” asked Norathar.

I said, “It sure looks like he had something on Welok, or else knew how to get around him. What if our friend the sorceress maneuvered for him, and helped him with the war?”

Cawti said, “You think she’s running the war against you, too?”

“Maybe. I met Laris, and he impressed me. I don’t think he’s a dupe, but I could be wrong. On the other hand, it’s possible that the sorceress has something on him and can make him do what she wants. Especially if she can arrange for him to win in the end anyway, or tells him she can.”

“If she has something on him,” said Norathar, “why doesn’t he just kill her?”

As a Jhereg, she was still a Dragon.

“Any of a number of reasons,” I replied. “He might not know who she is. The hold might not disappear with her death. Maybe he can’t reach her. I don’t know.”

“Any idea what that hold might be?” asked Cawti.

I frowned. “Could be anything. My first guess is that he’s the one who finalized Baritt, and the sorceress has proof—easy enough if she had him do it, say as a favor in exchange for her help against the Hook.”

“I can see it,” said Cawti. Norathar concurred.

“This speculation is quite entertaining,” said Morrolan, “but I fail to see where it helps.”

“We’re trying to understand what they’re doing,” I said. “Every detail we get helps put it together.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But I should like to hear your opinion on why the Sorceress in Green would do all this.”

“Do what?” I asked.

“I’m not certain precisely what she’s doing—”

“Exactly.”

He nodded, slowly. “All right. I see.”

I turned to Sethra, who hadn’t said a word the entire time. “Have you any ideas, or guesses?”