Steven Brust - Yendi

Seventeen

“You what?”

Now, I suppose, you expect me to tell you how I caught up with Laris after a long chase through the streets of Adrilankha, cornered him at last, how he fought like a dzur and I barely managed to kill him before he did me in. Right? Crap.

There were only two things that could have gone wrong. One, the Sorceress in Green might have lied about where Laris was, and two, she might have had time to warn him. But, in both cases, why? To the sorceress, he was merely a tool. And, since we’d discovered what they were up to, he was no longer a useful tool.

I didn’t really think the Sorceress in Green had had time to warn Laris before Norathar finished her. And, if she had lied about where he was, there was no harm done. So I explained my plan to everyone in my office, which took about half an hour. I did make one point worth mentioning: “If anyone here has the idea that he can do well for himself by telling Laris about this, he can forget it. Laris had a backer; the backer is dead. Right now, we’re holding nothing but flat stones, and he has nothing but round ones. So don’t try to be clever.”

I rummaged around my bottom-left drawer until I found a suitable weapon—a stiletto with a thin handle and a seven-inch blade. I put it into my belt on the right side. We sat around waiting for another half-hour, then Shoen and Chimov got up and slipped out the door. The rest of us waited ten minutes more, then stood.

“Luck, boss,” said Kragar.

“Thanks.”

Loiosh flew high above us as we set out toward Malak Circle. Cawti was leading. Sticks and Glowbug were to my right and left, and the others were walking in front and back.

We reached the circle and jogged over to Pier. We had almost reached Silversmith when I received a message from Shoen.

“ He has four outside, boss. Two at the door, two making rounds .”

“ Okay. I’ll send help .”

“ Thanks .”

“Narvane and Smiley, run up ahead. Shoen is in charge of the operation. You have five minutes to get set up.”

They ran off while the rest of us slowed to a casual stroll, hardly moving at all.

“ Still clear, boss .”

“ Okay .”

Cawti looked back at me and nodded. Six minutes later, Shoen reported in. “ All set, boss. It’ll take between five and ninety seconds, depending on where the patrollers are .”

“ Okay. Hold for now. ”

We reached the place on Pier where it curves, just before you get to One-Claw.

“ How are they placed, Shoen? ”

“ If you give the word now, about thirty seconds .”

“ Do it .”

“ Check .”

I held up my hand, and we stopped. I mentally counted off ten seconds, then we started walking again, quickly. We came around the curve and the building was in sight. The only people we could see were Shoen and Chimov. Presently, Narvane appeared next to them, then Smiley. We reached them a few seconds later.

I checked the Imperial Clock.

“The teleport block should be up now. Check it, Narvane.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded.

I said, “The door.”

N’aal said, “Maybe we should clap first.”

Shoen and Glowbug stood by the door. They looked at each other, nodded, and Glowbug brought his mace down on the door mechanism just as Shoen set his shoulder into the middle. The door fell in.

N’aal said, “Won’t you feel stupid if it was unlocked?”

I said, “Shut up.”

Cawti slipped between them before we could move and stepped inside. There was a flurry of movement, and I heard the sound of falling bodies as Glowbug, N’aal, and Shoen went in. Loiosh landed on my shoulder as Chimov and Smiley stepped past the threshold. I followed, with Sticks and Narvane bringing up the rear.

It was a big, empty warehouse, with two bodies in it. Both had knives sticking out of them. We saw the stairs right away and took them. We didn’t meet anyone on the way up. I left N’aal and Smiley to hold the bottom of the stairs to the third floor while the rest of us went up.

We emerged into a large, empty room. About five feet ahead of us were three smaller rooms; to the right, ahead, and to the left. Offices, I supposed.

Just as we got there, three Jhereg appeared from a room to the right. They stood there with their mouths hanging open. Sticks leapt at them, with Glowbug a little behind. Glowbug still had his mace, and he was grinning like an idiot. Sticks had his sticks. It took them about three seconds.

Then I sent Glowbug and Shoen to the right. I was about to send Chimov and Narvane to open the door ahead of us when I heard, “What’s the ruckus about, gentlemen?” from the room to the left. I recognized Laris’s voice.

I caught Narvane’s eye. He stood in front of the door; the rest of us positioned ourselves behind it. Narvane raised his hand and the door flew in.

It was a small room, with about eight or nine padded chairs and two desks. One of the desks was empty; Laris was behind the other one. There were four other Jhereg in the room.

For an instant, no one moved. Then Laris turned to one and said, “Teleport.”

We just waited.

The Jhereg he’d spoken to said, “There’s a block up.”

Cawti entered the office. Still none of them did anything. Sticks came in with his two clubs, then Glowbug with his mace. Then the rest of us.

Laris and I looked at each other, but neither of us spoke. What was there to say? I looked at his enforcers, most of them with half-drawn weapons. I told my people to stand aside. We cleared a path to the door. Sticks hefted his weapons, looked at Laris’s enforcers, and cleared his throat.

He said, “No future in it, gentlemen.”

They looked at the horde of us. Then, one by one, they stood up. They held their hands out, clear of their bodies. One by one, without a glance at Laris, they filed out.

I said, “All of you except Cawti, escort them out of the building.” I drew the blade I’d selected.

When we were alone with Laris, I shut the door with my foot. Cawti said, “He’s yours, Vladimir.”

I made it quick. Laris never said a word.

An hour later I was staring at Aliera, my mouth hanging open. “You what? ”

“I revivified her,” she said, looking at me quizzically, as if to say, “Why should you find this unusual?” I was sitting in the library of Castle Black, with Morrolan, Cawti, Norathar, and Sethra. Aliera was on her back, looking pale but healthy.

I sputtered like a klava-boiler, then managed, “Why?”

“Why not?” she said. “We’d killed her, hadn’t we? That was enough humiliation. Besides, the Empress is a friend of hers.”

“Oh, great,” I said. “So now, she—”

“She won’t do anything, Vlad. There isn’t anything she can do. When we revivified her we did a mind-probe and wrote down the details of every plot of any kind she’s ever been involved in, and we gave her a copy so that she knows we know.” She smiled. “Some of them were rather interesting, too.”

I sighed. “Well, have it your way, but if I wake up dead one morning, I’ll come to you and complain about it.”

“ That’s telling her, boss .”

“ Shut up, Loiosh .”

Norathar, to my amazement, said, “I think you did the right thing, Aliera.”

“So do I,” said Sethra.

I turned to the latter. “Indeed? Tell us what you did to Sethra the Younger.”

“The House of the Dragon,” she said, “has decided that Sethra the Younger can never be Emperor or Warlord, nor can any of her heirs.”