Steven Brust - Orca

She smiled. “Of course. I said I would.”

“That was quick. What’s it been, three, four hours at the most?”

“Yes. Shall we go inside?”

“By all means,” said Vlad. “After you.”

We trooped into the cottage, Hwdf rjaanci leading and Buddy bringing up the rear. Once inside, Timmer looked around the place, then licked her lips, probably because biting them would have been too obvious. We introduced her to Savn, who almost, maybe, just a little bit, might have given a flicker of acknowledgment. Or maybe not.

“Brain fever, you said?” asked Timmer.

“There is no such thing as brain fever,” said Hwdf rjaanci.

Vlad shrugged. Hwdf rjaanci sat next to Savn, Vlad and I sat at the table. Timmer declined a chair, preferring to lean against the wall. Buddy curled up near Savn and Hwdf rjaanci and tried to insinuate himself between them. Savn absently stroked Buddy’s head. That was, as far as I knew, another first. I caught Vlad’s eye and saw that he had seen it, too.

“Where shall I begin?” said Timmer. “Does everyone know what has been going on?”

“Kiera knows everything up through our conversation today. The old woman doesn’t know much of anything about the affair,” said Vlad.

“That’s because I don’t want to,” she snapped. “And I won’t thank you for telling me.”

Timmer nodded. “All right,” she said. “Do you want us to go somewhere else, then?”

“No. Say what you want, and I’ll listen, but don’t bother explaining it.”

“Very well,” said Timmer.

She turned to us. “There isn’t all that much to tell, truly. Domm was found murdered, just a few hours ago. A dagger was driven into his head.”

“Oh?” said Vlad with that assumed casualness he does so badly. “Any idea who did it?”

“A fugitive. Someone we wanted in connection with our ongoing investigation into the death of Lord Fyres. We think he was a Chreotha,” she added.

“I see,” said Vlad. “What else is new?”

“I spoke to, uh, to certain persons in the Empire, and was told to leave well enough alone.” She looked like she’d just eaten a jimmberry thinking it was a rednut.

“So Vonnith goes free?” said Vlad.

“Free? Yes. Free and clear. And still rich. And still the owner, or manager, of three or four banks. We can’t touch her.”

“And Reega?”

“The same.” She shrugged, as if Reega didn’t much matter to her, which was probably true; Reega hadn’t been involved in Loftis’s death.

Vlad shook his head. “Not the way I’d have preferred them to end up.”

“Nor I,” said Timmer. “But then”—she spread her hands—”it isn’t my choice.”

“And?” said Vlad. “In exchange?”

She nodded. “Cooperation. They’re both going to do what they can to minimize the damage to the Empire. That, after all, is what’s important.” In her voice was a trace of the same bitterness that Vlad had described in Loftis’s voice when he spoke about having betrayed his chief.

“What else?” said Vlad.

She nodded, and, from a pouch at her side, pulled a rolled-up piece of parchment, which she handed to Hwdf rjaanci. She took it hesitantly, looked at Timmer, then at the document. Her hands trembled a bit as she undid the ribbon with which it was tied and broke the wax with which it was sealed and unrolled it. She read it slowly and carefully, her lips moving, and I saw that there was a tear in her eye.

Vlad loudly cleared his throat, stood up, and said, “Does anyone want klava?”

No one did. Vlad sat down again.

I said, “Timmer.”

“Yes?”

“Vonnith and Reega now know, or can easily learn, who it was who—”

“No,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. This old woman’s continued health is now my business.”

Hwdfr’ jaanci looked up and said, “What was that? My health?”

“Never mind,” I said.

She looked at the three of us one at a time, harrumphed softly, and went back to reading the deed to her land.

“Okay,” I said. “I trust you.”

“So do I,” said Vlad. “Only ...”

“Yes?”

“Do me a favor, and don’t tell anyone how you found me. I don’t think the Jhereg would figure it out on their own in a million years, but—”

“Right,” she said. “Don’t worry.” She stood up. “I think that’s it, then.”

“Yes,” said Vlad. “Good luck.”

“And to you,” she said. She looked at me and we nodded to each other, then she turned and left and it was over.

“It’s over,” said Vlad.

“Not quite,” I said.

“Oh?”

“Care to take a walk with me?”

He frowned, then he shrugged and stood up. We stepped outside. Buddy followed us, and Loiosh was on Vlad’s shoulder, but there was no one else there. We walked into the woods near the house. “What is it, Kiera?” he said.

“How long have you known?”

“Know what?”

“I’m not stupid, Vlad, and I don’t think you are, either.”

“Vlad, how long have you known?”

“I hadn’t been planning on talking about it,” he said. “What gave me away?”

“That’s my question.”

He laughed. “I suppose it is. But you go first. When did you know that I knew?”

I shrugged. “Just now, a few minutes ago. You’re sometimes very careless with your life, Vlad—especially when you’re annoyed. But you’re never careless with other people’s. Even when you were in the Jhereg—”

“Who’s life was I careless with?”

“No one’s. That’s the point.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Don’t you? Think about it.”

He did, and I could see him going back over the last hour in his mind; then he nodded. “I see.”

“Yes. You told me to get the boy and the woman somewhere safe. You asked me to, uh, stash them somewhere. Where could Kiera the Thief stash anyone that would be safe? It didn’t occur to you to ask if there was a teleport block up, you just assumed there was, because the Jhereg, or the Empire, was coming to get you, and you can’t tell if there is one or not with the Phoenix Stone you wear. So how could Kiera the Thief break through a teleport block?”

“Right,” he said. “I was scared—”

“Sure. For Savn and Hwdfrjaanci. And then there was the remark about the knife, which is what really convinced me.”

“Yeah. I was panicking, I guess.”

“I guess. So, your turn. How did you find out, when did you find out, and who have you told?”

“I haven’t told anyone, Kiera.”

“You may as well call me by my real name.”

“All right, Sethra. I haven’t told anyone. You should know that.”

I nodded. “Yes, I guess I know that. When did you figure it out?”

He shrugged. “I’ve known you in both guises, you know—I mean, known you well. And there can’t be many of us who have.”

“No one. Only you.”

He bowed his head as if he felt he had been honored; which he had been, of course.

“How long have you known?”

“Not long. Since yesterday. No, today, I guess. I don’t know.”

“What did I do yesterday?”

He shrugged. “It was an accumulation of little things.”

“What? I’m curious. You know, I never cheat. I mean, when I’m Kiera, I only do Kiera things—”

“You almost cheated tonight.”

“Oh, you noticed that?”

“I sort of guessed, at any rate—just before we realized there was only one person coming, I was expecting to see Iceflame in your hand.”

I nodded. “And you almost did, especially since I knew that you knew. Which brings us back to the question: how did you know? What were these little things that accumulated?”

He spread his hands. “I’m not sure if I can even identify them all, Kie—Sethra.”