Steven Brust - Jhegaala

I asked if I could try walking soon and he looked at me like I had brain fever. I didn't think that was funny.

When they'd gone, Loiosh continued the cheerful conversation. "By now, the Jhereg has to know Mahket is dead, and someone else has to be on the way. If they use one of those professional teleport places, that knows everywhere, he could be here in a day or two."

"Yeah, okay. Does this information come with a suggestion?"

"The Count would probably arrange for you to be moved some' where safe."

"Does it come with another suggestion?"

"Boss, I wanted to get out of here before. I was right wasn't I ?"

"Yes."

"Well, I want to get out of here again."

"Good thing you've used up your yearly allotment of being right."

"Boss—"

"Otherwise, I might be a bit concerned."

"Boss—"

"Leave it be."

"All right, then." He said it the way I'd say, "I'll take the brown ones, then," if they were out of the black ones. And I'd really had my heart set on the black ones.

I sighed. It wasn't as if I could blame him.

" This has been tough for us both, Loiosh. And we have a long way to go. Accept that I'm in this, and you're in it with me, and let's do the best we can from there."

There was a bit of a pause, and then he said, "All right, Boss. One way or another, we see it through"

"Thanks.”

"Back to trying to pick up Orbahn?"

"Yes. This time with Rocza so you can watch his house at the same time."

"Boss—okay"

Meehayi came and went, taking care of things, none of which are worth talking about. I ate a little more, and maybe wasn't quite as tired afterward; or maybe I just didn't want to be and convinced myself I wasn't. It's hard to judge these things.

I was just finishing lunch when Loiosh said, "Found him, Boss! Leaving the Guild hall."

"Good. Now, let's see what happens."

"Can I send Rocza back to you?"

"All right.”

A few minutes later she came back through the window and landed on the bed. She twisted her neck around as if to look into my eyes, then, very gently, bit the bridge of my nose. Then she curled up by my ear. When Loiosh wasn't busy, I'd have to ask him what that meant.

" He's heading out of town to the east, Boss. Strolling, really. It's odd. Like he's taking a walk to enjoy the day. I suppose he might be.”

I glanced out the window to see what sort of day it was. Seemed bright, and the breeze through my window wasn't excessively hot or cold.

"Any chance he's spotted you?"

"No."

"Anyone around?"

"Not so far. He's near where you and Dahni had that talk.”

"Doesn't the wood come bumping up against the road right about there?"

"Just ahead.”

"Two dead Teckla against one sincere compliment he turns off into the woods.”

"No bet. I couldn't afford to lose. And . . . yes, there he goes, off the left. It's harder to stay with him here, but less chance he'll see me.”

"Okay. I just need to know.”

"To know? Boss, is he going to meet an assassin?"

"Eh? I hope not! For one thing, I don't want there to be an assassin this close yet.

More important, it would mean everything I've figured is wrong. There's no way he

ought to be able to get in touch with the Jhereg.”

"Then, Boss , what is he going to do?"

"Wait and see."

"Is this any way to treat your familiar and best friend?"

"Evidently.”

He used a few adjectives he's known for a long time and some nouns I hadn't realized he'd picked up. I found that I was smiling for the first time in longer than I could remember.

"Okay now he's looking around and I'm being all secretive and stuff so he won't see me so I can carry out your orders which is more than you deserve."

"But you're so good at it."

"You're going to find out how good I can be at—hey! He's gone!"

"Look carefully. There should be a cave, or a, I don't know, a concealed something."

"I don't know, Boss. He's just gone."

"Keep looking."

Then, " Found it. It's a cave, lots of shrubs around it. I can't fly in, but I can slither."

"I didn't know you slithered."

"I save it for special occasions."

"Be careful.”

A little later he said, "This would be a bad place for someone with poor night vision."

"Can you see anything?"

"A little bit leaks in from the outside. After that I'm not sure."

"Can you smell anything?"

"Dammit, Boss, I'm a jhereg, not a bloodhound."

"Sorry.”

" I can see a box of torches, but, you know, there's the whole opposable thumb problem. Not to mention lighting them. I—wait. Something just . . . okay, there's a doorway at the far end. Just a curtain over it. People moving.”

"Careful, careful.”

" No worries, Boss. There's a place right above it where I can perch and listen, if there's anything to listen to."

A little later I said, "Anything going on, Loiosh?"

"Voices, Boss. Can't make out what they're saying."

"Anything from the tones?"

"It sounds just like conversation, Boss. At least six or seven voices and they're, well, gabbing.”

"They won't be for much longer. Stay with it."

"Boss, what—"

"Just wait. I need to be sure.”

"All right, I’ll . . . they're quiet now."

"Yeah.”

"Okay, now I'm hearing... Boss! It's a Coven!"

"Had to be."

"And Orbahn—"

"Yeah. And Orbahn."

"How did you know?"

"I didn't."

"Does that mean he—"

"No, he isn't behind all of this. No one is behind all of this. There are too many different interests working for any one person to be behind all of this. I know most of them, and so do you. The only question is how they fit together. We just got a piece of that."

"Okay, Boss. Whatever you say. What do I do now?"

"It's almost suppertime. Come on back and share it with me."

"What if they've started letting you eat good food?"

"Then you won't get quite so much.”

1 5

Boraan: Gracious! Could there be two different plots at work here ? Lefitt: Impossible . Boraan: You're certain ? Lefitt: Quite certain. I can see four at the least .

—Miersen, Six Parts Water Day Two, Act III, Scene 2

He won, I lost.

Supper was the same lamb stew as before, but it included everything this time, and I was allowed an entire glass of wine. I enjoyed it very much.

"Boss, how did you know Orbahn was going to a Coven? And that there was a Coven? And—"

"Not now, Loiosh."

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Parts of it, yes. Other parts, not so much."

"I didn't mean that, I meant showing off how clever you are."

"If I were clever, Loiosh, I wouldn't be in this position."

"You couldn't have known—"

"Of course I could. I'm an idiot not to have seen it."

"How, Boss?"

"Just exactly what was a tag doing on the street at that time of day, when all the workmen were at the mill? She was there to see me, to find me, which means someone had set her on me. I should have figured it out and followed her and been ready when they made the move on me. But then, at that point, I had no idea what any of it meant. There's just one question left about her. Hmmm."