Steven Brust - Jhegaala

"But you're sure she's dead?"

"She has to be. They couldn't leave her alive with me able to talk, and right now they can't risk killing me."

"Who is'they,'Boss?"

"Yeah, that's the big question, isn't it?"

" Now you're sounding smug."

'Uh huh.”

"Smug and helpless isn't a good combination for you.”

" Is that a threat?"

"Damn right it is."

"Okay. Just checking."

Rocza lifted her head and hissed. Loiosh turned to her and his head bobbed up and down in one of the things jhereg do when they laugh.

"What was that about?"

" You don't need to know, Boss."

" You know, Loiosh, I think I could get used to having you fly around and find out things for me while I just sit and do the thinking."

" Heh. In a year you'd weigh three hundred pounds."

"So?"

"Hard to run from the Jhereg when you weigh three hundred pounds."

"Okay, good point."

"Boss, think this might be time to let me know what's going on?"

"I think it's time to figure out what to do about it."

"I could help more if I knew."

"Yeah, but I'm enjoying keeping you in suspense too much. I 'm an invalid; you must permit me my little pleasures."

"Boss—"

"Okay."

I thought for about a minute. "We have a three-legged stool: the Count, the Guild, and the Coven. None of them trust each other, none of them like each other, non—"

" You're going to kick one of the legs in."

"Exactly."

"How?"

"Still working on that."

"How did you know, Boss? I mean, about the stool?"

"Well, there are bits I still need to confirm."

Meehayi came in with my meal. Loiosh remained quiet, as he knows how much I hate talking during meals.

Meehayi didn't. "I saw old Saabo was here," he said as I laboriously used a silver spoon to bring stew from a wooden bowl — first time I think I ever experienced that combination.

"Yes," I told him after I'd swallowed. "We had quite a nice talk."

"Good."

"You don't like him, do you?"

He jumped back as if I'd slapped Him. "What do you mean?"

I waited him out. "I, I mean, he's older than me, so he isn't a friend or anything." I kept waiting. "No," he finally said, setting his jaw as if daring me to object. "I don't."

I nodded. "I wouldn't either if I were you."

.He seemed startled. "Why? What did he say about me?"

"Nothing. Your name didn't come up."

"Then why—?"

"Because you're a peasant, and he doesn't think much of peasants."

"Well it happens that I don't think much of—" He cut himself off.

"Don't blame you," I said. "But then, I can't say too much about him myself; he's kindred, after all."

Meehayi looked at me carefully. "Is he? I mean, really?"

"He is," I said. "He really is. And if more people had believed that—ah, never mind. Sorry. Thinking out loud."

He cleared his throat. "Lord Merss—"

"Vlad."

"Vlad. I haven't said it, but I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"Thanks. So am I. But it'll be set right soon enough."

He cocked his head. "It will?"

I nodded and took a sip of wine, pleased that I was able to lift it without difficulty. It was wonderful. "As sure as my name is Merss Vladimir," I told him.

He seemed to accept that, if I'm any judge of grunts.

I said, "Is it always like that?"

"Like what?"

"With Saabo. The mill workers looking down on the peasants."

"Yeah, well, we don't have a lot to say them, either. They stink."

"I noticed that you frequent different establishments."

"What?"

"You drink in different places."

"Oh. Yeah, most of us. Except sometimes some guys will go into the wrong place to stir up a fight. It doesn't usually happen, though. The Guild jumps on it pretty quick."

I nodded. "Yes, I suppose it would be bad for business."

I smiled to myself. Nothing new there, but confirmation of what I'd suspected was always nice.

Meehayi finished helping me eat and left again, still looking slightly bewildered.

After he'd gone, Loiosh said, "All right, Boss. Care to explain?"

"I've got a sort of idea, but it won't work unless all three—Count, Guild, and Coven— are in each other's pockets, because otherwise I can't make it work. I'd suspected, but until today I wasn't sure."

"Okay, Boss. What did you find out?"

"The tags in this area don't have a problem with Sheep Disease."

"Which means?"

"Which means there is a business arrangement between the Guild and the Coven. Mutual benefit, mutual dependence."

"Oh. What is Sheep Disease?"

"You don't want to know. You're a jhereg; you're immune. Be happy."

"But—okay.”

I tried to sit up; failed. I still didn't know how to knock out that one leg of the stool. Loiosh was silent as I went over what I knew yet again, and got nowhere.

Who should I go after? Dahni? His role in this, it turns out, had been one of the easier ones to figure out. But no, he was done. I couldn't use him. Probably no one could use him. If he was lucky, he'd have made his way out of the country by now. Orbahn? No, he was too smart; he'd put it together.

I tried to sit up again, and failed again; sat back sweating and breathing heavily. I scowled.

"Take it easy, Boss. You'll give the physicker heart failure."

"Thanks, Loiosh."

"For what?"

I didn't answer for a while. I just sat there and smiled while my brain went click, click, click—just like it had before, just like in the old days. Yes. They may have broken my body, but my brain still worked. If you think that isn't important to someone in my condition, your brain doesn't work.

I nodded to myself. Loiosh said, "Does it have to be now?"

"What?"

"I understand you want to settle, things, Boss, but is there any reason you can't come back in a year and do it?"

"Funny you should say that. If you'd asked a few minutes ago, I'd have said forget it— just like I'm saying today—but a few minutes ago I wouldn't have been able to give you a good reason."

"Oh, I see. Okay, Boss. What's the great reason?"

“Now there's no need. I can settle things right now. Today."

"You can kick out the leg?"

"Yes.”

"And be sure the right one wins?"

"There is no right one, only a wrong one."

"Who's the wrong one?"

"The Coven."

" Ah right. But how are you going to set this off from flat on your back?"

"I'm not. Meehayi is."

"I can t wait to see how that works out."

"I can't wait to be done with this, and out of this town."

"That's the first thing you've said that I've agreed with in more than a week."

"Yeah. Which reminds me; I need to arrange a fast exit from this place once my business is finished."

"And that's the second. Any idea how to go about it?"

"I think I'd like to speak with Father Noij.”

"Huh?"

" He can do it, and he will."

"Uh, sure, Boss. I'll fly right out and get him."

I chuckled. " I don't think that will be necessary.”

"Boss, why won't you just tell me what happened?"

I didn't answer.

"You don't want to tell me, do you?"

I didn't answer.

He said, "They took you, didn't they?"