Steven Brust - Dzur

“You were right, but it was a favor for my friend Sethra, who then communicated the results to me.”

“Oh. I see.”

“I’m told that Morrolan is still in mourning for his friend Lady Teldra. He took her death hard.”

“Well, she didn’t die. Exactly.”

Kiera the Thief stole a quick glance at me and didn’t answer. I touched Lady Teldra. It’s all right, she seemed to say. Or else I imagined it. I might have imagined it. I might have imagined—

“The Demon Goddess has been messing with my head, Kiera. My memories, maybe my perceptions, possibly even my, I don’t know, my thinking.”

“Yes. I’m told she’ll do that, now and then, when she needs someone to do something.”

“Oh. Well, that’s all right, then.”

She laughed. “What, Vlad? You don’t accept that there are those who may know what’s best, and use you for the good of everyone?”

“Not hardly,” I said. “Do you?”

“Only when I have no choice.”

“And I have no choice. Yeah. That’s what I love about it.”

“I imagine.”

“Actually, I do have a choice.” I touched Lady Teldra again.

“I suspect, Vlad, that that may not be the best option.”

“For whom?”

While she tried to work out an answer to that, I said, “In any case, that isn’t what you came to see me about. What’s on your mind?”

“Blood, death, friendship, the Jhereg, the Left Hand.”

“Odd. Those are the same things I’ve been thinking about. Care to be more specific?”

“You keep forgetting you have friends, some of whom are willing to help you, and some of whom worry about you.”

“Which are which?”

“I’m almost tempted to answer that, just because I know you don’t want me to.”

“Okay, one for you. But, Kiera, the Jhereg is after me. They want it Morganti. I can’t—”

“I know.”

“—get other people involved in this.”

“What would you do if someone were threatening Morrolan with a Morganti weapon?”

“Laugh at the stupid son-of-a-bitch.”

“Vlad—”

“All right, all right. But—”

“Do you know that Kragar has sent a message to Aliera?” I blinked.

“My word. Has he indeed?”

“He wants to know how to reach you, so he can offer to help.”

“I didn’t think he had that much nerve.”

“He does.”

“I mean, the nerve to risk a snub from Aliera.”

“I knew what you meant.”

“He’s nuts.”

“Maybe.”

“Kiera, he is in the Jhereg. He wouldn’t last three minutes.”

“So am I, and I’m not worried.”

“You should be.”

She smiled.

“Yeah, well, all right. Maybe not.”

“To answer your question, I’m here to see if you need any help.”

I sighed. “I’m not sure. My biggest problem is trying to figure out what’s going on, why the Left Hand is here. And I already asked you about that.”

“Yes. Have you learned anything?”

“There is a sorceress named Crithnak who doesn’t like me very much.”

For just an instant a flicker crossed her face. Either my read­ing skills are way off, or she knew that name, but then remem­bered that she wasn’t supposed to know that name.

“What else?”

“Power struggle within the Jhereg.”

She frowned. “Are you sure? I knew that Curithne had died—”

“How?”

“How did I know? Or how did he die?”

“The latter.”

She shrugged. “He was an old man, Vlad. His heart failed.”

“Are you sure?”

“One can never be sure, but I’m pretty well convinced.”

“All right.”

“You hadn’t known about him?”

“No. I’ve been away.”

“Sorry. I should have mentioned something. In any case, I haven’t seen signs of a power struggle; it’s just there isn’t anyone yet who has taken his place. It isn’t like there’s a big hurry; busi­ness goes on.”

“It always does. But, yeah, there haven’t been any bodies turning up, but there are signs of various people, including my old friend the Demon, trying to get into position to take his place.”

She frowned. “Are you certain of that?”

“I wouldn’t say certain. I don’t have access to the sources I used to. But I guess I can say there are good indications.”

“I hadn’t known that. They must be keeping things pretty quiet.”

“Yes. No bodies. For a Jhereg power struggle, that counts as pretty quiet. Does it change things?”

“Well, yes. No. I think so.”

“What I can’t figure out is, what that has to do with the Left Hand.”

She sat back and considered.

I said, “Terion.”

“What about him?”

“Do you know him?”

“We’ve met. I don’t send him salutations on the new year. How does he fit into this?”

“He’s the only Council member I’ve heard of with a connec­tion to the Left Hand.”

“He has a ... what is his connection?”

“Triesco.”

I could see the name register. “I see. Yes. That would do it. What’s the connection? Family?”

“His mistress.”

“Oh, grand. What do you know of her?”

“She’s a sorceress, born into the House of the Athyra, left it and became a Jhereg some years before the Interregnum.”

“Why?”

“For love.”

“Oh good grief,” said Kiera.

“Yeah.”

“This Triesco is, I take it, high up in the Left Hand?”

“I would imagine, but I know pretty much nothing of their structure. In any case, it’s another name to dig at.”

“Dig at?”

“I’ve been spending time at the Imperial Library, trying to fig­ure out what’s—”

“That’s where you’ve been hiding? In the Imperial Library?”

“Well, not hiding exact—”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Vlad, you are priceless.”

“Uh, okay, what am I missing here?”

“Oh, nothing at all, I’m sure.”

“Kiera—”

“Aside from the idea of you just gallivanting across the Chain Bridge, or whichever one you use, twice a day—”

“I’m in disguise, you know.”

“—you can’t have failed to notice that Imperial Library pretty much stares at the Jhereg Wing of the Palace.”

I shrugged. “No one who matters ever uses that wing anyway. Stop grinning, Kiera.”

“I’ll try.”

“You—”

“I’m just admiring, Vlad. The Imperial Library, forsooth.”

I shrugged.

“I take it, at least, that it’s been productive?”

“I’d say so, yes. I mean, I learned about the power struggle in the Jhereg, and the connection between Terion and Triesco.”

“Good. So, what do you need?”

A list began to form in my head, but not one I was inclined to share with Kiera. “Mostly,” I said, “someone to kick ideas around with.”

“I can do that. Start kicking.”

She was in the chair, so I sat on the bed. “Okay, then. We know there is a power struggle within the Jhereg—the Right Hand—and we know that the Bitch Patrol is involved. We’re pretty sure that this Triesco is trying to see to it that Terion gets the head seat on the Council. So, the question is, how does the Left Hand being in­volved in South Adrilankha help Terion in his maneuvering?”

She shook her head. “I think you have it backward.”

“Oh?”

“South Adrilankha is the price Terion is paying for the support of the Left Hand.”

I frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that. Payment in advance?”

“That’s the usual method.”

“True. That’s going to create conflict in the Jhereg—I mean, the Right Hand—and in South Adrilankha. And I have no idea if it’ll do anything to the Left Hand.”

“No more do I.”