Steven Brust - Dzur

“Took you long enough,” I told her. “I’ve been standing here for most of an hour.”

Her grip on the dagger tightened in a way that looked like she might be about to do something with it, so I drew Lady Teldra, holding her in front of me. The dagger the sorceress was holding moved in a small circle. Lady Teldra glowed a little and I felt a tingle run up my arm. That’s all.

“Now, now,” I said. “No need for unpleasantness.”

Her expression didn’t change, but I got the feeling she didn’t know exactly how to handle this turn of events. Or maybe Jhereg banter was exclusive to the Right Hand. I badly wished to know what spell had been cast at me. She had long limbs, rather light hair, and deep-set eyes. She carried herself with a relaxed ease.

“I’m Vlad,” I told her. “You?”

“I’m not,” said the sorceress.

“I didn’t actually think you were. Feel like telling me your name?”

“Why? Can you use it in an enchantment?”

Okay, so Jhereg banter crossed the line to the distaff side. “Probably not,” I said. “I’m willing to try, though, if you wish.”

“They usually call me Nisasta, which I was once told means ‘seeker of truth’ in some language or another.”

“They’re walking toward you, Boss.”

“All right, Nisasta. Before your friends get here and I have to work up a sweat, how about if we just agree to have a peaceful conversation.”

“You killed—”

“Yes, I did. How about my proposal? Your friends are getting closer, and if it looks like I’m going to be outnumbered, I’ll have to do something about it.”

Lady Teldra had taken the form of a short, very nasty-looking triangular dagger. I let her bounce a little in my hand. She felt solid and useful. Nisasta avoided looking at her.

“How close are they?”

“About thirty paces.”

“Decide,” I said. “Talk, or slaughter. I don’t much care.”

She still didn’t look at Lady Teldra. I was impressed; that can’t have been easy.

“It isn’t my decision to make,” she said finally.

“Then you’d best speak to whoever’s decision it is. Fast.”

She nodded, and her brows furrowed a little; she didn’t close her eyes. That can’t have been easy, either; closing your eyes when speaking to someone psychically is instinctive.

She said, “They say—wait.”

“They’ve stopped, Boss. There’s—”

“What? What?”

“The Demon is here, Boss. With two bodyguards. He’s talking to the sorceresses. I can’t hear them from here.”

“Okay. So far, so good.”

“What are we going to do if they don’t want to talk?”

“Improvise.”

“Oh, good.”

“Not to worry. It’s the same thing we’re going to do if they do want to talk.”

“Oh. All right. That’s fine, then.”

“I am told,” said the sorceress who called herself Nisasta, “that they’ll speak with you if you disarm yourself.”

I laughed. “Oh, sure. That’s real likely. I’ll just walk with you into that house there, so I can be surrounded by a dozen sorceresses who all want to kill me, after giving up the one thing that might keep me alive. Do they have a second idea?”

“You think it will be enough to keep you alive? You should know there is now a teleport block over this entire area. No can gets in or out save by walking, and no one is close enough to help you.”

I shrugged. “I expected that when I put myself into this situ­ation. We can dance if you want. You’ll probably get me eventu­ally. How many of you will go down first, and what will happen when you do? You know what I carry.”

She barely nodded, and was silent again for a moment.

“They still aren’t moving, Loiosh?”

“Nope. Just standing there, Boss. Talking with the Demon. Shall I get close enough to—?”

“No. We wait.”

I briefly wondered why I felt so calm; then I became aware of the smooth, cool, reassuring feeling of Lady Teldra’s hilt in my hand, and stopped wondering. Would Telnan consider this cheat­ing? I’d have to ask him if I got out of this.

“Are you willing to, at least, sheath it?”

I hadn’t expected that question, and I had to think about it. “If we talk out here, no. If we’re going inside, then I will, until something happens that makes me feel threatened. I react badly when I feel threatened. It’s a personality quirk.”

After a moment, she said, “Inside, then.”

I nodded. “After you.”

“Boss, you want to go inside?”

“Yes.”

“Why, for all the—”

“If spark comes to fire, I want them in a confined space.”

“But—”

“Not now, Loiosh.”

She set off toward the house. I sheathed Lady Teldra, not without some regret, and followed her. Loiosh flew over to me. Nisasta, as much as I could tell watching her from behind, flinched just a little when he flew past her. She looked back at him as he landed on my shoulder. I wasn’t calm anymore, which was good, because Telnan could no longer accuse me of cheating.

“Hey, Boss. How do you figure the odds that they’re going to try to kill you once we get inside.”

“Dead certain, more or less.”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured, too.”

“Glad to know we’re in sync.”

“Yeah. Any idea how we’re going to get out of it?”

“Some vague ideas, yes.”

“Okay. Care to tell me why we put ourselves in this position?”

“It’s been our plan all along.”

“Oh. Well. All right then. And to think I was worried.”

The sorceresses, along with the Demon and his bodyguards, were about forty paces ahead of the one called Nisasta, who was just a few paces ahead of me. The group of them opened the door, entered, and vanished within. Nisasta reached the door and held it open for me. I gave a nod toward it. She shrugged, and walked in front of me.

“Want me to scout?”

“No. Stay with me.”

We stood in a wide entryway, with a hallway leading off to the right, an arch at the far end, a stairway next to the arch, and a door, presumably a closet, to the left. It looked pleasant and comfortable; the sort of place Jakoub might dream of buying. Or Sandor. The door swung shut behind me, from some sort of coun­terweight, or maybe a spell of some kind. It went “snick” with a sort of finality. I wondered how hard it would be to open it again.

“Boss, are we trapped?”

“No, they are.”

“Oh. All right, then.”

Nisasta looked back at me over her shoulder. “We’ll talk in here,” she said, and went through the arch.

“Last chance to run, Boss.”

“Oh, shut up.”

I walked through the archway like I hadn’t a worry in the world. 17. Palaczinta

Mihi came back to the table. He brought a bucket of ice on a stand, and in the bucket was a bottle I knew well. Mihi was all smiles. I think this was his favorite part; it was certainly right up there for me.

Dragaerans usually served a fruit at the end of a meal, but we East­erners like to serve a confection, or something sweet to finish off a meal. We call it “dessert” and no one does it better than Valabar’s. Mihi gave a slight bow, refilled our wineglasses, took a deep breath, and began speaking.

“Today, Mr. Malabar has prepared an apple cheesecake with a mild cinnamon sauce topped with powdered chef’s sugar and a finely ground pecan mix chocolate raspberry mousse cake in a chocolate shell sweet­ened with white sugar with jumpberry sauce and a selection of fresh berries vanilla-cinnamon custard lightly caramelized on top with brown sugar and a garnish of fresh fruit a six-layer dessert palaczinta consisting of a layer of rednuts ground to a fine powder a layer of sweetened choco­late a layer of raspberries a layer of walnuts ground to a powder and a layer of tartberries with a chocolate-brandy sauce dribbled on top.”