Steven Brust - Dragon

"And would you have come if I had?"

"No," I said.

"I hadn't thought so." She unbuckled her sword belt, and I noticed its size at once. She carefully set it on a table, and then sat down. I gritted my teeth and brought out some wine. She said, "Perhaps we should send for Aliera and get this done."

"Actually," I said, "I had plans for the evening."

I could see her forming the words "Break them" and then changing her mind. After a moment she said, "Are they breakable?"

"Perhaps. If you can convince me—" There was another clap at the door.

"Loiosh?"

"Yes."

"My plans for the evening," I said. I went over to the door and admitted Cawti.

She took in the scene at once; I saw her notice the sheathed sword on the table. I said, "It wasn't my plan. She wants to finish things tonight."

"Why not?" said Cawti.

"Why not indeed?" said Sethra the Younger.

I could have made some answers, but I decided the question was rhetorical. "All right," I said. "Then someone should reach Aliera. Who wants to do the honors?"

"Why don't you?" said Sethra the Younger.

"All right," I said, and composed my mind for the contact.

I reached Aliera more quickly than I'd have expected to. I guess I was getting to know her. I had mixed feelings about this.

"What is it?" she said without greeting, preamble, pleasantry, or anything else I hadn't expected.

"Sethra the Younger is here."

"There? Where is there?"

"My flat."

"What does she want?"

"To conclude the transaction."

"I haven't agreed to the transaction yet."

I said aloud, "She hasn't agreed to the transaction yet."

"Then let's talk about it," said Sethra.

"Then she suggests you talk about it."

"I—very well. Can you give me a picture?"

I did so to the best of my ability. It got me enough into her head that I could tell what she thought about the best of my ability.

"Very well," she said eventually. "I'll be there directly."

"Well?" snapped Sethra the Younger.

"She'll be here."

She nodded.

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes; Cawti sat next to me and held my arm. Aliera clapped outside the door; I let her in.

Sethra the Younger stood up. They gave each other slight bows over mutual glares.

Sethra said, "You know the bargain I propose."

Aliera said, "You should never have received the weapon in the first place."

"Received it?" she said, and I remembered, then, that final encounter at Baritt's Tomb. It hadn't stayed with me because I hadn't known her then. She said, "I didn't receive it, Lady Aliera. I took it. I used it. I—"

"I remember. I was there."

"Yes, you were, weren't you?" She turned to me. "And so, I believe, were you."

"You could say that," I told her.

She nodded. "But, Lady Aliera, I believe the weapon should be yours. What is your opinion?"

"My opinion is that you want the sword of Kieron the Conqueror. My opinion is also that I'm no haggler."

"Well, then?"

"Then if you want it, come take it."

"I could do that," said Sethra the Younger, touching the hilt of the blade next to her.

"Not in my house, you don't," I said, but they weren't listening to me.

I concentrated hard and, very quickly, reached Morrolan.

"What is it, Vlad?"

"A favor."

"Oh?"

"Grab Blackwand and get your ass over here. Now."

He didn't ask why, or what was going on, or anything else. Whatever else you say about Dragons, they understand when it is time for action.

The same, of course, can be said for Aliera and Sethra the Younger. They had drawn their swords and were circling each other in the parlor.

I hoped they wouldn't destroy too much furniture.

15—Scratch One Jerkin

The instant after Daymar appeared was another moment when I felt like I was about to be snuffed out, but I wasn't. A little piece of my mind that likes to comment on what the rest of me is doing suggested that I was getting tired of almost getting cut to ribbons every few seconds, and then answered itself by pointing out that it was, at least, better than actually getting cut to ribbons.

"You think he can do it, Loiosh?"

"Probably. But you need to give him enough time, Boss."

"Any idea how much time is enough?"

"Not even a wild guess, Boss."

To Fornia I said, "This is Daymar, my associate. And, just to be clear about things: You're right. I'm not a negotiator. On the other hand, I was not sent here to kill you, and I have no intention of trying to. I only hope you'll be as reserved with regard to me."

He laughed a little. "Why should I be?"

"Curiosity. To find out what I'm doing here."

"I've never been all that curious. Any other reasons why I shouldn't do as Ori says?"

"Because you don't kill prisoners, and I surrender."

"Boss!"

"Any other ideas?"

He nodded. "That will do." He addressed his personal guard, then: "Search him carefully, and I especially want that gold chain in his hand. Bind him well and send him to the rear for quest—"

Someone whispered in his ear. He listened carefully, then put his telescope to his eye and studied the field somewhere over my left shoulder.

"Not quite yet," he said as three of his bodyguards moved toward me to carry out his orders, leaving me saying to myself, "Now what, smart guy?"

I guessed, from where Fornia was looking, that the subject of the message he'd just received was Dorian's Hill, where I had recently left the rest of my company in the middle of a battle, which I was certain was no more fun than it had been yesterday, when, after an entire day of fighting, I'd gotten myself good and properly nailed.

We had woken up yesterday morning to discover Dorian's Hill was deserted. Empty. Unoccupied. This provided the subject for that morning's breakfast conversation. There was constant chatter all around me, and I kept hearing the word "trap" find its way from the buzz and hum.

"What do you think, Boss?"

"The hill we spent yesterday trying to take is suddenly empty, and yet they think it might be a trap? What suspicious minds."

"I meant, do you think you'll be ordered to occupy it anyway?"

"Oh."

I studied the hill in the morning light: green, harmless, a few shrubs on the top, only long grasses and a few sharp grey stones on the way up. The only sign of yesterday's action had been that the grasses were a bit tromped down. The hill was just sitting there. If it were human it would have been twiddling its thumbs, staring at the sky, and whistling. "Probably," I told Loiosh.

At least they didn't keep us waiting. We were given breakfast, and within a few minutes after eating we were formed up, and the Captain rode out in front of us. He turned and faced the line, and said, "We will occupy the hill and immediately begin preparing to defend it. To that end, the engineers will accompany us. We can expect to be required to defend it at once."

"No shit," said Napper under his breath.

The Captain was done talking; Crown stepped out and led us up the hill. It was much easier this time. The walk wasn't even tiring.

"It's going to be a fight once we get there."

"I imagine so," said Napper.

"No, I mean they'll have something special waiting. Sorcery, or some traps they put up there. Something."

"Don't matter," said Napper. It was hard to argue with him, so we just walked for a while.

"It's just us," said Virt as we neared the top.

"Excuse me?"

"We're by ourselves up here. Just the company."

"And the engineers," said Aelburr.

"And the engineers."

"Oh," I said. "Not enough, huh?"

"Not enough," said Virt."