Steven Brust - Athyra

“Are they still looking?” asked Vlad.

“Yes.”

“Hmmm. Well, that’s part of it. If they found me now I wouldn’t be able to give them much sport. But even if they don’t find me, I have to figure out what to do.”

“About what?”

“About Loraan, of course. Excuse me, I mean Baron Smallcliff.”

“Oh.”

Eventually the food was ready. Polyi splashed water on her face, visited the cave they’d designated as a privy, and rejoined them, still looking groggy. They ate in silence, not even commenting on the quality of the stew, which Savn thought was fine (although, as he had feared, a bit sweet), even if it was not as exciting as the roasted norska had been the first time.

They had to share bowls, since Savn had only thought to bring two, but they finished every morsel. When they had given the bones and scraps to the jhereg, Vlad rested for a while. Savn thought he was looking better and better, but resolved not to leave him unattended until he was certain there would not be another relapse.

Polyi, who, as usual, had been the last to finish eating, watched Vlad as he rested. Savn wondered what she was thinking about, a question which was answered when she suddenly said, “What did you mean about not wanting to work again?”

Vlad opened his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“When you were feverish, you said you never wanted to work again, and you wouldn’t, and swore by Verra. Or maybe at Verra, I couldn’t tell.”

Vlad looked reproachfully at Savn, who said, “When did he say that, Polyi?”

“While we were chanting.”

Savn looked at Vlad. “I didn’t notice,” he said.

“I meant,” said Vlad, “that, basically, I’m a pretty lazy fellow. What else did I say?” The Easterner was staring at Polyi, and Savn felt the intensity of that stare.

“Stop it,” he said.

Vlad turned to him. “Excuse me?”

“I said, stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Whatever you were about to do to her.”

The Easterner seemed genuinely confused. “I wasn’t about to do anything to her; what are you talking about?”

“You were about to cast a spell on her.”

“No, I wasn’t. What makes you think I was?”

“I saw how you were looking at her, and I know what you did to Mae and Pae.”

“Oh,” said Vlad softly. His features were still and silent; only his eyes seemed troubled as he looked at Savn.

“What?” cried Polyi, rising to her feet.

Damn my big mouth, thought Savn. He stepped between her and Vlad and said, “Wait—”

“What did he do to them?”

“How did you know?” said Vlad quietly.

Savn ignored him, gripped his sister’s shoulders and said, “Polyi, please—”

“How long have you known?” said Polyi.

“I guessed yesterday, when we went home, but I wasn’t certain.”

She tried to twist free, but Savn was stronger. He said, “Wait, Polyi. Let us at least listen to what he has to say—”

Vlad, abruptly, started laughing. Polyi stopped struggling and stared at him. Savn did the same. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I’m almost tempted,” said Vlad, still laughing, “to tell you to let her go. After everything I’ve done, the idea of falling at last to the wrath of a Teckla girl appeals to my sense of irony. And right now, she could do it. At least,” he added, sobering suddenly, “it wouldn’t be Morganti.”

Savn felt his stomach turn at the word. At the same time, he noticed that the two jhereg were watching Polyi with, it seemed, great intensity, and he remembered that they were poisonous—it was certainly best that Polyi be kept from attacking Vlad, even if Vlad was, as he claimed, “almost tempted.”

The Easterner continued. “In any case, I wasn’t about to put a spell on your sister. I wasn’t doing anything except, maybe, trying to intimidate her a little.”

“Why should I believe you?” said Savn.

“Why indeed?” said Vlad. “At any rate, I haven’t denied what I did to your Mae and Pae.”

“No, but you’ve lied about everything else.” Vlad shook his head. “Very little, in fact,” he said. “I’ve mostly refused to answer because I really don’t like lying to you. Although I’m willing to do so, if it will preserve my life and my soul.”

His voice hardened as he said this, but Savn refused to be put off by it. “How did putting a spell on Mae and Pae help preserve your life?”

Vlad sighed and looked away. “I’m not sure it did,” he said eventually. “I was being careful. How could you tell there was a spell on them? And, for that matter, how did you know it was me?”

Savn snorted. “Who else could it have been? And it wasn’t very difficult to see they’d been enchanted. They’ve been acting like they’re living in a dream-world. They haven’t seemed to care what Polyi and I do. They—”

“I see,” said Vlad. “I overdid it, apparently.”

“What were you trying to do?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He looked at Polyi, who hesitated, then sat down and looked at the Easterner expectantly.

Vlad took a deep breath and nodded. “I thought I might need your help,” he said. “And, in fact, I did, though not the way I had anticipated.” He smiled a little, looking down at himself as if to inspect Savn’s work.

“How had you anticipated you’d need my help?”

Vlad shrugged. “Once I knew what had happened to Reins, I thought I might need the eyes, ears, and memory of a local. And I did, but it didn’t turn out to be you, because I found Sara and Fird.”

Polyi said, “What does that have to do with putting a spell on Mae and Pae?”

Vlad sat up, resting his back against the stone wall. He spread his hands. “If I wanted you to look around for me, I couldn’t have you disturbed by parents wanting to know where you were and what you were doing. It wasn’t supposed to be that strong, however.”

Savn nodded. “You did it when you brought me home that night, didn’t you?”

“That was when I triggered it, you might say, but I’d already set it up.”

“How? You weren’t anywhere near them before that.”

“Yes.” Vlad sighed. “Remember that green stone I gave you?”

“What green stone?”

“Remember when we met?”

“Sure. On Manor Road, by the Curving Stone.”

“Yes. I gave you something.”

“I don’t remember ... Wait. Yes. You said it was the custom of your land—” He broke off suddenly. “Why had I forgotten that? What did you do to me?”

Vlad winced, then looked away. After a moment he shook his head, as if to himself. “Not very much, actually,” he said. “You can blame my friends here”—he gestured at the jhereg on the ground, who were still watching Polyi and Savn—”for not keeping good watch. You saw me doing something I didn’t want known, so I gave you that stone, and through it, I suggested that you not talk about me, and that you not remember the stone. And I used the stone to work the other spells, the ones you noticed. When I took you home that night, I’d already prepared—”

Savn stared. “You’ve been putting spells everywhere, haven’t you?”

“It may seem like that—”

“What did you do to Polyi?” he said fiercely, ready to strangle the Easterner, jhereg or no.

“Nothing,” said Vlad. “But, as I said, I did use the stone to cast a spell on your parents, through you, that would allow you to be more useful to me. So if you’re looking for a grievance, you have one.”

Savn spat, then glared at the Easterner. Vlad met his eyes calmly.

“Well, I’ve been useful, haven’t I?” said Savn bitterly. “I’ve saved your life—”

“I know.”