Mayer Alan Brenner - Spell of Intrigue

“You should be having this meeting with Max, not me,” Karlini said. “After all, he’s been the one who set this plan up; he’s the prime motivator, he’s the main plotter in most everything we’re all doing. The research was his idea in the first place, based on his concepts.”

“Petulant now sound you,” Haddo pointed out.

“Don’t you change the subject,” said Karlini. “Why me and not Max? When he finds out the work’s slowing down again because of more safety quibbles, you know he’s not going to like that. Don’t tell me about dangerous, I’ve seen Max mad.”

“Uh,” said Favored, exchanging an unreadable glance with Haddo. “Okay. Here it is, then, straight out on the table, since that’s the way you want it. We don’t exactly trust your pal Max. I sure don’t. He’s a little too gung-ho about this whole game-against-the-gods things to make me comfortable. He could ... get carried away with his plots and his plans and kick off something really nasty. Okay, there it is.”

“ ... I see,” said Karlini. “I don’t agree with you. I think you’re wrong.”

“I’m sure you do,” said Favored. “Will you do this much, anyway? Keep this conversation to yourself? Don’t blow it all to your friends.”

“I don’t know. What about -”

“Of course don’t blab it to your wife.”

“I don’t like it,” Karlini said reluctantly, “but I’ll do it. For the time being I won’t talk to anybody about this, not even Roni. Are you satisfied?”

“You’re not a bad sort, guy,” Favored said. “I think we may end up meeting again. Right now, though, it’s time for me to get out of here and get to work; we’ve been pushing our luck as it is.”

“But what about -”

“Catch you later.” Favored finished lowering himself down into his vehicle and slammed the hatch shut behind him. The legs retracted, Flotarobolis chugged and lifted off, executed a turn-and-bank that would have done credit to Haddo’s bird, and swooped toward its hole in the floor.

“All night wait will you?” said Haddo. He was standing impatiently by the table, making a tapping noise beneath his cloak against the floor.

Karlini rose and followed him toward the stairs. “How am I going to deal with you now?” he said, half to himself; he was a little shocked to hear how plaintive his own tone sounded. “I always had the impression you enjoyed working for me, even if you do like to complain a lot. Were Roni and I just convenient tools for you, just a means to an end? We always liked you, and we thought you liked us, too.”

“In the world more than liking is -” began Haddo.

“How do you expect me to believe anything you tell me now?” Karlini said heavily.

Haddo didn’t really have an answer for that. They walked out onto the street and angled toward the human core of Oolsmouth. After awhile, Karlini said, “Did this meeting at least have anything to do with the immediate problem of Groot and the boat?”

“Is connected everything,” said Haddo. “Only out to figure have is which connection which.”

“Was that remark supposed to be helpful?”

“Is not in general useful philosophy?”

“Not as useful as some straightforward help would be, no.”

“In your soul no poetry is,” Haddo muttered darkly. “Left turn we here.”

They had almost reached the river, by the smell of it, and by the glimpses of empty space opening up at the ends of some of the cross streets. “What does my soul have to do with anything?” said Karlini.

“My point, this exactly is,” said Haddo.

“What point? Are you planning to tell me how my soul is supposed to bail out Groot? Wait a minute - doesn’t Groot live somewhere around here?”

“Could be,” Haddo said dryly.

Karlini suddenly noticed that Haddo was no longer leading him straight down a street, but rather up to the side entrance of a block of flats, up to it and through a door, in fact, and into a dark inner hallway. Doors and stairs to the individual apartments opened along the hallway’s length in the dim light from the street. Haddo, as always, displayed his ability to proceed without hesitation in the gloom. At the third door on the right, or perhaps it was the fourth, he knocked softly. After a moment they heard a creak of floorboards from behind the door, and a voice said, “Who is it?”

Karlini, waiting again for Haddo for handle this, was surprised to feel a kick against his shin. “Him tell,” hissed Haddo.

“The Great Karlini,” Karlini told the door. “And Haddo.”

Bolts clanked back and the door eased open, so they slid inside. The man who’d spoken finished fastening the door again before unhooding his lamp.

“Julio?” said Karlini.

“Yes, of course, Meester Karlini.” said Julio, tramping barefoot in his bathrobe into the room. “Thank you for coming; I must say I’m glad you’re here. I was surprised when I got your message that you were on your way -you must have had the devil’s own time tracking me down, with all the excitement there’s been. You and your sorcerous ways, I suppose.”

“I guess,” said Karlini, staring at Haddo, who was making a show of examining the tatty wallpaper coming down at the top and peeling open at the seams.

“This hideout isn’t being watched as far as I’ve been able to determine, so we’re free to talk and plan here. Might I get you some refreshment?”

They settled down with mugs of coffee, or Julio and Karlini did, at least, and traded stories. Actually, the story was mostly Julio’s, since Karlini felt Haddo’s eyes on him whenever he so much as thought about the enigmatic session with Favored-of-the-Gods. That wasn’t the only story Karlini had available to discuss, though.

“An iceberg , you say?” Julio shook his head. “We didn’t have a thing to do with that. Perhaps those two strange characters from this – no, yesterday -afternoon, perhaps it was their doing. I thought they might be gods, but then one of them, the man, said something that made me think he might be one of you. Blue eyes, clean-shaven, a bit sharp-tongued in manner, carrying a walking stick, of all things.”

A walking stick? “He didn’t give you his name,” said Karlini, “did he? No, he wouldn’t have. You’re right, he is one of ours, sort of.” Maybe. “You said he was doing most of the talking? Did the woman he was with seem to be holding him prisoner?”

“I don’t know,” Julio admitted. “It wasn’t the first thing on my mind, you understand. There did seem to be something a bit odd between them, but I thought it might have to do with their being gods, if that’s what they were. So you say they weren’t?”

“He’s not,” Karlini said, “but for all I know she very well might be. Maybe they’ll help out and maybe they won’t, but I wouldn’t count on seeing them again. I’d put my focus on this Council meeting tomorrow. You still don’t have any idea what your Dooglas is going to try to pull?”

“No. Dooglas is still in hiding in his mansion. I’ve spoken to his usual compatriots on the Council and even they haven’t heard from him. At least that was what they told me, those I was able to meet with, but I believe they were telling the truth. They seemed as confused and curious as any of us.”

“With so much curiosity around,” Karlini said, “they’ll probably have a full house at the session. Is that good for Groot?”

“With the evidence of the torture warrant and Dooglas’ signature on it, you would have to say so. Except for Dooglas’ behavior. That concerns me.”

“Of himself sure is he acting,” commented Haddo. “Perhaps ally has he, too.”

“Yes,” Julio agreed. “That god Sapriel the warrant mentions. And don’t forget the delegation of torturers - no one knows where they came from, and somehow they managed to give the police squad the slip. Dooglas has quite an unusual number of men-at-arms at his property, too. If it was up to the Council, yes, I think they’d shut this nonsense down, but Dooglas worries me.”