Kate Novak - Masquerades

"First, you get a good night's sleep," Mintassan said. "Lessons are learned better in the morning."

The boy clambered back into the attic and bolted for the stairs, as if speed would bring the next day closer.

"You really know how to motivate a child," Jamal said with a grin.

"Great thieves and rich merchants. What sort of heroes are those for young boys to have?" Mintassan asked with a shake of his head.

"The sort that fade into obscurity when better men make an effort to impress them," Jamal replied, giving the sage's shoulder a grateful squeeze. "Good night," she murmured as she slipped through the attic window.

Mintassan remained on the balcony for a while longer, alone with his thoughts.

"The fireworks have been over for half an hour now," Olive said. "She should be back soon." The halfling stood at the open window. Although the second story of Blais House did not offer a clear view of the harbor, she had been able to catch sight of the higher skyrockets and, of course, hear the entire display.

Dragonbait, his attention focused on the chessboard, made a noncommittal noise. He'd beaten Olive at two games already, and he had been winning a third when the halfling had abandoned the game to watch the fireworks. Not surprisingly, when the fireworks ended, the saurial had been unable to coax Olive back to the board, so now he was continuing the game solitaire-playing both sides.

The chess pieces gilded in white gold represented the Cormyrian forces, those in yellow gold, the Tuigan Horde. Dragonbait made a clicking noise with his tongue and dragged Vangerdahast diagonally across the length of the board to capture a Hordelands horseman. Then the saurial switched positions at the table and considered the halfling's crumbling defenses.

Olive peered out into the darkness, where she could just make out the Westlight. "I wonder what's going on out there," she said, not for the first time that evening. "On the boat, I mean. This Lord Victor seems genial enough, for a human, but he is still one of the merchant nobles. The most poisonous snakes are the most brightly colored, my mother used to say."

Dragonbait made the same disinterested huffing noise he'd made the last three times Olive had tried to draw him into a discussion of the party on The Gleason or Victor's character. He maneuvered the remaining Horde-lands horseman to threaten the Cormyrian sage Dimswart, but the move only delayed the inevitable. Olive had left her Tuigan forces in complete disarray.

This time Olive would not be deterred from her speculations. "Jamal sayaJL,ady Gleason, his mother-Victor's, that is-died young.' Considering Lord Luer's reputation for arrogance, one has to wonder how Lord Victor turned out to be so pleasant. Maybe he had a halfling nanny or something. She's out there alone. Alias, I mean. Not even a chaperon."

Dragonbait changed sides and stared at the situation from the Cormyrian side. From behind the King Azoun figure it looked like mate in three moves. He couldn't imagine what Olive was worrying about. Alias had once taken on a dragon single-handedly. How the swordswoman could have, trouble on a two-hour cruise eluded him. More likely, the saurial reasoned, Olive was trying to cover her nervousness about their planned excursion to Cassana's old house.

A long pause ensued as Dragonbait changed sides again and tried to discover a way out of his self-inflicted attack, but an escape was denied the Tuigans. Mate in two now. At least the Tuigans should have something more to show for it. He took the Dimswart piece with the horseman. "At least she has her sword with her," Olive said. Dragonbait toppled the Tuigan khan and growled.Olive turned at the saurial's guttural roar. In the thieves' hand cant the paladin signed, Shell be all right. Don't worry.

"Don't worry?" Olive retorted. "Alias is out there alone with that greengrocer. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't worry."

Alias is in good hands, the paladin signed. Lord Victor is an honest, valiant, and worthy young human.

"She's spent most of her life in the Lost Vale with your people." And now she should spend time with her own people. Tou can't just throw her into this society alone."

You didn't have any of these objections when Giogi Wyvernspur married her sister Cat.

"That's because I knew Giogi well enough to trust him. He was a really nice boy."

I've looked into Lord Victor, the paladin signed, the closest the hand cant could come to expressing his shen sight. His intentions are good. "Well, we all know what road good intentions pave."

Alias can take care of herself, the paladin signed hard and fast, and the halfling could detect the chickenlike scent of his impatience.

"Physically, yes," Olive agreed, "but emotionally? She's still just a child."

Her feelings have grown more quickly the last few years.

"Even worse," Olive retorted. "That would make her a teenager, impulsive and reckless." Why does this worry you so?

"I do think of her as my friend, you know. I don't want to see her get hurt making the same mistakes I did when I was young." Lord Victor could be as nice as Giogi Wyvernspur.

Olive looked doubtful. "Even so, that leaves us with another problem. I don't know how it works among your people, but among the fur-bearing races of halflings and humans, love wreaks havoc on us. It's like pouring sand into the fine gearwork of the mind. When you should be thinking about your enemies' position and your defenses and where to strike, your mind is wandering off and you're thinking about his eyes, or his smile, or what he said last."

The paladin thought of Alias's own comments about the lovers by the fountain on the day they arrived in Westgate. With eyes only for each other, they were sitting ducks, she'd said. Alias knows enough to guard against that, he signed.

"Hah," Olive declared. "Shows what you know. 'I'll never be that stupid' is what every woman thinks until it happens to her. Then, too, something could happen to Lord Victor. He could be hurt or kidnapped. Alias wasn't all that rational when she thought Finder was threatened. What would she be like if something happened to someone else she'd grown attached to?"

The halfling's warnings were cut short by the sound of horses' hooves on the cobblestones outside.

The halfling and^saurial exchanged glances, then Olive padded over to the window. Standing in the shadow of the curtain, she looked down onto the street. After a moment, she waved Dragonbait to approach.

The saurial sighed and ambled forward, but the halfling grabbed his tunic and jerked him to the side. "Stand in the shadows," she hissed. Feeling a little foolish, and a little guilty, but also a little anxious, the paladin did as instructed before looking down on the street. He shifted nervously, made uncomfortable by the sight below.

Victor's carriage stood outside the hotel door. As Lord Victor helped Alias down, she slid into his arms, threw her own around his neck, and pressed her lips against his. The pair remained embracing, lips locked against each other for an embarrassingly long period to witness.

Dragonbait pulled Olive away from the window, back to the chessboard and made her sit down opposite him. They both stared at the chessboard without seeing the pieces, waiting for Alias's return.

When Victor finally released her, Alias drew in a deep breath and giggled.

"You make me feel so good," Victor whispered.

"Good as in virtuous?" Alias teased, gently nibbling at bis ear.

"Lucky, happy, fortunate, fated, delighted," the young noble burbled. "I've never had anyone I could really talk to. Knowing you understand, that you're with me-" He faltered for words. "Are you sure you have to go?"

The swordswoman nodded. "It's late. We both have a lot to do tomorrow."

"It's already tomorrow," Victor murmured, sliding his hand up and down her back.