David Weber - Wind Rider's Oath

"I only meant that Dame Kaeritha hasn't indicated that she's about to resign her interest in Trisu's dispute with Kalatha," he said. "Unless I very much miss my guess-" which, he knew from his gramerhain, he did not "- she's on her way back to Kalatha to reexamine their copies of the documents. After all, the fact that she didn't denounce either side as forgers and liars before she left suggests to me that she isn't prepared at this point to uncritically accept the validity of either side's documents."

"Well, of course not," Dahlaha agreed a bit snippily. "Obviously one set has to be false. But that's fine. My Lady's webs are carefully woven, Varnaythus. In the end, it won't really matter which side Tomanâk's precious champion condemns for creating the forgery. I'll admit, it will work out better if she blames Trisu, especially because she's a woman herself, but either outcome will suit Her needs and plans quite well."

"I know that," Varnaythus said, watching her with unobtrusive intensity, "but my point is that she hasn't blamed anyone. She hasn't even so much as whispered to anyone here in Thalar that she might suspect that anyone's committed forgery. To me, that suggests that she isn't about to leap to any conclusions, or issue any hasty rulings."

"And what of it?" Dahlaha asked, hunching one shoulder impatiently. "It doesn't matter to Them if she takes a few days, or weeks, to make her decision. In the end, she has to decide for one side or the other, Varnaythus."

"It does make a difference in at least one sense, Dahlaha," Varnaythus said patiently. "Their plan requires a certain degree of synchronization. You do recall that They have multiple strands to their web, don't you?" Dahlaha's blue eyes were dagger-sharp as she glared at his reflection, and he smiled ever so slightly. "It would be nice if your Lady and Krahana could see both of Their plans come to fruition at as close to the same time as possible. Otherwise," his smile disappeared, "it's possible that if either plan fails, the champion of Tomanâk that one should have snared will be available to reinforce his -or her-fellow. Do you really want Bahzell Bloody Hand down here supporting Dame Kaeritha?"

Dahlaha's face had lost all expression at the mention of Bahzell, rather to Varnaythus's amusement. Not that he would have been any happier than she at the prospect of confronting him. For all of Dahlaha's contempt for Sharnā and the deceased Tharnatus, the brutal effectiveness with which Bahzell had dispatched not simply one, but two of Sharnā 's greater demons made the prospect of facing him a frightening one. Varnaythus knew that as well as Dahlaha did; what amused him was the obvious twinge of fear she'd felt at the words "the Bloody Hand." However fitting they might be, Varnaythus knew the song the cognomen derived from . . . and who its author was.

"No, of course I'd rather not have to deal with two champions instead of one, regardless of who they might be!" Dahlaha said tartly after a brief pause. "But if Krahana's Servants do their jobs properly, it won't come to that, will it?"

"No," Varnaythus agreed in the same obviously patient tone. "At the same time, however, you do realize, don't you, that Jerghar is thinking exactly the same thing about your Lady and you." He grimaced. "I don't suppose I can really blame either of you for that, but I do wish you could remember that it's my job to keep both of you running in harness. Not to mention keeping an eye on Baron Cassan and his little plots."

"All right," she said with a shrug. "You're right, I should remember this is a web with more than one strand. And that They chose you to look after all of them. On the other hand, I also know you enjoy being a pain in the arse, Varnaythus. Don't bother to deny it-you and I both know it's true."

"Of course I do," he confessed cheerfully. "It's one of the few small pleasures I can allow myself, especially now. But my real reason for dropping by to see you is to ask you exactly what you expect Dame Kaeritha to do when she returns to Kalatha?"

"Do?" Dahlaha turned from the mirror to look at him with obvious surprise. "She's going to reexamine their documents, exactly as she told Trisu she would."

"I meant after that," Varnaythus explained in the voice of someone manifestly asking his deity for strength. Dahlaha's eyes hardened again, and he shrugged. "We both know what she's going to find when she compares the documents," he pointed out. "Even They can't-or, at least, haven't-told me whether or not she'll be able to determine which of them are false, but even if she can't, she's going to confirm that they disagree with one another. So, what will she do then ?"

"I don't know," Dahlaha said irritably. She twitched her shoulders again. "Probably she'll decide to go to Sothofalas and the Royal Archives in order to see what the Crown's copy of the original says."

"Dahlaha," he said wearily, "I don't think it's very wise to make any assumption of that nature. Or to assume Kaeritha is a fool who can't see beyond the point of her own sword, just because she follows Tomanâk."

Dahlaha glared at him, and he sighed.

"You yourself just pointed out to me that in a very real sense, it doesn't matter for your Lady's plans which side she accuses of committing the forgery. Hasn't it occurred to you that the same thought might cross her mind? Or that she might wonder whether or not the forgery is the work of a third party out to damage both the war maids and the kingdom at large?"

"Well, of course she might," Dahlaha said, her glare fading just a bit as her mind-which, Varnaythus was forced to admit, was actually quite a good one . . . when she chose to use it-began to consider his point.

"In that case," Varnaythus continued patiently, "isn't it possible that instead of simply haring off to Sothofalas to confirm, as well as she can, which document was forged, she might decide to concentrate on who did the forging? After all, if it was a third party and she can unmask whoever actually did it, then she can avoid issuing a ruling which is bound to ignite a firestorm by accusing either Trisu or Kalatha. If she could demonstrate that both of them were the victims of someone else's plot, wouldn't that change the entire focus of their confrontation?"

"Yes, she might do that," Dahlaha conceded in a tone which was becoming steadily more thoughtful. "But in that case-"

"In that case, she's going to spend some additional time poking around in Kalatha, exactly as she did here," Varnaythus pointed out. "And she's going to be looking very hard for any clue which might point to that hypothetical third party's identity. And she's a champion of Tomanâk , Dahlaha. Whatever else you may think of them, you have to admit they have the instincts of a bloodhound once they start nosing around."

"Yes, they do, the Spider take them," Dahlaha growled.

"So I'd say it's entirely possible that she's going to ask a lot of questions in Kalatha, and that after she's asked them, she's going to continue on not to Sothofalas, but to Quaysar. After all, if she's wondering about those sorts of questions, then she's going to need to talk to the only other real authority involved in the dispute. And that's the Quaysar Voice."

"Yes. Yes, it is," Dahlaha said, blue eyes narrow and intent as the keen brain Varnaythus had-finally!-goaded into action went to work.

"I realize there are already contingency plans in place to deal with that possibility," he said. Actually, he knew there were supposed to be contingency plans in place, but he had a less than lively faith that Dahlaha had really given them the attention they required. "Nonetheless, I thought it would be worth my time to drop in on you to remind you that they might be needed. And," he held her eyes very steadily, "to suggest that They might feel that it was time you double-checked your plans . . . just in case."