“And the second time you pretended to teach me witchcraft? What was that about? That time, you even had me convinced you’d taught me something.”
“I did. That time there was no trickery, Savn. I taught you because you wanted to know, and because I’d started to like you. I hate to sound trite, but you remind me of myself. Take that for what it’s worth.”
“I will,” said Savn, hearing the bitterness in his own voice. Then he said, “Do you remember when we were talking about Athyra?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember how you said those who explore the world see people as objects, and mystics act like people don’t really exist at all?”
“Yes,” said Vlad. And, “Oh.”
He looked down, and chewed on his lower lip. No one said anything, because there seemed to be nothing more to say.
I will not marry an acrobat,
I will not marry an acrobat,
He’d always think that I’m too fat.
Hi-dee hi-dee ho-la!
Step on out ...
At last Vlad broke the silence. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “Maybe I’m no better than your Baron. But all I know is that he’s killed someone who once helped me. And years ago he nearly destroyed a close friend of mine. And now he is cooperating with a Jhereg assassin who plans to kill me—”
It took a moment before Savn realized that when Vlad said Jhereg he meant the House, not the animals. Then Savn gasped. “What?”
“That’s what Fird told me, though I’d already guessed it. There’s an assassin staying with Baron Smallcliff at the manor house, and I don’t think he’s here because he likes linseed-flavored wine. The Baron is cooperating with the Jhereg to assassinate me.”
“I don’t believe you,” said Savn.
Vlad shrugged.
“Why would he do that?” said Savn.
“They both hate me; it makes sense that they’d work together.”
“The Jhereg hates you?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Why?”
“I picked an unfortunate method of terminating my relationship with them.”
“What do you ... you mean, you’re a Jhereg?”
“I used to be.”
“What did you do?”
Vlad took a deep breath and met Savn’s eyes. “I killed people. For money.”
Savn stared at him, but couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I reached a point where I couldn’t do it anymore, and I left. In the process, I killed someone important, and I threatened the House representative to the Empire—sort of like your Speaker. So now they want to kill me. I can’t really blame them, but I’m hardly going to cooperate, am I?”
“I don’t believe you,” said Savn.
“Then I doubt I can convince you. But don’t you wonder why the Baron attacked me?”
“Because you killed Reins—or because he thought you did.”
“Is that the way justice usually works around here? If someone is suspected of a crime, your Baron Smallcliff sends his soldiers to kill them? You’ll notice they made no effort to arrest me.”
“I don’t know,” said Savn. “I never said I understood everything. But I know His Lordship wouldn’t hire an assassin.”
“Not hire,” said Vlad. “Merely help.”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“Why is it that, just at the time I happen to be coming by, Loraan decides to leave his home and take up residence in his manor house, which just happens to be near the place I’m passing by? You think this has nothing to do with me?”
“I don’t know.”
“And then Reins dies, which is enough to keep me here—”
“I don’t believe you.”
Vlad sighed and shook his head. “Why does everyone only see what he wants to?”
Savn twitched, started to speak, then realized he had no answer. He sat on the floor of the cave, looking down.
At length, Vlad broke the silence. “What are you going to do?” he said.
“About what?” said Savn.
“I’d like to know if you plan to tell your Baron where I am, or perhaps the townspeople.”
“Oh. Well, you never told me your plans; why should I tell you mine?”
Vlad chuckled. “Well taken. Whatever you decide, you should probably get home soon.”
“What difference does it make?”
“I would think,” said Vlad, “that your Maener and Paener would be getting worried by now.” Savn looked at him closely. “Is it that easy?”
“To undo? Yes. The spell, at any rate, is easy to undo. And there shouldn’t be any direct aftereffects.”
“What do you mean, ‘direct’?”
“I mean that they’ll probably figure out that they’ve been under a spell. I don’t know what that will do to them. Maybe nothing.”
Savn glanced at Polyi, who was staring at the ground and frowning.
“Do you want to go home?” Savn asked her.
She looked up. “Do you?”
“Not right now. I want to stay for a bit and—”
“See how it comes out?” said Vlad ironically.
Savn shrugged and asked Vlad, “What do you intend to do?”
“I’m not sure. It depends how much time I have. If I had to teleport right now, I might be able to. Then again, I might not. I’d rather not have to. If I can get a couple of days to recover, I’ll have the choice of getting out of here to someplace safer. If, on the other hand, I’m found, I’ll have to try to escape as best I can.”
“So your intention is to get out?”
“Oh, no. That’s only if I have no choice. You know very well what I want to do.”
“You’re crazy,” said Polyi. “You can’t kill His Lordship! No one can.”
Vlad shook his head. “I’m going to kill him. The only questions are when and how. If I can’t do it now, I’ll have to wait for a better time. But now would be best. I’d like to have it over and done with.”
“Heh,” said Polyi. “You won’t feel that way when it is over and done with.”
Savn knelt down next to Vlad and felt his forehead. He was relieved to find that it was still cool, though his face seemed a trifle flushed. Vlad watched him intently.
“How do you feel?” said Savn.
“Tired. Weak. Not bad other than that.”
“You should rest.”
“I doubt I can,” said Vlad. “There’s too much on my mind.”
Savn was suddenly and comically reminded of how he would explain to Maener that he was too excited about Pudding Morn to go to sleep, and how she would smile and tell him that he should just rest his eyes then, and how he would fall asleep. He said, “That’s all right, just close your eyes and—”
Vlad laughed. “Very good, Paener. I get the idea. Wake me if they come to kill me.”
He slid over to his blankets, threw one arm over his eyes, and, as far as Savn could tell, went instantly to sleep.
They watched him sleep for an hour or two; then Savn decided they should talk. He whispered to Polyi, and she agreed, so he took a torch and guided her back through the cave until he was certain they were far enough away that Vlad couldn’t hear them.
“What should we do?” he said.
“I think we should go home,” said Polyi. “If Mae and Pae really are worried—”
“What will we tell them?”
“The truth,” said Polyi.
“Oh?”
She frowned. “Well, it isn’t our problem, is it? Savn, you heard him. Now we know he wants to kill His Lordship. I mean, we know he can’t, but what if he does?”
“Well,” said Savn. “What if he does?”
“We have to stop him, that’s all.”
“Do we?”
“You heard what he is. He’s an assassin. He kills people for money. He—”
“He used to be an assassin. And what about His Lordship?”
“You don’t believe all that stuff he said, do you?”
“I don’t know. Why would he admit to being an assassin, then lie about everything else? It doesn’t make sense.”