“So, you think the Jhereg,” she almost spat the word, “are going to sabotage this investigation?”
“Have you ever known them, or the Orca, to give up a chance for profit if there was a way not to?”
“No. But I don’t see anything they can do that won’t back-fire on them.”
“You aren’t really drunk, are you?”
“No, not really.”
“I should probably tell Norathar, or else the Empress, about what I think is going on.”
“Probably.”
“Unless you’d rather.”
“Why would I?”
“I don’t know. A way of saying there are no hard feelings?”
“What makes you think there are no hard feelings?”
“Okay, a way of playing politics? My problems aren’t the sort that can be solved by having the Empire owe me anything.”
“I don’t actually care.” She hesitated. “But thanks for the offer.”
“D’ski!tna.”
“What?”
“You owe me no debt.”
“I know what it means. When did you learn Serioli?”
“Only a couple of words,” I said, feeling my face turning red. “I met a bard who—never mind.”
She shrugged. “Anything else, or can I get back to plotting my jailbreak?”
“You can get back to it. Can I smuggle you in a little blue stone or something?”
“They’re actually purple, and, yes, I’ll take three of them.”
“Heh.”
I stood up to go. She said, “Vlad.”
“Hm?”
I expected her to thank me for all my work. Or maybe announce something profound, like telling me about a vision she’d had of the Demon Goddess. What she said was, “I don’t mind my daughter playing with your son.”
“Um. Okay, thanks.”
I had the guard let me out of the place.
Being in the Palace anyway, I went back to the same vendor and found some sausages that weren’t too bad, and bread that could have been staler, then made my way back to my room. Loiosh told me it was empty, so I went in. I lay down on the bed and tried to think. My stomach grumbled a little. I wondered if I was getting too old to be living on bread and sausage; that would be sad.
As I lay there, I found my hand stroking the tiny golden links on the hilt of Lady Teldra. In the years I’d had her, I’d only used her twice; I somehow thought that would please her. Those thoughts led me to another Issola I knew, but I pushed those away: I needed to concentrate on business.
My hand kept stroking Lady Teldra’s hilt.
Hey, you in there? Any ideas? Can you help?
Nothing.
I suddenly missed her—I mean, the real person—very sharply. It’s all well and good to think of her personality being preserved inside a weapon, but for one thing, I’d never felt it that I could be sure of. And for another, I didn’t entirely believe it. I wonder if she would say murdering a bunch of Teckla was impolite. I wondered if the fact that I didn’t much care made me a bad person. Probably.
“I wonder if she’d say anything about lying on top of the bed with your boots on.”
“Probably.”
My mind wandered, which is a good thing, because sometimes it wanders to where it needs to go and uncovers just the right rock. In this case, it wandered to High Counsel Perisil. An interesting fellow. What I’d said to him had been true: None of the advocates I’d run into before had any interest other than in making themselves rich. This shouldn’t be seen as saying anything about the House overalclass="underline" it’s a particular set of them who end up working for the Jhereg. I don’t know, maybe the Jhereg exerts an influence on some people, turning them. Or maybe those with such inclinations, in any House, are more subject to working for them, more subject to taking and giving bribes, to stabbing people in the back, to setting up some poor bastard the way Perisil had said—
Oh.
Well, sure. That would do it.
“You think, Boss?”
“Why not? What would happen?”
“I don’t know. You figure that out.”
“I already have, Loiosh. The investigation would be stopped, at least for a while, and there would be all sorts of noise about rounding up and suppressing Teckla and Easterners, and the nobles would blame Zerika for letting it get out of hand, and it would be a round throw whether she’d be able to get things back in hand, or whether she’d have to cave to the Jhereg to get the pressure off.”
“That’s the part I don’t see, Boss. How does going along with the Jhereg relieve the pressure on Zerika?”
“Now that is an excellent question, my fine jhereg friend. I think I’ll go ask her.”
“Now?”
“I’ll probably have to wait for hours to see her; can you think of a reason not to start the wait?”
“Put that way, I guess not.”
It was early evening; just beginning to get dark. I didn’t know what hours Her Majesty kept, but it could do no harm in asking, so long as no one polished me up during the walk from the inn to the Palace.
Loiosh and Rocza kept careful watch, and I took the roundabout path I’d taken before, and made it to the Palace without incident. I won’t bore you with a repetition of making my way to Asskiss Alley. Harnwood was still there; like Aliera, he seemed not to have moved.
“Count Szurke,” he said.
I bowed. “Good Lord Harnwood, would it be possible to find out if Her Majesty would consent to see me?”
His face gave no sign there was anything odd in the request. “Is it urgent?”
“A few hours or a day will make no difference,” I said. “But I have new information.”
He didn’t ask about what. Maybe he knew, but more likely he knew it was none of his business. “I shall inquire. Please have a chair.”
I did, and waited maybe half an hour.
“The Empress will see you.”
I started to follow him, stopped, and said, “When backing away from Her Majesty at the end of the interview, how many steps do I take before turning around?”
He smiled; I think the question pleased him. “If you are here as a personal friend of Her Majesty, then five. If you are here as Count Szurke, then seven. If as Baronet Taltos, then ten.”
“Thank you,” I said.
If I had the choice between trying to figure out an Issola and trying to figure out an Iorich, I think I’d take a nap.
Harnwood led me through a different route, shorter, and to a cozier room; I had the strong feeling this was a part of her living quarters, which meant I was being honored, or else that I was irritating her, or both. She was waiting. Harnwood bowed deeply to Her Majesty, less deeply to me. I bowed to Her Majesty, she nodded to me. It’s just like a dance.
She didn’t offer me a chair. I said, “Majesty, thank you for seeing me. I hadn’t realized you knew the Necromancer.”
She frowned. “How did you—” then looked down at her golden outfit. “You’ve seen Sethra recently.”
“Your Majesty’s powers of deduction are—”
“Leave it. What is this new information?”
“There is going to be an effort made to stop the investigation into the events in Tirma.”
She frowned. “What sort of attempt, and how do you know?”
I nodded. “Please accept my compliments, Majesty. Those are good questions. I recognize good questions, because I can come up with them myself.”
Her brows came together. “Are you bargaining with me, Taltos?”
“No, Majesty. I’ll answer yours in any case. I’m hoping Your Majesty’s gratitude will—”