Hurrying to catch up, Micum nearly fell over his friends crouched at the mouth of an alley. From beyond
came the muffled but unmistakable sounds of a hasty coupling in progress.
Leaving Alec on guard, Seregil and Micum went back to the fountain for a whispered conference.
"What do you think? Did he pass anything to her?" asked Seregil.
"He could have, but I didn't see it happen." Micum jerked a thumb in the direction of the alley.
"Given this business, we can't be sure the girl's in on anything, or if they're just lovers."
"Damn! We'd better watch both of them.
They're certain to part ways sooner or later."
"You take her," said Micum. "Alec and I will stay on him. I'll meet you back at Nysander's."
A few moments later the sighing lovers reappeared and continued on in the direction of the Noble Quarter.
There were more lanterns as they went on, and a good deal more traffic; Seregil and the others spread out so as to be less conspicuous.
They nearly came to grief at the Astellus Circle. The Street of Lights was alive with activity, and the Circle was crowded with patrons coming and going from the various establishments.
Slipping through the crowd, Seregil suddenly lost sight of the lovers. A few yards away, he saw Alec casting around in alarm. A sharp whistle brought them both around. Standing on steps of the colonnade, Micum gestured in two directions at once.
Seregil caught a quick glimpse of the girl heading off down Eagle Street by herself. Trusting the man to Alec and Micum, Seregil hurried after her.
He had no problem keeping her in sight. There was enough activity in the street to cover his pursuit and she seemed to have no qualms about her own safety as she strode past the walled gardens of the villas.
Eagle Street ended in Silvermoon and she turned left toward the Palace. As he reached the Queen's Park, Seregil began formulating a plan for following her onto the grounds. Instead, however, she ducked down a side lane to the servants entrance of a grand house across the broad avenue from the Park.
Seregil waited until he was certain she wasn't coming out again, then returned to the street. With a growing sense of foreboding, he scowled up at the gilded bulls rearing protectively over the gates of the eminent and all-too-familiar residence.
Alec and Micum dogged their man through a succession of fashionable avenues to a house in the Street of Three Fountains, which was not far from Wheel Street.
Unlocking a side gate, he disappeared into a fashionable villa.
"One of us should go in," Alec whispered. "The other can stand watch in case anything goes wrong."
"I guess we both know who's better at that sort of thing. Go on."
Scaling the wall, Alec dropped down into the garden. The layout of the place was similar to Seregil's house, but on a larger scale. The garden surrounded the house on three sides, and there were an encouraging number of windows overlooking it.
Keeping an eye out for dogs and watchmen, he crept forward.
Starting at the right side of the building, he worked his way from window to window, pulling himself up by the sills to peek in. Most of the rooms were dark or unoccupied, except for a salon toward the front where two pretty young women sat before a blazing hearth. One was working at an embroidery frame while her companion plucked listlessly at a lyre.
Leaving off, he gave the kitchen door a wide berth and set to work on the left side of the house, though with no more success than before. He was about to give up when he noticed a faint glow of light from a balcony just overhead. The ornate stonework surrounding a first-floor window afforded ample fingerholds. Climbing up, he eased himself over the balustrade. There was a small table on the balcony. Two wine cups stood there, and a warm pipe.
The balcony door had been left ajar; peering in, Alec discovered an elegantly appointed bedchamber lit by a single lamp. Another door stood open across the room, and through it came the sounds of a heated argument. There were two male voices involved, one strident with anger, the other shrill in its protestations of innocence.
"How can you accuse me of such a thing?" the higher voice demanded.
"How can you look me in the face and deny it?" boomed the other. "You greedy, bungling idiot. You've destroyed me! You have destroyed this family!"
"Uncle, please."
"Never let me hear that word in your throat again, you viper!" shouted the other. "From this day forth you are no kin of mine."
A door slammed forcibly, and Alec shrank back as a young man entered the bedchamber and collapsed into a chair. His elaborate surcoat showed him to be the master of the house. He was fair-skinned, with a small blond chin tuft that he fingered nervously as he sat. A nagging tingle of recognition stirred in the back of Alec's mind as he studied the haggard profile. He couldn't immediately place the man, but he felt certain he'd seen him before.
The man was clearly agitated. Gnawing at a thumbnail, he lurched to his feet again, then beat a fist against one thigh as he paced up and down the room.
The significance of the balcony table occurred to Alec almost too late. The man swerved suddenly, heading out to settle his nerves with wine and tobacco. Clambering back over the railing, Alec caught hold of two carved balusters and hung by his fingers. The evening drizzle had thickened to sleet and the polished marble felt slick as lard in his hands as he clung doggedly on, feet dangling twenty feet above the ground. Glancing sideways, he saw that he could probably reach the cornice of the downstairs window
with his left foot but he didn't dare chance the noise. To make matters worse, his side of the balcony overlooked the street; it would be the most natural thing in the world for the man to lean on the railing just there, glance down.
Looking up, Alec could see the side of the man's silken slipper less than a foot from his rapidly whitening knuckles. Cold fire ached down through his wrists and arms, weakening his grip, numbing his fingers.
Melting sleet trickled down over his face and ran down his sleeves into his armpits. Biting his lip, he gripped the posts harder, scarcely daring to breathe.
Just when it seemed he'd have to chance dropping and running, a knock came at the chamber door.
Tappng his pipe out on the railing above Alec, the man disappeared back into the room.
Alec shook the hot ashes from his hair and found a foothold on the window cornice. Bracing his shoulder in the angle of the balcony, he flexed his stiffened fingers. The balcony door had been left open again and he could hear the conversation inside quite clearly.
"Any difficulty with Alben?" This was the nobleman, calmer now and speaking with authority.
"Not exactly, my lord," replied the newcomer.
"Though he didn't seem quite himself, somehow. But I did get the documents and these, as well, while I was out."
"Well done, Marsin, well done!"
Alec heard the metallic clink of coins changing hands.
"Thank you, sir. Shall I deliver it now?"
"No, I'll go. My horse is already saddled. See to it that the house is locked up for the night and inform Lady Althia that I'll be returning tomorrow."
"I will, sir, and a good evening to you."
Alec heard the servant leave, and a moment later the light was extinguished. Climbing down, he hurried back to the street in time to see a man galloping out the front gate on a white horse.
"We're losing him!" he exclaimed as Micum appeared out of the shadows beside him. "I think he's off to deliver the forged letters!"
"Deliver them where?" Micum asked, scanning the neighborhood for quickly obtainable horses. There were none.
"I don't know," Alec replied in an agony of impatience. The rider had already disappeared around a corner and the sound of hooves was fading rapidly.
"Damn it, now we've lost him!"