There had not been a door there when they'd taken these two rooms; Jadrek's suite opened only into the inn, and Kethry's had two doors, the exterior and one like Jadrek's, opening on the inn corridor. But what could be done by hands could also be done by magic, and within one day of Kethry's taking possession of this room, she had made, then concealed, the door in their common wall. It was a real door and not a magic portal, just in case Jadrek ever needed to make use of it when Kethry was not present, for Kethry had set the spell of concealment so that he controlled it on his side of the wall.
"And how does the Master Astrologer?" asked Tarma, genially.
"Better than when he was Master Archivist," Jadrek chuckled. "I think I shall have Stefan find a successor. Astrology is a more lucrative profession!"
"Why am I not surprised?" Tarma asked sardonically. "Gentle lies always cost more than the truth. I take it none of your 'clients' have recognized you?"
"It wouldn't be likely," he replied mildly, taking the third, unoccupied seat around the little table.
"Most of my 'clients' are merchants' wives. When would say °^ (^CT" ^ave seen a Court Archivist?"
"Or given your notable ability to fade into the background, noticed him if they'd seen him?" added Kethry "All right -- Tarma, love, you first."
"Right. Jadrek, I managed to deliver all but one of your messages; the one to Count Wulfres I left with Yindel. Wulfres wouldn't let me get near him; I can't say I blame him, since I have been building quite a formidable reputation as Char's chief bullyboy"
"Is that why he trusts you?" Kethry asked.
"Partially. Don't worry, though. That reputation is actually doing me more good than harm. If anyone notices when I take somebody aside for a little chat it doesn't do them any benefit to tell the King, because Char assumes I'm delivering threats!" She chuckle -- "Keth, that Adept we took out was the only oone he had. The rest of his mages are Master and Journeyman class. So don't worry about this disguise continuing to hold."
Kethry heaved a sigh of profound relief. "Thank the eP^ ^w tnat' ^nat ^ ^ave me ^^y- ^ow are you eet11^ on wlt^ Char? You said far better than we'd hoped -- "
"That's a good summation; he doesn't trust any or his native Guards, and he doesn't trust his nobles. That leaves him with me, a couple of other landless mercs» and a handful of outland emissaries. Since I'm trying to give an imitation of a freefighter with a veff^1" or civilization and a range of interests sliehtly beyond 'food, fornication and fighting,' he seems to be gravitating more and more toward me."
"And needless to say, you're encouraging him."
:I'd taught you well,: Warrl commented. :You encourage familiarity with the King while never going over tfw Iw-^ °f being social inferior. That takes a delicate toucn I had not suspect you had, mindmate.:
"Having you coaching me in my head hasn't hurt, Furball. Thanks to you, I've never once been even remotely disrespectful; been pounding heads when some of the Guards go over the line, in fact. And as a result Char's slowly taking me as cup-companion as well as bodyguard."
"That's certainly far better than we hoped!" Jadrek exclaimed.
"Tarma, what about Idra?" Kethry asked, both elbows on the table, chin in her hands. She looked unwontedly sober.
Tarma sighed, and rubbed one temple. "Keth, we both know by now she's got to be dead."
Kethry nodded, reluctantly, as Jadrek bit his lip. "I just didn't want to be the one to say it," she replied sadly. "Need's pull just hasn't been strong enough for her to have still been alive."
:I, too, have suspected the same.:
Tarma sighed. "I think I realized it -- I mean, really believed it -- a couple of days after -- " She stopped for a moment, and looked squarely at Jadrek. He's an outClansman -- she thought, weighing him in her mind. -- but -- why not? No reason why he shouldn't know; if Keth has her way, he won't be an outClansman for long. " -- after I called one of the Ushya'e and got the Star-Eyed Warrior instead, that night in Valdemar. You know, the evening when Roald and I came back as best of friends? He saw Her, too -- and She made it clear to both of us that we were all on the same side. D'you remember how She turned the set of his Whites I was wearing black?"
Kethry nodded slowly, then real enlightenment dawned. "Black ... is for vengeance and blood feud...."
"Right," Tarma nodded. "She could have left my clothing alone; She could have changed it to brown, if She was truly offended at me being out of Kal'enedral colors, which I think is rather unlikely. She doesn't get that petty. But She didn't leave the Whites white -- and She'd already convinced me that Roald and Stefansen were on the side of the righteous. She can be very subtle when She chooses, and She was trying to give me a subtle message, that I was back on blood-trail. So who would be the logical one for me to avenge -- and who would be the logical target for vengeance?"
"Idra -- and Char."
"Right and right again. My only questions now are -- was it accident or premeditated, and how he did it." She tightened her jaw, and felt very nearly murderous at that moment. "And the closer I get to him, the likelier I am to find the answers to both."
She let the sentence hang for a long moment, then coughed slightly. "Jadrek? Your turn."
"I've been approached by three of those nobles you contacted for me, via their wives," he said, visibly shaken by Tarma's assertions -- and yet, unsurprised by them, as if her words had only confirmed something he had known, but had not wished to acknowledge that he knew. "They were already planning some sort of action on their own, which, given their temperaments, was something I had thought fairly likely. In addition, I have been approached by those I did not expect -- prelates of no less than five separate orders. It seems they had already spoken quietly with my chosen highborn -- "
"And went on to you. Logical." Tarma nodded thoughtfully. "And what prompted their dissatisfaction?"
"Oh, a variety of causes -- from the altruistic to the realistic." He wrinkled his brow in thought. "Mind you, I don't personally know as much about the clergy as I do the Court, but they seem to be appropriate responses given the personalities of those I spoke with and the philosophies of their orders."
"Huh. When we start to get clergy on our side...."
Tarma propped her feet up on the table, ignoring Kethry's frown of disapproval, and sat in thoughtful silence for a long time. "All right," she said, when the silence had begun to seem unbreakable, "It's time for some hard choices, friends. We're getting the support, and not only are we moving a bit ahead of schedule, but we're getting some unexpected help. So which of the plans are we going to follow?"
She tilted her head at Jadrek, who pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I'd rather not run a full-scale uprising, frankly," he said. "It's too unwieldy for this situation, I think; your commanders really have to be in the field for it to succeed. Tarma, you are the most militant of us, and we need you here -- so that would leave me or Kethry."
"Not me," Kethry objected. "Fighters don't like following a mage, and I don't blame them. I'm no strategist, either."