‘I thought it was a common occurrence,’ Tehol said. ‘Why, some of the stories I’ve heard-’
‘Common for those fools who confuse love with worship-all to feed their paltry egos, I might add. Usually men, too. Married men. It’s pathetic-’
‘Janath, did-No, never mind.’ Rubbing his hands together, Tehol faced Bugg. ‘My, that soup smells wonderful.’
Ublala Pung returned, shouldering his way through the doorway. ‘That comfrey tasted awful,’ he said.
The three stared at him for a long moment.
Then Bugg spoke. ‘See those half-gourds, Ublala? Bring them over and get your voyeur soup.’
‘I could eat a whole one all by myself, I’m so hungry.’
Tehol pointed. ‘There’s one right there, Ublala.’
The huge man paused, glanced over at the bedraggled carcass. Then pushed the gourds into Tehol’s hands and said, ‘Okay.’
‘Leave me some feathers?’ Janath asked.
‘Okay.’
Tehol said, ‘Do you mind, Ublala, if the rest of us eat… uh, up on the roof?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘After supper,’ Tehol continued as the half-blood lowered himself into a cross-legged position, reached for the carcass and tore off a leg. ‘After, I mean, Ublala, we can talk about what’s worrying you, all right?’
‘No point talking,’ Ublala said around a mouthful of feathers, skin and meat. ‘I got to take you to him.’
‘Who?’
‘A champion. The Toblakai.’
Tehol met Bugg’s eyes, and saw in them unfeigned alarm.
‘We got to break into the compound,’ Ublala continued.
‘Uh, right.’
‘Then make sure he doesn’t kill us.’
‘I thought you said there was no point in talking!’
‘I did. There isn’t.’
Janath collected her gourd of soup. ‘So we have to climb one-handed up that ladder? And I expect you want me to go first? Do you think me an idiot?’
Tehol scowled at her, then brightened. ‘You have a choice, Janath. You follow me and Bugg, at the risk of your appetite, or we follow you, lifting you skyward with our sighs of admiration.’
‘How about neither?’ With that, she headed out into the alley.
Horrible crunching sounds came from where Ublala sat.
After a moment, both Tehol and Bugg followed in Janath’s wake.
Ormly, once Champion Rat Catcher, sat down opposite Rucket.
After a nod of greeting, she returned to her meal. ‘I’d offer you some of these crisped hog ears, but as you can see, there’s not many left and they are one of my favourites.’
‘You do it on purpose, don’t you?’
‘Men always assume beautiful women think of nothing but sex, or, rather, are obsessed with the potential thereof, at any and every moment. But I assure you, food poses a sensuality rarely achieved in clumsy gropings on some flea-bitten mattress with errant draughts sending chills through you at every change of position.’
Ormly’s withered face twisted into a scowl. ‘Change of position? What does that mean?’
‘Something tells me there is no legion of beleaguered women bemoaning the loss of one Ormly.’
‘I wouldn’t know nothing about that. Listen, I’m nervous.’
‘How do you think I feel? Care for some wine? Oh, I was hoping you’d decline. You know, hiding in this burial crypt has put a strain on select vintages. It’s all very well for you, skulking in the shadows every night, but as the new commander of our insurgent organization, I have to hide down here, receiving and despatching all day, doing endless paperwork-’
‘What paperwork?’
‘Well, the paperwork I do to convince the minions how busy I am, so they don’t come running to me every damned moment.’
‘Yes, but what are you writing down, Rucket?’
‘I record snatches of overheard conversations-the acoustics down here are impressive if a tad wayward. One can achieve sheer poetry on occasion, with judicial use of juxtaposition.’
‘If it’s random then it ain’t poetry,’ Ormly said, still scowling.
‘Clearly you don’t keep up with modern movements, then.’
‘Just one, Rucket, and that’s what I’m nervous about. It’s Tehol Beddict, you see.’
‘A most extraordinary juxtaposition there,’ she replied, reaching for another hog’s ear. ‘Idiocy and genius. In particular, his genius for creating idiotic moments. Why, the last time we made love-’
‘Rucket, please! Don’t you see what’s going on out there? Oh, sorry, I guess you don’t. But listen to me, then. He’s too successful! It’s going too fast! The Patriotists are stirred up something awful, and you can be sure the Liberty Consign is backing them with every resource at its disposal. In the Low Markets they’re starting to barter because there’s no coin.’
‘Well, that was the plan-’
‘But we’re not ready!’
‘Ormly, Scale House collapsed, didn’t it?’
He glared at her suspiciously, then grunted and looked away. ‘All right, so we knew that was coming. We’ve been ready for that, yes. True enough. Even though we’re no closer to knowing what’ll happen when whatever it is happens, assuming we’ll even know it’s happening when it does. Anyway, you’re just trying to confuse me, because you’ve lost all objectivity when it comes to Tehol.’
‘Oh now really, do you take me for a fool?’
‘Yes. Love, lust, whatever, it’s affected your ability to think straight when it comes to that madman.’
‘You’re the one not thinking straight. Tehol’s not the mystery here. Tehol’s easy-no, not that kind of-oh, very well, that kind, too. Anyway, like I said. Easy. The true mystery before us, Ormly, is his damned manservant.’
‘Bugg?’
‘Bugg.’
‘But he’s just the front man-’
‘You sure it’s not the. other way round? What does he do with all that coin they’ve leveraged into their hands? Bury it in the back yard? They don’t even have a back yard. Ormly, we’re talking tons of coinage here.’ She waved a-hand about. ‘Could fill this crypt twenty times over. Now, sure, there’re other crypts under the city, but we know them all. I’ve sent runners to every one of them, but they’re empty, the dust underfoot not disturbed in years. We’ve sent rats into every fissure, every crevasse, every crack. Nothing.’ She snapped her fingers. ‘Gone. As if into thin air. And not just in this city, either.’
‘So maybe Tehol’s found a hiding place we ain’t looked at yet. Something both clever and idiotic, like you said.’
‘I thought of that, Ormly. Trust me when I tell you, it’s all gone.’
His scowl suddenly cleared and he reached for a refill of the wine. ‘I figured it out. It’s all dumped into the river. Simple. Easy.’
‘Except that Tehol insists it can be recovered-to flood the market, if the Consign financiers panic and start minting more than the usual quota. And even that quota is proving inflationary, since there’s no recycling of old coins taking place. There’s no return for recasting. I hear even the Imperial Treasury is hurting. Tehol says he can dump it all back onto the streets, at a moment’s notice.’
‘Maybe he’s lying.’
‘Maybe he isn’t.’
‘Maybe I’ll have that last hog ear.’
‘Forget it.’
‘Fine. We got another problem. Tensions are high between the Edur and the Patriotists-and the Chancellor and his army of thugs and spies. Blood was spilled.’
‘Not surprising,’ Rucket replied. ‘It was bound to happen. And don’t think the financial strain has nothing to do with it.’
‘If it does it’s only indirectly,’ Ormly said. ‘No, this clash was, I think, personal.’
‘Can we make use of it?’
‘Ah, finally we can discuss something and actually get somewhere.’
‘You’re just jealous of Tehol Beddict.’
‘So what if I am. Forget it. Let’s make plans.’
Sighing, Rucket gestured to one of her servants. ‘Bring us another bottle, Unn.’
Ormly’s brow lifted, and, as the huge man shambled off into a side chamber, he leaned closer. ‘Unn? The one who…?’