Authors: Steven Brust

The Phoenix Guards (29 page)

BOOK: The Phoenix Guards

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“Oh, as to that,” said Khaavren, “we have no idea.”

“But, the means?”

“Oh, as to the means, that is simple enough.”

“Well, then, tell me.”

“Assuredly, Your Highness,” said Aerich, coolly. “But will Your Highness allow me to put a question?”

“If it will help to make matters clear.”

“I believe it will.”

“Then you may ask your question.”

“Very well, tell me this, then: has Your Highness your seal?”

“My seal?”

“Yes. Your personal seal.”

“Of course.”

“My I be so bold as to ask Your Highness to allow me to see it?”

“What? You wish to see it?”

“If it would not inconvenience Your Highness.”

“Not at all.”

“Then, if Your Highness pleases—”

“Very well, if you will but wait a moment, I will bring it.”

“What? Your Highness doesn’t carry it about?”

“Ordinarily I do, but as I have just returned from a journey, well, it is still in the pack I brought with me, for, you perceive, I never allow it away from my person.”

“And Your Highness does right.”

“Well then, I will return with the seal.”

“We will await Your Highness.”

Adron left the room, a puzzled look upon his features. When his footsteps could no longer be heard, Khaavren gave an audible sigh. Tazendra said, “And yet, I had thought that he would not be here.”

“Well,” said Uttrik, “so did we all. I must say, Khaavren, that was skillfully played.”

Khaavren did not answer, so overcome was he by the difficulty of what he had just encountered. Pel said, “But then, what are we to tell him when he returns without the seal?”

Aerich shrugged. “You may as well ask, what are we to do if he returns
with
the seal?”

“Bah,” said Pel. “It is impossible.”

“Well, and is it possible for him to be here?”

“And yet, we know that yesterday, someone else had the seal. So, what then?”

Khaavren sighed. “For my part, I renounce all of these intrigues. If he should have the seal, and there is more explaining to do, why, the rest of you may have your share of it.”

“Yet, I say the thing is impossible,” said Pel.

Aerich shrugged.

Uttrik said, “Whether he finds it or not, we still have the same problem; that is, how are we to find Kathana e’Marish’Chala.”

“Indeed,” said Aerich. “It is unlikely, if we should ask Lord Adron, that he will tell us.”

“And yet,” said Pel, “we must contrive a way to find her.”

“And moreover,” said Tazendra, “what are we to do when we are in her presence at last?”

“Oh, as to that,” said Uttrik, “my part is clear, I assure you.”

“Well, mine is not,” said Khaavren. “In fact, it seems that with every moment, I find matters are more complex than I had thought.”

“That delights me,” said Tazendra.

“How, it delights you?”

“Yes. I had thought I was alone.”

“Oh, but you aren’t, I assure you. I wish to know, for example, who is it who wishes us stopped, and moreover, why?”

“Yes, why,” echoed Tazendra. “For, if we do not know what we are doing, then it follows no one else does either; and, if no one knows what we are going to do, well then, why is someone so determined to prevent us from doing it?”

“You have stated the problem admirably,” said Khaavren.

“It is undeniable,” murmured Uttrik, “that this Dzurlord reasons like a Discreet.”

“Well, then,” said Pel, “perhaps I may suggest some of the answer.”

“How, you?” said Khaavren. “Do you pretend that you, all this time, have known our enemy, and yet said nothing about it?”

“Not at all,” said Pel coolly. “I have not known, and I still do not know. And yet, it may be that, now that I think of it, I can make a suggestion or two.”

“Well, then?” said Khaavren. “I am most anxious to hear these famous suggestions.”

“The cycle has turned,” observed Pel. “And this was caused by the Baroness Kaluma.”

“That is right,” said Khaavren, to whom Pel had made this observation before.

“Well then, she is the hub about which turn the politics of the moment.”

“Stay,” said Tazendra. “I like that phrase: the politics of the moment. It is clever; I say so.”

“Well, and I’m glad you think so.”

“But go on, then. The politics of the moment—Blood, but that is a fine phrase—revolve around Kathana e’Marish’Chala.”

“That is right. Therefore, those with an interest in such things are striving to manipulate her, in some direction or another. That is, either to see
her arrested, or to see her go free, or to see her go free until exactly the right moment for her downfall.”

“But then,” said Khaavren, “who are these people? For I am convinced that among them, we will find the enemy.”

“No doubt you are right, Khaavren, and the reason is this: we have come along, all on our own, without any thought of any of the cabals, and have begun acting in our own interests. Anyone who sits at the table will by necessity look askance at those who pretend to walk in, unannounced, and declare that a new game is now being played. What of the plans they have been formulating for months? What of their schemes for power or favor? They do not know us, they fear we will upset everything, so they will try to stop us.”

Aerich said, “Pel, I think you are entirely correct.”

“But then,” said Khaavren, “who are these players?”

“Cracks in the Orb,” said Pel. “Who are they not? There is, first of all, our host, who wishes for his line, that is, the line of Kieron, to assume command of the Pepperfields.”

“Well, and?”

“There is the Warlord, Lytra, who wishes the Pepperfields to be given to the line of Lanya.”

“Yes, I understand that; go on.”

“Then, well, do you not have a friend who is a lady of the House of the Phoenix?”

“And, if I do?”

“Well, she has a brother who has interests in these matters, and though I do not know what these interests are, no doubt they play a part.”

“Well, go on, then.”

“We must not forget the Athyra, Seodra.”

“Who?”

“A wizard who was chief advisor to the last Emperor, who must, in order to maintain her position at court, which she likes more than a little, contrive to make herself indispensable to His Majesty.”

“Very well.”

“There is also Gyorg Lavode, who will do whatever he can to advance the cause of the Lavodes.”

“Pel, my head is spinning. What do you think, Tazendra?”

“Oh, I stopped listening some time ago; it is all far too confusing.”

“Well, I think you are right. And you, Uttrik?”

“None of this concerns me.”

“On the contrary,” said Pel, “it all concerns you.”

“Well, that may be, but, nevertheless, I want no part in these matters. When I have found and killed the lady who killed my father—”

“Yes, then?” said Pel.

“Well, then we shall see.”

“Ah,” said Pel.

“Well,” said Khaavren, “what is your opinion, Aerich?”

“My opinion? My opinion is that it has taken our host a great deal of time to find his seal.”

“The Horse!” said Khaavren. “You are right. I wonder—”

“My lords,” said Mica, who had, unnoticed by anyone, taken a position by the door. “I hear footsteps.”

“A model servant,” murmured Aerich.

Mica hurried back from the door, and so was standing mutely next to the fireplace when the door opened before Lord Adron, who had, in addition to a strange expression on his face, a small object in his hand; which object, we should say, greatly resembled a seal.

“Your Highness—” began Khaavren, whose mouth had already begun the task of working its way out of the embarrassment of its master.

But Adron shook his head and said, “This is a most peculiar thing.”

Khaavren stopped and said, “It is, your Highness?”

“Yes. I render my apologies for having deserted you for so long, but the events of the past few moments are surprising.”

“Surprising?” ventured Pel.

“Surprising indeed,” said Adron. “I should even say, startling.”

“Well, and of what do these events consist?” said Aerich. “If, that is, Your Highness would do us the honor of telling us.”

“Well, I will, for, had it not been for you, I might have thought nothing of the incident.”

“We are all listening, Your Highness,” said Pel politely.

“Here it is, then. I went directly to my chambers, in order to take the seal from my pouch, for the purpose of showing it to you gentlemen. I did this, you perceive, on the assumption that you had some matter of importance to communicate to me, and that this matter involves the seal which is used to identify my official dispatches.”

“And you were right, my lord,” said Khaavren.

“I found my pouch at once, but, well, you may understand my amazement upon discovering that the seal was not there.”

“How, not there?” said Uttrik. “Then, that is not it in your hand?”

“Yes, this is, in fact, the seal itself.”

“And yet,” said Tazendra, “Your Highness has done us the honor to say it was not where you had left it?”

“Not at all; and I spent some moments looking for it, I assure you.”

“Well then,” said Aerich, “where was it?”

“That is the strange thing. For as I was returning to this room to discover what you knew about this matter, and to learn how it might relate to the claim you have made of an outrage committed in my name, there came a visitor to the door.”

“What, a visitor?” said Khaavren.

“Exactly. A visitor who announced himself as an Imperial messenger.”

“Well,” said Aerich, “I hope Your Highness condescended to allow him to deliver his message.”

“I did exactly that, and he delivered his message.”

“And would you do us the honor to relate the message?”

“I will. In fact, I will do so at once. Here it is.” And, with these words, he held out his seal of office.

“What?” said Pel. “The messenger delivered the seal?”

“Exactly.”

“And, excuse me for questioning Your Highness, but I am very curious. Did he explain how it came into his possession?”

“He did. He pretended that I had left it in my rooms in the Palace.”

“But, is that possible?” said Aerich, who had determined that this Dragonlord was not given to carelessness.

“Not at all.”

“So, then—?”

“So, I believe it was stolen from me.”

“Bah,” said Aerich. “By His Majesty? Impossible.”

“And yet,” said Adron, “it was his confidant, Lord Garland, who delivered it.”

“What?” cried Pel. “Garland? An Imperial messenger?”

“It is as I have had the honor to tell you.”

“Your Highness is right; there is some intrigue in this.”

“That was my opinion. I am glad to see that we are in agreement.”

“Then, Your Highness believes that the seal was taken from you?” said Khaavren.

“Yes, and for no good purpose.”

“Well, that is exactly what we have come to tell Your Highness.”

“Then tell me, if you will, what has been done in my name, and with the use of this seal?”

“That is why we have come,” said Khaavren, and hastened to describe for Lord Adron the conversation he and Aerich had overheard.

“But then,” cried Adron when he had finished, “this is insupportable! It is infamous!” ’

“That is my opinion,” said Aerich.

“You are right to tell me of it.”

“We are glad of that,” said Khaavren.

“But tell me, how did you avoid the trap, after you had learned of it?”

“Avoid it?” said Tazendra. “We did not avoid it. Rather, we sprang it ourselves.”

“What? The five of you against thirty brigands?”

“We had,” said Pel, “the advantage of surprise, and the additional advantage of several flash-stones, one of which, it is true, did not work, and yet the other two did.”

“But this is amazing!” cried Adron.

“That one did not work?” asked Tazendra naively, “or that two did?”

BOOK: The Phoenix Guards

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