The Shattered Mask (18 page)

“Think about it,” Tazi said. “Your precious Gellie knew you meant to ride from Stormweather Towers to Argent Hall this morning. He and the other Malveen would have known where to set the trap.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tamlin retorted. “There are plenty of other ways that an enemy might have learned of my plans.”

“Yes,” Erevis said, “in point of fact, there are. We haven’t shortened our list of suspects at all, and therefore, Masters Tamlin and Brom, I ask you: Did you observe anything that might enable us to do so?”

The heir and the magician frowned, thinking, then finally shook their heads.

“Wonderful,” said Tazi, in a tone that left no doubt that she thought there must have been a clue right in front of their eyes, had the two men only had the wit to notice. She turned to Brom. “Can’t you use magic to discover who attacked you, and to find out what’s become of Father and Mother while you’re at it?”

Brom’s thin face colored. “I’m afraid I’m not much of a hand at divination. No wizard can learn every spell in

existence, and I’ve concentrated on other areas.”

“Of course you have,” said Tazi sardonically. “Moon above, I wish that old Cordrivval was still with us.” Brom’s predecessor Cordrivval Imleth, who had perished not so long ago in the Uskevren’s service, had been an accomplished diviner.

“Don’t belittle Master Selwick,” Tamlin snapped. “He saved my life today.”

“Don’t worry,” said Tazi, “I won’t hold that against him.”

Her brother scowled. “As I started to remark before, if something has happened to Mother and Father, and I am the head of this House, then I shall demand to be treated with respect. The insolent just might find themselves out on the street.”

Talbot pushed his seat back from the table and started to rise. “How would you like a bruise on the other side of your face?” he asked his brother. “That way, the two halves will match.”

“Stop it!” Brom bellowed, and at that startling roar, emerging from such an unassuming fellow, the siblings jerked around to stare at him. The wizard paled and swallowed. “Uh, that is to say, I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean to raise my voice, but your squabbling isn’t helping.”

Tazi’s mouth tightened. “No, it isn’t, and I don’t mean to make things difficult. It’s just… the last time I saw Mother, we quarreled as usual. Now, I wish we hadn’t.” v

“I understand,” said Tamlin, “I’m just as worried about her as you are. And about Father too, I suppose.”

“Well, we agree on that, anyway,” said Talbot, settling back down on his chair.

“Good,” said Erevis. “Now, we don’t know very much, but based on what we do know, we can assume that unknown enemies have launched a campaign to destroy the House of Uskevren. They tried to assassinate you, Master Tamlin, and may have kidnapped or even killed your parents. We can expect further attempts on the lives of all three of you siblings.

“Here’s what I propose we do about it,” the steward

continued. “We’ll look for Lord and Lady Uskevren. We’ll mobilize our network of spies to see what they can discover. And we’ll get you three children out of town forthwith, where you’ll remain until this matter is resolved.”

Tamlin nodded. “That sounds sensible enough.”

Talbot agreed. It did sound sensible, but rather to his surprise, something about the suggestion stuck in his craw. “I have a performance tonight,” he said.

Tamlin snorted. “Really, brother, I daresay Mistress Quickly will manage without you somehow.”

“I’m sure she could,” Talbot said, then paused, groping for the proper words, waving his hand before him as if he thought he could pluck them from the air. “It’s just… our fofes drove the Uskevren out of Selgaunt once before, and Father fought for years to regain our place here. I don’t think we should let ourselves be driven forth again, not even for a little while. I don’t want the other Houses to think us craven. That could incite all our rivals to attack us, and bring trouble down on our heads for years to come.”

“At least you’d be alive to endure the trouble,” Erevis said.

“Despite what you said, we’re not children anymore,” Talbot replied. “We can take care of ourselves.” At least he hoped so.

“Do you know,” said Jander to Erevis, “if they did stay in the city, and went about their usual affairs to prove they’re not afraid, we could use them to bait a trap of our own. Guard them well but discreetly, overwhelm the assassins the next time they attack, wring some answers out of a captive, and get to the bottom of this.”

Erevis shook his head. “I don’t think Lord and Lady Uskevren would approve.”

“Well, they’re not here,” said Tamlin unexpectedly, “and perhaps the troll’s kick scrambled my brains, but reluctant as I am to say it, I think Talbot and Jander are making sense. We brothers shouldn’t leave.”

Tazi glared at him. “I don’t like the implications of that last remark. I can handle myself as well as either of you.”

“Ordinarily, that may be true,” said Erevis, “but you’re just emerging from a long convalescence.” Tazi tried to speak, and the steward raised his hand to forestall her. “I know you’re nearly well, but I still see you sway and stumble at odd moments. You can’t afford to risk a murder attempt until that stops happening.”

“I won’t leave Selgaunt while Mother and Father are missing,” Tazi said, “and you can’t make me.”

“Perhaps not,” Erevis said, “but in that case, you should at least stay here in the mansion, where you’ll be safe.”

“I agree,” Talbot said.

Tamlin nodded. “So do I.”

“Damn it—” Tazi began, her green eyes blazing.

“As acting head of the family, I’m ordering you to do it,” Tamlin said, cutting her off. “Just as I’m directing Captain Orvist to make sure you obey.”

“So I’m your prisoner,” Tazi spat. “Well, you can all burn in the Pit!” Then the defiance seemed to go out of her. “Oh, all right, I’ll sit and rot in my cell.”

“Thank you,” Erevis said. “Now, let’s discuss how we’ll protect Master Talbot at the theater, and Master Tamlin when he goes to confer with the emissaries from across the sea.”

“What?” Tamlin yelped. “I can’t negotiate. I hate that kind of thing. Let’s just stall the envoys and hope Father turns up.” v

“I already put them off once this morning,” the major-domo replied, “when it became apparent that Lord Uskevren wasn’t going to appear in time to keep the appointment. This alliance could be very beneficial to your family. Besides, if you want to create the appearance that the Uskevren aren’t afraid to go about their business as usual, and if you are, as you’ve mentioned more than once, the acting head of the House—”

“Enough,” Tamlin groaned, “I’ll do it. But I’d far rather contend with another ambuscade.”

Tazi gave him a sweet smile. “I hope you have the opportunity to do both.”

Its pale eyes shining, the earthen giant strode through the fortress wall as if it were made of paper, and a chip of flying stone stung Shamur’s sword hand. She tried to dart around behind the elemental, where she hoped to remain undetected, but she was too slow. The dark, ungainly thing had spotted her already, and now it raised its fist to crush her.

Shamur poised herself to dodge the blow, race forward, cut at the creature’s lead foot, and try to cripple it. Not that she truly thought her puny broadsword could hurt the elemental, but she’d rather die like a badger than a mouse.

Just as she shifted her weight forward, a hand gripped her forearm and pulled her back. She stumbled, momentarily off balance, and the giant’s fist plummeted down.

She flung herself frantically aside, and the person who had taken hold of her must have done the same, because the elemental’s blow missed them both. The impact shook the ground, threw up gouts of snow and soil, and jolted the humans off their feet.

As they scrambled up, she looked around to see Thamalon. Tugging at her again, he cried, “This way!”

He ran toward the north side of the courtyard, and, wondering what he could possibly have in mind, she followed. The shocks of their pursuer’s footsteps made it a challenge merely to stay on their feet, and they had to keep glancing back to watch for its next attack.

The elemental raised its foot to stamp, and they scrambled out from underneath. Then Thamalon led Shamur into one of the buildings constructed along the base of the wall.

Glancing about, she found herself in a chapel, with a few rows of benches, and plaster statues of Torm, Tempus, and other deities perched on little wooden stands. Rocked by the giant’s footsteps, some had already fallen off and shattered. Having seen the elemental stride through the castle ramparts, she knew, as Thamalon seemingly did not, that this place was no refuge. Not unless some god intended to manifest to protect his effigy from harm, and she rather suspected that wasn’t going to happen.

But Shamur’s husband kept rushing her toward the other end of the chamber, and after a moment, she saw the reason why. A short time ago, he’d evidently shifted the altar aside to uncover a square opening in the floor.

With a clattering crash, the elemental swept the roof of the chapel away as easily as a maid clearing cobwebs with a broom, leaving the chamber open to the sky. Leaning over the top of the wall, the creature reached for its quarry.

Shamur could see the top rung of a ladder affixed just below the rim of the shaft, but she and Thamalon had run out of time to use it. The nobleman took a last stride and jumped, and as the creature’s hand plunged down at her, she did the same.

She fell for less than a second, then hit bottom, lost her

balance, and sprawled on an earthen floor. An instant later, the giant’s hand smashed into the mouth of the shaft, and, too large to penetrate farther, lodged there, blocking out what little light had reached the bottom before. Clods of dirt pattered down.

Immediately there came a grinding, crunching noise, and more earth fell. Shamur realized the elemental was trying to force its arm down the shaft, and she thought it entirely possible that it would succeed. Even if its raw strength proved insufficient, it might have some sort of power over soil and stone.

Groping for her in the blackness, Thamalon’s hand brushed the top other head. “Did you hurt yourself falling?” he asked. “Are you still able to walk?”

“I am.”

“Then come on.” He hauled her to her feet, then pulled her into what must be some sort of narrow, low-ceilinged tunnel. By banging her shoulder on one, she discovered that splintery wooden supports stood at intervals along the way.

The lightless passage shook, the supports groaned, and chunks of dirt rained down. Crashing and pounding sounded through the earth. Evidently the giant had abandoned its efforts to force its hand down the shaft and was tramping around overhead demolishing the rest of the castle. Shamur couldn’t guess whether the creature was hoping she and Thamalon would come up elsewhere in the ruin, expressing its pique that they’d eluded it, or deliberately trying to collapse the tunnel.

In any case, she feared that the ceiling might indeed be on the verge of falling. Just ahead of her in the darkness, one of the support timbers gave a sharp crack. Dirt showered down all around her, and then something much, much harder crashed down on top of her head. The sharp, unexpected pain slammed her down on her knees. She felt consciousness guttering out and struggled desperately to hold on, but still, everything slipped away.

* **

Shamur cried out in frustration and fear, and her eyes flew open. Peering about, she saw she was lying in a dilapidated lean-to, likely some hunter or charcoal burner’s shelter. A fire smoked and crackled in the center of the floor, and the russet cloak she’d dropped back in the clearing covered her like a blanket. Outside the hut, daylight shone on a tangle of leafless, snow-silvered trees, proof that she was still in the woods.

Wrapped in his own cape with its bloodstained ermine collar, utterly filthy, Thamalon sat cross-legged on the other side of the fire, watching her. His long sword lay naked beside him, while her own weapon was nowhere in sight. She supposed she’d lost it when she’d been knocked unconscious.

“You called out,” he said, his tone cool, his face impassive. “You’re awake.”

“Yes,” she said, her throat so dry that her voice was a painful rasp. She swallowed. “I was dreaming about our escape. You must have realized I’d gotten hurt, and carried me out of the tunnel.”

“Yes.”

“How did you know the passage existed?”

“First things first. Do you still want to kill me?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. She sat up, though it made her head throb cruelly. “Ilmater’s bonds, of course’not! I know now that you didn’t poison my grand-niece. That shadow that spoke with Lindrian’s voice … I don’t understand it, but somehow, when I talked to him, I was actually talking to it. Moreover, the fact that the phantom’s master could even conceive of such a ruse implies that he’s the one who truly committed the murder.”

“Or rather, that he has ties to those who did,” Thamalon said, his voice little warmer than before. “He seems too young to have slain anyone thirty years ago. How are you?”

“Sore—especially my head—stiff, cold, grimy, thirsty, and hungry,” she said. “But essentially all right.”

“I can do a little something about the hunger,” he said,

handing her a bundle of paper, which, when she unfolded it, proved to contain a square of date-nut bread. Trust him not to venture into the woods without a snack tucked into the pigskin pouch on his belt, or a flint, steel, and tinderbox, for that matter.

She took a bite of the pastry. “I still want to hear how you knew about the tunnel,” she said through the first mouthful.

His green eyes widened, and she realized that never in their three decades together had he ever seen her gobble a morsel with such unladylike voracity. But of course it was far too late to worry about such things now.

“I’ve built my share of strongholds over the years,” Thamalon said. “Trading outposts and Stormweather Towers itself. I wanted to make them secure, so I undertook a study of fortifications, during which I happened to learn that these old castles Rauthauvyr raised often had a secret tunnel leading out. I didn’t know exactly where it would be located, so I had to leave you to guard my back while I went to look for it.”