Weapon of Fear (10 page)

“And
what was your answer?”  Hoseph surreptitiously shifted his gaze.  Lady T’s
crossbow lay several paces away.  He didn’t doubt that he could send her soul
to Demia before she could reach the weapon, but she was an assassin.  She might
have a half-dozen lethal implements hidden within reach.

“Do
I
look
dead?”  Lady T stood in front of the mirror, but she watched him
in the reflection.  “If I had denied her, she would have killed me and
recruited one of my masters, and there goes your only ally.  I think the
question rightfully is: what are
you
going to do about her?”

“Kill
her, of course, but I have to find her first.  Did you have her followed?” 

Lady
T barked a sardonic laugh.  “Send assassins to follow a Master Hunter wearing
the Grandmaster’s ring?  I may as well slit their throats and dump them in the
river myself.”

She
had a point.  He’d seen Mya fight.  “Play along with her for now and we’ll set
her up for the kill.  We’ve got bigger problems to deal with first.  What in
the Nine Hells happened yesterday?  I came out this morning to smoke thick
enough to choke on, rumors of uprisings, and commoners strutting the streets as
if they owned them.”

Eyes
narrowing, Lady T said curiously, “You must sleep in a tomb to not have heard
the ruckus.  They’re calling it the Night of Flame.  All instigated on by dear
Crown Prince Arbuckle.”

“What?”

Hoseph
listened with growing astonishment as the guildmaster related the tale of the
heir’s speech to the unwashed masses, and the bonfire in the Imperial Plaza
that started a night of riots.  Evidently, Arbuckle was not as weak-willed as
they’d thought.

“And
just before you arrived, I received word that Arbuckle reprimanded the senior
nobles when they insisted he institute martial law to control the violence.  He
told them he intends to
change
the laws to implement equal justice for
all, nobles and commoners alike!”

“He
is
a fool!”

“Well,
he got put in his place by Magistrate Graving.  He can’t change any laws until
he wears the crown.”  She shrugged out of her night dress and started donning
the red gown.  “Not without backing from two thirds of the nobility.”

Hoseph’s
anger warmed his face.  “We have to make sure he doesn’t get it.”

“It’s
not likely he will.  Not with Graving waving the law in his face.”  She began
lacing the gown, her arms bent behind her back like a contortionist.

“We
have to make sure.”  Hoseph paced the small space, deep in thought.  On the
third turn, the seed of a plan began to germinate in his mind.  By the fifth,
details were emerging like budding spring blossoms.  “We can’t let the
coronation proceed.  We’ve got to have him killed before he’s emperor.”

“Duke
Tessifus is next in line for the throne.”

“Yes,
and he’s got a family.”  Hoseph’s plan burst into full bloom.  “He can be
pressured.  Take his sons and we’ll have him in the palm of our hand.  He’ll
jump exactly as high as we want him to.”

“I
suggest we wait until after Arbuckle is dead.”  Finally dressed, Lady T sat and
picked out a pair of shoes.  She pressed a tab in the side of one, and a thin
blade popped out from the toe, proving Hoseph right in his assessment of weapon
accessibility.  “First things first.”

“I
disagree.  We need to know that Tessifus will be our pawn
before
we
eliminate Arbuckle.  If we don’t, we’ll be right back where we started.  As
presumptive heir, he’ll be harder to get to, his sons protected by blademasters
and imperial guards.  Take them today.”

 “All
right, I’ll arrange the abductions.”  The lady pressed the tip of the blade
against the edge of her vanity until it clicked back into hiding, then slipped
the shoe onto her foot.  “Do we send him one of them in pieces to make our
point?”

“I
don’t think so.  At least, not yet, but warn the duke not to go to the
authorities.”  He continued pacing, his mind racing ahead.  “Separate them and
treat them well; one of them will be our next Grandmaster.  We have to choose
the right one, but that can wait until after we remove Arbuckle.”

“Killing
the crown prince isn’t as easy as that.”  Lady T pursed her lips and applied
lip rouge.  “Setting it up properly will take time, and Arbuckle can do a lot
of damage before he dies.  If he gets enough nobles to back him—”

“He
won’t.  I’ll see to that.  Contact your operative inside the palace and start
the ball rolling.”

“If
the prince dies there’ll be unrest.”  She reached for a dark eye pencil.  “The
commoners won’t be easily subdued, now that they think they’ve got
rights
.”

“You
worry too much about that, Tara.  With the military on one side of the river
and the Assassin’s Guild on the other, they’ll have no safe haven.  I’ll work
on making sure the provincial dukes will oppose Arbuckle, and you work on
killing him.”

“Have
you contacted the other guildmasters yet?”

“Yes. 
Everyone’s on board except Twailin.  I’m meeting with their interim guildmaster
today.”

“And
they have no problem with you presuming to order them around?”

Hoseph
smiled at her sarcasm.  “They’re not as obstinate as you.”  He clutched Demia’s
talisman and concentrated on Lad’s townhouse in Twailin.  He had a feeling this
was all going to work out perfectly.

D
ee peered out the parlor window
onto the busy street.  Carriages trundled down the cobblestoned street, and
gentry strolled the sidewalks.  No robed acolytes in sight.  No Hoseph.

“Stop
fidgeting, Dee.”  Sereth leaned against the fireplace mantel as if he hadn’t a
care in the world, arms folded, his head tilted as if listening to a quiet
strain of music.

“I’m
not fidgeting.  I’m watching.”  In truth, Dee was nervous, and resented the
ease with which the Master Blade perceived his apprehension.  Though Hoseph
was
late, more troubling to Dee was that he had no idea what Sereth was going to
do.  The Blade had been tight-lipped since his arrival, his face passive.  He
had even sent Dee to fetch a pot of blackbrew and pastries, as if they awaited
a friend and not some killer priest who lusted for their master’s blood.

What
if Hoseph offers Sereth the guildmaster position, and he accepts
?  Dee’s stomach roiled as he
unobtrusively checked the dagger inside his jacket.  He wasn’t much of a
killer, but anyone who could appear from nowhere and kill with a touch made him
nervous. 
Why isn’t Sereth nervous
?

“Dee.” 
Sereth nodded toward the open parlor door.

Dee
turned to see a darkening of the air in the foyer.  The shadow thickened into a
black cloud that coalesced into a man.  He’d already seen Hoseph’s vaporous
departure once, but gaped no less at his arrival.  Could he pop in anywhere? 
Dee glanced at Sereth, but the Blade still leaned casually with arms folded.

Hoseph
looked around with a flash of annoyance before he caught sight of them.  He
strode into the parlor, eyes on Sereth. “You must be Master Blade Sereth.”

Sereth
nodded once in acknowledgement.  “And you’re Hoseph, I presume.”

“Yes.” 
Hoseph flicked a glance in Dee’s direction.  “Has he told you why I’ve come?”

“He
told me
some
, but frankly it’s pretty unbelievable.”  Sereth waved
Hoseph to a seat on one side of the low table and took the opposite chair. 
“I’d like to hear from you exactly what happened and what you expect of me.”

Hoseph
smiled without humor.  “What
happened
is that Guildmaster Lad and Master
Hunter Mya murdered the Grandmaster.”

Sereth’s
brow knitted. “Dee gave me that much, but I’m afraid I don’t see how it could
be true.  Both Lad and Mya wore rings.”  He raised his left hand, where a band
of obsidian encircled his smallest finger.  “They could no sooner attack the
Grandmaster, than I could.”

“Nevertheless,
they killed the Grandmaster and five of his bodyguards.”

“Only
five
bodyguards?”  The Master Blade looked surprised.  “Didn’t you know
about Lad?”

Hoseph
waved dismissively.  “Of
course
we knew about Lad.  Mya, however, was a
surprise.  What can you tell me about her?  She’s obviously enhanced in some
way.  Does she possess some talisman?  What’s her weakness?”

“She’s
fond of sweet rolls.”  Dee said it before he could stop himself.

Hoseph
cast Dee a scathing glance.

“Don’t
mind him.”  Sereth chuckled and waved dismissively, setting off another alarm
in Dee’s head.  He’d never seen Sereth laugh.  “Dee’s not very bright, but he
does know everyone’s favorite noshes, and makes great blackbrew.”

Dee’s
face burned.  Something wasn’t right with the way Sereth was pandering to this
priest.  Dee left the window and approached Sereth and Hoseph, bending to pour
them each a cup of blackbrew.  The steamy aroma gave him an idea. 
If I
throw hot blackbrew in Hoseph’s face…

“Tell
me about Mya,” Hoseph insisted.  “What’s her background and training?  Where
might she go to ground if she were on the run?”

Sereth
barked a laugh.  “She looks great in a tight pair of pants, but that’s really
all I know about her.  Hunters aren’t like
real
assassins.  They’re
better at looking up addresses than doing the actual dirty work that’s the
lifeblood of this guild.  I tell you what.  I’ll ask around and see what her
people can tell me about her.”

Dee
hesitated, the pot of blackbrew heavy in his hand. 
What the hells is he
talking about?
  Sereth knew that the Hunters were intrinsic to the success
of the guild.  And as for information about Mya, Dee knew more about her than
anyone. 
So why would he
…

You
idiot
! 
Realization struck, and he put the pot down. 
He’s plying Hoseph for
information
.

Ashamed
that he had mistrusted the Master Blade, Dee proffered the tray of pastries to
the priest with an insipid smile.

Hoseph
ignored him and focused on Sereth.  “Good!  We’ve got to hunt these traitors
down and eliminate them.”

“So…you
don’t know where they are now?”

“If
I knew that, they’d already be dead!”  The priest looked annoyed.

Sereth
shrugged as he picked up his cup of blackbrew.  “Anything you can tell me will
help in my search.”

“Mya
is still in Tsing, but Lad may already be dead.  If true, that’s half of our problem
solved, but I think it’s safer to assume that he’s still alive.  If he returns
to Twailin, kill him.”

Dee
struggled to hold the tray steady at the news. 
Lad dead?
  Sereth
lowered his eyes to his steaming cup and sipped.  When the Master Blade spoke
again, his tone was no longer deferential, but sharp.

“Let
me get this straight.  Lad and Mya
allegedly
killed the Grandmaster—“

“There’s
nothing alleged about it.  They killed him.”

“So
you say.”

Hoseph’s
eyes narrowed.  “No, I know it to be fact.  I was there!”

“Then
you should have no problem telling me
how
they managed it.”

“I
didn’t witness the actual killing.  I left to get help.  That’s not
important!”  Hoseph’s face flushed.  “All you need to know is what I’ve already
told you.  Lad and Mya killed the Grandmaster, which makes them traitors to
this guild!  The sentence for treason is death.”

Sereth
leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms as he stared at the priest.  “You
keep saying that, but you have no proof.  Let me tell you what I think
happened.  For some reason, you didn’t want Lad to discover the truth behind
his wife’s murder, so you killed Baron Patino, then tried to kill Lad’s
informant.  Now you’re trying to pin blame for the Grandmaster’s death on Lad
and Mya.  Maybe
you
killed your master.  I notice you don’t wear a
ring…”

“You’ve
been digging into matters beyond your ken, Master Blade Sereth.”  Hoseph’s
sneer belied his seeming sincerity.  “You asked what I expect from you.  I
expect you to follow orders.  I expect you to kill Lad.”

“On
whose authority?”

“
What?
” 
The priest’s eyes bulged, his jaw trembling at Sereth’s simple question.

“On
whose authority are you ordering me to hunt down my own guildmaster?”

“As
the Grandmaster’s representative I—”

“You
are
nothing
.”  Sereth’s interruption dropped Hoseph’s jaw.  “You’re a
dead man’s
assistant
! You giving me orders is no different from Dee
giving me orders if Lad was indeed dead.  I don’t take orders from
assistants
!”

“The
Grandmaster—”

“—is
dead.  Which makes you the right hand of no one.”  Sereth smiled, but there was
no humor in it.  “I owe allegiance to only two people: my guildmaster and the
Grandmaster.  According to you, the Grandmaster is dead, so until there’s a new
one appointed, I take orders
only
from Lad.”

Dee
watched Hoseph closely, shifting his grip on the pastry tray to use it as a
shield.  According to Lad, the priest could kill with a touch.

“You…
traitor
!” 
Hoseph bolted up from his seat, one clenched fist glowing with a pearly light.

Sereth’s
piercing whistle startled both Dee and the priest.  Before Hoseph could move,
assassins appeared from behind draperies, cabinets and closed doors, crossbows
leveled at the priest’s chest.  Closer at hand, two daggers slipped from
Sereth’s sleeves, ready to fly into the priest’s throat.  Dee stepped back from
the field of fire in case Sereth gave the order.

Hoseph
seethed with impotent rage.  “You’ve betrayed your guild, all of you!  Your
lives are forfeit!”

“Our
lives are our
guildmaster’s
to spend, not yours!  You’re not even an
assassin!  Go back to wherever you came from and try to sell your story, but
you have no authority here.”

“You
will die for this!”  With the same flick of the hand and flash of silver Dee
had noticed before, Hoseph dissolved in a cloud of swirling black smoke.

Dee
dropped the tray with a clatter and leaned back against the sideboard, heaving
a deep breath to steady his knees.  Assistants didn’t often have to deal with
killer priests.

“I
guess I just kicked the hornet’s nest, didn’t I?”  Sereth slid his daggers back
into the sheaths hidden in his sleeves.  “That’s one way to—”

A
shadow coalesced behind Sereth, and from it emerged an enraged Hoseph, glowing
hand extended.  As he reached for the back of the unsuspecting Blade’s neck,
Dee lunged.  “Sereth!”

The
Master Blade twisted, but Dee slammed into Hoseph before he could bestow the
lethal touch.  They landed hard, and Dee rolled away from priest’s deadly
grasp.  Crossbows fired, but the dark mist had already writhed forth.  Bolts
pierced the dissipating cloud, but only thudded into the floor where Hoseph had
been.

“Dee!” 
Sereth grabbed him by the arm and heaved him up.  “You all right?”

“Well,
I’m not dead, anyway.”  He winced at the pain in his shoulder where he’d hit
the floor.

“Thanks
for keeping him off of me.”  Sereth patted Dee’s jacket right where the
assistant’s blade was concealed.  “You might try a dagger next time.”

“I’d
have missed.”  Dee straightened his coat.

Sereth
snapped his fingers, and his Blades fanned out.  “Stay sharp.  He could appear
anywhere.  If he does, don’t wait for an order, just skewer him.”

“You
sent me for blackbrew to place your Blades, didn’t you?”

The
corner of the Master Blade’s mouth twitched.  “I couldn’t afford to have you
give them away.  You’re not as good at hiding your emotions as you think you
are.  But forget that.  Send runners to the other masters.  Tell them
everything.  I’m putting the whole guild on alert.  Anyone with families should
see to their safety.”

“Your
wife?”

“Jinny’s
already in a safe house.”  Sereth looked grim.  “I thought this might go
badly.”

“What
about Lad and Mya?  Do you think Lad’s really dead?”

Sereth
shook his head.  “I don’t know what or who could kill Lad, but we’ll assume
he’s alive until we learn otherwise.  The problem is, Hoseph has the rest of
the guild hunting them, so they’ll be on the run.  How do we find them?”

“Lad
will go to his family.”  Dee knew that as well as he knew anything.  He’d
watched Lad stare out from his balcony toward the Westmarket district where the
Tap and Kettle
stood, where his daughter, Lissa, lived with her
grandparents and uncles.  “He’ll want to protect them.”

Sereth
nodded.  “Jingles has standing orders to watch over them.  I’ll have him double
the guard and they can warn Lad if he shows up.  The problem will be getting
get word to Mya.  Hoseph said she was in Tsing.  It’s a big city.”

“You
want to help Mya?”

Sereth
looked surprised.  “Of course.  Why would you think I wouldn’t?”

“The
guild factions have been…estranged for years.  It wasn’t too long ago that your
master was trying to kill Mya.”

Sereth
shook his head firmly.  “Horice was an idiot.  Lad was right about one thing;
working together is the only way to get things done.  So if Mya has a problem,
we all have a problem.  I think Hoseph made that abundantly clear.”

Dee
smiled, grateful that Mya wasn’t to be tossed to the wolves, then sobered when
he considered the situation.  “Why would she stay in Tsing?”

“I
don’t know.”  Sereth chewed his lip, then his eyes widened.  “If they
did
kill the Grandmaster…you don’t suppose she took the ring, do you?”

“I…don’t
know.”  Dee’s mind spun anew.

“Well,
we’ve got to send someone to find her, if for no other reason than to find out
what really happened.  I still don’t understand how they could kill the
Grandmaster.  Get a good horse and pack light; you’ll want to travel fast.”

“
Me
?” 
Dee swallowed hard.  “I’m…not much of an assassin.”

“You
signed a blood contract, so you’re an assassin.  What’s more, you’re a Hunter,
so you know how to find information and people.  You also worked for Mya for
years, and know her better than anyone.  Besides, did you think I was
asking
? 
Until Lad’s back, I’m Twailin’s guildmaster, and I’m ordering you to go.”