Weapon of Fear (35 page)

“How? 
By putting Duke Tessifus on the throne?”

“Initially,
but his reign will be short.  We are currently…preparing his youngest son to
assume the position of emperor.”

“We?” 
Suspicion blossomed again.  Duveau might be the most powerful mage in the land,
but he could no more hide his moods than he could sprout wings and fly.  “Who
is ‘we’?”

“A
secret organization to which our former emperor belonged, and which I now
administer in his stead.”  True enough, though he wouldn’t dare say that in
front of Lady T.  “This organization was one of the ways he kept order.”

“And
you plan to reinstate this organization’s control of the empire by placing a
person you have…prepared upon the throne.”  Duveau was no fool.  He knew a
power grab when he heard one, but Hoseph had more persuasive points to make.

“I
plan to place on the throne capable of proper
ruling
.  Arbuckle is
unfit.  He murdered a member of his own nobility for an offense that’s been
condoned in this empire for decades.  He gives commoners free reign to pillage
and seek vengeance upon those who rule them.  He invites anarchy.  I offer
order.” 
Once I’m in control…

Duveau
pursed his lips again, pausing long before he continued.  “I care little for politics,
Master Hoseph, but I do care about my
own
welfare.  I’ve been archmage
for decades, and I don’t wish to lose that position.”

“And
Arbuckle has been treating you like peasant labor!  Do you think anything will
change once he’s crowned?”

“Probably
not, but there is a certain
prestige
in the position.”

“And
if I promised you the position back in twenty years or so?”

Duveau
scoffed again.  “You think
any
emperor would allow the man who committed
regicide to assume the post of imperial archmage?”

“Oh,
come now.  I may only be a humble priest, but I’m not unacquainted with magic. 
After mastering the secrets of the
legendary
Corillian, you can forge
yourself an entirely new body.  Age means nothing to a runemage of that
caliber, and flesh is malleable.”  He paused, considering the man once again. 
Duveau was a brilliant wizard, but he seemed to lack the ability to look into
his own future.  That made him vulnerable to manipulation. 
I could use a
man like him
.  “If you remove Arbuckle for us, I’ll take you to Krakengul Keep. 
It’s mysteries should occupy you until our new emperor is established, then you
return wearing a new face, maybe Corillian’s, and assume the role of archmage. 
You stand to gain a great deal, and lose nothing in the long run.”

“In
the long run…”  Duveau scowled.  “Twenty years of exile and a death sentence on
my head are not trivial sacrifices.”

“Twenty
years of
studying
the secrets of rune magic is hardly exile.  You know
as well as I do that the death sentence is meaningless.  Who in this empire
could deliver that sentence?”

Duveau
considered again, his brow furrowing in thought.  “And when would this
assassination occur?”

Yes!
  Hoseph bridled his elation. 
“Before he’s crowned.  As emperor, Arbuckle can change laws without approval of
the nobility, and may even change the line of succession.  If he revokes Duke
Tessifus’ title, our preparations will be for naught.  We leave the details up
to you, but we prefer there be witnesses to the assassination.”

“Why?”

“Because,
if people see
you
kill the prince, there’s no guilt to be laid
elsewhere.” 
Namely on me.

“You’ve
thought this through quite thoroughly.”

“Yes,
I have.”  Hoseph did smile then, allowing himself the pleasure of a job well
done.  “It’s what I do best.”

T
he tunnel under the river came as a
surprise.  The Gnome had led Mya through a locked cellar door behind a
cobbler’s shop, then a concealed panel in the cluttered basement.  Two flights
of steps and a long narrow tunnel that sloped down for a quarter of a mile,
then up again, put them in the basement of an ironmonger’s shop.  He closed the
concealed door and motioned her toward an exit onto the street.  A glance
around confirmed they were somewhere in Midtown.

“That
was handy.”  Mya fingered the steel band around her neck as he relocked the
door.  Was it her imagination, or was the damn thing getting tighter?  At least
the rest of her clothes were comfortable: trousers and shirt, soft boots and
daggers, her trappings of old.

“Bridges
mean caps, and we don’t need anyone seein’ us.”  He looked up at her, his
pupils large in the dark.  “Where to?”

She’d
withheld the location of the secret entrance into the palace as a last safety
measure.  He, in turn, had refused to give her any information about the secret
passages within the palace.  Trust still ran thin between them.

“Vin’
ju’ Tsing.  Do you know it?”

“Sure. 
Hoity-toity wine shop up Hightown.”  He wrinkled his nose as if he found
affluence distasteful.

“I’ll
follow you.”

“Aye. 
Try not to make so much noise, ay?  Don’t they teach you how to
walk
in
assassin school?”

“Evidently
not to
your
standards.”  The jab stung a little.  Lad had never
complained about her lack of stealth.  “Go ahead.  I’ll try not to trip.”

“Humph.” 
The gnome started off at a quick pace considering his short legs, as quiet as a
mouse.

Mya
matched his pace with no trouble, trying her best to stay quiet.  It was near
midnight, so they shouldn’t meet too many late night wanderers, but stealth
seemed prudent.  They’d covered a dozen blocks before she caught the sound of a
constable patrol.

“Ssst!”

“What?”
The Gnome turned with an irritable look on his face, but then, he looked
perpetually irritable.

“Constables.” 
She tapped her ear and pointed ahead and to the right.  “Two, maybe three
blocks.”

He
cocked his hear and listened.  She could discern the tromping of boots and
jingle of armor clearly over the occasional clink and clatter from apartments,
the skitter of a rats, and their own breathing and heartbeats.  To the gnome’s
credit, he didn’t doubt her, but just kept listening.  Finally, he nodded and
motioned down an alley to the right.  She followed him around the noisy
patrol.  After they were past, he stopped again and looked up at her.

“Ye
got good ears fer a human.”

“Who
said I was human?”  She flashed him a predatory grin. 
Let the little git
chew on that one
.

He
snorted quietly.  “Well, ye certainly
smell
human enough.  Come on.”

“I
don’t smell!”  She followed, muttering curses under her breath.

When
they finally reached Vin’ ju’ Tsing, they found another obstacle.  Four guards
patrolled outside the building.  Mya had cased the shop it earlier that day,
and only saw two.  Evidently someone was being careful about uninvited
nighttime visitors.  Other affluent business had posted guards, so this wasn’t
unusual.  However, the guild owned this shop.  The guards might have been hired
to keep commoners from pillaging, or they could have been sent by Lady T to
prevent Mya from sneaking into the palace.  Regardless, they had to bypass them.

The
Gnome tapped her arm and pointed around the side of the building.  She
followed, placing her feet where he trod and keeping her breathing slow and
quiet.  They hunkered in the shadows on the darker side of the building,
watching the nearest guard walk to and fro.  Mya counted; for twelve seconds his
back was turned away from the corner where the building abutted the face of the
bluff.

“Second
floor window?” she whispered an inch from the gnome’s ear.

“Can
ye make it up there quiet?”

“Yes.” 
She’d already picked out a path that used the rock face as well as the
building.  If Lad could do it, so could she.  “But the window’s closed, maybe
locked.”

“Let
me go first and get the window.  Once it’s open, wait fer him to make a pass,
then come up when he turns away again.”

“Right.” 
Mya saw no reason not to let the burglar burgle.  She hadn’t brought him along
for his witty repartee.

When
the guard next turned, the Gnome slipped away.  He moved like a wraith.  Her
eyes picked him out of the shadows easily enough, but she doubted that the
guard would have seen him if he’d been looking right at him.  The gnome climbed
the wall like a spider, hands and feet finding purchase where she wouldn’t have
guessed they could.  When the guard turned back, the thief hunkered where the
building and rock face met, as still as stone.

The
guard turned again, and the Gnome worked his way over to the window, clinging
to the building like a bug climbing a pane of glass.  She squinted, and saw
that he wore some kind of climbing devices on his hands and feet, though she
hadn’t seen him put the things on.  Beneath the window, he removed one of the
climbers and tucked it in a belt pouch, then fiddled at the window.  It opened
silently, and he slipped inside.

Mya
waited for the guard to turn his back, then moved.

Her
dash and leap took her only halfway to the height of the window, but she used
her momentum to propel herself up the rough stone of the bluff before bounding
back to land on the window sill.  Not quite as silent as the gnome, but quicker
by far.  She slipped inside before the guard made half his circuit.

The
Gnome stared at her from the dark of the room, his eyes wide.  He pointed to
the window, and mimed closing it.  She complied, working the latch silently.

“Maybe
ye ain’t human after all,” he whispered as she turned back.  “How’d ye make
that jump?”

“Magic. 
Let’s go.”  She’d be damned if she would explain her abilities to him.  Lad was
the only living person in the world who knew about her runic tattoos, and she
intended to keep it that way.  “First floor, back of the shop, there’s a door
into the aging cavern.”

He
made a face.  “Stay close.  They may have guards inside, too.”

She
followed him downstairs, grateful there were no guards to evade inside the
shop.  At the door, he made short work of the lock and oiled the hinges with a
tiny can from his pouch.  It swung open silently and they slipped inside.

“Ye
need light?” he asked as the door closed behind them, plunging them into deep
darkness.

“No. 
You?”

“I’m
a gnome,” he said, as if that explained everything.  “Dunno quite what ye are
if ye can see in this.”

“I’m
a
monster
.”  She grinned maliciously.  “Now hurry up!  Eighteenth barrel
on the left.”

The
Gnome muttered something in gnomish and led the way.  At the eighteenth barrel,
they stopped.  Mya stepped forward and pressed the Grandmaster’s ring into a
niche in one of the support wedges, and the huge tun rolled aside to reveal the
passage beyond.

“Go
ahead.  I’ve got to close the door.”

“Aye.” 
The gnome slipped through the narrow opening and waited patiently in the small
room.

When
the barrel rolled back into place, she turned to find him examining the walls despite
the utter darkness.  “Do you see the door?”

“I
see two doors.”  He pointed to the one Mya knew of.  “One there, and another there.” 
He pointed to the adjoining wall, which looked featureless to Mya.  “Which one we
usin’?”

“Huh. 
I only knew of one.  This one.”  She pressed her ring to the secret catch and
the door she’d used before slid aside without a sound.

“Dwarf
work these.”  He stepped through and didn’t flinch when soft white light
blossomed around him, sourceless and casting no shadows.

“Yes.” 
Mya stepped inside and closed the door.  “They were probably built when the
palace foundation was laid.”

“Or
before.”  The Gnome ran his fingers over the wall and shrugged.  “Wondered how
the beards came and went.  Now I know.”

Mya
started out at a steady pace.  “You think the dwarves use these to come and go
from the palace?”

“Well,
not this one, but if there’s one dwarf tunnel in this rock, there’s dozens.” 
He matched her pace until they arrived at the end of the tunnel.  “Now what?”

“This
opens into the dungeons.”  She nodded to the door.  “The last time I was here,
two of the emperor’s blademasters were stationed there waiting for me, so I
know at least some people knew about this passage.”  She shrugged.  “Now that
the blademasters are gone, I don’t know if anyone does.  Seems like they would
have sealed it if they knew, but it looks just like it did before.”

“From
this
side.  They could’ve walled it up from the inside.  Try that ring
’o yers and we’ll see.”

“And
if there are guards?”

“Then
close it again.  I know another way in.”

She
knew without asking that he wasn’t about to tell her what it was unless it was
necessary.  “All right.”  She raised her hand to press her ring into the niche,
but he stopped her with a tug at her shirt.

“One
thing about guards.  If we’re spotted, we run.  No fightin’ and no killin’.”

“With
your short legs, I don’t think we’re going to be outrunning anyone.”

“I’m
faster than ye think, lass.”

“Call
me Mya.  I’m not a lass.  And if we get cornered?”

“We
don’t get cornered.”

“Fine. 
If we have to run, you go as fast as you can and I’ll follow.”  She lifted her
hand, then stopped again to look down at him.  “Or I could tuck you under my
arm and carry you.”

“Don’t
even think about it, la—er, Mya.”

She
grinned at him and pressed her ring to the niche.  The light winked out, and
the two heavy stone slabs slid aside.

The
corridor beyond was blissfully empty.

“Now
I’m following you,” she whispered as they stepped through.  She closed the
door.

“Right. 
This way.”  He turned to the right and she followed.

He
opened the same locked door she and Lad had passed through with the emperor,
his hands moving so fast that she barely had to pause, then moved down the
corridor lined with cells.  The odor of confinement was less rank than she
remembered, and there were lamps at regular intervals.  Many of the cells were
full, but everyone slept, and their passage made no stir.  To Mya’s horror, he
continued on until they stood before the two very familiar doors of the
emperor’s torture chamber.

“Bugger!” 
The Gnome peered at the heavy padlock that hung from twin ringbolts set into
the stone beside the door.  “Well, we’ll have to use another way up.”

“Can’t
you unlock it?”  She regretted her words as soon as she said them.  She had
nearly died in that room, and would sooner have walked into a dragon’s den than
step into it again. 

“O’course
I can unlock it, but we can’t lock that chain behind us, and the jailor on
rounds might see.  Then we’d be double buggered, so it’s no good.  Not to
worry.  I know another way.”

Mya
said a silent thanks to whatever sympathetic deity seemed to be watching over
her.  She suppressed a shiver as she turned her back on the door and followed
him.  They retraced their steps all the way, then continued on to the room
where she and Lad had dined with the emperor.  Instead of a dining table set
with silver and porcelain, however, the room was bare.

The
Gnome strode across the far wall and eased a slim metal blade into a tiny crack
that looked like a seam in the stonework.  Something clicked, and a panel slid
up.  The opening was barely two feet square. 

Though
less cunningly hidden than the dwarf doors, Mya hadn’t detected it. 
Immediately, she knew its purpose.  “A dumb waiter?”

“Aye. 
Didn’t plan on climbin’, but you shouldn’t have any trouble.”

“And
if I couldn’t climb it?”  She looked up the narrow shaft.  It wouldn’t be as difficult
as climbing across the portcullis bridge with Lad.

 
“I know other ways, but not so easy on the other end.”  He slipped climbers
onto his hands and feet, ingenious little devices with metal tines for fitting
into the seams of brick or stonework.  “Next stop, the kitchens.  Come along.”

He
scrambled in and up the shaft.  Mya followed.

A half
hour later, she was completely lost.  They’d traversed the kitchens, two more
secret passages, and a bedroom with a sleeping couple, evaded a strolling pair
of imperial guards, slipped into a library, and finally into another secret
passage behind a bookcase.  She wondered how he kept it all in his head.

“Now
we’re back on the right track.”  He patted the dusty stone wall and grinned. 
“This’ll take us right to the royal chambers.  All seven.”