The Palace Job (31 page)

Orris knew that it would fit him. He'd be able to break a man's neck with one hand. He'd laugh while blades glanced harmlessly off him. His voice cracked as he asked, "Why me?"

"You appear desperate enough to accept it," Bi'ul said, unperturbed. "And I wish for the matter of the escaped prisoners to be resolved. It distracts Archvoyant Silestin from his dealings with me." The Glimmering Man paused. "And I am... troubled by the strange presence I felt on the airship. I wish to resolve this matter."

"That's the why," Orris said cautiously. "But what's the catch?"

"There is a cost," Bi'ul said with a shrug. "There is always a cost. In this case, the cost is the soul of a single mortal."

Orris licked his lips. "Does it have to be mine?"

Bi'ul smiled. "I would accept Loch's in exchange."

"You'll have it," said Orris, and reached out to don the Glimmering Man's gift.

Naria walked through the market square with two guards flanking her and another helping her find her way.

Then a commotion on the far side of the market caught the attention of the guards, and they left her at a stall on her own for a moment, feeling the soft silks whose beautiful colors she could not see, and a moment later, Icy's voice came to her from above. "Can I offer my assistance, fair Naria?"

She jumped and turned her face to either side, and when he said her name again, she realized that he was above her, and she raised her arms. His strong hands caught her wrists, and then she was rising into the air, sliding over the awning, and falling into Icy's arms.

"My indomitable courteous savior returns," she murmured, settling into the awning. Below her, the guards came around the corner and gave startled exclamations at the disappearance of their charge.

When they were gone, Icy said, "I did not wish to intrude, but if you wished to wander the market with greater freedom, I felt obliged to help."

"It is no intrusion," Naria said, smiling shyly. "The Archvoyant wishes to protect me, but his protection is often more than I can bear."

Icy paused. "Are you happy with him?"

"I was once the daughter of a minor lord," she said, shaking her head. "When bandits killed my family, Silestin saved me. I owe him everything." She sighed. "But there are times when I wish it was not all speeches and appearances, that I were more than just an example of his beneficence."

Icy let out a long breath. "Perhaps," he said, "if you truly wish a life of freedom, I may offer my assistance..."

She was so pleased after that that she fell into his arms, and then into his robes, and then Icy and Naria discovered that if one has the proper balance, an awning is a wonderful place to entertain company.

Cevirt's training room was seeing more action than it had seen in years.

On one end, Hessler was summoning illusions and then examining them in the mirror with a critical eye. Off in a corner, Ululenia was making grass grow out of the training mats, while in the well padded sparring ring, Loch was working out her tension by teaching Dairy how to fight.

The boy hit the ground and shook his head. "What did I do wrong that time?" he asked.

Loch helped him up. "You lifted your shoulder before you punched. Like I said, don't wind up like you're trying to knock over a house. At least, not unless you're distracting your opponent with your other hand."

"But..." Dairy put a hand to his jaw, a gesture he'd likely learned from Hessler. "That's how to get the most strength from your punch, isn't it?"

"Sure," said Loch, "but that's not always the goal." When the kid had his arm up like that, it made his sleeve fall down and show off the birthmark on his arm. It looked a little like a big bird and a little like a sword and a lot like a big silvery birthmark with no shape whatsoever.

Dairy lunged in with a battle cry, and Lock parried, stepped behind him, kicked his ankle out from under him, and gently laid him on the ground. "You fight like a knight, kid."

Dairy flushed, evidently pleased, as Loch helped him to his feet. "The farmer who raised me said that my father might have been a knight. There was a sword and a dragon stitched into the blanket they found me in."

"Listen. Fighting like a knight is good if you've got a good sword and a good shield and a good horse," Loch said as Dairy came at her again, "but in
this
world, the bad guys are better armed and better armored." As he wound back for a punch, Loch lunged in and stopped her speared fingers an inch shy of the kid's throat. "And if we fight fair, they win. Which is why we use every trick we know to stay alive."

Dairy sheepishly dropped his fist. "I suppose, Captain Loch. But..." He frowned, and then spoke with simple determination. "But it shouldn't be that way."

"No argument here, kid." Loch turned to see Icy and Kail returning. "Afternoon, gentlemen. How goes it?"

"Quite well." Icy was whistling and smiling vaguely. "I am feeling well prepared and relaxed."

"Everybody but me, I guess," Kail muttered. "Captain, can I have a word?"

"Certainly. Icy, work with Dairy, will you?" Loch gave the kid an encouraging nod. "We're teaching him some combat moves."

Icy continued to smile vaguely. "I am forbidden by my oaths from causing him injury, but I can evade. And perhaps throw him, very gently."

"Wonderful. Dairy, remember what I taught you. Kail, with me." Loch nodded to Ululenia and Hessler and left the training hall. "Meeting room?" she asked him after a moment.

Kail grimaced. "The free bar is ruining my appreciation for bad beer."

Loch grinned. "How about a kahva?"

"Cevirt's kahva tastes like dogs have been rolling around in it."

"I know a place in town."

They left Cevirt's palace and walked for awhile in silence. Kail seemed troubled, but the range of things that troubled Kail was such that Loch wasn't overly concerned.

"Looks like Icy's getting some," she said. It was early afternoon, and Tern was right—the stones of the street didn't sound quite right.

"Who isn't?" Kail gave her a look. "I mean, besides me." "You? I figured you were all worn out from passing time with everyone's mothers."

They reached the kahva-house. Loch got a kahva with cream, and Kail, as he always did, got some idiotic iced thing with too much sugar and spice and syrup. Still, after drinking rainwater collected from an old leather tarp behind enemy lines, one was entitled to a few creature comforts.

She sipped her kahva. It was a strong, fresh Urujar blend. "So, what's the trouble?"

"Why don't you tell me, Captain?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Tell you what?"

"Why we're still on this damn job." Kail leaned forward. "You said we'd back out if it didn't look do-able. I need you to tell me that this is looking do-able."

"We've got the invite," said Loch, sipping her kahva. "We've got a plan for both of the auras, and Tern thinks—"

"Tern's too busy trying to one-up the
death priestess
you signed on with us to be logical," Kail shot back, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. "And the
plan
involves smuggling a damn zombie into Silestin's vault!"

"We can—"

"Is this about your sister?"

"Naria?" Loch sat back, laughing despite herself. "You think I'd come all the way up here to, what? Rescue her?"

"Does she need rescuing?" Kail asked evenly.

"She's playing politics," Loch said. Her fingers cupped the kahva mug. "That's her call. I've got no reason to interfere with that."

"Then why are we
doing
this, Captain?" Kail asked angrily. "Why don't you have Cevirt pull some strings, if you want your damn inheritance so much? Or," he added, "if you want to rob somebody, let's rob somebody who doesn't have the Republic's finest security at his disposal!"

"You know who I saw on the airship, Kail? Jeridan." At Kail's blank stare, she gestured angrily. "Jeridan, from the Cleaners. He was one of that snarling crew of madmen."

Kail snorted. "Jeridan couldn't fight."

"He could after whatever Silestin did to him," Loch said evenly.

"Are you saying—"

"I don't
know
what I'm saying, Kail. He attacked me, and he asked me to kill him while he did it."

"Did you?" Kail sipped his kahva.

"It didn't come up." Loch cupped her kahva mug again, holding in the warmth. "Whatever Silestin is doing, whatever power he wields, we need to stop him."

Kail put down his drink. "Last time I checked, you weren't wearing a justicar's stripes."

"He robbed
me,
Kail." Loch's fingers hurt. She pulled them away from the mug, saw color bleed back into the knuckles. "While you and I were fighting our way back out of the Empire, he was taking my home, my
sister,
and using it for his politics. I
need
this, Kail. I don't need him dead. I just need to beat him."

He laughed, and Loch felt a tension she hadn't been aware of loosen up in her shoulders. "You're a lousy liar, Captain. But I'll ride through Byn-kodar's hell for you anyway."

Loch smiled, took his hand across the table. "Thanks. Anything else you need to get off your chest?"

He grinned sourly. "Yes. Close the deal with whoever you're seducing. The tension is making you cranky."

"I don't see that being a problem," Loch assured him with a grin. "If I'm lucky, I'll have that wrapped up before Silestin's Victory Ball."

They finished their kahva and left in silence, but it was the silence of old friends.

At a table in the corner, out of sight but not earshot from the table where Loch and Kail had been sitting, Justicar Pyvic sat for a long moment in silence. Then he let out a breath through gritted teeth, paid for his kahva, and went to make his report.

Fifteen

Pyvic strode past the protesting Elkinsair and into the sitting room to find Silestin drinking a cup of kahva and looking at a book. "Archvoyant."

"Justicar." Silestin put down the book. "I don't recall us having an appointment."

"You'll want to hear this, sir." Pyvic took a breath. "I have a strong lead on the whereabouts of Prisoner Loch. My evidence suggests that she may be planning some action against you personally."