“Use your imagination, assassin.”
Polyi whispered, “Savn, when he said witnesses, could that mean us?”
Savn swallowed. He hadn’t thought of that.
If he had light, he’d be able to sneak out through the manor house, or maybe even the caves. Putting out the light, it seemed, hadn’t helped anyone.
The jhereg bumped Savn’s neck with its head again, and, once more, landed on the hand that held the lantern. It stayed there for a moment, flapping its wings for balance, then returned to Savn’s shoulder.
It was, without doubt, trying to tell him something—something about the lantern, maybe. That he should light it? If so, it was too late, the oil was gone, although perhaps that was too complex an idea for a jhereg.
He started to say, “Are you trying to tell me something?” but stopped himself, realizing that it could be very dangerous to speak aloud. The jhereg bumped his neck again, as if in answer to his unspoken question.
He formed the sentence, “Was that an answer?” but didn’t speak it.
Bump. At the same time, he imagined he heard a very tiny voice, located somewhere inside the very base of his head, voicelessly saying, “Yes, idiot.”
“Who are you?” he thought back.
“Vlad, idiot,” it told him.
“How can we be talking like this?”
“I’ve removed the amulet, and that’s really what’s important right now, isn’t it?”
“Sorry. What should I do?”
“Take your sister and get out of here. Loiosh will guide you.”
“Damn it!”
“What?”
“Loiosh says he won’t guide you. I’ll—”
“It doesn’t matter, Vlad. I want to help you.”
“You’ve already helped me. From here on out—” There was another bright flash of light. This time, Savn got a glimpse of His Lordship, both hands stretched out in front of him, just a few feet from the Jhereg.
“Almost got me, that time,” said Vlad. “Look, I can’t hold them off much longer, and I’m finished anyway. Take your sister and—”
“What’s going on?”
“About as much sorcery as I’ve seen in one place at one time. They’ve got some sort of spell that keeps the jhereg from getting to them, and Loraan keeps shooting things at me. The assassin is trying to maneuver into a position—the idiot thinks I’m faking or he’d just move and be done with it—and Loraan’s personal cut-throat is going to be here any minute. So, would you age
B He tr re scuffling, then Vlad said, “That was
Then he spoke aloud, “Careful, Loraan. You’re getting too near our assassin friend. He’s quick.”
“Shut up,” growled His Lordship.
“Oh, you’re safe until he’s gotten me, I’m sure. But you’d better think about what happens after that. Or have you? Maybe I’ve got it backwards. Maybe you’re already planning to do him. I’m sorry I won’t be around to watch it.”
“It’s not working, Easterner,” said His Lordship. “Ishtvan, he’s getting desperate. Maybe he really is hurt. Why don’t you just finish him? I’ve got all the protections up; I don’t think he can do anything about it.”
“Yes,” said Vlad. “Why don’t you, Ishtvan? Finish me, then he’ll finish you. Why don’t you ask him to finish me? Afraid you will lose the wages, my lord? Of course not, because you’ve already been paid, and you know very well you’re going to have to kill him any—”
There was still another flash, and Savn saw His Lordship, hands now raised high above his head. At the same time, Vlad gasped.
“Vlad, are you all right?”
“Barely.”
“Isn’t there something you can do?”
“I don’t carry poison darts anymore, and I don’t have the strength to throw a knife. You have any ideas?”
Another flash of light illuminated the scene. The assassin had moved around to Vlad’s right, but was still keeping his distance. Vlad had moved a foot or so to his left, and was still swinging the gold chain. Loiosh gripped Savn’s shoulder, and occasionally squeezed with his talons. Savn wished he knew what Loiosh was trying to tell him. It would almost be funny if some brilliant idea for escaping were locked up in that reptilian brain but the poor thing couldn’t communicate it. But of course that couldn’t be the case, or Loiosh would have told Vlad. Unless, perhaps, it was something Vlad wouldn’t approve of. But what wouldn’t Vlad approve of if it would get him out of this?
Well, Vlad apparently wouldn’t approve of Savn doing anything risky, whereas Loiosh probably wouldn’t care. But what could he, Savn, do, anyway? He could hardly attack an assassin, barehanded, in the dark. And to do anything to His Lordship was both impossible and unthinkable.
You’re so convinced that your Baron Smallcliff is invincible and perfect that you d stand there and let him kill you rather than raising a finger to defend yourself.
Vlad had been right about that, just as he’d been right about the assassin, and the Morganti weapon, and even about His Lordship being ...
He could imagine the jhereg saying, “You’ve finally figured it out, fool.” Because he had figured it out, only now he didn’t know if he had the courage to do anything about it.
You’re so convinced that your Baron Smallcliff is invincible and perfect that you’d stand there and let him kill you rather than raising a finger to defend yourself.
It had rankled because it was true, and now, when he thought he knew what he could do about it, it rankled even more.
“Savn, don’t,” said Vlad. “Just get out of here.” Savn ignored him. He knelt down into the slowly flowing water and filled up the lamp. “Savn!”
His sister whispered, “What are you doing?”
“Wait,” he whispered back. “Don’t move.” He stood up, and as best he could, walked quickly and firmly toward where he had last seen His Lordship, holding before him the lamp filled with Dark Water, stagnant and contained. When stagnant and contained, it can be used to weaken and repel the undead....
His Lordship’s voice came from directly in front of him. “What are—Ishtvan! Kill this Teckla brat for me.” Savn felt his hand shaking, but he continued walking forward.
The Jhereg answered, “I can’t see anymore.”
“Then make a light. Hurry! I can’t do anything while—”
“The Easterner—”
His Lordship made an obscene suggestion concerning the Easterner, which Savn noticed indifferently as he continued to walk forward. He hardly blinked when a soft light filled the room, and, oddly enough, it hardly mattered that he could now see His Lordship, about five feet away, walking slowly backward, and glaring.
Savn wondered, in a familiar, detached way, how he could survive an attack by a Jhereg assassin. But the attack didn’t come, because at that instant, Loiosh left Savn’s shoulder.
Savn couldn’t help it—he turned and watched as Loiosh and his mate simultaneously attacked. Evidently, His Lordship’s spells that had kept them away were now gone. Ishtvan snarled and cut at the jhereg with the Morganti dagger. He turned, and apparently realized, at the same time as Savn did, that he was offering his back to Vlad, and that he was within range of the Easterner’s sword.
He tried to spin back, but it was already too late. It made Savn wince to see Vlad, in his condition, execute a maneuver so demanding, but the Easterner managed it—the point of his sword penetrated deeply into the assassin’s back right over his heart. At the same time, Polyi was shrieking—“Savn!” and Vlad continued forward, falling limply onto his face as the assassin screamed and the Morganti dagger went flying into the air—
—and the lamp was struck from Savn’s hand to land and shatter on the floor. He turned in time to see His Lordship recovering from delivering a kick that must have been very difficult for him, judging by the look of concentration and effort on his face, and Savn felt an impossible combination of pride and shame in having caused His Lordship such distress. He wondered what His Lordship would do now, but—