But I also knew that couldn’t be all the extent of their interests.
What could they want in South Adrilankha?
“What else can you tell me?” I said at last.
He sighed and shook his head. “It’s unfortunate, how little the Right Hand knows what the Left Hand is doing. I wish I could tell you more.”
“Whatever details you have.”
“Yes. Well, at this point, we know that the Dagger has been given warnings to leave South Adrilankha alone. So far as we know, they’ve taken no particular steps.”
“How do you know it was the Left Hand delivering the warnings?”
He reached into his cloak. I tensed involuntarily and my hand twitched toward the stiletto I’d replaced in my boot. Telnan seemed to tense as well. Mario pretended not to notice, and emerged with a neat little square of paper, which he passed to me. The handwriting was simple and clean, almost without personality. It read, “We thank you for your interest in and contribution to this part of our city. Now that your work here is done, we hope you will accept our kind wishes for your continued good fortune and good health.” It was signed, “Madam Triesco,” and had the symbol of House Jhereg at the bottom.
“Madam Triesco?” I said. “Never heard of her.”
“Nor have I.” He shrugged.
“Yeah, well, I agree. It seems clear enough.”
He nodded.
I drank a little more wine.
He said, “So, are you in?”
“Of course I’m in.”
He nodded. “Aliera said you would be.” He stood up. “Where will you be?”
“I could go to Castle Black, but I’m not in the mood to start another Dragon-Jhereg war. So how about Dzur Mountain?”
“That will be fine.”
“Umm ....”
“Yes?”
“If I should wish to get in touch with you, is there any—?”
“Aliera will be able to find me.”
“Uh, it is unlikely that I’ll be able to reach Aliera.”
“Oh?”
I tapped the chain I was wearing around my neck. “Well, as I see it, I won’t want to remove these—”
“Oh, right.”
He frowned for a moment, glanced at Telnan, then leaned across the table and whispered in my ear. Telnan politely pretended not to notice.
I sat back and stared at him.
“You’re kidding.”
He shook his head.
“Uh ... I’m not sure if I need to kill someone.”
“It would probably be a bad idea,” he said.
“Yeah, well. All right. I have it. If I need to reach you, I know what to do.”
He nodded and stood up. “I’ll be in touch,” he said. And, “Enjoy your meal,” he added to both of us.
“We’ll try,” I answered for both of us. Telnan gave him a friendly smile.
As he walked away, Mihi approached, appearing from that place where waiters and creditors &c. There being nothing else to do at the moment, I turned my attention back to food. 1. Dry Red Wine
When Mario was gone I was able to concentrate on the wine. I will deny being any sort of wine expert, but I liked it. It was dry, of course, because sweet wines are for dessert, but it had all these hints underneath that made me think of grassy hills with orchards and wind blowing through them and poetical stuff like that. Knowing what was coming later in the meal, the wine was setting me up, trying to tell me my mouth was safe, and that I shouldn’t worry. Nasty, evil wine. I don’t know what Telnan thought about it; he didn’t say anything at that point, and I wasn’t interested in conversation.
I had told Mario that he could find me at Dzur Mountain; now I considered that. Did I have any other options? My grandfather was no longer in the city, and I wouldn’t have wanted to stay there anyway, with the whole Jhereg after me. I’d been right about Castle Black. And the idea of clapping at Cawti’s door and saying, “Mind if I sleep on the couch for a few weeks?” made my skin crawl. No, Dzur Mountain was my only option.
Dzur Mountain.
Home of Sethra Lavode, the Enchantress, the Dark Lady. I don’t know, we’d always gotten along pretty well; she likely wouldn’t mind. And Telnan hadn’t responded when I’d suggested it. It would at least give me a safe place to stay while I figured out what to do.
I’d do what I always did: figure out what was going on, come up with a plan, and carry it out. No problem. Nasty, evil wine.
Some hours later, I got up from the table feeling pleased. More than that, satiated, the way only an exceptional dinner, where all the pieces come together, and each piece by itself is a work of art, can make you feel. As I remarked to Loiosh, if they got to me now, at least I’d managed to get in one good last meal. A very good last meal. Loiosh suggested that that was just as well, as I was too slow at the moment to save myself from an infant who attacked me with a perambulator. Uphill. I suggested he shut up.
Besides, Telnan was there to protect me, if he wasn’t in the same state.
I sent Loiosh and Rocza out the door ahead of me, to make sure no perambulators were waiting. None were, so, after giving and receiving warm good-byes from several of the staff and after I paid the shot, including Telnan’s, we stepped outside.
Nope, no one tried to kill me.
I looked around. It was late afternoon, and the world was quiet and peaceful. Telnan said, “You’re going to Dzur Mountain?” I nodded.
“Shall I—?”
“Please.”
I removed the chain from around my neck (long story), slid it into a small box I carry just for that purpose, and nodded to the Dzur. He nodded back, and then there was a slight tingle at the base of my spine, accompanied by the odd sensation you always get when, in the space of a blink, the world looks different around you. I stumbled a bit as the chill hit my skin and the scent of evergreens filled my nose. Dzur Mountain was all about me. A few years earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to have that spell performed on me without undoing everything that I’d just accomplished in Valabar’s. But now—nothing but a bit of a stumble and a twitch. I replaced the chain around my neck, and when the stone lay against my skin pulsing in time to my heart-beat, I relaxed a bit. Safe.
Relatively safe.
Comparatively safe.
Safer.
“No one’s around, Boss.”
“Okay. Thanks, Loiosh. I guess Telnan didn’t accompany us.”
“I guess not. Uh, I know we’re safe, Boss, but let’s get inside anyway.”
There was a slight coating of snow on the ground, so I left footprints leading up to the door. My friend Morrolan had doors that opened as you approached them. It was very impressive. I’ve never figured out about Sethra’s doors: sometimes they opened, sometimes you had to clap, sometimes you had to search just to find them. On one occasion, I’d waited outside like an idiot for an hour and a half. I had intended to make some comment to Sethra on the subject, but somehow I never got around to it.
This time, the door didn’t open, but neither was it locked. I walked in. I had been there just often enough to make me think I could find my way in without getting lost, but not often enough to actually do so. Loiosh, fortunately, had a better head for such things, and after a few twists and turns and smart-ass remarks from my guide of the moment, we were in one of Sethra’s sitting rooms; the one where I’d first met her, in fact. It was a dark-painted, narrow room, remarkably bare, with comfortable chairs set at odd angles, as if Sethra preferred her guests not to look directly at each other. As I was coming in, I heard what sounded like bare feet running away, and I almost thought I heard a giggle, but I didn’t give it too much of a thought. This was Dzur Mountain, where anything might happen and you could hurt your brain trying to figure out the little mysteries, let alone the big ones. I picked a chair and settled into it with a sigh.