“Almost a minute, Boss. Good work.”
“Shut up, Loiosh.”
“Well, to begin with, then, the world was made when the Gods created a ball of amorphia to hang—”
“Maybe we should let Loiosh make the jokes.”
“But you’re the only one who can hear him.”
“Believe me, Teldra, that’s a blessing for you.”
She smiled. She had dimples. I tried to remember how many Dragaerans I’d met who had dimples. Plenty of humans did, but I didn’t recall seeing many on Dragaerans.
“Early in the morning, four days ago,” she said, “I received a message from Her Majesty, the Empress, asking Morrolan to extend his hospitality to a certain Lady Marquana, House of the Athyra, who would be in the area on Imperial business.”
“What sort of Imperial business?”
“Does it matter?”
“Probably not, but asking questions makes me feel smarter.”
She dimpled again. “In point of fact, Vlad, I don’t know.”
I shrugged. She continued, “I went to find Morrolan, and he wasn’t in the library. I attempted psychic contact, and failed to reach him.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Unprecedented.”
“Really? He’s never been busy?”
“If so, he has told me in advance. The only time I have been unable to reach him is when he has been, well, off the world.”
“Off the world?”
She studied me. “You know something of those windows.”
“Ah. Yes. And this didn’t happen often?”
“Twice before, and both times he told me ahead of time he would be out of touch, and left instructions about what to do in case of trouble.”
“What were those instructions, Teldra?”
“To reach Sethra Lavode.”
“Not Aliera?”
“This was before Aliera had, uh, re-emerged. I agree that, now, Aliera would be the obvious person to speak with first.”
“And so did you speak with Aliera?”
Teldra tilted her head and smiled suddenly. “Why do you remind me so much of an Imperial Inquisitor?”
“Damn,” I said. “I was aiming for Third Floor Relic.”
“Who?”
“Ah ha.”
“Ah ha?”
“I’ve just proven that you’re not Sethra Lavode. Did you speak with Aliera?”
“She’s gone too,” said Teldra.
“My goodness,” I suggested. “Four days, you say?”
“Yes.”
“No message, no word, no communication?”
“No message, no word, no communication.”
“I see.” I tried to wrap my head around the idea that something might have happened to Morrolan and Aliera. It was hard. They’d always struck me as, for all practical purposes, indestructible. But Teldra had sought me out in the wilderness, and that meant, however unimaginable it might be, something serious had happened.
I forced my mind back to business. “So when did you make contact with Sethra?”
“As best I remember, Your Equitableness, it was—”
“‘Your Equitableness’? Are the Justicers really addressed that way, Teldra?”
“I thought you’d know.”
“I never had an advocate, so I’ve never heard the forms used.”
“Oh. I believe that’s the term.”
“It sounds silly, doesn’t it? Want more coffee?”
“Yes, please, Your Equitableness. If you don’t mind my asking, why didn’t you hire an advocate?”
“Having an advocate makes one look guilty.”
“But the Orb—”
“The Orb is an awfully literal-minded thing, Teldra. They asked their questions, and I answered, and they looked at the Orb, and then they let me go. And, speaking of questions, I think I’d just asked one.”
“Very well, Your Equitableness.”
I sighed. “Okay, I get the point. I’ll just let you tell it.”
“After we get more coffee. If I were a Justicer, I’d require you to find a place that served klava.”
I signaled the hostess for coffee, which was supplied with oppressive good cheer.
Presently, Teldra said, “Morrolan and Aliera were gone, and with no message. I tried for psychic contact with each of them, and failed. After a day, I spoke with various people in the Castle—Fentor, whom you know—”
“Yes.”
“And Surill, whom I believe you have not met.”
“Correct. Who is he?”
“She. She currently leads Morrolan’s circle of witches.”
I had heard that Morrolan had such a circle, though he rarely spoke of them and I never asked.
“They were unable to help, though Surill said she had tried to reach Morrolan through her own means as well. So I sent a messenger to Dzur Mountain, to Sethra Lavode.”
“A messenger? Why?”
“To get her a message.”
“But—”
“I don’t know her well enough for direct contact, Vlad. Not everyone does, you know.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling sheepish.
“She sent a message back asking me to visit her at Dzur Mountain, so I did.”
“Oh, yeah? How’s the old place holding up?”
Teldra gave me a look. “We had a long talk. Sethra explained to me about Phoenix Stone, gold and black, and the blocking of psychic contact. She also, in my opinion, seemed worried.”
“To paraphrase Seapur,” I put in, “if Sethra’s scared, then I’m scared.”
“Yes,” said Teldra. “Your name came up.”
“How did that happen?”
“In connection with gold and black Phoenix Stone.”
I fingered the cords I wore around my neck, which had a sample of each. “Yes,” I said. Then, “What if they’re already dead?”
“They aren’t.”
“Who told you that?”
“The Necromancer.”
“Ah. Yes. Well. She’d know, wouldn’t she?”
“Sethra believes you can help find them.”
“Did she say how?”
“Not exactly. She mentioned something about Aliera’s Great Weapon, Pathfinder, and some sort of link between it and some artifact you carry.”
“Spellbreaker,” I said.
“She didn’t give it a name.”
“That’s the name,” I said. “What does she want me to do?”
“Return with me to Dzur Mountain.” I drank some coffee.
“Boss, it isn’t the same as returning to Adrilankha.”
“I know that, Loiosh.”
“If you’ll be safe anywhere—”
“I know, Loiosh.”
“And if there’s anyone you owe—”
“I know, Loiosh.”
“Sethra thinks I can help?”
“She does.”
“And she thinks Morrolan and Aliera might be in trouble?”
“She thinks it probable.”
I considered a little longer. Teldra was courteously silent. Exactly why I had to consider, I don’t know; certainly the idea of returning to any of my old haunts, when the Jhereg had a large price on my head, was scary; but there was never any doubt about how I would decide. I guess I just needed a few minutes to work it through my viscera.
I had just about decided when Teldra said, “Vlad, it would be wrong of me to put unfair pressure on you, but—”
“Oh, go ahead, Teldra. What is it?”‘
“Do you remember Sethra’s servant?”
“Tukko. Yes.”
“He knows how to brew klava.”
“He does? Verra! What are we hanging around here for?”
“I’ll pay the shot,” she offered politely. 2. Being a Good Listener
This is, I suppose, as good a time as any to tell you a little bit about myself. I was born human in a world of Dragaerans, an outcast in their Empire, so I learned how to get paid for killing them. Small, weak, and short-lived by their standards, I learned how to seem larger, stronger, and to stay alive. I became a part of a vast criminal domain within the Empire; got married, had my marriage fall apart, and so angered the Organization that, as I said earlier, they were now avidly hunting for me.