"I, ah, handle problems I'd guess you'd say."
"I guess I would. What did he want to recruit me for?"
"I don't know," he said. "He never told me."
I considered whether I believed that. While considering, I said, "Then I suppose you have no idea why he didn't just ask me himself when we spoke?"
There was a little flicker there as I watched him; a hint of confusion, as if the question puzzled him. That deserved some consideration.
About two seconds' worth.
"When were you given the job?"
"What job?"
"Of recruiting me."
He blinked. "I don't know. Two, three days ago, I guess?"
"And what, exactly, were you told?"
"To recruit you."
I quickly pulled the dagger from his throat, turned it in my hand, and smacked the side of his face with the hilt; not too hard, but hard enough to leave a little cut on his cheekbone. Before he could react, the blade was back at his throat, pressing almost hard enough to cut. "You've been doing so well. Why mess it up?"
He glowered. I waited. He said, "I was told to find out what you were up to."
I nodded and once more relieved the pressure a bit. "It's much better when you tell the truth."
His eyes glinted. "My ma always told me that," he said. "But when I told the truth, I'd get a whupping."
I decided I liked him. I hoped I wouldn't have to kill him.
"And what did you find out that I'm up to?"
"I haven't come to any conclusions."
"You'll let me know when you do?"
"I'll send it by the post."
"Is there a good post system in this country?"
"So-so. The county system is good, though. The Guild runs it."
"Is there anything they don't run?"
"The Count. Me. Perhaps you."
"Perhaps?"
His eyes flicked down to my wrist, still holding the knife at his throat, then back to my face. "I shouldn't presume. Isn't your arm getting tired?"
"No, I'm fine. What happened to Orbahn?"
"Who? Oh. Him. I've no idea. He might be traveling. He travels a lot."
"Does he work for the Guild?"
"Everyone either works for the Guild, or works for the Count. Everyone."
"Including the witches?"
"Hmm. I don't know. I think you need to have lived here all your life to understand how that works. And maybe you still wouldn't."
That agreed with my assessment too, but I didn't say so. "And this business of 'light' and 'dark' witches?"
"I've heard of dark witches. I'm told the Merss family practiced the darker sort. I don't know if it's true. And I don't know what it means. It sounds odd to me. Am I going to get
a turn asking questions?"
"Sure, when you're holding the knife."
"Speaking of, would you mind taking that thing away from my throat? I get the feeling that if say something that annoys you it might slip."
"I have to admire your instincts. Keep talking."
He looked unhappy. He evidently didn't want to tell me. People seem never to want to tell me the things I want to know. It could get on my nerves, if I let it. I increased the pressure on his neck.
"You must know," he said, "you made quite, um, an impression when you arrived."
"Go on," I said.
"I mean, you immediately found the representative of the Guild and, as I understand it, as much as told him to his face you were going to break up the Guild."
"Orbahn," I said.
He nodded. "And then, of course, the Guild put word out to keep an eye on you."
"Uh huh."
"And then you started looking for Black Witches."
Of course I did. Yeah, it even made sense. Sometimes I just assume people are lying, and I try to figure out the motive behind the lie. That's not that bad, really; only I forget that other people might be doing the same thing to me.
"Right," I said. "Keep talking."
"This wasn't what His Lordship told me, this was just stuff I've heard."
"Yes, I understand. You hear things. Go on."
"So His Lordship called me in, and said I was to approach you about working with him, but wasn't to say who he was. I was just to see if you had any interest in working with, ah, an unnamed party in finding out who had killed those witches. He told me—"
"Witches," I repeated. "It was a family. There were kids. One of them couldn't have been more than...okay, go on."
He swallowed and nodded. "He told me that you had been representing them as your family, and were using their name, so that I was to stick with that."
"Did you ask him what he thought my real name might be?"
He shook his head. "I don't ask him things. He just—"
"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Would you say he had an idea of what my name might be?"
He spread his hands. "I have no way of guessing, Lord M . . . my lord. I'm sorry."
"Keep calling me Merss. You might as well."
"Yes, Lord Merss."
"What else did he tell you? Anything to imply that I might be dangerous?"
He frowned. "Not in so many words, but, well, there was something about the way he talked about you that made me nervous."
"You know, friend Dahni, this is the strangest town I have ever been in."
"You need to get out more."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Who killed them?"
"Who?"
"You know who."
"The Merss family? I don't know. The Count doesn't know. He doesn't think you did."
"Yeah, I don't I think did either."
"But he isn't sure."
"Who is supposed to be finding out?"
"I'm sorry?"
"When something like this happens, when someone is killed, who is supposed to be finding out who did it? Who is responsible?"
"Oh. Ah, the Count, I imagine. Or maybe the King. I'm not sure."
"And the Count, who would he assign it to?"
"Well, I guess that would be me."
"You?"
"I guess."
"And instead, he has you following me around and proposing alliances in the dark."
"You have to admit, it was dramatic."
"Not good enough, Dahni. Why there and then?"
"Well, I saw you heading out there. I thought it might give me an edge. I didn't know about your familiars."
"Yeah. How long had you been following me, waiting for an opportunity?"
"Not long. A couple of days."
"A couple of days?"
He nodded.
"Well. Now you've hurt my pride."
"And mine, Boss. I think he may be lying."
"I always think that, Loiosh. And look where it's gotten me."
"You're still breathing."
"You really followed me for two days?"
He nodded. .
"Mind if I test you on it?"
"Go ahead."
I asked some questions about where I'd gone and who I'd seen, and he knew most of the answers. I'd rather not dwell on it. It was humiliating.
"All right," I said when I'd heard enough. "And what conclusions did you come to?"
"My lord?"
"You spent two days following me. What do you think I'm up to?"
He shrugged. "You're good. I haven't been able to come to any conclusions."
"And you told the Count that?"
He nodded.
"And that," I said, "would have relieved any suspicions he might have had."
Dahni looked uncomfortable.
"What if I'd accepted?"
"It was a legitimate offer."
"Was it?"
"Yes."
"Is it still on the table?"
"Not if you slit my throat. That's a deal-breaker."
"Yeah? Tough bargainer."
"Not me. It's the Count. He's pretty hard-nosed about that sort of thing."
I put the knife away. "All right," I said. "If he wants to find and—to find whoever killed the Merss family, I'll help. You know where to find me."
He rubbed his throat. "In the middle of a field in the dark?"
"I was thinking of the inn, myself."
"That'll work."
"Good. Don't get up. I'll let myself out."
I turned my back on him with complete confidence. And I did have complete confidence—complete confidence that Loiosh was watching.