"Good!"
"I don't know what to do, Boss."
"Take care of Rocza, and stay out of sight."
He was running a cool cloth over my forehead; I have to admit it felt good. "You're stubborn," he said. "That's an impressive quality."
"If you're leading up to courting me," I said, "I sort of have my eye on someone already. But thanks."
What did he want me to tell him, anyway? His questions weren't making sense. I'd even tried to explain that once or twice, but he'd just gotten this idea firmly in his head, and it wasn't budging. That's a problem a lot of people have, I've noticed they get a notion locked in, and then refuse to examine it in the light of new evidence.
"Boss!"
"Loiosh, can't you see I'm trying to talk to, this nice man?"
"What nice man?"
"The one asking the questions."
"You're all alone, Boss."
"Oh, so I am. I must have dozed off. He's a boring fellow, really, though well-intentioned"
"I hope that's sarcasm."
"I prefer to think of it as gentle irony, but close enough."
"If a way opens up, Boss, will you be able to walk out of there?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Mmmm?"
"See if you can walk."
"All right, if it makes you happy."
I tried to stand up.
"Okay, I guess you were right to check. I need to complain about the meals in this place; evidently I'm not getting enough of something in my diet."
"Boss, do you know where they put your things?"
He sounded like he was fighting to stay calm. I wished I could think of a way to reassure him I was all right.
"No, afraid not" I said. "I'm not that concerned about it, frankly. Most of it is replaceable, and I don't know how much good Spellbreaker would do under these circumstances."
"I'm thinking of the amulet, Boss. The jhereg can trace you."
"Oh, the amulet I have. It's sort of attached to me. They must have figured out that if it weren't on me I could do sorcery, and they'd have trouble keeping me here."
"Can you remove it?"
"Uh, no."
"We'll have to come up with something, Boss. I don't know how much longer you can survive there."
"How long has it been?"
"You've been in there for a week now."
"Oh, have I?" That seemed odd, but not terribly important. "How is Rocza?"
"Boss, she's fine! Just..."
"What?"
"Nothing, Boss."
"Lord Taltos," he said slowly, "I'm having trouble understanding why you took the name Merss when you came here. Even if I were to believe your story of why you are under an assumed name why that name? No, no. I'm sorry, that is preposterous. What I would like you to say is the truth. Yes, I am convinced the Count was wrong in his initial idea about you. But you really shouldn't be so stubborn—I told you what I want."
"He found out my name, Loiosh."
"You told him, Boss.”
"I told him? Why would I do that?"
"We need to get you out of there, Boss."
"Yeah, well, mark me down in favor. Do you even know where I am?"
"No. Do you?"
"Basement of the paper mill."
"How long have you known that?"
"Just put it together now. I don't know. The smell. And the sounds. Didn't even know I was aware of the sounds. Isn't it odd that—"
"Okay, Boss. But how do I get you out? There's no one I can talk to.”
"It's just funny that I knew that. It's funny how the mind works—"
"How do I get you out, Boss?"
"Find Dahni, of course."
"Boss?"
"Find him."
"But how do I talk to him?"
"You won't have to."
"How does that work?"
"He's smart, and he knows you. He'll see you, ask about me, you won't answer, he’ll figure it out. It might take him a while. I'm sorry I won't be there to watch."
"You think he'll help?"
"He'll help.”
"Why?"
"He'll help.”
I didn't feel like telling Loiosh how I knew; he'd raise all sorts of objections, and I couldn't deal with those right now.
"My dear Lord Taltos, all you need to do is tell me a few, simple things, and all of this will stop: What is the name of the traitor, what does the King plan, and when will he be making his move?"
King? Now there were kings involved in this? Where was I, anyway? The East? Oh, yeah, I was. So, okay, I guess it made sense that there were kings involved. I just shook my head. There wasn't anything I could say by this time.
"I'm afraid," he told me, "that I'm going to have to get serious."
"Well, all right, though I've been enjoying the frivolous part."
"No doubt."
"One thing, before you get too serious."
"Mind telling me your name, so I can remember you in my prayers?"
He just shook his head. I suddenly remembered the child's whisper I'd heard, and it occurred to me that the child hadn't been apologizing, she'd been expressing sympathy. I felt very pleased that I now understood that.
"Boss? We're coming. Can you hang on just a little longer!"
"No problem, Loiosh. I'm trying to get him to tell me his name. I'll see if I can get it out of him before you show up.”
The spiderweb was finished; that made me sad, though I imagine the spider took some satisfaction from it.
My questioner continued, and it got to be something of a running joke between us; he'd ask me questions I couldn't answer, and I'd ask him his name.
He never did tell me, though; he continued not wanting to tell me right up to the moment when the point of a knife suddenly emerged through the front of his throat.
12
Boraan: And, I suppose, you will want the explanation, my lord? Lefitt: Oh, let's skip that part. Boraan: My dear, you know we'd be killed. Lefitt: Of course. But it might be worth it, just for novelty.
—-Miersen, Six Parts Water Day Two, Act VI, Scene 5
He gagged and choked and clawed the floor and took a long time dying. I watched him carefully. I'm not sure why; I didn't feel any special malice toward him. But I just had the feeling that someday I would want to have been watching while he died. People were talking to me as it was going on, but I ignored them; I guess it was really important to watch. I don't know. I noted the details with a sort of professional detached interest— the terror in his eyes, the helplessness on his face. He wrapped his hands around his throat as if he could stop the bleeding, looking like he was choking himself—an effect increased by the bluish color that crept over him. I kept watching. I didn't miss an instant.