"I don't know," he said. "It has simply never been a problem."
"And you never thought about it?"
"I'm sorry, Lord Merss, but I really think—"
"All right. Thank you. I found what I wanted to."
"Good day, then," he said. "I will see you tomorrow."
And I really had found out what I'd wanted to; I'd been watching the witch the entire time.
After they left, I realized how exhausted I was; but I didn't sleep. I sat there and tried to tie the last loose ends together in my head. I'm not all that good at that sort of thing. I mean, ideas come to me when I'm talking, or hearing things, or seeing things; and when I'm talking to Loiosh sometimes I can figure them out while I'm explaining things to him; but just sitting there trying to calculate how everything connects doesn't come naturally to me.
Still, I made a bit of progress muttering to myself, half out loud. "Well then, if they did that, he must have been doing that, which is why I thought that . . ." And so on. A lot of it came together that way, and the pieces that didn't, even if I didn't know how they fit, I could tell they belonged on the same table.
I was still putting things together when I was interrupted by Loiosh saying into my mind, "No luck so far, Boss. How long do you want me to stay with it?"
"Oh, sorry, chum. Might as well come back now. Should be almost time for food."
"Back to it tonight, or is there something new?"
"I don't know about something new, but no, you won't need to keep looking for Tereza."
"You found her?"
"No. And you won't either. Sorry, I should of told you when I figured it out. She's dead."
16
Boraan: My dear, if I have, yet again, accidentally said the one thing that gives you the entire solution, I'll... I'll... Lefitt: Have a drink? Boraan: Of course.
[Lefitt crosses to liquor cabinet]
—Miersen, Six Parts Water Day Two, Act III, Scene 4
Outside, it was mid-day, and they were hard at work in the mills, and the peasants were doing whatever it is peasants do at this time of year. Digging something, I suppose. The window was open to let the stench in. No, I still wasn't used to it. Well, I don't know, maybe I was; it was bothering me less than it had before. But I didn't have so many, other miseries before. Not complaining, just stating a fact.
I had most of it. That is, I now knew who had been trying to do what, and why they'd done it, and who had been stupid (that was me, in case you're wondering). More, I knew what I could do about it. In general. But you can't implement a plan "in general." And, when you can't move from your sickbed, your options with regards to violence are, let's say, limited.
It was irritating. It seemed like I was so close to being able to deal with it, like I had everything I needed if I could just figure out how to get it started. I needed to kick the thing around with someone, to just have someone to bounce ideas off until the answer settled in. I needed—
Loiosh flew in the window, and before he'd even settled he said, "All right, what happened?"
"Asked some questions, got some answers, made some deductions."
"Deductions? You're making deductions? I leave you alone for four hours and you start making deductions?"
"I'm trying to find words to describe how funny that is."
"So, going to explain these deductions to me?"
"After that crack, I'm not sure. Besides, I haven't fit everything into place yet."
"But you're sure she's dead?"
"She has to be. They couldn't leave her alive with me able to talk, and right now they can't risk killing me."
"Who is'they,'Boss?"
"Yeah, that's the big question, isn't it?"
"Now you're sounding smug."
'Uh huh.”
"Smug and helpless isn't a good combination for you.”
"Is that a threat?"
"Damn right it is."
"Okay. Just checking."
Rocza lifted her head and hissed. Loiosh turned to her and his head bobbed up and down in one of the things jhereg do when they laugh.
"What was that about?"
"You don't need to know, Boss."
"You know, Loiosh, I think I could get used to having you fly around and find out things for me while I just sit and do the thinking."
"Heh. In a year you'd weigh three hundred pounds."
"So?"
"Hard to run from the Jhereg when you weigh three hundred pounds."
"Okay, good point."
"Boss, think this might be time to let me know what's going on?"
"I think it's time to figure out what to do about it."
"I could help more if I knew."
"Yeah, but I'm enjoying keeping you in suspense too much. I'm an invalid; you must permit me my little pleasures."
"Boss—"
"Okay."
I thought for about a minute. "We have a three-legged stooclass="underline" the Count, the Guild, and the Coven. None of them trust each other, none of them like each other, non—"
"You're going to kick one of the legs in."
"Exactly."
"How?"
"Still working on that."
"How did you know, Boss? I mean, about the stool?"
"Well, there are bits I still need to confirm."
Meehayi came in with my meal. Loiosh remained quiet, as he knows how much I hate talking during meals.
Meehayi didn't. "I saw old Saabo was here," he said as I laboriously used a silver spoon to bring stew from a wooden bowl — first time I think I ever experienced that combination.
"Yes," I told him after I'd swallowed. "We had quite a nice talk."
"Good."
"You don't like him, do you?"
He jumped back as if I'd slapped Him. "What do you mean?"
I waited him out. "I, I mean, he's older than me, so he isn't a friend or anything." I kept waiting. "No," he finally said, setting his jaw as if daring me to object. "I don't."
I nodded. "I wouldn't either if I were you."
.He seemed startled. "Why? What did he say about me?"
"Nothing. Your name didn't come up."
"Then why—?"
"Because you're a peasant, and he doesn't think much of peasants."
"Well it happens that I don't think much of—" He cut himself off.
"Don't blame you," I said. "But then, I can't say too much about him myself; he's kindred, after all."
Meehayi looked at me carefully. "Is he? I mean, really?"
"He is," I said. "He really is. And if more people had believed that—ah, never mind. Sorry. Thinking out loud."
He cleared his throat. "Lord Merss—"
"Vlad."
"Vlad. I haven't said it, but I'm sorry for what happened to you."
"Thanks. So am I. But it'll be set right soon enough."
He cocked his head. "It will?"
I nodded and took a sip of wine, pleased that I was able to lift it without difficulty. It was wonderful. "As sure as my name is Merss Vladimir," I told him.