There were five people standing in the doorway; whether Wethes knew all of them, he didn't know, but Kavin recognized only two.
First in line stood Kethry. Her robes were slightly torn and scorched in one place; she was disheveled, smoke-stained, and dirty. But she was very clearly in control of the situation -- and Kavin found himself completely cowed by her blazing eyes.
Behind her was the Shin'a'in Tarma; a sword in one hand, a dagger in the other, and the look of an angry wolf about her. Should Kethry leave anything of him, he had no doubt that his chances of surviving a single candlemark with her were nil.
Next to Tarma stood a young girl in midnight blue festooned with throwing daggers and with a long knife in either hand. She was the only one of the lot not dividing her attention between himself and Wethes. Kavin looked sideways over his shoulder at the banker, and concluded that he would rather not be in Wethes' shoes if that girl were given her way with him; Wethes looked as if he were as frightened of her as of the rest combined.
Behind those three stood a pair of men, one of whom looked vaguely familiar, although Kavin couldn't place him. They took one look at the situation, grinned at each other, sheathed their own weapons, and left, closing what remained of the door behind the three women.
Kavin backed up, feet scuffling on the floor, until he ran into Wethes.
"Surprise, kinsmen," Kethry said. "I am so glad to find you both at home."
* * * The Broken Sword was the scene of general celebration; Hadell had proclaimed that the ale was on the house, in honor of the victory the five had just won. It was a double victory, for not only had they rescued Kethry, but Ikan had that very day gotten them a hearing and a highly favorable verdict from the Council. Wethes was, insofar as his ambitions went, a ruined man. Worse, he was now a laughingstock to the entire city.
"Cat-child, I expected you at least to want him cut up into collops." Justin lounged back precariously in his chair on the hearth, balancing it on two legs. "I can't fathom why you went along with this."
"I wanted to hurt him," the girl replied, trimming her nails with one of her knives. "And I knew after all these years of watching him that there's only two ways to hurt that bastard; to hit his pride or his moneybags. Revenge, they say, is a dish best eaten cold, and I've had three years of cooling."
"And here's to Kethry, who figured how to get both at the same time," Ikan raised his mug in a toast.
Kethry reciprocated. "And to you, who convinced the Council I was worth heeding."
Ikan smiled. "Just calling in a few old debts, that's all. You're the one who did the talking."
"Oh, really? I was under the impression that you did at least half of it."
"Some, maybe. Force of habit, I'm afraid. Too many years of listening to my father. You may know him -- Jonis Revelath -- "
"Gods, yes, I remember him!" Kethry exclaimed. "He's the legal counsel for half the Fifty!"
"Slightly more than half."
"That must be why you're the one who remembered it's against the law to force any female of the Fifty into any marriage without her consent," Kethry said admiringly. "Ikan, listening to you in there -- I was truly impressed. You're clever, you're persuasive, you're a good speaker. Why aren't you..."
"Following in my father's footsteps? Because he's unable to fathom why I am more interested in justice than seeing that every client who hires me gets off without more than a reprimand."
"Which is why the old stick wouldn't defend Wethes for all the gold that bastard threw at him," Justin chuckled, seeing if he could balance the chair on one leg. "Couldn't bear to face his son with Ikan on the side of Good, Truth, and Justice. Well, shieldbrother, going to give up the sword and Fight for Right?" The irony in his voice was so strong it could have been spread on bread and eaten.
"Idiot!" Ikan grinned. "What do you think I am, a dunderhead like you? Swords are safer and usually fairer than the law courts any day!"
"Well, I think you were wonderful," Kethry began. "I couldn't have done it without you and Cat being so calm and clear. You had an answer for everything they could throw at you."
"Enough!" Tarma growled, throwing apples at all of them. "You were all brilliant. So now Wethes is poorer by a good sum; Cat has enough to set herself up as anything she chooses, we have enough to see us to the Plains, and the entire town knows Wethes isn't potent with anything over the age of twelve. He's been the butt of three dozen jokes that I've heard so far; there are gangs of little boys chanting rude things in front of his house at this moment."
"I've heard three songs about him out on the street, too," Cat interrupted with an evil grin.
"And last of all, Keth's so-called marriage has been declared null. What's left?"
"Kavin?" Justin hazarded. "Are we likely to see any more trouble from him?"
"Well, I saw to it that he's been declared disinherited by the Council for selling his sister. Keth didn't want the name or the old hulk of a house that goes with it, so it's gone to a cadet branch of her family."
"With my blessings; they're very religious, and I think they intend to set up a monastic school in it. As for my brother, when last seen, Kavin was fleeing for his life through the stews with the leader of the Greens in hot pursuit," Kethry replied with a certain amount of satisfaction. "I saw him waiting for Kavin outside the Council door, and I was kind enough to pinpoint my brother for him with a ball of mage-light. I believe his intention was to paint Kavin a bright emerald when he caught him."
Justin burst into hearty guffaws -- and his chair promptly capsized.
The rest of them collapsed into helpless laughter at the sight of him, looking surprised and indignant, amid the ruins of his chair.
"Well!" he said, crossing his arms and snorting. "There's gratitude for you! That's the last time I ever do any of you a fav -- "
Whatever else he was going to say ended in a splutter as Ikan dumped his mug over his head.
* * * "Still set on getting back to the Plains?" Kethry asked into the darkness.
A sigh to her right told her that Tarma wasn't asleep yet. "I have to," came the reluctant answer. "I can't help it. I have to. If you want to stay..."
Kethry heard the unspoken plea behind the words and answered it. "I'm your she'enedra, am I not?"
"But do you really understand what that means?"
"Understand -- no. Beginning to understand, yes. You forget, I'm a mage; I'm used to taking internal inventory on a regular basis. I've never had a Talent for Empathy, but now I find myself knowing what you're feeling, even when you're trying to hide it. And you knew the instant I'd been taken, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"And now you're being driven home by something you really don't understand."
"Yes."
"Does it have anything to do with that Goddess of yours, do you think?"
"It might; I don't know. We Sworn Ones move mostly to Her will, and it may be She has some reason to want me home. I know She wants Tale'sedrin back as a living Clan."