I shook my head. “No, you’re probably right, only—” I stopped.
“What is it?” he said.
“I don’t know. A spell of some kind, centered around here.”
“Aw nuts,” said Vlad.
“Perhaps,” I said slowly, “we had best gather up Savn and Hwdf rjaanci and head into the woods while we can.”
“I don’t believe it,” he said.
“I think,” I said carefully, “that it was a location spell.”
He gave me an odd look and said, “The Jhereg?”
“Maybe.”
“Where can we go?”
I cursed softly and didn’t answer.
He said, “You take the old woman and the boy and make tracks. It’s only me they want.”
“Wrong answer, Vlad.”
“Heh.”
He walked into the house, emerging a minute later with his sword belt. He wore no cloak at all and had several knives strapped to his body. He said, “Go, Kiera.”
“Not a chance.”
He indicated the house. “What about them? Can’t you stash them someplace and then retrieve them later, if there is a later?”
Well, in point of fact, I could. Then something else happened. “Someone has just teleported into the area,” I said. “About a quarter of a mile away.”
“How many?”
“One.”
“One?”
“That’s right.”
He shook his head. “If it’s Mario, there’s no point in trying to run, and if it isn’t, well, there isn’t any other one person I’m particularly afraid of.”
I nodded. I felt the same way, except that I didn’t have his superstitious dread of Mario.
He drew his blade and waited. “May I borrow a knife?” I said.
“You don’t want to use your own?”
“I’m not armed,” I told him.
“Oh, yes. I forgot.” He handed me a weapon. I tested the feel, the balance, and the edge, and then we stood back-to-back and waited. Loiosh and Rocza sat on Vlad’s shoulders. Buddy came out of the house, sniffed curiously, then sat down next to us; it was somehow comforting that he was there, though I didn’t know if he’d be useful.
Vlad saw her first. He said, “There she is.”
I turned. She was walking through the woods toward us, a sword at her side, but her hands were empty. Buddy stood up and started growling, and a glance told me that his teeth were bared. Well, well.
The woman ignored Buddy, and ignored the fact that Vlad and I were holding weapons, but nodded hello to each of us as she stopped about five feet away and looked at the cottage.
“It a blue,” she said.
“You thought I lied?” said Vlad.
She shrugged. “It was a possibility. But you told the truth about everything else, so—”
“How did you find me?”
“In the public house,” she said. “With the help of your uh, familiar, is that the right word?”
Vlad used a word he wouldn’t have wanted Hwdf rjaanci to hear. “A bit of Loiosh’s skin on the handkerchief,” he said. “And then you went to a sorcerer with it, and located him, because you knew you couldn’t locate me.”
She nodded. “Shall we go inside?”
“Let’s settle it out here,” said Vlad.
“Settle what?” said Timmer.
“Aren’t you here to arrest me?”
“No.”
“But—”
“I wanted to meet the rest of this little troupe that’s caused so much trouble, and I thought you’d want to hear how everything came out.”
For a moment no one spoke. Then Vlad said, “Oh.”
He put his sword away, then the knife I handed him. Then he petted Buddy, who took that as a clue that everything was all right, and introduced himself to Timmer. The old woman came out as this was going on.
“Who are you?” she snapped. “And what are you doing here?”
“Ensign Timmer,” said Vlad, “this is the woman we call Mother, because her name sounds rather like a sneeze and no one but Kiera here can say it. Oh, and this is Kiera—I don’t think you two have been introduced yet. And this is Buddy, who I think is, really, the intelligent one of the bunch—at least, he’s the one who hasn’t made any mistakes yet.”
Rocza hissed. Vlad laughed and said, “One of the two, then.”
“A pleasure, my lady,” said Timmer. “I have something for you.” I heard a quick intake of breath from Vlad.
“You got it?” he said.
She smiled. “Of course. I said I would.”
“That was quick. What’s it been, three, four hours at the most?”
“Yes. Shall we go inside?”
“By all means,” said Vlad. “After you.”
We trooped into the cottage, Hwdf rjaanci leading and Buddy bringing up the rear. Once inside, Timmer looked around the place, then licked her lips, probably because biting them would have been too obvious. We introduced her to Savn, who almost, maybe, just a little bit, might have given a flicker of acknowledgment. Or maybe not.
“Brain fever, you said?” asked Timmer.
“There is no such thing as brain fever,” said Hwdf rjaanci.
Vlad shrugged. Hwdf rjaanci sat next to Savn, Vlad and I sat at the table. Timmer declined a chair, preferring to lean against the wall. Buddy curled up near Savn and Hwdf rjaanci and tried to insinuate himself between them. Savn absently stroked Buddy’s head. That was, as far as I knew, another first. I caught Vlad’s eye and saw that he had seen it, too.
“Where shall I begin?” said Timmer. “Does everyone know what has been going on?”
“Kiera knows everything up through our conversation today. The old woman doesn’t know much of anything about the affair,” said Vlad.
“That’s because I don’t want to,” she snapped. “And I won’t thank you for telling me.”
Timmer nodded. “All right,” she said. “Do you want us to go somewhere else, then?”
“No. Say what you want, and I’ll listen, but don’t bother explaining it.”
“Very well,” said Timmer.
She turned to us. “There isn’t all that much to tell, truly. Domm was found murdered, just a few hours ago. A dagger was driven into his head.”
“Oh?” said Vlad with that assumed casualness he does so badly. “Any idea who did it?”
“A fugitive. Someone we wanted in connection with our ongoing investigation into the death of Lord Fyres. We think he was a Chreotha,” she added.
“I see,” said Vlad. “What else is new?”
“I spoke to, uh, to certain persons in the Empire, and was told to leave well enough alone.” She looked like she’d just eaten a jimmberry thinking it was a rednut.
“So Vonnith goes free?” said Vlad.
“Free? Yes. Free and clear. And still rich. And still the owner, or manager, of three or four banks. We can’t touch her.”
“And Reega?”
“The same.” She shrugged, as if Reega didn’t much matter to her, which was probably true; Reega hadn’t been involved in Loftis’s death.
Vlad shook his head. “Not the way I’d have preferred them to end up.”
“Nor I,” said Timmer. “But then”—she spread her hands—”it isn’t my choice.”
“And?” said Vlad. “In exchange?”
She nodded. “Cooperation. They’re both going to do what they can to minimize the damage to the Empire. That, after all, is what’s important.” In her voice was a trace of the same bitterness that Vlad had described in Loftis’s voice when he spoke about having betrayed his chief.
“What else?” said Vlad.
She nodded, and, from a pouch at her side, pulled a rolled-up piece of parchment, which she handed to Hwdf rjaanci. She took it hesitantly, looked at Timmer, then at the document. Her hands trembled a bit as she undid the ribbon with which it was tied and broke the wax with which it was sealed and unrolled it. She read it slowly and carefully, her lips moving, and I saw that there was a tear in her eye.
Vlad loudly cleared his throat, stood up, and said, “Does anyone want klava?”
No one did. Vlad sat down again.
I said, “Timmer.”
“Yes?”
“Vonnith and Reega now know, or can easily learn, who it was who—”