“We are servants of the Bondsmagi,” she whispered angrily. “We came here of our own free will, and we both screwed things up badly enough that we needthis. Our position is precarious. And if we get too friendly, at least one of us gets killed.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m not saying we don’t need to be careful. I’m just pointing out that there’s nothing forbidding us from having a personal life.”
“Everything personal is business with us.” She brushed the dust from his cheek against her coat. “And all of our damned business is personal.”
“Have dinner with me.”
“What?”
“Dinner. It’s a meal. Men and women often have it together. Ask around if you don’t believe me.”
“For this you twisted my majordomo’s balls off?”
“You said we’re not kids fumbling around in the back of a wagon, and you’re right. We’re in charge of our own gods-damned lives no matter how hard we’ve been kicked around. We can set the clock back however many years we like. It’s ours to set!”
“This is crazy.”
“No. Two weeks ago I was begging to die. That’scrazy. Two weeks ago I came this close, thisclose.” He held up a thumb and forefinger with no space at all between them. “I hit the black wall between this life and the next, believe me. I am throughfucking around. Maybe this is going to complicate the hell out of things. So what? You’re the complication I want more than anything else. You’re my favoritecomplication. No matter what sort of holes you poke in my trust.”
“You know, self-pity is the only thing that smells worse than four days of road sweat.”
“Self-pity is about the only straw left to cling to after YOU happen to a fellow,” said Locke. “We can have this if we both want it. But youhave to want it, too. This isn’t me trying to convince you of anything, unless …”
“Unless?”
“Unless some part of you is already convinced.”
“Dinner,” she said softly.
“And a contractual option for … subsequent complications. At your discretion.”
She couldn’t or wouldn’t meet his gaze during the silence that filled the next few seconds. Locke’s blood seemed to turn to gel in his veins.
“Where are we going?” she said at last.
“How the hell should I know?” Relief hit so hard he wobbled on his feet.
Sabetha’s right arm darted out and caught him around the waist. They both stood staring at the point of contact for a long, frozen moment, and then she drew back again.
“Are you all right?” she said softly.
“I, uh, guess I really liked your answer. But come now, how much time have you left me to figure out where anything is in this damned city? You’re morally obligated to pick the place. Tomorrow night.”
“Let it be sunset,” she said. “Do you trust me to send a carriage?”
“Jean and I won’t be together,” said Locke. “We’ll make sure of it. If I don’t come back in a reasonable amount of time, you can face him, pissed off and unrestrained. How’s that for a safeguard?”
“Not trouble I’d invite if I could help it.” She put her hands behind her back and regarded him appraisingly. “What now?”
“Depends. Do I still have an inn to go home to?”
“I’ve left Josten alone. Mostly.”
“Well, then, I’ve got to go soothe my children and, uh, figure out just how the hell I’m going to beat you.”
“Cocksure, infuriating little shit,” she said, without malice.
“Arrogant bitch,” he said, grinning as he backed toward the door. “Arrogant, stubborn, gorgeous bitch. And hey, if I catch one whiff of that perfume you were wearing last time—”
“If I catch one whiff of horses and road sweat, you’re going back to sea.”
“I’ll take a bath.”
“Take two. And … I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“You will,” said Locke.
He reached the door, crediting himself with enough wits to not turn his back on her, at least not yet. He was about to leave when another thought struck him.
“Oh, you know, we did borrow some horses to get here. We put them in a bad way. Would you mind stabling the poor things?”
“I’ll clean up after you, sure. And …”
“Yes?”
“Is Jean all right? His face—”
“He broke his nose getting off your ship. He’ll be fine. You know what it takes to really slow him down. It occurs to me, though, that you still have his Wicked Sisters.”
“I’ll give them back … soon.” She smiled thinly. “They can be my hostages for yourgood behavior.”
“If you need hostages, you could always try a gentler version of what I just did to Vord—”
“Get the fuck out of here,” she said, fighting back a laugh.
3
“SO WHAT did you get us?” said Jean.
“Uh, a dinner date,” said Locke. “I think I should be able to discuss drawing a few sensible lines so none of us have to worry about waking up halfway to sea again.”
They’d walked out nonchalantly and claimed the first waiting carriage-for-hire, which was now rattling toward more friendly territory through the slanting late-afternoon shadows of the city’s towers.
“I assume you mentioned my sisters?”
“She’ll give them back if I behave.”
“Fine, then.”
Jean’s voice still had an alarming nasal quality, and Locke made a mental note to have him examined by a physiker whether he liked it or not.
“You’re not mad?” said Locke.
“Of course not. I presume you two idiots hinted to one another about relighting old fires?”
“That was my distinct impression.”
“Well, assuming you don’t let her drug you again, I’m proud of you. I’m the last man on earth who’d discourage you from chasing the woman you adore. Believe me. See to business and then make it as personal as possible.”
“Thanks.” Locke grinned, and enjoyed a brief moment of actual relaxation, one that ended as soon as he blinked and realized that Patience was seated just across from him, lips folded into a scowl below her night-dark eyes.
“I’d say you’re placing an alarming emphasis on pleasure over responsibility, wouldn’t you?” she said.
“Gods above!” Locke edged away from her reflexively, and saw Jean flinch as well. “Why couldn’t you show up on the street like an ordinary person?”
“I’m no good at being an ordinary person. Your recent behavior has been darkly amusing, but I must confess that my colleagues and I are starting to worry about the effectiveness of your overall plan of resistance. If, indeed, such a plan exists.”
“It had to be set aside for a few days,” said Locke. “We did manage to escape totalhumiliation, no thanks to you.”
“How would you know where the thanks should fall?”
“I don’t remember you offering us a spare boat and a hot meal when we were trying not to drown,” said Jean.
“Unseasonal hard winds blew you off course for most of a week, leaving you within spitting distance of shore, and you didn’t stop to ponder the implications?”
“Wait,” said Locke. “I thought you were strictly forbidden from—”
“I won’t confirm or refute any conjecture,” said Patience, sounding satisfied as a cream-fed cat. “I’m merely pointing out that your vaunted imaginations seem to be flickering rather dimly. Of course it’s possible we aided you. It’s possible the other side had bent the rules as well, and earned a bit of a rebuke. You’ll never know for sure.”
“Damn it, Patience,” said Locke, “you were at pains to assure us that the rules of your stupid contest are ironclad!”
“And you were at pains to insist that you didn’t trust me any farther than you could throw this carriage.”
“Why the hell are you even here? Do you have some message?”
“The message is this: Mind your task, Locke Lamora. You’re here to win, not to woo.”
“I’m here to do both. Carte blanchewas the deal. Are you reneging?”