Or herself for raising, despite the fact the gnome was leaning back in his chair and clearly wanted her to call. Because, ultimately, she really had no one else to blame for her current predicament.
But that didn’t mean she had to be the only one who suffered for it.
“Yes, Envoy Mountainheart and I have come to an agreement on the matter,” she said, tossing her hair and smiling sweetly at the dwarf, whose eyes narrowed suspiciously. “He’s offered a most generous fee, which I simply could not refuse. He’ll be paying me five platinum dragons, and of course the House will get a cut, as well—another full dragon, I believe it was?”
Elix, who’d returned to the table and retrieved his glass, nearly choked on his drink, while Mountainheart’s ruddy face darkened with fury, and his lips compressed so tightly, they almost disappeared. Sabira kept smiling, batting her eyelashes at him, and daring the dwarf to contradict her.
For despite what he’d said about not needing the Marshals to compel her, he did still need their sanction for her to take this job. And if he gainsaid her, then the real reason he’d been able to convince her to return to the Holds would come out, and Elix would have no choice but to strip her of her brooch before she could so much as blink—permanently, this time. The Marshals did not brook criminal activity by their agents, and taking out a loan from one of Stormreach’s most notorious gangs could hardly be considered anything else.
So unless Mountainheart was willing to wager his uncle’s freedom on the likelihood that the Iron Council would listen to Sabira d’Deneith, the disgraced former Marshal, with the same attention they would give the famed Shard Axe, he had no choice but to agree to the outrageous sum she’d just named.
The dwarf’s deep-set brown eyes bored into Sabira’s own, and she matched him, gaze for gaze.
“Yes, that’s right,” he said, though it sounded as if he might have bitten off a piece of his tongue and was having difficulty swallowing it. He stuck a reluctant hand out and Sabira grasped it firmly.
Then he surprised her by chuckling.
“My uncle said you were as stubborn as a dwarf, with twice the bite. I think he may have understated the situation just a bit.”
Sabira smiled in spite of herself.
“I look forward to working with you, too.”
It only took Elix a few moments to draw up the contract, which he’d had conveniently tucked between two decanters on the cabinet. The compact consisted of a preprinted form outlining the terms of engagement, with blanks for names and fees and additional pages for noting any irregularities about the job. By rights, it should have taken Elix a day just to record all of those, but he simply jotted a brief note:
Assigned Marshal, Sabira Lyet d’Deneith (a.k.a., the Shard Axe) to assist in defense of client Aggar Tordannon (retained by proxy: Orin Mountainheart) only. Apprehension of any additional murder suspect(s) to be negotiated under separate contract as necessary.
Mountainheart grunted when he read it, but he initialed the addendum without comment and signed both copies of the contract. Sabira and Elix countersigned, as Assigned Marshal and Supervising Marshal, respectively, and that was that. Except for the small matter of the deposit.
“At an agreed-upon fee of five platinum dragons, a full third will be required to be kept in escrow until the job is complete,” Elix reminded the dwarf, who looked as though he might like to chew the captain’s head off and spit it out in disgust. “You can have the money deposited into the appropriate account at the local branch of the House Kundarak bank. If you need directions or require an escort, we’d be happy to provide either.”
Mountainheart sniffed in disdain. If he was anything like the other dwarves Sabira had met, he knew exactly where the Lordsmarch Branch was located, and could likely tell you precisely how long it would take to get there from any point in Stormreach. It was the first thing a dwarf learned about a city, along with the locations of all its guardhouses and taverns. It paid to be prepared, and dwarves loved few things more than getting paid.
“I’d be a fool to carry that kind of coin around with me,” Mountainheart replied haughtily. “I will have the required amount deposited, and then I will meet you at Falconer’s Spire at the ninth bell. The Inheritance departs for Vulyar at half past. Don’t be late.”
Sabira recognized the Tordannon hand signals easily this time—a tug on the right earlobe, smoothing the long beard just so and then an infinitesimal adjustment of the cloak clasp. She didn’t need the dwarf to translate: Don’t cross me; I still own your debt.
I still own you.
His point made, Mountainheart gave a curt nod in Elix’s direction and turned to leave.
“Actually, that’s not going to happen.”
“What?” He and Elix spoke in unison, though only one voice echoed with anger.
“I told you. I already have a job. Coincidentally enough, it’s for one of your Aurum buddies. Maybe you know him? Arach d’Kundarak?”
She didn’t know for certain that Arach was a member of the Aurum, but the sudden look of fear that flashed across Mountainheart’s face confirmed it. He tried to cover the slip with arrogance, drawing himself up to his full height and looking down his nose at her in the way only dwarves and very old and proper schoolmarms could manage.
“The Aurum is a vast, far-flung organization. There is no way any one member could possibly know all of the others. In fact—”
“Poached some artifacts from him, did you? Well, don’t worry. You can leave tonight and wait for me in Sharn. Arach’s ship leaves at the fourth bell tomorrow, so I’ll only be a day behind you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mountainheart retorted. “I didn’t come all this way just to leave without you. Tell Arach you’re no longer available for whatever frivolous quest he’s sending you on.”
“No.” To her surprise, it was Elix who answered. “Sabira entered into that agreement as a representative of House Deneith, even if not as a Marshal, and I won’t have the House’s reputation tarnished by her reneging on a contract. We’ll delay our departure to coincide with theirs, and detour to Sharn to pick Sabira up after they’ve dropped her off.”
“But Aggar’s trial—”
“—doesn’t start for another three weeks.” Elix finished smoothly, having donned his diplomat’s hat again. “We’ll have her back in Krona Peak in plenty of time, Your Excellency. You have my word on that.”
Mountainheart clearly wasn’t satisfied, but he was smart enough to realize it was the best he was going to get.
“Very well, Captain. Until tomorrow afternoon, then,” he huffed, taking his leave with only minimal theatrics this time.
Which left Sabira alone with Elix, a situation she meant to remedy as quickly as possible.
“Glad to see you use your actual signature this time,” she said as she turned and made to follow Mountainheart’s lead. “Of course, the contracts wouldn’t be legal otherwise, and you’d lose the House a trading partner and a pretty tip besides, so I can see why you refrained from practicing your new forging skills. I hope it wasn’t too difficult for you—”
She was too busy berating him to hear his quick approach, so she was utterly unprepared when his hand landed on her shoulder and he spun her around bodily to face him.
“Saba,” he began, his tone soft but his face as flushed with fury as she had ever seen it. But as her chin lifted in defiance, ready to give as good as she got, Sabira saw the fire bleed out of his eyes, replaced by an emotion she couldn’t name. Elix took a deep breath and released her shoulder, taking a step back.