Khaavren cleared his throat. “Is Your Majesty prepared for the risk that, by discovering what happened to Szurke, and tracing the silver tiassa, information will come to light that could have consequences, and require action?”
“I answered that when I gave you leave to have Special Tasks pursue the matter, Brigadier. What I wish to avoid is indiscriminate violence among the Houses. Should we learn of an individual—or several individuals—who are responsible for a crime, well, that is a different matter, is it not?”
“I do myself the honor to be in complete accord with Your Majesty.”
“So much the better. What is your next question?”
“That is all, Majesty.”
“How, all?”
“I can think of no others.”
“You startle me.”
“Do I? That is not my intention.”
“Nevertheless, I expected more questions.”
“Would Your Majesty condescend to tell me what questions you expected?”
“I had expected, Brigadier, that you would ask why you were never told of these things.”
“Your Majesty expected that?”
“I did.”
“Such a question might hint of reproach.”
“It might.”
Khaavren shrugged. “Majesty, it may be that the captain can be offended when it appears his sovereign does not trust him; but the brigadier knows very well that some matters must be kept between Empress and Orb—an expression I use literally in this case.”
“I am answered. But do you not also wish to know if I expressed a wish to Madam the Countess that she not speak of this matter, even to you?”
Khaavren made no effort to conceal how startled he was by this question. “Your Majesty, I have no need to ask that; the Countess already told me of it.”
“Ah. Well, I understand. So, there is no more you wish to ask?”
“Nothing else, Majesty. And permit me to say that I am grateful for your kindness in permitting me to put these questions.”
“My Lord Khaavren.”
“Majesty?”
“I cannot go into detail, but Count Szurke—that is to say, Lord Taltos—performed a great service for the Empire at the time of the latest difficulties with Elde Island. In doing so, he made a bitter enemy of the Jhereg. There is nothing I can do about that. But recently he was beaten, and it is obviously not the Jhereg. There is something behind this, and it is big. I want it to be found, and the Empire protected.”
“And Szurke?”
“If you can protect him as well, I would be gratified.”
“I understand, Majesty. Only—”
“Yes?”
“Suppose it is not big?”
“What do you say?”
“Majesty, I am beginning to suspect that this entire matter is small, trivial, unimportant.”
“If true, so much the better!”
“And?”
“Then it would be good if Szurke were protected anyway.”
“Your Majesty, everything is now perfectly clear to me.”
“Very good, Brigadier. That will be all, then.”
Khaavren bowed deeply and took his leave of the Empress. He returned to his offices, where he caused bread and cheese and wine to be brought to him. He ate slowly as he considered what he had learned.
“Well,” he said at last, speaking to the empty room, “it doesn’t matter. It is Her Majesty’s wish; it is therefore, to me, a command. If it weren’t, I’d be holding the wrong position. Or, rather, the wrong two positions.”
This settled, he put what, for another, would have been a moral dilemma out of his mind and continued with his duties.
The next day, Dinaand reported that Lady Saruchka had accepted the engagement. Khaavren replied, confirming (for the third time) the time, date, and location when the bard had promised to appear.
“That is good,” observed Khaavren to himself. “Now we know where it will happen, and when it will happen. All we do not know is what will happen.”
That night, he spent an evening quietly at home with the Countess, playing quoins-of-four, and later reading together; the Countess preferring re-tellings of folktales, while Khaavren spent time with his favorite poets of antiquity; occasionally they would read each other a passage or stanza.
At one point, the Countess said, “My lord, I know this mood you are in—a little smile that tugs at the corners of your mouth, and sometimes your eye narrows as if choosing to do so for its own reasons.”
Khaavren looked up from his book and said, smiling, “Well, and what do you conclude from these statistics?”
“That you have solved a mystery, or finished the preparations for an operation, or both.”
“The preparations are complete; the mystery is still to be solved.”
“I have no doubt you will solve it.”
“Your confidence inspires me, madam.”
“So much the better.”
“It will take another week to see the end of the matter, but to-morrow everything will be arranged.”
“And you will achieve results.”
“And be glad to have them, for this matter causes me some confusion.”
“I look forward to hearing the answers, my lord.”
“And I, madam,” said Khaavren, “look forward to explaining them.”
With that, by mutual consent, they returned to their books.
By two minutes after the ninth hour of the next morning, Pel arrived at Khaavren’s office, and was admitted at once. Khaavren motioned him to sit, which he did. Pel said, “Would you be kind enough to tell me your plan for next Marketday?”
“If you wish to know, I will gladly tell you.”
“Good, I am listening.”
“This is it, then: I will arrive three hours before the time the musicians are expected to start, and take up a position at a wheelwright’s across the street from the Owl’s Feet. There I will be able to watch whoever arrives.”
“And then?”
“And then, once everyone is gathered, I will go in.”
“Once you are inside, what will you do?”
“I will confront those from whom I wish to get answers.”
“Just you?”
“Who else is needed?”
“But, you say, confront them?”
“Yes. And, with everyone there, it will be strange if I cannot learn who is doing what, and why.”
“And once you have learned?”
“I will take whatever action seems appropriate.”
Pel shook his head. “This is not what I had expected, my friend.”
Khaavren shrugged. “When we last spoke, it is not what I had expected either.”
“And so?”
“What do you want, Pel?”
“Whatever is best for the Empire, of course.”
Khaavren laughed. “I forget sometimes that you are without ambition, my lord the Prime Minister.”
“I have had ambition, Khaavren, as you well know. But I have found that, having gratified it, my goal now must be to prove myself worthy of the position to which my ambition led me.”
“My friend, you have never had to justify yourself to me, and we have strayed from the topic of our conversation.”
“Not in the least, Khaavren.”
“How, we have not?”
Pel sighed. “No, for this matter concerns the good of the Empire.”
“My dear Pel, if there was something you had wished me to do, you ought to have told me what it was, then I could have done it.”
“Not to do, my friend. To discover.”
“It seems to me that we ought to discover what is going on, once all of those concerned are brought together.”
“You think so?”