The cleric's lips parted in a smile, baring the tips of her fangs. She hid it behind a bow. "I will escort you, Lord Extaminos. During the attack by the Se'sehen, a number of humans took the opportunity to… cause some problems. The streets are still not entirely secure."
She was thinking about Gonthril. The rebel leader and his followers had been stirring up trouble, it seemed. More than that, several sections of the city,
including a stretch of its waterfront, had fallen into human hands, but once the militia returned from down south, she was thinking, all that would end. The uprising would be crushed and the slaves who had dared to claim their freedom would be put back in their place.
"You will show me to the surface, then resume your duties here," Arvin commanded.
"As you wish," the cleric demurred.
Her thoughts told him much more. Lady Dedian a had grown suspicious of Zelia of late, suspicious of the hold the mind mage seemed to have over the royal son. The queen suspected a plot-and "Dmetrio's" insistence on not telling his mother about his return had confirmed it. He would be watched. Carefully.
Arvin smiled to himself. Years of working for the Guild had taught him how to slip away from even the most persistent watchers, and his psionics would take care of any who was armed with magic. Meanwhile, the cleric would confirm Lady Dediana's fears. If Arvin was unsuccessful in his bid to take Zelia down, House Extaminos would surely finish the job.
For the moment, however, there was someone he needed to make contact with, someone he needed to persuade to help if his plan was to come to fruition.
"Your concern for my well being is… appreciated," he told the cleric, "but also unfounded. I can take care of myself."
Arvin stared across the table at Gonthril. The rebel leader hadn't bothered to disguise himself, save for the cloak hood he'd just allowed to fall back against his shoulders. His rebels-for the moment-had control of the waterfront, including one particular tavern.
The Mortal Coil.
Arvin smiled when Gonthril had suggested it as a meeting place. When Arvin had used a sending to contact Gonthril, he'd wondered if the rebel leader would bother to reply. It had been a year since they'd last seen one another. That they were meeting in the place where Arvin's troubles had begun was ironic. The head of the serpent was closing in on the tail.
Though the harbor outside was nearly empty of ships-most had fled when the Se'sehen attack began-the tavern was just as Arvin remembered it. Pipe smoke had stained the coiled-rope ceiling that had given the place its name, and the air still smelled of unwashed sailors and ale. The circular walls were still damp and the benches were as hard as ever. The only "patrons," however, were Gonthril's people, who stood alert and ready, crossbows in hand. Nobody was behind the bar-and nobody was drinking.
Gonthril looked the same but somehow older, aged by a year of hiding and fighting. Arvin, too, had aged. The two men still looked as close as brothers. Gonthril's eyes, however, were blue, and the little finger of his left hand was whole.
"You said you had something to offer me?" he asked. "Something I would find valuable?"
Arvin nodded and leaned forward in his chair. "Information."
"About what?"
"House Extaminos. Its secrets… and its weaknesses. Everything your uprising needs to succeed."
Gonthril's eyes glittered. "Tell me more."
"There's a yuan-ti," Arvin began, "a mind mage named Zelia."
ye never nearu Lae name.
Arvin smiled. "That doesn't surprise me. Zelia makes a point of keeping out of the public eye. She controls a network of spies who have infiltrated not
just House Extaminos but every major yuan-ti House in Hlondeth."
"How?"
"By passing themselves off as members of those Houses. The family members are eliminated, and the spies take their place."
Gonthril frowned, and thought a moment. "These spies-are they dopplegangers?"
Arvin's eyesbrows raised. The rebel leader had a quicker mind than he'd expected. "In a manner of speaking, yes."
"The information they have gathered-is it written down?"
"No," Arvin said. "It's all inside Zelia's head, but there's a way to get it out."
"How?" Gonthril asked, skepticism plain in his voice.
"By killing her. Once that's done, I can put you in touch with a cleric who can speak with the dead."
Gonthril's eyes bored into Arvin's. "Why do you want this woman dead?"
"For several reasons," Arvin answered. "The simple answer is that if I don't kill her, she'll kill me." He spread his hands. "That's not what really concerns me. Zelia won't stop there. She'll also make sure my wife and children die."
Gonthril's eyebrows rose. "You've been busy, this past year."
Arvin had to smile.
Gonthril's expression turned serious again. "What if the information in Zelia's head turns out to be of no use to the Secession?" Gonthril said, "I'll have wasted my resources. There's an entire city of yuanti that need killing and precious few humans bold enough to do the job."
Arvin fought to keep his smile from wavering. Gonthril's hatred of the serpent folk ran deep. If he
realized that Arvin was part yuan-ti-and that the wife and children Arvin was trying to protect were as well-the only "help" forthcoming would be a crossbow bolt in the back. He was glad, yet again, that Karrell's ring was still on his finger.
"Zelia is worth killing for other reasons," he said. "Convince me."
"You've heard that Sibyl is dead?" Arvin asked.
Gonthril nodded. "So House Extaminos says."
"It's true," Arvin assured him. "Now Zelia is trying to pick up where Sibyl left off. Sibyl was only pretending to be Sseth's avatar, but Zelia actually stands a chance at becoming just that."
"How?"
"It's complicated, but the short answer is this: Sseth is bound inside his domain. He needs someone to free him. Whoever does this will be rewarded with anything they ask for. Zelia knows of an artifact called the Circled Serpent-a key that opens a door to Sseth's domain. Using it, she can free him-and become his avatar."
Gonthril whistled under his breath. He sat in silence a moment, then reached inside his shirt and pulled out a chain that was looped through a ring-a wide band of silver, set with deep blue sapphires. He took it off the chain and slid it across the table to Arvin. "Put it on."
Arvin did, reluctantly. He remembered the last time he'd worn it. With the ring on, he'd be unable to tell a lie. If Gonthril asked directly about the Circled Serpent, Arvin would have to tell him it had already been destroyed. Gonthril would assume everything Arvin had just told him was a lie, and Arvin would have to fight his way out of the Mortal Coil.
He resisted the urge to glance at the half-dozen crossbows pointed at him. Instead he took a deep breath. Control, he urged himself. He didn't need to
tell the whole truth about the Circled Serpent-he just had to concentrate on answering Gonthril's questions as succinctly as possible.
Gonthril looked him square in the eye. "Do you work for House Extaminos?" he asked.
Relief washed through Arvin as he saw the tack Gonthril's questions would take. He smiled. "No," he answered, his voice firm and level. "As I told you when you asked me that question a year ago, I work for myself."
This time, it was the truth.
"Is the story about wanting to kill Zelia a ruse to trap me?"
"No."
"Is your name really Arvin?"
Arvin frowned. "Of course."
"Are you a doppleganger?"
Arvin laughed. "No. What you see is what you get. I'm-" He was about to say "human" but checked himself just in time. He shrugged. "I'm Arvin."