Part 30 (1/2)
”So very well-trained,” Korvalshort of un
It was not a pretty gun, in the way rips and platinuun, made to his own specifications and tuned by Master Marksman Tey Dor himself It was also small, and could be hidden with equal ease in Daav's sleeve or his palht please his 's affair as tedious, but the papers forwarded by dea'Gauss had shown that it was not so long ago that Clan Etgora and Clan Korval had come at odds-and when Balance was done, it was Korval who showed the profit
Etgora had pretensions A clan with its profit solidly in the star-trade, they had strained after High House status, and fell but a hand's breadth short before the loss to Korval set theoal There was bitterness in the House on that count, Daav did not doubt
However, if Etgora wished to secure its teetering position as a high-tier Mid House, they must show asmooth face to adversity Of course they would place Korval upon the uest list They could not do otherwise and survive
By the saora would take utht or insult befell Korval while she was in their care
Which ht safely leave his hideaway in its custoht,” he ht”
He glanced to the mirror, smoothed the sleeve, twitched the lace at his throat, touched the sapphire in his right ear and made an ironic bow His reflection-black-browed, lean and over-long-returned the salutation gracefully
”Do try not to kill anyone tonight, Daav,” he told hi ora's townhouse and relieved of their cloaks by a supernaturally efficient servant, who then bowed them into the care of a child of the House
She had perhaps twelve standards, hovering between child and halfling, and holding herself just a bit stiffly in her fine doorkeeper's silks
”Kesa del'Fordan Clan Etgora,” she sand, bowing prettily in the htened, brown eyes sole to Code and custo as Guest to House Child, ”Korval”
The brown eyes widened slightly, but give her grace, Daav thought; she did notof rank for herself Instead, she inclined her head, with composure commendable in one of twice her years, and looked to Daav
He likewise bowed, Guest to House Child, and straightened without flourish
”Daav yos'Phelium Clan Korval”
Kesa inclined her head once more and completed the form
”Ma'am and sir, be welco, then bowed ”If you would care to ithyou to my father”
”Of your kindness,” hisparlor, Daav walking at the rear, as befit one of lesser rank as likewise his Delm's sole protection in a House not their own
Kesa led theateway of carved sweetstone and out into an enclosed garden, and the full force of the evening gather
Etgora, Daav observed, as he followed his , croays,was a Clan which addressed its projects with energy Challenged to display a clean face to the world, it did not hesitate to bring the world together immediately for the purpose
A ht, his quick, Scout-trained eyes catching gli the croould have invited Korval, of course, to this first gather since its failure, and perhaps one or two others of the High Houses, at uest list almost entirely froher Mid-Level Houses, for the purpose, Daav supposed, of filling out odd nu the pathas sloith so ed with a bow Both Daav and his s of rainbow-colored streamers and the i last, they achieved the center of the garden, where a ant than hiswith apparent ease to no other than Lady yo'Lanna Daav owned himself i her peers in the High Houses, and he held her in quite as much a as he had at six
”Father,” Kesa bent deeply, the full bow of clanhtened self-consciously, shoulders stiff beneath her finery
”Your pardon, goodLady yo'Lanna's half-bow of permission, turned to face theht me?”
”Father, here is Chi yos'Phelium, Korval, and Daav yos'Phelium Clan Korval,” the child said in the very proper mode of Introduction She turned and bowed, House-Child to Guests ”Honoreds, here is ora”
So Kesa's father was Etgora Hiht, frouardian to her stiff determination to observe every ora swept the boeen equals-theoretically true, between Deln for ”round of both Houses while publicly acknowledging Korval's superiority
His mother, Daav saas inclined to be amused by their host's little audacity She bowed just short of full Equal, accepting the ed
”To be welcome in the house of an ally is joy,” she said clearly into the sudden nearby silence She straightened and extended a hand to touch Daav's sleeve
”One's son, Etgora”
”Lord yos'Phelium” The bow this tih Mode, indeed, but carried well, and necessitating, alas, the rather tricksy Child of a Delhtened in time to see his mother incline her head to Lady yo'Lanna
”Ilthiria, I find you well?”
”As well as one can be in this crush Etgora is proud of his achievearden”Had he been less well-trained, Daav would have winced in sympathy for Kesa's father Lady yo'Lanna, it seemed, was not entirely at one with her host
The pale eyesDaav, newly at leave frohtly ”I have no secrets from you, ma'am”
”Do you not?” Her eyebrows rose ”Then come to me tomorrow and whisper in my ear the tale of how a certainbefore last”
daaze on the side of his suddenly warm face
”If that is your wish, then how can I deny you?”
”Very properly said,” Etgora interjected ”And who better to know Port gossip than a Scout, who are said to have ears in every cranny?” He turned, spied his daughter, yet standing stiffly to one side
”Kesa, my jewel Lord yos'Pheliue-mates, as he is just returned from the Scouts Pray show him to the Sunset Garden-and then you may refresh yourself”
He turned to Daav
”Card tables have been set out, sir, and other light amuselance at his mother, who inclined her head
”Aora ish to walk Ilthiria and arden I will require your arm in two hours”
”Ma'aeneral leave-taking to Lady yo'Lanna and Etgora