Part 10 (1/2)

Without speaking, Mar bowed low to kiss the older woman's hand, but remained standing. Parno raised an eyebrow in approval. At least the child remembered some of what he had taught her.

”This is my first child, Lok-iKol.”

The Kir. Bet you he's tired of waiting for his mother to die, Parno thought, as the man reached up to touch his eye patch in what was obviously an unconscious tic. Parno thought, as the man reached up to touch his eye patch in what was obviously an unconscious tic.

The one-eyed man bowed, but made no move to take Mar's hand, though as Kir, heir to the House, he might have had her kiss his hand as well. ”I greet you, Cousin,” he said. His voice was low, musical. Mar inclined her head, trying to imitate the motion the older woman had made.

Parno's eyes narrowed, and his mouth twitched. Dhulyn kept her face impa.s.sive and her eyes moving between the people and the covered walls. She'd be looking for the secret entrance the plans showed in this room.

”Mar-eMar will have the green room in the south tower, Keys,” the Tenebroso said. ”You may have her luggage and her maids sent there.”

”The Lady Mar-eMar arrived without maids, Tenebroso.” Semlin-Nor did not comment on the sparsity of Mar's luggage. ”The two I have a.s.signed her await in her rooms.”

”You have come without servants? What possessed you?” The words lacked any emotion, but it was evident her indifference was a symptom of her true physical weakness, not her lack of interest. Her face was capable of expressing the patronizing dismay that her voice was not strong enough to convey.

”As you see, my Mother, I have nevertheless arrived safely.” Mar addressed the old woman formally, as a member by blood of the House. The corners of Dhulyn's mouth moved.

”And these persons?”

”Of the Brotherhood, my Mother. My guides and guards. To be paid upon my safe delivery.”

”Of course, of course.” The Tenebroso searched the table at her side, sifting through numerous small ornaments, two books, several curling sheets of parchment, setting to one side two heavy bracelets, before finding a small pouch of embroidered suede. Dhulyn and Parno both recognized this dumb show, meant to underscore the Tenebroso's distance from such cra.s.s matters. Of course the woman knew exactly where the purse was. It would have been brought to her while they were being led around the long way. The Steward of Keys moved forward to take it from the Tenebroso's hand, before presenting it to Parno. He kept his eyes down, and his face lowered as he stepped forward a pace to take it.

Dhulyn's eyes flicked from Parno to the old lady seated at the table, and back again. There was something in the old woman's face-something in the way the old eyes narrowed as she looked up at Parno, and in the way she so carefully did not look again. For an instant, it actually had seemed that the Tenebroso was going to forget herself enough to speak directly to a Mercenary Brother. But no, perhaps she was wrong, Dhulyn frowned, perhaps it was only Mar, after all, who drew the old lady's attention.

Money in hand, Parno stepped back, but when they made no further move to depart, the Kir raised the eyebrow over the missing eye. Probably meant to strike terror into their hearts, Dhulyn thought, amused. Finally, she looked at Mar.

”Are we discharged, Lady?” she asked.

”What? Yes, yes, of course,” Mar cleared her throat, pink cheeked. ”I thank you for your service,” she said, as Parno had taught her, ”Mercenaries, you are discharged.”

”What did you think of the Mercenary Brothers?” Kor-iRok asked. Semlin was surprised enough to leave tidying the table, to turn and look at her House. Questions about the country cousin she might have expected, but about Mercenaries?

”The red-haired woman is very striking,” she said.

”Yes, that's so. But it's the golden-haired man I'm asking about. He has a mole near his right ear, the Mercenary badge does not quite cover it. Did you see it?”

”No, my House, I have to say I didn't.”

”Nor did anyone else, my Keys. Nor did anyone else.” The old woman smiled, mouth closed, lips pressed tight. ”But I saw.” The House turned to look directly at Semlin, her head shaking ever so slightly. ”I knew a young man with a mole in that precise place, Semlin. A man of my House. Of my blood. A promising young man. A wronged young man. I have plans to redress those wrongs.”

Semlin knelt, laid her hand with the greatest gentleness on the old woman's arm. ”But, my Lady, he is a Mercenary now. He is no longer of this House.”

”He is Tenebro.” Kor-iRok's colorless voice left no room for disagreement. ”He is my blood. I will bring him back to us.” The old woman looked at her with the remains of what had once been a dazzling smile. ”And you will help me.”

”Of course, my House.”

”Send for him tomorrow, when the Kir has gone to the Dome. Send for the Mercenary Brother Parno Lionsmane.”

”I greet you. I am Dal-eDal. My cousin, the Lady Mar-eMar, begs you to stay and take the midday meal with her, while she adjusts to her new House,” he said, his smile never changing and never touching his eyes.

Dhulyn glanced at Parno. ”Tell the Lady we thank her,” she said. ”But we cannot stay weaponless.”

The man inclined his head. ”Of course. Now that you are guests, you can, of course, retain your swords. If you will follow me? Thank you,” he said to the page escorting them, ”I will take charge of our guests for now.”

This was the cousin who lived in the House, Dhulyn thought, eyeing the golden-haired man with interest as he led them away. The form of his name-repeated Dal-eDal and not the reversal, Dal-e and not the reversal, Dal-eLad-marked him as having Household status, and not in line to inherit, as was Lok-iKol.

As they followed Dal-eDal down the pa.s.sage, Parno locked eyes with Dhulyn. The corners of his mouth moved. Dhulyn shrugged. Of course the man was taking them by yet a different route. Anyone providing security would make maximum use of the tools at hand-and the mazelike design of this building, however archaic, was a first-cla.s.s tool at hand. Karlyn-Tan had not impressed her as the kind of Steward of Walls who would overlook any aids to his security arrangements.

The pa.s.sageway narrowed until they were walking in single file, Parno's shoulders brus.h.i.+ng the wall coverings to each side. When the pa.s.sage widened again, Dal-eDal lengthened his stride slightly, his hand reaching out to the handle of a door at the end of the pa.s.sage. He was three paces ahead of Dhulyn when she heard a soft snick snick and lunged forward, heartbeats too late. A thick, weighted net fell from the ceiling and clung to her, m.u.f.fling her arms and dragging down her head. Dhulyn was aware that somewhere the scholarly part of her mind was registering shock-surprise that anyone, even in the middle of their own House, would attack Mercenaries unprovoked. But even as that thought arose, she was taking a steadying breath and bending even further, slipping the fingers of her left hand into the s.p.a.ce between her right calf and her boot. Without hurry, without panic, she took out her moon razor, a small rounded coin of metal, flattened and sharpened along one curve, and slashed at the net in front of her. The strands parted immediately and she stepped through the cut opening and moved to one side, her left arm arched above her head, her right poised with the moon razor. She felt Parno's back against hers in the narrow pa.s.sageway and knew that his arms were raised like hers, and his hands full of blades. and lunged forward, heartbeats too late. A thick, weighted net fell from the ceiling and clung to her, m.u.f.fling her arms and dragging down her head. Dhulyn was aware that somewhere the scholarly part of her mind was registering shock-surprise that anyone, even in the middle of their own House, would attack Mercenaries unprovoked. But even as that thought arose, she was taking a steadying breath and bending even further, slipping the fingers of her left hand into the s.p.a.ce between her right calf and her boot. Without hurry, without panic, she took out her moon razor, a small rounded coin of metal, flattened and sharpened along one curve, and slashed at the net in front of her. The strands parted immediately and she stepped through the cut opening and moved to one side, her left arm arched above her head, her right poised with the moon razor. She felt Parno's back against hers in the narrow pa.s.sageway and knew that his arms were raised like hers, and his hands full of blades.

Another net fell and Parno cut through it. A third net fell before they could step from the cords of the second. A fourth while they were cutting the third. Dhulyn heard footsteps and braced herself, but the blow came not at her head or shoulders, but at her legs. She felt a hard arm around her thighs and, already off-balance, she went down in a tangle of cords and weights. She twisted and slashed. A high-pitched scream and the warm gush of blood across her hand and arm. She heard a wet crunch and Parno's voice softly cursing.

She was raising herself to her feet, pressing upward on the weight of net that tried to crush her to the floor, when the ceiling fell on them.

Seven.

GUNDARON THE SCHOLAR chewed the side of his thumb, hovering just down from where his room's corridor met the wider pa.s.sage leading to the great hall. He checked for the third time that he'd wiped all the powdered sugar off the scroll of the first act of Bartyn's Maid of the Forest Maid of the Forest. When he'd finally found it, it had been behind his copy of the eighteenth book of the Hahrgis, Hahrgis, under a plate of jellied sweets. He cleared his throat, as a little finger of guilt scratched at the back of his mind. Good thing his old tutor hadn't seen that. Gundaron had never been tidy by nature, and in the two years since he'd left Valdomar, some of the Library's meticulous discipline had faded. He was still careful with his books-mostly, he thought as he brushed at the scroll again-kept his ink pots and pens clean, even if the cats did play with them. But a plate of jellied sweets on the worktable, under a plate of jellied sweets. He cleared his throat, as a little finger of guilt scratched at the back of his mind. Good thing his old tutor hadn't seen that. Gundaron had never been tidy by nature, and in the two years since he'd left Valdomar, some of the Library's meticulous discipline had faded. He was still careful with his books-mostly, he thought as he brushed at the scroll again-kept his ink pots and pens clean, even if the cats did play with them. But a plate of jellied sweets on the worktable, that that would never have been allowed in Valdomar. would never have been allowed in Valdomar.

Voices. Gundaron straightened his tunic with a tug, tucked the scroll under his left arm, and walked casually toward the main pa.s.sage. Caids, Caids, he cursed under his breath. There were three women coming toward him, not one. The two in front, bodices laced fas.h.i.+onably tight, sleeves uselessly long, were the Tenebroso's youngest great-nieces, Nor-eNor and her sister Kyn-oKyn. Even here in the House they followed the latest fas.h.i.+on of carrying dainty handkerchiefs in the Tenebro colors, rather than showing those colors in their clothing. He'd known someone would be coming with Lady Mar, but he'd a.s.sumed it would be one of the lady pages, not these two giggling fools. he cursed under his breath. There were three women coming toward him, not one. The two in front, bodices laced fas.h.i.+onably tight, sleeves uselessly long, were the Tenebroso's youngest great-nieces, Nor-eNor and her sister Kyn-oKyn. Even here in the House they followed the latest fas.h.i.+on of carrying dainty handkerchiefs in the Tenebro colors, rather than showing those colors in their clothing. He'd known someone would be coming with Lady Mar, but he'd a.s.sumed it would be one of the lady pages, not these two giggling fools.

He inclined his head, as courtesy required, his lips parted, ready to return their greeting-then felt his ears blaze hot as they pa.s.sed him with identical curled lips and heads turned away. Until yesterday they had at least acknowledged him, so that snub was not so much for his benefit as it was for the newest member of the House walking slowly behind her distant cousins-but not so far behind that she'd missed the little scene, worst luck. Mar-eMar wore a good gown made of fine wool, but even Gundaron could see that the sleeves were last year's length. Instead of a laced bodice, Mar-eMar wore a tunic like an elderly woman would. A teal-and-black tunic with a thin red stripe on its half-sleeves, no dainty handkerchief for her. He wondered if she realized the clothing the gigglers had picked out for her was hopelessly out of date.

From the whiteness of her face, and the sharpness of the two dots of color on her cheeks, Gundaron suspected that she knew. He swallowed, all doubts suddenly gone.

”Uh, h.e.l.lo, Lady Mar,” he said, stepping forward. As he'd hoped, she stopped, hesitant, her eyes flicking forward to the backs of the two sisters who were leaving her behind. When she turned to look at him, however, Mar-eMar's gaze was steady. Her hair was the exact shade of the rich brown velvety moss that grew in the Tenebroso's rock garden, and her eyes were so deep a blue as to be almost black.

”Yes?”

Gundaron blinked. He cleared his throat again. ”I am, ah, I'm Gundaron the Scholar. Gundaron of Valdomar.”

”Mar-eMar Tenebro,” she said inclining her head in a short nod. Gundaron thought she might have relaxed just a little.

”I was wondering-I thought-that is, can you read?”

Instantly, the red spots on her cheeks stood out like paint, and a muscle jerked in the side of her jaw as she clenched her teeth.