Part 24 (2/2)
In Battle. Only her lips formed the words. Only her lips formed the words.
In Death, he answered. he answered.
”But we've important information,” Mar said, craning her neck to see the woman.
”Oh, I've no doubt he's he's got information enough-but I'm not inclined to let him in, no matter how important it might be.” got information enough-but I'm not inclined to let him in, no matter how important it might be.”
”Then let Mar in,” Gun said, placing a hand on the gate in his eagerness. He swallowed, realizing that he'd just called Mar by her personal name. Out loud. ”The Lady Mar-eMar I mean. You've nothing against her, let her in.” He looked at Mar, looked back up to the sentry window. ”You're Thionan Hawkmoon, aren't you?” he said. ”That's how you know me.” He waved his hand impatiently. ”It doesn't matter about me, but you can let Mar-eMar in, she needs to speak to Dhulyn Wolfshead, or-”
”Ah, so you're the little trickster from Navra, are you? I hadn't seen you before now.”
Any hope Gun might have had that they'd do as he asked died at the tone in the Mercenary woman's voice.
”Listen, children, we've our orders, and if I was likely to break them-which I'm not-it certainly wouldn't be for you two. And besides-”
Thionan Hawkmoon froze in mid-syllable, her attention caught by something within the walls.
”And besides,” she took up where she'd left off. ”There's an order out for both of you. Seems you ran away after the Fallen House Kor-iRok was found dead.” She looked down at them with a wink. ”Don't make me send for the City Guards, now.”
Sixteen.
FANRYN BLOODHAND AND Thionan Hawkmoon were both waiting when Dhulyn swung the counterweighted chunk of flooring to one side and climbed out, reaching back in to give Alkoryn Pantherclaw a hand up.
”We've left the others in the lower chamber,” Dhulyn said, telling her Brothers in a few words just who those 'others' were. ”Hernyn?” Thionan said.
Dhulyn's lips parted, but her throat closed on the words.
”Hernyn Greystone the s.h.i.+eld remained behind,” Alkoryn said for her. ”That we might escape.”
”In Battle or in Death,” Fanryn said after a long pause. The eyes of the four Brothers met, and for another moment they were silent, in honor of the one who had fallen. And in unspoken prayer that they should fall the same way, on their feet, swords in hand.
”Since his body will be found,” Alkoryn said, breaking their silence at last. ”We can expect inquiries, perhaps even a request to search our premises before the day is out. What is it, Thionan?”
Even Dhulyn could see and recognize the slightly furtive look that had crossed Thionan's eyes.
”About an hour ago,” she said. ”I turned away the Tenebro's tame Scholar and that Navra girl you and Parno brought, Dhulyn, telling them I'd call the City Guard on them. I was joking, but . . .”
”You spoke truth without knowing it,” Alkoryn said. ”Well, at least they have been warned. What else can you tell me?”
Dhulyn only half heard Fanryn's first words. So Mar and Gundaron of Valdomar had had come here. Looking for what? come here. Looking for what?
”Lok-iKol holds the Dome and the city,” Fanryn was saying, leading the way out of the room that, to anyone who didn't know better, held nothing but the old cistern of Mercenary House. ”Of the High n.o.bles, Jarifo and Esmolo Houses are with him-”
”We saw their men in the Dome,” Dhulyn said as she followed the other women up a short flight of stone steps and through another counterweighted chunk of wall.
”The other Houses are holding off, waiting to see how true Lok-iKol's arrow will fly, though there's talk that the Tenebroso will be acclaimed by midday,” Fanryn continued, her face showing her displeasure. ”The only one demanding to be shown Tek-aKet Tarkin, living or dead, is the Penradoso.”
”I know that House,” Dhulyn said, thinking back over the years to the last time she'd fought in Imrion. When she and Parno had met.
”You should,” Alkoryn said, pausing with his hand on the wall to take a deeper breath. Dhulyn didn't like the look of the man, his color was worse than a sleepless night walking underground should make it. ”Fen-oNef Penrado was an old ally of Tek-aKet Tarkin's father, and he fought on the old Tarkin's side at Arcosa. You'd have seen him there. The odds are very short that he'll come to Lok-iKol's side without proof positive that Tek-aKet's dead.”
”Lok-iKol's gone ahead and scheduled his anointing for next new moon,” Thionan added. ”Twelve days from now. And the Jaldeans have agreed. So old Penrado hasn't much time to decide.”
They'd reached Alkoryn's map room by this time, and the old man looked better for being able to sit down in his own chair. Dhulyn leaned against the wall between the two windows, angled into a corner of the map shelves where she couldn't be seen from outside, and stifled a yawn. If she sat down, she thought, she'd fall right to sleep.
”Is there anything more?” Alkoryn said.
Fanryn considered, her head to one side. ”There's seventeen Brothers in the House,” she said. ”Eleven of those from the Carnelian Guard who were out in the streets overnight. They felt their oaths were to Tek-aKet Tarkin, rather than the Carnelian Throne, so when he Fell, they came Home.”
”Did any die in street fighting?” Dhulyn asked.
”None. In fact, they saved some of the other Carnelian Guardsmen, and we've got them hidden around the quarter, some in the Old Market. None in the House, of course.” Fanryn looked over at Thionan when her Partner cleared her throat. ”Besides the children you sent us, we do have a guest, however, who was visiting in the House when your orders came to shut the gates.” Fanryn waited to be sure she had both Dhulyn and Alkoryn's attention. ”Cullen of Langeron is here,” she said, ”an intimate of Yaro of Trevel, and a Racha man, no less. Seeing that Yaro was once of our Brotherhood, we gave them sanctuary.”
”That may turn out to be very lucky.” Alkoryn leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach. ”How many Marked have we in the tunnels?”
”Including the Mender's children Hernyn brought us, seven.”
”Delay no longer. See that they go now, before the day is out. Send also our own youngsters, any waiting for Schooling and any not ready for their badges. Let them go with the Marked as far as the Tourin Road, then to Nerysa Warhammer. The Marked to Pompano, unless Cullen would like to take this opportunity to return to his home, in which case he may want them to accompany him to Langeron. Who is scheduled for the task?”
”The sisters, Jenn IceSea and Jess Riverhorse.”
”Let them choose two others to help them and go with the group to Nerysa. If Cullen of Langeron decides to go, ask him to have word with me before he departs.” He nodded twice and looked up at Fanryn. ”If there is nothing else pressing, I'd like a few minutes with Dhulyn if you would, my Brothers.”
Both Fanryn and Thionan straightened to their feet. ”I'll have some food and drink sent up,” Thionan said.
”Considering we may need a place to hide the Tarkin Tek-aKet and his family, it's a very lucky thing indeed that the Racha man is here.” Alkoryn spoke half to himself. ”No one would think to look for them in the Clouds.”
Dhulyn stayed at her perch by the window, consciously relaxing each muscle group as she waited for Alkoryn to turn his full attention to her. She could think of only one reason Alkoryn would have sent both Fanryn and Thionan away. He's going to ask me to He's going to ask me to See, she thought. See, she thought. That's the reason I'm not in the caves with the Tarkin. That's the reason I'm not in the caves with the Tarkin.
”I must say, Dhulyn, my Brother, if the reaction of the Tarkin and his counselor is any indication, I am not at all surprised that you tell no one of your Mark.” Alkoryn sat up straight and laid his hands palm down on the map of Gotterang that still covered his table. ”But I would fail in my duties as Senior Brother and Commander of this House if I did not ask you, despite what you and Parno have told me of your experience, is there no way you can look for a Vision that may be of help to us?”
Dhulyn looked at him for a long moment. He was asking her in the same way he would ask a swordsmith how many weapons were ready for use. No judgment, just a request for the kind of information that would help him plan his strategy. A tightness she had not been aware of loosened in her chest. Whatever she said now, he would take her at her word. She was still among Brothers. In Battle or in Death.
”It's worse than Parno told you,” she said. ”Worse than I knew myself. Only very recently I have learned that some of what I See is not the future at all, but the past. If I cannot even tell which is which, the Visions I do do See are useless to us.” See are useless to us.”
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