Part 30 (1/2)
Amarune nodded wearily, stumbling. Only his arm through hers was holding her up. For what seemed like hours they'd been walking the streets of Suzail together, a Purple Dragon plodding along behind tailing them as Amarune led her inanely chattering escort on a random meander across the city, waiting for his anger to rise.
Dreading the moment when Arclath stopped, refusing to go along with her obvious deception any longer and protesting that she was leading him astray. A protest that would reveal that he already knew where she dwelt.
A moment that hadn't yet come, though there was a gleam in his eye that she was beginning to think meant he was grinning inwardly at her tactic and happily going along with it.
The n.o.ble had kept up a constant, never-flagging stream of light, inane-and one-sided-converse.
”Dawn,” she gasped, feeling she had to say something something. ”I'm...enchanted.”
”And so am I!” Arclath agreed with enthusiasm. ”Charmed, even! I find you the most beautiful woman to ever adorn my arm, and await that moment of full glory when you reveal to me the full sparkle of your wit, the bright edge of your tongue-in the conversational sense of course, lady fair, for I would not want even the slightest misunderstanding to lead you to take offense at a slander that was not meant, no, no, not at all!-the full grandeur, as I was saying, of your happily attentive company! At a time when you are not tired, not shocked by the horrible events of earlier this night, and not grieving the loss of your longtime and staunchly loyal employer! In short, when you can be your full and engaging self! When you can-”
”Somehow shut shut you you up,” up,” Amarune snarled, in spite of herself. ”G.o.ds above, do all n.o.bles carry themselves through their every waking moment of life on rivers of babbling Amarune snarled, in spite of herself. ”G.o.ds above, do all n.o.bles carry themselves through their every waking moment of life on rivers of babbling drivel?” drivel?”
”In a word, Lady: yes.” Arclath's grin told her he wasn't abashed in the slightest. ”So, how would you contemplate shutting me up? No violence, please, you know how I abhor abhor viol-” viol-”
”Yes, I noticed you abhorring it right skillfully, earlier,” Amarune sighed. ”Though I probably owe you my life a time or six. So have my thanks, Lord Delcastle, and I'm done trying to deceive you. I no longer care if you learn where I live.”
”My lady! Has that been your concern, all this time? That I might discover the whereabouts of your abode? Has preventing that dark secret-though how it can truly be dark, I fail to conceive-been the pursuit that now has you nigh staggering with weariness?”
”It has,” Amarune said grimly. ”Let's go. This way.”
”Lady, your every command is my fond wis.h.!.+”
”Really? How is it that you're still alive, then?”
”Amarune Whitewave, you're snarling!” snarling!”
”Mask dancers snarl all the time, Lord Delcastle. Want to know what else we can do?”
”Lady, I thought you'd never never be so be so bold! bold! Of Of course course I-” I-”
”Of course course you do,” Amarune said with the most withering sarcasm she could muster as she turned a familiar corner and headed into an even more familiar midyard that...seemed to be swarming with Purple Dragons. you do,” Amarune said with the most withering sarcasm she could muster as she turned a familiar corner and headed into an even more familiar midyard that...seemed to be swarming with Purple Dragons.
Several of those officers were already giving them hard stares, and-G.o.ds above!-there were Dragons searching every alley, balcony, and outside stair in sight. There were even Dragons up on her roof.
Not to mention a large, grim cl.u.s.ter of them standing over...no. Oh, no.
A Purple Dragon moved to intercept them, two of his fellows walking to where they could surround the two. ”Your names, and business here?”
”I am Lord Lord Arclath Delcastle,” the n.o.bleman snapped pointedly, ”and I am escorting this lady to her home, by order of a Watch officer of the Purple Dragons. And yours?” Arclath Delcastle,” the n.o.bleman snapped pointedly, ”and I am escorting this lady to her home, by order of a Watch officer of the Purple Dragons. And yours?”
”My what?”
”Your name name, soldier.”
”I'll ask the questions here for now, my lord. You can have my name for your inevitable complaint later. Now, which officer would it be who gave you this or-” ask the questions here for now, my lord. You can have my name for your inevitable complaint later. Now, which officer would it be who gave you this or-”
”He's telling truth, Randelo,” a gravelly man's voice said rather sullenly from behind Amarune. ”I can vouch for their whereabouts and deeds-seeing as they've been leading me all over Suzail for half the night.” It was the Dragon who'd been following them since their departure from the club.
He was giving the young couple a rather baleful glance as he added, ”Stlarning boots hurt worse'n ever. Shouldn't wonder if they're full of blood down by my toes, right now.”
”Ah, the price of s.h.i.+ning service,” Arclath remarked. Turning back to their questioner, he said with dignity, ”Seeing as we've just been cleared of any involvement in this unfortunate, ah, death, please withdraw from us a pace or two, so as to accord us some small measure of privacy. This is a lady of high moral standing, despite what you may think-for I have found that far far too many Purple Dragons have low, coa.r.s.e minds-and I have no intention of damaging her reputation by entering her domicile at this time of night.” too many Purple Dragons have low, coa.r.s.e minds-and I have no intention of damaging her reputation by entering her domicile at this time of night.”
That little speech earned him an eloquent eye roll and a mockingly elaborate bow from both Dragons, but they did withdraw, muttering together.
Arclath pointedly turned his back on them, s.h.i.+elding Amarune from their scrutiny with his broad shoulders, and murmured, ”So, would you like me to leave you here, Lady, with a suspicious death-almost undoubtedly a murder-hard by wherever you live, but with the dubious safety of Purple Dragons very much in evidence everywhere? Or-?”
”Or yield myself to your tender mercies in your n.o.ble mansion?”
”I do do have some measure of honor, Lady,” Delcastle murmured, almost sadly. have some measure of honor, Lady,” Delcastle murmured, almost sadly.
They regarded each other in sober, unsmiling silence for a breath or two, before Amarune almost whispered, ”Lord Delcastle, did you hear what the wizard called me?”
”The Silent Shadow? I had dismissed that from my mind. A wild, baseless accusation, that-”
”No,” Amarune said firmly, suddenly finding she did not want to lie to this man. ”No, it's not. I am am the Silent Shadow, though my silence has been the quiet of inaction this past season.” the Silent Shadow, though my silence has been the quiet of inaction this past season.”
She gave him a glare, suddenly defiant. ”So, are you going to denounce me to yon Dragons? See me flogged, stripped of every last coin, and jailed? There'll be n.o.bles enough wanting my blood, to be sure, and-”
”And I am not one of them,” Arclath interrupted smoothly. ”Putting one over on my fellow highborn is what I I do, whenever possible. I might add that occasionally I indulge in undertakings of low moral character myself...and I find that this is one of those times.” do, whenever possible. I might add that occasionally I indulge in undertakings of low moral character myself...and I find that this is one of those times.”
He lifted a finger, almost as if he was a pompously lecturing tutor, and spoke even more softly. ”So I'll keep your secret, but in return I demand a price, Lady. No, don't look at me like that; that; my price is one truthful answer, no more. Tell me plainly, now: Whom do you work for? Just who is interested in what I and Halance and Belnar were talking about, that you had to listen so hard?” my price is one truthful answer, no more. Tell me plainly, now: Whom do you work for? Just who is interested in what I and Halance and Belnar were talking about, that you had to listen so hard?”
”I was interested,” Amarune told him truthfully, ”because I'm curious. Too curious. And I'm working for no one but myself.” She hesitated, then added, ”Though someone is now seeking to force the Silent Shadow to work for her, by threatening to unmask me to the Dragons. A woman every bit as agile as I am, who calls herself 'Talane.'” was interested,” Amarune told him truthfully, ”because I'm curious. Too curious. And I'm working for no one but myself.” She hesitated, then added, ”Though someone is now seeking to force the Silent Shadow to work for her, by threatening to unmask me to the Dragons. A woman every bit as agile as I am, who calls herself 'Talane.'”
”Talane,” Arclath murmured, frowning. ”Not a name I've heard before, but I've a feeling, by all the Watching G.o.ds, that I'll be hearing it again.”
”Swordcaptain Dralkin?” a Dragon telsword gasped then, trotting out of the night right past them. ”We've found a word written in blood up on that that rooftop.” rooftop.”
”From where the body probably fell, yes,” the swordcaptain agreed curtly, advancing from the group standing around the corpse sprawled in its pool of blood, and sending Arclath and Amarune a glare that told them clearly ”move away and don't listen.” When neither of them moved, he shrugged and asked the telsword curtly, ”What word?”
”A strange one. Might be a name,” the telsword replied. ”'Talane.' In Common: T-a-l-a-n-e.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
I USED TO B BE A W WIZARD.
He was in another alley-which reeked almost as much as the one he'd left, but of mildew and old mold and rotting greens-out behind one of Suzail's better eateries.
At that time of night, only the slugs, snakes, and rats were likely to overhear an old man who stood there talking to himself.