Sapphire Crescent (13 page)

“I never saw a figure in red nor a mage there. Only those two men you were keeping at bay. I wondered how you were burned.”

“Right,” Vambran said, nodding. “The mage caught me off guard. It was careless and foolish.”

“Well, you’ll know better next time.” Kovrim said, sitting forward as if to rise. “I’m going to go back to the temple and see what I can find out about the two Waukeenar priests. You get some rest.”

Vambran nodded and waved good-bye to his uncle, but he was deep in thought about other things already.

Tonight, he decided firmly. I’m going after those fake guards tonight.

the worse for wear after his ordeal at the aszraun. “Or he could just be an incredibly good actor. You took an awfully big risk, testing him that way. If House Pharaboldi wants to keep their connection with the woman quiet, revealing that you know isn’t going to help anything.”

“I said I was subtle, Vambran. Besides, I did all that before I knew he was bedding her.” Emriana rolled her eyes and sighed. “And before I knew about the attack on you. If I had already found out that there was that strong of a connection, I never would have brought it up in front of him. As it was, I pretended to be exhausted for the rest of the afternoon to avoid seeing him again.”

“Yeah,” Vambran said softly. “I’m sorry you had to find that out, Em.”

“Oh, please,” she said, forcing a laugh. “You know how I felt about Denrick before. It just confirmed my low opinion of him.”

She gave Vambran a wink, but down inside, she had to admit there was at least a little pain. Finding out anyone wasn’t being honest with her would do that.

“Do you think the maid who told you all this will keep quiet?”

“I imagine,” Emriana replied. “It doesn’t help her at all to admit she broke a confidence, especially one her mistress established with her.”

“I sure hope so,” said Vambran. “You need to be careful, especially now. If Denrick didn’t know before, he’s going to find out sooner or later. He’s still likely to figure that it was Jithelle you were talking about. He may still get suspicious that you know more than you admitted.”

“And do what?” Em asked dismissively. “At worst, he thinks I knew who it was during the picnic and didn’t tell him. In the strictest sense, that’s not true, but he might think that. Even so, what’s he going to do? Get angry? Refuse to see me anymore? It’s not

Emriana smiled and leaned forward to hug her brother warmly.

“I know,” she said, and held him tightly for a good long time, trying to let some of her worry for him melt away. Then she released him finally and sat back again. “I appreciate it. And I will. But you have to admit, it was a stroke of good fortune, my conversation with Patimi.”

“Yes. That’s true,” Vambran said, pacing once more. “Though I had already heard about the plague story as of this morning, at least we now know who the victims are. I’m not sure where that gets us, though. Maybe we could find out more from the rest of the staff at the Pharaboldis’, or from Jithelle’s or Hoytir’s families.”

“Now who’s talking about taking risks? How are you going to do that without being noticed by the Pharaboldis themselves?” Emriana sat straighter and reached out to grab Vambran by the hand to force him to stop pacing. “More important, why are we trying to figure all this out ourselves? What good is it doing us to stick our noses in this mess?”

Vambran gave his sister a look that she couldn’t read. “Because it’s the right thing to do, Em,” he said softly. “Because no one else in Arrabar seems at all interested in seeking justice. ‘They’re just a couple of working class servants,’ ” he intoned. “Maybe they’re even guilty, and everyone has been reading them wrong. But no one has been able to prove it, yet. I can’t let that go. Not again.”

There it was again, Emriana realized. Those strange comments her brother was making. What was he talking about? She started to open her mouth to ask him, when suddenly, it hit her. The accident! Aunt Xaphira’s disappearance! It all made sense, and the realization made her gasp.

“What is it?” Vambran asked, concern in his eyes.

“Oh, Vambran, I’m sorry,” Emriana said, her voice thick. “That must have been horrible for you! And Uncle Dregaul has held it against you ever since,” she said, realizing then the origin of the animosity between Vambran and his uncle. “He blames you.”

That thought made Emriana feel sick to her stomach. She realized for the first time that she truly hated her uncle.

“He has a right to. Every day since it happened, I’ve wondered how it must have felt for Rodolpho’s family to wonder why someone would want to kill him. I’ve imagined the pain and hurt that not knowing the truth has caused them.” Vambran blinked then and looked at his sister with determination. “I won’t be a party to another covered-up killing. That’s why I have to do this. I would hope that you would do it just because it’s the right thing to do, but if you don’t want to…”

He shrugged and began to pace once more. It was Emriana’s turn to feel hurt.

“I never meant that,” she said. “I want to do what’s right, too, especially now that I know. I just want to make sure we’re doing it for the right reasons, and in the right way. Uncle Dregaul isn’t going to like us defying him, especially because of… because of what happened.”

“I don’t care what Uncle Dregaul thinks. I’m through cowering at his feet for my past crimes. I’m making amends, and this is my redemption.”

“As long as you realize that he could be right. If by continuing to dig around, we hurt the family business, are we doing more damage than good?”

“Are you saying that preserving the ‘business as usual’ attitude of Uncle Dregaul is more important than bringing murderers to justice?”

Emriana stared steadily at Vambran.

“No,” she said quietly. “I am saying that we should be subtle, in case we’re completely wrong, so that we don’t

Vambran took the pendant and held it up.

“Once per day, when you are holding it in your hand, you concentrate on the person you want to send the message to, and speak the message.”

“Oh, I want to try it, right now!”

“No, wait a minute. Listen to me. I said once per day. If you try it any more often than that, it won’t work. You have to hold it and concentrate on the idea of speaking a message to them. If you do that, it will work, no matter how far away from you that person is.”

Emriana just smiled and slipped the chain around her neck.

“It’s wonderful,” she said, feeling her eyes welling up with tears of happiness. “Thank you, Vambran.”

“The person on the other end of the message can talk back to you, if they want. But remember to keep the message short. You can’t ramble on and on, because only the first handful of words will go through.”

Emriana nodded and said, “I’ll remember.”

“If you ever get in a bind and need my help, use it to get my attention. I’ll get to you as quickly as I can.”

“All right,” the girl replied, smiling and wiping her eyes with her hands. She considered it the best birthday present she had ever received.

Finally, after Emriana had regained her composure, she returned to the topic at hand.

“So, what’s our next step?” she asked, feeling conspiratorial.

“Nothing, for the moment,” Vambran replied. “I need to spend some time with the company. There’s payroll to be distributed, plus I promised Adyan and Horial I would meet them tonight for drinks.”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Emriana said, pouting. “I was hoping for some real spying tonight.”

“Not a chance,” Vambran replied. “If nothing else, you’re still under Uncle Dregaul’s eagle eye at the moment. So you’re not going anywhere.” When she started to protest, Vambran wagged a finger at his

of them open to the sky but a few protected by wooden scaffolding draped with brightly colored awnings. Of course, there were the prerequisite planter boxes, trellises, and wooden railings generously placed to divide the space up, all overgrown with the tropical plants and vines that were so common in the Reach. The architecture created the effect of a hillside vineyard in the middle of the city.

The Crying Claw was hopping when Vambran got there, which was typical. It was one of the most popular taverns near the waterfront of Arrabar, and every ship’s officer, mercenary captain, middling merchant, ‘ and sword-for-hire frequented it whenever they were in the city. Even the inside was busy, and it took the lieutenant a few minutes to squeeze through the morass of patrons and get to the wide arched doorways that led out into the back. The bar had been set up to face two directions, one side open to the interior of the establishment and the other at the top of the terraced patios. Jenis Glowarm, the half-elf proprietor with the ever-present smile, was behind the bar, just as she was every night, along with three assistants. A full complement of servers moved endlessly between the tables and the bar, making their way up and down the stairs and ramps to serve drinks. Anyone wanting a job working for Jenis had to be physically fit.

Vambran slipped into a bit of open space at the bar, and when Jenis spotted him, she gave him a quick wink, for he had been a customer there for a long time.

“Be with you in a minute, hon,” Jenis said, scurrying to the far side to serve some customers who were clamoring for more beer.

Vambran gave the proprietor a wave of acknowledgement and kept his coin pouch safely in his hand while he waited.

He turned and let his eyes roam over the length of the terraced hillside, looking to see if any of his

Horial and Adyan waved back and pushed through the throngs until they reached him, though there was no more room at the bar.

“Evening, Lieutenant,” Horial said, clapping Vambran once on the shoulder. “I see you’re planning to buy the first round,” he added, nodding as Jenis sidled up to where Vambran stood, his elbows resting on the bar.

Vambran chuckled and waved the other two men toward the terraces.

“Go find us a table,” he said. “I’ll bring us three tall, frothy ones.”

The other two men nodded in hearty agreement and departed, peering through the openings in the lush, green walls in search of an empty spot. Vambran turned back to Jenis and ordered three mugs of her finest dark ale. Soon enough, he had the drinks in his hand and was working his way through the various patios, seeking his companions. He finally spotted them in a corner around a table meant for two. Shrugging, Vambran set the drinks down and grabbed an unused chair from another table and squeezed in beside them.

“Here’s to gold weighing my pockets down,” Adyan drawled, hoisting his own mug up to clink it against the other two before downing a long gulp.

“And to the ladies we spend it all on,” Horial added, winking as he slurped from his own mug.

“Hear, hear,” Vambran agreed, smiling. After each of them had savored the taste of their ales, Vambran settled back in his chair. “Did the men get their payments?”

“Aye,” Horial said, drawing his finger through a wet spot on the surface of the table. “All except Ludini, who had to tend to some family matters in Mimph and caught the ferry there first thing this morning. But I already knew he wouldn’t be around for several days. I put his share away for him.”

looking at each of them intently. “Some things we don’t even talk about anymore.” The lieutenant raised his eyebrows to emphasize his point. “This may be one of those times before the night’s through.”

Both men’s faces turned solemn.

Good, Vambran thought. They understand.

“We’re your friends,” Horial said. “Whatever’s going on, nothing’s changed in all these years. Not even that.”

“We’ll help you any way we can,” Adyan drawled, frowning. “Just tell us what you need.”

“Are you both sure?” Vambran asked. The two sergeants nodded. “All right, then,” the lieutenant continued. “Last night, Emriana and I ran up against some fellows who I think were pretending to be city watchmen. These thugs killed two people, supposedly in the line of duty, but I think there’s something else going on. Today, I got jumped by three vermin who definitely weren’t after my coin. Someone is hiding something and is awfully intent on keeping me from finding out what it is. But that’s exactly what I intend to do, and I need someone to watch my back.”

“Sounds like a mighty good time to me,” Adyan drawled, popping his knuckles and grinning, emphasizing the diagonal scar on his chin. “What’s the full story?”

After flagging down a barmaid and ordering another round of drinks, Vambran proceeded to explain his tale to his two friends. When he was finished, they nodded.

“Hey,” Horial said, “I already told you I was your man, but after hearing that, you know we have to set things right.”

Adyan nodded in agreement. “If nothing else, you’ll be wanting that dagger back,” he joked. “When do you want to kick their door in?”

“Tonight,” Vambran said. “As soon as you two are ready to go.”

moment how unbecoming it was for him, a mere Syndo priest in the temple’s hierarchy, to speak to the Grand Trabbar that way. “Why would you do that?”

Lavant smiled. “Please, Syndo Lazelle, calm yourself. If you will hear my explanation and give this matter a moment’s thought, I think you will come to understand the importance of seeing the events play to this conclusion. But I will not abide you raising your voice to me.”

Kovrim bowed his head in acquiescence.

“Of course, Grand Trabbar,” he said. “I was out of line. My apologies.”

“Not at all, my brother. It is often a narrow and treacherous line we must walk in order to ensure a bountiful return on our spiritual investments. The Merchant’s Friend would have everyone enjoy the windfalls of shrewd trade, taking us ever closer to the golden age that lies ahead, but there are many poor investments that beckon to us during our dealings. We all struggle from time to time, allowing anxieties over whether or not our coin has been spent wisely to cloud our judgment. You speak from the heart, and that is good, but you must remember that only cool heads can prevail at the bargaining table.”

“Of course, Grand Trabbar. Thank you for helping to guide me in my spiritual commerce. May you have many returns on your investments in me.”