Academs Fury

by Jim Butcher

Chapter 21

  "I feel ridiculous," Isana said. She stared at the long dressing mirror and frowned at the gown Serai had procured for her. "I look ridiculous. "

  The gown was of deep blue silk, but cut and trimmed after the style of the cities of the northern regions of the Realm, complete with a beaded bodice that laced tightly across Isana's chest and pressed even her lean frame into something resembling a feminine bosom. She'd been forced to remove the ring on its chain, and now carried it in a cloth purse tucked into an inside pocket of the gown.

  Serai produced plain, if lovely silver jewelry-rings, a bracelet, and a necklace, adorned with stones of deep onyx. After a calculating look, she unbound Isana's hair from its braid and brushed it all out into dark, shining waves threaded with silver that fell to her waist. After that, Serai insisted upon applying cosmetics to Isana's face, though at least the woman had done so very lightly. When Isana looked into the mirror, she scarcely recognized the woman looking back out at her. She looked. . . not real, somehow, as though someone else was simply pretending to be Isana.

  "You're lovely," Serai said.

  "I'm not," Isana said. "This isn't. . . it isn't. . . me. I don't look like this. "

  "You do now, darling. You look stunning, and I insist upon being given full credit for the fact. " Serai, this time dressed in a silken gown of deep amber, touched a comb to several spots in Isana's hair, making adjustments, a wickedly amused glint in her eye. "I'm told that Lord Rhodes likes a girlish figure and dark hair. His wife will go into a fit when she sees him staring at you. "

  Isana shook her head. "I am not at all interested in making anyone stare at me. Particularly at a party hosted by a man who dispatched assassins to kill me. "

  "There's no proof that Kalare is behind the attacks, darling. Yet. " The courtesan turned from Isana to regard her own flawless appearance in the mirror, and smiled in pleasure at her own image. "We're stunning-and we need to be, if we're to make a good impression and accomplish our goals. It's vain, it's stupid, and it's shallow, but that makes it no less true. "

  Isana shook her head. "This is all so foolish. Lives are in danger, and our only hope of getting anyone to do anything about it is to bow our knee to fashion in order to curry favor at a garden party. There isn't time for this nonsense. "

  "We live within a society, Isana, that has been built by a thousand years of toil and effort and war. We are by necessity victims of its history and its institutions. " Serai tilted her head to one side for a moment, thoughtfully regarding her reflection, then artfully plucked a few curling strands from the clasps that held most of her hair back, so that they dropped to frame her face. The courtesan smiled, and Isana felt her squeeze her hand, her own fingers warm. "And admit it. That gown is perfect on you. "

  Isana felt herself smiling despite her concerns and turned back and forth in front of the mirror. "I suppose there's no harm in wearing something nice. "

  "Precisely," Serai said. "Shall we go then? Our carriage should arrive in a few moments, and I want to have time to gloat over the look on Sir Nedus's face when he sees you. "

  "Serai," Isana protested, gently. "You know I have no such interest, or any such intentions of getting that sort of attention. "

  "You should try it. It can be quite satisfying. " She paused, glancing at Isana, and asked, "Is there a man you'd prefer to see you tonight?"

  Isana rested the fingers of her hand lightly on the ring, hidden in its pouch. "Once there was. "

  "He is not a part of your life?" Serai asked.

  "He died. " Isana hadn't meant her voice to sound quite so flat and hard, but it had, and she could not say that she regretted it. "I don't discuss it. "

  "Of course," Serai said, her voice thoughtful. "Forgive me for intruding. " Then she smiled as though the exchange had never happened and took Isana's arm to walk her to the front of Sir Nedus's manor.

  Serai took a few steps ahead of Isana at the last moment, to the top of the staircase leading down into the house's main hall, the better to gain their host's attention and make a dramatic little flourish of presentation as Isana stepped self-consciously into view.

  The white-haired old Knight's seamed face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Furies, lass. I would never have guessed you cleaned up so well. "

  "Nedus!" Serai chided, and shook a finger at him. "How dare you underestimate my cosmetic skills. "

  Isana found herself smiling again and came down the stairs with Serai. "She tells me that I have you to thank for the gown, Sir Nedus. I am grateful for your generosity, and look forward to repaying it as soon as I may. "

  The old Knight waved his hand. "It is nothing, Steadholder. Foolish old men are wont to spend their gold on pretty girls. " He flicked a glance at Serai. "Or so I am told. Ladies, permit me to escort you to the carriage. "

  "And I suppose you'll have to do," Serai sniffed. She took Nedus's offered arm with graceful courtesy, and Isana followed them out the front door of the house. A white-and-silver carriage drawn by four grey horses waited there, a driver in grey livery holding the reins while another stepped down from the stand at the back of the carriage, folded down its mounting steps, and opened its door for the women.

  "Very nice," Serai murmured to Nedus. She glanced at the Knight, and said, "I notice that you wear your sword tonight, sir. "

  Nedus looked baffled. "Furies. Do I?"

  "Indeed. And I further notice that your clothing looks a rather great deal like the livery of the coachmen. "

  "Astonishing," Nedus said, smiling. "Some sort of fascinating coincidence, no doubt. "

  Serai stopped and frowned firmly up at the old man. "And the seat beside the driver is empty of an armsman. What are you playing at?"

  "Why, whatever do you mean?"

  Serai sighed. "Nedus, darling, this isn't what I asked for. You've done more than enough for the Realm in your day. You're retired. I have no intention of dragging you into something dangerous. Stay here. "

  "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're getting at, Lady Serai," Nedus replied affably. "I'm merely walking you to the carriage. "

  "You are not," Serai said, scowling.

  The old Knight glanced up at Isana and winked. "Well. Possibly not. But it occurs to me that if I did intend to ride arms upon that carriage, there would really be nothing you could do about it, lady. Once you get in, I could mount the carriage and you'd be none the wiser for the extra protection, regardless of what you might be willing to accept from me. "

  Serai's mouth firmed into a line. "You aren't going to let me talk you out of this, are you. "

  Nedus smiled guilelessly.

  Serai let out an exasperated breath and touched his arm. "At least promise me you'll be careful. "

  "There are old swordsmen and bold swordsmen," Nedus said, idly employing the old Legion maxim. "But very few old, bold swordsmen. " He opened the carriage door, and said, "Ladies, please. "

  Serai and Isana settled into the richly appointed carriage. Nedus shut the door and a moment later the carriage got under way. Isana watched Serai's face, sensing the Cursor's anxiety despite the habitual detachment she maintained.

  "You fear for him," Isana murmured.

  Serai gave her a pained smile. "In his day, he was one of the most dangerous men alive. But that was long ago. "

  "He adores you," Isana murmured. "Like a daughter. "

  Serai's smile became a little sad. "I know. " The tiny courtesan folded her hands in her lap and stared pointedly out the carriage's window, and the remainder of the short trip to the garden party passed in silence.

  The town house of Lord Kalare was larger than the whole of Isanaholt, and rose seven stories into the air. Balconies and stairs wound all over the outside of the building, thickly planted with broad-leafed plants, flowers, and small trees, all laid out in beautiful, miniature gardens, complete with several beautifully lit fountains. The coachman could have driven through the house's front doors without
ducking his head or being particularly careful about the position of the carriage's wheels. Wintersend streamers and bunting in the green and grey of the city of Kalare festooned every balcony railing, window, and pillar, and had been wound round twin rows of statuary that led up to the front doors.

  Forged invitation held in a confident hand, Serai led Isana up the lit walk toward the house's doors. "His house says something about our host, I think," Serai said. "Rich. Large. Gaudy. Indulgent. I'd say more, but I suppose it would sound unkind. "

  "I take it you do not care for Lord Kalare?" Isana asked.

  "Nor ever have," Serai replied cheerfully. "Quite aside from his recent activities, I have always found the man to be a spineless, venomous boor. I have often hoped that he would contract some wasting disease that would expose him to lethal levels of humiliation. "

  Isana found herself laughing. "Goodness. But you're coming to his party anyway?"

  "Why shouldn't I?" Serai said. "He adores me. "

  "He does?"

  "Of course, darling. Everyone does. I'll be welcome here. "

  "If he adores you so much, why weren't you invited in the first place?"

  "Because Lady Kalare made the lists," Serai said. "She does not adore any attractive woman whom her husband does, as a general rule. " The courtesan sniffed. "She's quite petty about it, really. "

  "Why do I get the impression that you love to cast that dislike back into her face?"

  Serai waved a hand airily. "Nonsense, darling. Gloating is hardly ladylike. " She approached the doorman waiting at the threshold and presented her invitation. The man gave it only a brief glance and returned Serai's smile with a bow and a polite murmur of welcome. Serai led Isana into an immense entry hallway lined with statuary. They passed down it, slippers whispering quietly on the stone floor. They passed through pools of light from colored furylamps hung here and there among the statues, and it was very quiet within the hall.

  Doubtless, the dimness and quiet had been intentionally established, for when Isana reached the end of the hallway, it opened up onto the sprawling garden that made up the heart of the manor house. The garden was a fabulous one, including topiary cut into the shape of horses and gargants, a section of the thick, green-purple foliage of the exotic trees of the Fever-thorn Jungle, and dozens of fountains. Furylamps in every color blazed with light, and spark imps leapt rhythmically from lamp to lamp in long jets of color and light, each imp precisely following the steps of an impossibly complex dance-one echoed by jets of water leaping gracefully from one fountain to the next in rhythmic counterpoint.

  The color of light falling upon any part of the garden changed between one breath and the next, and it left Isana feeling dazzled. Music floated throughout the garden, pipes, strings, a slow drum, and a wooden flute full of merry dignity.

  And the people. Isana had rarely seen so many people in one place, and every one of them wore clothing that could have paid the taxes on her steadholt for a month, at the very least. There were folk with the golden coloring of the sunny southern coast, folk with the thin, somewhat severe features of the mountains west of the capital, and folk with the darker skin of the sailing folk of the western coast. Jewels flashed from their nests within rich clothing, rings, and amulets, their colors clashing and striking chords with the light as it continually changed.

  The delicious odor of baking pastries and roasting meat filled the air, as did the fresh scents of flowers and new-cut grass, and Isana's nose touched upon half a dozen exotic perfumes as the attendees passed back and forth before them. In one nook of the garden, a juggler entertained half a dozen children of various ages, and in another drums beat more swiftly and intently, while three slave women sinuously weaved through the complex and demanding motions of traditional Kalaran dance.

  Isana could only stare at it all, her mouth falling open. "Furies," she breathed.

  Serai patted her hand. "Remember. As rich and powerful as they are, they're only people. And this house and garden-they're bought with mere money," she murmured. "Kalare is making an effort to display his wealth, his prosperity. Doubtless he is attempting to outdo whatever gatherings Aquitaine or Rhodes is planning. "

  "I've never seen anything like this," Isana said.

  Serai smiled and looked around. Isana saw something wistful in her eyes. "Yes. I suppose it is quite lovely. " She kept smiling, but Isana felt the faintest taint of bitterness as she spoke. "But I've seen what goes on in places like this, Steadholder. I can't appreciate the facade anymore. "

  "Is it truly so horrible?" Isana asked quietly.

  "It can be," Serai said. "But after all, this is where I do my work. Perhaps I'm jaded. Here, darling, let's stand to one side for a moment so that those coming in behind us don't walk on your gown. "

  Serai pulled Isana aside and spent a moment peering around the garden. A small line appeared between her brows.

  "What is it?" Isana asked quietly.

  "Attendance tonight is quite a bit more partisan than I expected," Serai murmured.

  "How so?"

  "A great many of the High Lords are conspicuous by their absence," Serai replied. "Antillus and Phrygia aren't here, naturally, nor have they sent representatives. Parcia and Attica have not come-but they've sent their senior Senators as proxies. That's going to anger Kalare. It's a calculated insult. " The little courtesan's eyes swept around the garden. "Lord and Lady Riva are here, as is Lady-but not Lord-Placida. Lord and Lady Rhodes are over there by the hedges. And my, it would seem that the Aquitaines are here as well. "

  "Aquitaine?" Isana said, her voice flat.

  Serai gave her a sharp glance. Except for her eyes, the courtesan's smile was a firm and impenetrable mask. "Darling, you must contain your emotions. Very nearly everyone here has at least as much skill at watercraft as you. And while some feelings are better when shared with others, rage really isn't one of them-particularly when very nearly everyone here is hideously skilled at firecraft as well. "

  Isana felt her lips press tightly together. "His ambitions killed some of my friends, my holders, my neighbors. But for good fortune, they would have killed my family as well. "

  Serai's eyes widened with apprehension. "Darling," she said, voice emphatic. "You must not. There are doubtless a dozen windcrafters listening to everything that they can. You must not say such things in public, where they might be overheard. The consequences could be dangerous. "

  "It's only the truth," Isana said.

  "No one can prove that," Serai replied. Her hand tightened on Isana's arm. "And you are here in your capacity as a Steadholder. That means that you are a Citizen. And it means that if you slander Aquitaine in public, he will be forced to challenge you in the juris macto. "

  Isana turned to blink at Serai, startled. "Duel? Me?"

  "If you fought him, he'd kill you. And the only way out of the duel would be to retract your statement in public-which would be an excellent way to help make sure that he can never be effectively accused. " The courtesan's eyes became cold and hard as stones. "You will control yourself, Steadholder, or for you own good I will knock you senseless and drag you back to Nedus's manor. "

  Isana could only stare at the tiny woman, her mouth open.

  "There will be a time of reckoning for those who have sought to undermine the authority of the Crown," Serai continued, iron in her eyes. "But it must be done properly if it is ever to be done at all. "

  In the face of Serai's reasoned determination, Isana forced her bitter anger aside. She'd had a lifetime of practice, resisting the influence of the emotions she could sense from others, and it afforded her some small advantage in containing her own. "You're right. I don't know what got into me. "

  The courtesan nodded, and her eyes softened to match her smile. "Furies, look what you've done. You've made me threaten you with physical violence, darling, which no proper lady would ever do. I feel so brutish. "

  "I apologize," Isana said.


  Serai patted her arm, and said, "Fortunately, I am the most gracious and tolerant woman in the Realm. I will forgive you. " She sniffed. "Eventually. "

  "Who should we talk to in the meanwhile?" Isana asked.

  Serai pursed her lips thoughtfully, and said, "Let us begin with Lady Placida. She is the annalist of the Dianic League, and her husband has made it a point to remain rather distant from Kalare or Aquitaine. "

  "He supports the Crown, then?" Isana asked.

  Serai arched a brow. "Not precisely. But he pays his taxes without complaining, and he and his sons have served terms in the Shieldwall Legions of Antillus. He'll fight for his Realm, but he's mostly concerned with managing his lands with as little interference as possible. So long as he has that, he is unconcerned with the identity of the next First Lord. "

  "I shall never understand politics. Why would he help us?"

  "He likely wouldn't, on his own," Serai said. "But there's a chance his wife will. I suspect the Dianic League will be most interested in establishing relationships with you. "

  "You mean, they want me to owe them favors as rapidly as possible," Isana said in a dry voice.

  "Your understanding of politics seems sound enough to me," Serai replied, her eyes sparkling, and she led Isana over to meet Lady Placida.

  Lord Placida's wife was an exceptionally tall woman with a thin, severe face and heavy-lidded brown eyes that bespoke the exceptional intellect behind them. She wore the single, deep color of the ruling house of Placida, a rich, deep emerald green whose dye was derived from a plant found only in the high reaches of the mountains near Placida. She wore golden jewelry set with emeralds and amethyst, each piece beautiful in its elegant simplicity. She looked no older than a girl in her midtwenties, though her medium brown hair, like Isana's, was touched lightly with silver and grey. She wore it bound up in a simple net that fell to the base of her neck, and she smelled of rose oil.

  "Serai," she murmured, and smiled at the courtesan as she approached. Her voice was surprisingly light and sweet. She came forward, hands held out, and Serai took them, smiling. "It's been too long since you've visited us. "

  Serai inclined her head in a bow of deference to Lady Placida's station. "Thank you, Your Grace. And how is your lord husband, if I may ask?"

  Lady Placida rolled her eyes the tiniest bit, and drily murmured, "He was not feeling well enough to attend tonight's festivities. Something in the air, no doubt. "

  "No doubt," Serai replied, her voice grave. "If I may be so bold, would you convey my best wishes to him for a speedy recovery?"

  "Gladly," the High Lady said. She turned her face to Isana and smiled politely. "And you, lady. Would you happen to be Isana of Calderon?"

  Isana bowed her head in reply. "If you please, Your Grace, just Isana. "

  Lady Placida arched a brow and studied Isana with intent, alert eyes. "No, Steadholder. I'm afraid I must disagree. Indeed, of all the women in the Realm, it would seem that you might be the one who most deserves the honorific. You've done something no other woman in all the history of Alera has ever done. You've earned rank and title without resorting to marriage or murder. "

  Isana shook her head. "The First Lord deserves the credit, if anyone. I had little say in the matter. "

  Lady Placida smiled. "History seldom takes note of serendipity when it records events. And from what I have heard, I suspect an argument could be made that you very much did earn the title. "

  "Many women have earned titles, Your Grace. It doesn't seem to have been a factor in whether or not they actually received them. "

  Lady Placida laughed. "True enough. But perhaps that is beginning to change. " She offered her hands. "It is a distinct pleasure to meet you, Steadholder. "

  Isana clasped the other woman's hands for a moment, smiling. "Likewise. "

  "Please tell me that Serai is not your guide here in the capital," the High Lady murmured.

  Serai sighed. "Everyone thinks the worst of me. "

  "Tut, dear," Lady Placida said calmly, her eyes shining. "I don't think the worst of you. I happen to know it. And I shudder to think to what kinds of shocking experiences the good Steadholder is about to be exposed. "

  Serai thrust out her lower lip. "Few enough. I'm staying at Sir Nedus's manor. I've got to be on my best behavior. "

  Lady Placida nodded in understanding. "Isana, have any of the Dianic League's council spoken to you yet?"

  "Not yet, Your Grace," Isana replied.

  "Ah," said Lady Placida. "Well, I'll not bore you with a recruiting speech here at the party, but I should enjoy the chance to discuss matters with you before the conclusion of Wintersend. I think there are many things that you and the League might have to offer one another. "

  "I don't know what I could offer, Your Grace," Isana said.

  "An example, for one," Lady Placida replied. "Word of your appointment has spread like wildfire, you know. There are thousands of women in the Realm who have been shown that there are doors that might now be open to them that were not before. "

  "Your Grace," Serai lied smoothly, "I am afraid that the Steadholder's time is by and large accounted for, as a guest of the First Lord's-but I happen to know the outrageously beautiful slave in charge of her calendar, and I should be glad to speak to her on your behalf to see if we can open up a time. "

  Lady Placida laughed. "My own time is somewhat limited, you know. "

  "I do not doubt it," Serai said. "But perhaps something might be arranged. What are your mornings like?"

  "Filled with endless receptions for the most part, but for my lord husband's audience with the First Lord. "

  Serai arched a thoughtful brow. "There is usually quite a bit of walking involved during the audience. Perhaps you might permit the Steadholder to accompany you for conversation?"

  "An excellent notion," Lady Placida said. "But two days too late, I am afraid. My lord husband was first on the list this year. " Her words were light and pleasant, but Isana saw something shrewd and calculating in her eyes for a moment. "I'll have one of my staff contact you to find a time to take tea with the Steadholder-if that is all right with you, of course, Isana. "

  "Oh. Yes, of course," Isana said.

  "Excellent," Lady Placida said, smiling. "Until we meet again, then. " She turned away to take up a conversation with a pair of grey-bearded men, each wearing the deep purple sash of a Senator.

  Isana's stomach clenched in frustration and worry. She glanced at Serai, and said, "There must be someone else. "

  Serai frowned at the High Lady's back for a moment, and murmured to Isana, "Of course, darling. If at first you don't succeed, pick the next most likely course of action. " The courtesan looked around the garden. "Mmm. Lord and Lady Riva probably aren't going to be very interested in helping you, I'm afraid. They very much resent how the First Lord appointed your brother as the new Count Calderon without consulting them on the matter. "

  "Who does that leave?" Isana asked.

  Serai shook her head. "We'll keep trying until we've heard no from everyone. But let me go speak to Lord Rhodes. "

  "Shouldn't I come with you?"

  "No," Serai said, firmly. "Remember, I think he's going to rather enjoy the look of you. I'd like to spring that on him as a surprise. It may warm him to the idea of taking you with him. Just watch me and come over when I wave, darling. "

  "All right," Isana said.

  Serai glided through the attendees, smiling and exchanging courtesies as she went. Isana watched her, and felt suddenly vulnerable without the Cursor's presence and guidance. Isana glanced around, looking for a place she could wait without jumping like a frightened cat every time someone walked behind her. There was a long stone bench beside a nearby fountain, and Isana settled lightly down on it, making sure that she could see Serai.

  A moment later, a woman in a red gown settled on the other end of the bench and nodded pleasantly at Isana. She was tall, her ha
ir dark though shot with silver. She had clear grey eyes and lovely, if remote features.

  Isana nodded back with a smile, then frowned thoughtfully. The woman seemed familiar, and a moment later she recognized her from the attack at the windport. She was the woman Isana had stumbled into.

  "My lady," Isana said, "I'm afraid I didn't get the chance to beg your pardon at the windport this morning. "

  The woman arched a brow, expression quizzical, then she suddenly smiled. "Oh, on the landing platform. There were no broken bones-hardly a need to apologize. "

  "All the same. I left without doing so. "

  The woman smiled. "Your first time at the capital's windport?"

  "Yes," Isana said.

  "It can be overwhelming," the woman said, nodding. "So many windcrafters and porters and litters. All that dust blowing around-and, of course, no one can see anything. It's madness during Wintersend. Don't feel bad, Steadholder. "

  Isana blinked at the woman startled. "You recognize me?"

  "A great many would," the woman said. "You are one of the more famous women in the Realm this year. I am sure the Dianic League will be falling all over itself to welcome you. "

  Isana forced herself to smile politely, keeping a tight rein on her emotions. "It's quite flattering. I've spoken to High Lady Placida already. "

  The woman in red laughed. "Aria is many things-but none of them are flattering. I hope she was pleasant to you. "

  "Very," Isana said. "I had not expected this kind of. . . " She hesitated, searching for a phrase that would not give the noblewoman offense.

  "Courtesy?" the woman suggested. "Common politeness uncommon in a noblewoman?"

  "I would not describe it using any of those terms, lady," Isana replied, but she couldn't keep the wry humor out of her voice.

  The woman laughed. "And I suspect that is because you have a conscience, whereas a great many of the people here would only be moved to it by their political ambitions. Ambitions are incompatible with consciences, you know. The two strangle one another straightaway and leave an awful mess behind them. "

  Isana laughed. "And you, lady? Are you a woman of conscience or of ambition?"

  The lady smiled. "That's a question rarely asked here at court. "

  "And why is that?"

  "Because a woman of conscience would tell you that she is a person of conscience. A woman of ambition would tell you that she is a person of conscience-only much more convincingly. "

  Isana arched a brow, smiling. "I see. I shall have to be more circumspect in my questions, then. "

  "Don't," the lady said. "It's refreshing to encounter a new mind with new questions. Welcome to Alera Imperia, Steadholder. "

  Isana inclined her head to the lady, and murmured, with genuine gratitude, "Thank you. "

  "Of course. It's the least I can do. "

  Isana looked up to see Serai speaking to a hollow-cheeked man in gold and sable, the colors of the House of Rhodes. The courtesan was laughing at something the High Lord was saying as she glanced over at Isana.

  The smile froze on Serai's face.

  She turned back to Rhodes, and said something else, then turned and immediately crossed the garden to Isana and the woman in the red gown.

  "Steadholder," Serai said, smiling. She curtseyed deeply to the woman in red. "Lady Aquitaine. "

  Isana's glance snapped from Serai to the woman in red, the heated anger she had felt before struggling to burst free. "You. " She choked on the sentence and had to take a breath and begin again. "You are Lady Aquitaine?"

  The lady regarded Serai with a cool glance, and murmured, voice dry, "Did I not mention my name? How careless of me. " She nodded to Isana, and said, "I am Invidia, wife to Aquitainus Attis, High Lord Aquitaine. And I should very much like to discuss the future with you, Steadholder. "

  Isana rose to her feet and felt her chin lift as she glared down at Lady Aquitaine. "I don't see what point there would be to that discussion, Your Grace," she said.

  "Why ever not?"

  Isana felt Serai step next to her, and the courtesan's fingers tightened on Isana's wrist, urging restraint. "Because in every future I can imagine, you and I have nothing to do with one another. "

  Lady Aquitaine smiled, a cool, self-contained expression. "The future is a winding road. It is not possible to foresee all of its turns. "

  "Perhaps not," Isana replied. "But it is possible to choose one's traveling companions. And I will not walk with a tr-"

  Serai's nails dug hard into Isana's arm, and the Steadholder barely kept herself from saying the word "traitor. " She took a deep breath and steadied herself before resuming. "I will not walk with a traveling companion I have small reason to like-and even less to trust. "

  Lady Aquitaine looked quietly from Isana to Serai and back. "Yes. I can see that your taste in companions and mine differ significantly. But bear in mind, Steadholder, that the road can be a dangerous one. There are many hazards both overt and unseen. It is wise to walk with someone who is able to protect you from them. "

  "And even wiser to choose companions who will not turn upon you when the opportunity presents itself," Isana replied. She lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. "I saw your husband's dagger, Your Grace. I buried men and women and children who died because of it. I will never walk willingly with such as you. "

  Lady Aquitaine's eyes narrowed unreadably. Then she nodded once, and her gaze moved to Serai. "I take it, Serai, that you are the Steadholder's guide within the capital?"

  "His Majesty made a request of my master, who loaned me out to do so," Serai replied, smiling. "And if I happen to take in the new season's fashion in the course of my duties, well, I shall simply have to bear it. "

  Lady Aquitaine smiled. "Well, it isn't like our Midsummer ball, but it will have to do. "

  "Nothing compares to Midsummer at Aquitaine," Serai said. "And your gown is quite gorgeous. "

  Lady Aquitaine smiled in what looked like genuine pleasure. "This old thing?" she asked artlessly, and waved a hand. The scarlet silk of her dress swept through a haze of colors, then settled on a shade of amber like Serai's own dress, but more deeply steeped in crimson.

  Serai's lips parted, and she smiled. "Oh, my. Is it difficult to do that?"

  "No more so than any faucet or oven," Lady Aquitaine replied. "It's a new line of silks my Master Weaver has been working on for years. " Another gesture returned the silk to its original hue, though it deepened from scarlet to black by gentle degrees at the ends of the sleeves and the hem of the skirts. "My lord husband suggested it be used to reflect the mood of its wearer, but for goodness sake, it isn't as though we don't have trouble enough dealing with men. If they suddenly actually became able to gauge our moods, I'm sure it would be an utter disaster. So I insisted on mere fashion. "

  Serai regarded the dress wistfully. "Expensive, I take it, the new silk?"

  Lady Aquitaine shrugged a shoulder. "Yes, but not grotesquely so. And I might be able to arrange something for you, darling, should you join us at Midsummer. "

  Serai's smiling mask returned. "That's very generous, Your Grace. And certainly tempting. But I fear I must consult with my master before making any decisions. "

  "Naturally. I know how highly you value your loyalty. And he who commands it. " There was a sudden silence, and Lady Aquitaine's smile put a mild but definite emphasis on it. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to come? These gowns are going to be all the rage in the next season or two. I'd love to see you in one-and you are, after all, an invaluable consultant on such matters. It would be a true shame were you not to be recognized as a leader in the newest styles. "

  Isana felt the courtesan's fingers tighten on her arm again. "You are very generous, Your Grace," Serai replied. She hesitated so briefly that Isana barely heard the awkward pause. "I'm afraid I'm still all turned about from all the travel I've done. Let me sleep on it and consider the possibilities. "

  "Of
course, dear. Meanwhile, do good service to your master and to the Steadholder, Serai. The capital can be a dangerous place to those new to it. It would be a great loss to the League should anything happen to her. "

  "I assure you, Your Grace, that Isana is in the care of more hands than are easily seen. "

  "Of that," Lady Aquitaine said, "I am certain. " She rose smoothly and inclined her head to Isana and Serai. Her steady grey eyes remained on Isana's. "Ladies. I am sure we will speak again. "

  It was a dismissal. Isana narrowed her eyes and prepared to stand her ground, but Serai's silent tugs on her arm drew her away from Lady Aquitaine to another part of the garden.

  "She knew," Isana said quietly. "She knew how I would react to her had she introduced herself. "

  "Obviously," Serai said, and her voice was shaking.

  Isana felt a thrill of apprehension flow into her from the courtesan, and she blinked at the smaller woman. "Are you all right?"

  Serai looked around them, then said, "Not here. We'll speak again later. "

  "Very well," Isana said. "Did you speak to Lord Rhodes?"

  "Yes. "

  "Where is he?"

  Serai shook her head. "He and the other High Lords have gone to the far garden to bear witness to Kalare's official duel with his son, Brencis, for Citizenship. His audience with the First Lord is on the morrow, but his party is already overlarge. " She licked her lips. "I think we should leave, Steadholder, as soon as possible. "

  Isana felt herself tensing again. "Are we in danger?"

  Serai looked across the garden at Lady Aquitaine, and Isana felt her start trembling more severely. "Yes. We are. "

  Isana felt Serai's fear creep into her own belly. "What should we do?"

  "I. . . I don't know. . . " The little courtesan took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she opened them, and Isana could feel her forcing steel into her voice. "We should leave as soon as possible. I'll make you enough introductions to satisfy courtesy, then we will return to the House of Nedus. "

  Isana felt her throat tighten. "We've failed. "

  Serai lifted her chin and patted I Sana's arm firmly. "We have not yet succeeded. There is a difference. We'll find a way. "

  The courtesan's confident manner had returned, but Isana thought she could feel the faintest trembling yet in her hand. And she saw Serai spare another glance in Lady Aquitaine's direction, her eyes moving too quickly to be anything but nervous.

  Isana looked back and met Lady Aquitaine's cool grey eyes from across the garden.

  The Steadholder shivered and turned away.