by Randy Nargi
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, BANDER AWOKE IN THE FALWARD BARRACKS AN HOUR BEFORE DAWN. It was force of habit. He had slept badly, his head still ached from the wine last night, and his muscles were tight. The air that flowed in the open window was cold and damp and smelled faintly of saltwater.
He draped a blanket over his shoulders, lit a lantern, and walked down the hall past bunk rooms of sleeping Falwards to the bath chambers. The water had not yet been heated for the day, but that was fine with Bander. He placed the lantern on a bench and plunged into the dark bathing pool. The ice-cold water clamped his head tight and made him gasp, but after several moments, the fog in his mind began to clear. He washed and then submerged for a final rinse. As his head broke the surface of the bath, Bander saw a pair of bare legs standing on the edge of the bathing pool, faintly illuminated by lantern light. The legs were female and they belonged to Vala. She didn’t say anything, just slid into the bathing pool next to him. She was naked except for her jewelry and scars.
“It appears I am not the only early riser,” he said.
Vala unpinned her hair and splashed her face with water. “In truth, I haven’t been to bed yet.”
“I see. Perhaps the fates smiled upon Magister Lagurian last night…?”
She snorted. “Hardly. My tastes don’t run to magisters these days.”
Bander knew enough not to pry, so he changed the subject. “The Lord Governor was not who I expected.”
“They never are.”
“I only meant that he seemed more genuinely interested in Tobin’s death than I would have thought.”
“One of Asryn’s few talents. He can make you believe that every word you utter is the most important in the Empire at that moment.”
“Did he know Tobin Leroth?”
“I doubt it.”
“Did he meet him?”
“I’m not sure.” Vala began to wash her long silvery hair. “But if he did, it would have been at an event much like last night’s. Despite his public proclamations to the contrary, the Lord Governor does not possess a high degree of interest in magical research.”
Bander didn’t say anything for a while. The cold water was becoming uncomfortable. He climbed from the bath and shook his head like an old shaggy dog. “We need to know what Tobin Leroth was working on. That’s the key to this whole thing.”
“I doubt very much that Silbra Dal will offer that information. She rebuked you once.”
“I can be very persuasive, if you recall.”
Vala shook her head and smiled. “Maybe a few decades ago…”
“I don’t know, Vala. She was entranced by my charms at the reception.”
“The mage is quite polite—”
“No matter. There may be others we can speak with.” Bander covered himself with the blanket. “Where can I get something to eat at this hour?”
Vala pulled herself from the bath in a single graceful movement and stood beside him, dripping cold water. “My quarters,” she said.
