Honor Among Thieves toss-1

by Elaine Cunningham

  Vishni eyed him with approval. “You look like MasterInsa’amid now.”

  The alchemist returned her gaze steadily. “I alwaysdid. As you well know.”

  “Crazier than three caged squirrels,” Delgar mutteredas he pulled the stone door shut behind him.

  Delgar and Fox returned to the den shortly aftermoonrise. They did not speak of the hour or the moon, but Honorknew. She could sense the rising of the moon despite the tons ofearth and stone between her and the Silver Lady.

  She could do this despite whatever it was thatRhendish had done to her.

  Her joy in this discovery was, however, swiftly mutedby her concern for Avidan’s absence.

  Midnight came and went before the alchemist returned.Honor, who had been pacing the tunnels, pulled up short at theentrance to the mirror room. The alchemist stood before the strangeglass, his gaze lost to lands far beyond the woodland pondreflected in the mirror.

  The scent of night air clung to the alchemist’s silkgarments, a delicate note amid the chorus of sandalwood and herbsperfuming them.

  “You were out walking,” she said. “Did you run intoFox and Delgar? They went out looking for you a couple of hoursago.”

  Avidan turned toward her. His face, backlit by thesoft sunrise glow coming from the mirror, was haggard and drawn,twisted with emotions she understood all too well.

  “You do not sleep. I envy you.”

  She did not require an explanation. Her oneexperience with dreams was nothing she cared to repeat.

  “I’ve completed the research you requested,” shesaid. “There are many descriptions of what Muldonny’s liquidweapons can do, but very little about how they are made.”

  Avidan dismissed this with a flick of his fingers.“Give it to Fox. The information may be of use to him.”

  Before Honor’s astonishment had a chance to turn toindignation, he added, “The solution you requested is ready totest.”

  He strode from the room without waiting for herresponse. Honor trotted to his side and fell into step.

  They made their way to Avidan’s workroom withoutfurther speech. He placed a small glass beaker on his table andpushed it toward her. Beside the beaker he placed a small, sharpknife.

  Honor used it to make a shallow cut on her wrist. Sheheld it over the beaker and let the blood drop into thecontainer.

  After a few moments Avidan nodded. “That issufficient.”

  She took the strip of cloth he handed her. While shewrapped her wrist, Avidan inserted a thin glass tube into thebeaker.

  A narrow crimson thread rose toward his hand as bloodflowed up the tube.

  “Capillary action,” Avidan said. “Liquid will flowupward in a narrow opening.”

  She tipped her head toward the vase of wild carrotblossoms, now nearly as red as the liquid in the vial. “Just likein the meadow flowers.”

  “Precisely.”

  “And the solution you made will react with my bloodeven when it’s dry?”

  “Wait and see.”

  Honor watched as the thin line crept toward the topof the tube. A faint glow dawned in the heart of the tiny bulb.

  “Enough?” Avidan asked.

  The elf shook her head. “I need a more dramaticeffect.”

  “A stronger solution is possible, but dangerous. Itwould become unstable when combined with blood.”

  “That’s not a deterrent,” Honor said. “If you cangive me a few seconds, I’ll make it work.”

  Avidan studied her as if he were beholding her forthe first time. “You are placing a great deal of confidence in theability of a madman.”

  She took a few moments to choose her words. “SupposeI was offered two swords and told to pick one to take into battle.One of these swords new and gleaming and perfect, the other nickedand dulled through countless battles yet strong enough to hold anedge. Which do you think I would choose?”

  “The analogy does not hold. I am no elven blade.”

  “You,” she said firmly, “are beyond doubt thestrongest and sanest man I have ever met. Anyone else would haveshattered long ago.”

  The alchemist’s gaze dropped to the beaker of blood.A long moment passed. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes heldclarity, determination, and an expression that Honor had only seenturned upon her sister the queen.

  “For that-”

  He broke off, shook his head, and began again. “Foryou, I would craft a substance that can turn the night skyto flame.”

  Fox spent the night in fitful slumber, waking upagain and again from dreams that explored ways tomorrow’senterprise could go awry. Somehow he doubted a single night wassufficient to cover all possibilities.

  Long before sunrise, he gave up any attempt at sleepand sought out Avidan. The alchemist was already awake and at work.A faint red glow came from a small beaker on the table.

  “Working on a new source of light for thetunnels?”

  Avidan looked up, a thoughtful expression on hisface. “That might be a useful application. I suppose we could makea deal with that butcher on Redcloak for supplies.”

  Fox grimaced. “I don’t want to know. Ready topractice?”

  They spent the next two hours going over signals,memorizing questions, running scenarios that might occur and howbest to deal with each. The trip to Stormwall Island occupiedseveral hours more, but shortly after midday Fox and Avidanpresented themselves at the gate to Muldonny’s domain.

  The adept was famous for using only clockwork guardsand servants within his inner walls, but a small battalion of armedmen patrolled the outer bailey.

  A grizzled old soldier took the papers Avidanproffered and gave the alchemist and his servant carefulscrutiny.

  Fox was reasonably certain they would passinspection. Avidan looked the part of a visiting Veldoonialchemist. He’d even cut his hair, which greatly increased hisresemblance to Shavin Insa’amid. Fox wore clothes he’d removed froma tinsmith’s clothesline-simple garments of good but middlingquality, such as might be expected in an important man’s servant.Avidan’s unguents covered the bruises on Fox’s face and darkenedhis skin to a hue nearly approaching the alchemist’s. He’d darkenedhis red hair with a black dye that Avidan swore, and Fox dearlyhoped, was temporary.

  The guard waved them through and pointed them to thevisitor’s entrance.

  As they walked through the bailey, Fox kept up asteady stream of last-minute instructions.

  “You’re sure you remember the signs.”

  “Do not concern yourself. My memory has been trainedto retain copious amounts of information.”

  “Copious. That’s good,” Fox murmured as he scannedthe courtyard. “What do you do if I scratch my ear?”

  Avidan sighed. “I stop talking about the subjectcurrently under discussion.”

  “What if I touch my mouth?”

  “Then I am to echo what the speaker said, in a mannerlikely to encourage him to continue in that vein. In short, I am toelicit more information.”

  Fox nodded. “The host gift is offered after you’vehad the wine or tea or whatever Muldonny offers. Not before.”

  “And if I find the refreshments insufficientrecompense for the gifts?”

  To Fox’s astonishment, the alchemist wore a wrysmile.

  “Was that a joke?”

  “Not a successful one, apparently.”

  “Huh.” Fox studied the alchemist. “You look. .better.”

  “Than what?”

  “Usual.”

  Avidan shrugged. “It is good from time to time toremember who you once were.”

  Thanks to his resemblance to the Veldooni alchemist,Fox had a pretty good idea what that was. It shamed him a littlethat he’d never thought to inquire into Avidan’s history. He’dassumed that the alchemist was one of many students driven mad bythe study, and that he’d found his way into the tunnels fleeing theinevitable result of not conforming to the adept’s vision ofSevrin. That, in and of itself, had been reason enough for Fox toaccept Avidan into his inner circle.

&nbs
p; But now his curiosity was aroused.

  “As for protocol,” he said in a casual tone, “justfollow whatever rules the Veldooni go by. Do you rememberthese?”

  “Yes.”

  An unspoken “Of course!” resounded through thealchemist’s terse response.

  “You looking so much like this Shavin Insa’amid is afortunate coincidence.”

  “Fortunate, perhaps. A coincidence, almost certainlynot.”

  They came to a stop before the second gate. Anotherhuman guard checked Avidan’s papers and his letter of invitationbefore unlocking the gate and turning them over to the clockworkguard.

  To Fox’s eyes, the design of Muldonny’s guardsrecalled an earlier era. Unlike Rhendish, whose clockworkconstructs looked more and more like humans with each newinnovation, the Adept of Stormwall Island surrounded himself withmachines that resembled armored knights of centuries past.

  They followed the animated knight into the fortressand down a corridor that opened into a grand hall. Muldonny bustledforward to meet them.

  Vishni’s description of Muldonny as a human squirrelhit very near the mark. His gray robe draped his pot belly andequally broad posterior. It reached below his knees, making hisshort legs appear even shorter. A jittery energy surrounded thelittle man, and his large dark eyes darted here and there as ifexpecting to see a lurking cat or the shadow of a giant raptor.

  The man lacked only a fluffy gray tail to completethe picture.

  Fox raised one hand to his mouth and coughed todisguise a smile.

  He stood back and looked appropriately servile as thetwo alchemists went through the formalities. Avidan handled himselfsurprisingly well. By the time they arrived in Muldonny’s workroom,Fox’s worry began to ebb.

  The room was like most of the alchemist shops Fox hadinfiltrated, cluttered with books and bottles and metal and leatherand a dozen projects in various stages of completion. Of particularinterest to him was the shell of a clockwork knight, identical tothe one that stood outside the workshop door, lying on aworktable.

  Muldonny gestured to a trio of large vats in an lcoveoff the main workroom.

  “These are some of my more effective solvents. Theyare not alkahest, not by any means, but they have provenuseful.”

  Avidan walked closer to the nearest vat. He inhaleddeeply, closed his eyes, and stood as if listening.

  “It’s a foul stench, I’ll grant you, but the solventis quite effective,” Muldonny said. “This dissolves metal, veryuseful in combat.”

  “A strange weapon for someone who works with metal,”Avidan said.

  The adept reached into a pocket over one massive hipand produced a small glass orb.

  “It is because I work with metal that I still keepthe solvent in quantity. Should one of my servants malfunction, itcan be stopped quickly.”

  “Very prudent, I’m sure.” Avidan shrugged off hiscloak and handed it to Fox. “I see you are building yet anotherservant.”

  “My standard model,” the adept said dismissively.“Useful, but nothing innovative. But come-let me show you mygarden.”

  Fox followed them out of the workshop, droppingAvidan’s cloak to the floor before he closed the door behindthem.

  A small table had been set up in the courtyardgardens. The refreshments were not lavish-a tall samovar of tea anda plate of small biscuits.

  Fox hoped the alchemist did not remember his commentabout fair reimbursement for the host gifts. Or if he did, thathe’d recall it was only a jest.

  A clockwork servant poured out tea and then fell backseveral paces. Fox took his cue from the machine and measured hisown distance.

  For a while, he listened while the men talked abouttheir work. Fox had little use for alchemy, so he learned for thefirst time that it arose in Veldoon in past centuries and onlyrecently spread to the northlands. Interesting, he supposed, but itwas time to move things forward.

  He caught Avidan’s eye and tapped a hand to hischest. The alchemist acknowledged him with a barely perceptiblenod.

  “I have heard that Sevrin is preoccupied withcollecting curiosities. Is this an interest you share?”

  Muldonny gestured for more tea. “I have been to themuseums, of course, but not for several years. You may wish tovisit them, if your time in Sevrin permits.”

  Avidan glanced at Fox for a prompt. The thief touchedhis left shoulder.

  “So you are not a collector, then.”

  “That would depend upon your definition of the term.Alchemists collect all manner of things. We must do so for ourwork, is that not so? But amassing a display of quaint objectsmerely to say you possess them?” He shook his head. “No, I am a manof singular focus.”

  Fox touched his mouth. Echo him, keep himtalking.

  “And what is that focus?” Avidan asked.

  The adept smiled. “I admire your devotion to yourgreat-grandsire’s art. Like you, I believe there is much to learnfrom the past. Sevrin is not wise to cut ties to the old ways.Perhaps not even the old races.”

  This was not something Fox had ever expected to hearan adept say. He touched his mouth again, urging Avidan to pursuethis.

  Before he could speak, a metal servant approachedwith a silver tray. A single calling card lay on the tray. Fox’seyes widened as he recognized Rhendish’s seal.

  Muldonny did not look much happier than Fox aboutthis development. “This is an unexpected pleasure,” he said in aflat tone. “It would appear that one of my brother adepts has cometo call.”

  Avidan rose. “Then I will leave you to confer.”

  “Oh, you must meet Rhendish. It will do him good toconverse with a man more learned than himself.”

  Fox flashed the symbol for Lie.Graciously.

  “You do me too much honor.” The alchemist resumed hisseat. “It will be my pleasure. I had hoped to gain an audience withsome of your fellow adepts. I have brought samples of my work withalkahest, if you think he might be interested.”

  Muldonny’s eyebrows rose. “I am never quite certainabout Rhendish, but I’m certainly interested.”

  “The vials are in my cloak.” Avidan snapped hisfingers as a signal for Fox to produce them.

  The thief stepped forward and dipped into a low bow.“A thousand pardons, my lord. I left your cloak in Muldonny’sworkroom.”

  “Fetch it immediately.” Avidan looked to Muldonny.“With your permission?”

  As Fox expected, Muldonny turned to the clockworkknight.

  “See Master Insa’amid’s man to the workroom andreturn with him.”

  Fox bowed low to each alchemist in turn, and he leftwith the adept’s globe of solvent tucked into his sleeve. It was,if he did say so himself, a pretty bit of pocket-mining.

  He retrieved Avidan’s cloak from the floor of theworkroom and patted it down. The lining held several pockets.Avidan had tucked into them four small ivory vials, all of themcarved from dragon’s teeth Fox had liberated from several privatecollections.

  He grimaced at the sight of the scrimshaw carvings onone of the teeth. The vial would be too easily traced. He tucked itinto his pocket.

  The clockwork servant gestured to the door. “Returnnow.”

  Fox jumped, startled by the hollow, metallic voice.“These things are talking now?”

  “Talking now.”

  “Empty night,” Fox muttered. “The adepts are gettingtoo good at their work.”

  “Return now,” the construct said.

  “If you’re in a hurry, feel free to go on without me.In fact, if you would take these vials to my master, I’d appreciateit.”

  “Take vials.”

  “That’s right,” Fox said. He held out two of thedragon tooth vials.

  The clockwork servant stood motionless. Apparently ittook instructions from no one but Muldonny.

  Another idea came to Fox. He wandered over to theworktable and picked up a handful of tiny gears.

  “Thief take clockwork!”

  “No, just exploring your ability to assesssituations.” He dropped the
handful of metal onto the table. “Outof curiosity, what would you do if I did steal somethingfrom the workshop?”

  The clockwork servant spun toward the alcove wherethe vats of solvent stood. On the floor just in front was a roundmetal grate. The construct bent down and lifted the cover withabout as much effort as Fox might require to pick up his boots.

  “Thief disappears.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Fox hefted Muldonny’s globeof solvent. “You go first.”

  He hurled the little sphere at the construct. Glassshattered against its plate-armor chest.

  Fetid steam surrounded the clockwork knight. When itcleared, no more than three heartbeats later, Fox could see thesolvent vats through a gaping hole in the construct’s chest.

  The clockwork servant stumbled forward and fell intothe shaft.

  Several moments passed before a distant clatter andthud sounded from below.

  No splash.

  A triumphant smile spread across Fox’s face. He mightnot be able to make the dagger switch today, but at least he’dfound a way into Muldonny’s manor.

  Now, to find a way to get himself and Avidanout.

  He shoved the grate back into place and looked aroundfor some sort of disguise.

  His gaze fell on the half-finished servant on theworktable. The shell really did look like a suit of armor.

  He went over for a closer look. The torso was emptyexcept for a few handfuls of tightly assembled machinery. Foxpulled them out and fed them to the vat of metal solvent.

  Fox climbed onto the table and worked his way intothe armor suit. He swung his legs over the side of the table andfound the metal was surprisingly light. Gripping the edge of thetable, he pulled himself upright.

  So far, so good.

  The helmet was another concern. To his relief hecould see through the hard silver substance covering the eyesockets. He worked his hands into the articulated gloves, flexedhis fingers several times. He hopped off the table and took anexperimental step. The armor was a little too big, but it felt wellbalanced. After two circuits of the workroom, he figured he was asready as he was likely to get. He clanked down the narrow stairsleading to the courtyard.