The Shattered Mask s-3

by Richard Lee Byers

  "That's it," Talbot said. He advanced on Tamlin with mayhem in his eyes.

  Tazi had occasionally thought she'd enjoy nothing more than to see Talbot catch their supercilious brother apart from his hulking bodyguard and drub the snotti-ness out of him. Now, however, the prospect simply made her feel impatient.

  "Stop it!" she shouted. The two males turned to look at her. "Remember what Master Selwick said. It doesn't help to fight among ourselves."

  Tamlin grimaced. "You're right. Brother, I apologize. I know you're not to blame for Brom's death. It's just that I feel badly about it. If he hadn't conjured away the barrier of ice, I'd most likely be dead myself, and Escevar and Vox with me."

  "I suppose that by keeping the masked mage off our backs, he saved Tazi and me as well," Talbot said. "Now the only way to repay him is to avenge him."

  "And the same quite possibly holds true for Mother and Father," Tazi said.

  For a moment, they all stood silent, and then Talbot made a visible effort to throw off the somber mood that had overtaken them all. "What are you doing here?" he said to Tamlin. "Don't tell me you want to train."

  "The gods forbid," said Tamlin. "Actually, I was searching for the two of you. Gale says someone is demanding to speak to us, a factor from one of the warehouses."

  "If it's some business thing," Tazi said, "surely you can handle it by yourself."

  "For that matter, Erevis ought to be able to attend to it by himself," Tamlin replied. "But he says the woman wants us, all three of us, and such being the case, I see no reason why I should go endure the boredom by myself. It's time you two idlers understood the sort of misery I've been subjected to since Father disappeared."

  "Oh, all right," Talbot groaned. "Let's get it over with."

  As they tramped through the great house, Tazi said, "Dare I ask why you're still dragging around the axe?"

  "It brought me luck once," Tamlin replied. "I intend to keep it by me until this affair is over."

  Tazi sighed. "Say no more." Her older brother's superstitious streak was yet another of his irritating foibles.

  Tamlin led his sibs to the great hall, where Erevis stood tall and stiff, and a stocky woman with her graying hair pulled back in a long ponytail paced restlessly about. It was Wyla, not merely one of Father's workers but a valued retainer who had served him since his youth, often been a guest at Stormweather Towers, and given Tazi and Tal some of their earliest fencing lessons. Surely Erevis had told Tamlin who was calling, but the younger man hadn't relayed the name to his siblings because he had never noticed or didn't recall who Wyla was. Weeping Ilmater, he truly was an imbecile, and Tazi gave him an irritated scowl.

  Then, however, she saw how Wyla was moving, and her annoyance gave way to concern. She hurried toward the older woman. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

  Wyla's left hand twitched upward from her side, almost as if she had an urge to fend Tazi off, or shield herself in some way, although of course, the noblewoman knew she must simply have startled her. "What do you mean?" the factor asked.

  "Your limp," said Thazienne. "It's much worse than usual."

  "Oh." Wyla gave her an odd little smile. "Lately, my leg aches badly when it's cold. I suppose I'm getting old."

  "Well, for Sune's sake, sit down." Tazi pulled out one of the chairs at the long, inlaid table, and the factor lowered herself into it. "Didn't Erevis invite you to take a seat?"

  "Of course not, Mistress," the steward said sardonically. "You know I make it a rule to show visitors as little hospitality as humanly possible. That was why I didn't bother to fetch any refreshments, either." He gestured toward a pair of trays, one laden with a silver pitcher of mulled red wine and matching goblets, the other with bread, cheese, sliced apples, and grapes.

  As Tazi might have expected, that was all the invitation Tamlin needed to pour himself a drink. "So, how may we help you?" he said to Wyla.

  The factor hesitated, then said, "Master Gale, I beg your pardon, but what I have to say is for the young lords' and lady's ears alone."

  Erevis blinked in surprise. Talbot said, "Wyla, though I have no idea what you mean to tell us, I'm certain you can do so in front of Erevis."

  "Please, indulge me," Wyla replied. Tamlin shrugged. "Whatever it takes to move this along. We can always call Erevis back in a minute, or relay what we want him to know later on."

  "I suppose," said Tal reluctantly. He turned to Erevis. "If you wouldn't mind…"

  "Of course not," said the major-domo, "and I'll make certain none of the other servants overhears your deliberations, either." He turned and marched out in his herky-jerky way, the light of the brown iridescent lamps gleaming on his bald pate.

  The Uskevren sat down.

  "All right," said Thazienne, "tell us."

  "I saw Lord and Lady Uskevren this morning," Wyla said. "They sneaked into the warehouse and sent me here to talk to you. They even saw fit to give me a token to prove it, though I hope you've known me long enough to make that superfluous." She set a silver and sapphire brooch on the tabletop.

  Overcome with relief, Tazi slumped and closed her eyes. Though she would rather have died than admit it to anyone else, until this moment, she'd been all but certain her parents were dead.

  "I gave that brooch to Mother," Tamlin said.

  "We remember," said Tal. He peered quizzically at Wyla. "But why didn't Mother and Father come home and talk to us themselves?"

  "They didn't explain everything to me," Wyla said. "I gather they were in a hurry to get away from the warehouse before anyone else spotted them. But as I understand it, the same enemy who attacked you tried to kill them as well, and for the time being, they want the villain to believe the attempt succeeded. That way, when the time comes, they can strike at him by surprise."

  "I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense," Tazi said. "But why keep their survival a secret from members of our own household?"

  "Because they suspect that one or more of your retainers are spies. How else did the enemy know when your parents would leave the city unescorted, or what route you, Master Tamlin, would take as you rode out to go hawking, or that you, Master Talbot, had warriors stationed in buildings adjacent to the Wide Realms?"

  Tazi frowned. As Tamlin, dunce though he was, had observed during the conclave the day before, there were various ways in which a foe could discover what the Uskevren were up to, but a spy was certainly one plausible explanation.

  "I suppose we might have a traitor in our midst," she said, "but Wyla, you must know it couldn't possibly be Ere-vis. We trust him as implicitly as we do you."

  Wyla shook her head. "I simply know Lord Uskevren insisted that only you three were to know he and your mother are still alive, just as he stressed that he wants you to inform absolutely no one else."

  "That makes sense to me," said Tamlin. "I've never been as enamored of Cale as my brother and sister. Last winter that walking skeleton revealed a side of himself we'd never suspected. Perhaps he harbors other secrets."

  Thazienne flushed with anger. "He showed us that 'side' in the course of saving my life."

  "I agree with you," Talbot told her. "Erevis is unquestionably loyal. Still, perhaps he confides in someone else who isn't. Perhaps it would be wise to obey Father's instructions to the letter. The gods know, / have no idea what to do next. At any rate, I'm sure we haven't heard everything yet. Our sire wouldn't bother to communicate simply to reassure us that he and Mother are alive, not in the middle of a crisis when security is an issue. He's too canny and calculating for that."

  "You're right," Wyla said. "He also told me to tell you-"

  A hiss sounded from overhead.

  Startled, they all looked up. Jester, a brindled cat and one of the household pets, glared down through the marble balustrade that bordered the west gallery with pure malevolence in her yellow eyes.

  "What's the matter with her?" asked Tamlin, peering up at the agitated feline. "It's as if she senses a threat."

  Wyl
a's left arm twitched upward. Perhaps, Tazi thought, she had a recurring twinge in her chest, felt an urge to press her hand against the sore spot, but was too proud to let anyone else see she was in pain. That would be like her.

  "No!" Talbot rapped. "I mean, Jester's been acting strangely for the last day or so. Going into heat, probably. I'll get a servant to remove her." He rose and strode to the door. "Ho, somebody! We need a little help!"

  When Jester had been carried off yowling, writhing, and scratching, Tamlin said, "Now, what else did Father say?"

  "Do you know a tavern called the Drum and Mirror?" Wyla asked.

  "I do," Tazi said.

  "Good," Wyla said. "Your parents want you to meet them there at midnight. I gather they mean to explain how you're to help them put an end to the current threat. As you've no doubt surmised, they want you to come alone, and without telling anyone your destination."

  Tamlin frowned. "I don't much like the thought of going anywhere without Vox and Escevar."

  "If you insist on keeping Erevis in the dark," Tazi snapped, "then you can damn well dispense with your little retinue as well."

  "I suppose," her elder brother grumbled.

  "Good," said Talbot, "but I must say, this seems odd. I never would have expected Father to summon us out into the night unescorted when he knows someone wants to kill us." He smiled crookedly. "After all, he thinks we're a trio of helpless idiots."

  "Speak for yourself," Tazi said.

  "I only know what he told me," Wyla said.

  "I'm sure he reasoned that if no one knows we're going," said Tamlin, "no one can ambush us, and he's right, so we'll go. Anything to put an end to this unpleasantness and get things back to normal."

  "All right, I agree," said Talbot. He grinned. "Of course, if she still wants to be contrary, our sister may insist on staying home this time around."

  Tazi threw a slice of bread at him.

  As there was little of consequence left to say, Tamlin and Tal took their leave of Wyla shortly thereafter. The factor started to struggle up from her chair, and Tazi put her hand on the o.ther woman's arm. "You're more than welcome to stay and rest for a while," she said. "You seem tired."

  "No," said Wyla, lurching upright. "I must go. I have matters I must attend to."

  Thazienne smiled. "Are you worried about what Magnus and Chade might be doing, or not doing, during your absence?"

  For a split second, Wyla looked blank, then said, "Magnus and Chade, yes, exactly! Excuse me, Mistress, please." She turned and hurried away as quickly as her uneven gait would allow.

  Tazi shook her head. Talbot was right, things did seem strange. Father's summons. Jester throwing a fit And Wyla's manner as well. Why was she so ill at ease, and why, when the two of them were alone, had she called the noblewoman "Mistress" instead of "Tazi" as she normally would?

  Abruptly feeling impatient with herself, Thazienne snorted her misgivings away. Father desired secrecy, the cat craved a mate, Wyla was ill as well as upset over the troubles that had overtaken her employer's House, and none of it was anything to fret over. The important thing was that Father and Mother were alive and well and evidently had conceived a strategy to unmask and defeat the unknown enemy.

  Tazi stuffed a piece of apple in her mouth and filled a cup with warm, spiced wine.

  Chapter 19

  Then Nuldrevyn and Ossian reached Marance's shadowy suite, the wizard was lounging on a velvet-cushioned farthingale chair. Bileworm was limping about the room in a fantastic, frenetic manner, lengthening, shortening, and altering the form of one leg from moment to moment.

  Nuldrevyn viewed the wizard and his familiar with the usual mix of hope and anxiety. "Ossian says you want to see me," the old man said. "I trust it's important. You've called me away from a conference with the fellow who runs our most profitable marble quarry."

  "Then I apologize," said Marance, rising, staff in hand, from his chair. "But I also promise you won't be sorry you came."

  "From that," said Nuldrevyn, "I take it you're finally ready to share the details of your new scheme."

  "I am indeed," said Marance, his white eyes shining in the gloom. "Please, sit down and be comfortable." He waved his kinsmen to the cluster of chairs where they'd sat and palavered before.

  Nuldrevyn kept an eye on Bileworm as he seated himself, making sure the spirit couldn't pop out and surprise him. The familiar leered at the nobleman, and just for an instant, stretched and twisted himself into a sinusoidal form suggestive of a snake. Nuldrevyn went rigid but managed to avoid flinching outright.

  The old man scowled and returned his attention to Marance. "All right," he said, "tell us."

  "Of course," the wizard said. "I hit on this plan by pondering what went amiss with the previous ones. How did the Uskevren cubs escape? By outfighting me? No. By running away. So this time, I intend to deny them the opportunity."

  "Didn't you already try to do that," Nuldrevyn asked, "by placing a barrier of ice behind the heir, and stationing some of your conjured creatures at the door in the rear of the Wide Realms?"

  Marance's lips quirked upward. "In point of fact, yes. But in the former case, I didn't reckon on Master Selwick being such an accomplished wizard, and in the latter, I didn't anticipate Thamalon's allegedly invalid daughter turning up and fighting like a lioness. This time, nothing will go wrong. I'm going to trap our prey in the center of the High Bridge. With our forces sweeping in from both sides to catch them by surprise, and other warriors sealing off each end of the bridge just in case the Uskevren should somehow get past the first lot, it's inconceivable that the youngsters will survive."

  Nuldrevyn nodded, envisioning the snare. "It is an interesting idea," he conceded. "Once in a while, you hear of someone diving off the High Bridge and surviving, but never in winter with the river so icy cold. However, the scheme only works if you have a way of luring the Uskevren to the killing ground at the right time."

  "That's already taken care of," said Marance.

  "I deserve most of the credit," said Bileworm in a husky contralto voice. His body shortened and thickened until it became the silhouette of a stocky woman with a long ponytail, except that his wide, gray, fanged grin split the inky shadow-stuff of the face. "Master said it would be easy, but it wasn't. Since I failed to catch Wyla's memories, I didn't get the limp right, and my presence drove a cat wild. But still, I convinced everyone! I should be acting in the Wide Realms myself!"

  "What Bileworm is trying to explain," Marance said dryly, "is that cloaked in the flesh of a trusted family friend, he persuaded the Uskevren to come alone to a tavern at the center of the bridge for what they believe will be a secret meeting with their missing parents at midnight."

  "Not bad," Nuldrevyn said, "but what about the guardhouses on the bridge? There are some, you know."

  "Only a couple," the wizard said. "I wish I still had some sleep dust left, but I fancy that even without it, I can quietly eliminate the sentries in advance."

  "It's a good plan," said Ossian hesitantly, "but you alluded to 'warriors.' I hope you didn't mean the bravos I obtained for you, because most of them are wounded, slain, or have decided your service is too dangerous and decamped. I doubt I could find you another such group by tonight."

  "You needn't bother trying," said Marance. "I don't want you to think I'm unappreciative of your efforts, nephew, because I'm not, but I am tired of trying to work with the scrapings of Selgaunt's gutters. If any of those clods had known how to aim a crossbow, or had possessed the modicum of nerve necessary to fight alongside conjured creatures that I had explained were magically constrained from harming them, our campaign would be farther advanced than it is."

  "So you're simply going to rely on your summoned beasts?" Nuldrevyn asked.

  "No," said Marance. "If you recall, I explained why that isn't a sound idea. Actually, I'll require a number of your household guards, and I'd like to enlist the aid of one of your wizards as well. A nice brace of destructive spells, blazing une
xpectedly out of the dark from either side, may well slay the Uskevren before they even have a chance to reach for their swords."

  Nuldrevyn's throat abrupt felt thick with anxiety, but he realized that this time, he had to stand up to his brother. "Marance, we discussed that, too. We agreed that using our own soldiers would constitute an unacceptable risk."

  "Circumstances change," Marance replied. "Perspectives change. It's now clear to me that we must take the chance to assure our victory, and really, if we instruct our retainers not to flaunt the Talendar black and crimson, it's extremely unlikely that anyone will recognize them in the dead of night."

  Nuldrevyn shook his head. "I'm not convinced of that."

  "My poor brother. I recall when you would not only have endorsed this scheme, you would have demanded to stand in the vanguard and butcher an Uskevren or two with your own hand. Have the years diminished you so much?"

  "I don't feel diminished," Nuldrevyn replied, "but as you observed, perspectives change. When we were young, I thought only of what could be won. Now, I understand what must be preserved."

  Marance cocked his head. "I don't understand."

  "If we exterminate the Uskevren," Nuldrevyn replied, "it will give us satisfaction. In the long run, it may also enrich our House. Yet suppose we fail or even succeed, but are unmasked in the process. What happens if everyone discovers that it's the Talendar who attempted to assassinate Thamalon's children, creating mayhem and terror in public places, and trafficking with-forgive me- the powers of darkness?"

  "Then you brazen it out," Marance said, "and spread a few bribes around as needed."

  "That might work," Nuldrevyn said, "and it might not. We have other enemies besides the Uskevren, foes who, confident that under the circumstances the Hulorn and the Scepters will look the other way, might seize on the incident as an excuse to make war on us. Do you want to see your name dishonored, your ancestral home burned, and your kinsmen slaughtered or driven into exile, just as it happened to Thamalon's people?"