Lord of the Silent Kingdom (31 page)

“Could the ring really be that old?”

A brief-lived Agean empire had ruled the littorals of the eastern Mother Sea when Brothe was still a modest town under the dominion of the Felscian Confederation.

“I do get a sense of great age, Piper.”

“What about the last line?”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen characters like those before but I don’t remember where. I’ll need to do some research. Looking for mention of the ring itself, too. If it’s important at all it will have left a trail across time. Likely mile-marked by unpleasantries.”

Hecht nodded. That had been his guess, based on stories about magical artifacts he had heard.

The Principatè said, “One wonders how such an item falls into the hands of someone like yourself.”

“Exactly the way I explained it.”

“Oh, I believe that. I’m curious about the mind that made it happen. That singled you out. The way you were singled out for the attention of the soultaken, before? Who? Why? Did he have good intentions? Or is this a booby trap?”

“I have no idea. And I don’t intend to dig into it, either. I’m leaving the damned thing with you.”

“Piper. You never want to give up something with so much potential value.”

“Why not? It’s no use to me. It wouldn’t be like I was turning out my pockets and tossing my money into the Teragi. All I could do is sell it for the gold.”

“Or to a sorcerer for its power.”

“Which you can’t even tell me what it is. So even for you it’s only a chunk of gold with potential.”

Delari shrugged. “Life is that way. For me. Trying to winkle potential out of stubborn nuggets.”

Hecht did not respond. Delari had to become more forthcoming if he was going to tap the potential in this particular nugget.

Delari seemed more amused than frustrated. “Patience is my great virtue, Piper. All right, I’ll study this beast. In my copious spare time. And let you know as soon as I find out anything interesting. Who can guess? It might turn out such a dud that you can just give it back to the Bruglioni.”

The old man startled him. And he let it show.

“It’s common knowledge, among those who pay attention, that the Bruglioni are looking for a talisman that belonged to Principatè Divino. And they suspect that said talisman passed through the hands of onetime employee Piper Hecht.”

Delari, as always, was better informed than he ought to be. Which was frightening.

Piper Hecht had secrets he did not want known by even the friendliest member of the Collegium.

The old man smiled like he knew exactly what was going on inside Hecht’s head.

Despite repeated assassination attempts, Hecht did not travel with a klatch of bodyguards. He hoped anonymity would protect him. He never dressed his station. That offended some at the Chiaro Palace but left him indistinguishable from other outlanders in the streets.

He headed for Anna Mozilla’s place, by way of the hippodrome, where he visited Pinkus Ghort. Ghort had set up a military camp right there in the plaza. Hecht told him, “You look terrible. You need to get some sleep.”

“I love you, too. Yeah, mom. I’m gonna get on that real soon. Seriously, we’ve got a handle on it. I can take some time, now. There ain’t much chance we’ll find anyone alive anymore. Thanks for sending your guys.”

“No problem. I’ll get some grief but they won’t fire me.”

“They worried about the mob? I heard you almost had an incident.”

“Yes. One of your boys was right in the middle of it, too.”

“Bo? He’s doing good work. We get done with this shit here, I’m gonna make some moves on them rabble-rousers.”

“You need him desperately?”

“Bo? Why?”

“I want to borrow him. There was another man in that crowd that shouldn’t have been there. Shouldn’t even be alive. I want to track him down.”

“Important?”

“It might be. I want to know for sure.”

“He’s around somewhere. I’ll talk to him after my nap.”

“I’ll be at Anna’s house.”

***

THE NEARER HECHT GOT TO ANNA’S HOUSE THE MORE uncomfortable he became. He could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. He tried to catch a stalker but had no luck. There were too many people in the streets.

“You look like hell,” Anna said as she let him in. He gave her an edited version of recent events. She asked, “How can you expect to get along with Principatè Doneto, now?”

“He doesn’t know I know what he’s up to.”

“Don’t bet your life on that. And what about Pinkus?”

He had been examining that question from every angle he could imagine. “What about him?”

“Where does he stand? He’s never pretended to be anything but Doneto’s man. What’ll he do in a pissing contest?”

“I don’t know. I doubt that he does. That’s the kind of question you can’t answer until you have to. I’m not even sure about me. I think I’m Principatè Delari’s man. I
want
to think I am. But the Church pays my wages. Doneto, at least publicly, will go right on being Sublime’s biggest supporter.”

“Just be careful.”

“I will. I promise. You been out much lately?”

“Only to get water. With the children. Why?”

“What’re they saying around the fountain?” As everywhere, the neighborhood women took their time getting water, indulging in gossip.

“Today they were more relaxed. And they all knew it. But not why.”

“That isn’t hard. The bad thing is dead.” The children entered the room, Vali carrying the tea service.

Pella had a book. He wanted to show off his reading skills. Hecht allowed him to do so, certain he could not have improved much in just a few days. He had not. “Good job with the tea, Vali.”

Vali did not stumble. She shot him a look that said he would have to be more clever than that. He smiled and winked. Vali winked right back.

Hecht told Anna, “I’m worried about what Delari is up to.”

“Meaning?”

“When we found him he told me he caused the cave-in by exploding a keg of firepowder. Which he blew up in order to kill the monster.”

“And? You don’t think he could carry a powder keg? Or that one keg wouldn’t cause that much damage?”

“It could do the damage. The stuff is amazing. When it’s made right, by skilled artificers. No. My problem is what he didn’t explain. Which is all that sorcery we saw happen.
After
the hippodrome fell down.”

“Oh. I see.”

“If the explosion killed the beast, then why was there a lot of sorcery?”

Hecht glanced at Vali. The girl looked like she was about to explode. She grabbed the tea service and headed for the kitchen, dragging Pella.

Anna chuckled. “You’re about to hear an interesting theory.”

So. Maybe the way to lure the girl out was to engage her intellect.

Someone knocked on the front door. Hecht asked, “You expecting somebody?”

Anna shook her head. “It’ll be for you. Or the kids.” Even so, she went to see who was there. Pella returned from the kitchen and leaned on the back of the chair Anna had just quit.

The boy said, “The thing that died in the underworld would’ve been almost a god. Right?”

“A seriously powerful Instrumentality, yes. But a demon. There is only one God.”

“So what you saw happening coulda just been it dying? Right?”

Death throes? All that? “Maybe.” Impressed.

He tried to recall what had happened with the Old God who died outside al-Khazen. And found a hole in his memory. One that made itself evident by the fact that he knew it was missing when it ought to be there. But there remained a vague recollection of a dramatic conclusion.

Was that what happened when gods died? Even their memory fled the world? But there were a lot of ancient gods still around, lurking in myth and old stories.

Maybe remembered because they were not yet dead.

Anna called, “Piper. This must be for you.”

Hecht had been easing toward the door already. He peered out the gap allowed by the heavy security chains. “It’s all right. I know him.”

Bo Biogna stood on the stoop, short, wide, dirty, and a bit scary.

Anna whispered, “I’m not sure I want that man inside my house.”

“It’s important.” Though why Biogna would turn up here was a puzzle. “I’ll see him in the kitchen.”

“You can’t take care of it outside?”

“No, darling. There might be eyes out there. I’ll make sure he doesn’t put anything in his pockets.”

Anna was not amused.

“In,” Hecht told Ghort’s man. “Follow me.” He led the way to the kitchen. “Pella. Find us a couple of stools. Vali. Get Mr. Biogna a cup. Assuming you’d like tea, Bo.”

“Tea is fine. But I didn’t come to socialize.”

Anna joined them. She took over the tea preparation. While keeping a wary eye on the visitor. Biogna sensed her discomfort and suspicion. He seemed more amused than offended.

“What’s up?” Hecht asked.

“Colonel Ghort sent me. Said you need my help. That you need me to get on something right away.”

“It isn’t that critical. You can work on it while you’re doing what you’re doing already. There’s a man I need found and identified. He was out there in the Closed Ground right by you.” Hecht described the man he had seen in the mob.

“I know the one you mean. Surprisingly enough. I noticed him because he was creepy. And he smelled bad.”

“Find out whatever you can. Who he is. Where he lives. That sort of thing.”

Biogna studied him from beneath shaggy brows. He had grown stocky. He looked much more like a prosperous thug than the starving refugee Hecht had met on the road to Brothe. “You got somewhere for me to start? Brothe covers a lot of ground.”

“I don’t. I’ve only noticed him a few times. At a guess, spying. My man Bechter noticed him before I did.

He seems to be keeping an eye on me and my staff.”

“Imperial?”

“That would be my first guess. If not that, then Connecten. Or possibly Arnhander.”

“Or maybe our big boss is keeping an eye on you?”

“He has people on the inside to handle that.”

“Probably. You asked for me on account of you want to keep this quiet. Right?”

“Yes.”

Biogna nodded. “You got it. Good tea, ma’am. Thank you. I’ll be shoving off.”

Hecht did not argue. He accompanied Biogna to the door. As the man stepped out, Hecht asked, “You still see Just Plain Joe?”

“All the time. He’s easy to be around.”

That was true, Hecht remembered. Just Plain Joe was not much smarter than the animals he cared for but he was a comfortable companion. “Sure is. Next time you see him, tell him hello from me. And ask if he’s happy where he is.”

“Hell, Pipe. Of course he is. He’s Just Plain Joe. Joe is happy. Wherever he’s at, that’s the best possible place to be.”

“I could use a man who’s good with animals.”

“He’ll be looking for a job before long. We all will. Unless something scares the Five Families so bad they figure they’ve got to keep us on.”

“You find yourself out of work, come see me.”

Biogna bobbed his head, glanced around to see who might notice him leaving, then took off.

Hecht watched him go. How much could he be trusted?

The better positioned he became the more vulnerable he felt.

“We are being watched,” Hecht said when he returned to the kitchen. Where Anna seemed to be taking inventory in case Bo was a thief with illusionist’s skills. “And I won’t ask Biogna in again if he makes you that uncomfortable.”

“Good. And next time one of your henchmen turns up,
ask
me before you let them in.”

There it was. The root of it all.

“Absolutely.”

“What about us being watched?”

He had seen a familiar face on a man lounging against a wall a hundred yards toward the sunset. A face he had not seen in years. The man’s name was al-Azer er-Selim. He had been the Master of Ghosts of the special company once commanded by the Sha-lug captain Else Tage. Az was an old hand. He would not be spotted easily unless he wanted spotting.

Az wanted to make contact.

Later, though. When there would be fewer witnesses. There’s a man out there who doesn’t have any business around here.”

“Who sent him?”

“That would be the grand question. That’s the off side of being Captain-General. Everyone — including the man paying my salary — wants to track what I’m doing.”

Anna nodded. She had completed her inventory. Now she dug amongst her pots and pans as she got ready to cook. “I’d as soon they stayed away from here. All of them.” Her wealth in utensils declared her status in her own mind. A new pan was always a welcome gift.

“Even Pinkus?”

“Pinkus I can suffer. Barely. Titus is acceptable. If he was willing to socialize and would bring Noë and their kids. But not as business. I’ve got a good life here, Piper. I’d as soon forget the past.”

“Little pitchers.”

Pella and Vali seemed very interested. Anna said, “Don’t you two go telling any of your … Any of Piper’s friends that I don’t like them.” She was wide-eyed when she looked at Hecht again.

No one missed the fact that she had come near calling Hecht their father. Which betrayed much of what was going on inside her head.

The uncomfortable moment was shattered by another knock at the door. This one seemed urgent. Hecht said, “Pella, you go.”

He stepped forward and caught Anna by the elbows, stared down into her coffee and amber eyes. He did not know what to say. She seemed unable, or unwilling, to offer any cues.

He did not get the chance to work it out.

“Captain-General. A moment.”

Pella said, “I’m sorry, Anna. I couldn’t stop him.”

Hecht gaped momentarily, reflecting on the old saw, “Speak of the Adversary.”

“Titus? What the hell are you doing here?”

“We have a situation.”

“Well?”

“A world-altering situation, sir. A courier killed two horses bringing the news.”

“And?” Dread crept into the back of Hecht’s mind.

“Here, sir?”

“Yes. Here. Now. In front of everyone. Spit it out.”

“As you will. The Emperor is dead.”

“Lothar?”

“That one. Yes. Right now we’re the only ones who know.”

And the Devedian community, of course. And all the Instrumentalities of the Night. And anyone who had congress with them.