Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy) (48 page)

Ticca took a whiff of the unique and wonderful smell. “I haven’t had this before.”

The Mayor smiled. “It is a special blend we manufacture here. I own an arit-bean farm and arit factory here.”

Ticca took a sip, and it really was very good arit, smooth, with a hint of spices. She set it aside and pulled out the papers Ditani had written. “Your Honor, thank you for the wonderful arit. I wish I was here with better news.”

The mayor looked concerned as he took the papers and read, while drinking the rest of his arit. He put the cup down and covertly wiped his eyes as he finished reading. “Oh, Lady Ticca, this is sorry news for many reasons. Magus Vestul was not only an excellent friend for my entire life, but more, I loved him like an uncle.”

Ticca nodded. “He was such to many people.”

The mayor nodded. “It is even worse that only a week ago, his house was burned almost to the ground. There is little there for Ditani to inherit, unless he can get into the tower, which is only charred on the outside, but we couldn’t force the door. Thankfully, it did not continue to burn or explode, as many here worried.”

Drinking the rest of the wonderful arit, she looked at the mayor. “May I inspect the property, so I might give Ditani a full report?”

The Mayor stood. “Of course, what is left is still of value. It is an excellent location, and Ditani might yet build a new home there or sell it to a merchant. Please allow me to take you in my carriage.” He rang a bell, and a servant stepped into the room. “Ollai, please have my carriage readied immediately. I will be taking Lady Ticca to Magus Vestul’s property.”

Ticca stood. “I have a horse, Your Honor.”

He waved his hand. “We’ll have a groom bring it for you. I insist such a lovely lady travel with me, so I can show you the marvels of our city personally.”

Ticca blushed. “If you insist.”

They left shortly in an open, two-horse carriage, with the mayor sitting facing forward. Ticca had maneuvered to sit facing backwards. As they went through the city, the mayor proudly pointed out many interesting features and spoke of the city’s long history. Ticca made polite conversation while memorizing everything he said. She also tried in vain to find whoever was following her. She still had that feeling. They arrived at a gated home with a very large yard.
Wow! This is a lot larger than I expected.
Something about this is familiar.

As they stepped down from the carriage, the familiarity became even more intense. Ticca looked at the wide street that led up to the small avenue, which ended at the arched gateway to Magus Vestul’s residence. As they walked past the gate onto the property, a large fountain sat in the middle of the drive, just inside the gate, past which was a large, square area with a little lawn and some trees with a bench. Back behind the burnt husk of the house, there were some glades of trees, so she couldn’t even see how far back the property walls went. Looking around, she realized she was standing in the exact place where the Night Market was in Llino. The fountain was exactly where the statue of that girl was.
If you pave over the lawn and build residences where the walls are around this, it would be the Night Market. I wonder if the city has the same general plan as Llino. If so, the Night Market could have been a rich residence at one time.

They walked up to the burnt remains of the once large, two-story house. A stone tower stood at the rear left, back of the house. The exterior was burnt, with smoke stains all the way to the top, which would have been a full story above the main house. The right side of the house was close to the outside wall. Ticca could see that the next house over the ten foot wall was also burned badly; however, there were dozens of workmen there cleaning and repairing it. At the base of the tower, was a blackened door.

Ticca tried to follow Ditiani’s directions, and found the safe laying on the ground amidst dozens of burned books. She rolled the safe over and used the key to open it. Inside, was nothing but charred papers and melted silver and gold. The fire had gotten very hot.

Walking over to the door of the tower, she noticed it looked somehow familiar. Getting closer, she saw that it had six sliders at eye level, like a Dolphin Dagger-room door.
Now that is interesting.
Rubbing the door to remove some soot, she found the outline of a key hole.
This is the same kind of door used at the Dolphin. We would need to know the pattern and have the key to open it.
Stepping back, she looked up at the tower. There were windows, but they all appeared shuttered.
Well, it is buttoned up tight. We’ll need to get Lebuin here to see if we can open it.

Feeling eyes upon her, Ticca turned, and only the mayor was there, toying with a burnt beam of wood. She looked around with her eyes only, keeping her face directed at the mayor. On a rooftop, exactly where she had sat those nights observing the Night Market’s activity, there was an abnormal bump to the roof line.
There you are. We think alike.
Walking back to the mayor, she shrugged. “Well, Your Honor, I am sorry to leave your company, as I would surely like more of that fine arit; however, I must go and report this to Ditani at once. I suspect he will want to clean it up and sell it. But I cannot be sure.”

The mayor nodded and led her back to the carriage, where a groom brought her horse over. The mayor took her hand and held it for a moment, and he bowed to her. Turning, she mounted up and rode out onto the street at a walk. But once out of sight of the Mayor, she kicked the horse to a fast canter, and kept it going as fast as possible out of the city. Once on the open road, she kicked it to a full gallop, and raced for the farmland.
They’ll follow. I need to be ready.

The horse was in great condition, but she allowed it to walk for a while, then urged it to a fast canter again. Reaching the point where she originally came onto the road, she kept going for another mark, before turning to go overland. Although she saw no one, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

Reaching the forest, she maneuvered the horse, keeping it moving. After nearly a mark, she felt the gentle tug that told her which direction Lebuin was in. She signaled for him to run. The tug came again, but she signaled only for him to run. He gave her two tugs to answer yes.

Ticca’s expression brightened as she began looking for the right spot. It took almost half the day before she finally found what she was looking for. There was a great clearing with a large rock outcropping on the far side, which could be used to surprise someone who passed too close to it. The outcropping was part of a small hill. She angled the horse for the hill, passing close to the rock outcropping, and then turned up the hill. Once there, she rode up the hill, and then found a place to tether the horse, where it had some grass to eat and a small stream nearby.

Dismounting, Ticca slipped the small bundle out of her shoulder pouch and shook out the cloak. Putting it on, she made sure the hood was fully over her head, and then she made the loop back to that rock outcropping, hiding her tracks as she moved. She moved rapidly, but with precision, her hunter instincts and training taking all of her concentration. The hunter knew she was both the bait and the hunter. Her prey was smart, so she had to be smarter. It took only a half mark to get back to the rock point.

She cautiously edged her way up to look into the clearing. Once in position, she settled in to wait. They were tracking her. She could feel it. They were only a mark behind, at most. In fact, the pursuit came sooner than she expected. A lone rider came out of the edge of the forest, into the clearing, cautiously. He looked around at the clearing and up at where she sat, hidden, and a frown crossed his face.

I know him, that is the Nhia-Samri I fought at the Llino gate! Well, at least, I know I can match him, but this is going to be harder than I thought.

He dismounted smoothly and examined her tracks, and then got back up on his horse. He sat for a short time thinking, and all this time, he stared directly at the outcropping where she was hiding. She held perfectly still, breathing very slowly.

At last, he looked down at her tracks and slowly started across the clearing, following them. As he approached, her muscles tightened, ready to surprise him. Something kicked her hard from behind. She yelped in surprise, and she tumbled off the outcropping, to the ground, a few feet in front of the Nhia-Samri from Llino.

As she tumbled, she drew her dagger and short sword. Throwing the cloak back over her shoulders, she rolled into a ready stance.

He smiled down at her from the horse, and on the outcropping, stood the beautiful bard with her odassi out. “Ah, Ticca, forgive me. I haven’t properly introduced you. Ticca of Rhini Wood, this is Second Lieutenant Runa-Illa, my second. I am Second Lieutenant Ossa-Ulla.” He casually slipped off his horse. “You don’t really have a chance. I wish I could offer you reasonable terms. However, we both know you wouldn’t take them, regardless. After all, a Dagger never willingly accepts defeat, right?”

He drew his odassi slowly. Ticca waited. Very calmly, he stepped forward, and in an even tone, said, “Now to see how good you really are, before I rend you in the old style.” He bowed and waited.

Why not, he will want all of us, so he’ll just be trying to capture me to use as bait... Might be able to take advantage of this.
She undid her cloak, letting it drop to the ground behind her, and returned his bow. He smiled and attacked. She parried his blows and kept an eye on Runa-Illa, who stood on the outcropping like a judge. They fought as she looked for his weaknesses, and he looked for hers. Blow after blow were exchanged, and thrust after thrust. Finally, she found a hole and exploited it, to deliver a cut to his side.

Without pausing, he increased the speed of his attacks. The patterns flowed, and she found new and unique ways, and stepped beyond them, but he adapted and was able to counter her. He, too, began to adapt new approaches.

He is learning from me. Damn it! I am teaching him to fight better.
Her trainer’s voice came to her: ‘Don’t waste time in a fight. End it as fast as possible, or else, you might lose by example.’
That had never really made sense, until now. She realized that in not trying to kill directly, she was in essence, training him. She needed to be a killer first and foremost, when fighting.

Damn it, I shouldn’t have wasted time thinking he’d want to capture me.
Too late, she realized that he was much better than she thought.
I can find out what we need someplace else. The easy way is going to get me killed. If I can’t best him now, we are all in trouble. Never mind getting information from him. If I lose, then Lebuin and Ditani will be lost, too.
She didn’t bother thinking about it anymore; she pushed and began delivering heavy, killing blows.

Ossa-Ulla smiled and parried them, while returning the same. “Now you are fighting like a Nhia-Samri. Who trained you?”

Ticca didn’t answer. She pushed and pushed, but he had already learned too much from her, and she couldn’t break through. He had learned her moves, her style, and was able to adapt to match. Still, he couldn’t get through to her, either, as she also learned his. They fought and fought. They both were sweating and moving around, when he finally caught her off guard, and his blade sank into her hip. The pain flared, but she ignored it and used the moment to slice his overextended arm. The battle was ending. They were chest-to-chest, and he let go of the blade imbedded in her hip, and grabbed her wrist with his free hand.

Instantly, Ticca knew she had made a fatal mistake.
Oh crap! I let myself get into a strength-versus-strength position, and he has the upper body strength and speed to use it.
Pushing her back hard with his knee into her crotch and with his hand holding her wrist, he lifted her off the ground and then slammed her down on her back, landing on top of her. She gasped, trying to regain her breath. His body was on hers, his nose touching the tip of her nose, and his cold, blue eyes were looking directly into hers. She could feel his breath on her lips. She couldn’t defend, as his other blade knocked her dagger aside and pierced her shoulder. She screamed just before passing out.

Chapter 16

Beginning is a single step