[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
her, killing her husband had not been among them.
"I want my vengeance against the mon who poisoned my husband, Kady muttered,
watching the diminutive captain of her personal guard, the mercurial and
unpredictable StealsThunder moving restless up and down before her.
StealsThunder stood only four foot ten, slanted silver eyes, silver hair and
eyebrows, ivory skin. Kady thought she looked like a pale doll or statue
carved from marble or alabaster. She wore pale blue knee pants, tucked in
shirt and an open jerkin of deep amethyst.
She wiggled her eyebrows at Kady and then turned serious, moving to take a
stance with wrists crossed before her as if to draw her fans and fight.
"Sit down. All this movement is making me itchy. Kady felt her child move and
laid her hands over her belly. Vengeance, Thunder. How do I get it?"
StealsThunder studied the determined look on Kady's face. You'll have to
think like a general."
"What do generals do? Besides order armies around? Cahira had not given her
any books to read on armies. Kady had arrived with only the barest level of
literacy when Cahira took her in as an apprentice and set out to cure her
ignorance about the world, history, and literature. Kady had set to the task
that Cahira presented her and embraced reading with such tremendous enthusiasm
that everyone around her had been impressed.
"Lots of things."
"Advise me. Teach me to think like a general."
"First, you need to get all your information together. Make a list of all the
people who know anything at all about Malthus. Record it on a memory stone so
they don't know you're taking notes."
"Sheradyn once asked me if I knew how to transcribe one of those. I still
don't."
"It's easy when you have the right gifts which you do. I'll teach you."
"In the meantime... Kady rose from the sofa and went inside to her study,
where she got paper, pen, and ink out. She started her list, then stopped and
wrote out two notes. I need to send someone to Phelan at Three Stones. We
need a lawgiver."
"Hathura could Jump there. In this weather, that would be best."
Kady shook her head. She did not trust anyone who she did not know well and
distrust loomed large in her mind now. She had trusted Larena, despite their
verbal skirmishing because Larena was her sister. If she could not trust her
family, she could certainly not trust anyone she knew as slightly as Hathura.
She hated to admit it, but she had moments throughout the day when distrust
paralyzed her. Until I've spoken to him, I don't want anyone to know what I'm
doing or why."
She wore Kynyr's signet ring on her right hand, yarned to fit her finger. Kady
wrote a quick note and sealed the letter with his ring. Have Cooley take this
to Georgie Rogan. No, wait. I want to give Cooley more instructions than that.
Have him come here first."
She wrote out another. Have Iollen take this to Luciano Albertus at the
Page 67
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Scarlet Angel Mage shop."
"Pardon me; I hope I'm not interrupting anything? Robert Morcar came into the
room. I thought you'd like to know that your father packed up and left town
within an hour of seeing Larena's body hanging from the scaffolds. The
Difficult Horse is for sale."
Kady stiffened, trapped between relief and a further sense of abandonment. To
blazes with him."
A crafty look entered StealsThunder's eyes. Buy it under a proxy company."
"A proxy company? How do I do that? Last summer she had been simply the
daughter of a tavern owner and now she was a princess. Kady knew she had a lot
to learn. The Fae were the masters of subterfuge and dissembling. If
StealsThunder wanted her to purchase the tavern, then there had to be a good
reason for it.
"You send someone down to purchase for you and make it look like they're the
owner, but then they sign the title over to you in secret."
"Who do I send?"
Robert sucked in a breath and exhaled loudly. Don't look at me."
StealsThunder laughed. Send Juniperarrow, and staff it with Fae. We know how
to bring the business in. A tavern is perfect for spying."
Robert's laugh came roaring out of him. You'll need a go between, Kady. That
I can do."
Kady considered it. Robert, take Juniperarrow to the Clerk of Records and buy
the tavern."
"It's late. He'll be closed already, Robert said.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]