Five Hundred Years After

by Steven Brust

  It was at this moment that three guardsmen, also with weapons drawn, rushed up, looking about for danger, disturbance, or, failing these, at least orders from their superior officer. "What has happened?" they cried.

  "What has happened?" said Khaavren. "Indeed," he continued, as if to himself, "What has happened? Aerich, what did you see?"

  "That person," said the Lyorn, indicating the body (which had, by now, quite stopped twitching) "made a treacherous attack upon you, which Tazendra,"—here he bowed to the Dzurlord—"managed to foil."

  "I wonder who he is," said Khaavren, approaching the body. He turned it over with his foot and remarked, "Do you know, after all of these years I still cannot see a corpse—even the corpse of someone who has tried to kill me—without feeling sad. Isn't it odd?"

  "I think it speaks well for you," said Aerich. Tazendra said nothing, but seemed perplexed.

  "My dear Tazendra," said Khaavren, "would you be good enough to provide enough light to allow me to make an investigation?"

  "Why, I should be more than happy to do so," said Tazendra. "In fact, I will do so this very moment, if you wish!"

  "That is exactly what I wish," said Khaavren.

  "Well, here it is then."

  "An Orca," remarked Khaavren as soft yellow light appeared above his head and began to brighten. "Though he has not been to sea for a score of years at least. He has never served forward of the catchhold, but was a maintopman of some skill. He has only handled weapons of the roughest sort—hardly an expert."

  "You have good eyes," said Aerich. "And you have learned to use them."

  "I do not see—" began Tazendra.

  "He has been eating well lately, but was hungry for some time before that.".

  Tazendra began, "How can you—?"

  "The fit of his clothes," murmured Aerich. "As well as certain lines visible on his face."

  "He lives in the Underside," continued Khaavren. "Or, at any rate, has spent much time there recently."

  "Ah," said Aerich. "I had wondered what that odor was."

  "He uses dreamgrass extensively."

  Tazendra said, "How—?"

  "Stains," said Aerich quietly.

  "And he is no longer addicted to murchin—"

  "Which he took orally," added Aerich.

  "—although he was within the last six weeks; he probably used the dreamgrass to combat his addiction."

  "Which means," said Aerich, "that if you can find a murchin supplier in the Underside, you could perhaps learn more about this Orca, such as with whom he associates."

  Khaavren shrugged. "There is no shortage of murchin suppliers in the Underside; half the Jhereg in the city use such enterprises to explain their income to the tax-collectors, and half of these are located in the Underside." He knelt next to the body and conducted a closer examination, which occupied some ten or twenty minutes, after which he remarked, "To the left, it helps to know that this particular supplier has a shop which lies next to a wax-merchant's or a candle-maker's, and faces directly onto the Street of the Jhereg, the Street of Vallista, or the Street of the Tsalmoth."

  Aerich frowned. "I confess, my dear friend, that you have now mystified me."

  "That is good," put in Tazendra. "For you know I dislike being the only one mystified."

  "There is no mystery," said Khaavren, "when you recollect with what material those streets are paved, and if you know what happens to someone who has just ingested murchin orally, and you have looked closely at this poor fellow's hair and beneath his nails."

  "Ah," said Aerich. "Now I comprehend."

  "You do?" said Tazendra doubtfully.

  "Therefore," said Khaavren, "we know what to do, and, for my part, I wish to begin at once—it may be that I will be able to discover a great deal by acting quickly, when nothing is known yet of the failure of this poor fellow's mission by those who sent him upon it."

  "Mission?" said Tazendra.

  "It is obvious," said Khaavren, "that he was set upon me—the signs are clear even if I had not had the experience of which I wrote Aerich."

  "An assassin," said Tazendra, her brows drawing together in much the same way as the overcast will draw together and darken before the lightening opens a path in the heavens for the rain.

  "A moment, if you please," said Khaavren. "I must speak to these worthy guardsmen who have been standing so patiently while I made my investigation."

  Khaavren turned and beckoned to his subordinates, who held themselves perfectly still and awaited his orders. "My dears," said Khaavren, "duty forces us into the Underside, and you perceive that it is quite night. I am not unaware of the dangers associated with this course of action, and I should hesitate to ask it of you if I thought you to be any less brave and skillful than I know you are. But, as you are brave and skillful, and as duty absolutely requires it, I will lead the way, on foot as you are, into the Underside, where we will attempt to learn something of matters which affect the security of the Empire, as well as the health of him who has the honor to be your Captain."

  The guardsmen bowed at once, impressed by this lengthy speech from their laconic Captain, though perhaps they wished at that moment that he entertained a slightly lower opinion of their courage and ability.

  "May we accompany you?" said Tazendra.

  "Why, I should like nothing better," said Khaavren. "For one thing, it will make us that much safer, and thus more likely to accomplish our mission, and for another, it will allow us to continue our conversation, during which I can perhaps discover how it is that you came to be here at just the moment I needed, you, when I had thought you were far to the East in the Duchy of Arylle."

  "Well, we were," said Aerich, and they began to walk toward the Underside with their escort of three guardsmen.

  "Not long ago, at that," said Tazendra. "You would scarcely credit how quickly we came here—thirty hours ago we were leaving home."

  "How, you came from Arylle in a day and a night?"

  "Exactly," said Tazendra, proudly.

  "You must be exhausted!"

  "Not in the least," said Tazendra. "Oh, I confess that I was feeling a certain fatigue an hour ago, but it has quite fallen from me, so that now, why, I could charge into battle with no difficulty. And you, my good Aerich?"

  "I must say that Tazendra speaks for me, too," said Aerich. "If we can be of help to you, why, you need only ask."

  "I nearly think I already have," said Khaavren, smiling. He found another guardsman, and arranged for his—that is, Khaavren's—horse to be returned to the post.

  "Well," he said after his horse—a fine-blooded animal with a fiery temper—had been attended to, "Tell me something."

  "What is that?" said Aerich.

  "You must have had a reason for coming to the city—the more so if, as you say, you came with all speed."

  "Indeed," said Aerich. "You wrote a letter."

  "Well, that is true."

  "And then," he added, "Pel wrote a letter as well."

  "How, Pel wrote a letter?"

  Aerich nodded.

  "Mmmm," said Khaavren. "Pel has been much given to writing letters of late. Perhaps it has become a habit with him."

  Aerich shrugged.

  "So it was my letter and Pel's letter, in conjunction, that brought you here in such haste."

  "Exactly," said Aerich.

  "Well, I know the contents of my letter, having written it, but I confess a curiosity about the contents of Pel's letter. So much so, in fact, that I beg you to tell me, without further delay, as much of its contents as you can honorably reveal."

  "I will do so," said Aerich. "Pel wrote that he was concerned about an assassination attempt, which he expected would take place very soon."

  "How, an assassination attempt?"

  "Exactly."

  "Then he knew what would happen here?"

  "Not the least in the world."

  "But he knew that someone was going to make an attempt on my life?"

  "To the
best of my knowledge, he did not."

  "But then—"

  "The attack he anticipated, my dear Khaavren, was not directed at you."

  "Then it was directed at another?"

  "Just so."

  "Well? Who?"

  "Lord Adron."

  "How, Adron e'Kieron? The Duke of Eastmanswatch? Dragon Heir to the Throne?"

  "The very man," said Aerich.

  "Cracks and shards!"

  "There is no doubt," said Tazendra, "that tonight's attack was an error, and the assassin took you for His Highness."

  Khaavren and Aerich exchanged looks, after which the Tiassa turned to Tazendra and cleared his throat. "And yet," he said gently, "we look nothing alike, and I am dressed as a guardsman, and a Tiassa, rather than as a Prince and a Dragonlord."

  "Well, that is true," admitted Tazendra. "Perhaps I am mistaken."

  "Did Pel know anything about the nature of the attack upon Lord Adron?"

  Aerich shook his head. "He said that he had already foiled one attempt, but did not know the nature of the second; only that he was convinced there would be one."

  "I see," said Khaavren. "Yes, indeed, much is now explained. Ah, ah, Such a Yendi he is!"

  "Well?" said Aerich.

  "When we have discovered what we can in the Underside, we must speak with Pel, for I am certain he knows things that I would benefit from learning."

  "That is not impossible," said Aerich.

  "And yet," said Tazendra, "could there be two assassination attempts within the same day? It seems so unlikely."

  "Well?"

  "That is why I think the assassin attacked the wrong man."

  "Well, yes," said Khaavren, and cleared his throat again. "Aerich, you have now explained why you are in the city; but what brought you to this place?"

  "Upon arriving," said Aerich, "we wasted no time in asking after Lord Adron's whereabouts."

  "Well, and?"

  "It seemed that everyone knew, or, rather thought, that he was to be here at the dedication of the Pavilion of Kieron. It seemed that such circumstances would be ideal for a murderous attack, so we came with all speed with the idea of protecting him, only to discover that he was not here at all, which both mystifies and worries me."

  "Cha!" said Khaavren. "He is not here because Pel arranged for him to be elsewhere, no doubt thinking, like you, that this would be a good place for the assassin to strike."

  "And you perceive," put in Tazendra, "that the assassin did strike. Only, in the growing darkness—"

  "Yes, yes," said Khaavren. "No doubt."

  They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Khaavren said, "Whatever the reason, it is good you were there. Moreover, I am delighted to see you both, for it brings back a thousand pleasant remembrances to be walking beside you."

  "If Tel were with us," said Tazendra, "it would bring back a thousand more."

  "Well, that is true. But here now, if you were in such a hurry, you have no lodgings, have you?"

  "That is true," said Aerich, with a smile, for the clever Lyorn knew in what direction this conversation was pointed.

  "In that case, there is no reason why you cannot stay with me; you perceive your old rooms are still ready."

  "We thank you," said Aerich, "and accept gladly. Indeed, if you will forgive my presumption, I even anticipated your invitation, for I have directed my servant, Fawnd, as well as Tazendra's servant, who is none other than our old friend, Mica, to go directly there when we found they could not keep up with us on the road."

  "Ah, that is splendid!" said Khaavren.

  "Do you know," complained Tazendra, "that I had quite forgotten the size of this city, and how long it took to get anywhere on foot."

  "Well," said Khaavren, "you need not worry about that, for we are nearly there. Once we have reached the market square that you can see in the faint light provided by the glow-balls, we shall have entered the Underside, and from there it is not far at all to the place where we shall begin our investigations."

  As he spoke, the bell in the Old Tower struck the eleventh hour.

  Chapter The Twelfth

  Which Treats of Social Unrest,

  Both in General and in Specific,

  And Discusses Certain Possible Responses,

  By Authority, to Such Occurrences.

  It is inherent in the nature of riots that no one can be certain exactly how they began, who instigated them, or how, except in the most general terms, they might have been prevented—this is, perhaps, the most significant difference between a riot and a popular uprising; it is also why the author hesitates to call the events of that evening a riot. Uprising is a more general term; disturbance a word even less specific; and with the lack of a precise word to describe the situation, the historian prefers the general word that, at least, does not mislead the reader.

  It should be noted, however, that Khaavren made no distinction so nice, either then or afterward; his concerns lay in other directions entirely. The uprising, riot, disturbance, agitation, mutiny, or whatever term the reader prefers, which, by all accounts, took place on the night of the 13th and the early morning hours of the 14th day of the month of the Vallista in the 532nd year of Tortaalik's reign, began for Khaavren and his friends in the simplest manner: The Captain observed, in the very market that he was entering, three guardsmen running in the opposite direction—that is, into the Underside. Khaavren did not, we hasten to add, see this clearly, for night had quite fallen and there were few glowbulbs in this part of the city, but the three gold cloaks were unmistakable, as was the direction in which the guardsmen ran.

  "Captain—" began one of Khaavren's escorts.

  "I saw them. At a trot, now," and he led the way through the market, followed closely by Aerich, Tazendra, and his escort of guardsmen. He led them at a careful pace, thinking they might have to run for some time, but they had hardly left the market, stepping onto Backhoe Street, when he heard, from just ahead and around a corner, the familiar sound sword-blades make when acquiring notches and dents by being put to the use for which they were created.

  "Hullo," said Tazendra, drawing her sword.

  "This way," said Khaavren, taking his own weapon into his hand and leading them around the corner toward the sounds. Their escort of guards also drew their weapons. Aerich did not, but those who have read our previous history will understand that he had no need of such toys.

  At points such as this one, the historian will always encounter the dangers of, to the right, assigning to those he is following a greater role than they actually played, and, to the left, failing to distinguish between what was witnessed by the characters through whose eyes the reader is watching the drama unfold, and the historian's own awareness, through whatever sources have come to hand, of the events as they actually took place. It is our desire to steer our literary barque carefully between these rocks, which we will do in this way: We will take the greatest possible care to inform our readers of the actual events, as they have come down to us from the memoirs and letters of those whose actions we have been following, while, at the same time, the deeds of our heroes themselves will be reported only insofar as they come from the recognized and reputable sources that have survived the Interregnum. In this way, we admit that certain trivial inaccuracies may, from time to time, enter our narrative; we hope, however, that on the whole, the foundations of our narrative edifice will remain strong, the edges sharp, the textures smooth, and the walls perpendicular.

  With this clearly understood, we will say that when Khaavren came around the corner the first thing he saw, in the light of the glowbulb outside the Beescott Inn, was one of his guardsmen, stretched out upon the ground, his sword lying a few inches from his outstretched hand. Just past this fellow were two other guardsmen, who fought back to back (in the manner that Khaavren himself recommended for such circumstances) attempting, with indifferent success, to defend themselves against what appeared to be ten or fifteen opponents, all of whom were armed as soldiers, although
no uniforms could be seen in the dim light, and from a distance of thirty or forty yards.

  As they watched, one of the guardsmen fell to his knees; although he still maintained his guard, it seemed that he would be struck down at any instant, after which his companion would follow in short order.

  "'I believe," said Tazendra, "that you must order a charge if you are to save these fellows' lives."

  "Well," said Khaavren, "I think as you do, my dear friend, only there is a matter which must be attended to first."

  "'How, first?" said Tazendra. "Before rescuing those guardsmen who, I believe, are your subordinates?"

  "Yes," said Khaavren. "For there is a matter that will not wait."

  He turned to his escort and pointed to one of them. "You will return at once to the guard-station on Narrows. You must run as fast as you can. You will have them send everyone at the station to this spot at once, and you will inform the sergeant on duty that I will break him if he fails to do so. You will then have a messenger sent to the Palace with orders for Baroness Stonemover to send three hundred horsemen to this spot. Emphasize, at all times, that haste is everything—an hour may well be too late. Lord Rollondar must be informed of what is happening so that he may put the Imperial Army on alert, in case our first efforts fail. Finally, you must reserve a hundred guardsmen to protect Their Majesties; these must be called up and Their Majesties taken to the Lower Square

  . Do you understand all of that?"

  "You will judge, Captain: Return to Narrows, send everyone here; a messenger to the Palace for Thack to send three hundred horsemen; Lord Rollondar to be informed and his army put on alert; Their Majesties to be taken to the Lower Square and guarded by a hundred troops."

  "That is it. Here is my ring in case anyone questions you. Give me your sword, it will slow you down and you have no time to fight in any case. Think only of speed. Now go!"

  The guardsman left without another word. Allow us add, lest the reader wonder, that Khaavren had briefly considered alerting Lord Adron, but realized that bringing in the famous hero of the Battle of Briartown could enrage the populace even more than an intervention by the Imperial Army, and that, moreover, the Breath of Fire Battalion was but ill-suited—whatever His Majesty's opinion—to battles against insurgent Teckla. In any case, having now completed what he felt to be the most important part of his duty, the Captain turned toward the issue at hand—that is, the onslaught against his guardsmen. He raised his sword and cried, "Charge!"