Athyra

by Steven Brust

  “Oh,” said Vlad softly. His features were still and silent; only his eyes seemed troubled as he looked at Savn.

  “What?” cried Polyi, rising to her feet.

  Damn my big mouth, thought Savn. He stepped between her and Vlad and said, “Wait—”

  “What did he do to them?”

  “How did you know?” said Vlad quietly.

  Savn ignored him, gripped his sister’s shoulders and said, “Polyi, please—”

  “How long have you known?” said Polyi.

  “I guessed yesterday, when we went home, but I wasn’t certain.”

  She tried to twist free, but Savn was stronger. He said, “Wait, Polyi. Let us at least listen to what he has to say—”

  Vlad, abruptly, started laughing. Polyi stopped struggling and stared at him. Savn did the same. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

  “I’m almost tempted,” said Vlad, still laughing, “to tell you to let her go. After everything I’ve done, the idea of falling at last to the wrath of a Teckla girl appeals to my sense of irony. And right now, she could do it. At least,” he added, sobering suddenly, “it wouldn’t be Morganti.”

  Savn felt his stomach turn at the word. At the same time, he noticed that the two jhereg were watching Polyi with, it seemed, great intensity, and he remembered that they were poisonous—it was certainly best that Polyi be kept from attacking Vlad, even if Vlad was, as he claimed, “almost tempted.”

  The Easterner continued. “In any case, I wasn’t about to put a spell on your sister. I wasn’t doing anything except, maybe, trying to intimidate her a little.”

  “Why should I believe you?” said Savn.

  “Why indeed?” said Vlad. “At any rate, I haven’t denied what I did to your Mae and Pae.”

  “No, but you’ve lied about everything else.” Vlad shook his head. “Very little, in fact,” he said. “I’ve mostly refused to answer because I really don’t like lying to you. Although I’m willing to do so, if it will preserve my life and my soul.”

  His voice hardened as he said this, but Savn refused to be put off by it. “How did putting a spell on Mae and Pae help preserve your life?”

  Vlad sighed and looked away. “I’m not sure it did,” he said eventually. “I was being careful. How could you tell there was a spell on them? And, for that matter, how did you know it was me?”

  Savn snorted. “Who else could it have been? And it wasn’t very difficult to see they’d been enchanted. They’ve been acting like they’re living in a dream-world. They haven’t seemed to care what Polyi and I do. They—”

  “I see,” said Vlad. “I overdid it, apparently.”

  “What were you trying to do?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He looked at Polyi, who hesitated, then sat down and looked at the Easterner expectantly.

  Vlad took a deep breath and nodded. “I thought I might need your help,” he said. “And, in fact, I did, though not the way I had anticipated.” He smiled a little, looking down at himself as if to inspect Savn’s work.

  “How had you anticipated you’d need my help?”

  Vlad shrugged. “Once I knew what had happened to Reins, I thought I might need the eyes, ears, and memory of a local. And I did, but it didn’t turn out to be you, because I found Sara and Fird.”

  Polyi said, “What does that have to do with putting a spell on Mae and Pae?”

  Vlad sat up, resting his back against the stone wall. He spread his hands. “If I wanted you to look around for me, I couldn’t have you disturbed by parents wanting to know where you were and what you were doing. It wasn’t supposed to be that strong, however.”

  Savn nodded. “You did it when you brought me home that night, didn’t you?”

  “That was when I triggered it, you might say, but I’d already set it up.”

  “How? You weren’t anywhere near them before that.”

  “Yes.” Vlad sighed. “Remember that green stone I gave you?”

  “What green stone?”

  “Remember when we met?”

  “Sure. On Manor Road, by the Curving Stone.”

  “Yes. I gave you something.”

  “I don’t remember ... Wait. Yes. You said it was the custom of your land—” He broke off suddenly. “Why had I forgotten that? What did you do to me?”

  Vlad winced, then looked away. After a moment he shook his head, as if to himself. “Not very much, actually,” he said. “You can blame my friends here”—he gestured at the jhereg on the ground, who were still watching Polyi and Savn—”for not keeping good watch. You saw me doing something I didn’t want known, so I gave you that stone, and through it, I suggested that you not talk about me, and that you not remember the stone. And I used the stone to work the other spells, the ones you noticed. When I took you home that night, I’d already prepared—”

  Savn stared. “You’ve been putting spells everywhere, haven’t you?”

  “It may seem like that—”

  “What did you do to Polyi?” he said fiercely, ready to strangle the Easterner, jhereg or no.

  “Nothing,” said Vlad. “But, as I said, I did use the stone to cast a spell on your parents, through you, that would allow you to be more useful to me. So if you’re looking for a grievance, you have one.”

  Savn spat, then glared at the Easterner. Vlad met his eyes calmly.

  “Well, I’ve been useful, haven’t I?” said Savn bitterly. “I’ve saved your life—”

  “I know.”

  More implications began to sink in. He said, “I assume you made me physick you? That was why I found you so easily?”

  “No,” said Vlad.

  “What do you mean, No?”

  Vlad adjusted his position against the wall. “I was unconscious, and even if I wasn’t, it wouldn’t have occurred to me that you’d be able to heal me.” He paused. “How did you find me?”

  “I remembered what you said about spells to make tele-ports easier, and I remembered what you’d been doing in the road, and I thought about how quickly you’d tele-ported, and I just put it together.”

  Vlad gave one of his characteristic laughs—a small chuckle that never left his chest. “Virtue, I’ve been told, is its own reward.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I almost blocked out your memory of what I’d been doing, but I didn’t want to do more to your memories than I had to.”

  “That’s bleeding noble of you,” said Savn.

  “So to speak,” said Vlad.

  “How can you do things like that?” said Polyi, in a tone more curious than reproachful.

  “I’ll do what I have to, to save my life,” said Vlad, giving her the briefest of glares. “Who wouldn’t?”

  “I wouldn’t,” said Polyi firmly. “Not if to save my life I had to go into people’s heads and change them. That’s evil. It’s better to just kill them.”

  “Maybe it is,” said Vlad. “But if they’re alive, they can change again, and perhaps recover. If they’re dead, it’s all over.”

  “But—”

  “But yes, I know, altering someone’s mind is an ugly thing to do. Don’t think I don’t know it. But don’t think that you can pretend these questions are easy, because they aren’t, and anyone who says they are is lying.”

  “You’d know a lot about lying, wouldn’t you?” said Savn.

  “Yes,” said Vlad. “I’ve done a great deal of it. Also killing. Also, tricking people into doing what I wanted them to do. I’m neither proud nor ashamed of any of this—I do what I must.”

  “It sounds,” said Polyi, “like you’ll do anything to anyone, as long as it’s useful to you.”

  Vlad took a deep breath, as if he was about to shout at her, then let it out slowly. “You may be right,” he said.

  “Is that why you taught me witchcraft?” said Savn. “Because you thought it would be useful to you?”

  Once again, the chuckle. “No.” Vla
d shook his head and closed his eyes. Savn waited. After a moment, the Easterner sighed. “I guess, what with one thing and another, I owe you the truth.”

  Savn nodded, but didn’t say anything. He felt Polyi looking at him, but she, too, waited.

  Vlad said, “The first time, here in this spot, I didn’t teach you anything. I just put you to sleep for a while so I could explore.”

  “I don’t understand. Why did you bother putting me to sleep?”

  Vlad turned his palms up. “I didn’t want your company while I explored.”

  “Then why have me along at all?”

  “You knew where this place was,” he said, gesturing at the cave around them.

  “This place? I don’t understand.”

  “I knew there had to be an underground waterway, and Dark Water can be useful against the undead, and I was looking for a way into Loraan’s manor house. I thought you might know how to find it, so I—”

  “So you asked me leading questions until I found it for you.”

  “Yes,” said Vlad. “That’s right.” He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his face was, once more, without expression.

  “And the second time you pretended to teach me witchcraft? What was that about? That time, you even had me convinced you’d taught me something.”

  “I did. That time there was no trickery, Savn. I taught you because you wanted to know, and because I’d started to like you. I hate to sound trite, but you remind me of myself. Take that for what it’s worth.”

  “I will,” said Savn, hearing the bitterness in his own voice. Then he said, “Do you remember when we were talking about Athyra?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you remember how you said those who explore the world see people as objects, and mystics act like people don’t really exist at all?”

  “Yes,” said Vlad. And, “Oh.”

  He looked down, and chewed on his lower lip. No one said anything, because there seemed to be nothing more to say.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I will not marry an acrobat,

  I will not marry an acrobat,

  He’d always think that I’m too fat.

  Hi-dee hi-dee ho-la!

  Step on out ...

  At last Vlad broke the silence. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “Maybe I’m no better than your Baron. But all I know is that he’s killed someone who once helped me. And years ago he nearly destroyed a close friend of mine. And now he is cooperating with a Jhereg assassin who plans to kill me—”

  It took a moment before Savn realized that when Vlad said Jhereg he meant the House, not the animals. Then Savn gasped. “What?”

  “That’s what Fird told me, though I’d already guessed it. There’s an assassin staying with Baron Smallcliff at the manor house, and I don’t think he’s here because he likes linseed-flavored wine. The Baron is cooperating with the Jhereg to assassinate me.”

  “I don’t believe you,” said Savn.

  Vlad shrugged.

  “Why would he do that?” said Savn.

  “They both hate me; it makes sense that they’d work together.”

  “The Jhereg hates you?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I picked an unfortunate method of terminating my relationship with them.”

  “What do you ... you mean, you’re a Jhereg?”

  “I used to be.”

  “What did you do?”

  Vlad took a deep breath and met Savn’s eyes. “I killed people. For money.”

  Savn stared at him, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “I reached a point where I couldn’t do it anymore, and I left. In the process, I killed someone important, and I threatened the House representative to the Empire—sort of like your Speaker. So now they want to kill me. I can’t really blame them, but I’m hardly going to cooperate, am I?”

  “I don’t believe you,” said Savn.

  “Then I doubt I can convince you. But don’t you wonder why the Baron attacked me?”

  “Because you killed Reins—or because he thought you did.”

  “Is that the way justice usually works around here? If someone is suspected of a crime, your Baron Smallcliff sends his soldiers to kill them? You’ll notice they made no effort to arrest me.”

  “I don’t know,” said Savn. “I never said I understood everything. But I know His Lordship wouldn’t hire an assassin.”

  “Not hire,” said Vlad. “Merely help.”

  “He wouldn’t do that.”

  “Why is it that, just at the time I happen to be coming by, Loraan decides to leave his home and take up residence in his manor house, which just happens to be near the place I’m passing by? You think this has nothing to do with me?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “And then Reins dies, which is enough to keep me here—”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Vlad sighed and shook his head. “Why does everyone only see what he wants to?”

  Savn twitched, started to speak, then realized he had no answer. He sat on the floor of the cave, looking down.

  At length, Vlad broke the silence. “What are you going to do?” he said.

  “About what?” said Savn.

  “I’d like to know if you plan to tell your Baron where I am, or perhaps the townspeople.”

  “Oh. Well, you never told me your plans; why should I tell you mine?”

  Vlad chuckled. “Well taken. Whatever you decide, you should probably get home soon.”

  “What difference does it make?”

  “I would think,” said Vlad, “that your Maener and Paener would be getting worried by now.” Savn looked at him closely. “Is it that easy?”

  “To undo? Yes. The spell, at any rate, is easy to undo. And there shouldn’t be any direct aftereffects.”

  “What do you mean, ‘direct’?”

  “I mean that they’ll probably figure out that they’ve been under a spell. I don’t know what that will do to them. Maybe nothing.”

  Savn glanced at Polyi, who was staring at the ground and frowning.

  “Do you want to go home?” Savn asked her.

  She looked up. “Do you?”

  “Not right now. I want to stay for a bit and—”

  “See how it comes out?” said Vlad ironically.

  Savn shrugged and asked Vlad, “What do you intend to do?”

  “I’m not sure. It depends how much time I have. If I had to teleport right now, I might be able to. Then again, I might not. I’d rather not have to. If I can get a couple of days to recover, I’ll have the choice of getting out of here to someplace safer. If, on the other hand, I’m found, I’ll have to try to escape as best I can.”

  “So your intention is to get out?”

  “Oh, no. That’s only if I have no choice. You know very well what I want to do.”

  “You’re crazy,” said Polyi. “You can’t kill His Lordship! No one can.”

  Vlad shook his head. “I’m going to kill him. The only questions are when and how. If I can’t do it now, I’ll have to wait for a better time. But now would be best. I’d like to have it over and done with.”

  “Heh,” said Polyi. “You won’t feel that way when it is over and done with.”

  Savn knelt down next to Vlad and felt his forehead. He was relieved to find that it was still cool, though his face seemed a trifle flushed. Vlad watched him intently.

  “How do you feel?” said Savn.

  “Tired. Weak. Not bad other than that.”

  “You should rest.”

  “I doubt I can,” said Vlad. “There’s too much on my mind.”

  Savn was suddenly and comically reminded of how he would explain to Maener that he was too excited about Pudding Morn to go to sleep, and how she would smile and tell him that he should just rest his eyes then, and how he would fall asleep. He said, “That’s all right, just close your eyes and—”

  Vlad laughed. “Very good, Paen
er. I get the idea. Wake me if they come to kill me.”

  He slid over to his blankets, threw one arm over his eyes, and, as far as Savn could tell, went instantly to sleep.

  They watched him sleep for an hour or two; then Savn decided they should talk. He whispered to Polyi, and she agreed, so he took a torch and guided her back through the cave until he was certain they were far enough away that Vlad couldn’t hear them.

  “What should we do?” he said.

  “I think we should go home,” said Polyi. “If Mae and Pae really are worried—”

  “What will we tell them?”

  “The truth,” said Polyi.

  “Oh?”

  She frowned. “Well, it isn’t our problem, is it? Savn, you heard him. Now we know he wants to kill His Lordship. I mean, we know he can’t, but what if he does?”

  “Well,” said Savn. “What if he does?”

  “We have to stop him, that’s all.”

  “Do we?”

  “You heard what he is. He’s an assassin. He kills people for money. He—”

  “He used to be an assassin. And what about His Lordship?”

  “You don’t believe all that stuff he said, do you?”

  “I don’t know. Why would he admit to being an assassin, then lie about everything else? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “He’s an Easterner; maybe it makes sense to him.”

  “That’s no answer.”

  “Why not? Do you know how they think?” Savn didn’t answer; in his mind, he kept hearing Vlad’s voice, echoing his own: Why do people only see what they want to? An unanswerable question, certainly. If Master Wag would even admit that it was true, he’d just say that it didn’t matter. And maybe it didn’t; maybe it was always going to be frustrating for someone who knew things that most people didn’t want to know. Maybe it was the way of the world.

  But if what Vlad said was true, then, within a day, he’d been on both sides of the problem. He didn’t much like either one. How were you supposed to know what to believe, anyway?

  “Come on, Polyi,” he said, and started back to the cavern where Vlad slept. “You want to stay here?”

  “I don’t know, but right now I want to talk to Vlad.”

  “You know,” said Polyi, “I’m getting tired of this cave.”

  Savn was tempted to tell her that she was along by her own choice, but decided it wouldn’t be nice. He wedged the torch once more into the rocks and sat down next to Vlad. The jhereg, at first watching him carefully, seemed to relax and go back to resting. Funny how they knew he didn’t intend to hurt Vlad. Maybe they had some means of knowing the truth. Maybe they were the only beings in the world who knew what was really going on, and they were secretly laughing at everyone else.