79: THE FIRST QUESTION

(Kihrin’s story)

We ended up in a tavern.¹ To my surprise, it was even a nice tavern, but then, apparently, the women had hired a “guide” (one of the city’s many beggars to judge from her smell) to take them to a nicer part of town and keep them from any costly missteps. So this was a building built into the cliff side, a wide, warm area with little arched alcoves of red sandstone lined with pillows and rugs where one might comfortably lounge with friends with some modicum of privacy. One of the women paid for a meal for their guide, which was presumably handed out elsewhere, and rented an alcove for the rest of us.

“So why were you looking for us again?” I asked after we’d settled in and ordered several platters of the local specialty. “I’d assumed you wanted to put us as far behind you as possible.”

“I’d like to offer you a trade,” Senera said. Then she corrected herself and pointed to Thurvishar. “Actually, I’d like to offer you a trade.”

“Vilfar was helpful to a point,” Xivan said. “Unfortunately, that point is where Suless has claimed sanctuary with the dragon Baelosh.”

“Ah,” Thurvishar said.

I nudged him. “Looks like it’s your turn to take care of a dragon.” I pantomimed being handed a note. “Oh wait, I’ve just been told we’re terribly busy and also aren’t that gullible.” I gave Senera an arch look. “You seriously think we’re going to fall for this con twice?”

“This isn’t—” Senera started to protest, then she sighed. “Right. Of course you’d think that.”

“What is he talking about?” Xivan asked.

“Oh, did Senera forget to tell you how she and Relos Var exploited the whole ‘oh look, there’s a dragon about to attack and you’re the only one who can save us’ routine to betray everyone? Most especially us?” I tilted my head in Xivan’s direction. “Don’t get me wrong. You seem sincere, but so was Janel. You shouldn’t trust Senera.”

Talea threw Senera a scandalized look. Xivan looked displeased.

Senera growled, “I’ll explain it all later.”

“I’m sure you have a fine selection of excuses to choose from,” I said, “but it doesn’t change the fact that there’s absolutely no way we’re helping you.”

“What are you offering in trade?” Thurvishar asked in a soft voice.

“Thurvishar, no.” I shook my head at him.

“A question,” Senera told him. “You can ask any question you like, and I’ll give you an answer using the Name of All Things.” She paused. “Within reason. I’m not going to ask a question that would result in my death or incapacitation. You know how this works.”

Thurvishar sucked on his teeth while he narrowed his eyes and studied the woman. “Three questions. And I’ll use magic to confirm the question we give you is the question you actually ask.”

I stared at the wizard. “Thurvishar, no!”

He shushed me. “It’s fine, Kihrin. I’ve got this.”

“You so do not have this,” I snapped back, but he ignored me. “I swear to the Veils, I will do this without you.” Unfortunately, I had a dilemma: he hadn’t told me what Grizzst looked like, so technically speaking, I couldn’t do this without him. Which he knew.

“Two questions,” Senera offered back. “And I’ll say the question out loud so you know I’m not deceiving you—there’s no need to read my mind, which I know perfectly well is what you mean when you say you’ll ‘use magic.’”

Thurvishar pondered that. “I ask the questions first. Before we leave with you to take care of Baelosh.”

“And then you simply abandon us? Not a chance. Help us first, then you can ask your questions.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table as she studied him.

“Who betrayed who back at Atrine?” Thurvishar countered. “One question now, one question after we’ve helped you deal with Baelosh. You’ll repeat the question out loud before you write out the answer.”

Senera didn’t hesitate. “Deal.”

I slumped against the rock face. “Thurvishar, what are you doing?”

“Trust me,” Thurvishar said.

Senera looked pretty damn pleased with herself. Thurvishar had more than taken the bait of whatever trap she had in mind. Even if we only needed the one question to find out exactly where Grizzst was, I just knew Thurvishar would insist on following through on his end of the bargain.

“Do you want to do this now or wait until after we eat?” Senera asked.

“Oh, could we eat first?” Talea said. “I’m famished.”

Xivan shrugged and stood. “I’m feeling hungry myself. I’ll be back in a bit.” She unbuckled Urthaenriel and handed the sword, scabbard and all, to Talea, who took it and wrapped it around her own waist without a word spoken. Xivan’s eyes never left me; she clearly understood who would be the most likely to cause a problem during such an exchange.

Everyone fell silent as she left. We all knew what her announcement meant: Xivan’s “food” was inevitably human, or more specifically, human souls. According to Janel, though, she tended to confine her appetites to the more unsavory examples of human behavior.

I suppose Bahl-Nimian must have seemed like a banquet.

That quieted conversation until the food arrived, which turned out to be trays of roasted meats, vegetables, and something I suspected was cactus chopped extremely fine, mixed with hot spices, and meant to be eaten with a spongy flatbread that managed to be nothing like Quuros sag. I could see the ancestry—see how this had probably evolved from something Vilfar and her followers had brought with her when they’d moved south. And in the centuries since, it had changed and shifted until it became what we were eating—which was both spicy and good.

After the four of us had finished and the plates were cleared away, Senera pulled a small journal out of her satchel. “So what’s your question? Or do you need a little time to think it over?” She pulled the Name of All Things out of her bodice, an ink stick from her belt, and the brush from her hair, where she’d been using it as a hairpin. With that linchpin freed, her blond hair fell over her face like a delicate silk curtain settling into place.

“Oh, there’s no need to wait,” Thurvishar said. “I know exactly what I want to ask.”

I thought that meant he was going to ask about Grizzst first. Nope.

“Well?” Senera began pouring water into the stone’s well as she ground the ink with a noise like polishing the edge of a sword.

“Ask this: What’s the one piece of information that Relos Var most doesn’t want Senera Var to know?”

Senera froze. Slowly, her mouth dropped open as she stared at the wizard across from her.

“Oh wow,” Talea said and sank back into her pillow.

“You manipulative bastard,” Senera said.²

I had to laugh. “Runs in the family, I suppose.”³

They both ignored me. Senera’s expression was a picture of furious outrage, and Thurvishar looked, well, smug. “You can’t be serious,” she hissed.

“We had a deal, Senera.” He smiled. “I’ll make it easy; you don’t even have to tell me what the answer is. I wouldn’t want to trick you into accidentally betraying your master’s secrets, after all.”

I bit my lip. Because … yeah. Accidentally betraying Relos Var clearly wasn’t what Thurvishar had in mind.

“You should have saved your question for something important,” Senera said, “instead of a question with no answer. He gave me the Name of All Things, idiot. He’s clearly not hiding any secrets from me.”

Thurvishar waved a magnanimous hand toward the stone. “Then ask and see.”

Only then did Senera break eye contact with Thurvishar and stare down at the stone. She picked up the ink stick and finished grinding out the ink, while the rest of us watched in pregnant silence. Rebel must have sensed Senera’s distress, because the dog nudged up next to her mistress and set her head on Senera’s lap.

Finally, Senera picked up the brush.

“Out loud,” Thurvishar reminded her.

“Oh for fuck’s—” Senera inhaled deeply. “What’s the one piece of information that Relos Var most doesn’t want me to know?”

For a second, nothing happened. Senera started to smile, no doubt thinking that proved her right. Then her hand yanked down and started to write on the page. I didn’t see what she wrote—the angle was wrong. Whatever it was, though, it was not “nothing”—I watched as what little color ever existed in that milk-pale face vanished, leaving her as white as the paper she used. Senera stared at the journal page for a second longer, then ripped the page out, crumpled it, and tossed it into the air, where it burst into flames and vanished.

“Yes, Senera, I see what you mean. Relos Var has clearly kept no secrets from you,” Thurvishar said.

“Wretch,” she spat. “Fine, if that’s how you want to do this, let’s do this.” She picked the brush again. “What’s the one secret that Thurvishar—”

“Um, wait,” I said.

Worry, and then undisguised fear, quickly made their way across Thurvishar’s face. “No, don’t ask that. Senera, please!”

She stared at him hatefully. “What’s the one secret that Thurvishar D’Lorus most doesn’t want me to know?” And again, she began to write.

Thurvishar sighed and looked away.

When she finished, which admittedly didn’t take nearly as long as when she’d written out Relos Var’s secret, she read the result and then raised her gray eyes to stare at Thurvishar. She said nothing at all. To be honest, I thought she just looked confused.

Senera closed the journal, tucked it back into her satchel, and looked at the wall. She picked up a cloth and mechanically began to clean the Name of All Things before tucking it back into her bodice. She didn’t do a very good job of it. Black ink spilled, staining her blouse.

Senera didn’t notice.

“Well?” Talea said. “What was it? I’m really curious.” She smiled and winked at Thurvishar, trying to make light of it. Neither Senera nor Thurvishar were smiling.

“How long?” Senera asked suddenly, looking up at Thurvishar.

“Oh … years,” he admitted.

“Years?” She sounded equal parts incredulous and furious.

Thurvishar turned up his hands and shrugged.

Senera grabbed the rest of her supplies and stood, dislodging Rebel, who gave an annoyed whine of protest. “I’ll pay the tavern keeper for the meal. Xivan will be back soon. You should wait for her, Talea. I’ll meet you and Xivan back at the inn. You two—” She pointed at Thurvishar and myself without ever actually managing to look at Thurvishar. “You should find someplace close to sleep. It’s a safer part of town than where we met. I’ll find you in the morning, and we can make plans on how to deal with Baelosh.”

She picked up Rebel’s leash and left, presumably to pay the bill.

After Senera had gone, we sat there, now down to just three.

After a moment of silence, Talea threw up her arms. “What just happened?”

“Pretty sure Senera just learned not to ask questions unless she’s prepared to hear the answer.” I nudged Thurvishar with my elbow. “What did the first message say?”

Thurvishar was still staring at the doorway Senera had just vacated. Then he realized I’d asked him a question. “What makes you think I’d know?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I caught the wording on what you promised even if Senera didn’t. You never said you wouldn’t read her mind.”

“Ah.” He picked up his drink and sipped it. “I suppose that’s true. Anyway, it didn’t say a thing that you or I didn’t already know. Relos Var doesn’t intend to topple the Eight Immortals; he intends to replace them. With himself.”

Talea tilted her head. “I thought he wanted to overthrow Quur. Wasn’t that why he was supporting Duke Kaen?”

“He couldn’t give two chalices about Quur, dear Talea,” Thurvishar told her gently. “Relos Var has much grander plans than that.”

“But I bet he’s always sold Senera on the idea they were freeing humanity from divine tyranny, hasn’t he?” I added. “And to find out that he’s no better … that in fact he always just intended to put himself in charge … that has to sting.”

“Exactly. But she does his dirtiest dirty work. She deserves to know the truth.”

“What did the second note say?” Talea asked Thurvishar.

A cloud cast a shadow over the wizard’s face. “I’d rather not, if you don’t mind,” Thurvishar said. “I believe I’ve already suffered enough humiliation for one evening.”

She rose to her feet. “I’ll just go find Xivan.”

I didn’t ask, because I was pretty sure I already knew. Now, I might have been wrong. Maybe Thurvishar secretly had a hidden love child or worked for the Devoran priests or … I don’t know … any number of things that he wouldn’t want known. But I was reasonably certain that Senera had left so shocked and troubled because Thurvishar’s secret had been so personal and had, against all her expectations, involved herself.

I was pretty sure the message had probably been short and simple. Three little words would have done the trick. Something like: He loves you.

Which, if that was the case, made her reaction interesting indeed.