The Assassins of Thasalon by Lois McMaster Bujold

Author:Lois McMaster Bujold [Bujold, Lois McMaster]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc.
Published: 2021-05-10T06:00:00+00:00

* * *

As was common in the Cedonian summer in noble and lesser homes alike, dinner was not served till late, after dusk, at a table set up in the courtyard. Penric greeted Lady Xarre, eased into her chair by two attendants, with all the proper courtesies inculcated in him by service in a princess-archdivine’s and two ducal courts.

“We’ll talk more privately after we eat,” she told him in an under-voice, and he nodded.

The lady’s household was used to feeding visiting merchants of all sorts, so easing their formality for the comfort of the Patos bookdealer and his two companions—promoted from servants to assistants before this audience—was no stretch for them. Only Tanar and her mother knew to be daunted by Iroki—as a saint, he in a sense outranked not only everyone at the table, but everyone in the imperial city. As Iroki continued to act exactly like a village fisherman on his first venture into such high company, if one displaying good manners and a genial humor, their secret awkwardness did gradually pass off. Alixtra’s didn’t, but hers had other sources than the disparity of rank.

After the savories and the sweet wine—Iroki had been bemused when the courses kept coming—Lady Xarre was helped by her servants upstairs to the sitting room of her suite, laid out much like Tanar’s on the opposite side of the courtyard. Five years ago, she had needed only a cane, but the joints of her hips and knees, Pen observed with a flash of Sight, were more painfully deteriorated now. She was otherwise not greatly changed in appearance, with her gray hair elaborately dressed in its jeweled braids, and her slight body swathed in light summer robes.

Once settled into a cushioned chair, she dismissed not only her servants but her female secretary, an older woman who served her with the dedication that Bosha did Tanar, minus the bodyguard duties. “I promise we’ll discuss it later, dear,” Lady Xarre murmured to the woman. Not accustomed to being excluded from confidential business, she took this in with a thoughtful frown. The two reasons might be that the discussion was going to be too trivial for her witness, or too dangerous, and Pen didn’t think she guessed it was the first. But she withdrew without further protest.

Bosha arranged five chairs around Lady Xarre’s, awarding the other one with cushions to the saint, seated Tanar, locked the doors, and awaited his lady’s pleasure.

“Blessed, you honor my house,” Lady Xarre began, with an obeisance to Iroki that made him smile in discomfort and return her a tally-blessing. “Learned Penric… you bring me knotty puzzles. Again.”

He made her a half-bow at this inarguable observation, and said, “My apologies. Again. But leaving you unadvised of events seemed a worse course.”

“I agree.” She studied the silent Alixtra with neither pleasure nor dismay, more the concentration of a woman totting up difficult accounts. “Surakos told me the gist of your tale, Learned, but it left a number of questions…”

Which she asked, drawing from Pen a more complete description of the past two weeks than he’d given in the other chamber.

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