Phoenix - Vlad Taltos 05 by Steven Brust
Author:Steven Brust
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-03-27T05:03:15+00:00
* * *
An hour or so later the bodies were gone, and Kragar was sitting in the living room with me while I gradually stopped trembling.
“Right in my house, Kragar,” I said for about the ninth time.
“I know, boss,” he said.
“You don't do that.”
Aibynn was in his room, drumming, he said, to pull himself back together. Kragar said, “I know why they did, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember a few weeks ago? Didn't you go busting into someone's house to get information from him?”
I took a very deep breath. “Yes,” I said.
“There you have it. You broke the rules, they broke the rules.
That's how it works, Vlad.”
“I should have known.”
“Yeah.”
Not more than a month before, Sticks had refused an offer for my head. His refusal had made him a target, and I'd saved his life, just as he'd saved mine before. And for what?
“I don't think you should stay here, Vlad.”
“I'm not going to, Kragar. Thanks. I'm all right now.”
“I'll wait until you leave, if you don't mind.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I suggested to Aibynn that this might not be a safe place to stay tonight. He said, “No problem. I have a friend I can stay with.”
“Good. I'll see you sometime.”
Kragar escorted me down the stairs and left me when it looked safe.
“Where are we going, boss?”
“An inn I know, on the other side of town.”
“Why there?”
“It's across the street from where Boralinoi works.”
“Ah. What about Toronnan? He was the one who—”
“Fuck Toronnan. Fuck revenge. I'm getting Cawti back.”
It was a good three-hour walk, but I think it did me good.
I was up early the next morning, waiting just outside the inn where I'd spent the night.
I stood in the shadow of the doorway, waiting. Rocza flew around looking harmless and terrorizing all the local, city-bred jhereg while Loiosh waited with me. I had six good hours of sleep inside of me, followed by three cups of klava and crumb-bread with goat cheese. A sharp, steady wind came up the hill from my left, smacking me in the face and giving rise to reflections on the passing away of the old and the unfathomable nature of the new.
Not a bad day to kill, not a bad day to die, if either came to pass.
While I didn't know what Boralinoi looked like, I had no trouble spotting him by the two enforcers who preceded him, the one on either side, and the two who followed him. They were good, too. I idly went through possibilities for nailing him as he walked down the street, and came to the conclusion that I'd have to bribe at least two, perhaps three of those enforcers to have a reasonable chance.
They really were attending to business, and I had to do some fast shifting to avoid being spotted.
Boralinoi was dressed expensive and walked like he knew it. I thought he'd look good in court, with his perfect black curly hair, rings on all his fingers, and delicate precise steps. He looked like he was probably perfumed, and doubtless had a scent-cloth next to his collar, lest he meet with someone whose breath he didn't like.
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