Pierce, Tamora - The Circle Opens 04 by Pierce Tamora

Author:Pierce, Tamora [Pierce, Tamora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-08-15T16:19:42+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Worn out by his day and the taxing of his power, Keth slept the night through. His dreams were filled with lightning.

When he woke, it was to open shutters, early morning light and three familiar faces.

No, four: Yali balanced the silent Glaki on one hip. The child sucked her thumb, her brown eyes large and steady as she looked at Keth. The women were still dressed and made up from the night before. He winced, started to get out of bed, and just in time remembered he had nothing on. He clutched the sheet to his chest.

'The Ghost got another one,' Xantha said, yawning as she leaned against the wall.

'She was dead in some Fourth District temple. The gossip is that you magicked something that helped the arurim find her.'

'I wanted to make something that would help them find the killer' growled Keth.

'Did they?'

The three yaskedasi shook their heads.

'You never said you were a mage.' Poppy's tone was accusing, as if she thought Keth had made it a secret on purpose.

'I didn't know,' Keth retorted.

'How could you not know you're a mage?' demanded Poppy. 'Or are you just a bad one?'

'How could you not know Arania pays Lysis twice what she pays you to play Laurel Leaf in The Creation of the Garden?' Yali enquired. 'Maybe you're just a bad actress.'

Poppy glared at her. 'She does not. It's Lysis who can't act.'

Yali shrugged. 'Arania thinks otherwise.'

'Bring down your pots!' a man yelled outside. 'Bring down your pots!'

Keth looked out of the window next to his cot. The pmthmun who collected night soil was in the courtyard below, waiting for Ferouze's lodgers to dump their chamberpots into the small barrel in his cart.

'He's early,' said Xantha, running for the door.

'He's late,' argued Poppy. No one in Khapik wanted a full chamberpot in their rooms during the day, when the heat made the smell overpowering.

Yali set Glaki by the door and stooped to fish Keth's chamberpot out from under his bed.

'Yali, I can do it,' Keth protested, looking around for his breeches.

'But I'm up and awake.' Yah stopped on his threshold, her brown eyes curious as she gazed at him. 'Are you all right? Ferouze says you barely made it upstairs last night.'

'I was just tired,' Keth replied. 'This magic wears me out. We went at it hard yesterday, trying to just make a globe, not even to make whatever was inside visible.

And I did one, I don't know how, but then I couldn't make it clear so we could see who this killer is.' He rubbed his face, then smiled at Yali. 'Did you do well last night?'

'Well enough,' Yah answered. 'I''

'Last call for pots!' cried the prathmun below.

'I'd better go,' said Yali, 'before he leaves.'

'I'll see you this afternoon,' Keth promised.

'If that slave-driver teacher doesn't work you as weak as an overcooked noodle,' Yali said drily. With Glaki in tow, she ran to fetch her own chamberpot.

Keth got dressed. 'I don't think she can -work what isn't there,' he muttered.

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