Lisa Shearin - Raine Benares 01 (30 page)

His
expression softened. A little. “I am.”

“Then
I need you to start being honest with me.”

“Honesty
is dangerous right now.”

“So
are secrets.”

Mychael
leaned forward. “We really shouldn’t discuss this any further in the open.”

I
didn’t like it, but I had to agree with him. I waved Phaelan over.

“Would
you join us in Tam’s office? Paladin Eiliesor feels the need for a little
privacy.”

Tam
was sitting behind his desk. I think he felt the need to have a solid piece of
furniture between us right now. He knew what I’d done to Eiliesor. Phaelan let
the two crew members who had come with us into Sirens know we wouldn’t be
coming out for a while. They stationed themselves near Tam’s office door. I was
sure they’d have plenty of Guardian company.

Tam
had offered the hospitality of his personal bar, and Phaelan was taking him up
on it. “Can I get you something?” he asked me.

“Sure.”
A drink sounded like a wonderful idea. I was perched on the edge of one of
Tam’s plush, overstuffed chairs and was feeling a little tense. Wonder why. I
didn’t really think Tam had ordered me kidnapped last night, or that Mychael
Eiliesor was going to do the same tonight, but caution had never been a bad
thing for me.

I
took the glass and a sip. The tang of Caesolian port burned with a cool fire. I
had to hand it to Phaelan. When invited to help himself to a connoisseur’s
private stock, he knew enough to go straight for the good stuff.

My
cousin and his drink made themselves at home in another chair.

“Kell
told me you went out for dessert,” Tam said quietly, his hands folded on his
desk. “Would you care to elaborate?”

I
looked at Mychael Eiliesor, my question unspoken, but obvious.

“Tam
knows why I’m here,” Eiliesor told me.

I
blinked. “He does?”

Tam
was wearing a similar stunned expression. It was a look I’d never seen on him
before, and unfortunately, I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it. Apparently my
involvement was news to him, too.

“Raine
and I will be working together on this,” Eiliesor told Tam. He glanced at me,
his eyes unreadable. “At least I hope that’s still the case.”

The
beacon picked that moment to wake up and say hello. Tam’s eyes widened even
farther. There was nothing like having a secret that wasn’t so secret anymore.
Actually, it was a relief. And since everyone in the room knew my hand, I might
as well put my cards on the table. I pulled the amulet out of my shirt.

Tam’s
dark eyes were instantly riveted to my chest. It was familiar territory for
them. “No,” was all he could manage.

I
smiled. There was no humor in it. “Ta-da.”

“That’s
impossible.” Tam found more words.

“It
should be, but it’s not,” Eiliesor said.

“You
knew?” Tam asked Phaelan, who amazingly enough was sitting quietly through all
this.

My
cousin grinned. “It’d be difficult not to. I was there when she got it.”

I
stared hard at Tam. “I might ask you the same.”

“What?”

“How
you knew.”

“That
depends on what you mean by ‘knew’?” Tam’s response to a question was very
often another question. It wasn’t one of his more endearing qualities.

“Tam,”
I warned.

He
glanced at Eiliesor.

“Tell
her,” the Guardian said.

I set
my drink aside. “Tam, I’ll make you a deal. You tell me all about yours, and
I’ll tell you all about mine.”

The
goblin’s lips curved into a slow, wicked grin. “And in front of everyone.”

My
lips narrowed into a thin, angry line. “Just spill it.”

Tam
sat back in his desk chair. “About two weeks ago, my former teacher arrived in
town. She asked to meet me for dinner. Since we hadn’t seen each other in a few
months, I didn’t think much of it. During dinner, she asked a favor. She needed
a safehouse, something isolated and easily defensible. My family owns property
that I thought would fill her needs. The other morning she was here asking to
extend their stay.”

“You
really need to hire a cleaning service, Tam,” I said. “Other than that, nice
house, very impressive.”

The
goblin raised one dark brow. “I beg your pardon?”

“Piaras
and I were guests at your out-of-the-way cottage last night.”

His
expression darkened. “I suspected who would be staying there, so I thought it
prudent to ask her a few questions. Apparently, I should have asked more. What
she did tell me, I really didn’t like, but it wasn’t enough to refuse her
request. I probably should have. Was she there last night?”

“Not
that I know of,” I said. “But her wards were. She left her prince in a cozy,
well-protected nest.”

Tam
frowned.

“Did
she mention what they were doing in town?” I asked.

“She
was predictably elusive on that point. Knowing about Sathrik’s visit told me
that the less I knew about Chigaru’s visit, the better.”

“Did
she ask anything of you other than your house?”

“No.”

“So
she didn’t mention the beacon or the Saghred.”

“Not
a breath. I found that out from Mychael.”

“Thanks
in part to you,” Eiliesor told me, “things have moved faster than we
anticipated. We’ve had to catch up. Fortunately, the Khrynsani are still a few
steps behind.”

“I’m
sure my former teacher thought I’d refuse to help if I knew the entire plan,”
Tam continued. “She would have been right. She’s honorable and would never
knowingly harm anyone, but she has the misfortune of thinking that Chigaru
Mal’Salin shares her morals. I’ve met the prince, and while he’s a far superior
alternative to his brother, he’s still a Mal’Salin. My teacher has been known to
turn a blind eye in some instances.”

“He
told me he only wants to keep the Saghred from his brother,” I said.

“You
spoke with him?”

“It
wasn’t my idea.”

I
gave him the shortened version of last night’s events.

Tam
was incredulous. “And you came walking in here by yourself?”

Phaelan
cleared his throat indignantly. “Me and eight of my best men hardly constitute
‘by yourself’.”

“Could
you or your eight best defend Raine from a Khrynsani attack?” Tam snapped.

“Could
you get a spell past your front teeth when there’s a fist coming at it?”
Phaelan shot back.

“My
escort was more than adequate,” I told them both. “And Paladin Eiliesor has
arranged for a pair of his Guardians to become my new shadows. The two waiting
outside, right?” I asked Eiliesor.

“That
was the plan.”

I
spread my hands. “See, plenty of protection.”

“Why
her?” Tam asked Eiliesor.

“I
have a theory,” was all he said.

Since
that theory involved a nine-hundred-year-old Guardian being my father, it was a
theory I didn’t want to think about, so I changed the subject.

“What
about your spellsinger?” I asked Tam.

“What
about him?”

“Who,
what, when, and why did he take up kidnapping as a second career? He paid Ocnus
Rancil to set me up. Since when is Ocnus working for him?”

“Ocnus
works for the Mal’Salins,” Tam reminded me patiently.

“Yes,
I know that; but what is Ocnus doing working…” I paused, thought and concluded
in the span of two seconds.

“Your
spellsinger is a Mal’Salin?” My voice felt the need to rise a couple of
octaves; I felt the need to let it.

“Rahimat
is my late wife’s nephew.”

I
couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Then again, I could.

“
Uncle
Tam?”

“Well,
yes.”

“And
you didn’t tell me.”

“I
didn’t see where it would improve the situation any; so, no I didn’t.”

“You
mean improve
your
situation.”

“Same
thing.”

“Hardly.”

“I
had no idea Rahimat was working for Chigaru Mal’Salin, if that’s what you’re
getting at,” Tam said. “Though I’m sure his being in Mermeia isn’t a
coincidence. Planting him to spy on me isn’t like Primari Nuru, so I’d imagine
it was the prince’s doing. She trusts me; the prince does not. Rahimat was on
summer break from the Conclave college. He’s a spellsinger, and he told me he
wanted to earn some extra money, so I put him to work.”

I had
to bite my tongue. Uncle Tam wasn’t Rahimat’s only source of summer fun money.
Most kids get a normal summer job. Mal’Salin teenagers kidnap and dabble in
world domination. I guess they had to get on-the-job training somewhere.

“I
wonder if he’ll show up for work tonight,” was what I said.

“From
what you’ve told me, it’s unlikely,” Tam said. His eyes darkened even further.
“But if he does, I can guarantee he’ll wish he hadn’t.”

Eiliesor
sat on the edge of Tam’s desk. “I’d like to know more about the note you
received from Ocnus Rancil.”

“Sure.
Which part?”

Tam
snorted. “The part that compelled you to abandon all common sense to go meet
with him.”

I
squared my shoulders. “That would be the same part where he claimed to know the
location of the Saghred.”

“What?”
Eiliesor was suddenly like a hound on a scent.

“Except
he didn’t directly refer to the Saghred,” I added. “He called it an ‘artifact.’
Knowing what I know now, I think it’s the same thing, right?”

“It
is. Do you remember his exact words?”

“Don’t
have to. I still have the note.” I handed it to him.

The
Guardian read it. “It sounds like Master Rancil may have stumbled into some
very valuable and dangerous information.”

Tam
grinned. “From what I heard last night in the Goblin District, Ocnus didn’t
just stumble; he fell face first. He ran out of the District this morning and
hasn’t been seen since. Word has it Nukpana is looking for Ocnus. Hard.”

“If
Rancil knows the Saghred’s location, why wouldn’t he just sell the information
to Sarad Nukpana?” Eiliesor asked.

“Knowing
Ocnus, he probably made the offer,” Tam said. “But if he’s up to his usual
tricks, Nukpana wasn’t the only potential buyer. And with the Mal’Salin family
split into two camps, working for the family has become even more complicated
than it used to be.”

Phaelan
tossed back the last of his drink. “Sounds like he’s holding out for the
highest bidder.”

“Ocnus
is known for playing both sides of the fence, so that wouldn’t surprise me,” I
said.

Tam
chuckled. “Sarad Nukpana doesn’t like to be played.”

“Anything
from the rumor mill on where Ocnus has gone to ground?” I asked. If Tam didn’t
know, I had a real good idea.

“Not
a peep.”

“Considering
who’s after him, Ocnus has every reason to claw his way under the nearest
rock,” Phaelan noted.

I
smiled. It was a slow smile, and it was borderline malicious.

“I
think I know just which one to turn over.”

No
doubt Ocnus had always wanted to be popular. Now I wanted
to talk to him. So did Sarad Nukpana. But somehow, I
didn’t think that was the kind of popularity Ocnus had in mind.

Tracking
the goblin snitch was simple enough. From time to time, Ocnus found it prudent
not to be among his own people. Nothing like having a deal go sour to compel
you to make yourself scarce. When the Goblin District was the last place he
wanted to be, Ocnus had three favorite places to drown his sorrows: the Blind
Bandit, the Sly Fox, and the Sleeping Giant. The Blind Bandit had burnt to the
ground last month, the owner of the Sly Fox wanted to get his hands on Ocnus
almost as much as Sarad Nukpana did, so that left the Sleeping Giant. Sure
enough, Ocnus was in residence at the bar with his two hobgoblin bodyguards in
tow.

Bodyguard
work came easily to hobgoblins. When you’re huge, furry, fanged, and yellow-eyed,
you don’t need much else as a deterrent. Ocnus’s muscle-bound bookends were
good at one thing—being big. To their credit, they did it very well. But speed,
either of thought or action, wasn’t a burden either one carried.

The
Sleeping Giant was a dockside dive located on Cutthroat Alley. I know what it
sounds like, but the locals liked the name. In fact, they thought they were
being downright civic-minded by calling it what it really was. It told the
nonlocal what was likely to happen to them if they dawdled there. If a nonlocal
chose to ignore the warning that was their business, or life.

Phaelan
was waiting for Ocnus with two of his crew and a pair of Guardians in an alley
off the aforementioned alley that ran beside the tavern. Tam was back at Sirens.
He had a business to take care of. I told him I would take care of Ocnus.