Lisa Shearin - Raine Benares 01 (31 page)

Mychael
Eiliesor was taking care of me.

There
was no way the Guardian was going to let me out of his sight. I guess I should
have been grateful he didn’t take the hardline security solution of locking me
up somewhere. I was sure he still considered that an option, but since there
was no way he could get the Saghred by himself, it was in his best interests to
stay on my good side. And that’s exactly where he was. Really close. While
Eiliesor’s proximity was rather nice, it wasn’t very practical. If I needed to
draw a blade, I’d have to knock him out of the way first. And considering his
size in relation to mine, I knew that wasn’t physically possible.

I’d
join Phaelan in a minute, but I wanted to talk to Eiliesor now. I had some
questions. Nagging questions of the life-and-death variety. Eiliesor and I were
behind some crates around the corner from Cutthroat Alley. Phaelan would let me
know when Ocnus put in an appearance. I wanted the first hands around Ocnus’s
throat to be mine.

Eiliesor
stood an arm’s length away, utterly still, his hands relaxed—and where they
could immediately draw either sword or dagger. Always the Guardian, always on
duty, always ready for anything. I wondered if he even knew how to relax. Not
that I wanted him to start now, but I did wonder what a playful Mychael
Eiliesor would be like.

He
must have felt me watching him. He looked down at me, his dark eyes unreadable
in the alley’s faint light.

“What
are you thinking?” His voice was a husky whisper. Raising your voice in this
part of the waterfront was never a good idea. Maybe he knew that. Or maybe it
was just for me. Either way, it was a very nice whisper.

“Nothing,”
I lied.

“You
were smiling.”

“Was
not.”

One
corner of his mouth turned upward. “Yes, you were. What is it?”

“I
was wondering if you’re ever off duty.”

“I
am.”

“Do
you ever act like it?”

His
blue eyes shone in the half-light. “I’ve been known to. Is that what prompted
the smile?”

“It
was. I just can’t imagine you being anything other than a Guardian.”

“I
don’t know what you may have heard about me,” he began.

“By
the book and all business.”

The
smile broadened slightly. “I do hold myself and my men to a higher level of
accountability than some of my predecessors. It’s earned me a reputation that
has its uses. Sometimes it makes my job, and the jobs of my men, a little
easier.” The smile faded. “I take my position—and my responsibilities—very
seriously. You’re in danger because of an object that is my responsibility,
something I’m asking you to help us find.”

I
shifted uncomfortably. “My reasons for agreeing to help aren’t exactly
honorable, you know. I’m one big bull’s-eye for a lot of bad people until I can
get this thing off of me, so I have a vested interest in helping you get what
you want.”

“That
doesn’t lessen the danger you’ll be in over the next few days, nor does it
lessen my appreciation for your help—and my admiration of you.” The Guardian
paused awkwardly. “Mistress Benares?” His voice was oddly formal.

“Yes?”

“I
would like it very much if you would call me Mychael.”

I
felt a smile coming on. I didn’t try to stop it. “I think I can do that.”

If
the light had been better, I would have sworn he had blushed. I felt a little
warm myself.

Now for
the question of the night. “Do you have a plan?” I asked, my voice small and
quiet even to me.

Mychael
seemed genuinely puzzled. “Pardon me?”

“A
plan. Say Ocnus actually knows where the Saghred is, and we get him to cough it
up. Do you have a plan that’s going to get this thing off my neck while leaving
my head attached to my shoulders?”

“I
do, but the details depend on where the Saghred is.”

Now
for the question I really didn’t want to ask. “What if the weasel’s lying? What
if he doesn’t know a thing, and he just tried to con the wrong people? It
wouldn’t be the first time. What then?”

Mychael
was silent for a little too long.

“You
are a seeker—and your father’s daughter.”

I
thought it’d be something like that.

He
moved a step closer to me. I didn’t move, and I didn’t mind.

His
voice was low. “If there is the possibility, however remote, that Ocnus Rancil
knows where the Saghred is, I would prefer to get that information from him and
then confirm it through more mundane means.”

I
swallowed. “Because the Saghred’s dangerous.”

“That’s
one reason.” Mychael paused uncomfortably. “No doubt you are a fine seeker, but
your father had the beacon created to his skill level. He was an exceptionally
gifted mage, one of the best our order has ever produced. He knew how to use
the beacon to keep track of the Saghred. Unfortunately, that information
vanished with him. But I am knowledgeable of how a beacon such as yours works—”

“So
you can walk me through it, if necessary.”

He
smiled slightly. “If necessary. Hopefully it won’t be.”

“What
are the chances that Eamaliel Anguis is my father?” I finally asked. “Really.”

“From
the beacon’s reaction to you, almost a certainty.”

I was
quiet for a longer moment, for an entirely different reason.

“A
nine-hundred-year-old elven Guardian is my father.” I said it as much to myself
as to the much younger elven Guardian standing in front of me. Like saying it
would make it more believable. Or less terrifying.

“He
was connected to the Saghred,” I said. “I’m connected to the Saghred. He’s
nine-hundred-years old and still alive. I’m going to be…?”

“Just
fine,” Mychael assured me.

“How
do you know that?”

“Eamaliel
had nearly continuous, daily contact with the Saghred for almost two years
before he ever had the beacon made. And he wore the beacon for nearly a decade
before anyone noticed he didn’t seem to be aging. You’ve never touched the
Saghred, and you’ve only worn the beacon for two days. We’re going to find the
Saghred, get the beacon off of you, and you’re going to be just fine.”

“No
magical leftovers?”

Mychael
was silent.

“You’ve
been reassuring until now,” I said. “More of the same would be nice.”

“There
could be some residuals.”

“Residuals?”

“When
Eamaliel keyed himself to the beacon, he essentially keyed himself to the
Saghred. The beacon acted as a conduit, and transferred some of the Saghred’s
power to him. You experienced a taste of that last night with the Magh’Sceadu.
With beacons and objects of power, any link is usually severed when the beacon is
removed.”

“Usually.”

“With
something as powerful as the Saghred, the residuals can be significantly more
than mere magical leftovers.”

“So
some of what I can do now could stay with me?”

“It’s
possible that all of what you can do now will stay with you.”

“Great.
Every couple of hours I’m finding something new I can do.” I had a thought, and
it made me faintly queasy. “Would Sarad Nukpana know this?”

“He
is a leading Saghred scholar,” Mychael said. “Yes, he would know.”

I
didn’t need to know that.

Phaelan’s
low whistle came from the alley. Show time.

I
slipped into the alley next to Phaelan. Mychael stayed around the corner. I’d
told him before we’d left Sirens that I wanted a shot at Ocnus first. I was the
one he had set up; I was the one with the beacon stuck around my neck. I felt
that earned me certain rights and privileges. Before tonight, I’d never thought
of strangling Ocnus as a right or privilege, but the past few days had been
full of firsts.

I
looked around. No Ocnus. “Where is he?”

Phaelan’s
smile flashed in the dim light. “He’s finishing off his last pint now. I had
Norleen giving him free ale. He’ll have to stop here before he leaves.”

“Here?”
Understanding dawned, and it didn’t smell good.

Phaelan
grinned. “Yeah, right here.”

“Am I
standing in…?” I looked down at my boots in disgust.

His
grin grew to wolfish proportions and he tapped his own boot in something wet.
“Highly likely. Payback is hell, cousin. From Nigel’s stinking alley to
Ocnus’s.”

Now I
remembered why I avoided alleys in this part of the waterfront. I was glad it
was a cool night. In high summer, the smell would have been unbearable.

Never
think a night can’t get any worse. There’s all kinds of worse.

“Who’s
Norleen?” I asked, trying in vain to keep my mind off my feet.

“The
brew mistress here. I knew her when she worked at the Beggar’s Back. Brews fine
ale, but the dwarf who owns this place is too cheap to sell the lady’s nectar
at full strength. He thinks he can make more profit if he waters it down. But I
understand you can get it full strength if you slip Norleen a little extra.”

“Ocnus
is no use to us drunk,” I reminded him.

“No
problem. Norleen made sure he filled his bladder before his brain. He’ll be
just relaxed enough to make him receptive to questioning.” He grinned. “Or you
could always speed things up and do a mind link.”

My
expression and accompanying gesture let him know what I thought of that. Doing
a mind link on someone like Ocnus was akin to turning over a rock and finding
squishy things underneath. With Ocnus, finding something squishy was always
guaranteed.

Phaelan
nodded toward the shadows Mychael had blended into. Literally blended into.
Eerie. Phaelan’s look wasn’t entirely approving. “What do you think about that
one? I don’t trust him.”

The
two Guardians from Tam’s place were standing not five feet away. Phaelan didn’t
seem to care. If his goal for the evening was to have the blond Guardian’s ax
embedded in his skull, he was off to a fine start.

“I
don’t expect you will,” I told him. “His job is to uphold the law. Yours isn’t.
If I want to get rid of this thing, I’m going to need some help. He’s my top
candidate.” I looked at the tavern’s door. “Are Ocnus’s pet goons still with
him?”

“Never
three feet from his side,” Phaelan said. “It’s enough to make me
claustrophobic. He must be nervous tonight.”

I
snorted. “I wonder why. I hope Norleen gave them free ale, too. The less sober
people we have to deal with, the better.”

“Full
strength to one, but the other’s not drinking. She tried, but no dice.”

“Not
a problem,” the blond Guardian rumbled.

I
jumped. I’d almost forgotten they were there.

The
Guardian grinned down at me. “Not to worry. We’ll entertain those two while you
and the captain talk to Master Rancil.”

He
sounded only too happy to help. I could develop a soft spot for the ax wielder.

Phaelan
was right. Ocnus, and his bladder, had more than their fill of Norleen’s brew.
We slipped farther into the alley. Apparently there were only so many places
Ocnus’s twin mountains of muscle would go with him. Alleys that doubled as
public urinals didn’t make the cut. Maybe they weren’t as dumb as they looked.
The two Guardians drifted silently to either side of the alley entrance, and
literally blended into the shadows like their commander. It was spooky. Ocnus
came into the alley. His guards didn’t. I heard their boot scuffs. Then I
didn’t. Like I said, spooky.

Phaelan
had done this sort of thing before and deemed it prudent to wait until Ocnus
had finished doing what he came to do before apprehending him. Something to do
with the possibility of accidents. Unlike most of Phaelan’s plans, I didn’t
question the wisdom of this one.

Once
Ocnus was actually in the alley, I found a simply fascinating spot on the wall
that warranted my complete and undivided attention. Phaelan would handle the
more physical aspects of securing Ocnus. I was here in case Ocnus was still
capable of defense of the magical variety.

I
heard a thump followed by a strangled squeal. So much for Ocnus being capable.

Phaelan
had him neatly pinned to the alley wall. “Hello, Ocnus.”

“Captain
Benares,” the sorcerer squeaked.

I
stepped out of the shadows, my most serious I’m-going-to-hurt-you-now look on
my face. I was hoping Ocnus would buy my bluff and I wouldn’t actually have to
do anything. Especially anything that involved touching him. From the widening
of Ocnus’s eyes, I guessed I was the last person he expected to come
face-to-face with tonight. Then again, Ocnus’s bulging eyes may have been due
to Phaelan’s forearm on his throat. I told myself it was me. It helped keep the
evil glint in my eye.

Ocnus
was still alive and walking around the city because certain people found him
useful. Like now. Those same people had also allowed him to live because it
would be difficult to explain to the city watch that they’d killed Ocnus just
because he was annoying. While the watch all knew Ocnus and would understand
the reason, the law wouldn’t let them approve of it.