Tiassa Read Free Page A

curlicue trailing off from the final symbol; it is always a pleasure to see good calligraphy. I broke the seal.
    “My lord the Baronet,” it read, “I am anxious to meet with you to resolve the financial matters that lie between us. I have bespoken a private room on the main floor at the Blackdove Inn, where I can be found between noon and dusk every day. I await your convenience.
    “I remain, my lord,
    “Your servant
    “Baron Byrna of Landrok Valley.”
    Well, wasn’t that just the honey in the klava.
    “Gee, Boss. You should head right over. It couldn’t possibly be, you know, a trap or anything.”
    “Heh,” I said.
    Melestav was still standing in my doorway, waiting to see if there was an answer. I said, “See if you can find Shoen and Sticks and have them hang around here until I need them.”
    “Will do,” he said.
    He left me alone. Loiosh didn’t have anything more to say, and neither did I. I took out a dagger and started flipping it. I thought about Cawti, the girl I’d just gotten engaged to, then realized that wouldn’t help the problem. Then realized that until I knew something, it wouldn’t do any harm, either, so I continued. Time passed pleasantly.
    Eventually some of the more mundane aspects of my job intervened, so I spent the interim saying yes, yes, no, and get me more details until Kragar said, “I’ve found out a few things, Vlad.”
    I jumped, scowled, relaxed, and said, “Let’s hear it, then.”
    “He didn’t know where the guy came from, but, yeah, Byrna has a protector.”
    I cursed under my breath and listened.
    “Trotter found Byrna at one of his usual hangouts, went after him with a lepip, and the next thing he knew he was full of holes. He didn’t get a good description of the guy, except that he wore blue.”
    I sighed. “All right.”
    “I imagine,” he said, “you’ll need me to go find out things I have no way of finding out, right?”
    “Naw,” I said. “I’ll just go meet the guy.”
    Kragar nodded. “Smart move. I’ll send flowers.”
    “Hmm?”
    “I thought that was the Eastern custom.”
    “Oh, right. It is. Good. I’ll be counting on it.”
    “Vlad—”
    “I know what I’m doing, Kragar.”
    “Sure about that, Boss?”
    “Shut up.”
    Kragar made a grunt, indicating he believed me about as much as Loiosh did. This is a reaction I’m used to from those who know me.
    Kragar left, and Loiosh started in. Did I really know what I was doing? Did I care that I was walking into a trap? Did I this? Did I that? Blah blah blah.
    “Melestav!”
    He poked his head through the door.
    “Message to Lord Baron Byrna of Landrok. Begins: I will be honored to wait upon you at the fifth hour after noon of this day. I Remain, My Lord, Sincerely and all that. Ends. Send it to him at the Blackdove Inn.”
    “Will do.”
    “Shoen and Sticks?”
    “They’re both here.”
    I nodded. I checked the time with the Imperial Orb, and I still had several hours. Good.
    I got up from the desk and strapped on my rapier, increasing the number of weapons I was carrying by an insignificant percentage, then put on my cloak, increasing that number by a much larger percentage. Concealing hardware in a big, flowing cloak is pretty easy. The hard part is keeping said hardware from clanking, and arranging it so the cloak looks and feels like it’s a reasonable weight. It had taken a lot of trial and error to get there, and it still took a bit of fiddling about before it was adjusted properly on my shoulders. But eventually I got it and I walked out, telling Melestav I’d be back later.
    Kragar wasn’t in the room. That I noticed. The two guys I’d brought for protection were; I nodded to them, they stood up and followed. Shoen walked like he was one mass of muscle, just waiting to explode as soon as he had a direction to explode in—and that’s pretty much what he was. Sticks was tall and lanky and he walked as if he were just out enjoying the ocean scent and wouldn’t