“What it probably
“Unless the contraband is too large to hand off, and the papers were directions telling where it was,” Talamir observed. “It could be something else less-than-legal. Stolen goods, perhaps a valuable horse—or—perhaps money to pay for it?”
“Only papers,” Alberich countered. “And what would the purpose be, of the poorer actor paying the highborn, rather than the reverse?” He shook his head. “No. And I think not, the papers were directions to something stolen. Which leaves—information. Paid for by the highborn, gotten by the actor. So—why the exchange in the midst of the play?”
“Because our highborn fellow does not want to be seen making clandestine visits to a mere player.” Talamir seemed very certain of that point. “Someone like that would never come up the hill or be allowed even in the gates of one of the manors. Let me tell you, there is
“Surely as an actor, easy would it be to feign to be the servant?” Alberich hazarded.
Again Talamir shook his head. “Every servant in a Great House will either have worked for the family for generations, have come from the family’s country property, or have been personally vouched for by other servants. Every delivery person will be from a particular set of shops and will be known to the servants. Even the folk who come to take off the trash are personally known to the servants—what the highborn discard is picked over by dozens of lower servants before it gets to the bins outside, and then the right to cart off what is left is jealously guarded.”
“Hmm.” Alberich blinked; he hadn’t known that. Well, so much for ever trying to insinuate himself into a Great House as a servant! “And the boy could not come to the actor in a more secret way?”
“Hah.” Talamir raised an eyebrow. “Not where they are. And people take note when they see someone richly dressed hanging about a ’common’ venue. No matter how careful he was, someone would see him. Unless, of course, he was as practiced in deception as you are, which is highly unlikely.”
“And the resources have, as well,” Alberich reminded the older Herald. “Without the Bell, my movements could not possible be.”
Talamir’s lips formed into a thin line. “The question is, what information, why, and to whom is it going?”
“And does the Crown have interest?” Alberich added. “It could be, we need do nothing about it. It could be, this is only to do with the rivalries among the titled.”
Talamir looked thoughtful as Alberich put the empty tankard aside on a little table that stood between their chairs. “It could be, I suppose,” he admitted. “But it seems a great deal of trouble to go to simply to acquire information about a rival. And why the connection with a troupe of common players?” He shook his head. “No. I don’t like it. I scent something else here.”
Alberich was willing to bow to his experience. “So, you think it is something surely to do with a larger issue? Still, it could signify only that someone has an interest, and is not hostile.”
“Or not. The Karsites are not our only enemies.” Talamir looked pensive. “Or it could be agents of a putative ally, who wishes to learn more than we’ve told him. In which case—we need to establish if there is any harm in letting him continue to operate.”
Alberich snorted at that. “Allies can cause as much harm as enemies, and are less suspected.”
“Hmm. There are times, my suspicious friend, when I am glad that you are who and what you are,” Talamir replied after a long silence. “That had not occurred to me.”
Alberich shrugged. “I am, what I am,” he replied. “In Karse, one keeps one’s friends close, and one’s enemies closer.”
“And in Karse, suspicion is no bad thing.” Talamir pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes in a grimace. “Let us start with the obvious. You might as well add yourself to Selenay’s bodyguards tomorrow. The entire Court will be down at the Festival, and I’ve no doubt that your mysterious young man will be in the midst of the throng. You’ll have your best chance to spot him then, and I can identify him for you.”
That was a shortened version of “You’ll show him to Kantor, who’ll pass the image to Rolan, who’ll show it to me, and I’ll put a name to him.” Alberich nodded.
But he wasn’t happy. “Hoped I had, the crush to avoid,” he sighed. He still wasn’t comfortable rubbing elbows with the titled, even when he was playing so “invisible” a part as that of a bodyguard.
“Well, you can’t,” Talamir retorted, with an unusual level of assertion. “I won’t be around forever, and it is well past the time when you began taking up the duty of spy within the Court as well as down in Haven.”
