already.
Tonight, he decided firmly. I'm going after those fake guards tonight.
CHAPTER SIX
'Even if Anista Pharaboldi or her husband are in some way involved in this mess, I honestly don't think Denrick knows what's going on,' Emriana said to her brother. She had returned to his rooms right after Uncle Kovrim had left, and they were discussing what she'd learned that day. Vambran paced while she sat cross-legged on his bed. 'I was watching him carefully when I told him what we'd seen, and he didn't even react. I made sure I didn't mention any names-well, at the time, I didn't know Jithelle's name-so that if he didn't know, I wouldn't get him riled up. If he was already aware of her death, I think I could have been able to tell, and he didn't blink at all.'
'Maybe,' Vambran said, still walking back and forth, pulling at his lips in thought. He had dressed in a fresh outfit and seemed none the worse for wear after his ordeal at the aszraun. 'Or he could just be an incredibly good actor. You took an awfully big risk, testing him that way. If House Pharaboldi wants to keep their connection with the woman quiet, revealing that you know isn't going to help anything.'
'I said I was subtle, Vambran. Besides, I did all that before I knew he was bedding her.' Emriana rolled her eyes and sighed. 'And before I knew about the attack on you. If I had already found out that there was that strong of a connection, I never would have brought it up in front of him. As it was, I pretended to be exhausted for the rest of the afternoon to avoid seeing him again.'
'Yeah,' Vambran said softly. 'I'm sorry you had to find that out, Em.'
'Oh, please,' she said, forcing a laugh. 'You know how I felt about Denrick before. It just confirmed my low opinion of him.'
She gave Vambran a wink, but down inside, she had to admit there was at least a little pain. Finding out anyone wasn't being honest with her would do that.
'Do you think the maid who told you all this will keep quiet?'
'I imagine,' Emriana replied. 'It doesn't help her at all to admit she broke a confidence, especially one her mistress established with her.'
'I sure hope so,' said Vambran. 'You need to be careful, especially now. If Denrick didn't know before, he's going to find out sooner or later. He's still likely to figure that it was Jithelle you were talking about. He may still get suspicious that you know more than you admitted.'
'And do what?' Em asked dismissively. 'At worst, he thinks I knew who it was during the picnic and didn't tell him. In the strictest sense, that's not true, but he might think that. Even so, what's he going to do? Get angry? Refuse to see me anymore? It's not like I'm ever going to allow him to think I'm taking him seriously again. Not when he sleeps with his family's staff.'
'He might not be content with that solution, Em. From what you've said in the past, Denrick sounds like the kind of person who's used to getting what he wants. What if he still wants you, especially now that his secret mistress is no longer around?'
'It's never going to happen,' Emriana said firmly.
'Or, what if the Pharaboldis are somehow responsible for Jithelle's and Hoytir's deaths? Even if Denrick isn't in on it, once he finds out and mentions that you know about it, don't you think they'll consider you a threat to them? Whoever was responsible for these murders, they won't be afraid to kill again to keep their secrets intact. They tried it once already, today.'
Her brother was looking at her with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
'You really think assassins would come after me?' Emriana asked, trying to sound off-handed, but more than a bit nervous. 'They'd have a hard time getting in here, with all of Uncle Dregaul's security in place to keep me from getting out.'
Vambran stopped pacing and turned to face his sister directly.
'Em,' he said, 'I know you're all grown up now, turning sixteen in a couple of days, but please listen to me on this.' He reached forward and took his sister by the shoulders, forcing her to see his face. 'You're not invincible; neither am I. Look what happened to me today, and I'm trained to expect it. There are people out there who are capable of a lot of unpleasant things, and you haven't been around them like I have. Even though Uncle Dregaul would probably prefer it, you can't hide in here your whole life. I'm just asking you to be careful. There's still so much we don't know.'
Emriana smiled and leaned forward to hug her brother warmly.
'I know' she said, and held him tightly for a good long time, trying to let some of her worry for him melt away. Then she released him finally and sat back again. 'I appreciate it. And I will. But you have to admit, it was a stroke of good fortune, my conversation with Patimi.'
'Yes. That's true,' Vambran said, pacing once more. 'Though I had already heard about the plague story as of this morning, at least we now know who the victims are. I'm not sure where that gets us, though. Maybe we could find out more from the rest of the staff at the Pharaboldis', or from Jithelle's or Hoytir's families.'
'Now who's talking about taking risks? How are you going to do that without being noticed by the Pharaboldis themselves?' Emriana sat straighter and reached out to grab Vambran by the hand to force him to stop pacing. 'More important, why are we trying to figure all this out ourselves? What good is it doing us to stick our noses in this mess?'
Vambran gave his sister a look that she couldn't read. 'Because it's the right thing to do, Em,' he said softly. 'Because no one else in Arrabar seems at all interested in seeking justice. 'They're just a couple of working class servants,' ' he intoned. 'Maybe they're even guilty, and everyone has been reading them wrong. But no one has been able to prove it, yet. I can't let that go. Not again.'
There it was again, Emriana realized. Those strange comments her brother was making. What was he talking about? She started to open her mouth to ask him, when suddenly, it hit her. The accident! Aunt Xaphira's disappearance! It all made sense, and the realization made her gasp.
'What is it?' Vambran asked, concern in his eyes.
'N-Nothing,' Emriana stammered, remembering her vow to keep quiet about the whole affair until the time was right. 'Just remembering something Grandmother Hetta told me this morning at breakfast.' And, on impulse she added, 'About Aunt Xaphira, and an accident.'
Vambran stood very still, staring hard at Emriana, his face losing its color.
'She told you about that?' he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
'Only that something happened,' the girl replied, taking her brother's hand. 'None of the details. She said the person involved would have to tell me in his own good time,' she added pointedly.
Vambran spent so long just staring off into nothingness that Emriana began to worry that she had made a terrible mistake, mentioning her knowledge at all. The realization that it was her brother who had been involved had stunned her too, and she was still sifting through the emotional explosions in her head from that when he finally began to recount the story.
'I was twelve,' Vambran began, 'and it was the Night of Ghosts festival at the Generon. Adyan, Horial, and I were bored, so we decided to go take some target practice with a brand new crossbow Uncle Kovrim had given to me. We found a spot where we didn't think we'd bother anyone, but it was a stupid, stupid thing we did, because I shot someone.'
He stopped there, taking several deep breaths and swallowing. Emriana squeezed her brother's hand reassuringly and nodded, urging him to continue.
'It was Lord Wianar's cousin Rodolpho. It was an accident, but everyone knew that Eles Wianar would bend it to his advantage any way he could. So Aunt Xaphira fixed it. She dressed up like an assassin, hid her face, and managed to get over the walls and out of the city with half the guardsmen in Arrabar chasing her. No one ever figured out the truth.'
'Oh, Vambran, I'm sorry,' Emriana said, her voice thick. 'That must have been horrible for you! And Uncle Dregaul has held it against you ever since,' she said, realizing then the origin of the animosity between Vambran and his uncle. 'He blames you.'
