He got the box open.
“Damn!” Inger swore. “Damn it al to hel ! What the…?” The prophesied scepter was there but in an ugly state of decay.
Babeltausque said, “It was a fake.”
“It wasn’t when Fiana was queen.”
“Then Bragi was a crook.”
Wolf said, “Someone was.”
Inger snapped, “Drain the pond, Nathan. Muck it out. Find the rest of the treasure.” She had a feeling that this would not turn out wel . Feet wet and freezing, the rest of her damp, Inger clambered back into the coach. Josiah asked,
“Bad news?”
“So it seems.” She explained. “The jewels were junk.
They’d partly melted. And now I’m remembering that only two men, one very old, carried the treasure away. How much could they lug, real or fake?”
“I hoped they’d taken mostly gold.”
“I’m expecting fool’s gold now.”
Varthlokkur had warned her that she would be disappointed.
...
Members of the castle garrison tagged along wherever Varthlokkur went. He shook them off when so inclined. They expected that and did not resent it.
Why had he come out in this cold rain? Whatever he did was sure to come a disappointment.
He let his tails see him enter Arnulf Black’s butcher shop.
That pathetic vil ain had been questioned by Babeltausque, who declared him a bleak pervert whose need was to humiliate the weak and build himself up by tormenting the helpless. He abused his girls but did not murder them. Even the weakest eventual y ran away.
In that impoverished quarter Black had no trouble finding replacements.
Varthlokkur left the shop. His shadows did not see him go.
They had other things on their minds.
He headed for a nearby apothecary shop.
Arnulf Black said his girls usual y ran to the druggist, whoever the druggist was.
The shop had been there forever but had changed hands a year ago. The new druggist was the son, grandson, or nephew of the man who had retired.
The wizard expected it to be closed and those associated with it to be gone. Chames Marks had to know he was being watched. But the door opened when Varthlokkur tried it. The overhead bel jingled.
A girl came through the curtains fil ing the doorway to the rear. Varthlokkur guessed her to be eleven or twelve. She was drying her hands on an old grey rag. She started to make an apology.
She looked straight at him.
She blanched. Her mouth worked but nothing came out.
She had trouble breathing.
What was this? The child ought to have no idea who he was.
He made a quick gesture with his left hand. Her gaze fol owed. He said, “Stay where you are.” She froze. Varthlokkur considered his surroundings. This was a serious apothecary shop, whatever else it might be — assuming the contents of those containers matched their labels.
Here was a fortune in medicine.
“What is your name?”
“Seline, sir. Seline Shalot.”
“Where is your master?”
“Making a delivery in Eatherton Close. Bel adonna. Dr.
Jaspars uses it. He should be back soon.”
“Why didn’t you make the delivery?”
“Chames thought it might not be safe. What’s been happening to girls around here has him worried.” Varthlokkur put her under deeper so she would not resist more personal questions.
Chames had not touched her. It was al right if he wanted to.
He was good to her. He might have been intimate with Haida. Haida had bragged that he was. It was no big thing.
Someone came in the back way. Varthlokkur heard a clunk and clatter and muttering, then the tread of shod feet headed their way. “Seline, I need you to pul jars while I formulate. We have a big wholesale order…” Varthlokkur grinned wickedly. “Wel ! Hel o. This puts a new spin onto everything.”
...
“I fooled myself,” Babeltausque complained to Nathan Wolf. It was dark. A fire, shielded from wind and rain by a tent under the constant assault of the elements, did not yield enough light to continue work.
Wolf agreed. “You should’ve thought about the weather before you told her. You knew she’d go nuts.” There were bits of ice in the rain. They stung.
The pond was empty. The dam side had been broken.
Rainwater was flushing the muck. Babeltausque, Wolf, and several miserable soldiers took turns keeping the outflow burdened.
They had recovered six coins. Two were silver. None were gold.
“You’re right. But that’s not what I mean. Nobody wil know if we just get in and hunker down by the fire.”
“She can’t fire us. What were you talking about, then?”
“Those men who attacked me. I marked them with tracer spel s.”
“So you could see where they ran. So?”
“So I lost them. They left town. I should’ve grabbed them.” Wolf grunted, disinterested. He was busy quitting work. He kept his back to Babeltausque so the wizard could not read his expression. “This wil at least clean the pond out.” Babeltausque glanced that direction, was content to let the darkness have the pool. “I hope we have enough firewood.”
...
Ozora Mundwil er told Kristen, “Inger found the missing treasury.” Kristen slumped.
“Take heart. They didn’t find much. Not enough for Inger to clear her debts. She won’t be hiring any troops.”
“That’s good news, then.”
“The wizard may have gone home, too. He hasn’t been seen lately.”
“More good news.”
“To old news. Did you try to kil Inger’s sorcerer?”
“No.” Kristen had heard about that but had given it no thought.
“Nor did I. Who, then? The sorcerer said they were Wessons.”
“Which would rule out the Marena Dimura. But they aren’t heard from much anymore, anyway.”
“So who, then?”
“Does it matter?”
“In the sense that it may affect us, of course it does. The enemy of our enemy isn’t necessarily our friend.”
“The eastern empress could have hired them.” But that was sil y. Mist would be more direct. “No. Of course not.
Maybe some Nordmen.” “But the Estates, nominal y, support Inger and Fulk.”
“How about Aral Dantice?”
“Or Michael Trebilcock? Is he stil alive?” Kristen said, “I think so. How about you, Dahl?”
“Word would have gotten around if he real y died.” Kristen said, “Maybe if we knew why he was attacked?”
