whispering and giggling behind their small hands.
The minotaur stopped before a thick oaken door and snorted insistently, as if to indicate that its mission was complete-or would be, once Danilo entered the room. The sound was disconcertingly like a bull ready shy;ing for the charge, and Danilo got the distinct impres shy;sion that he could attend this meeting under his own power or be tossed through the door on the minotaur's horns. He gave the creature a coin, then slipped into the room.
Rhammas Thann rose to meet his son, reaching his hand out in the gesture of one comrade to another. Danilo took his father's hand as if this were the most normal situation in the world. They sat down across a small table and for a few minutes engaged in the sort of meaningless talk that oiled the wheels of every such meeting the room had ever hosted.
Finally Rhammas got to the point. 'You enjoy consid shy;erable personal wealth. The fund your mother and I started for you at your birth has increased a thousand shy;fold and could keep you in style for the rest of your days. You have also your share of the wine business and the increase on your investment in the bard's college. I hear both are doing exceptionally well.'
Danilo nodded cautiously. 'That is the shape of things.'
'I have cause to ask that you part with some small portion of your ready cash,' Lord Rhammas said stiffly, and with obvious reluctance. The man paused, grimaced, and squared his shoulders to steel himself for words yet to come. 'A matter of some delicacy has been brought to my attention. It is one I would just as soon keep from your mother's eyes.'
'Ah.' Danilo settled back in his chair and considered the summons in this clear light.
Of all his siblings, Danilo was the least involved in the Thann family affairs-and the son least likely to report back to Lady Cassandra. Judith, the sister near shy;est him in age and temperament, also tended to follow her own mind and inclinations, but Judith's husband, a merchant sea captain who cut a dashing figure and who claimed distant ties to Cormyr's royal family, owed his position and wealth to the Thann family shipping con shy;cerns. He was therefore as devoted to Lady Cassandra's whims and moods as any lapdog. Judith was as yet too besotted to realize what manner of toady shared her bed, and she held back nothing from her husband. Lord Rhammas would get little discretion from that quarter.
'A personal matter?' Danilo took care to keep his tone even, to ask a question without offering censure.
'That is so. Before I proceed, I must have your word that this will not be bandied about in one of your inane ballads.'
'So pledged,' Danilo said shortly. The comment stung more than it should. As well accustomed as he was to his family's indulgent disdain, it was becoming increas shy;ingly difficult to maintain the role he had chosen to play.
'Very well, then. A woman of my acquaintance finds herself in distress and wishes to leave this city quietly and soon. Discretion is imperative. Your mother tells me you have some connections among the Harpers. You have managed such things?'
'Many times,' Danilo assured him. Of course, never once had he considered that such skills might enable him to attend his father's mistress-and by the sound of things, a woman inconveniently with child.
Danilo was not certain how he should feel about the matter. Bastards were nothing new among the nobility, or among the common folk either, for that matter. Many marriages were made for gain or convenience, and chil shy;dren conceived outside such unions were usually acknowl shy;edged and granted some measure of acceptance.
Even so, he could understand his father's desire to keep this matter entirely from Lady Cassandra's eyes. If his father wished to discharge his responsibilities with extreme discretion, Danilo was not about to gain shy;say him. He was not certain, however, whether this unexpected request should rightly be viewed as an insult or an expression of confidence.
One way or another, it mattered not. This was the first thing his father had ever asked of him. Whatever Rhammas thought of him, Danilo could hardly refuse.
'I will see the lady safely out of the city in a matter of days and see that she does not want for anything. Will that serve?'
'Admirably.' Rhammas pushed a folded bit of parch shy;ment across the table. 'You can find her there. She is expecting a visit from you this night. I hope that will be convenient.'
It was far from convenient. Danilo considered the day he had spent and the plans he had for the night ahead. His servants were preparing a private feast for two, then anticipating a night's holiday while their master and his lady had the house to themselves-a stolen hour or two before they tended Danilo's latest social responsibility.
Frustration swept through him. One more duty, one more delay-and this time, he could not place the blame on Arilyn's moonblade.
'Convenient is not the word I would have chosen,' he commented. 'Nonetheless, all will be done as you ask.'
* * * * *
When Danilo sent word canceling their evening plans, Arilyn had returned with the messenger and insisted upon accompanying Danilo into the Dock Ward. He seemed oddly preoccupied and was reticent about details of the task ahead.
A simple matter, he told her. He would make the first contact, then two Harper agents would see the plan through. That much was true, of that Arilyn was cer shy;tain, but she could not guess what truths remained unspoken.
Her questions settled into certainty the moment the young woman opened the door to her chamber. This woman was not Rhammas Thann's mistress, but his child.
Arilyn glanced from Danilo to the girl. The resem shy;blance was remarkable. Though her hair was an unusual shade of pale red-gold, her face had the same well-shaped features and sharply defined bones. Also famil shy;iar was the slender, graceful form reminiscent of dancers or-and this insight startled Arilyn-gold elves. The girl could probably claim an elven ancestor no more than two or three generations back. Arilyn had never seen the evidence of Danilo's distant elven heritage, but it was there beyond doubt in the mirror that was his sister's face.
Nor did the similarity end there. Familiar mischief lurked behind the girl's uncertain smile and intelli shy;gence was evident in the quick, observant glance she cast over her visitors. Arilyn would wager that the girl didn't miss much.
The tavern maid seemed reassured by what she saw, at any rate. She stepped back and swept a hand toward the poor room-a gesture that was at once sincere welcome and self-parody. 'You are kind to come, Lord Thann.'
'Lilly,' Danilo said, studying the girl with puzzle shy;ment. 'I did not expect to see you.'
'I'll warrant you did not,' she agreed. She glanced over at the half-elf and gave her a small, knowing smile-one that confirmed what Arilyn saw and gave a wordless, wistful commentary on the blindness of men. 'Thank you for coming, lass. I'm taking it as a kindness that you came along with Lord Thann, seeing as how rough this part of town can be.'
'You'll be safe soon enough,' Arilyn assured her. She looked to Danilo to explain the plan.
His attention had been captured by a small object on the bed. 'Is that what I think it is?' he demanded.
Lilly winced. 'Aye, I'm guessing it is. A weakness of mine, I'm afraid.'
'A dangerous one,' he said sternly, sounding more like Khelben Arunsun than Arilyn would have thought pos shy;sible. She debated whether to remark on this and decided to keep this observation on hand for a later time. It was always wise to have a hidden weapon or two.
After a few words about the risks of taking magic lightly, Danilo quickly explained the arrangements. Two Harpers, Hector and Cynthia, would come to the tavern toward the end of the late shift. Hector would bring a small covered cart to the back alley, and Cynthia would slip up to Lilly's room. The two women were to change clothes, and Cynthia would stay in Lilly's place. Hector would take Lilly to the North Gate and place her in the charge of a discreet caravan master, who would give her passage to an orchard village outside the city. From there, it was westward to Suzail along with the new-pressed cider. At each step, Lilly would be supplied with coin and lodging. A substantial sum would await her in Suzail, enough to get her started in a new life of her choosing.
