'His nibs is expecting me,' he said.
The human gave a shaky nod and replied, 'Yes. Please, come with me.'
At first, they traversed the service areas of the mansion. It was late enough that the servants and slaves had extinguished most of the lamps and candles, and with only a couple exceptions, they lay snoring on their cots and pallets. Kesk knew they'd rise with the dawn to resume their labors, and he experienced a swell of contempt for anyone trapped in such a dreary life. Truly, as he'd often thought, most people were no better than sheep and deserved whatever the wolves of the world cared to do to them.
Eventually his guide conducted him into the section of the house where the master spent his days. The furnishings had a fussy, delicate, pastel quality that made Kesk's skin crawl. He understood that many folk would have considered them 'elegant' or 'beautiful,' but to the extent that he cared about such effete matters at all, he preferred clashing primary colors and bold, simple designs, a taste he shared with his orc ancestors.
The servant tapped on a door.
'Come in,' a reedy voice replied, whereupon the flunky ushered Kesk into a lavishly appointed library and workroom.
The decor was of a piece with that seen elsewhere in the house. Carved crystal flowers stood in milky porcelain vases, and a fabulously expensive blackwood clock with golden hands and numerals hung on the wall, its gilded weights dangling beneath it.
Dressed in a tasseled nightcap, slippers, and a quilted satin dressing gown, the owner of all that luxury lounged on a plush velvet divan, a scroll in his lap and a glass of pale wine on the stand beside him. Though well into the afternoon of his life, the smallish human had a boyish, apple-cheeked face that flashed a smile when he saw who'd come to call on him.
'Kesk!' he said. 'My dear fellow. I was just about to give up on you for the night.'
'Do you have to use my name in front of the help?' Kesk growled.
The servant flinched as if he expected Kesk to reclaim his anonymity by butchering him on the spot. Actually, the idea did have something to recommend it.
'It's a little late to worry about concealing your identity,' said the man on the couch. 'As far as I know, you're the only tanarukk in Oeble. In any case, Cohis is discreet. Aren't you, Cohis? He'll prove it by running along before he's even asked.'
The lackey hastily withdrew and the man said, 'Show it to me.'
Kesk felt awkward. Almost embarrassed. He wasn't used to such feelings, and it made him angry.
'We hit a snag,' he said.
The human arched his eyebrows and asked, 'How so? I know one of your minions made off with the prize. It's the talk of the town.'
'That's the problem,' said Kesk. 'He wasn't exactly one of mine. He was someone I hired.'
'I was under the impression that you had your own little army of ruffians to attend to such chores. Why would you seek help elsewhere?'
'Different reasons. The thing is, the bastard hasn't handed over the box yet.'
'Whyever not?'
'He wants more gold than we agreed on.'
'Perhaps you'd better give it to him.'
'I can't let a little rat like him change the terms of a deal on me,' Kesk said. 'It would make me look weak.'
'Forgive my selfishness, but I can't help feeling more concerned with my objectives than your reputation.'
'You'll get your cursed treasure.'
'Will I? I hope so, but I have the disquieting feeling there are things you're not telling me.'
How right he was. But he might not appreciate hearing that Kesk had complicated the plan by scheming to seize the prize and settle an old score at the same time. Or that the tanarukk had lost his temper at exactly the wrong moment, lashing out at Aeron and scaring him off when he should have done all he could to allay the trickster's misgivings. Or… well, quite a bit of it, really.
'Is it so bad?' Kesk asked. 'The way you explained it, our victim has already squandered a lot of coin and wound up with nothing. You can still ruin him, can't you?'
'Suppose I move prematurely, and he then recovers the Bouquet? He'll survive my little coup knowing just what a committed enemy I actually am, which will surely prompt him to retaliate. That's unacceptable. I don't intend to make my play until the box is in my hands and I know for certain he's defenseless. Also, of course, the musty old thing is virtually priceless. You don't want to throw away all the riches it represents, do you?'
'Like I said, I'll get it.'
'I never doubted it for an instant. Still, perhaps we can resolve the matter more expeditiously if I take an active role. What's our recalcitrant thief's name?'
'Don't worry about it. I'll deal with him.'
'Please, indulge my curiosity.'
'Are you going to make me say it outright?' Kesk asked, scowling.
The man on the couch cocked his head and replied, 'Apparently so.'
'I know I'm not the only knife on your belt. Maybe, if I give you the name, you'll find the thief without any help from me. Then you might figure that just proves you don't need a partner after all.'
'What a sour, suspicious turn of mind you have. Of course I need a partner. Can you imagine me traipsing through the Underways, trafficking with your Red Axes and their ilk? Would they trust me or even take me seriously? Not without a great deal of effort on my part, and I have other, more congenial work requiring my attention. Now, please, give me the name. Otherwise, much as it would pain me, I'll have to start questioning your integrity.'
'Sorry.'
The human heaved a sigh and said, 'Oh, very well, have it your way. I was just trying to expedite matters, but…'
As he blathered on, his hand slipped toward the pocket of his robe.
Kesk sprang forward. The man in the robe lifted his hand, stray grains of glittering blue powder leaking from his palm. About to fling the stuff, he registered the fact that the outlaw was already poised to swing his battle-axe at his neck, and faltered.
Kesk was so angry that the human's hesitation almost didn't matter.
'You'd cast a spell on me?' the tanarukk demanded.
The rich man opened his fingers and let the colored sand spill harmlessly away.
'It wouldn't have hurt you,' he said. 'It would merely have inclined you to trust me.'
Kesk grinned and said, 'Not much hope of that now.'
'Come, now. You don't truly wish to hurt me. Think of that rosy future I promised you: the Red Axes doing absolutely anything they please without fear of the Gray Blades, the rest of the underworld either paying homage to you or driven out of Oeble altogether. You'll never achieve that paradise without me.'
'Don't be so sure,' Kesk said, but he lowered the axe.
The human smiled and rubbed his slender neck as if making sure his head was still attached.
'Thank you for your forbearance.'
'No,' Kesk spat, 'thank you for reminding me you're a wizard. You want to help me find the Bouquet? Fine. Let's turn out your drawers and closets and see what kind of talismans you've got.'
CHAPTER 5
'How much farther?' Miri asked.
Her guide glanced back over his shoulder. The wavering light of his upraised torch stained one side of his smirking face yellow while leaving the other in shadow.
'We're almost there,' he replied.
