service.
“Shall I?” Willem asked.
The senator nodded and waved a hand at him. A window rattled from the wind, drawing the old man’s attention away.
“I hate this time of year,” he said.
Willem poured one cup of tea, and while Khonsu gazed out the window he emptied the contents of a slim silver vial into the steaming liquid.
“It’s been cold,” Willem said, his throat dry.
“Cold and windy… rainy,” the old man grated. “I hate this time of year. When you’re old like meif you’re unlucky enough to get old like meyou’ll hate it too.” He turned back to Willem and took the offered cup of tea. “It’s pain, that’s all winter is to me. Pain in the muscles, in the joints, everywhere. Everywhere pain.”
“Is there anything I can do, Senator?”
“I have an apothecary, thank you, son,” Khonsu said. “I think the question at hand is more what I can do for you.”
Willem watched the old man drink his tea. He rubbed his sweating palms together and tried to keep his teeth from chattering. The window rattled again, startling Willem.
“I’m at a loss for words, Senator,” Willem said.
“You asked to see me,” said the old man. “You work for the master builder, and your name is Korvan, isn’t it? Not Wheloon. We’ve met before, son, and I’m old but not that old. Does Inthelph treat you well?”
Willem wanted to look away from the old man, but couldn’t. He could see the suspicion mounting in the senator’s gaze, but it was more curiosity than fear.
“He treats me like a son,” Willem said, and he was sincere. “I couldn’t ask for a better patron or mentor, and please accept my apologies for this Wheloon business. I just thought that perhaps some discretion…”
“I have secrets on everyone in this city, Korvan. I’m alive today because I keep them. What’s on your mind?”
Willem forced a smile, but inwardly grimaced at the sight of the old senator downing the rest of his tea in one half-choking swig.
“Your wisdom is valued by many in Innarlith,” Willem said. “I thought you might be able to answer questions for me that the master builder can’t.”
“Like, how can you move up if the master builder is always in your way?” Khonsu suggested with a wicked smile.
“Senator, I…” Willem hedged.
“Oh, come now, Korvan,” Khonsu said. “I’ve been around a long time, but I was young once. You’ve gone as far with Inthelph as you can. That whole wall business… Word is you saved his incompetent arse on that oneand that keep of Osorkon’s as well. Old men take credit for the works of the young, Mister Korvan. The trick is to hang on until they drop dead. Present company excluded”and he indicated himself with a wry smile”they all drop dead eventually.”
The old man laughed, and Willem tried to laugh with him but couldn’t. Khonsu didn’t notice. All of a sudden, the old senator seemed to be having some trouble seeing. He blinked, looked around, then rubbed his eyes.
The window rattled again, loudly, startling them both.
“What was that?” Khonsu asked, still blinking.
“The wind,” Willem said.
“My…” said Khonsu. “All at once I can’t seem to…”
“I’m told it will resemble heartstop,” Willem said, his brain and his mouth moving all on their own, without his seeming to have any say in the matter. “In a man your age, that won’t surprise anyone, I should think. Old men drop dead after all, Senator, leaving room for the young.”
Khonsu coughed, and his eyesight returned enough that he could look Willem in the eye. He seemed somehow relieved.
“It’s not Inthelph who’s standing in the way, old man,” Willem went on. “It’s you. You’re standing in his way. All this talk. He’s heard it. He has more friends than you do now. This talk of incompetence…” Willem found it difficult to talk about that. It appeared that Khonsu was having even more trouble breathing, so Willem could pause in silence before going on. “Inthelph would regret this if he knew I’d come here to kill you and not just to trap you into admitting to me what the master builder already knows. You’ve done that, anyway, as well. I can’t have you turning on him, you fickle old…” Willem stopped himself from being too disrespectful. The murder was bad enough. “The poison in your tea was entirely my idea. The master builder thanks you for your support over the years.”
Willem stood and looked down at Khonsu, who, try as he might, could not breathe at all.
“Sorry, old man,” he whispered, looking Khonsu in the eye.
Willem walked out, also having a difficult time breathing.
He left Khonsu to die and went to the nearest public house where he didn’t stop drinking until it felt like he could sleep. By the time he fell into bed, the sun had come up.
40
24 Hammer, the Year of the Wyvern (1363 DR) On the Shore of the Lake of Steam
Hrothgar hated being so close to the water, and it wasn’t just because of the smell. Growing up in the Great Rift, among the forges and smelters, he’d lived with sulfur and worse fumes all his life. The Lake of Steam smelled bad to be sure, but it was the water itself he didn’t like.
He’d heard the jokes and petty insults over and over again in the time he’d spent living among humans. They had strange ideas about dwarves, not the least of which was that he and his kind should for some reason resent being shorter than humans, dislike having beards, hate working hard, and so on. Humans always thought everyone wanted to be like them. It was the most irritating of all their many and varied irritating qualities.
Also he’d heard the jokes about dwarves not being able to swim, of them sinking like stones and drowning in even the shallowest water. What offended Hrothgar most about that was that it was true, at least in Hrothgar’s case.
“Come, Ivax,” he growled at his human companion. “Let’s get to a decent pub.”
Devorast continued to walk at a slow, steady, distracted pace on the smoothly rounded stones at the shore of the great lake. The night air was cold and the wind whipped at Hrothgar’s beard and made his eyes water. Devorast didn’t seem to notice it at all. The thick layer of clouds hid the stars and the moon, and that at least made Hrothgar feel a bit better. It almost felt as if they were underground.
“Come on, lad,” the dwarf said. “Why are we here? Why do you insist on these walks?”
Devorast shook his head and it looked to Hrothgar as if he was searching for words. There was something about that reaction that unsettled the dwarf; it was so unlike Ivar Devorast
“You’re bored,” Hrothgar guessed. “You finished that ship for the Shou lass and you’ve nothing to do. You’ve nothing to occupy your mind.”
Devorast smiled at that, and the dwarf started to see some hope.
“Get one of those gangly, beardless girls of yours,” Hrothgar suggested. “That’ll give you plenty to”
“You’re right,” Devorast interrupted, much to the dwarfs surprise. “I don’t have anything to do, but my mind is occupied.”
“Is it?” the dwarf asked. “Another ship, then? Is there someone needs a ship built?”
“No,” Devorast replied. “I’ve finished with ships.”
The dwarf couldn’t help but laugha good, loud, healthy guffaw.
“I mean it, Hrothgar.”
“Do you, now?” asked the dwarf. “No more ships then. Perhaps another try at a keep?”
The dwarf laughed some more, but Devorast said, “There was something Ran Ai Yu said just before she set sail.”
“While I was waiting to drown in that damnable little boat?” Hrothgar said.
