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"That would be wonderful," Sarai admitted gratefully. She got to her feet; the Black Dagger tumbled from her lap to the floor, and she picked it up.
She did not sheathe it immediately, but carried it loose-not for any particular reason, but on a whim. The hilt felt curiously reassuring in her hand.
Together, the two women strolled down the northeast corridor and out onto the plaza.
CHAPTER 44
Tabaea had been waiting. She had not caught up to Lady Sarai and her escort on Gate Street, Harbor Street had been crowded, and Quarter Street had soldiers patrolling it; Tabaea had not dared to jump Lady Sarai anywhere on the way. She had not dared to enter the palace, either, with all those guards and magicians about, not without the Black Dagger in her hand. Sooner or later, though, Lady Sarai would come out again; surely she wouldn't sleep in the palace with the Seething Death still there. She would go out to Serem's house, or to the barracks in Grandgate, or somewhere. Sooner or later she would be careless, would travel with a small enough escort that Tabaea would have her chance.
There was an abandoned wagon on the plaza, and Tabaea had seized her opportunity; she had lain down in the wagon, out of sight, and watched the door through a crack in the side.
Soon, soldiers and magicians came pouring out the door and marched or ambled away without seeing her; Lady Sarai was not among them, however.
At last, though, as evening approached, Tabaea's patience was rewarded-out the door, all by themselves, came Lady Sarai and that tall black-haired witch.
And Lady Sarai was holding the Black Dagger in her hand.
Using all her speed, all her agility, Tabaea leaped from the wagon and threw herself at Lady Sarai's arm.
Sarai didn't even see her coming; she was still blinking, letting her eyes adjust to the fading sunlight, when something smashed into her arm, spi
"Tabaea!" Karanissa shouted.
The self-proclaimed empress was already past them, and inside the palace, ru
"I think I sprained my wrist," Sarai said, sitting dazed on the pavement. "What happened?"
"It's Tabaea!" Karanissa told her, reaching down to help her up. "She took the dagger!"
Sarai blinked, then got to her feet as quickly as she could. "I thought you said she was gone," she said.
"She's back," Karanissa answered.
"Why haven't the wizards killed her?" Sarai asked, still slightly dazed. "They were so hot for vengeance…"
"They hadn't got around to it yet," Karanissa answered. "They were too busy worrying about the Seething Death. And what difference does it make why? They didn't kill her, and she's back. Come on!" As Sarai moved uncertainly toward the palace door, Karanissa cupped her hands around her mouth and called to a pair of guards nearby, "Tabaea! Tabaea's back! Get help! Bring torches!"
Then she and Sarai stepped cautiously into the palace.
Tabaea ran into the dark corridors, dagger held out before her, hurrying toward the throne room. Had Sarai already stopped the Seething Death? That would ruin her plan to become the city's savior-but on the other hand, she could still resume her role as empress, now that she had the dagger back.
She wondered how big the Seething Death was now-had it kept spreading? Was it still sixty feet across, as Heremon had reported, or had it grown even larger?
Then she heard the hissing and came skidding to a stop.
Full night had fallen outside; the passageway ahead was utterly dark, even to Tabaea's enhanced vision, but she could hear the Death hissing and bubbling, and she could smell its foul reek.
She needed light; guided by smell, she groped on the floor and found a fragment of greasy cotton rag. She wrapped it around a broken table leg and knotted it; then she held this makeshift torch up over her head and felt for the whisper that gave a warlock power.
She knew how to use warlockry to light fires, but she was too nervous to concentrate properly; she had no more than warmed her makeshift torch when a golden light sprang up behind her. She whirled and saw the tall witch holding up a glowing hand- witch-light, Tabaea realized. Lady Sarai was at the witch's side.
"Stay back!" Tabaea shrieked, brandishing the dagger and backing a few steps down a side-passage.
The other two followed her. "What are you doing in here?" Sarai called. "I thought you had abdicated!"
"That was conditional!" Tabaea shouted back. "That was if you people stopped the Seething Death, but you didn't! I will, and then I'll resume my rightful throne!"
Sarai and Karanissa looked at each other.
"You can't," Sarai said.
"Yes I can!" Tabaea screamed. "I have the Black Dagger back, and it can cut any wizardry!"
"Not that it can't," Sarai said. "Just look at it, Your Majesty!"
Karanissa added, "If you just wait, we have a way to stop it- my husband should be here soon, with the spell."
"No!" Tabaea shouted. "I'll stop it! Not you! I will!" She looked past the two women at the sound of approaching steps, heavy boots on marble-soldiers, not magicians.
That was all right; she wanted witnesses, wanted all the soldiers to side with her this time. Torchlight gleamed from stone walls. She waited.
A moment later, a band of torch-bearing guards trotted around the corner and stopped, startled, at the sight of their former empress, clad in black rags, holding off Lady Sarai with a knife.
"Don't get too close," Karanissa warned, as she extinguished her witch-light. "She's got her magic dagger back."
"That's right," Tabaea said, "I have my dagger back, the one I made with a piece of my own soul, and I'm going to use it to save the city from the evil magic these two, and their magician helpers, loosed on us."
"All right, then," Sarai said, "if you're going to do it, do it."
"I will," Tabaea retorted. She turned and marched toward the center of the palace, toward the Great Hall, toward the Seething Death. Behind her came Lady Sarai, Karanissa, and half a dozen soldiers, Captain Tikri commanding, Deran Wuller's son among them.
Then Sarai stumbled and tugged at Deran's sleeve; he stepped aside to steady her, while the others moved on past. Quickly, she stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, "Go find Tobas of Telven, the wizard; if he can work his spell while Tabaea's still in the palace, she'll lose all her magic, just be an ordinary girl with an ordinary dagger. Tell Tobas to hurry." She spoke in as low a tone as she could manage; she well remembered, from her own experience, that dogs and cats would hear best in the higher registers. She would have preferred to have sent Captain Tikri, whom she knew better, but his absence would have been too noticeable; she at least knew Deran as a familiar face, and hoped he was up to the task.
Tabaea whirled at the sound of whispering, but over the growling and hissing ahead she couldn't make out the words. She saw Lady Sarai hanging back, though, and called, "Come on, Pharea, or Sarai, whichever it really is-come on and see why I deserve to rule Ethshar!"
Sarai came, trotting to catch up-and Deran, moving as silently and quickly as he could, trotted in the other direction, to start a search for Tobas.
A moment later the party reached the point where the Seething Death blocked the way, a wall of greenish boiling ooze across the corridor. At the sight of it Tabaea hesitated, but then she stepped resolutely closer.
"Watch!" she called. She stepped up and slashed at the stuff with the Black Dagger.
The Seething Death erupted in a gout of white steam and a roaring, boiling hiss, and for a moment the watchers were deafened, the vapor blocking their view.