Страница 59 из 104
“Are they like bats?” Hyacinth sounded alarmed.
“They’re cats.”
“Have — something touched me. As big as a big dog.”
“That’s it; but there’s no point in my describing them, when you could see this one for yourself.” Silk raised his voice. “Master Xiphias, bring your candle, please.”
“Are they the big cats the talus used to let out at night?” Hyacinth sounded more frightened than ever.
“Mucor controls them, to her benefit and ours.” Silk tried to sound reassuring. “I’d imagine that this one would like us to bring it to the Calde’s Palace, where she is.”
There was a muted yowl, far too deep and reverberant to have proceeded from Tick.
Abanja glanced around Trotter’s, which seemed deserted except for an old man asleep at a table and a fat man washing earthenware mugs. “Barman?”
“Yeah, sister. You need a drink?”
She shook her head. “I’m addressed as Colonel. Since I want something, you may call me sister. When you want something from me, call me Colonel. You might get it if you do.”
The fat man looked up. “Hey, I’ll call you Colonel right now, sister.”
“Though I don’t think so. You have a patron named Urus.”
“Couple, anyhow,” the fat man said. “Three I can lay hand to, only one got the pits.”
“Urus is in your back room, and he’s expecting me. Show me where it is.”
“Nobody’s in my back room, sister.”
“Then I’ll wait there for him. That yellow bottle.” She pointed. “I take it that’s sauterne?”
The fat man shrugged. “S’posed to be.”
“Bring it, and two clean glasses.”
“I got some that’s better, only it’s twenty-seven bits. That up there’s sixteen.”
“Bring it. You keep accounts for patrons? Start one for me. My name is Abanja.”
“You mean you’ll pay later? Sister, I don’t — put that thing away!”
“You men.” Abanja smiled as she stepped behind the bar. “How are you to face lances if one small needler terrifies you? Get the good sauterne and the glasses. Are you going to send for the Calde’s Guard when you leave me? They won’t arrest an officer of the Rani’s, but I don’t think my friend Urus will like it.”
“I never do that, sister.”
“Then it won’t be necessary for me to have you arrested when they come. Nor will I have to shoot you. I admit I had thought about it.” Abanja smiled more broadly, amused by the clinking of the glasses in the fat man’s hand. “Lead the way. If you don’t misbehave, you have no reason to be frightened.”
With her needler in his back, he pushed aside the dirty green curtain that had concealed the entrance to a dark and narrow hall. She said, “You know, I think I understand this Trotter’s of yours. Are you Trotter?”
He nodded.
“Your courts meet in the Juzgado, and this is where the accused drink before they go there. Or if they’re discharged. It’s empty because your courts are not in session.”
“The back room’s empty, too.” Trotter had stopped before a door. He gulped. “You can wait if you want to, only I close—”
She shook her head.
“When you leave. After that, all right? If anybody called Urus comes in, I’ll tell him you’re here.” Trotter opened the door and gaped at the filthy, bearded man at the table inside.
With exaggerated politeness, Urus rose and pulled out a chair for Abanja. As she sat, Trotter mumbled, “I forgot the calde let ’em out. A lot can’t hardly walk.”
“I sprung myself,” Urus told him. “Get me somethin’ to eat. Put it on her tab.”
Still smiling, Abanja nodded.
When the door had closed behind Trotter, Urus said, “Thanks for gettin’ the bottle ’n standin’ me a meal. You’re the dimber damber, lady.” His voice became confidential. “What I got to tell you is I’m all right too. You treat Urus brick ’n he’ll treat you stone. Ain’t you goin’ to put your barker up?”
“No. Trotter didn’t know you were in here.”
“He’d of wanted me to drink, ’n I didn’t have the gelt. Lily with you, see? Yeah, I been in the pits. I just got out. Yeah, I’m flat. Only you need me, lady, so you’re goin’ to give me ten cards—”
She laughed.
“’Cause I’m goin’ to tell you a lot. Then I’m goin’ to find out a lot more, ’n you ’n me’ll knot up again, see?”
“Open that and pour yourself as much as you want,” she told him. “I feel sorry for you, so I’m giving you a drink, and food if the barman has any.”
“You know who Spider is?”
“Should I?”
“Shag yes. You got spies here. Spider knows ’em all. He knows me, too, only he don’t know I’m workin’ for you.”
“You aren’t. Not yet. To whom does this Spider report, assuming that he exists?”
“Councillor Potto. He’s Potto’s right hand. You ever hear of Guan? How ’bout Hyrax? Sewellel? Paca?”
Abanja looked thoughtful. “Some of those names may be familiar to me.”
“They’re dead, all of ’em, ’n I know what happened to ’em. Spider was their jefe, ’n he ain’t. I know where he is ’n what he’s doin’. I could bring you. I don’t scavy you’d want me to, only I could. You twig they nabbed General Mint?”
“She’s free now.” Abanja holstered her needler. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
“You don’t cap to it.”
“I believe what I see.”
Urus gri
Abanja took a card from her card case and pushed it toward Urus, across the stained and splintered old table.
With a furtive glance into the next room, Chenille tapped the surface of the glass with her forefinger. A floating gray face appeared. “Yes, madame.”
“Keep your voice down, all right?” Chenille herself was whispering. “There’s somebody asleep in the big bed.”
“Generalissimo Siyut madame. She is well within my field of view.”
“That’s right, and you wouldn’t want to wake her up, would you? So keep it down.”
“I shall, madame. I suggest, however, that you close the door. It would provide additional security, madame.”
Chenille shook her head, her raspberry curls bobbing. “I got to know if she’s waking up. Pay attention. You know the Calde’s Palace?”
“Certainly, madame.”
“I’ve asked three or four times on the glass there, see? He let me, the calde did, I’m a friend of his. What I want to know is are you the same one? The monitor I talked to there?”
“No, madame. Each glass has its own, madame, though I can utilize others, and consult their monitors if need be.”
“That’s good, ’cause he couldn’t find Auk for me, ever, and I saw this glass of yours when me and Generalissimo Siyuf came in, and I’ve been wanting to try it ever since, only not where she could hear ’cause I’m looking for Auk. I know there’s a lot of Auks. You don’t have to tell me that. The one I want’s the one that lives in the Orilla, the one they call Auk the Prophet now. Real big, not too bad looking, broken nose—”
“Yes, madame. I have located him. It was a matter of no difficulty, the word prophet being a sufficient clue. Do you wish to speak with him?”
“I — wait. If I speak to him, he can see me, right?”
Like a floating bottle disturbed by a ripple, the gray face bobbed in nothingness. “You might postpone your conversation until you are dressed, madame. If you prefer.”
“That’s all right. Just tell me where he is.”
“In the Grand Manteion, madame. It is two streets north and one west, or so I am informed.”
“Yeah, I know. Listen, he’s there now? Auk’s there right now, in the Grand Manteion?”
“Correct, madame.”
“Is he all right? He’s not dead or anything?”
“He appears somewhat fatigued, madame. Otherwise I judge him in excellent health. You do not care to converse?”
“I think it would be better if he didn’t know about me and the generalissimo. Better if I don’t shove it at him, anyhow, and even if I close the door he’s bound to want to know what I’m doing here.”