The Yellow silk

CHAPTER 9

Something not quite right brought Li's eyes open sharply. White light filtered into the shed through the gap under the roof-the light of early morning reflected off new snow. Around the sound of Tycho's snoring, he could hear the ocean and the wooden creak of boats at their moorings, the sounds of a port coming to life.

He could hear the heavy tramp of feet in new snow, a curse on the ocean weather, the slap of flesh on flesh as someone took a sharp cuffing.

The sounds of men about no good business.

He turned swiftly, reaching out and clamping a hand over Tycho's nose and mouth. The bard's eyes shot open. He sucked air against Li's palm and might have struck out if Li hadn't grabbed his hand.

"What was that? " came a voice from outside.

"Nothing, Bor. Nico just broke wind."

The second voice was Lander's. Tycho froze and his eyes went wide. Li took his hand away. For a moment, they both lay very still, listening.

"Damn snow."

"For the last time, keep your mouth shut. You'll draw the Bitch Queen's ire!"

The sound of another cuffing and a whining grunt of pain. Serg's voice. "Damn sailor superstitions! I'm not cursing the sea. I'm cursing the snow! "

"Sea, sea weather-same thing."

"I'm no sailor!"

"I guess you've got no plans to ever go anywhere on a boat, then, hey?"

The bickering voices drew close to the shed. Underneath them, Li could make out another sound: a kind of wet snuffling accompanied by heavy breathing. Tycho went pale. Li gave the bard a puzzled look. Tycho pushed the end of his nose up and crinkled his face in imitation of a pig.

Of Black Scratch. Lander had the boar with him. In parts of Shou Lung, some types of pigs were used like dogs to sniff out things. Brin must have set Black Scratch to the same task. Li swallowed and silently blessed the snow as enthusiastically as Serg cursed it.

The snuffling sound receded, though the voices were still close. Li rose silently and stepped up to the wall. Raising himself on his toes, he could just peer out through the mesh that covered the air gap under the roof. As he had guessed, a layer of wet new snow covered the ground outside, though the day was warming and it was already showing signs of melting. Lander and his men-Serg still wearing his waitao! — were taking their time sauntering up the street. In spite of the insults they tossed at each other, the five men looked about sharply. Li froze as Lander's gaze swept over the shed, but from his distance and angle, the man must not have been able to see anything through the tight mesh. His gaze moved on.

Black Scratch was across the street, trotting along like a big, ill-tempered dog. His tracks marked a crisscrossing pattern in the snow, though. Only moments ago, the beast had passed within a few yards of their hiding place. Li let out a thin sigh. A narrow escape, he thought.

Tycho nudged him. The bard was standing at his side but even on his toes was too short to see out. He mimed peering outside. Li nodded curtly and gestured in the direction Lander and his men were headed and motioned for Tycho to remain calm. The thugs were moving on. They hadn't been discovered.

Out on the street, Lander stopped abruptly, looking ahead sharply. Li stifled a curse and twisted his head to try and see what he was looking at.

More men were coming along the street. This group, however, wore the uniforms of city guards and they were looking around just as intently as Lander's men were. Li stifled another curse. Walking at their head was Mard Dantakain.

Tycho's face was twisted in frustration but Li waved him down. Outside, Lander and Mard were eyeing each other mistrustfully as the two groups met. Lander spoke first. "Captain Dantakain."

"Lander." The captain glanced distastefully at the men before him and at Black Scratch. "What are you doing out from under your rock so early?"

"Out for a stroll."

Mard didn't seem fooled. Or interested. "So are we."

"Fine day for it."

"I won't keep you standing, then. Olore." He strode forward, forcing Lander to hop out of his way. Lander grunted and snarled at his men-they all moved aside. Thugs and guards separated, each group moving a little faster now, eager to put distance between themselves. Within moments, the street outside the shed was empty.

Li dropped down from his toes and leaned against the shed wall. He glanced atTycho. "You heard?"

The bard's eyes were squeezed shut. "I heard."

"Is the guard looking for us, too?"

Tycho snorted. "Because of what happened at the Ease? I doubt it. The guard doesn't care that much about dockside." He opened his eyes and exhaled. "It's Laera." He looked up at Li. "Mard is looking for Laera. She didn't make it home last night."

"You sent her to a guard station."

"I know."

"Could Brin have her? He had Lander's man hold her hostage last night."

"Maybe, but I don't think he does. If Brin were holding her hostage to use against me, he wouldn't have Lander walking the streets. He'd just put the word out and let me come to him." Tycho clenched his jaw. "Not that it would work." Li looked at him and he scowled. "I got her out of the Ease last night. I sent her on her way. She's a stupid girl and she's on her own. I'm not going to be responsible for her."

"Tycho…"

The bard held his hands over his ears. "No. I'm not going to listen-I'm not going to worry about her. We don't know she's in danger. Her father's the captain of the guard. If he can't find her, there isn't much we could do to help. And we've got serious problems of our own." He lowered his hands. "Brin hasn't given up looking for us.

Or at least for you. What was so special about Yu Mao that Brin would hunt you like this?"

"I don't know," said Li smoothly. "It's something to ask him-once we have the beljurils."

"Be careful, Li," Tycho sighed. "That's starting to sound like a desperate measure. I'm not even sure Brin's going to want to see me when… "/we get the beljurils back."

"We're desperate men, Tycho." Li stood and stretched up to peer out of the air-gap once more. "You said last night you couldn't think of a better plan. Have you thought of one this morning?"

"No."

"So how do we find the Hooded?"

Tycho sighed again. "That's not so simple. Brin is easy to find-unless you're a complete stranger to Span-deliyon, of course. But the Hooded…" He rubbed his eyes. "Nobody goes looking for the Hooded. Usually the Hooded finds you." He leaned back, hands behind his head, and frowned in thought. "Jacerryl Dantakain might know something, though. We know he's done business with the Hooded once or twice. After last night, we're not likely going to be able to talk to him anytime soon, though."

Li's eyes went wide as he watched a tall figure with carefully groomed hair and two very full packs creep out of an alley across the way and turn down the street. "I wouldn't be so sure!" he said sharply, pushing himself away from the wall and leaping for the shed door. He wrenched it open and charged across the street.

Jacerryl Dantakain barely had time to look up and yelp. He tried to run, but Li had his hands on him before he managed to take a step. Quick as a wet cat, Li hustled him back into the alley and snapped a fist across his jaw. Jacerryl spun around. One of the packs that he carried slipped off, falling to the ground with the jingling rattle of many coins. Li kicked it aside and pinned Jacerryl against the wall. "Going somewhere?" he asked him. He punched him sharply in the belly.

"Li!" Tycho skidded to a stop inside the alley. For a moment, his mouth dropped open at the sight of Li's captive. Only for a moment, though, then it turned up into a crooked smile. "Olore, Jacerryl," he said pleasantly. Jacerryl groaned. Li wrenched him upright and held him there.

"Look in his bag," he told Tycho. The bard knelt and opened the fallen pack. His hands dug through hastily crumpled clothes and emerged with a heavy pouch. Two heavy pouches. Tycho caught his breath and stood up. He held the pouches out in front of Jacerryl.

"You walking, talking bucket of chum." His smile didn't waver. "You were running."

Jacerryl spat out a mouthful of blood. He didn't do a very good job of it, though. Bloody spittle streaked his chin and the front of his coat. "Why shouldn't I?" he gasped. "There's a ship in the harbor. You think I'm going to wait for Brin to come and get me? You'd do the same if you could. I know it!" He flicked his head at the pouches. "Keep one and let me go." Li tightened his grasp on him. Jacerryl's eyes shrank in pain. "Keep both!"

"Both? That's a generous offer. What would you use to buy passage? "Tycho stepped in close and pulled Jacerryl's coat open. Another pouch hung at his belt. Tycho ripped it free. "How much is in your other pack?" Jacerryl closed his mouth tight.

Li opened it for him with a slap across his face.

"Bastards!" snarled Jacerryl.

Li slapped him again before Tycho caught his arm. The bard gave Jacerryl a hard glare. "I don't care if you run, Jacerryl. There's nothing I'd like better than to see you squirming in the muck of Brin's pigsty, but you tell me one little thing and I'll let you go." Jacerryl blinked and Tycho's smile crooked higher. "How do I find the Hooded?"

Jacerryl stared at him, looked to Li, and looked back again. "That's it? That's it and you'll let me go?" He stood a little straighten "Go to Crown Alley on the east side of middle town. There's a cellar entrance to a leatherworker's shop. Knock and say you've come about a saddle."

"A saddle?" growled Li. Suspicion was sharp in his mind. He twisted the hand that held Jacerryl and the man gasped. Tycho elbowed him.

"Easy," he said. "I think he's telling the truth. Spandeli-yon is a port town. There are only a few horses anywhere. No one would normally ask for a saddle around here." Tycho looked back at Jacerryl. "One other thing-what about Laera?"

Jacerryl groaned but raised his head. "Laera? She's run away. Mard's in a fury. He thinks you had something to do with it."

"Of course he does." Tycho stepped back. He dropped the three pouches at Jacerryl's feet and nodded to Li. "All right," he said, "let him go."

Li looked down at the man in his grasp. He was going to have the chance to get away while Tycho suffered? Li's eyes narrowed.

His fist jabbed against Jacerryl's jaw twice. When he released his grasp on him, Jacerryl fell back against the wall and slid down to sprawl in the snow. Li looked up at Tycho. "What?" he asked innocently. "I let him go." He stooped down and scooped the pouches into Jacerryl's fallen pack, tugged the other pack off his body, and shoved it at Tycho. The bard turned his smile on him.

"Thanks," he said.

"If you can't go anywhere, it didn't seem right that he should." He straightened up. "I'll get my dao and we can go find this Crown Alley."

Tycho grabbed his shoulder. "Notyet," he said. "There's someone I want to see first."

Standing on top of Li's shoulders made it easy to stretch up to the window and rap a rhythm on the shutters. One-two-three, pause, one-two. Pause. Repeat. Pause. Repeat.

"Hurry up!" hissed Li.

"You're not waiting on me," Tycho murmured back. He knocked on the shutters again, a familiar pattern that he and Veseene had arranged as a code years ago. She would come-if she could. Tycho bit his lip. What if Brin had hurt her when he came last night? What if he had come past again later, seeking retribution for what had happened at the Wench's Ease? What if Veseene wasn't alone? What if There was a slow shuffling and the sound of hands fumbling with the shutters. Tycho ducked as they swung open and Veseene looked down at him. "You could have stopped knocking!" she rasped. "It takes time for me to get around!"

Tycho grabbed the windowsill, hauled himself into the cold and dark second chamber of their rooms, and swept his friend up in a hug. "I was worried, Veseene."

In spite of her harsh words, Veseene sagged against him. "So was I. You heard my warning?"

"Yes, but too late. Brin was already waiting for us at the Ease." Veseene drew a sharp breath. "Don't worry," Tycho assured her. "We got away." He moved farther into the room. A quick glance down into Bakers Way had revealed the watch being kept on the door of their building. Fortunately, Brin hadn't thought to set a similar watch on the alley behind it, the alley thatTycho's bedroom window overlooked. A chest yielded a stout rope. He knotted one end of it around a bed post and flipped the other out the window to Li. "Veseene," he asked as the Shou tied Jacer-ryl's packs to the rope, "how did you manage to cast that warning spell?" Li tugged on the rope and Tycho began to pull up the packs.

The old woman flushed. "I tripled the strength of my tea."

"You did what?" Tycho flinched and the rope slid back between his fingers. He hissed in pain and closed his hands, though not before Li let out a little curse from down below. Tycho glared at Veseene. She looked at him and raised her eyebrow.

"You're going to say it was stupid," she said stubbornly. "If it was, at least I'm not the only one who's been doing stupid things lately."

Tycho winced. "Brin," he said. He heaved the packs over the windowsill, untied them, and dropped the rope back down. Veseene looked at the packs in astonishment. "I'll tell you all about them," said Tycho, "but Brin…" He sighed and confessed. "To make extra coin, I've been running packages between Brin and Jacerryl Dantakain."

There was a squeak of surprise, but not from Veseene.

Tycho looked up sharply. Peering through the open door to the front room was Laera Dantakain.

"Bind and tar me!" yelped Tycho-just as Li put his weight on the rope. Tycho stumbled forward and slammed against the wall. This time, Li's curse from down below was louder and accompanied by angry instructions for Tycho to brace himself. The bard did, but through clenched teeth, he managed to hiss out, "What's she doing here?"

"That," Veseene said darkly, "would be one of the other stupid things you've done, wouldn't it?"

Tycho groaned and only partially at the strain of holding the rope for Li. Once the Shou had his arms over the windowsill, he let go of the rope and staggered into the warm front room. Laera backed up before him. Her eyes were defiant. Her face bore an angry red mark on one cheek where he had slapped her last night. Tycho's gut twisted. He turned away, but just came face to face with Veseene as she and Li emerged from the back room. "I sent her to a guard station," Tycho protested.

"I got lost." Laera found her voice. "A woman found me."

"Rana," said Veseene. She pushed past Tycho and sat on the couch, drawing Laera down beside her. "She saw you two at the Ease last night and when she couldn't get any sense out of Laera, she brought her here. I got her calmed down. She told me what happened last night. She also told me what else has been going on during her music lessons."

"Nothing has been going on! Nothing!" Tycho stepped up and knelt down in front of the couch. "It was just-"

Veseene's hand darted out and slapped him.

The blow wasn't hard, but it hurt him more than Tycho could have imagined. He looked down at the floor in shame then up again. He turned to Laera. "It was flirting, Laera. That was all. I'm sorry." He stuck out his chin. "Go ahead," he said, "take a shot."

Laera didn't hesitate. Her slap had more strength behind it, though, and it caught his lip against his teeth. Tycho reached up and touched his mouth. His finger came away with a spot of blood on it. He wiped it on his pants. "Better?" he asked. Laera nodded. "Good." He stood up. "Your father is looking for you."

"I know." She looked up at him. "He's already been here. It was the first place he looked."

Tycho blinked in confusion. "Then what are you still doing here?"

"I sent him away," said Veseene. "I told him I hadn't seen her."

Laera sat up straight, taking Veseene's hand in her own. "I still want to leave Spandeliyon, Tycho. I want to travel with you. If you'll have me, I want to be your apprentice."

"What?" exploded Tycho. "No! No!" He stomped around the room. "Of all the stupid "He flung himself down on the edge of his cot. Head in his hands, he told Veseene and Laera everything. Her uncle's duplicity brought another gasp from Laera, but Veseene just sat still and listened. When Tycho had finished, she gestured for him to come closer. He did.

She slapped him again and glared at Li. "Didn't I tell you he gets into enough trouble on his own?" The Shou shrugged.

"It's not all his fault," he pointed out. "It was only because he's helping me that Brin came here last night." Veseene grunted and looked back at Tycho. Her former apprentice threw up his hands.

"I'm an idiot," he said. "Go ahead. Say it." He turned to Laera. "Go home," he said. "You'll be a lot safer there. I'm not leaving Spandeliyon any time soon and I'm not even going to think about taking you as an apprentice right now. I have to go steal beljurils from one ruthless gang boss just so I have a chance at appeasing another ruthless gang boss!"

Laera folded her arms. "I don't have to leave Spandeliyon, but I'm not going back to my father's house."

Tycho stared at her in amazement for a moment before grinding his teeth together. "Bind me, you're as stubborn as he is! Fine! Just "He searched for alternatives that would at least keep Laera out of their way. "Just stay here, then. Keep an eye on Veseene. We can sort this out after I've finished getting the Hooded good and mad at me!" He rose and went back into the back room, aiming an angry kick at Jacerryl's packs in passing.

He heard Veseene's shuffle behind him a moment later. "What is it?" he snarled. "Do you really think I should take Laera as an apprentice? I'm not ready to have an apprentice of my own!"

"Actually, I think you are," Veseene said calmly. "And I think that if Laera is willing to ride out all of the rejections you've been giving her, she might make a good apprentice, too."

Tycho turned and dug into his chest. "But half of her expectations come out of ballads and romance tales. She knows almost nothing about the world outside of Spandeliyon!" He stiffened and turned around. As he expected, Veseene's eyebrows were arched high. "Don't you dare say she reminds you of a certain Spandeliyon dock rat."

Veseene shrugged. "A bard can have her roots in high town just as well as in dockside." She sat down on his bed.

"Take her as an apprentice or send her back to her father, the choice is yours just as much as it is hers. I didn't follow you to force a decision on that. You're right-you've got other things to deal with right now. What's your plan for getting the beljurils away from the Hooded?"

"I hadn't gotten that far yet," muttered Tycho. He kicked his chest. The lid fell shut with a bang. "I'll think of something, though."

"Good," said Veseene. "May I make a suggestion? There's a spell I know-"

Tycho rounded on her instantly. "A spell? Veseene, I remember what Sephera said. Increasing your dose of the tea will make it less effective later. It's not worth it for one spell!" Veseene smiled and reached up. Tycho braced himself for another slap, but she just patted his cheek.

"Tycho, I care about you. Sometimes you really are an idiot, but I'll do whatever I can to pull you out of your messes. I've been doing it for years and that's never going to change." She patted his cheek again-and slapped him a third time. "If you listen to anything I tell you today, listen to this: you need help! Stop fussing and take it!"

Tycho stared at her and smiled. "When did you get so cranky, Veseene?"

"It started when I took an apprentice." She raised her voice. "Someone put the kettle on the fire!"

Lander walked through the back door of the Eel-behind him, the pigs of Brin's sty squealed with mingled excitement and fear as Black Scratch made his return- and into the festhaU's main room. Even in the middle of the morning, the Eel had a few patrons burying faces in mugs. Lander walked up to the day shift bartender, a man as weedy as his nighttime counterpart was big. "Where's Brin?" he asked wearily.

"Blue Room," said the man tersely. "With visitors."

Visitors. Lander drew a deep breath, walked across the main room to a blue-painted door, and stepped through into the best of the Eel's private rooms. Four figures turned to look at him. Brin was the only one who looked pleased to see him. Lander closed the door softly behind himself and took stock of the three mages who sat listening to the halfling's description of the Yellow Silk of Kuang.

Mosi Anu looked exactly like everyone's expectation of a Red Wizard of Thay: tall, lean, and hawklike, shaved smooth, and swathed in robes of brilliant red. Tattoos literally crawled across his scalp. Every time Lander looked away or even blinked, he had the uncomfortable feeling that the tattoos had shifted. Mosi only occasionally visited Spandeliyon, but when he did it was always to deal with Brin. He sat closest to the halfling, listening intently to his every word.

Thaedra Korideion sat on the opposite side of the room. She was tall and thin as well, but unlike the Red Wizard, she carried herself with a graceful elegance that commanded attention. The first time Lander had met her, he had fallen into an easy, obedient awe in her presence. Brin had poked him with a knife just to rouse him. Thaedra was an enchantress-Brin said that at her home in Chessenta, she was served by a small army, all slaves to her will and beauty. Lander had kept his distance from her ever since.

The third mage… Lander still had difficulty believing that Hanibaz Nassor was a mage, let alone a Red Wizard. Hanibaz was a hefty, jovial sort who liked an evening at the Eel. His hair was thick, his only visible tattoos were on his arms like any number of sailors, and the only red about him was a wide sash over his belly. Most of Spandeliyon had no idea he was a Red Wizard and word was that Hani-baz liked it that way because he was actually a Thayan spy. He sat farthest from Brin, sprawled out in his chair with a mug of ale close to hand.

Of the three, Lander trusted him the least. As usual, he was the first one to speak when Brin finished. "I'm intrigued," he said. "The Silk would be a great curiosity if nothing else." Hooked like a fish, Lander thought. Hanibaz's words might have been casual, but his left hand was fidgeting, thumb spinning a ring* on his middle finger around and around. He only did that when he was well and truly interested in something.

"A curiosity is likely all it will be," sniffed Mosi Anu. "These legends you've been telling us are preposterous. A bunch of uneducated weavers and dyers catching the power of the sun in a piece of cloth? "

He was hooked, too. Mosi and Hanibaz were rivals. Anything Hanibaz wanted, Mosi would treat with disdain-until he was able to snatch it out from under Hanibaz.

"Thaedra?" asked Brin.

The Chessentan stretched. "Exotic, powerful, unbelievably old. Brin, you know I want it."

Her voice throbbed with power. Lander forced his eyes up to the ceiling and bit down hard on his tongue to distract himself from her. Even the Red Wizards must have felt her sway. Hanibaz broke the moment with a biting, "Exotic, powerful, unbelievably old-Thaedra, my dear, that could be your smallclothes!"

Mosi Anu frowned dourly, but Brin laughed and even Lander snickered. Thaedra turned a burning gaze on Hanibaz. "Brin," she said haughtily, "when will we be able to see this fabled silk?"

"Thaedra," said Brin with a clever smile and a glance back at Lander, "the Yellow Silk of Kuang-"

Lander winced and gave a tiny shake of his head.

Brin's smile faltered for a moment then came back strong. "-will be available for your examination shortly. While you wait, the facilities of the Eel are yours."

"How disappointing." Thaedra rose. "I don't think it's worth my time to wait. Brin, between this Yellow Silk and the beljurils, you've left me unsatisfied twice this past tenday. Next time, try to have the merchandise available before you drag me all the way down here." Brin flushed as she walked out of the room and Lander wasn't sure which he shied away from more: her aura of power or Brin's violent wrath. The halfling looked to the Red Wizards. Hanibaz shrugged.

"I don't mind waiting. Mosi?"

His rival's lips narrowed. "I want to see the look on your face when Brin unveils some Shou's handkerchief." He sat back in his chair.

A measure of satisfaction returned to Brin's face. "Very good." He hopped to his feet and bowed to each of them as he walked to the back of the room. "I'll send someone in to see to your needs." He turned his smile on Lander. "A word with you outside?"

A hard shove didn't leave any room for refusal. As soon as the blue door slammed shut behind them, Lander gasped out an explanation. "We looked everywhere, Brin! We couldn't find Tycho or Li Chien. Even Black Scratch couldn't pick up their scents."

Brin growled under his breath, but to Lander's relief, he didn't lash out. "Don't worry," he said. "I have a plan." He started toward the festhall's back door. "I'll be back. Wait here and keep an eye on things."

"Things? " Lander shot a glance at the blue door. "Brin! What am I supposed to do?"

"Anything they want, Lander." Brin turned around briefly. "This could take some time. Keep Hanibaz and Mosi happy and keep them here." His eye narrowed. "If I don't have two mages to bid on the Yellow Silk when I get back, I'm not going to be happy."

He disappeared. Lander swallowed. He drew his mouth up into a forced smile and stepped back into the Blue Room.