Wicked Bronze Ambition

49

Moonblight’s place was surprisingly unremarkable considering her standing and public persona. It was a small two-story on a modest plot, square, white-painted stucco with green trim, green shutters upstairs, and a green tile roof. Like Tara Chayne herself, the place seemed past its prime, about to go to seed. I told Barate, “I expected something more flamboyant.”

“Tara Chayne Machtkess the person is actually a little timid and lacking in confidence.”

The big green front door swung inward.

I asked, “And her sister lives here, too?”

“Mariska, yes. There are some younger sisters without much talent elsewhere. Mariska and Tara Chayne split the upper floor. They stay out of each other’s way. They don’t get along. It goes back to when they were girls, to a squabble over a man. I don’t know for sure, but that was either my father or Kyoga. Or maybe both. They were supposedly pretty loose.”

I said nothing but noted that here was another scandalous disclosure involving an Algarda. Any old affair had to have taken place after Barate’s dad married Constance. “There was mention of a grandchild’s birth.”

Dan and crew were doing a quick sniff round and posting sentries. The dogs crowded toward the light. Singe was indifferent to anything but her own exhaustion. I hoped I didn’t end up carrying her home. Mashego was no longer with us, having headed home to Shadowslinger’s place.

“The twins both married. Tara Chayne had a son, Harou, right away. Harou didn’t come back from the war. He wasn’t smart and he wasn’t talented. He let himself be talked into trying something beyond his skill level. There were two daughters, Haroei and Haroa, the younger. Haroa had the baby. She came along after Harou died. Tara Chayne likes to think that Harou’s soul lives on in Haroa.”

I grunted, impressed only by the fact that Moonblight had named all her kids with variants on a root meaning precious. Similar tragic histories you can collect by the score if you search.

“Mariska had no children, by choice, after seeing what Tara Chayne went through giving birth to Harou. Mariska is not known for being unselfish or for willingly suffering inconvenience or discomfort.”

“What happened to the husbands?”

“They’re around as career remittance men. The girls have nothing to do with them anymore except to pay them to stay out of the way.”

Dollar Dan let me know that he and his guys were set. We could go on. Nobody had smelled any disturbing odors from the house. “Shall I keep an eye on Singe?” Asked in wan hope.

Singe managed a head shake. “I am good. For now.” To me, she added, “You may end up carrying me home, though.”

“If I have to. If I can’t find somebody to buy you. But who is going to carry me?”

Barate informed me, “Denvers is getting impatient.”

“Denvers?”

“Tara Chayne’s man. There in the doorway letting in moths and mosquitoes while we stand around jawing.”

“Oh. That guy.”

We started moving.

Barate went back to “The younger Machtkess girls have no talent. . ”

Light flared on the far side of the Hill, setting the belly of the overcast on fire. It faded, was followed by the grumble of baby thunder. A few raindrops hit me, but there was no connection. The grumble faded. Then flashes backlighted the skyline, accompanied by a racket like divine swords clashing.

It took no genius for Dan to declare, “That’s sorcerers fighting!”

Sparks flew in showers, as though from holiday fireworks.

Barate mumbled, “Damn!” The rest of us just gawked.

It lasted several minutes. The whistles of Civil Guards and private watchmen sawed shrilly at the night.

“Oh my! I guess it’s started.” Moonblight had joined her man in the doorway, face pallid, eyes wide. She was not happy.

The dogs crowded as close as Denvers would let them. They might be feral, but they carried millennia of racial memories of shared safety with two-leggers in huts and caves.

“What is this?” Moonblight demanded.

“They’re scared of the dark.”

She considered the excitement yonder. “That might be smart tonight. Let them into the foyer, Denvers. Find them something to eat.” After brief consideration, she added, “The escort as well.”

Dollar Dan moved his guys inside reluctantly, yet with relief. Being invited into a sorceress’s house was scary, but staying outside could turn out much worse.

Moonblight cut me and Barate out of the crowd. “Come with me.”

I gave a sad shrug to Singe, whose offended look turned into mute appeal. Tara Chayne had exceeded herself already to accommodate my nonhuman companions.

It would do Singe good to spend time learning to deal with Dollar Dan. She would face that problem for a long time, and other rat men would want to stake claims of their own. She was a huge prize.