City of Towers_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [77]
“Jode vanished on some errand. I sent Pierce after him. What’s going on here?” He nodded toward Dasei. “That was a rather … surprising display back there.”
“As I recall, you’re the one who throws dwarves off lifts. I’m not allowed to express my anger?”
“It just didn’t seem like you.”
Lei looked down at the ground for a moment. “I know. I shouldn’t have hit her. It’s just … after our history, I couldn’t believe she was standing by this excoriate claim.” She shook her head and smiled slightly. “Did you see her expression when she hit the ground? I may have lost my family fortune, but that’s a memory I’ll treasure.”
Daine chuckled and slid his dagger back into its sheath. “There is that. And speaking of priceless, it looks like it’s time for lunch.”
The waterhouse drew a wealthy crowd. At a table in the corner, a Mrorian banker was entertaining a group of dwarves and gnome merchants with a colorful story about the relative values of sovereigns, crowns, and golden galifars, and a burst of laughter echoed throughout the room.
Daine sniffed his mug. “Gnomes. It’s one thing to have the innkeeper water down the ale, but only a gnome could get people to pay even more for straight water.”
Dasei rolled her eyes.
“It’s not just water,” Lei explained. “It’s infused with various herbs, and the mug itself is made from fragrant clay to add to the overall aesthetic experience.”
“Right. So our little friends say. But have you tried it yet?” He took a long pull. “If you ask me, you’re paying good gold for water in a smelly mug.”
Lei shrugged. “Which is why Dasei is paying. So, cousin, are you ready to talk?”
There were daggers in Dasei’s stare, but she had regained her composure. “And if I’m not? Do you plan to start another brawl?”
“Is that why you chose a restaurant where they hold weapons at the door?”
Dasei looked away.
Lei looked down at the table. “Das, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. But the last few days have been very difficult. Put yourself in my position.”
“How can I?”
“How can I? This whole mess is still a mystery to me. What have I done to deserve this?”
Dasei’s expression softened. “You mean you really don’t know?”
“Why would I lie? I’ve been fighting in the war for the last three years. I spent the last five months digging through the wreckage of my homeland. It’s been over half a year since I’ve even seen another member of the house, and he was just a supply courier. How could I have betrayed the house? When could I have done it?”
Their meals arrived, drifting through the air in the hands of an invisible servitor. Daine had been dreaming about a bloody piece of meat, but it turned out that the specialty of the waterhouse was bread, which was just as exotic and carefully prepared as the water.
“I … I don’t know,” said Dasei “You weren’t the only one to be ousted, and I didn’t press for details. These last few months have been difficult for everyone.”
“I think my difficult tops your difficult.”
“You don’t understand.” Dasei drained her mug and set it down hard; a moment later, it was snatched away by an invisible servant. “You grew up in Cyre. Metrol was the heart of the house, and it was the council that held us all together. These last few months … it’s been chaos, Lei. Supply lines have been shattered. Business is uncertain. They’re saying that the Council of Thronehold may outlaw the use of warforged—or at least their creation. Half the barons want to lead the next council, while the other half don’t even want a council. There’s been hoarding of goods and materials, even some talk of sabotage within the house.”
“What’s this have to do with me?”
“Merrix is one of the aspiring leaders. He’s been trying to purge the house. He says he’s removing traitors and enemies of the house, but he may just be flexing his muscles.”
“I still don’t understand. How am I an enemy of the house? Doesn’t he have to justify this to someone?”
Dasei nodded. “He had to explain his case to the regional arbiters, yes. I don’t know the answer, but I do have a little information you may not have. Among other things, you