The Dragon Revenant - Katharine Kerr [64]
“These dies that Bardek women play around with? All they do is focus your intuition. I shall make up some highly colored, titillating, and thus satisfying blather for the Lady Alaena that more or less fits when I intuit about her, and into this spicy stew I shall weave all the bits of information I picked up about her at the party.”
“Weave things into a stew?”
“Not my best turn of phrase, truly.” Salamander waved the lapse away with a languid hand. “I wouldn’t tell fortunes at all, except it’s such a perfect way to get into her house. It would be wretchedly rude of me to just go marching up to her door and ask if she’d sell me her exotic slave. First I’ll get her confidence; then, most cleverly, dripping with guile, I shall work the talk round to my pressing need of another barbarian for our show.”
“Very well, then. You’ve been right enough so far.”
“I’m always right,” Salamander lolled back onto the cushions and saluted her with his wine cup. “But what particular occasion of my lightness earns your praise?”
“Finding Rhodry, of course. I owe you an apology. I thought it was daft, staying in the best inn, playing up to rich women, and here you were right all along.”
“Ah. Well, who else could afford him but some wealthy house?”
“So I see. Now.”
Salamander smiled, then gestured at the elaborate breakfast of cold meats and spiced vegetables.
“Eat, my turtledove.”
“Can’t.”
“Try. Anxiety is like worms—it thrives in an empty gut.”
In spite of herself Jill had to laugh. She took a slice of spiced pork, wrapped it in a round of bread, and forced down a couple of bites.
“But what if she won’t sell him?”
“I’ll think of somewhat, never fear. Now eat! We are due at her palatial residence in but an hour or so, and we must bathe and dress in our very gaudiest finery. After all, we have reputations as barbarians to keep up.”
When, wearing red-and-gold silk and brocade, and smelling of roses and violets, Jill and Salamander presented themselves to Alaena’s gatekeeper, the old man seemed more amused than impressed, but he did show them straight into the garden, where a pretty young maidservant was waiting to take them to the reception chamber, Even though Jill normally didn’t care for the Bardekian style of art, when she saw the airy trees and the brightly painted birds, she was charmed. The feeling the wall decorations gave her was somehow familiar, too, and all at once she found herself remembering the painted tents of the Elcyion Lacar. Before she could ask Salamander about the similarity, Alaena came through a side door to join them.
Dressed in simple white linen, set off only by a chain necklace of what looked like solid gold, Alaena greeted them with great courtesy and had them join her on the dias. After they’d settled themselves on velvet cushions around a low table, the maidservant brought in plates of dried fruit and sweetmeats and cups of sweet wine.
“And the box of tiles, too, Disna,” Alaena said.
“Yes, mistress.” The girl went over to an ebony cabinet. “They’re right here where Rhodry usually puts them.”
At the mention of her footman’s name, the mistress’s expression grew oddly strained, and she glanced at Salamander in a manner that was almost furtive before a bland smile blossomed. Disna brought over the box, set it down, and took off the fid.
“You may go now,” Alaena said. “Tell the cook to make orangeade. This wine is too strong for morning.”
“Her exalted loveliness is most kind to a humble wizard,” Salamander said.
“The humble wizard is most kind to come at her request. Disna, I said go.”
As the girl, who’d been hovering all a-twitch with curiosity, scurried out, Alaena dumped the tiles out of the box and began mixing them in a well-practiced thunder. She had lovely hands, Jill thought, slender and graceful, with long fingernails that had been stained a tasteful orange-red with annatto seeds and polished to such a glossy perfection that Jill found herself hiding her own calloused fingers and bitten nails in her lap. She also noticed that Salamander was watching the lady with a warm sort