The Dream Spheres - Elaine Cunningham [113]
"You picked an interesting time to use it," Arilyn said coldly. "The woman whose place you took is dead."
Isabeau didn't so much as blink her heavy lashes. "What of it? The Dock Ward is a dangerous place."
"Especially when there are tren lurking about."
"Tren?" The woman shifted one silk-clad shoulder. "That word means nothing to me."
The half-elf tamped down her temper. "All right then, what is your connection to Lilly?"
"Who?"
Her bored, derisive tone did not match the defiant challenge in her eyes. Arilyn saw that she had two choices: she could play this woman's game by rules Isabeau understood, or allow herself to be played like a cheap fiddle.
She backhanded the woman across her lovely, sneering face, then hauled her up by her hair. "Let's try that again," she suggested in a cold, dangerous voice.
A measure of respect crept into Isabeau's eyes, and she eased Arilyn's hands from her hair. "You are speaking of the red-haired serving wench. Yes, I took her place. I overheard a man and woman talking about seeing a young woman to safety out of the city. Why should that be her and not me? I seized the chance, as a drowning man might take hold of a rope. Would you begrudge that man his rescue, demanding that he die while he considers whether someone else might be more worthy of it?"
Arilyn folded her arms. "Drowning, were you? In what cesspool?"
She tossed her dark head. "I fled the elf. You know the one. He was pursuing me."
The half-elf carefully kept her face neutral as she considered this revelation. She had to admit that Isabeau's story was plausible. Elaith had promised Danilo months ago that he would let Isabeau live. Perhaps the elven rogue thought that he'd kept the promise long enough. If indeed he had followed Isabeau, he was most likely behind Lilly's death. With all the weapons at his command, it would not be difficult to imitate the cutting patterns of tren claws. Certainly Elaith had some knowledge of tren.
Another, darker thought occurred to her. Perhaps the tren assassins she had come across in the Thann villa were there not for an ambush but for an arranged meeting. Errya Eltorchul had said that her brother had done business with Elaith. Perhaps their dealings had gone sour, and the elf had intended to arrange for Oth's death. Once Elaith was discovered with the tren, it was not inconceivable that he would kill a few of the creatures to maintain his cover.
Even as the thought formed, Arilyn acknowledged this was an extreme measure. For one thing, it courted tren vendetta. For another, Elaith and five tren could have easily overcome her, and there would have been no one left to tell the tale. However, as Arilyn had told Lady Cassandra, she had never heard that Elaith had slain another elf.
She turned her attention fully upon the watchful Isabeau. There was room for truth in the woman's words, yet Arilyn did not trust her and did not believe her claim that she "just happened" to wander into Lilly's tavern. Arilyn knew what would have led Elaith to Lilly's door, and she could easily imagine Isabeau having a part in its acquisition.
"As you say, the Dock Ward is a dangerous place," Arilyn said, as if she conceded the woman's argument. "Lilly recently sold a large ruby to a fence and probably had ready coin."
Isabeau's eyes went dark with rage, and she pounded on the bed with both fists. "The little cheat!"
Immediately she recognized the error of her words, realized that she had been tricked into admitting more than she had intended to. The vindictive, malevolent rage that twisted her face robbed her of beauty and stole Arilyn's breath.
Arilyn fought away the instinct to take a step back. The last time she had retreated from anything was a chance confrontation with a wounded panther, and that was a tactical move rather than one motivated by fear. Nonetheless, she recognized this was a truly dangerous woman.
Even as the thought formed, Isabeau sprang, catlike, from the bed. She lunged not at Arilyn, but at the statue with the feline head. This she shoved