The Yellow Silk - Don Bassingthwaite [37]
"I've heard of Sow," said Tycho sharply. "Black sails, wallowed like a pig, but stealthy and with ice magic behind her. She was a terror a couple of years back."
"Then maybe you also heard what I did in Telflamm: that the Sow vanished last winter. The people I spoke to told me that it was assumed the ship went down in a winter storm or maybe had been sunk by the Aglarondans. No one had heard anything of her-except for one man who had heard a rumor that a one-eyed halfling had taken up residence in Spandeliyon." Li spread his hands. "That's why I need to talk to Brin, Tycho. He's the last one who might know what happened to Yu Mao."
The Shou fell silent. Tycho let out a slow breath. "That's it?" he asked. "That's all? You really just want to talk to him?"
Li blinked. "It seems to me that should be enough," he said stiffly.
"Li, the way you acted when you walked into the Wench's Ease last night, I thought you were looking for Brin to try to kill him!"
"Oh, no," said Li. "I don't want to kill Brin." His mouth twitched into a thin smile. "At least not so far as I know."
Tycho gave Li a long look over the rim of his mug as he slurped back the last of his soup. "But you don't know. If you found out that Brin had killed Yu Mao… " He let the suggestion trail off. Li just gave him a level gaze. Tycho wrinkled his nose. "Ah. I suppose so. Look-" He sat forward. "-even if you don't actually mean Brin any harm, just talking to him could be dangerous."
Li put his hands flat on the table and looked Tycho straight in the eye. "It's a chance I'll take, Tycho. You know how far I've traveled. Am I supposed to stop now?" He sat forward as well. "I would value your help, but with you or without you, I will find Brin. I get the feeling that he won't be that hard to locate."
"Aw, bind me." Tycho set his mug down with a thump. By rights, he should let Li blunder off and get himself in trouble-certainly the Shou had brought him nothing but trouble. At the same time, he felt a certain grudging respect for him and his commitment. He sighed. I'm going to regret this, he thought to himself-and nodded. "I'll help you."
The Shou broke out in the first wide and genuine smile Tycho had seen from him. Tycho held a warning hand before he could get too happy, though. "But,"he said firmly, "this is how we're going to do it." He jerked a thumb at himself. "I'm going to make inquiries. Something discrete. Throw out a line and see if I can arrange a meeting with Brin for you. It might make him feel more like talking civilly than having a big foreigner stalking him around Spandeliyon will."
Li's smile tightened slightly. "Don't mention Yu Mao." Tycho looked at him quizzically. "I want to ask Brin about Yu Mao myself," said Li stubbornly. "I don't want to give him time to prepare any stories or explanations." Tycho shrugged then nodded. Li's smile bloomed again, even wider this time. He bent himself in a little half-bow over the table. "Thank you, Tycho. I wish there were something more I could offer you-if Lander hadn't robbed me, the reward I mentioned last night would be yours."
Tycho snorted and picked up the last morsel of pie. "Well, that reward was as good as stolen as soon as you said the words last night at the Ease. That was stupid."
"What good is a reward if no one knows it's available?" Li folded his hands. "Besides, it was well hidden. If anyone has my coat, they're probably walking around with a small fortune and aren't even aware of it."
Tycho blinked. "What