The Yellow Silk - Don Bassingthwaite [45]
"Well, no." Tycho screwed up his face. "But there's a pretty good chance you'd be dead."
"Then I'm glad I chose the Wench's Ease." He held out his hand. Tycho just stared at it. "You were willing to help me, Tycho. I'll help you."
Tycho gaped at him. "You're kidding. I thought you'd be mad when I told you I worked for Brin."
Li shrugged. "Veseene gave me instructions that I wasn't supposed to get you in trouble. You were arrested because of me, so I am in a way responsible for the loss of the beljurils. You had your reasons for not telling me everything, Tycho." Tycho gave him a narrow glance. Li coughed. "And Veseene is very intimidating."
Tycho's lips twitched into a smile. "You're more afraid of Veseene than you are of Brin?"
"I haven't met Brin yet." Li's mouth narrowed. "Though I keep trying." He reached out and grabbed Tycho's hand, pulling him away from the tree and upright. "First we find your beljurils; then we talk to Brin."
"We don't have any clue of who took the beljurils at the jail, though!"
Li looked at him. "But we do. Who did we see there?" Tycho shrugged. Li snorted. "There is a saying in Shou Lung: A snake is never less than a snake."
Tycho frowned, puzzling through the proverb. "Once a thief, always a thief?" He sucked in a breath. "Desmada! We know she's corrupt already-what's to stop her from stealing from a prisoner's belongings?"
"That was my thought," agreed Li. "But would even she be brave enough to steal gems meant for Brin?"
"She wouldn't have known they were going to him." He smiled grimly. "This time of day, she'll be out on patrol. Let's go look for her and see if she's in the mood for a talk."
"There!" Tycho pulled Li around a corner and into a narrow street. "Desmada!" he called.
Up ahead, the guard twisted around and peered through the twilight then relaxed-slightly-with recognition. "What is it, Tycho?" Her hand dropped to the hilt of her sword. Recognition didn't mean trust-it could just as well mean she had guessed why they had come looking for her. Tycho quickly spread his hands.
"Easy," he said with a casual smile. "We just wanted a word with you."
Her eyes narrowed. She glanced at Li and back to Tycho. "You pulled off a slick argument this morning. You know Mard isn't going to forget that."
Tycho shrugged. "I make enemies every now and then."
"Mard isn't a good man to have as an enemy. If he brings you in again, he'll make sure you aren't able to talk your way free past a magistrate-he knows the law and he'll take advantage of it."
"Better that than knowing the law and abusing it," muttered Li. He was glaring hard at Desmada. Tycho poked an elbow into his gut, but Desmada's attention was already back on him.
"You know," she said, "I've been trying to figure out why you look familiar. It was nagging me all through the hearing, too."
"Imagine me being held down in the snow-"
Tycho jammed his elbow back again, this time hard. Li's words ended in a thick gasp. They had talked about this as they searched for Desmada. Li favored a rather direct, physical form of questioning; Tycho something more subtle. He thought that they'd had it worked out which they were going to try first. Desmada stared at them suspiciously, but Tycho just turned a broad smile on her.
"Speaking of the hearing," he said, "I was wondering if you could help us out with something." Desmada snorted.
Tycho gritted his teeth behind his smile. "Something was missing from my things when I retrieved them after the hearing."
Desmada grunted and shrugged her shoulders. "Ask at the guard station," she said and started to turn away.
Tycho moved with her, crunching through the snow. "We're not really likely to be welcomed with open arms at the guard station right now."
"Not my fault."
Just over her shoulder, Li made an angry face and flexed his fingers. Desmada must have sensed something