The Yellow Silk - Don Bassingthwaite [71]
"A curiosity is likely all it will be," sniffed Mosi Anu. "These legends you've been telling us are preposterous. A bunch of uneducated weavers and dyers catching the power of the sun in a piece of cloth?"
He was hooked, too. Mosi and Hanibaz were rivals. Anything Hanibaz wanted, Mosi would treat with disdain-until he was able to snatch it out from under Hanibaz.
"Thaedra?" asked Brin.
The Chessentan stretched. "Exotic, powerful, unbelievably old. Brin, you know I want it."
Her voice throbbed with power. Lander forced his eyes up to the ceiling and bit down hard on his tongue to distract himself from her. Even the Red Wizards must have felt her sway. Hanibaz broke the moment with a biting, "Exotic, powerful, unbelievably old-Thaedra, my dear, that could be your smallclothes!"
Mosi Anu frowned dourly, but Brin laughed and even
Lander snickered. Thaedra turned a burning gaze on Hanibaz. "Brin," she said haughtily, "when will we be able to see this fabled silk?"
"Thaedra," said Brin with a clever smile and a glance back at Lander, "the Yellow Silk of Kuang-"
Lander winced and gave a tiny shake of his head.
Brin's smile faltered for a moment then came back strong. "-will be available for your examination shortly. While you wait, the facilities of the Eel are yours."
"How disappointing." Thaedra rose. "I don't think it's worth my time to wait. Brin, between this Yellow Silk and the'beljurils, you've left me unsatisfied twice this past tenday. Next time, try to have the merchandise available before you drag me all the way down here." Brin flushed as she walked out of the room and Lander wasn't sure which he shied away from more: her aura of power or Brin's violent wrath. The halfling looked to the Red Wizards. Hanibaz shrugged.
"I don't mind waiting. Mosi?"
His rival's lips narrowed. "I want to see the look on your face when Brin unveils some Shou's handkerchief." He sat back in his chair.
A measure of satisfaction returned to Brin's face. "Very good." He hopped to his feet and bowed to each of them as he walked to the back of the room. "I'll send someone in to see to your needs." He turned his smile on Lander. "A word with you outside?"
A hard shove didn't leave any room for refusal. As soon as the blue door slammed shut behind them, Lander gasped out an explanation. "We looked everywhere, Brin! We couldn't find Tycho or Li Chien. Even Black Scratch couldn't pick up their scents."
Brin growled under his breath, but to Lander's relief, he didn't lash out. "Don't worry," he said. "I have a plan." He started toward the festhall's back door. "I'll be back. Wait here and keep an eye on things."
"Things?" Lander shot a glance at the blue door. "Brin! What am I supposed to do?"
"Anything they want, Lander." Brin turned around briefly. "This could take some time. Keep Hanibaz and Mosi happy and keep them here." His eye narrowed. "If I don't have two mages to bid on the Yellow Silk when I get back, I'm not going to be happy."
He disappeared. Lander swallowed. He drew his mouth up into a forced smile and stepped back into the Blue Room.
CHAPTER 10
Crown Alley seemed like a prosperous street, if not an especially busy one. The homes and shops that lined its twisted length were in good repair. Some of the shops even boasted signs with only words and no pictures, an indication that they expected a better class of literate clientele. Pretentious, thought Tycho. Crown Alley ended in high town, but it started in dockside.
The pretention of the street had one tremendous benefit, though. The snow had been cleared away, shoveled up in great heaps. The walking was easier than pretty much anywhere in dockside. Drier, too-the temperature had risen above freezing again and in dockside, snow was turning into wide, slushy puddles. In Crown Alley, the melt water flowed into a carefully cleared gutter and gurgled its way down to the sea.
Tycho stamped on the paving stones, knocking off the wet clumps