Vanity's Brood - Lisa Smedman [116]
"How?"
"By passing themselves off as members of those Houses. The family members are eliminated, and the spies take their place."
Gonthril frowned, and thought a moment. "These spies-are they dopplegangers?"
Arvin's eyesbrows raised. The rebel leader had a quicker mind than he'd expected. "In a manner of speaking, yes."
"The information they have gathered-is it written down?"
"No," Arvin said. "It's all inside Zelia's head, but there's a way to get it out."
"How?" Gonthril asked, skepticism plain in his voice.
"By killing her. Once that's done, I can put you in touch with a cleric who can speak with the dead."
Gonthril's eyes bored into Arvin's. "Why do you want this woman dead?"
"For several reasons," Arvin answered. "The simple answer is that if I don't kill her, she'll kill me." He spread his hands. "That's not what really concerns me. Zelia won't stop there. She'll also make sure my wife and children die."
Gonthril's eyebrows rose. "You've been busy, this past year."
Arvin had to smile.
Gonthril's expression turned serious again. "What if the information in Zelia's head turns out to be of no use to the Secession?" Gonthril said, "I'll have wasted my resources. There's an entire city of yuanti that need killing and precious few humans bold enough to do the job."
Arvin fought to keep his smile from wavering. Gonthril's hatred of the serpent folk ran deep. If he realized that Arvin was part yuan-ti-and that the wife and children Arvin was trying to protect were as well-the only "help" forthcoming would be a crossbow bolt in the back. He was glad, yet again, that Karrell's ring was still on his finger.
"Zelia is worth killing for other reasons," he said. "Convince me."
"You've heard that Sibyl is dead?" Arvin asked.
Gonthril nodded. "So House Extaminos says."
"It's true," Arvin assured him. "Now Zelia is trying to pick up where Sibyl left off. Sibyl was only pretending to be Sseth's avatar, but Zelia actually stands a chance at becoming just that."
"How?"
"It's complicated, but the short answer is this: Sseth is bound inside his domain. He needs someone to free him. Whoever does this will be rewarded with anything they ask for. Zelia knows of an artifact called the Circled Serpent-a key that opens a door to Sseth's domain. Using it, she can free him-and become his avatar."
Gonthril whistled under his breath. He sat in silence a moment, then reached inside his shirt and pulled out a chain that was looped through a ring-a wide band of silver, set with deep blue sapphires. He took it off the chain and slid it across the table to Arvin. "Put it on."
Arvin did, reluctantly. He remembered the last time he'd worn it. With the ring on, he'd be unable to tell a lie. If Gonthril asked directly about the Circled Serpent, Arvin would have to tell him it had already been destroyed. Gonthril would assume everything Arvin had just told him was a lie, and Arvin would have to fight his way out of the Mortal Coil.
He resisted the urge to glance at the half-dozen crossbows pointed at him. Instead he took a deep breath. Control, he urged himself. He didn't need to tell the whole truth about the Circled Serpent-he just had to concentrate on answering Gonthril's questions as succinctly as possible.
Gonthril looked him square in the eye. "Do you work for House Extaminos?" he asked.
Relief washed through Arvin as he saw the tack Gonthril's questions would take. He smiled. "No," he answered, his voice firm and level. "As I told you when you asked me that question a year ago, I work for myself."
This time, it was the truth.
"Is the story about wanting to kill Zelia a ruse to trap me?"
"No."
"Is your name really Arvin?"
Arvin frowned. "Of course."
"Are you a doppleganger?"
Arvin laughed. "No. What you see is what you get. I'm-" He was about to say "human" but checked himself just in time. He shrugged. "I'm Arvin."
Gonthril nodded