Chapter 18

Throughout breakfast, Aber pretended to pout and hold a grudge. Course after course arrived, was served, and then carted away by attentive servants. At last, depositing vast trays of fruit and cheese on the table, they left us alone.

Aber sighed. “Sometimes,” he said, addressing no one in particular though I knew he meant it for me, “I think I'm the only one left in this family with any sense.”

“Sense, but no vision.”

He turned his head in my direction. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Had we done the sensible thing in Juniper, we would all be dead now. We have to do the unexpected, the courageous, the daring. It's the only way we can hope to win. You need to see the proper path. It's not always the safe one.”

He snorted. “You sound like Dad now.”

“That's a good thing.”

I leaned forward, looking him in the eye, and bluntly told him of my plans for Rhalla… how she would claim to have killed me, then spy on her master and report back whatever she learned. A little to my surprise, Aber seemed pleased.

“Who is her master?” he asked. “Who sent her here?”

“Some minor Lord of Chaos. His name is Ulyanash.”

He paled. “Ulyanash?”

“Do you know him?” I demanded.

“Lord Ulyanash is… not a friend. To any of us.” His expression hardened.

“Could he be behind it all? The murders? The attack on Juniper?”

“What did your succubus say?”

“She didn't think it was him.”

He shook his head slowly. “I don't think so, either. He's an idiot. If he weren't such a good fighter, no one would pay any attention to him. There must be someone else, someone more powerful who's working quietly to control and direct him.”

“That's exactly what Rhalla said.”

He gave me an odd look. “You found out quite a lot from her, didn't you?”

I shrugged. “You get more from women with kisses than threats. Take a lesson from that.”

“Maybe I was wrong about her,” he admitted. I knew how hard that must have been for him to say. “Just don't promise her too much, okay, Brother? I don't want a succubus for a sister-in-law.”

I smiled, letting my eyes go distant. “She is beautiful…”

“She came to kill you!”

I chuckled. “You're too easy to tease. Don't worry, I know what she is and why she came to me. I won't forget. Once her work is done…” I shrugged. “Our family and our safety, in that order, is what matters.”

He nodded, studying me. I could almost read his thoughts: Perhaps I wasn't quite the naive and trusting young soldier I appeared. I had the impression he had unexpectedly raised his estimation of me.

“You'll kill her after all?” he asked. “For feeding on you?”

“I never said that.”

“No, but…”

I went on, “You're too bloodthirsty for your own good. Let me worry about Rhalla. I'll take care of her in my own way, and in my own time.”

He gave a half groan. “You're going to end up marrying her, I know it!”

“Forget about her. She doesn't matter. We have important things to talk about.”

“All right. Where do we start?”

“With Lord Ulyanash. Tell me everything you know about him.”

My brother took a deep breath. “If I recall correctly, his full name is Demaro il Dara von Sartre Ulyanash, Baron of the House of Tanatar and Lord of the Far Reaches. I'm sure there ought to be a couple dozen more titles in that list, too, but I can't remember them.”

“Sounds impressive,” I said. “Lord of the Far Reaches…” I imagined a sprawling castle with vast estates stretching farther than the eye could see.

Aber half sneered. “The Far Reaches are a distant swamp-land, and the House of Tanatar is about as far as you can get from King Uthor and still qualify as a blood relation. Like I said, it's a minor house.”

“Then… why attack us?” I asked. “What have we done to him?”

“Nothing, that I know of.”

“From what you and Locke told me, we're no threat to him… or to anyone else here. So why bother with us? We were all off in Shadow, minding our own business. How can killing us possibly advance Ulyanash's standing—or anyone's?”

“He has always had ambitions beyond his station,” Aber said. “His rise in court has been—for lack of a better word—surprising.”

“How so?”

“The first time I saw him, he reminded me of a bear strolling through a crystal shop. He didn't know how to act, or who to flatter. He made mistake after mistake, and everyone laughed at him. Finally Lord Dyor decided to make an example of him for other distant relatives to learn from. Dyor arranged a duel by custom methods, and they fought.”

“Did you see it?”

“Yes. The whole court did.”

“What happened?”

He swallowed hard. “Ulyanash killed him—slowly and brutally. He would not accept satisfaction after first or second blood. If anything, he turned the fight into a brutal, bloody circus. Women were crying. Men begged them to stop. But Ulyanash would not yield his right, and he made an example of Lord Dyor that no one who saw it will ever forget.”

“Was Dyor a good fighter?” I asked.

“One of the best in the Courts.”

“What happened next?”

“Everyone said Ulyanash was finished. Rumor said King Uthor planned to strip him of his titles and throw him into the Pit of Ghomar for what he'd done. And yet, despite that, nothing happened. Instead of being punished for his effrontery, Ulyanash began attending the best parties and social gatherings, from the Blood Festival to the Feast of the Seven Dials. You couldn't escape him. He moved into the center of everything, and the best men and women stood cheerfully beside him as equals.” He shook his head. “They shouldn't have paid any attention to him, considering his family and what he did to Lord Dyor, and yet… there he was. Still is, I suppose.”

Slowly I nodded. It made sense to me now. Someone powerful had seen what Ulyanash could do and decided to use him. And part of that use had been against our family.

I asked, “Who is his patron?”

“I don't know. He must have one, or he wouldn't have gotten as far as he has. But I never heard anyone speak of it.”

“Perhaps they were frightened.”

“That's possible. I know he frightens me!”

“Can you guess who might be supporting Ulyanash?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I never heard before, and I've been away too long now to make discreet inquiries. My few friends in court have all drifted away and aligned themselves elsewhere. I haven't heard any gossip in years. None of us has, not Freda nor Blaise nor even Locke, though he would have been the best bet. He probably could have found out through his mother's side of the family… they have strong connections.”

“Death is never convenient,” I said. “Forget about Locke. Any other ideas?”

Shaking his head, he said, “Our family has never been very popular. Once Dad inherited his titles, that pretty much finished off our influence in the court. Dad never cared enough to bother making any friends or allies who could help us… he was too busy experimenting and building his little toys.”

Somehow, considering our family, I wasn't terribly surprised. I sighed. I must have gotten it from my mother's side of the family, but I had never had trouble making friends. I would have to work on building up our list of allies in the Courts of Chaos… assuming I lived long enough.

Despite Aber's lack of immediately useful information, I had a feeling I could still learn a few things from him. I decided to try a different approach.

“Let's work backwards,” I said. “How many people here have enough power and influence that they could raise Ulyanash to his present favored position?”

“That's hard.” He frowned, thinking. “King Uthor, of course. Perhaps a few of his ministers. Maybe a dozen Lords of Chaos who are central to the throne and its power.”