Dzur by Steven Brust Read Free Book Online Page B

Crow."
    "Crow?"
    "His dominion is things that fall?"
    "Where did you pick up that bit of information?"
    "A few minutes ago, passing by a shrine. I heard some people talking."
    "I never knew?"
    "You're pretty distracted?'
    "I prefer to call it `concentrating.' "
    "Whatever you say, Boss."
    "Okay, let's move?'
    We didn't speak during the long walk across the river. I sup-pose the visit had been productive; I'd at least confirmed that the Left Hand was, indeed, running things. And I'd ordered boots and a new scabbard for my rapier.
    I walked along the right-hand side of the Chain Bridge while the water swirled under me. I glanced upriver, speculating on who and what might live there; all of those people being born, living, and dying along its banks. Maybe, if I lived through this, that's where I'd go next; just follow the river and see where it brought me. The East Bank, of course. When the two miles or so of the bridge were behind me, I found a cabriolet and had myself brought north to a district that overlooked the docks. A few miles away, on the other side of the river, were the slaughterhouses; on this side were houses: public, private, and ware, as well as the stalls of the poorer craftsmen and the shops of the more prosperous ones.
    It was becoming dark as I entered a house whose sign depicted a ship's lantern hanging from a mast. There would, I suspected, be a lot of Orca in here. There were a lot of Orca in all the taverns in this part of Adrilankha, so it wasn't a terribly daring guess.
    It was a long, narrow room. I spotted a door on the far end that would, no doubt, lead to smaller rooms. Near the door was a small raised area for musicians. And standing near it was a pale-looking Dragaeran in blue and white, holding some sort of instrument with lots of strings and an oddly curved body.
    Years before I had made a deal with the Minstrels' Guild; expensive, but one of the smarter things I'd done. You don't need to hear the whole conversation. I showed him a ring I carry, asked him a couple of questions, got a couple of answers, and slipped him some coins. Then it was out the door quickly, before some of those looks I was getting from the assembled Orca turned them-selves into action which would result in more attention than I cared for.
    I followed the musician's directions, which took me west a bit less than a mile. I want to say something like, "No one tried to kill me," just to let you know that the whole being killed thing was never far from my mind; but it'll be played out pretty fast, so if I don't say anything about it, you can assume I didn't get killed.
    This house, marked by a newly painted sign showing a sleeping dog, was a bit larger than the last and more nearly square. The stage was off to the left, and the fellow I was looking for was standing next to it, holding a wide, curved drum.

    "Aibynn," I said after the twenty steps or so between the doorway and the stage.
    He blinked a couple of times, as if the word were in some foreign language, then gave me a smile. "Hey, Vlad," he said. "I got a new drum."
    "Yeah," I told him. "That's why I came back."
    "Oh? You've been away?"
    "Uh, yeah."
    Aibynn was thin even for the thin Dragaerans, and as tall as Morrolan. He was not native to the Empire; I'd met him on an is-land while involved in a complicated business involving a god, a king, an empress, political conspiracies, and other sundry entertainments. Of all the Dragaerans I'd ever met, he was the one I understood the least, but also one of the few I was certain had no interest in using me for his purposes. We found a table and sat down. A barmaid gave him some-thing clear, batted her eyelashes at him, and then remembered to ask if I wanted anything. I didn't.
    Aibynn said, "You sticking around for the show? I'm playing with this guy-"
    "Probably not," I said. "To tell you the truth, I don't actually like music."
    "Yeah, neither do I," said Aibynn.
    "No, I mean it," I said.
    He nodded. "Yeah, me too."
    Aibynn