The Book of Athyra by Steven Brust Read Free Book Online

afraid to disturb the Easterner. When they were all seated, Vlad looked at them with an expression that was a mockery of innocence. He said, “So tell me, gentlemen, of this land. What is it like?”
    The four boys looked at each other. How could one answer such a question?
    Vlad said, “I mean, do bodies always show up out of nowhere, or is this a special occasion?”
    Coral twitched as if stung; Savn almost smiled but caught himself in time. Tuk and Lan muttered something inaudible; then, with a look at Coral and Savn, they got up and left. Coral hesitated, stood up, looked at Savn, started to say something, then followed his friends out the door.
    Vlad shook his head. “I seem to be driving away business today. I really don’t mean to. I hope Goodman Tem isn’t unhappy with me.”
    “Are you a wizard?” said Savn.
    Vlad laughed. “What do you know about wizards?”
    “Well, they live forever, and you can’t hurt them because they keep their souls in magic boxes without any way inside, and they can make you do things you don’t want to do, and—”
    Vlad laughed again. “Well, then I’m certainly not a wizard.”
    Savn started to ask what was funny; then he caught sight of Vlad’s maimed hand, and it occurred to him that a wizard wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.
    After an uncomfortable silence, Savn said, “Why did you say that?”
    “Say what?”
    “About . . . bodies.”
    “Oh. I wanted to know.”
    “It was cruel.”
    “Was it? In fact, I meant the question. It surprises me to walk into a place like this and find that a body has followed me in. It makes me uncomfortable. It makes me curious.”
    “There have been others who noticed it, too.”
    “I’m not surprised. And whispers about me, no doubt.”
    “Well, yes.”
    “What exactly killed him?”
    “No one knows.”
    “Oh?”
    “There was no mark on him, at any rate, and my friends told me that Master Wag was puzzled.”
    “Is Master Wag good at this sort of thing?”
    “Oh, yes. He could tell if he died from disease, or if someone beat him, or if someone cast a spell on him, or anything. And he just doesn’t know yet.”
    “Hmmm. It’s a shame.”
    Savn nodded. “Poor Reins. He was a nice man.”
    “Reins?”
    “That was his name.”
    “An odd name.”
    “It wasn’t his birth name; he was just called that because he drove.”
    “Drove? A coach?”
    “No, no; he made deliveries and such.”
    “Really. That starts to bring something back.”
    “Bring something back?”
    “As I said, I think I recognize him. I wonder if I could be near . . . who is lord of these lands?”
    “His Lordship, the Baron.”
    “Has he a name?”
    “Baron Smallcliff.”
    “And you don’t know his given name?”
    “I’ve heard it, but I can’t think of it at the moment.”
    “How about his father’s name? Or rather, the name of whoever the old Baron was?”
    Savn shook his head.
    Vlad said, “Does the name ‘Loraan’ sound familiar?”
    “That’s it!”
    Vlad chuckled softly. “That is almost amusing.”
    “What is?”
    “Nothing, nothing. And was Reins the man who used to make deliveries to Loraan?”
    “Well, Reins drove everywhere. He made deliveries for, well, for just about everyone.”
    “But did his duties take him to the Baron’s keep?”
    “Well, I guess they must have.”
    Vlad nodded. “I thought so.”
    “Hmmm?”
    “I used to know him. Only very briefly I’m afraid, but still—”
    Savn shook his head. “I’ve never seen you around here before.”
    “It wasn’t quite around here; it was at Loraan’s keep rather than his manor house. The keep, if I recall the landscape correctly, must be on the other side of the Brownclay.”
    “Yes, that’s right.”
    “And I didn’t spend much time there, either.” Vlad smiled as he said this, as if enjoying a private joke. Then he said, “Who is Baron now?”
    “Who? Why, the Baron is the Baron, same as always.”
    “But after the old Baron died, did his