Tiassa by Steven Brust Read Free Book Online Page A

sitting.”
    “Sit like someone who’s, you know, cocky. Sure of himself. Knows he can get what he wants. More arrogant. Yeah, like that.”
    He smiled. “Part of the trade, m’lord.”
    “Good. Now stand up and walk to the door. No, not sexy. Confident. Try again. Better. More like you’re going somewhere. Not in a hurry, but—good.”
    “That wasn’t too much?”
    “No, perfect. Meanwhile, start walking, talking, and looking as aristocratic as you can.”
    “I shall, m’lord.”
    “Got a minute, Vlad?” Kragar’s head looked weirdly disembodied around the edge of the door. “I have something for you to look at.”
    I excused myself and followed him into his office, where he presented me with a three-page report on the Blue Fox: history, origin, family, and activity. I took a few minutes to read it.
    “Good work. How did you find all this?”
    “I’m just that good.”
    “You are, you are.”
    “I asked a guy who asked a guy and I got his family. And it turns out the Blue Fox is real. Or was, anyway. It’s all there.”
    “You got a bonus coming.”
    “I am bathed in a warm glow.”
    “I’ll see you when you’ve dried off.”
    I went back to work with Omlo; we put in another couple of hours and then called it a day. I told him to return the following day and we’d start work on the hard part—the Load—and then stay with it until we were ready to start the action. He understood; he seemed excited about the whole thing. I liked his attitude; I hoped he wouldn’t end up with holes in him.
    That night Cawti and I ate at the Blue Flame and talked about the wedding.
    “I don’t have anyone to make a headdress,” said Cawti.
    “Noish-pa will find someone,” I said, referring to my grandfather.
    “You think so?”
    “I know so.”
    She smiled. “All right. Who will stand for you?”
    “I’ll ask Morrolan. He probably knows some of the customs.”
    “How is he with rhymes?”
    “I don’t know. I’ll write them for him, if I have to.”
    She smiled. “Will I get to hear them?”
    “Of course not. It’s bad luck.”
    “After the wedding?”
    “All right. What rhymes with Aliera?”
    “Now, you know I can’t help.”
    “Yeah, yeah. Shall we find a priest of Verra?”
    “I’d like that. But then we need a procession. If we do the civil service at the House, and then go to a temple in South Adrilankha, that would be a long walk for everyone.”
    “So we’ll bring the Jhereg clerk to us, then we can make the procession as long as we want.”
    “Good point,” I said. “Or bring the priest to us. Or both.”
    “Or both.”
    She leaned her head on my shoulder and my heart flip-flopped. She said, “Oh, thinking about weddings, marriage, and all of that, a small, unimportant question just came to mind. What do you think of children?”
    “Um,” I said. “Children. I hadn’t thought about it. I mean, other than Loiosh.”
    “You are so going to pay for that.”
    I felt her laughing. I said, “Seriously, I don’t know. It had never crossed my mind. I need to think about it.”
    She nodded and suggested that, just in case, we should work on the process. She paid the shot and we went back to my flat to put this plan into action.
    I worked with Omlo again the next day, and saw Cawti again in the evening. We didn’t talk about children again, but we did get serious about the wedding.
    I’ve put less planning into killing people.
    When Omlo arrived, I had him run through the entire business, including the Load. “Good,” I told him when he’d finished. “But it could stand to be a little smoother.”
    “Yes, my lord.”
    “Try it again.”
    I was still working with him a couple of hours later when Melestav poked his head in and told me someone calling himself the Blue Fox would like to see me, and he had a Dzurlord with him. The expression on Melestav’s face as he pronounced the name of my visitor was a precious thing that I will treasure forever. I allowed as to how they