Tiassa by Steven Brust Read Free Book Online Page B

could come into my office, and asked him to have Kragar join us.
    I rose and sketched a bow. “Blue Fox, Ibronka, this is Omlo, who will be the Skin.”
    Omlo looked at me, I think to ask whether he should be in character for these two. I shrugged, so he made a fairly obsequious bow, which the Tiassa and Dzur returned in a sort of casual-to-friendly way.
    “Your money,” said the Fox, depositing a purse on my desk. “This isn’t tagged, it’s what I agreed to pay you. The extra should be sufficient to cover the physicker.”
    I nodded and put the purse into my lower right-hand drawer. Then I said, “Feel free to find chairs. I’ve got things mostly put together. Omlo here is part of it.”
    As they were finding chairs, Omlo said, “If I may ask, m’lord?”
    “Yes?”
    “What are their positions in this?”
    “He’s the Runner, she’s the Dog-man, and I’m the Turner, which completes the crew.” I smiled. “Now we’re ready to get to work.”

3
     
    “She’s the what?”
    “I’m the which?”
    “M’lord, what are those things?”
    “I’ll explain.”
    “I’d like to hear it, too,” said Kragar. “Do I get to do something?”
    “Everyone, this is Kragar. He works for me.”
    I could see them all wondering how long he’d been there.
    Fox-boy said, “What was it you said our jobs are?”
    “You’re going to be the Runner, and the lovely lady by your side will be the Dog-man. If you agree, of course. You’re well suited.”
    “Dog-man,” he repeated, glancing at Ibronka. “I’m not sure I like that.”
    “It’s not personal, just the term for that job.”
    I took a moment to study Blue-boy. I guess, to a Dragaeran, he’d be considered good-looking: his eyes were clear and sharp, his lips thin, hair swept back to show off an unusually distinct noble’s point. And he was one of those people who always seemed to be a little amused by everything. I find such people a touch irritating, but that may only be because I’m one myself. I thought over what I’d learned about him, and wished I knew enough to deduce what exactly was going on.
    He said, “Where does the term come from?”
    “I don’t actually know,” I said. “But I’m guessing it has something to do with the way a dog will sit somewhere and do nothing and then bark when something happens.”
    “Ever owned a dog?” he asked.
    “No.”
    “Never mind, then. What are my orders, General?”
    “You have the coins?”
    He pulled out a medium-sized purse and dropped it on my desk. “Clink,” it said.
    “I hope,” I told him, “you didn’t take that from an honest citizen.”
    “I didn’t,” he said. “I took it from a merchant.”
    “And you’re sure the gold is tagged?”
    “Spend it,” he said, “and you’ll find out fast enough.”
    “That’s exactly the plan,” I told him. “Although it won’t be me who spends it. How much is there?”
    “A bit more than four imperials, most of it silver. I hope that’s enough.”
    “Plenty. You keep it. You’ll be using it.”
    He picked it up again. “To do what?”
    “Get arrested, of course.”
    “I thought the idea was to avoid that.”
    “Yes, well, almost get arrested.”
    “Maybe, if it isn’t too much trouble, you could—”
    “I will. Just a moment. We’re waiting for someone.”
    He started to ask who, then shrugged. In about two minutes Cawti came in. She bowed to them gravely as I said, “Cawti, this is the Blue Fox, and this is Ibronka. This fellow is called Omlo. Everyone, Cawti.”
    “A pleasure,” said Cawti. “Ibronka, that’s an Eastern name.”
    “So I’ve been told,” she said. From her tone, I’d say she didn’t like Cawti a great deal more than she liked me, which in my opinion indicated a flaw in her character. The Fox-guy rose and bowed like he meant it.
    I didn’t have enough chairs, so Cawti perched on my desk, generally facing the guests. Without turning her pleasant and rather phony smile away from them, she said to