45

I'll be dead in a day or two, so please pay attention, Jarl," Momma K said.

Jarl hesitated for a moment, and then sipped the ootai she'd poured him.

d.a.m.n, but the boy can be cold. But then, that was why she was having this talk with him, rather than with anyone else. "Tomorrow or the next day, Kylar or Durzo will come here and kill me," she said. "Because I sent Kylar to kill a man he thought was Hu Gibbet, but actually was Durzo, disguised as Hu. Whichever one lived through their fight now knows that I lied, and that I betrayed them both. I know that you were once friends with Kylar, Jarl-" "Tomorrow or the next day, Kylar or Durzo will come here and kill me," she said. "Because I sent Kylar to kill a man he thought was Hu Gibbet, but actually was Durzo, disguised as Hu. Whichever one lived through their fight now knows that I lied, and that I betrayed them both. I know that you were once friends with Kylar, Jarl-"

"I still am."

"Fine. I wasn't going to ask you to avenge me. I'm ready for justice. Life from here is just a series of disappointments anyway." Was that pity in the boy's eyes? She thought it was, but she didn't care. He'd understand if he lived to be this old.

"What can I do to help you, Momma K?"

"I don't want you to help me. Things are happening fast, Jarl. Maybe too fast. Roth's making a play at becoming Shinga. I suspect we'll be hearing the sad news that Pon Dradin is dead any time now." fast. Roth's making a play at becoming Shinga. I suspect we'll be hearing the sad news that Pon Dradin is dead any time now."

"You're not going to warn him? You're just going to let Roth kill him?"

"Two reasons, Jarl. Knowing either of them could cost you your life. Are you ready to be a player on this stage?"

He scowled, actually thought about it, and then nodded.

"First, I'm going to let Pon Dradin die because I've been compromised. Roth blackmailed me into betraying Durzo and Kylar. I won't share how. I've been humiliated enough. All that matters is that Roth owns me. I can't oppose him in any way that he might detect or suspect or it will cost me something I value more than my life. So I'm going to die. I want you to replace me."

"You want me to take your seat on the Nine?"

She smiled into her ootai. ootai. "I was never just the Mistress of Pleasures, Jarl. I've been the Shinga for nineteen years." She had some satisfaction in the way her unflappable protege's eyes widened. He sank back in his chair. "I was never just the Mistress of Pleasures, Jarl. I've been the Shinga for nineteen years." She had some satisfaction in the way her unflappable protege's eyes widened. He sank back in his chair.

"G.o.ds," he said. "That explains a few things."

She laughed, and for what felt like the first time in years, she really felt like laughing. If exposing your throat always felt like this, she thought she understood for the first time why Durzo had loved the danger in his work. It made you appreciate being alive, standing this close to death.

"Tell me how it works," he said.

It was what she would have said in his place. She would have accepted what the Shinga had said about her death and immediately started looking for how it would affect her, rather than expressing any sorrow that the Shinga would be dead. Or perhaps, in Jarl's place, she would have given some moue of sorrow that her mistress would die, but it would have been a lie. Jarl gave no such pretense, and maybe she could respect him for that. He'd learned her lessons well. But it still hurt.

"I'm sorry," he said. He sounded like he really meant it. Maybe he did. Or maybe he was just sorry that she was sinking into such softness that at the approach of her death she who had taught him how to manipulate his own pities and loves should want him to do that toward her. She couldn't tell. Jarl was what she had made him to be. It was worse than looking in a mirror.

"Everyone in the Sa'kage knows who their boss is. The smarter ones know who their representative on the Nine is. Of course, the Shinga's ident.i.ty is an open secret, which means not a secret at all. Put that together, and if you pool a few thieves and wh.o.r.es, you can figure out the entire power structure of the Sa'kage. That's been fine for the last fourteen years, because things have been so stable."

"Was that stability because of your leadership, or just luck?" Jarl asked.

"My leadership," she said honestly. "I had the last king killed and put Aleine on the throne, so we haven't had pressure from above, and I've handled all the pressures from within. But the normal state of any Sa'kage is upheaval, Jarl. Thieves and murderers and cutpurses and wh.o.r.es don't tend to stay united. a.s.sa.s.sinations are common. During your life it's been far more peaceful than ever before.

"The first five years I was Shinga, we lost eight 'Shingas.' Six were a.s.sa.s.sinations from outside. Two I had to have killed myself because they tried to take my power. Only two seats on the Nine remained unchanged. For the last fourteen years, Pon Dradin has been able to indulge his vices freely so long as he attended the meetings and kept his mouth shut and didn't step out of line. I never expected him to last so long."

"So only the Nine know who's really the Shinga?"

"And the wetboys, but they take a magically binding oath of service. The system does have its drawbacks. Pon is nearly as rich as I am just from kickbacks and bribes, and every new member of the Nine finds out that he's been sucking the wrong toes for however long it took to climb the ranks. It irritates some of them mightily, but it also keeps some people off the Nine who don't belong there. Best of all, it's kept me alive and in power."

"What does Roth mean to this?"

"Roth has just joined the Nine. He isn't in on the secret. That's why Pon will die sometime today or tomorrow. Roth thinks killing him will make him Shinga. But that actually exposes the greatest flaw in all my secrecy: if only eight people know who the real Shinga is, Roth only has to convince those eight that he is the Shinga now."

"If the rest of the Nine are so afraid of him, how do I take his power?" Jarl asked.

Momma K smiled. "Exactly that. You take it. I won't leave you defenseless, of course." She reached into her desk and pulled out a small book. "My spies. I hope I don't need to tell you that the longer it is before you burn this book, the less your life is worth."

He took the book. "I'll memorize it immediately."

She leaned back in her chair. "He's in a strong position, Jarl. People are terrified of him."

"So that's everything?" Jarl asked.

"You'll forgive me if I don't tell you where all my riches are stored. An old woman has to protect herself, just in case I live through this. Besides, if I die, you'll have plenty of time to find it all."

"Can I ask your advice?" he asked. She nodded. "I followed the men you asked about," Jarl said.

Momma K nodded. She didn't prod Jarl with questions. They'd worked together for long enough that she knew he would tell her everything.

"They were definitely wytches. They attempted an ambush on Regnus Gyre with a small retinue north of the city. Most of his men were wiped out, and all of them would have been except that he had a mage with him."

Momma K raised an eyebrow.

"I was viewing them from a distance, but Regnus and the mage quarreled afterward and rode separate directions. My guess was that Lord Gyre didn't know his man was a mage."

"This mage defeated three wytches?"

"Everything spectacular came from the wytches, but when the smoke cleared-and I mean that literally-he was the only one standing. The man fought with his wits. He stalled two of the wytches until Lord Gyre's soldiers could cut them down. He made a horse trample the third. I don't understand magic, so maybe there was more I didn't see, but that was what it looked like."

"Go on."

"Lord Gyre had only one man left after he and the mage quarreled. They took a circuitous route through the city and arrived at his manse after midnight. You've heard what was there?"

"Twenty-eight dead. Hu Gibbet was given free rein."

"Roth's orders?" Jarl asked.

She nodded. "Unfortunately, the wetboys' oath does have a number of loop holes."

"It was horrific. Anyway, Lord Gyre persuaded the men who came to arrest him to join him instead, and they are now hiding at a cousin's house, trying to quietly gather as much support as they can. The mage is Sethi, first name Solon. I couldn't find anything else yet. As of half an hour ago, he was staying at the White Crane."

"You never disappoint, Jarl."

He was about to ask a question when there was a knock on the door. A maid came in and handed a slip of paper to Momma K. She handed it to Jarl. "The cipher's in the front of your book."

In a minute, he had it decoded. "Pon Dradin's dead." Jarl looked up at her. "What do I do now?"

"That, my apprentice," she said. "Is your problem."

"Kylar, I want to talk about your future."

This should be brief.

Count Drake pulled his pince nez from his vest pocket and didn't put them on. He just waved them as he spoke. "I've got a proposal for you, Kylar. I've been thinking about this a lot, and Kylar, you're not cut out to be a wetboy. No, listen to me, I want to give you a way out, son. Kylar, I want you to marry Ilena."

"Sir?"

"I know it seems abrupt, but I want you to think about it."

"Sir, she's only fifteen."

"Oh, I don't mean now. What I propose is that, well, Kylar, that you get betrothed. Ilena's been infatuated with you for years, and I propose that we give it a couple of years to see if anything comes of it, while you're... well, while you're learning my business."

"I'm not sure I understand, sir. In fact, I'm sure I don't understand."

The count slapped his pince nez against his hand. "Kylar, I want you to-I want to give you the chance to leave the life you're in. Learn my business and take it over for yourself someday. I've spoken with the queen, and with her permission, I've found out that we could transfer my t.i.tle to you. You'd be a count, Kylar. It's nothing special, I know, but it would make you legitimate. You could be what you've been pretending all these years."

Kylar's mouth dropped open. "Transfer your t.i.tle? What do you mean, transfer transfer it?" it?"

"Oh, Kylar, the t.i.tle hasn't done me any good anyway. Bah! I don't have any sons to pa.s.s it on to anyway. You need it and I don't. Anyway, I want to do this, even if the whole betrothal with Ilena doesn't appeal to you. This would give you time, Kylar. Time to figure out what you want to do with your life. It cuts you free. Free of them. them."

Free. Out of the Sa'kage. It was the most n.o.ble gesture Kylar had ever heard of-and after last night, it was too late.

Kylar looked at the floor and nodded. "It won't work, sir. I'm sorry. Believe me, I'm... You've been more than kind to me, far kinder than I deserve. But I don't think that"-he nodded toward the picnic Logan and Serah were sharing-"is for me."

"I know you're planning on leaving, Kylar."

That was the count. Right to it. "Yessir," Kylar said.

"Soon?"

"I meant to be gone already."

"Then maybe the G.o.d led me to speak with you now. Durzo told you not to listen to my preaching, I suppose?" Count Drake was looking out the window, but his voice was aggrieved.

"He said if I believed you, it'd get me killed."

"A fair enough statement, I suppose," Count Drake said. He turned and faced Kylar. "He used to work for me, you know."

"Excuse me? Durzo?"

That brought a small smile.

"Before he was a wetboy?" Kylar could hardly imagine that there had been a time before Durzo Blint was a wetboy, though he supposed there must have been.

The count shook his head. "No. He used to kill people for me. That's how we know each other. That's how he knew he could trust me with you. Durzo doesn't have much of a social life outside his work, you know."

"You? You ordered kills?"

"Not so loud. My wife knows, but there's no need to frighten the maids. I've tried to not preach at you with words, but rather let my life stand testimony to what I know, Kylar. But maybe I've erred in that. A saint once said, 'Preach at all times. When necessary, use words.' Can I take a minute of your time?"

Some part of him wanted to say no. Not only was it awkward to hear someone you respect try to sell you something that you knew you weren't going to buy, but Kylar was living on borrowed time. It seemed that at any minute news would arrive accusing Kylar of last night's theft, and this whole pretty picture would pop like a bubble. Logan would know him for what he was. Serah would have another chance to berate him. The count would get that disappointed look on his face that cut to the bone. Kylar knew the count would be disappointed in him, would never really know how much good Kylar had done last night and at what cost to himself. The count would be disappointed regardless of what Kylar did now, but Kylar didn't have to see it.

"Of course," he said. It was the right answer. This man had raised Kylar, had allowed him to live a life impossible for a guild rat. Kylar owed it to him.

"My father inherited a large fortune from his father, enough that he mingled with Gordin Graesin, Brand Wesseros, and Darvin Makell-I guess you wouldn't know about the Makells, they were wiped out in the Eight Years' War. Anyway, he tried to impress these sons of dukes by throwing money around. Lavish parties, gambling, renting out entire brothels. It didn't help that his own father died while he was still young. Of course, our family was soon in poverty. My father took his own life. So at the age of nineteen, I took control of a house on the brink of ruin. I had a good head for business, but I saw it as beneath me. Like many who have no reason for pride, that very lack of reason for it made me the prouder.

"But certain realities have a way of making themselves felt, and debt is one of them. Not surprisingly, one of my father's debtors had a way that I could make 'easy money.' I started working for the Sa'kage. The man who recruited me was the Trematir. If he'd been better at his job, he would have only gotten me deeper and deeper in the Sa'kage's debt, but I soon found out that I understood men and money and the ways they work together better than he did. Strangely enough, I had fewer qualms. could make 'easy money.' I started working for the Sa'kage. The man who recruited me was the Trematir. If he'd been better at his job, he would have only gotten me deeper and deeper in the Sa'kage's debt, but I soon found out that I understood men and money and the ways they work together better than he did. Strangely enough, I had fewer qualms.

"I put my money into whatever made money. Specialty brothels to cater to any appet.i.te, no matter how depraved. I started gambling dens and brought in experts from around the world to help me better separate my patrons from their money. I funded spice expeditions and bribed guards not to investigate the cargo. When one of my businesses was threatened, I had bashers take care of the problem. The first time they went too far and accidentally killed a man, I was shocked, but he wasn't someone I liked, and it was for my family, and I didn't have to see it, so that made it palatable. When I clashed with the Trematir, it was an easy decision to hire Durzo. I was naive enough that I didn't realize he went to the Shinga immediately to get permission first. They gave it to him, and I became the Sa'kage Master of Coin."

Kylar was hearing every word, but he couldn't believe it. This couldn't be the Count Drake he had grown up with. Rimbold Drake had been on the Nine?

"I traveled a lot, setting up businesses in other countries with fairly good success, and it was then I had my horrible revelation. Of course, I didn't see the horror in it at the time. I could only see my own brilliance. In four years, I had paid off my family's debts, but now, I saw a way to make real money. I sold the Sa'kage on the idea. It took us ten years, but we got our people in place and we legalized slavery. It was introduced in a limited form, of course. For convicts and the utterly dest.i.tute. People who couldn't care for themselves, we said. Our brothels filled with slave girls whom we no longer had to pay to work. We started the Death Games-another of my bright ideas-and they became a sensation, an obsession. We built the arena, charged the admission, monopolized the food and wine sold, ran the gambling, sometimes stacked the odds. We made money faster than we'd ever imagined possible. I hired Durzo so often that we became friends. Even he wouldn't take all the jobs I offered. He always had his own code. He'd take jobs on the people who were trying to take my business for themselves, but if I wanted someone dead who was just trying to stop me, I had to hire Anders Gurka or Scarred Wrable or Jonus Severing or Hu Gibbet.

"You have to understand with all this, I never considered myself a bad person. I didn't like the Death Games. I never watched, never went in the holds of the slave galleys where men lived and died chained to their oars, never visited the baby farms that sometimes became child brothels, never visited the scenes of Blint's work. I just said words, and money poured in like rain. The funny thing was, I wasn't even ambitious. I was richer than anyone in the kingdom with the exception of some upper n.o.bility, the Shinga, and the king, and I was comfortable with that. I just couldn't stand incompetence. Otherwise, I'm sure the Shinga would have killed me. But she didn't have to, because I wasn't a threat, and Durzo told her that." The count shook his head. "I'm rambling, sorry, but I don't get to tell these stories anymore." He sighed. visited the scenes of Blint's work. I just said words, and money poured in like rain. The funny thing was, I wasn't even ambitious. I was richer than anyone in the kingdom with the exception of some upper n.o.bility, the Shinga, and the king, and I was comfortable with that. I just couldn't stand incompetence. Otherwise, I'm sure the Shinga would have killed me. But she didn't have to, because I wasn't a threat, and Durzo told her that." The count shook his head. "I'm rambling, sorry, but I don't get to tell these stories anymore." He sighed.

"My mistake came when I fell in love with the wrong woman. For some reason, I was attracted to Ulana. Not just attracted, obsessed, and it took me a long time to figure out why. I even avoided her, it was so painful to be in her presence. But I finally figured out that it was because she was so unlike me. You see, Kylar, she was pure. And strangely, she seemed to love me, too. Of course she had no idea what I really was. I did none of my business under my own name, and few of the n.o.bles had any idea of the kind of wealth that was becoming mine. The deeper I sank into the darkness, the more I loved her, and the more my shame grew. How can one love the light and live in darkness?"

The question lanced through Kylar. He felt ashamed.

"She started working on the slavery issue, Kylar, and she decided that she was going to visit the baby farms and the slave galleys and the fighting pits. I couldn't very well let her go alone, so for the first time, I saw my handiwork." The count's eyes grew distant. "Oh Kylar, how she moved among those wretches. In all the stench of human waste and despair and evil, she was a fresh cool breeze, a breath of hope. She was light in the dark places I'd made. I saw a champion pit fighter, a man who'd killed fifty men, weep at her touch.

"I was a man tearing in half. I decided to get out, but like most moral cowards, I didn't want to pay the full price. So I traveled to Seth, where slavery is so different. I came back and in secret helped pa.s.s a law that would free the slaves every seven years. The Sa'kage allowed it to pa.s.s but tacked on a provision that made it effectively void. Then one day Ulana, who was then my fiancee, came to my estate, weeping. Her father and mother had been badly hurt in a carriage accident. She thought her mother was dying, and she needed me. At the same time, the Nine were meeting in my parlor because King Davin was on the verge of outlawing slavery again and that, of course, would cost us millions. Do you know whom I sent away, Kylar?"

"You sent away the Nine?" Kylar was aghast. Such an insult would mean death.

"I sent Ulana away."

"d.a.m.n. Um, sorry."

"No, that's how I felt. d.a.m.ned. That's where the G.o.d found me, Kylar. I couldn't do it anymore. I was dead inside. I thought it would be the death of me to cut my ties to the Sa'kage, especially when I realized that it wouldn't be enough to hand over my empire intact to someone who could continue it. Instead, I had to use all my cunning to hand it over to men who would tear it to pieces. couldn't do it anymore. I was dead inside. I thought it would be the death of me to cut my ties to the Sa'kage, especially when I realized that it wouldn't be enough to hand over my empire intact to someone who could continue it. Instead, I had to use all my cunning to hand it over to men who would tear it to pieces.

"So that's what I did. I used the money I had made to fund those who would rebuild the good I had destroyed and destroy the obscenities I had built. When I was done, I was penniless, my family was bankrupt, and I had dozens of powerful enemies. I went to Ulana, told her everything, and broke our engagement."

"What did she do?" Kylar asked.

"It broke her heart to learn what I'd been, Kylar, and to learn that she'd known so little of me when she thought she knew everything. It took time, but she forgave me. I couldn't believe that. But she really did. It took me longer to forgive myself, but a year later, after slavery was outlawed once more-in part because of my own efforts against it-we were married. I've had to work hard for the last twenty years. I've often been held back by my old reputation, and sometimes by my new one. You know how most of the n.o.bles look on those of us who actually work. But my money is clean. And the G.o.d has been good. My family has enough. My children are a joy to me. Logan has proposed to Serah, and she's said yes. I get to have Logan as a son. How haven't I been blessed? Anyway, I should have told you this long ago. Maybe you already knew some of it through the Sa'kage."

"No, sir. I had no idea," Kylar said.