She glanced back at him. He leaned against the door, Tonk Fah a short distance away. Parlin stood there as well, holding that ridiculous green hat in his fingers.

"Now, if someone were to ask my opinion," Denth continued, "I'd point out how much those Breaths are worth. Sell them, and you'd have enough money to buy your own spy network-or pretty much anything else you wanted."

Vivenna looked back at the dying man. He was mumbling to himself.

"If he dies," Denth said, "that Breath dies with him. All of it."

"A shame," Tonk Fah said.

"Truly," Denth said.

Vivenna paled. "I will not traffic in the souls of men! I don't care how much they're worth."

"Suit yourself," Denth said. "Hope n.o.body suffers when your mission fails, though."

Siri...

"No," Vivenna said, partially to herself. "I couldn't take them." It was true. Even the thought of letting someone else's Breath mingle with her own-the idea of drawing another person's soul into her own body-made her sick.

Vivenna turned back to the dying spy. His BioChroma was burning bright now, and his sheets practically glowed. It was better to let that Breath die with him.

Yet, without Lemks, she would have no help in the city. No one to guide her. She'd barely brought enough money to see to lodging and meals, let alone bribes or supplies. It was like the goods one found in a bandit's cavern. Did you throw it away just because it had originally been earned through crime? Her training and lessons whispered that she needed resources badly, and that the damage had already been done...

No! she thought again. It just isn't right! I can't hold it. I couldn't.

Of course, perhaps it would be wise to let someone else hold the Breaths for a time. Then she could think about what to do with them at her leisure. Maybe... maybe even find the people they had been taken from in the first place. She turned back, glancing at Denth and Tonk Fah.

"Don't look at me like that, princess," Denth said, chuckling. "I see the glint in your eyes. I'm not going to keep that Breath for you. Having that much BioChroma makes a man far too important."

Tonk Fah nodded. "It'd be like hiking about the city with a bag of gold on your back."

"I like my Breath the way it is," Denth said. "I only need one, and it's functioning just fine. Keeps me alive, doesn't draw attention to me, and sits there waiting to be sold if I need it."

Vivenna glanced at Parlin. But... no, she couldn't force the Breath on him. She turned back to Denth. "What kind of things does your agreement with Lemks provide for?"

Denth glanced at Tonk Fah, then glanced back at her. The look in his eyes was enough. He was paid to obey. He'd take the Breath if she commanded it.

"Come here," she said, nodding to a stool beside her.

Denth approached reluctantly. "You know, princess," he said, sitting. "If you give me that Breath, then I could just run off with it. I'd be a wealthy man. You wouldn't want to put that kind of temptation into the hands of an unscrupulous mercenary now, would you?"

She hesitated.

If he runs off with it, then what do I lose? That would solve a lot of problems for her. "Take it," she ordered.

He shook his head. "That's not the way it works. Our friend there has to give it to me."

She looked at the old man. "I..."

He has to give it to me.

She began to command Lemks to do just that, but she had second thoughts. Austre wouldn't want her to take the Breath, no matter what the circ.u.mstances-a man who took Breath from others was worse than a slaver.

"No," she said. "No, I've changed my mind. We won't take the Breath."

At that moment, Lemks stopped his mumbling. He looked up, meeting Vivenna's eyes.

His hand was still on her arm.

"My life to yours," he said in an eerily clear voice, grip tight on her arm as she jumped back. "My Breath become yours!"

A vibrant cloud of shifting, oil-on-water air burst from his mouth, puffing toward her. Vivenna closed her mouth, eyes wide, hair white. She ripped her arm free from Lemks' grip, his face dull, his eyes losing of their l.u.s.ter, colors fading around him.

The Breath shot toward her. She kept her mouth closed, but that did nothing. The Breath had been Commanded, and it found its new host. Within a second of being released, it struck, hitting her like a physical force, washing across her body.

She gasped, falling to her knees, body quivering with a perverse pleasure. She could suddenly feel the other people in the room. She could sense them watching her. And-like a light turning on-everything around her become more vibrant, more real, and more alive.

She gasped, shaking in awe. She vaguely heard Parlin rushing to her side, speaking her name. But, oddly, the only thing she could think of was the melodic quality of his voice. She could pick out each tone in every word he spoke. She knew them instinctively. She could name them all.

Austre, G.o.d of Colors! she thought, steadying herself with one hand against the wooden floor as the shakes subsided. What have I done?

Chapter Thirteen.

Siri sat nervously, blonde with excitement, trying to contain herself as the serving women did her hair. Her Marriage Jubilation-something she found rather inappropriately named-was finally over, and it was time for her formal presentation before the Hallandren G.o.ds.

She was probably too excited. It hadn't really been that long. Yet the prospect of leaving-if only to attend court-made her almost giddy. She would finally get to interact with someone other than priests, scribes, and servants. She'd finally get to meet some of the G.o.ds that she'd always heard about.

Plus, He'd be there as the presentation. The only times she'd been able to see the G.o.d King had been during their nightly staring matches, when he was shrouded in shadow. Today, she would see him in the light.

She smiled, inspecting herself in a large mirror. The servants had done her hair in an amazingly intricate style, with part of it braided, the rest still allowed to flow free. They'd tied several ribbons into the braids and woven them into her free-flowing hair. The ribbons shimmered as she turned her head, inspecting herself in the mirror. Her family would have been mortified at the ostentatious colors. Siri smiled mischievously, making her hair turn a brighter shade of golden blonde to contrast the ribbons.

The serving women smiled approvingly, a couple letting out quiet 'ooo's at the transformation. Siri sat back, hands in lap as she inspected her clothing choices for the court appearance. The garments were ornate-not as complex as the ones she wore to the bedchambers, but far more formal than her everyday choices.

Red was the theme for the serving women and priests today. That made Siri want to choose something else. Eventually, she decided on gold, and she pointed at the two golden gowns, having the women bring them forward so she could look at them more closely. Unfortunately, as she did so, the women fetched three more golden dresses from a rolling wardrobe out in the hallway.

Siri sighed. It was as if they were determined to keep her from having a reasonably simple choice. She just hated seeing so many options disappear each day. If only...

She paused. "Could I try them all on?"

The serving women glanced at each other, a little confused. They nodded toward her, their expressions conveying a simple message. Of course you can. Siri felt foolish, but in Idris, she'd never had a choice before. She'd simply worn what she was given.

She was a queen now. She smiled, standing and letting them take off her robe then dress her in the first of the gowns, careful not to mess up her hair. Siri inspected herself, noting that the neckline was rather low. She was willing to splurge on color, but the amount of flesh Hallandrens showed still felt scandalous to her.

She nodded, letting them take off the gown. Then, they dressed her in the next one-a two-piece garment with a separate corset. Once they were finished, Siri eyed this new outfit in the mirror. She liked it, but she wanted to try the others as well. So, after spinning about and inspecting the back, she nodded and moved on.

It was frivolous. But why was she so worried about being frivolous? Her father wasn't around to regard her with that stern, disapproving face of his. Vivenna was an entire kingdom away. None of the people in the room would be corrupted by her bad example.

Siri was queen of the Hallandren people. Shouldn't she try to learn their ways? She smiled at the ridiculous justification, but went on to the next gown anyway.

"I'll give it away," Vivenna said firmly.

She sat with the mercenaries in Lemks's home. They had moved from the bed chamber-where the corpse still lay-down to the sitting room. Like most in Hallandren, the place was swollen with colors; the walls were made from thin strips of reed-like wood, stained with bright yellows and greens. Vivenna couldn't help but notice that she saw each color more vibrantly now. She had a strange sense for color-she could divide its shades and hues, understanding instinctively how close each color was to the ideal. It was like perfect pitch for the eyes.

It was very, very difficult not to see beauty in the colors.

Denth leaned against the far wall. Tonk Fah lounged on a couch, yawning periodically, his colorful bird perched on his foot. Parlin had gone to stand watch outside.

"Give it away, Princess?" Denth asked.

"The Breath," Vivenna said. She sat on a kitchen stool instead of one of the overly-plush chairs or couches. "We will go out and find unfortunate people who have been raped by your culture, their Breath stolen, and I will give each one a Breath."

Denth shot a glance at Tonk Fah, who simply yawned.

"Princess," Denth said, "you can't give Breath away one at a time. You have to give it all away at once."

"Including your own Breath," Tonk Fah said.

Denth nodded. "That would leave you as a Drab."

Vivenna's stomach churned at that. The thought of not only losing the new beauty and color, but her own Breath, her soul... well, it was almost enough to turn her hair white. "No," she said. "That's not an option, then."

The room fell silent.

"She could Awaken stuff," Tonk Fah noted, wiggling his foot, making his bird squawk. "Stick the Breath inside of a pair of pants or something."

"That's a good point," Denth said.

"What... does that entail?" Vivenna asked.

"You bring something to life, princess," Denth said. "An inanimate object. That'll draw out some of your Breath and leave the object kind of alive. Most Awakeners do it temporarily, but I don't see why you couldn't just leave the Breath there."

Awakening. Taking the souls of men and using them to create unliving monstrosities. Somehow, Vivenna felt that Austre would find that an even greater sin than simply bearing the Breath. She sighed, shaking her head. The problem with the Breath was, in a way, just a distraction-one she feared she was using to keep herself from dwelling on the corpse upstairs.

She could no longer count on Lemks to guide her. What was she going to do?

Denth sat down in a chair beside her, resting his feet up on the sitting table. He kept himself better groomed than Tonk Fah, his dark hair pulled back into a neat tail, his face clean-shaven. "I hate being a mercenary," he said. "You know why?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"No job security," Denth said, leaning back in his chair. "The kinds of things we do, they tend to be dangerous and unpredictable. Our employers have a habit of dying off on us."

"Though usually not from the chills," Tonk Fah noted. "Swords tend to be the method of choice."

"Take our current predicament," Denth said. "No more employer. That leaves us without any real direction."

Vivenna froze. No direction. Does that mean their contract is over? They know I'm a princess of Idris. What will they do with that information?

Denth eyed her. "You see that?" he asked, turning to Tonk Fah.

"Yeah," Tonk Fah said. "She's thinking it."

Denth leaned back further in his chair. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Why does everyone a.s.sume that when a mercenary's contract is over, he'll immediately betray them? I mean, do you think a surgeon has this problem? Do people worry that the moment they're done paying him, he'll laugh maniacally and cut off their toes?"

"I like cutting off toes," Tonk Fah noted.

"That's different," Denth said. "It makes sense for you. Either way, you wouldn't do it simply because your contract ran out, would you?"

"Nah," Tonk Fah said. "Toes is toes."

Vivenna rolled her eyes. "Is there a point to this?"

"The point is, princess," Denth said. "You were just thinking that we were going to betray you. Maybe rob you blind or sell you to slavery or something."

"Nonsense," Vivenna said. "I was thinking nothing of the sort."

"I'm sure," Denth replied. "Why does everyone a.s.sume that we'll stab them in the belly the moment we get an opportunity? Why does everyone a.s.sume that we're criminals? Mercenary work is very respectable-it's legal in almost every kingdom I know. We're just as much a part of the community as the baker or the fishmonger."

"Not that we pay the tax collectors," Tonk Fah added. "We tend to stab them in the belly the moment we get an opportunity."

Vivenna just shook her head.

Denth leaned forward, speaking in a more serious tone. "What I'm trying to say, princess, is that we're not criminals. We're employees. Your friend Lemks was our boss. Now he's dead. I figure that our contract transfers to you now, if you want it."

Vivenna felt a slight glimmer of hope. They aren't Lemks, she thought, but they do obviously know a lot about the city. But could she trust them? Despite Denth's speech, she found it hard to have faith in the motives and altruism of a of couple men who fought for money.

Yet, they had come to get her and hadn't taken advantage of Lemks's sickness. There was no reason to a.s.sume that simply because they were mercenaries, they were also thieves.

"All right," she said. "How much is left on your contract?"

"No idea," Denth said. "Jewels handles that kind of thing."

"Jewels?" Vivenna asked.

"Third member of the group," Tonk Fah said. "She's off doing Jewels stuff."

Vivenna frowned. "How many of you are there?"

"Just three," Denth said.