Joel Rosenberg - [D'Shai 01] - D'Shai (9 page)

 

T
HE GREAT HALL
was empty, as it always was when the hour of the bear gave way to the lion.

Lord Toshtai sat alone, the room lit, to the extent it was lit, only by a single flickering candle.

He was tired, and he had overeaten yet again, and had swallowed too much of that deceptively smooth Crimson Tears; it had his head swimming. He really ought to keep better control of his appetite. That was his one unconsidered indulgence. Everything else he did, was—had to be—calculated cautiously, each decision weighed with care.

He knew that he really ought to be getting to bed, but these moments at the end of the day were precious to him, too dear to abandon, to toss away into the Great Nothing.

An apple lay on the table at his elbow. Unblemished and red, polished to a high gloss, its crispy sweetness waiting for him.

Well, nobody was watching; he drew his miniature dress sword—more of a knife, really—and quartered it.

It had been a useful day, all things considered, Toshtai decided, as he picked up the first quarter of the apple. He cut out the sliver of core and slipped the quarter into his mouth.

Orazhi had been impressed, once again, with Toshtai’s insight, and that boded well for their delicate alliance, and perhaps for the future of Arefai and all of Den Oroshtai as well. The loss of Felkoi as a warrior and armorer left Den Oroshtai weaker by an almost infinitesimal trifle, but that was well outweighed by the gain in the strength of the alliance.

Everything must balance, after all.

He ate the next quarter quite quickly.

Best of all, it seemed that Kami Khuzud—no, Kami Dan’Shir—had discovered a new form of kazuh. That was a rarity.

Hmmm ... would it breed true? Could others be trained in it?

Toshtai would have to find out, although that might be tricky. It was not the simple matter it was with a stud horse. Humans were much harder creatures to master. He could ask Narantir; but no, he wouldn’t be able to trust the answer. Wizards were suspicious of anything they didn’t control, and they clearly didn’t control zuhrir, and kazuh.

He balanced his knife in the palm of his hand. The balances would be difficult for that. Best to let things proceed at their own pace.

But, in the interim, it would be pleasant to have someone about who could solve puzzles even better than Toshtai himself could.

That was a rare treat, indeed. A great treat, but a deserved treat, also indeed.

He cored another quarter, and ate it slowly. A small puzzle: What was the ranking of a Dan’Shir? The simple solution would be to make the boy a noble. Lord Kami Dan’Shir, carrying a sword—perhaps trained in the sword by Dun Lidjun himself—would not have to worry about losing his head for an idle comment. More importantly, Toshtai would not have to worry about losing his Dan’Shir. Hmmm ...

No, he didn’t like the feel of that. That would make everything too easy in some ways, too difficult in others.

Arguably, a Dan’Shir could be a bourgeois position, instead of a middle-class one. That would be best, all things considered, all balances taken into account.

Yes. Kami Dan’Shir would be a bourgeois. That could work out nicely.

Perhaps that could be changed, later, if convenient, but there was no need to rush into making the boy a noble. He could spread his seed far enough, wide enough, without that, and for now, a burgeoning friendship with Arefai would provide enough protection. Toshtai could weave another web of protection about Kami Dan’Shir later, if necessary.

Lord Toshtai tossed the last quarter into his mouth, carefully cleaning his knife on his tunic before putting it back in its sheath.

Besides, if Toshtai did want to make Kami Dan’Shir a noble, that would be best done at a time when the boy would be happy. Being raised to nobility should be a pristinely pleasant occasion. That didn’t describe Kami Dan’Shir’s immediate future.

Poor Kami Dan’Shir was going to be unhappy for the first while. He didn’t see what was coming, how things would balance out. Kami Dan’Shir was only a discoverer of truth, and would miss some of the symmetries that Toshtai couldn’t help but see.

Because an eye for symmetry was merely a form of balance. And balance, of course ...

Toshtai sat in the great hall, laughing, long and hard.

 

T
HE LAST WORDS
NaRee said to me, as we sat in her father’s garden under the uncaring, unblinking stars, were, of course:

“But you know that I need to see the world, Kami Khuzud, or Kami Dan’Shir, or whoever you are. And you are staying here.

“Which is why I’m leaving with Felkoi.â€

TK scanned and proofed. (v1.0) (html) NOV 2011.