The Book of Jhereg by Steven Brust Page A

tolerant of Easterners than is normal for a Dragaeran, particularly a Dragonlord. That is partly how I ended up working for him on a permanent basis, after we almost killed each other the first time we met. Little misunderstandings, and all.
    I slowly came to realize that the Lord Morrolan was actually worthy of having a home called Castle Black—not that he would have cared a teckla’s squeal what I thought of it in any case. I also came to understand part of the reason behind the name.
    You must understand that Dragonlords, particularly when they are young (if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll note that Morrolan was under five hundred),tend to be—how shall I put this—excitable. Morrolan knew quite well that naming his keep what he did was somewhat pretentious, and he also knew that, from time to time, people would mock him for it. When that happened, he would challenge them to duel and then take great delight in killing them.
    Lord Morrolan, of the House of the Dragon, was one of damn few nobles who deserved the title. I have seen him show most of the attributes one expects of a noble: courtesy, kindness, honor. I would also say that he is one of the most bloodthirsty bastards I have ever met.
    * * *
    I was welcomed to Castle Black, as always, by Lady Teldra, of the House of the Issola. I don’t know what Morrolan paid her for her services as reception committee and welcoming service. Lady Teldra was tall, beautiful, and graceful as a dzur. Her eyes were as soft as an iorich’s wing, and her walk was smooth, flowing, and delicate as a court dancer’s. She held herself with the relaxed, confident poise of, well, of an issola.
    I bowed low to her, and she returned my bow along with a stream of meaningless pleasantries that made me very glad I had come and almost made me forget my mission.
    She showed me to the library, where Morrolan was seated, going over some kind of large tome or ledger, making notes as he went.
    “Enter,” said Morrolan.
    I did, and bowed deeply to him; he acknowledged.
    “What is it, Vlad?”
    “Problems,” I told him, as Lady Teldra swished back to her position near the castle entrance. “What else do you think I’d be doing here? You don’t think I’d deign to visit you socially, do you?”
    He permitted himself a smile and held out his right arm to Loiosh, who flew over to it and accepted some head-scratching. “Of course not,” he responded. “That was only an illusion of you at the party the other day.”
    “Exactly. How clever of you to notice. Is Aliera around?”
    “Somewhere. Why?”
    “The problem also involves her. And, for that matter, Sethra should be in on it too, if she’s available. It would be easier if I could explain to all of you at once.”
    Morrolan’s brows came together for a moment; then he nodded to me. “Okay, Aliera is on her way, and she’ll mention it to Sethra.”
    Aliera arrived almost immediately, and Morrolan and I stood for her. She gave us each a small bow. Morrolan was a bit tall for a Dragaeran. His cousin Aliera, however, was the shortest Dragaeran I have ever known; she could have been mistaken for a tall human. Bothered by this, it was her habit to wear gowns that were too long, and then make up the difference by levitating rather than walking. There have been those who made disparaging remarks about this. Aliera, however, was never one to hold a grudge. She almost always revivified them afterwards.
    Both Morrolan and Aliera had something of the typical Dragon facial features—thehigh cheekbones, rather thin faces and sharp brows of the House; but there was little else in common. Morrolan’s hair was as black as mine, whereas Aliera had golden hair—rare in a Dragaeran and almost unheard of in a Dragonlord. Her eyes were normally green, another oddity, but I’ve seen them change from green to gray, and occasionally to ice blue. When Aliera’s eyes turn blue, I’m very, very careful around her.
    Sethra arrived just after her.