my lord! Four times! Of course they could tell a good man when they saw one!”
Wallie was startled. If a crippled First was in demand, then the battle for numbers was being carried beyond all reason.
“Well, let’s have the news,” he said. “Novice?”
Katanji looked pleased with himself. He reported as if he had been rehearsing: “Lord Shonsu was previous castellan of the lodge. He came from somewhere far away, and I don’t think he was married. He left about half a year ago and never came back. The new castellan is more popular.”
“Where did you find this out?” Wallie asked.
He smirked. “At the stews, my lord. I asked some other people. All of them just laughed and said to go there and ask. So I did. The girls all knew Shonsu. I said he was my uncle and the Goddess had brought me to Casr, and I was trying to find him. He was a frequent customer, my lord, although he usually didn’t pay. But the girls...” The smirk became a leer. “They shed no tears over his departure, I fancy.”
Wallie knew of Shonsu’s demonic sex drive and he had seen the petty pilfering going on at the hawkers’ carts. Same principle.
“Nobody seems to know where Shonsu went or why. He just disappeared. I think mat’s all, my lord.”
“Well done, novice,” Wallie said. “Did you spend much on expenses?”
Katanji hesitated and then regretfully said, “No, my lord. The
elders have declared the brothels free for swordsmen.”
That was interesting. “Busy, are they?”
Katanji chuckled. “They were pleased to have the chance to just talk, my lord!”
He had probably done very well even to get the chance to talk to them, being only a First. “You just talked?” Wallie demanded disbelievingly.
.Katanji opened his eyes very wide “My mentor has frequently impressed upon me, Lord Shonsu, the need to uphold the honor of the craft!” Nnanji snarled at the impudence.
Wallie laughed. “How about the other matter?”
“I did some checking, my lord.” Katanji studied Wallie with mingled admiration and perplexity. “Yes, prices have fallen. How did you guess?”
“Prices of what?” Nnanji demanded.
“Gems,” Wallie said. “And Lina is screaming that the cost of food has gone up. I’ll give you all a lecture on it tonight, if you’re interested. What did you discover, brother?”
Nnanji disengaged his arm from Thana and clasped his large hands on his knees. “Not much about Shonsu himself. The castellan before him was a Seventh named Narrinko. Shonsu came to town, fancied the job, and killed him.”
“Nasty! What did the elders say?”
Nnanji rubbed his chin—and Wallie knew where he had picked up mat gesture. “They don’t seem to have any say, brother. This is a lodge city; it seems they’re different. There is no garrison, no reeve. The castellan keeps order with whoever happens to be around.”
Then it was the present castellan’s fault mat the city was such a madhouse now.
“The lodge is independent?” Thana said. “That’s how the sorcerers’ towers are, isn’t it? At least I assume it is—the port officers always welcomed the ship on behalf of the elders and the wizard. In swordsmen towns they don’t mention reeve. Curious!”
That was the first time Wallie had ever heard anyone on the ship express an interest hi politics, and he was suddenly filled with admiration for Honakura’s acumen. Lady Macbeth!
“Shonsu was a collector,” Nnanji went on. He frowned in
disapproval—and that was a surprise from Nnanji. “What’s that, Nanj?” asked Katanji.
“A killer,” Nnanji said, too intent on his reporting to notice the informality. “Collects dead men’s swords. It seems he organized an expedition against the sorcerers. It wasn’t a tryst, of course. Fifty men, I heard, and somehow he did it in secret. One day they just vanished. None of them ever returned.” Startled silence.
The demigod had said mat Shonsu had failed disastrously. Wallie shivered at the
Wallie was startled. If a crippled First was in demand, then the battle for numbers was being carried beyond all reason.
“Well, let’s have the news,” he said. “Novice?”
Katanji looked pleased with himself. He reported as if he had been rehearsing: “Lord Shonsu was previous castellan of the lodge. He came from somewhere far away, and I don’t think he was married. He left about half a year ago and never came back. The new castellan is more popular.”
“Where did you find this out?” Wallie asked.
He smirked. “At the stews, my lord. I asked some other people. All of them just laughed and said to go there and ask. So I did. The girls all knew Shonsu. I said he was my uncle and the Goddess had brought me to Casr, and I was trying to find him. He was a frequent customer, my lord, although he usually didn’t pay. But the girls...” The smirk became a leer. “They shed no tears over his departure, I fancy.”
Wallie knew of Shonsu’s demonic sex drive and he had seen the petty pilfering going on at the hawkers’ carts. Same principle.
“Nobody seems to know where Shonsu went or why. He just disappeared. I think mat’s all, my lord.”
“Well done, novice,” Wallie said. “Did you spend much on expenses?”
Katanji hesitated and then regretfully said, “No, my lord. The
elders have declared the brothels free for swordsmen.”
That was interesting. “Busy, are they?”
Katanji chuckled. “They were pleased to have the chance to just talk, my lord!”
He had probably done very well even to get the chance to talk to them, being only a First. “You just talked?” Wallie demanded disbelievingly.
.Katanji opened his eyes very wide “My mentor has frequently impressed upon me, Lord Shonsu, the need to uphold the honor of the craft!” Nnanji snarled at the impudence.
Wallie laughed. “How about the other matter?”
“I did some checking, my lord.” Katanji studied Wallie with mingled admiration and perplexity. “Yes, prices have fallen. How did you guess?”
“Prices of what?” Nnanji demanded.
“Gems,” Wallie said. “And Lina is screaming that the cost of food has gone up. I’ll give you all a lecture on it tonight, if you’re interested. What did you discover, brother?”
Nnanji disengaged his arm from Thana and clasped his large hands on his knees. “Not much about Shonsu himself. The castellan before him was a Seventh named Narrinko. Shonsu came to town, fancied the job, and killed him.”
“Nasty! What did the elders say?”
Nnanji rubbed his chin—and Wallie knew where he had picked up mat gesture. “They don’t seem to have any say, brother. This is a lodge city; it seems they’re different. There is no garrison, no reeve. The castellan keeps order with whoever happens to be around.”
Then it was the present castellan’s fault mat the city was such a madhouse now.
“The lodge is independent?” Thana said. “That’s how the sorcerers’ towers are, isn’t it? At least I assume it is—the port officers always welcomed the ship on behalf of the elders and the wizard. In swordsmen towns they don’t mention reeve. Curious!”
That was the first time Wallie had ever heard anyone on the ship express an interest hi politics, and he was suddenly filled with admiration for Honakura’s acumen. Lady Macbeth!
“Shonsu was a collector,” Nnanji went on. He frowned in
disapproval—and that was a surprise from Nnanji. “What’s that, Nanj?” asked Katanji.
“A killer,” Nnanji said, too intent on his reporting to notice the informality. “Collects dead men’s swords. It seems he organized an expedition against the sorcerers. It wasn’t a tryst, of course. Fifty men, I heard, and somehow he did it in secret. One day they just vanished. None of them ever returned.” Startled silence.
The demigod had said mat Shonsu had failed disastrously. Wallie shivered at the
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