Magi'i of Cyador

LXII

THE LATE AFTERNOON air is far warmer than in many recent days when Bluoyal’mer steps onto the balcony where Luss’alt waits. After a glance at the Captain-Commander, the merchanter looks back over his shoulder, then steps away from the doorway into the Palace of Light.

The second-in-command of the Mirror Lancers does not speak as the Merchanter Advisor to the Emperor approaches, but waits for Bluoyal’s words.

“The heir to the Yuryan Clan was murdered, and I wished to speak to you of it.” Bluoyal bows slightly.

“That has been reported, and it is most unfortunate, but Fuyol of Yuryan has many heirs, I understand.” Luss frowns, as if he is uncertain why Bluoyal has requested the meeting.

“Before I consulted with the High Lector or the Second Magus … I wished to advise you.”

“Of what, Bluoyal’mer?” Captain-Commander Luss does not conceal his puzzlement. “The City Guards report to the Majer-Commander, but unfortunates within the city do die at times under the blade despite the efforts of the City Guards. Why would such a killing be of interest to the Magi’i … or me?”

“Ah … you do not know.” Bluoyal nods happily.”That is best.”

Luss waits.

“The heir was killed with a lancer sabre. A single cut of a lancer sabre.”

“I wish that I could say that no lancer would do such to a trader known for his arrogance. Or that such has never happened.” Luss offers a shrug and a smile. “Yet those who have their golds speak for them sometimes find themselves without voice.”

“As happened with Shevelt,” Bluoyal points out. “You know aught of this?”

“No. I wish that I could say that it had not happened. Or that all lancers were so effective. But it did occur. However … this trader was killed on foot and in the dark, as I recall. Those are not the conditions for which lancers are trained. Also, I recall something about a dagger ….” Luss raises his eyebrows.

“There was a dagger. It did not kill him. A healer was summoned. There were traces of focused chaos around the wound, and the killing wound was made by cupridium. Nothing else cuts the way a lancer sabre does.”

Luss frowns thonghtfully. “That sounds far more like a renegade magus who has stolen a blade than any lancer officer I have known. Far more. And a lancer from the ranks, in the trade quarter? That would be impossible in Cyad. He would have been noticed immediately.”

“We also looked into this. Someone stole a Dyljani trade plaque and used it as authorization to have a Brystan sabre plated and refinished with cupridium ….” Bluoyal lets the words drift off.

“You see … it could not have been a lancer. Lancers are constrained from keeping such weapons, and certainly someone would have noted an outland blade being reformulated with cupridium. Any lancer who attempted such would immediately have been noted.”

“As I said … the man was noticed.”

“Oh? Perhaps you had best explain how this might implicate a lancer.” Luss waits.

“The Brystan sabre was replated-under false pretenses.”

“You said such.” Luss’s voice betrays a trace of exasperation.

Bluoyal smiles crookedly. “There is one … difficulty ….”

“Oh?”

“The Brystan sabre was not delivered until the day after this Shevelt was murdered.”

“Why are you telling me this?” questions Luss. “You claim the man was killed with chaos added to a cupridiumblade that did not exist until the day after the murder. No lancer was ever seen, and the weapon was not handled by a lancer. Or is that what you wished to know?”

Bluoyal shrugs. “It is helpful. An enumerator ordered the blade to be plated, and reclaimed it. Yet no one knows who that enumerator was. Except that he was of average size and wore the garb of a senior enumerator and had ten golds and a Dyljani trade plaque.”

“Ten golds? Someone could have hired a halfscore bravos for that.”

“You see?”

Luss frowns.

“You do see. There are two threads. First, whoever killed this Shevelt did not wish it traced to him. Or her. Shevelt was a danger to someone. Or he knew something. That by itself is meaningless. It could have been over a woman. Or a slight. Anything. But … then we have someone who has taken the risk of stealing a trade plaque and spending ten golds to make a Brystan sabre cut like a lancer weapon. Yet no one has been killed in such a way in the eightday following. And the blade was not even finished when the killing took place.”

Luss shakes his head.

“One other matter …”

Luss stares hard at the Emperor’s Merchanter Advisor.

“The journeyman who dealt with the enumerator swears the man knew nothing of blades. I trust you understand what that portends.”

“I fear I do. There is more here, and more than one man involved.”

“Then you would not take it amiss if I discussed this with Lector Kharl?”

“Perhaps we both should,” Luss suggests.

“A most excellent and worthy idea, Captain-Commander.” Bluoyal blots his face with a green shimmering cloth. “Most excellent.”