Viper's kiss

CHAPTER 5

The next morning, Arvin rose well before dawn. He dressed in his better clothes and ate a quick meal of fried cheese and thick-crusted bread. He waved away the ale the innkeeper offered; he wanted a clear head for this morning's work.

As he stepped outside the inn, the air bit at his lungs, crisp and cold. The sky to the east was turning a faint pink behind the clouds. It had snowed overnight; a few flakes were still falling from the sky. Snow crunched beneath Arvin's boots as he strode past merchants opening the shutters of their shops, boys kindling fires in the stoves of their mulled-wine carts, and men carrying heavy sacks on their backs as they made early-morning deliveries to the shops and homes in this part of the city. These

men were doing the work of slaves, yet not one of them had an S-brand on his cheek.

Arvin had heard that, while slavery existed in Sespech, it was an uncommon practice. Those slaves who did exist within the barony had been brought to Sespech by their masters. Hearing this and seeing it with his own eyes, however, were two different things. It felt odd to be walking along streets populated by free men. It was odder still to have no viaducts arching above-to be on a street that was open to the sky. For perhaps the first time in his life, Arvin walked without the slight hunch that a human in Hlondeth automatically adopted-the tensing of shoulders and neck that came with the constant awareness of the yuan-ti slithering along the viaducts overhead. He felt lighter, somehow, more sure of himself, relaxed.

He smiled.

The smile vanished as something sharp pricked through the fabric of his cloak and shirt, jabbing his back. A hand on his shoulder turned him toward a doorway.

"Inside," gritted the man behind him.

Arvin risked turning his head slightly. The tall rogue from last night had the hood of his cloak pulled up, but Arvin recognized him by his gaunt, stubbled-cheeks. "My pouch is in my boot," Arvin told him, gesturing at his coin pouch; as soon as the fellow bent for it, Arvin would draw his dagger and stab backhanded through his cloak, giving the rogue a nasty surprise. He put a quaver in his voice. "Please don't hurt me. Just take my coin and go."

The rogue pressed the sharp object-most likely a dagger-into Arvin's back. The blade was icy cold; the flesh around the wound immediately began to ache.

"One thrust, and it will freeze your flesh," the man promised in a grim voice. "I don't think you'd survive long with your entrails turned to ice." He gave Arvin a slight shove. "Now… inside."

"Listen, friend," Arvin began, raising his hands so the rogue could see them. He'd use silent speech to show the fellow that he, too, was Guild, albeit from Hlondeth, then hit him with a charm. "I'm one of-"

The dagger pricked harder, drawing a gasp of pain from Arvin. It felt as though a needle of ice were being driven into his back.

"No tricks," the rogue gritted. "There's others watching-others with weapons who will take you down if I fall. One suspicious move, mind mage, and you're a dead man."

Arvin blinked. How did the rogue know he was a psion? Arvin knew better than to look around. The threat would be genuine; rogues almost never worked alone. "What do you want?" he asked.

"To talk," the rogue answered.

"All right," Arvin said. "Let's talk." He reached for the handle of the door and opened it.

As he stepped inside what turned out to be cooper's workshop, he braced himself for what was to come. Someone in the local rogues' guild must have heard that a member of the Hlondeth Guild was in Sespech. The locals probably wanted to learn what Arvin was doing here-to make sure he wasn't planning on thieving on their turf. Arvin balled his left hand into a fist and felt the familiar ache of his missing fingertip. He didn't intend to lose another.

The rogue removed the dagger from Arvin's back and stepped quickly away from him, closing the door. The weapon was an odd-looking one, made of metal as white as frost and with a spike-shaped blade that tapered to a point, like an icicle. The rogue sheathed it-a bad sign. It meant that the room held other, more potent threats.

Arvin glanced around. The workshop looked ordinary enough; half-finished barrels stood on the floor, next to loose piles of metal hoops. The smell of fresh-sawn wood lingered in the air, suggesting the workshop had been used recently. Chisels, saws, and mallets were scattered about; Arvin could have turned any one of them into a surprise weapon using the power that allowed him to move objects at a distance. He refrained, however, realizing that the tall man probably wasn't the only rogue in the room. His guess was confirmed a moment later when some sawdust on the floor shifted slightly; a second person, cloaked by invisibility, was also present. The tall man confirmed this a moment later, with two words in the silent speech, directed at his invisible companion: None followed.

Arvin shifted his eyes away from the spot where the invisible person stood, looking at the tall man instead. "What do you want to talk about?"

"We know the baron's daughter is missing and that you've come from Hlondeth to find her," the rogue said.

Only through years of practice did Arvin manage to prevent his eyes from widening. This wasn't what he'd expected.

"We want to make you an offer," the rogue continued.

Arvin raised an eyebrow. "One that's just too good to refuse?"

The rogue nodded. He pointed at one of the finished barrels; a small leather pouch sat on top of it. "Look inside."

Arvin stepped over to the pouch and loosened its ties. Something glittered inside: gems-dozens of them. Seeing the way they sparkled, even in the dim light of the shop, Arvin realized what they were: diamonds. Small, easily portable and immensely valuable, they were a currency that could be spent anywhere in Faerun that Arvin might care to go.

Assuming they weren't just an illusion, which gave him an idea. "How do I know they're real?" he asked.

"Inspect them as closely as you like," the rogue offered.

"May I use magic to evaluate their worth?"

The rogue hesitated. "No tricks," he warned. "Or-" "I know, I know. Or I'm a dead man," Arvin continued.

"Don't worry. There will be no tricks."

He bent over the pouch and stirred the gems with a finger. They seemed real enough. Then he braced himself; it was now or never. He picked up the pouch and manifested the power that would allow him to listen to the thoughts of those in the room. Silver sparkles erupted from his third eye and streamed toward his hand, dissipating as they hit the gems; if his bluff held, the rogue would think the spell was targeting them. Out of the corner of his eye, Arvin saw the rogue frowning, as if listening to a distant, half-heard sound. Arvin wondered if the invisible person was doing the same thing.

An instant later, his question was answered. Two separate voices whispered into his mind: the thoughts of the rogue and the invisible person. Ignoring the former-he would be an expendable member of the guild, one who'd been told as little as possible-Arvin concentrated on the latter. The thoughts were those of a man who stood with his finger on the trigger of a crossbow, loaded with a bolt whose head was smeared with a poison more lethal than yuan-ti venom. Worse yet, the trigger was a dead man's switch: if the invisible man relaxed his finger, even a little, the crossbow would shoot.

Arvin hid his shudder and gestured at the gems. "What do I have to do to earn this?"

"The girl," the rogue answered. "When you find her, give her to us."

Arvin nodded, concentrating on the thoughts of the second man. The fellow was worried about the diamonds, which were real enough. If he killed the psion, they'd scatter on the floor, and some might be lost in the cracks. If even one went missing, someone named Haskar would have his head.

"What will you do with Glisena?" Arvin asked.

"Ransom her," the rogue answered. He gestured at the pouch. "For a lot of coin. What we're going to demand from the baron will make that look like the contents of a beggar's cup."

Arvin nodded, still listening to the thoughts of the second man. The guild wasn't going to ransom Glisena to the baron. No, that would be too dangerous. They'd sell her, instead. Lord Wianar would pay well for the girl-and there would be no need for dangerous exchanges or worrying about those damn clerics.

Arvin nodded to himself. Alarmed though he was at the thought that the local rogues' guild knew who he was-they must have a spy in the baron's court-he was relieved to find that their plan was so simplistic. He let his manifestation end, satisfied he'd learned everything he could.

Somewhere outside, a horn sounded three times: the morning call to prayer for Helm's faithful. The rogue ignored it.

"How do I contact you?" Arvin asked.

"Enter any tavern and make this sign," the rogue instructed. With a finger, he rubbed first the inside corner of his right eye, then the outside corner.

Arvin smiled to himself. It was one of the first words in silent speech the Guild had taught him.

"When you see someone make this sign," the rogue continued, making a V with the first two fingers of his right hand and drawing them along his left forearm from elbow to wrist, "you'll know you've found us." He paused. "Do we have an agreement?"

Arvin nodded. "It's certainly a tempting offer," he said. "I'll let you know." He set the pouch back on the barrel-carefully, so none of the diamonds spilled.

"May I go now?"

The rogue opened the door and stepped away from it. As Arvin walked past him, he moved his hand to the hilt of his dagger. "Just remember," he warned in a low voice. "We'll be watching you. Don't cross us."

Arvin nodded. The rogue wasn't telling him anything new. If Sespech's rogues' guild was anything like Hlondeth's, Arvin's every move would be marked.

It had been bad enough, finding Zelia in Sespech.

Now he had a second reason to watch his back.

Arvin went directly to Dmetrio's residence. There was no need to be secretive about his destination-not when the local rogues' guild knew who he was. The meeting with its two representatives had taken only a short time; the sun had risen, painting the winter sky a dull white, but it was still early in the morning. The same two militiamen were still on guard duty outside the residence. The younger man was yawning widely-and being glared at by his sergeant.

"Good morning, Rillis," he called to him. "Don't they ever let you sleep?"

Rillis grinned through chattering teeth. "Soon, I hope. The watch change-"

The sergeant jabbed him with an elbow. "Quiet, soldier,' he snapped. Then, to Arvin, "I suppose you expect to see the ambassador now?"

Arvin nodded and pulled out his letter of introduction.

The sergeant took it. "I'll let him know you're here."

After a few moments, he returned and opened the gate. "This way," he instructed.

As Arvin stepped through the gate, he heard rapid footsteps behind him.

"Vin! I am so sorry!"

Startled, Arvin turned and saw Karrell hurrying toward him. She slipped her hand under Arvin's arm, grasping him firmly by the elbow. "Please do not be angry with me, Vin," she said, tugging him toward the front door of the residence. "I did not mean to sleep so late. When I saw that you had left without me, I hurried here as quickly as I could." She tugged Arvin toward the residence.

The sergeant quickly blocked their way. Rillis was slower to react; he'd been gaping at Karrell. Belatedly, he stepped forward and held up a hand.

Karrell beamed a smile at him. "Was Ambassador Extaminos kept waiting?" She loosened her cloak, as if to cool down from her run. Rillis's eyes lingered on her breasts, which rose and fell as she panted. "No, lady. He has only just been summoned."

Arvin glared at Karrell.

She gave him a coy smile. "Come, Vin. Be thankful it's me who is accompanying you, and not that blue- tongued she-demon. She'd only embarrass you in front of the ambassador."

Arvin tensed at the thinly veiled reference to Zelia. He wished he'd had the cleric lock Karrell up last night, when he had the chance. What now? If he protested, she would alert Zelia to his presence in Ormpetarr.

"It's all right," he told the sergeant. "She's with me." He pinched Karrell's arm, however, as they walked toward the door. "An introduction," he gritted under his breath. "No more. Then you go."

She nodded.

Rillis unlocked the front door with cold-stiffened fingers and ushered them through. He was about to close it again when the sergeant motioned him inside. "Go ahead, Rillis," he said. "Warm up a bit."

Rillis grinned then followed Arvin and Karrell inside. They stepped through the door into a wide,

semicircular hall whose floor tiles glowed with a soft green light. A ramp, its stonework also glowing, curved up the wall on the right to doors on the building's second floor. The wall to the left had a fireplace in which a fire was roaring; a rolled-up carpet and several boxes lay against the wall next to it. The air in the hall was uncomfortably hot and stank of spice and snake. Arvin unfastened his cloak and wiped his face with a sleeve, blotting away the sweat that was beading on his forehead. Another member of the militia-this one with wide shoulders and watchful eyes-stood just inside the door, dressed in full armor. Arvin wondered how the fellow could stand the oppressive heat.

As Rillis warmed his back at the fire, sighing his relief, Karrell moved toward what Arvin had at first taken to be a painting that rested on the mantle. He saw that it was a hollow pane of glass, filled with viscous red, turquoise, and indigo liquids that rose and fell in a swirl of ever-changing patterns.

"It's a slitherglow," Rillis said. "I don't suppose you've seen one before."

"It is beautiful," Karrell answered. She held out her hands to the fire, warming them, and stared at the slitherglow as if mesmerized. Arvin shook his head. She certainly wasn't acting like a rogue casing the residence. Her eyes should have been darting around the room, noting the exits and appraising its contents. The larger boxes, for example, probably held breakables, judging by the sawdust packing that had trickled out of the corner of one of them-ceramics, perhaps, or statuettes. And the rug was bulged slightly; something was rolled inside it. Judging by the boxes and the bare appearance of the room, the ambassador was planning a move from the residence, probably in a few days' time. Arvin wondered where he was going.

A door at the top of the ramp opened. The militiaman standing next to Arvin stiffened, and Rillis ushered

Karrell back to Arvin's side then stood flanking her. Neither had a weapon in hand, but Arvin didn't want to make any sudden moves. Rillis was probably new to the militia, but the second man looked tougher, more experienced-and the House Extaminos bodyguards were rumored to coat their weapons with yuan-ti venom.

A man in a red silk robe stepped through the door and began making his way down the ramp. He appeared human, at first glance. He had dark hair that swept back from a high forehead; a long, narrow nose; and a thin, muscular body. His walk, however, immediately gave him away as yuan-ti. Instead of stepping, as humans did, he turned each footstep into a slither, sliding his slippered feet along the stone. His body swayed as he walked, his head moving gently from side to side. As he drew closer, slit pupils and a flicker of a forked tongue confirmed his race. Despite these attributes, he was a handsome man, full of poise and self-confidence. No wonder the baron's daughter had fallen for him.

In one slender hand, he held Arvin's letter of introduction. The other hand was hidden by a silk sleeve that hung past his fingertips.

Arvin bowed. "Ambassador Extaminos."

Dmetrio stared at him. "Vin of Hlondeth," he hissed, his voice as devoid of emotion as dry leaves. "Agent of the Mariner Mercantile House."

Dmetrio shifted his gaze to Karrell, who also bowed. He stepped closer to her as she rose, his tongue flickering in and out of his mouth as he drank in her scent. "And who is this?"

Arvin rose. "An… acquaintance of mine," he said slowly. Threat or no threat, he wasn't going to call Karrell more than that. "We met on the journey here, and she insisted on meeting you. Her name is Karrell. She-"

Out of the corner of his eye, Arvin saw that Karrell's hand had curled in what was, by now, a familiar gesture

to him. She was whispering her charm spell. Arvin thought about grabbing her hand and putting a halt to the spell, but she finished it before he could react.

"I'd like to show you something," Karrell said to Dmetrio, reaching under her cloak.

"Guards!" Dmetrio hissed.

The militiaman behind Karrell reacted with the speed of a striking snake. He grabbed Karrell's arms, yanking her elbows behind her back.

Karrell yelped. She dropped a piece of parchment she'd been holding; it fluttered to the floor. It landed faceup, revealing a rendering, done in ink and charcoal, of the cathedral in Hlondeth.

Arvin stared at it. The drawing was good-really good. Maybe Karrell was an artist, after all.

That, or she'd stolen the picture.

Belatedly, Rillis reacted, yanking out his sword and stepping back to give himself room to swing it, if need be. He glanced between Arvin-who carefully stood with his hands open and away from his sides-and Karrell.

Karrell tossed her head. "I simply wanted to show you a drawing," she said. Her face was flushed-she was obviously angry that Dmetrio had not succumbed to her spell. She had to nod at the picture on the floor, since the militiaman held her arms. "A sample of my work. I also do portraits. I have drawn a number of members of noble yuan-ti houses."

Dmetrio stared at her, unblinking. "Name one." "Mezral Ch'thon, ssthaar of the Se'sehen."

Dmetrio's eyebrows rose. "You are from Tashalar?" Karrell nodded.

"Are you Se'sehen?" Dmetrio asked. He added something in a language filled with soft hisses.

"N'hacsis-no," Karrell said, shaking her head. "I speak only a little Draconic. The language is difficult for me. It requires a serpent's tongue."

"You are human?" Dmetrio asked, giving the

word a derisive sneer. He flicked his fingers, and the militiaman holding Karrell released her. Rillis reacted a moment later, sheathing his sword.

Karrell gave a slight bow in Dmetrio's direction then gathered up the parchment. "It is true that I invited myself here today, but I could think of no other way to meet with you. I had hoped to do your portrait."

"And gain a healthy commission from House Extaminos, no doubt." Dmetrio gave a hiss of laughter. "Your trip to Ormpetarr was a waste of time. I'm leaving-and have no time for portraits."

Arvin raised his eyebrows. Dmetrio was leaving Ormpetarr? That was interesting. "Ambassador Extaminos," he said, wresting the conversation away from Karrell, "my letter of introduction included a request that you-"

Dmetrio's upper lip twitched, revealing just the points of his fangs, a subtle sign of irritation. "I have no time for meetings, either," he said. He thrust the letter of introduction in Arvin's direction.

Arvin caught it just before it fell. "But I was told you would introduce me to the baron," he protested. "My merchant house is counting on me to-"

"Introduce yourself," Dmetrio said curtly.

Karrell stepped forward. "Your Excellency, I-" "Show them out," Dmetrio hissed.

As they were hustled back to the street, Arvin fumed. This wasn't the way it was supposed to have gone. If Karrell hadn't butted in, he would have been talking to Dmetrio still, subtly nudging the conversation around to Glisena as he talked about his "trade mission" to Sespech. Now, in order to question Dmetrio, Arvin would have to be blunt. He'd have to reveal his real reason for coming to Ormpetarr. If Dmetrio was involved in Glisena's disappearance, he would be on his guard. Charming him would be that much more difficult-maybe even impossible.

As the wrought-iron gate clanked shut behind them, Karrell turned to Arvin. "It seems you are a merchant's agent, after all, and I have ruined your chances to-"

"Not another word," Arvin said, a quiver in his voice. He pointed down the street. "Go."

Karrell opened her mouth to say something more then thought better of it. She turned and walked up the street.

Arvin closed his eyes and sighed. Karrell had really gotten under his skin. He wished he'd never started that conversation with her in the sleigh in the first place. He'd been stupid-and had shown a pitiful lack of self-control.

When he opened his eyes, she was gone. He stared at her footprints, which were starting to fill with falling snow.

"All for the best."

Arvin turned. It had been Rillis who had spoken-he was still standing just on the other side of the wrought- iron gate. The sergeant was at the far corner of the building, making his rounds.

"You're better off not having the ambassador introduce you," Rillis added in a confiding tone.

Arvin turned. "What do you mean?"

Rillis rubbed a thumb and forefinger together. The gesture was the one word in silent speech that was understood even by those not in the Guild: coin.

Arvin nodded and pulled his pouch out of his boot. He counted two silver pieces into the militiaman's outstretched hand.

Rillis quickly pocketed them. "The ambassador and the baron had a falling out," he told Arvin. "It's been more than a month since Ambassador Extaminos visited the palace. I don't think they've even sent a message to one another, in all that time."

"Why is that?" Arvin asked. Carefully, he probed for information, under the pretense of sarcasm. "Did the baron's daughter pay him a visit and forget to go home one night?"

Rillis laughed. "You obviously haven't met her chaperones. She never sets foot outside the palace without them. Baron's orders." He winked. "He didn't want any little ones slithering out from under the woodpile. Not without a formal joining of the houses."

Arvin nodded. "Is a joining likely?"

"Not now that the ambassador's being withdrawn from Sespech." He paused to draw his cloak tighter across his chest.

"When is he leaving?"

Rillis stared pointedly at Arvin's pouch. Taking the hint, Arvin handed him another silver piece.

"As soon as the new ambassador arrives," Rillis continued. "Meanwhile, the house slaves can't seem to pack fast enough for Ambassador Extaminos. He's been hissing at them for nearly a tenday."

Arvin nodded. Interesting, that was roughly the amount of time that had elapsed since Glisena's disappearance. He glanced up at the windows of the ambassador's residence, saw slaves bustling about in each room, and wondered why Dmetrio was in such a hurry to leave. Was the baron's daughter hiding somewhere nearby, waiting to depart with him?

Arvin sighed and stared down the street, in the direction Karrell had gone. After what Rillis had just told him, Arvin realized that he probably wouldn't have gotten anything out of Dmetrio, anyway. The ambassador had shrugged off Karrell's charm like a duck shedding water. Arvin's attempt to charm Dmetrio probably would have been equally futile.

"Thanks for the information," Arvin told Rillis. The militiaman patted his pocket. "My pleasure." Bidding Rillis good day, Arvin set out for the palace.