Farseer 1 – Assassin’s Apprentice

I turned my head. Jonqui, preceded by a little dog that would never climb a tree for Rurisk again. “The King’s sister.” I didn’t bother whispering. She was carrying one of my nightshirts, and an instant later the tiny dog was leaping joyously around us. He romped invitingly at Nosy, but Nosy just looked at him mournfully. An instant later Jonqui strode up to us.

“You must come back,” she said to me without preamble. “And you must hurry.”

“Hard enough to come back,” I told her, “without hurrying to my death.” I was watching behind her for other trackers. Burrich had risen and taken a defensive posture over me.

“No death,” she promised me calmly. “Kettricken has forgiven you. I have been counseling her since last night, but only lately convinced her. She has invoked her kin right to forgive kin for injury to kin. By our law, if kin forgive kin, no other can do otherwise. Your Regal sought to dissuade her, but only made her angry. `Here, while I am in this palace, I can still invoke the law of the mountain people,’ she told him. King Eyed agreed. Not because he does not mourn Rurisk, but because the strength and wisdom of Jhaampe law must be respected, by all. So, you must come back.”

I considered. “And have you forgiven me?”

“No,” she snorted. “I do not forgive my nephew’s murderer. But I cannot forgive you for what you did not do. I do not believe you would drink wine you had poisoned. Not even a little. Those of us who know best the dangers of poisons tempt them least. You would have just pretended to drink, and never spoken of poison at all. No. This was done by someone who believes himself very clever, and believes others are very stupid.”

I felt rather than saw Burrich lower his guard. But I couldn’t completely relax. “Why can’t Kettricken just forgive me and let me go away? Why must I come back?”

“There is no time for this!” Jonqui hissed, and it was the closest I had seen to an angry Chyurda. “Shall I take months and years to teach you all I know about balances? For a pull, a push, for a breath, a sigh? Do you think no one can feel how power slews and tilts just now? A princess must endure being bartered away like a cow. But my niece is not a playing piece to be won in a dice game. Whoever killed my nephew clearly wished you to die also. Shall I let him win that toss? I think not. I do not know who I wish to win; until I do, I will let no player be eliminated.”

“That’s logic I understand,” Burrich said approvingly. He stooped and hauled me suddenly to my feet. The world rocked alarmingly. Jonqui came to put her shoulder under my other arm. They walked and my feet marionetted across the ground between them. Nosy heaved himself to his feet and followed. And so we returned to the palace at Jhaampe.

Burrich and Jonqui took me right through the people gathered all throughout the grounds and palace to my room. I actually excited little interest. I was just an outlander who had had too much wine and smoke last night. People were too absorbed in finding good places from which to view the dais to worry about me. There was no air of mourning, so I assumed the word of Rurisk’s death had not been released. When we finally entered my room, Jonqui’s placid face darkened.

“I did not do this! I only took a nightshirt, to give Ruta a scent.”

“This” was the disassembly of my room. It had been thoroughly if not discreetly done. Jonqui immediately set to putting things right, and after a moment Burrich helped her. I sat in a chair and tried to make sense of the situation. Nosy, unnoticed, curled up in a corner. I unthinkingly extended comfort to him. Burrich immediately glanced at me, then at the woebegone dog. He looked away. When Jonqui left to fetch wash water and food for me, I asked Burrich, “Have you found a tiny wooden chest? Carved with acorns?”

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