“Why? Most of them didn’t even know him.”
Veig chewed and swallowed before he replied, wiping the gravy from his beard with the back of his hand. “But they knew all about him.”
Niall was intrigued by his tone. “What did they know about him?”
“He had a reputation as a brute. He enjoyed killing human beings. They say he even enjoyed killing children — not just to eat them, but for the fun of making them scream. And of course, they say he’s never stopped.” Veig returned to gnawing the bird.
“Never stopped what?”
“Killing and eating human beings.”
Niall stared at him incredulously. “Are you serious?”
“Didn’t you know?” Veig shook his head in mild surprise. “I thought everybody knew.”
Niall put down the bird he was eating. “Where did you hear that?”
“I think Sidonia told me.” Sidonia was the captain of the Spider Lord’s household guard; Veig was known to spend much of his time in her company.
“But what did she tell you?”
“Oh, that Skorbo and a bunch of his cronies didn’t like the idea of giving up human flesh. Besides, they’d got quite a few left over from the days of slavery. They thought it’d be a pity to let all that meat go to waste, so they went on eating it.”
Niall heaved a sigh of relief. “I thought you meant they were still eating people.”
“So they are. Nyra told me that one of her brothers disappeared a few weeks ago.”
“Nyra? That girl from the kitchen? Then why didn’t she report it to me?”
Veig resumed his bird. “I think most people assumed you knew about it.”
Niall felt stunned. “They really thought I’d allow that to go on?”
“Well. . . I suppose they thought there was nothing you could do about it.”
Niall had to make an effort to keep his voice under control. He said: “When the Spider Lord agreed to end slavery, he also agreed that there should be no more killing of human beings. The terms of the treaty were that men and spiders should be free and equal. Now you tell me the spiders have never kept their side of the bargain. . .” He took a drink of mead to steady his voice.
Veig said mildly: “Don’t blame me.”
“I’m not blaming you.” Niall felt as if the ground had collapsed under his feet. “But are you certain the Spider Lord knew about this?”
“Oh no, I didn’t say that. I’m pretty sure he didn’t. What Sidonia told me was that Skorbo and a few of his mates resented the idea of not eating human flesh. So they went on eating the people in their larder. And when they’d finished those, I suppose they decided to restock the larder.”
Niall picked up the handbell on the table and rang it. Jarita hurried into the room.
“Go down to the kitchen and ask Nyra to come up here.”
“Yes, lord.”
When they were alone, Niall chewed moodily at a piece of bread crust; his appetite had all but vanished. Veig was eating with undiminished gusto. Niall said: “I can’t understand why you didn’t tell me the moment you learned about it.”
Veig looked embarrassed. “As a matter of fact, I didn’t come back to the palace for a couple of days.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me as soon as you came back?”
“You weren’t here then. You were inspecting the harbor installations. You always seem to be so busy that I didn’t like to disturb you.” He picked up a napkin and dabbed at his bleeding thumb. “You always work so hard that you make me feel like a layabout.”
Niall felt a glow of affection for his brother; but it was still outweighed by his sense of foreboding.
“There’s nothing to stop you working.”
“At what?” Veig spread out his hands. “I’m no good on committees and councils. What else is there for me to do except lounge around and eat too much?” It was true that Veig had put on a great deal of weight recently. “But I’ll tell you one thing.” He spoke with sudden seriousness. “I’ve often wished I was back in the desert and setting out for a good day’s hunting.”
Niall grunted. “There aren’t any girls in the desert.”
“Oh, you can have too much of anything. . .” He was about to say more when they were interrupted by Jarita’s return; she was followed by Nyra. The kitchen maid was a shapely girl in her early teens, with soft brown eyes and a startlingly perfect profile. The beauty of the girls in the spider city never ceased to amaze Niall, even though he knew it was the result of selective breeding.
She stood in front of them, her eyes downcast, her hands clasped over her apron. Her long brown hair had been plaited, and coiled around her head — one of the rules for girls working in the kitchen.
Niall said: “Veig tells me that one of your brothers has disappeared?” She nodded, evidently too nervous to speak. Niall tuned in to her thoughts, and realized that she was almost paralyzed with self-consciousness. It shocked him to realize that she regarded him as an almost godlike being, and that she was afraid he had sent for her to dismiss her for flirting with Veig. He said gently: “Tell me what happened.”
She cleared her throat. “He went out after dark and didn’t come back.”
“Where do you live?”
“In the street of the leather beaters.”
“Is it very dark?” She nodded. “And where did he go?”
“Across the street to see a friend. He’d left his horse there.”
“His horse?”
“A wooden toy. He just ran across to get it.”
“Did you go out and look for him?” She shook her head. “Why not?”
“We don’t go out after dark.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not really allowed. . .”
“But that was in the days of slavery! Now you can go anywhere.”
She nodded, her eyes still on the ground, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment. Suddenly Niall understood. This girl’s family found it difficult to adjust to their new freedom. It was almost impossible to break the habit of a lifetime. This was why they had failed to report the child’s disappearance. He had been out after dark, and that was against the law; therefore, they had been punished.
“Have you heard of any more disappearances?”
“Only one. A girl in the next street.”
“Did anyone see or hear anything?”
“No.”
That was to be expected. A spider dropped silently out of the dark, paralyzing its victim with will-force, and whisked him back into the air in a matter of seconds; there was almost nothing to see or hear.
“All right. Thank you, Nyra. I’ll see if there’s anything I can do.” She was still so tongue-tied and self-conscious that he had to add “You may go” before she curtseyed and hurried out of the room. Veig stared after her with admiration. Niall had shared the feeling when she came in; now it had evaporated. Looking into her mind had made him aware of her essence, which was that of a normal teenager of average intelligence. Veig, who lacked his brother’s telepathic powers, was entranced by her remarkable beauty, and therefore possessed by a desire to explore it and discover whether her mind was equally fascinating. Niall knew in advance that he would be disappointed — and yet that there was no possible way in which he could share the insight with his brother. This realization saddened him and made him thoughtful.
Veig said: “What are you going to do?” He was pouring another glass of mead.
“I shall have to speak to the Spider Lord.”
“Is that a good idea?” The thought of voluntarily seeking a confrontation with the Spider Lord appalled him.
“Why not?”
“It might only make things worse. . .”
“That’s why Skorbo was able to go on killing human beings — because no one dared to say anything about it. If someone had told me sooner, Nyra’s brother might still be alive.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He was obviously unconvinced.
There was a light tap on the door, and Nephtys came in. “The doctor would like to speak to you, my lord.”
Veig asked: “Doctor?”
“That’s what they call Simeon. There was no such thing as a doctor in this city before he came. Ah, come in, Simeon. Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Thanks. I need one.” Simeon looked and sounded tired. Nephtys took his cloak, while Jarita helped him to take off his boots, which were covered with snow. He sank down with a groan of relief onto the cushions, and accepted the glass of mead that Veig offered him. He drank with obvious appreciation, then sighed deeply.
Niall asked: “Where have you come from?”
“The slave quarter.” He was already helping himself to one of the birds.
“Did they find the other assassin?”