Pendant of Fortune (35 page)

Helfer followed him out of the room and down the hall, “Didn’t you like him? I was just trying to help you out. I mean, I can tell something happened there. You said yourself you wanted that otter at the resort.”

They were outside before Volle answered. “Yes, I did. But I didn’t do anything about it and I should have left it that way.” He started to jog.

Helfer ran alongside him. “You can’t have it both ways. If it’s just sex with Dereath, then it was just sex with Ellitt.”

“
That’s totally different,” Volle said after a minute. “The thing with Dereath, that’s…I have to do it. For Streak. This was something else.”

Helfer sighed. “It’s sex or it’s not.”

“
It’s not that easy!”

“
Only if you make it harder.”

“
I’m not the one who made it harder!” He ran faster, leaving the weasel behind.

“
Hey! Don’t run away from me! Listen, I know you’re having a rough time here, but I’m not exactly having it easy either. I’ve had to spend days and days working out plans until my head is sore, I have to go all over creation working things out, and to top it off, everything that happens here reflects on me.”

Volle stopped and stared at Helfer. “Oh, come on. You don’t care what anyone thinks about you.”

A look passed across Helfer’s muzzle then; his ears went back and his eyes shifted to one side. Volle didn’t understand the look then, but he remembered it and later he would think about it. “No, I don’t,” he said. “But I want this vacation to go just badly enough that I never have to do another one, not so badly that I lose income.” He started running again, and Volle followed.

“
Lose income?”

“
Maybe. There’s never been a murder before. Alister said some things yesterday that…well, anyway, I’ve still stuck by you, and I was just trying to...”

Volle’s chest felt a chill that had nothing to do with the morning air. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Helfer looked at him again, then down at the grass. “Nothing,” he muttered.

“
You think I had something to do with it.”

“
You did, didn’t you? Whatever the motive was, it’s your wolf who’s the prime suspect, and he was a guest in my house.”

Volle stared at the weasel for five steps, and then he didn’t want to look at him any more. He sped up, and this time he didn’t wait for Helfer until he’d reached the far side of the mansion. There he stopped, turned around, and rested with his paws on his thighs. Helfer was his best friend around here, and he couldn’t afford to alienate him. Besides, he was under a lot of stress and he probably hadn’t meant what he said. Volle thought he’d appreciate the chance to apologize. He was even ready to apologize for his own outburst—after all, Helfer
had
meant well.

But Helfer never rounded the corner.

After fifteen or twenty minutes, Volle finished his run around the mansion. Helfer wasn’t waiting for him at the front gate, but Roferro was. He stood stiffly at attention as Volle walked up to him. “Lord Ikling said that you should proceed to the castle without him, Lord Vinton. A buggy will be here when you are ready.”

The sight of the otter brought the memory of the previous night flooding back again, and with it his conflicted feelings. He’d never felt guilty about sex before, and he didn’t like it. Without Helfer there, the desire to apologize faded. He said, “Fine,” and went to his bedroom to change.

The bedroom reminded him of Helfer’s hospitality, and he thought as he bathed and dressed that the weasel was really risking a lot by having him here. And the otter was a misguided gesture, but well intentioned. And besides that, he himself wasn’t certain that Streak wasn’t guilty. Helfer was probably feeling as bad as he was. He lingered around the front of the mansion for several minutes, hoping Helfer would come down, but the weasel didn’t make an appearance. Finally, he said to Roferro, “Could you please tell Lord Ikling that…that I’m sorry. I know he’s having a bad time. I just…I want him to know that…I’m still his friend, and…”

Roferro waited while Volle struggled to find a way to finish, and in the end, Volle just said, “That’s all.”

“
I will convey the message, my Lord.” The otter bowed. “Oh, I nearly forgot. There was a merchant here yesterday morning to see you. He brought samples of glassware and seemed rather distressed that you had gone out.”

“
Merchant?” Volle’s confusion lasted only a moment.
Reese.
“Oh. I completely forgot. Did he say whether he would be back?”

“
He said he would hope to see you at the castle today or tomorrow. I told him I would deliver the message.”

“
Thank you, Roferro.” Volle looked around one last time for Helfer, then climbed into the buggy. Roferro bowed and signaled to the driver to go ahead. The buggy clattered out of the courtyard and onto the road.

He brooded for about a third of the way up. Not only had he been having a wonderful time while Streak was in prison, even having
(really good)
sex with someone else, but he’d now possibly distanced himself from his best friend. As the buggy mounted into the fog, he forced himself to look forward rather than backwards. He would track down Helfer at the castle and apologize (and hopefully Hef would, too), and he would atone for his missteps by doing whatever Dereath wanted him to, and that would let him see Streak again.

He had to admit to himself that he felt more relaxed, at least physically, than he had in days. Whether it was the day at the resort or the night of passion, he’d been rid of a lot of the tension that had driven him the past few days to do some foolish things. He rubbed his thigh; it still stung where he’d scraped it, though the rest of his bruises from that night on the roof were fading. Today, he told himself, he would not proceed rashly.

By the time he reached the main gates, he was filled with a grim determination to get through Dereath as fast as possible. It occurred to him that probably half an hour would be enough, and maybe he could even get in to see Streak today. He brushed past the footservant who helped him down from the buggy and walked quickly into the castle.

The corridors were as busy as he’d ever seen them. People were chattering happily about the upcoming trip, most of them sounding delighted to be getting out of the castle and into the sunlit warmth they’d been promised. He strode past Lord Alacris and his wife, and when they called a hello to him, only waved back cordially without stopping.

At the foot of the stairs, a voice called out, “Hey! Lord Vinton!” He recognized Archie’s voice and waited until the weasel had made his way across the floor.

“
Thought that was you. Hard to mistake.” He grinned.

Volle smiled back tautly. “How’s the investigation going?”

“
Stalled for the moment. Nero asked me to go along with the nobles this afternoon while he stays here and searches up leads.” He cocked his head. “You don’t have any, do you?”

“
I’m going to see Lord Fardew,” Volle said tightly. “Then I’m going to see Streak. After that I’ll talk to you.”

Archie perked up considerably. “Really! So you’ve decided to agree to his…” He paused. “His terms?”

Volle nodded. “Listen,” he said. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m worried. I’m putting myself in his control and…Helfer thought it would be a good idea if you knew where I was.”

Archie considered that, his small ears flattening back briefly. He walked around Volle and up two steps so he could look the fox in the eye. “You really believe you might need to be rescued?”

Volle took a breath and nodded. “I really do.”

The weasel’s dark eyes searched his, and then Archie nodded. “I’ll tell Captain Nero. You’re going there right now?”

“
Yes, but only to tell him. I don’t think he’ll want to…see me right away. Probably later tonight.”

Archie’s whiskers twitched. “Come see me when you know when it will be. All right?”

“
But if you’re going on the trip…”

“
We’re not leaving for a couple hours yet. Tell you what. I can come with you.”

“
No, thanks. I don’t think…” Then he paused, an idea forming in his mind. “Yes, actually, that would be helpful.”

“
Good.” The weasel turned and skipped up the stairs, and Volle followed.

At the door, Archie allowed Volle to knock. The rabbit answered the door, and surveyed the two of them, eye level with Archie and looking up at Volle. “Good morning,” he said. “Is Lord Fardew expecting you?”

“
He’ll see me,” Volle said.

“
And you are…?”

Volle glared at the rabbit. “You know who I am.”

The rabbit held his stare for another moment, then nodded curtly. “One moment.”

“
I’m only asking,” Archie said quietly, “because I’ve never been. Is it customary for servants to be rude to nobles at the palace?”

“
No.” Volle wanted to say more, but decided against it. He waited patiently for Dereath to appear.

It seemed to take forever, and when the rat did appear, he sauntered into view and was smiling with more than his usual smugness. He glanced at Archie briefly and then addressed Volle. “Just you. Come on in.”

“
I don’t need to come inside, and Archie doesn’t need to leave.” Volle folded his arms.

Dereath shrugged. “Fine. Come back when you’re ready to be more reasonable.” He turned to go.

“
I’m willing to give you what you wanted.” Volle hoped those words would be enough.

The rat stopped, but didn’t turn. Volle waited, and then added, “But this is the only time I’ll offer. You turn me away now and you’ll never get another chance.”

He turned then, the smugness fading. His pointed muzzle was still set in a smile, but his eyes looked angry. After another glance at Archie, he fixed Volle with a stare. “Tonight, then.”

“
I figured you wouldn’t have the ‘agreement’ ready now.” Volle stared right back. “But I don’t think it will take me that long to read and sign it. Shall we say an hour before dinner? That will give me half an hour to review and sign your ‘agreement,’ and then you can take me directly to Streak afterwards.”

Dereath narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t we say an hour?” he said silkily. “Just in case there are any…sticking points that need to be…worked out.”

“
Oh, I don’t think you could put together anything that would take me more than about fifteen minutes.” Volle was starting to enjoy himself, though he wasn’t sure that infuriating Dereath was good for him.

“
You might be surprised at what I could put together,” Dereath said. “One hour, and let’s make it mid-afternoon. So you have time for your interview before dinner.”

“
An hour after lunch, then,” Volle said. “I’ll be back here then.”

“
I’ll have everything very ready for you.” Dereath glanced again at Archie and turned without saying goodbye. He disappeared into his bedroom, and the rabbit came back to bow to them and close the door without another word.

“
I don’t know if I quite believe you, but he certainly lacks charm,” Archie said as they walked away. “Okay, I’m going to go find the captain. I know where you’ll be, and I’ll make sure he knows. Feel better, m’Lord?”

“
Yes. Thanks, Archie.” Volle couldn’t stop his whiskers from twitching. He was committed now.

When Archie was gone from sight, Volle set off to find the merchants. He got lost twice, and wasn’t helped by the fact that nobody else seemed to know where they were either. Finally, he found a passageway he’d missed the first time and emerged in a courtyard crammed with tents and noise. It took him ten minutes of squeezing through merchandise and edging around people to find Reese, and another fifteen minutes to get him out of there.

Reese had been making small talk about how pleased he was to see the esteemed Lord Vinton and how honored that the Lord came and sought him out, but as soon as they had entered a small deserted room with half a ceiling and closed the door, he rounded on Volle.

“
I broke three samples on the ride down and you weren’t even there.”

“
Reese, I’m sorry,” Volle whispered. “I told Dewanne I’d go to the resort with him and he picked me up early.”

“
Could’ve sent word up, spared me a trip, but no…”

“
Hey, you’re just a merchant. I’m a noble, remember? I don’t have to justify myself to you.”

Reese glared at him. “I remember when I picked you up out of the gutter,” he whispered, “and carried you back to our room. You never thanked me.”