“Chryse, even you couldn’t have failed to notice something that big.”
“Sanjay,” she said quietly. “I didn’t see anything on top of that carriage.”
“Lady bless us,” muttered Kate.
“Did you see it?” Sanjay asked, very tentative now.
“I don’t have that kind of sight,” said Kate.
Chryse realized, watching Kate and Julian, that, like her, they had seen nothing, but that, unlike her, they both believed and were impressed by Sanjay’s vision.
“You don’t suppose it was the Regent herself?” Julian leaned forward and pushed the window shutter open slowly, but any sight of the black carriage was lost to a turn in the street.
“I doubt it,” said Kate. “It seems to me that if she were going somewhere secretly she’d use neither the bays nor one of her own carriages, and if she were going openly, she’d go in more state.”
“Then there must be something valuable in that carriage, or she wouldn’t have protected it in that way.” Julian fingered the buttons on his waistcoat. “I wonder—” he mused. “It could be headed Westside, or across the Tens—”
“Or there’s the toll road for the Midlands, past Keep Bridge,” said Kate.
“Sanjay,” said Chryse, almost accusing. “You really did see something on top of that carriage, didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “You never believe me. Let me see the cards a minute.”
She handed them to him mutely. As he flipped through them, examining both sides, she regarded Julian and Kate skeptically. “And you believe him,” she finished.
“Why shouldn’t we believe him?” asked Kate, now regarding Chryse with the disbelief that Chryse felt should be reserved for Sanjay. “Neither of you told us Monsieur Mukerji is a seer.”
“A seer!”
Sanjay, still flipping through the cards, grinned at the tone of his wife’s voice. “You never appreciate me,” he said, not looking up from the images.
“He isn’t a seer.”
Kate shrugged.
“This one.” Sanjay handed a card to Kate, who looked at it together with Julian. Chryse craned forward to look as well.
Julian whistled.
“Whatever is in that carriage must be very valuable,” added Kate, “if she’s protecting it with a summoning of this power.”
“It was as big as one of the horses,” said Sanjay, speaking now mostly to Chryse. “With gold headfeathers and a gold beak, and golden wings folded in on its back. And it was crouched, like a lion waiting to spring. And brilliant eyes.”
“It saw you?” asked Julian.
Sanjay blinked. “That’s funny,” he said. “Of course it saw me. It seemed natural that it would look at me since I was looking at it.”
“Weren’t you scared?” asked Kate.
“No. Should I have been? We just looked at each other.”
Julian whistled again, shaking his head.
“What’s the figure on the other side?” asked Chryse, taking the card from an unresisting Kate and examining first the stylized beast on one side, then the person backing it.
“The Emperor,” answered Kate automatically. “Seated on his throne. The most powerful of the kings, but also the most conservative.”
“But my real question,” said Chryse, frowning first at the card and then lifting her eyes to examine her husband, “is why could you see this, and we couldn’t? Since I have no reason to believe you’re kidding me.”
“I’m not, sweetheart. And I have absolutely no idea. It was there.”
Three quick raps sounded on the roof of the carriage. All four started. Julian laughed self-consciously.
“Coachman needs your directions, Kate. You’d better get up with him.”
Kate got out, and now they watched as the streets around them took on an even poorer cast. The inhabitants stared at the carriage. Children, some of their faces imprinted with features not wholly human, raced along behind and beside it. Kate’s voice could be heard now and then, sometimes cursing, sometimes directing. They passed through a square, a dilapidated,
“Sanjay,” she said quietly. “I didn’t see anything on top of that carriage.”
“Lady bless us,” muttered Kate.
“Did you see it?” Sanjay asked, very tentative now.
“I don’t have that kind of sight,” said Kate.
Chryse realized, watching Kate and Julian, that, like her, they had seen nothing, but that, unlike her, they both believed and were impressed by Sanjay’s vision.
“You don’t suppose it was the Regent herself?” Julian leaned forward and pushed the window shutter open slowly, but any sight of the black carriage was lost to a turn in the street.
“I doubt it,” said Kate. “It seems to me that if she were going somewhere secretly she’d use neither the bays nor one of her own carriages, and if she were going openly, she’d go in more state.”
“Then there must be something valuable in that carriage, or she wouldn’t have protected it in that way.” Julian fingered the buttons on his waistcoat. “I wonder—” he mused. “It could be headed Westside, or across the Tens—”
“Or there’s the toll road for the Midlands, past Keep Bridge,” said Kate.
“Sanjay,” said Chryse, almost accusing. “You really did see something on top of that carriage, didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “You never believe me. Let me see the cards a minute.”
She handed them to him mutely. As he flipped through them, examining both sides, she regarded Julian and Kate skeptically. “And you believe him,” she finished.
“Why shouldn’t we believe him?” asked Kate, now regarding Chryse with the disbelief that Chryse felt should be reserved for Sanjay. “Neither of you told us Monsieur Mukerji is a seer.”
“A seer!”
Sanjay, still flipping through the cards, grinned at the tone of his wife’s voice. “You never appreciate me,” he said, not looking up from the images.
“He isn’t a seer.”
Kate shrugged.
“This one.” Sanjay handed a card to Kate, who looked at it together with Julian. Chryse craned forward to look as well.
Julian whistled.
“Whatever is in that carriage must be very valuable,” added Kate, “if she’s protecting it with a summoning of this power.”
“It was as big as one of the horses,” said Sanjay, speaking now mostly to Chryse. “With gold headfeathers and a gold beak, and golden wings folded in on its back. And it was crouched, like a lion waiting to spring. And brilliant eyes.”
“It saw you?” asked Julian.
Sanjay blinked. “That’s funny,” he said. “Of course it saw me. It seemed natural that it would look at me since I was looking at it.”
“Weren’t you scared?” asked Kate.
“No. Should I have been? We just looked at each other.”
Julian whistled again, shaking his head.
“What’s the figure on the other side?” asked Chryse, taking the card from an unresisting Kate and examining first the stylized beast on one side, then the person backing it.
“The Emperor,” answered Kate automatically. “Seated on his throne. The most powerful of the kings, but also the most conservative.”
“But my real question,” said Chryse, frowning first at the card and then lifting her eyes to examine her husband, “is why could you see this, and we couldn’t? Since I have no reason to believe you’re kidding me.”
“I’m not, sweetheart. And I have absolutely no idea. It was there.”
Three quick raps sounded on the roof of the carriage. All four started. Julian laughed self-consciously.
“Coachman needs your directions, Kate. You’d better get up with him.”
Kate got out, and now they watched as the streets around them took on an even poorer cast. The inhabitants stared at the carriage. Children, some of their faces imprinted with features not wholly human, raced along behind and beside it. Kate’s voice could be heard now and then, sometimes cursing, sometimes directing. They passed through a square, a dilapidated,
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