Weapon of Fear by Chris A. Jackson, Anne L. McMillen-Jackson Page B

before
it even came to a halt.  He tossed the driver a silver crown.
    The
driver caught it deftly. “Thank’e, sir!”
    Sereth’s
assistant, Lem, answered the door and let Dee in.  The Master Blade was
sparring with a student, so Dee stood out of the way, forcing himself to relax
and consider what he knew about the man.
    When
Mya had been warring with the other guild factions, Dee had dug up all he could
about the masters and their people.  As Master Blade Horice’s bodyguard, Sereth
had been high on the list.  Though an accomplished swordsman, he preferred
short blades to long, was hard-working, and until recently lived in a dreary
apartment in the Docks District.  More recently, he’d discovered that Sereth
had a wife who had been held hostage by the Thieves Guild.  Lad had helped free
her, and had sworn Dee to silence about the entire affair.  For that alone,
Sereth owed Lad his loyalty.
    The
pace of the sparring shifted.  At first glance, the fencing master and his
student had appeared evenly matched, but suddenly, in a lightning exchange,
Sereth scored several touches, one to each leg, one wrist, and a fourth that
cracked the student’s wire mask hard enough to snap his head back.
    “Enough!”
    At
Sereth’s command, the student immediately stopped and took off the wire mask.  A
shock of blonde hair and sweetly rounded face proclaimed that the student was,
in fact, a young woman, not a young man.
    “Very
good, Lady Racine, but you’re guarding your core overmuch and leaving openings
elsewhere.”
    “You’re
so fast !”  She was breathing hard, her face glowing with sweat.  “I
couldn’t cover everything.”
    “Then
get faster.”  Sereth noticed Dee.  “I’m afraid we’re out of time for now, but
remember; speed comes with practice.  Practice at home with a metronome as I
showed you, and keep increasing the tempo.  I’ll see you in two days.”
    “Thank
you, Master VonBruce.”  She saluted and racked her practice sword, and Lem
helped her remove her thick plastron.
    “Master
VonBruce.”  Dee strode forward and executed a respectful bow.  “My master sends
his regrets that he’ll be unable to attend his upcoming lesson.  He’d like to
reschedule if possible.”
    “I’ll
have to check my appointment book.  Come with me.”  Sereth led Dee from the
studio into a small office, closed the door, and offered him a seat.  “What’s
happened?”
    “Do
I look that upset?”  Dee prided himself on his ability to maintain an unruffled
façade.
    “No,
but you never just pop in unexpectedly.  I figured something was up.”
    “Something
is.  I just had a visitor.”  Dee quickly related the story of Hoseph’s visit
and his ideas of the priest’s involvement in recent events.
    “Mother
of...”  Sereth’s oath trailed off, and his eyes drifted down to his hands.
    “How
could they kill the Grandmaster?  Is it even possible ?”
    Sereth
glanced up.  “If anyone could do it, I’d bet on Lad and Mya.”  To Dee’s raised
eyebrows, he said, “You didn’t see them at Fiveway Fountain.  They fought
like...nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
    “But
what about the Grandmaster’s ring?  How could they even touch him?”
    “I
don’t know, but there was Saliez...”
    Of
course , Dee
remembered.  The Grandfather .  According to rumor, the former Twailin
guildmaster had been killed by Lad, despite magical constraints that prohibited
him from harming the man who had contracted him to be made.
    Dee
took a deep breath.  “What are you going to do?”
    “Meet
with Hoseph.”  The Master Blade seemed surprised at the question.  “I would be
foolish to refuse.”
    “If
I can point something out without getting killed…”  Dee crooked a smile to make
sure Sereth knew the comment was in jest.
    “Go
ahead.”
    “We
owe no allegiance to this Hoseph fellow.  He’s not in the chain of command.  If
the Grandmaster truly is dead, our loyalty is to Lad.”
    Sereth
pursed