The Exiled Blade (The Assassini) - By Jon Courtenay Grimwood Page 0,58
water inside and smile. Having dried her fingers, she covered the bowl with a cloth and settled back, studying Tycho carefully. She said, “You’re thinner. I wouldn’t have thought that possible. Have you been eating?”
He stared at her.
“You could feed now.”
“My lady . . .”
“Call me Alexa. If you can’t call me Alexa now . . . Not that it’s my name. But I’ve learnt to answer to it like some exotic pet.”
It was as if she knew why he was here, Tycho realised. He would need something of hers, drenched in blood. Her dress would be distinctive enough. If he talked fast and moved faster, he’d have a week and maybe more to make his peace with Alonzo, trick his way into the Red Cathedral and steal back Lady Giulietta’s child before the news that Alexa still lived reached him.
“It won’t work.”
“My lady . . .”
“I know what you’re thinking. It shows in your eyes. Sometimes you forget to shield your thoughts. Usually when you’re upset or worried. Like now.”
“I need a favour.”
“No. You need to kill me.”
“That’s not why . . .”
“Why you’re here? It should be. You’re the Blade. Your job is to keep the city safe. You think anything less than my death will convince Alonzo? He has spies in this court. We need to do this properly.”
“A blood-splattered dress . . .”
“Will not be enough. Do you want Leo to die?” She smiled sourly. “You think that’s unfair? When have I ever had the luxury of being fair? The Millioni became my family when I married Marco and I will protect them, even from themselves. This city needs Leo. Do you know why?”
Tycho shook his head.
“Because every throne needs an heir. There is nothing more dangerous to thrones than no heir to sit in them. It scares the loyal and tempts traitors.” Alexa sucked her teeth. “I’ve known it make traitors of the loyal. My son will not produce an heir so Giulietta’s son must do instead. Find me Prince Leo di Millioni and bring him back. It’s harder for traitors to kill two princes than one.”
“Have you considered restoring the Republic?”
“That’s what Giulietta wants? Of course she does, she’s young and romantic, she thinks herself a rebel. She’ll grow out of it. People rule or are ruled, those are the choices.”
“I don’t want to rule. Simply not be ruled.”
“Tycho . . . You’re not normal.”
He took a chair without asking and examined the woman opposite. She was as beautiful as the last time he saw her without her veil, with an ageless face and flawless skin. Her eyes were deep brown and bright, but there was a tiredness to her smile and she held his gaze with effort.
Tycho stared at Alexa and realisation dawned.
She smiled at his surprise, and for a second he saw, amongst the tiredness and the lines that sickness had etched on her face, pleasure at a plan coming together as intended. “Yes,” she said. “I pushed Alonzo to this point.”
“Why, my lady?”
“I’m dying . . . We’re all dying, obviously, I’m just doing it rather faster than I was, and you’re doing it a little more slowly than everybody else. I have a year if I want to draw things out. Six months if I let it take me. Two years ago you came to kill me. Now finish the job. Did anyone see you?”
Tycho shook his head.
“You’re sure?”
Of course I am . . . The streets and frozen canal behind the palace had been silent, the fierce cold of the night had done what Watch captains only achieved in their dreams – cleared the city of whores, revellers and robbers. The palace guard had been so cold they simply stared at their feet.
“Quite sure,” Tycho said.
“You need to look up more.”
Pushing himself out of his chair, Tycho went to the window and let in the cold as he opened the shutters. A patch of darkness swept circles in front of the slender stars, showing darker still when it bisected a sliver of cloud.
“Remember my dragonet?”
He remembered it right enough. The little lizard had been waiting at the house Alexa gave him, starving seemingly. Now he suspected dracul was just greedy. It had taken Tycho a while to realise the dragonet acted as her eyes. Abandoning the dragonet to its high circling, Tycho closed the shutters and turned to find Alexa had removed the cloth from her jade bowl.