times since I had my mother and brother exiled…”
“My lord emir,” said Caina, but Tanzir kept talking. He had used to stutter, but that seemed to have become a tendency to ramble.
“Though I should have guessed,” said Tanzir, still pacing. “All those stories coming out of the capital about a black-cloaked master thief terrorizing the Brotherhood? A thief who called himself the Balarigar? It had to be you. Who else could it have been? But for my life I could not imagine why you would be in Istarinmul, not when the Empire was ripping itself apart in civil war.”
Caina opened her mouth to speak, but Tanzir kept talking.
“I suppose it has something to do with the Umbarian Order,” said Tanzir. “That must be why you’re here. To make sure the Padishah does not ally with the Umbarians against the Empire. Of course, the Padishah disappeared before I returned to Istarinmul, and no one knows where he is. You’ll have to deal with Callatas, and Callatas…the man has been a malignant blight upon Istarinmul for decades, and he has been growing worse. He’s unleashed the Collectors upon the southern emirates, and if something isn’t done soon Istarinmul will have its own civil war.” His face hardened, and he looked more like Rezir than ever. “And we shall be right to do it! Callatas and his demands are ripping Istarinmul apart.” He blinked several times and focused upon Caina. “Oh. I forgot. Is Anton Kularus with you? I have some questions for him.”
Caina swallowed. “He’s dead.”
“Oh.” The energy seemed to drain out of Tanzir. “I am sorry. When…”
“The day of the golden dead,” said Caina. “He…died valiantly.”
“I am sorry,” said Tanzir. “I had hoped to ask him about the Kindred of Istarinmul. You see, to my chagrin I have become something of a leader to the southern emirs, and so the Grand Wazir has hired the Kindred to kill me. I’ve evaded them, but a man’s luck will only last for so long.”
“Actually,” said Caina, thinking of Morgant. “I have an expert on the Kindred with me. Perhaps he can tell you something of their techniques.”
“Good,” said Tanzir. “Thank you, yes. That…ah, that will be helpful.”
They stood in silence for a moment.
“How have you been?” said Caina. “Since you returned, I mean. You seem…”
“Thinner?” said Tanzir.
“Different,” said Caina.
Tanzir snorted. “A diplomatic way of putting it. But I’ve had nothing but diplomacy for the last four years. That, and people trying to kill me.” He shook his head. “I took your advice and exiled my mother and my brother as soon as I returned, and set about…oh, cleaning house, you could say. I got rid of my mother’s loyalists and installed my own men throughout the magistracies of the Vale. Then the day of the golden dead happened, and all has been chaos since. The Vale of Fallen Stars is the most powerful emirate of the south, and the other emirs traditionally look to the House of Shahan for guidance. Which means me. By the Living Flame! If I had known all this was going to happen, I would have stayed in Malarae. The book shops were most pleasant.”
“I wish I was still in Malarae, too,” said Caina, “but I fear that is not possible.”
He hesitated, stared at the ceiling for a moment, and then looked at her. “Why are you here? Istarinmul is about to explode, and suddenly you turn up at the border of my lands.”
Caina took a deep breath. “Because I need your help.”
At once he looked guarded. “Why? I will not aid the Ghosts against Istarinmul. Nor will I argue that Istarinmul should join the war against the Umbarian Order. The Order is as vile as the Great Necromancers of old or the Magisterium of the Fourth Empire, yes. But Istarinmul should stay neutral in that war.”
“I’m not going to ask for that,” said Caina. “I will ask for two things. That you allow us to pass through the Vale, and that you do not warn the Inferno or anyone in Istarinmul when we kidnap the emir Kuldan Cimak.”
She had just thrown the dice. She hoped her assessment of Tanzir was correct.
Tanzir blinked. “You want to kill Kuldan? Why? He is quite harmless. A bit too fond of his own poetry, to be sure…”
“Not to kill him,” said Caina. “Kidnap him. Then I will masquerade as him and enter the Inferno.”
“Why?” said Tanzir. “That is utter madness. The Inferno is where men are tortured into Immortals. It is an