Jhereg - Chapter Eleven

[kalinara]

So last time, we learned that Mellar may have been fucking with more than one House. Also Vlad had some cute moments with his wife. It's rare that the books I read actually star happily married folk, and I intend to enjoy this rare occurrence.



So we start the chapter with what is essentially a narrated tour of Castle Black, focusing primarily on the social trek from opening to the banquet hall. It's a quirky little bit, with some nice asides on the artwork (apparently someone named the Necromancer is an artist, which is not common knowledge).

The banquet hall does seem pretty swanky:

At the top, you may look to the right and see the doors of the actual dining hall. But if you turn to the left, you soon come to a large set of double doors, standing open. There is always a guard here, sometimes two. As you look through, the room makes itself felt only a little at a time. First, you notice the picture that fills the entire ceiling; it is a depiction of the Third Seige of Dzur Mountain, done by none other than Katana e’M’archala. Looking at it, and tracing the details from wall to wall, gives you an idea of just how massive the room really is. The walls are done in black marble, thinly veined with silver. The room is dark, but somehow there is never any problem seeing.

There are some private rooms attached. Vlad isn't usually one to use them.

We switch from hypothetical tour to Vlad's actual experience going through the crowd of the banquet hall. He chats a bit with Sethra Lavode, who we met before, exchanges pleasant smiles with the aforementioned Necromancer. He shares cold stares and noncommital glances with someone named the Sorceress in Green and "Sethra the Younger". It's obvious from context that these are all fairly big, important names, and Vlad has a history with them.

But now it's time, for Vlad, and for us, to actually meet the target:

I approached slowly, sizing him up. He had been hard to spot because there was nothing particularly distinctive about him. He stood just under seven feet tall. His hair was dark brown and somewhat wavy, falling to just above his shoulders. I suppose a Dragaeran would have considered him handsome, but not remarkably so. He had an air about him, like a jhereg. Watchful, quiet, and controlled; very dangerous. I could read “Do Not Mess With Me” signs on him.

Mellar is talking to a Hawklord who is unnecessarily rude to Vlad, due to being an Easterner. Mellar himself is more neutral, even pleasant. But it's definitely the same kind of battle of insinuation and impression that we saw with the Demon. That would appear to be a Jhereg trait, specifically. Mellar uses Vlad's actual title (Baronet) to demonstrate that he knows who Vlad is and encouraging confidence. Vlad contrasts it with the meeting with Kereth, who didn't know the rules of how Jhereg work. Mellar does know, so they're both fishing for information.

They make conversation about the book that Mellar had found for Morrolan. Vlad asks how he found it, while Mellar notes that he's surprised Morrolan wants to know (demonstrating for Vlad, that he knows Vlad works for Morrolona.) Vlad notes that it's just curiosity.

Vlad brings up Aliera. Mellar doesn't seem impressed, thinking that she seemed vague. So Vlad gets the impression that, unless Mellar's lying (he admits it's possible), Mellar is not in Aliera's league sorcery-wise. He didn't know she was casting a spell.

They dance a little about Aliera's interest in Mellar. Vlad notes, from the perspective of a fellow Jhereg, that it's rare and interesting for a Dragon to exchange pleasantries with one. Mellar notes that she may have been trying to find something out. He admits that he got the impression that Aliera didn't like him. Vlad's "Any idea why?" is a bit of a push too far, and Mellar clams up after that.

Vlad ends the dialogue thinking they'd both got a little from each other. But Loiosh got a bit more: Mellar has some bodyguards watching them. Vlad hadn't picked up on them. What he does pick up on is that Morrolan's security officer is someone who wasn't expected. It sets his teeth on edge. And it makes him more worried when he can't reach Morrolan directly.

Morrolan is, of course, the biggest obstacle to anyone killing Mellar at Castle Black and triggering a civil war. Vlad realizes that the Demon might be making his move. He contacts Aliera.

It was brought up earlier that Aliera has a "Great Weapon" known as Pathfinder. It's still not clear exactly what a Great Weapon is, but we can see what Pathfinder does: specifically, it locates things and people.

And I spoke too soon. We actually do get a bit about Great Weapons now:

What is a Great Weapon? That’s a good question. I wondered the same thing myself as I watched Aliera concentrating, her eyes narrowed to slits, and her hand steadily holding the pulsating blade."

Thank you, Vlad, that's enlightening. But I'm joking. There's a bit more:

As far as my knowledge goes, however, there is this: a Morganti weapon, made by one of the small, strange race called Serioli that dwell in the jungles and mountains of Dragaera, is capable of destroying the soul of the person it kills. They are, all of them, strange and frightening things, endowed with a kind of sentience. They come in differing degrees of power, and some are enchanted in other ways.

But there are a few—legend says seventeen—that go beyond “a kind of sentience.” These are the Great Weapons. They are, all of them, powerful. They all have enough sentience to actually decide whether or not to destroy the soul of the victim. Each has its own abilities, skills, and powers. And each one, it is said, is linked to the soul of the one who bears it. It can, and will, do anything necessary to preserve its bearer, if he is the One chosen for it. And the things those weapons can do . . . 

They teleport into a warehouse, where Morrolan is lying, dark red spot on his chest and not bleeding. Vlad feels sick. Aliera tells us he's "unrevivifiable" and the chapter ends here.