Relos Var looked ordinary too.
When I crested the ledge of Teraeth’s rooms, I saw him sitting cross-legged on the floor, reading a small, well-worn book. I wasn’t too surprised to see Teraeth had broken out a bottle of vané wine and helped himself to several glasses. He didn’t look happy to see me. The feeling was mutual.
Teraeth raised an eyebrow at Doc. “You must be the Quuros we’re expecting.”
Doc didn’t respond, but he spent a long moment studying Teraeth. From the frown on his face, he didn’t like what he saw.
“Hey Teraeth, where’s Khaemezra? I need to speak with her.”
“As do I,” Doc said. “Go fetch your mother.” He made the order dismissive and condescending.
Teraeth set down his glass. “I don’t take orders from you.”
Without asking permission, Doc sat down in one of the reed chairs. “She’s probably in the temple, and as I recall, the temple is insufferably hot and damp even by Manol vané standards. So your mother may join us here.”
I glanced sideways at the man. “You’ve been to the temple? I thought you weren’t a member of the Black Brotherhood.”
“By that I take it you’ve been to the temple. Are you a member of the Black Brotherhood?”
“I am not your servant,” Teraeth said, his voice as close to growling as I’d yet heard from the man, “and the High Priestess is not someone who obeys anyone’s beck and call. She does not—”
“Let her decide that,” Doc interrupted. “In the meantime, I am not asking your opinion. I am giving you an order.”
“You don’t order me around!”
“I just did.”
“She’s killed people for such insolence,” Teraeth snapped.
“Yet here I am,” Doc said with a cold smile.
“Do you have any idea—?”
“Who you are? You’re Teraeth. Your father was an idiot and a fool, and the fact you took his name instead of your mother’s means you’re an idiot and a fool as well.” Doc paused. “Or did you mean who you really are? Because I know that too. Still an idiot. Still a fool.”
Teraeth’s expression didn’t change. Not so much as a muscle tic or flaring of nostrils. Yet I knew I was looking at a man who had just put Doc down on a short list of names Teraeth made a point of crossing off one by one.
Teraeth spun on his heel and dove out the cave entrance.
Doc sighed, leaned back in his chair, and inhaled. I think he’d been expecting Teraeth to attack him. I’m not sure if he was relieved or disappointed that Teraeth hadn’t.
“Cute kid,” Doc said.
“Just curious: has anyone ever told you that you’re an asshole?”
His eyes widened in mock surprise, and then he laughed. “Every time I cut someone off. I need a drink.” He reached for Teraeth’s bottle.
“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.”
Doc grinned. “Your warning is noted.” He uncorked the bottle and pulled a drought that would have made an elephant pass out. He stood still, eyes closed, body tense, not even breathing. Then he inhaled deeply and faced me. “You have that look on your face. Go ahead and ask.”
I shrugged. “On the way over you said you had no idea who Teraeth is. That exchange I just saw makes me think you were being less than entirely honest.”
“I’ve never met him before. That doesn’t mean I don’t know his type. He’s young,” Doc said while setting aside the bottle and leaning back in the chair. The collar of his shirt flipped open, revealing that he was wearing a tsali stone around his neck—a green stone wrapped in gold. “And since he’s a vané that makes him arrogant, egotistical, and insufferable. Given a few hundred years, he’ll mellow into something resembling a real person, but since we don’t have that long, I guess he just rubs me the wrong way.”
“Oh, come on. The look on your face when I said his name—”
“The vané have peculiar rules for the naming of their children,” Doc said. “That’s all.”
“What do you mean?” I leaned forward. Relos Var had also reacted strongly to Teraeth’s name, had mentioned something about Teraeth’s father, but I had never gotten a good explanation. Doc’s view of Teraeth’s father seemed even less flattering.
“Nosy, aren’t you?” Doc retorted.
“It’s my defining characteristic. Speaking of which, what are you doing here? You can’t tell me you came all the way here from the Capital just to speak with Khaemezra.”
Doc looked surprised. “She didn’t tell you? I’m here because—” He stopped and chuckled. “It’s a long story, kid.”
“I’ve got time.”
“Nobody’s got that much time. Let’s just say that back in the day, me and a nephew of mine used to run around the Capital with this low-ranked priest of Thaena and a fresh-off-the-farm kid from Marakor, who only barely just qualified as being a wizard.” He smiled, looking off into the distance. “Those were some days.”
“Is that—is that supposed to mean something to me?”
Doc shrugged. “Only as much as that low-ranked priest of Thaena ended up becoming High Lord Therin of House D’Mon, the fresh-faced farm kid became Emperor Sandus, and my nephew Qoran clawed his way into the High General’s chair. Me? I opened a bar.”
“So you’re the underachiever.”
“I didn’t have anything to prove.”
“Doc, it’s so good to see you again,” Khaemezra said from the cave entrance.
I hadn’t heard the rattle of anyone climbing up the ladder. Khaemezra and her son were simply there.
“What did you do, fly?” I whispered to Teraeth. The vané only glared at me in response, as if to remind me we were still in the middle of an argument.
Believe me, I hadn’t forgotten.
“How have you been?” Khaemezra crossed the distance between them, bending over to kiss Doc on the cheek.
She seemed genuinely pleased to see the man, smiling warmly.
“I’ve been keeping out of trouble, Khae,” Doc told her as he stood.
“Really? After all these years, you’ve finally figured out how to do that?” Khaemezra’s eyes sparkled with merriment.
“Yes,” Doc agreed. “The trick of it is to stay far, far away from you.”
Khaemezra’s smile froze into ice and cracked. With a single sentence Doc opened wounds, and they sat visible and fresh on her face. When she recovered herself, she gestured toward Teraeth with a forcefully light flick of her wrist. “This is my son, Teraeth.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“I see you’ve already met your new pupil Kihrin,” she continued.
“Mother Khaemezra,” I said, “we need to talk about this. You’re breaking our deal. You promised me a swordmaster, not a barkeep.” I glanced over at Doc. “No offense.”
They both ignored me. They reminded me of two cats locked into a staring contest. Doc broke eye contact first, as he glanced at Teraeth. “Is he everything you wanted?”
“At least he follows orders,” Khaemezra snapped.
“Enjoy it while it lasts.”
Teraeth cleared his throat. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem pleased to see his prediction about Khaemezra’s anger coming to pass. He put his hand on my arm. “Kihrin, we’re needed downstairs.”
I jerked my arm away from him. “I need to talk to Khaemezra.”