Read Online The Escapement by K. J. Parker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: K. J. Parker
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy fiction, Fiction - Fantasy, Fantasy, Epic, Fantasy - Epic, Science Fiction And Fantasy, English Science Fiction And Fantasy
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was in the way. So we had to get rid of him."
He waited for a reaction. Nothing.
"I don't mean murder him, or anything like that," Falier added quickly, appalled by what he'd just said and how it must sound. "We didn't want to hurt him, either of us. But the way things were was just—well, impossible."
A slight movement of Psellus' head told Falier he was about to speak. "She could simply have left Vaatzes and come to live with you," he said. "That sort of thing has happened before, I believe."
"Yes, but…" Falier began, then hesitated; because, now he thought about it, that would have been the obvious thing to do. But it hadn't occurred to him at the time. Or she hadn't let it occur to him. She'd insisted…
"But never mind that," Psellus went on. "Vaatzes had to be disposed of. What happened then?"
Falier hesitated again. He wasn't quite sure, now he considered it.
"Things happened quickly," he said. "It turned out Ziani was making that stupid doll…"
Psellus' eyes were on him now; they were pale and cold, like something dead.
"How did you find out about that?"
"She told me."
"That he was making the doll, or that it was…?" A pause. "That it wasn't quite right."
Falier struggled to get the right words. "She told me he was making it," he said.
"And I suppose she said how he was spending hours over it, trying to solve problems about how to make it work. And I must have thought about that—at the back of my mind, you know, the way you do; and I suppose it struck me as odd, because if he was following Specification, there wouldn't be any problems to figure out. I mean, you look at the diagrams and the dimensions, it's all there. You don't need to think about it."
"And that led you to believe he was…?"
"I suppose so, yes."
"You suppose so."
The fear, which Psellus had been to so much trouble to dissipate, came back so hard it made Falier catch his breath. "I don't know," he said weakly. "It's hard to get it straight in my mind, somehow; what I figured out for myself and what other people told me…"
"What other people?"
"Well, she told me about how long he was spending on it, and…" He dried up. No other people. Just her. And how many times had she mentioned it to him? More than once. Quite a few times; almost as if… "Just her," he said. "And I must have figured it out for myself."
"All of it?"
"Well…" Falier struggled to clear his mind, as though he'd woken up suddenly.
"She and I talked about it. I said how I couldn't understand what could be so difficult about it, if he was following Specification. And she…"
"She reached the conclusion."
A statement. "Yes," Falier realised. "Yes, she did." Psellus nodded slowly. It was as though he was being told something he already knew, but the hunger with which he'd been asking the questions contradicted that.
"She's an intelligent woman," he said. "I know, I've spoken to her myself, as you know. But even so, I find it hard to accept that she formed that particular conclusion from that particular evidence, if you follow me. But if you say it was her and not you…"
Falier nodded eagerly. "I'm sure it was her," he said, "now you mention it."
"I see."
"Well, it seemed so convenient ." Again, his choice of words disturbed him.
"Here we were, trying to find a way of getting him out of the picture, and suddenly this came along. It was…"
"A stroke of luck."
"Yes." Falier realised he was feeling painfully cold. "Just what we needed, at just the right time."
"Indeed. So," Psellus went on, "did you go straight to the authorities, or did you investigate further, to make sure the accusation was well founded?" He wasn't quite sure what to make of how Psellus had phrased that. "I didn't ask Ziani about it, if that's what you mean, or go poking about in his workshop to see if I could find anything wrong. I went to see the people at Compliance, and they told me I needed to talk to the Justice department."
Psellus nodded. "I know about criminal procedure,
He waited for a reaction. Nothing.
"I don't mean murder him, or anything like that," Falier added quickly, appalled by what he'd just said and how it must sound. "We didn't want to hurt him, either of us. But the way things were was just—well, impossible."
A slight movement of Psellus' head told Falier he was about to speak. "She could simply have left Vaatzes and come to live with you," he said. "That sort of thing has happened before, I believe."
"Yes, but…" Falier began, then hesitated; because, now he thought about it, that would have been the obvious thing to do. But it hadn't occurred to him at the time. Or she hadn't let it occur to him. She'd insisted…
"But never mind that," Psellus went on. "Vaatzes had to be disposed of. What happened then?"
Falier hesitated again. He wasn't quite sure, now he considered it.
"Things happened quickly," he said. "It turned out Ziani was making that stupid doll…"
Psellus' eyes were on him now; they were pale and cold, like something dead.
"How did you find out about that?"
"She told me."
"That he was making the doll, or that it was…?" A pause. "That it wasn't quite right."
Falier struggled to get the right words. "She told me he was making it," he said.
"And I suppose she said how he was spending hours over it, trying to solve problems about how to make it work. And I must have thought about that—at the back of my mind, you know, the way you do; and I suppose it struck me as odd, because if he was following Specification, there wouldn't be any problems to figure out. I mean, you look at the diagrams and the dimensions, it's all there. You don't need to think about it."
"And that led you to believe he was…?"
"I suppose so, yes."
"You suppose so."
The fear, which Psellus had been to so much trouble to dissipate, came back so hard it made Falier catch his breath. "I don't know," he said weakly. "It's hard to get it straight in my mind, somehow; what I figured out for myself and what other people told me…"
"What other people?"
"Well, she told me about how long he was spending on it, and…" He dried up. No other people. Just her. And how many times had she mentioned it to him? More than once. Quite a few times; almost as if… "Just her," he said. "And I must have figured it out for myself."
"All of it?"
"Well…" Falier struggled to clear his mind, as though he'd woken up suddenly.
"She and I talked about it. I said how I couldn't understand what could be so difficult about it, if he was following Specification. And she…"
"She reached the conclusion."
A statement. "Yes," Falier realised. "Yes, she did." Psellus nodded slowly. It was as though he was being told something he already knew, but the hunger with which he'd been asking the questions contradicted that.
"She's an intelligent woman," he said. "I know, I've spoken to her myself, as you know. But even so, I find it hard to accept that she formed that particular conclusion from that particular evidence, if you follow me. But if you say it was her and not you…"
Falier nodded eagerly. "I'm sure it was her," he said, "now you mention it."
"I see."
"Well, it seemed so convenient ." Again, his choice of words disturbed him.
"Here we were, trying to find a way of getting him out of the picture, and suddenly this came along. It was…"
"A stroke of luck."
"Yes." Falier realised he was feeling painfully cold. "Just what we needed, at just the right time."
"Indeed. So," Psellus went on, "did you go straight to the authorities, or did you investigate further, to make sure the accusation was well founded?" He wasn't quite sure what to make of how Psellus had phrased that. "I didn't ask Ziani about it, if that's what you mean, or go poking about in his workshop to see if I could find anything wrong. I went to see the people at Compliance, and they told me I needed to talk to the Justice department."
Psellus nodded. "I know about criminal procedure,
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