Karin took a deep breath, then slowly lowered herself back to her chair. "No, you're right. I'm just so used to dealing with Yosset."
Ky Menin looked at Jarid for a long time before speaking again. When he finally did, he kept his gaze fixed, his eyes barely narrowed as he spoke. "If we can rely on Jarid Ka Vail here, then we have the means. You and I both know Yosset has never had the makings of someone to take control. From what I have seen so far, just perhaps, this young man here may be able to take a useful role."
There was a pause, and then Karin answered. As she spoke, Jarid refused to break the Guildmaster's gaze, though her rich voice was drawing him.
"So, if you truly believe that, Karryl," she said. "What do you suggest we do?"
"We should discuss this further," he said to Karin, and then turned back to Jarid. "For now, we can continue as we are. I will trust you to keep me informed if there's anything new."
Jarid rubbed his hands together, and then stood. "Don't underestimate me, Guildmaster," he said, shooting a quick glance at Karin. "I'm not my brother, and I'm not my father."
Ky Menin nodded. "No, I can see that. I have seen that." He too stood and stepped forward to place his hands on Jarid's shoulders. "For now, I think we use this Kallathik thing to our advantage. You, Jarid, will stay here tonight, and in the morning, you will accompany Karin to her estates. There you will tell Yosset Clier what you've told us about the Kallathik and your brother. That will focus Yosset's attention, and with Karin as your witness, it will add extra weight to the argument. If Yosset becomes distracted by anything, Karin is more than capable of steering him on the right path. He would be affected by instability within the Guild too, and none of us can afford that right now."
"And you?" said Karin.
Ky Menin dropped his hands from Jarid's shoulders and moved back to his chair. "I need to deal with Aron Ka Vail. The old fool has obviously lost his true focus. Sadly, I think we are going to have to teach him the error of his ways. How he could possibly consider bringing back the old man, I do not know. The truth is, it's far too dangerous a prospect just now, and he has to be made to see that." He paused.
"It's a pity. I rather like Aron. A real pity."
Twenty-Six
Sandon felt tired, exhausted, but still the storm battered him. More than once, he had almost dropped the lantern, not that it was doing much to pierce the strobing darkness. No sign. No sign at all of the Principal and Kovaar, though he'd been out here for what seemed like hours. They couldn't have gone too far, he kept telling himself, but with Men Darnak's frame of mind, that wasn't a certainty either. Pretty soon now, he'd have to give up and return to the lodge, as much for his own self-preservation as anything, although he seemed to be spending half his life in the rain these days.
"Principal Men Darnak!" he called, and though he knew it was futile, he called again.
Something made him look over to his right, narrow his eyes and peer through the sheeting curtain. A flash of light and a rumble, and there, a clump of deeper darkness against the dark. He started in that direction. Twice he slipped, and once he almost lost hold of the lantern again. As he neared, he saw he had been right. The dark patch was a pair of figures huddled against the sodden hillside. Another flash illuminated the scene, and Sandon gritted his teeth at what he saw. The gaunt frame of Witness Kovaar was hunched over the old man, vainly attempting to cover him with a robe. Men Darnak pushed away from him, flailing against the sodden fabric and rolling on the muddy ground. As he got nearer still, Sandon understood what the priest was trying to do. Men Darnak had slipped out of his clothing, and lay naked, his emaciated frame completely exposed to the elements. Sandon swallowed back the shock of what he was seeing. It was as if the flesh had slewed from the Principal's bones. The strong wiry frame looked strong no longer. It was all angles and joints, looking nothing more than brittle. How could such deterioration have happened so quickly?
