Casket of Souls

Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t crave it as much as I do.”
    “Brader, did you find him?” Merina called. They could hear her coming up the stairs.
    Atre clucked his tongue. “Dear me, cousin, what will you tell her this time? Or shall I bring her into our little secret?”
    Brader closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Damn you.”
    “Brader, is that you?” Merina called from just outside.
    “Yes, love. I found him. I’m afraid we’ve had some bad news.” He looked back at Atre as he reached for the door handle. “At least put something on your face!”
    Atre lounged against the wall and pouted at him. “Oh, look, you’ve torn my favorite shirt.”
    Leaving Atre to make himself presentable, Brader went to head off Merina. He thought he’d schooled his expression, but Merina took one look at him and her eyes widened with dismay.
    “You two are fighting again?” She caught up with him and clasped him by the arm. “And don’t tell me it’s nothing, Brader! Things have been going so well. He’s happy. I thought you were happy, too.”
    “It’s not that, love.” How he hated lying to her! “We’ve just had word that Lady Kylith died.”
    “Oh, no!” Merina came into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. “The poor dear! She was so good to the children, and so generous.”
    “Yes.” Brader held her close and kissed her hair. With her warm tears dampening his shirt, he couldn’t say any more than that. Building on the lie caught in his throat.
    “Another dead patron,” she whispered against his chest.
    “She was old, Merina, and she’d withdrawn her patronage.”
    “She did? Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “I didn’t want to worry you.”
    Merina sighed. “She wasn’t that old, Brader, and not the first. Sometimes I wonder if we bring bad luck with us.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. People die.”
    She gave him a worried look. “It’s more than just today. I’ve been concerned for a while now, though I haven’t wanted to say anything. Atre gets this gleam in his eye sometimes, something wild, and so often it means we’re moving on again. This is the best place we’ve ever been!”
    “Not to worry, my dear!” Atre exclaimed as he came out of his room, dressed in his best black coat. “I’m off to pay thecompany’s respects at poor Lady Kylith’s wake. Such a loss!” He kissed her cheek, then pulled on a fine pair of black kid gloves. “Nothing to fret your pretty head about, though. There are plenty more rich fish in this lovely, fertile Rhíminee sea, and I plan to stay here for a very long time.”
    Seregil, Alec, and Thero arrived at Kylith’s villa to find it already full of mourners and a cold feast laid out in the reception hall. Dead she might be, but Kylith’s hospitality lived on. Looking around, Seregil saw Eirual and a number of her courtesans, as well as Count Selin and Malthus. A very somber Ysmay was attending to the guests, dressed in black and jet.
    Seregil went to her and kissed her on both cheeks. “Ysmay, I’m sorry for your loss. Thank you for sending word.”
    “Of course,” she replied sadly. “She loved both of you very much.” She paused and dabbed at her eyes with an already damp and wrinkled lace handkerchief. Seregil took his out and pressed it into her hand.
    “Thank you. It was so sudden! And she was so looking forward to the play last night. She just said she was a little tired. I had no idea—”
    “I doubt she did, either, my dear,” Seregil said.
    “May we see her?” asked Alec.
    “I’ll be here,” Thero told them.
    Ysmay led Seregil and Alec up the gilded marble staircase to Kylith’s bedchamber, where the lady was laid out on the bed in a magnificent gold-embroidered gown and slippers, and heavy gold and ruby jewelry. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, as always, and adorned with jeweled pins.
    “You did her proud, Ysmay.” Seregil went to the bedside. “Rhíminee has lost some of its light today.” He placed a hand over Kylith’s where they rested on her breast and bent to kiss her brow. A single tear ran down her cheek as if she were weeping rather than him. Accepting Alec’s handkerchief, he carefully blotted the streak of moisture away so as not to mar her carefully applied cosmetics.
    They returned downstairs to find Duke Reltheus there.
    “Such a wonderful lady.” Reltheus sighed. “I wish I’d gotten to know her better.”
    “Mother is devastated,” said Selin. “She was friends