The Nameless Assassins

The Orchid Salon

Of all the people involved in the new management of the casino, Irimina turned out to be the most excited – and not for the expected reasons either.

On the day we met to discuss the transfer of ownership and division of labor and profit, her butler ushered us not into the usual parlor but a large drawing room I'd never seen before. I followed Ash through the doorway and stopped so suddenly that Faith trod on my heels with a loud squeal.

"Isha! The idea of walking forward is to walk forward!"

I couldn't even speak.

I was in U'Duasha again.

All around me hung silk scroll paintings of flowers: abstract black-and-white ink washes of hibiscus or jasmine, infinitely detailed renderings of frangipani or orchids. Beneath the paintings gleamed a profusion of rosewood tables, carved with stylized clouds and birds, and lovingly polished until the dark veins stood out against the reddish-brown wood like tiger markings. Each one bore an arrangement of Iruvian artwork – vases of all shapes and sizes coated in the famous black glaze and speckled with golden flecks like the night sky (and the day sky too, here in Doskvol); intricate mosaic pieces depicting elaborate Hadrathi glyphs surrounded by flowering vines; rock crystal ewers carved with fantastic creatures and topped by gold filigree lids; and exotic animals the size of my thumb carved from white and lavender jade.

Irimina's voice emerged from the back of the room, where she was busy adjusting a display of ivory panels. One depicted a butcherbird impaling a lizard on thorny vines. "What do you think of my art collection, Glass?"

I needed a moment to remember that I was Glass. "It's impressive," I said at last, with perfect sincerity.

She looked incredibly pleased by that assessment.

"It could be more pink," Faith commented, eyeing the pieces critically. "Have you considered acquiring more pink pieces?"

"Have you insured this collection properly?" was Ash's contribution. "It looks very valuable."

"Yes," Irimina said to Ash. To Faith: "As it turns out, our new joint business venture provides me with an opportunity to remedy the lack of pinkness."

"How so?" Ash and I asked at the same time.

"Brannon and I have discussed renaming and redecorating the casino," she explained. "I intend to donate much of this artwork to the enterprise and treat it as a tax write-off." Looking more animated than I'd ever seen her, she practically babbled, "It gives me the opportunity to order more pieces for my personal collection. For a while, I've wanted to branch out into rare books and manuscripts – I hear there's a tragically recently deceased Vaasu scholar whose family intends to auction off his collection – but I just haven't had the space. But Brannon and I were filling out paperwork for the casino, and I rather fancy the Orchid Salon as a new name, so Brannon suggested redecorating in a floral theme, and then we remembered you, Glass, and we thought, 'Why not make it more exotic to attract patrons?' It certainly works for the Moon's Embrace Spa."

I hid a wince as best I could. "Indeed, it does," I admitted.

Irimina looked exceedingly pleased with herself.

"The Orchid Salon?" protested Faith. "That's so prosaic! How about...Your Money or Your Life? That seems appropriate, doesn't it? Or...or...oh, oh, I have it! The Brown Venison!"

Irimina actually laughed, exhilarated by the prospect of draining her finances (again) to splurge on, er, invest in objets d'art. "Thank you for the input, Faith, but we've already filed the paperwork for the name change."