7
The wind off the sea had whipped the flames into an
all-devouring madness. The entire neighborhood was lost. I had a
damned good idea where and how it had started, and I swore bitterly
at the sight. Accidental fires didn’t spread this way, not in good
neighborhoods, where they could afford to keep the antifire wards
in top shape. Not even with these winds.
That made
this emberman’s work. Lok’s mystery boss was covering his tracks
and Devin’s, too, though I figured that last was an accident. Devin
might have fallen a long way, but I simply couldn’t imagine him
playing emberman. Fire killed wholesale. Using it like this marked
you out as someone who couldn’t hit the target clean. Incompetent.
A temple-trained Blade would sooner cut his own
throat.
Though I
didn’t think it would do me much good, I moved upwind and slipped
through the cordon of stingers that were keeping people away from
the fire. The line of watchmen, in the black and gold uniforms that
gave them their nickname, were fending off a mixed crowd. Gawkers
and opportunists mostly, leavened with the occasional concerned
resident. I didn’t get very deep into the burning neighborhood.
Even with the smoke mostly blowing away from me, the heat forced me
to turn around before I’d traveled much more than a
block.
“Dammit,
dammit, dammit!” I turned away from the flames, toward the nearest
wall and my shadow. “Triss, what are the chances of us circling
around and picking up Devin and Zass’s trail somewhere beyond the
edge of the fire?”
My shadow
leaped and danced in the wild interplay of fire and light-cutting
smoke just as you might expect of a normal shadow. The movement
cleverly concealed what I recognized as a careful scan for other
observers. But we were alone, though whether that was because of
the effectiveness of the guards or because no one else was crazy
enough to go so deep into the fires, I couldn’t say. And my shadow
soon slid into the familiar shape of the dragon. He looked nervous
and kept a close watch on the closest flames—even normal fire can
hurt a Shade if there’s enough of it.
“I’m
sorry, but it’s just not going to happen today,” said Triss. “It
probably wouldn’t have worked even if we were able to start from
that trailhead we found last night. Too many hours of spring
sunshine have already passed since Zass last touched the stones
there.” He spread his wings to take in the fires around us. “And
now . . .” He shook his head. “Heat and light will have burned the
trail completely away.”
“I wish
you’d told me last night that we’d lose the trail if we waited. We
could have—”
“Could
have what?” interrupted Triss. “Chased a renegade Blade across the
rooftops in the darkness when we were both injured and exhausted?
Done so virtually unarmed? Facing who knows what traps Devin might
have left on his back trail? With your nima drained to the dregs?
And if we had caught him, then what? There
are simpler and less embarrassing ways to commit suicide than
facing Devin under such circumstances.”
I wanted
to argue, but the heat of the flames was tearing at my back like a
fiery scourge. Besides, Triss was right again. There are ways to
wield power beyond the ends of your nima, but they require physical
reserves I simply hadn’t owned the night before.
I sighed
and nodded. “I suppose that trying for magelightning and bursting
your heart instead is probably not the smartest way to end your
life.”
“Neither
is burning alive.” Triss looked around worriedly, and I nodded
again.
“Point.
We’ll have to find another angle on Devin and Maylien.” A coughing
fit prevented my saying anything more. So I threw my arm across my
face and started breathing through the fabric of my sleeve as I
took us away from the fire.
Once I got
out in the clear again, I turned toward the Spinnerfish. I figured
I had just enough cash left to cover a meal and a few
tongue-loosening drinks. With the shadow trail broken, I needed to
find Devin some other way, and the Spinnerfish provided good food,
rich information, and a pleasant place out of the wind where I
could play bait.
If you
want to catch a shark, you spill blood in the water—another thing
I’d learned from Master Kelos. And since mine was the blood Devin
wanted most . . .
I’d barely
put my ass in the chair at the same table I’d had last time when
Erk appeared from the back. He was holding my half-finished tucker
bottle of Kyle’s, two glasses, and the drum-ringer. It saved me the
trouble of asking after the bottle but also made me mighty nervous
to be singled out like this again.
“Don’t you
look sour,” he said after he poured the two glasses full. “I hope
it’s not on account of your buying me a drink. I didn’t have to
save the bottle for you in the first place.”
“Nothing
on you and the Kyle’s,” I replied as I picked up my glass, then
coughed to cover my jerk when Triss kicked me in the ass. “I’m
thinking I should maybe be drinking a bit lighter anyway. Though I
do find myself wondering about being graced with your presence at
my table two nights in a row.”
Erk
frowned. “If you’re that badly out of count on the days, maybe you
have been tipping the bottle too much. But that’s not why I came by
and not my business by any means.”
“Wait,” I
said, “what do you mean ‘out of count’? What day is it?”
Erk raised
his eyebrows and took a drink, then said flatly,
“Sylvasday.”
“Oh.” That
was four days after Atherasday, which was when I’d been
deathsparked. I hadn’t realized I’d been out nearly so long. It was
my turn to take a drink though, out of deference to Triss, I sipped
the whiskey instead of knocking it straight back. Which is what I
wanted to do after that news.
“Lose a
couple days?” asked Erk.
I nodded.
“Though not to drink.” I paused then, remembering Erk’s reputation
as a former black jack. “Actually, you might be able to help me
there. Do you know any way to avoid a deathspark?”
“Ouch.” He
whistled. “That’s bad magic, and I can’t say I’ve heard of any way
to avoid it except not hitting the target.”
“I’d never
have thought of that.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my
voice.
“No,
seriously. There’s no point in killing a man walking under that
mark. He’ll burn away from the inside soon enough on his own. Why
bloody your dagger? You just need to learn to spot the signs and
walk away. Looks a lot like caras-dust addiction actually, bright
eyes, lank hair, sweaty, talking too much. The main difference is
that your caras snuffler doesn’t have an ash-drawn glyph on the
back of his neck.”
“And if
it’s him or you?” I asked.
Erk’s eyes
went far away for a second, then widened. “The Kadeshis, you mean.
From the other night. That explains several things.” Then he shook
his head and seemed to be looking inward. “I’m surprised I didn’t
notice that. Must have been a very freshly set spark. Well, that,
and I’m not really in the business of watching out for that sort of
thing anymore.” Finally, he shrugged. “Him or you is always a
tougher question, but I’d think someone like yourself could have
just faded into the shadows and walked away if you’d
chosen.”
He had me
there, but if we started talking about all the mistakes I’d made
recently, we’d be there all night, so I moved on. “While I’m asking
you questions, I’ve another. I met a girl recently, and I was
wondering if you might know anything about her. That’s why I
stopped in actually.”
“To ask me
questions?” He crossed his arms and gave me a very hard look. “If
she’s a customer, I don’t know anything more about her than I know
about you when someone asks.”
“No, not
to ask you questions, but to ask some of your other customers,” I
said. “You just happened to sit down first. Besides, it’s not like
that. She’s a client of mine, a noble one and she . . . let’s just
say I owe her one. I’m not looking for anything confidential, just
common city gossip. Besides, I doubt she’s spent much time in the
Spinnerfish. Her name is Maylien and she’s related to the Baroness
Marchon.”
“Sorry,”
said Erk, his expression closing further. “I’m afraid I can’t help
you.”
Which told
me that she had eaten at the Spinnerfish
often enough for Erk to recognize the name. And that meant someone
else there could probably give me something useful. I smiled and
took another sip of my whiskey.
“Fair
enough. That runs my line out,” I said. “What are you fishing for tonight? You said the Kadeshis’
being tied to a deathspark explained a lot. Is that
it?”
“I’m not
fishing, and yes, it’s the Kadeshis. I wanted to warn you about . .
.” He turned in his seat and looked toward the door. A moment later
it opened and a tall woman came in. She wore a gold and black
uniform with a watch captain’s insignia on the shoulders. “Well,
that,” Erk said as he slipped the drum-ringer into his jacket and
headed toward the newcomer.
“Captain
Fei,” said Erk, “as always, I’m delighted to see you come in. Would
you like your usual table?”
Fei nodded
absently as she scanned the room. She was broad across the
shoulders and hips, with the heavy muscles of a jindu master. A
thick brown braid hung almost to her waist, plaited flat for ease
under a helm. She was too pale to be highborn and had freckles on
her cheeks and arms as well as light green eyes that marked her as
having a foreigner in her ancestral line, and that all too
recently. Her face was round, her features plain but pretty, almost
soft, an impression belied by the knife scar that ran down and back
from her left cheekbone to the point of her jaw.
I hunched
my shoulders a bit and looked down at the table when she glanced my
way. In other circumstances, I might have made a point of smiling
and meeting her eyes to show my innocence, but not in the
Spinnerfish. Here and now, not looking like I had something to hide
would have marked me out as different from my fellows, suspicious.
I didn’t play it too big because that would have drawn unwanted
attention, too. Especially since Fei knew me. She knew everybody in
the shadow trades, having worked with all of the heavy players at
one time or another and most of the independents, including
me.
Captain
Kaelin Fei was something of a Tienese institution, the perfect
model of a corrupt cop. She had hooks in every major shadow
operation in town, and everyone who mattered knew it, including
Fei’s boss, the watch commandant, and his boss, the Duchess of
Tien. Maybe even King Thauvik himself.
Unlike a
regular district captain, Fei had no set area under her watch and
no investigatory responsibility. Fei’s only job was maintaining
stability in the capital city. It was almost surprising that more
places hadn’t invented a Captain Fei since the role she filled went
a long way toward making the locals feel safe and secure. The ones
who mattered to government anyway. It was Fei’s job to see that
shadow wars didn’t spill out of places like the Stumbles and
Smuggler’s Rest to trouble the more upright citizens, and to make
sure that what crime there was in the better neighborhoods didn’t
cause civil unrest. Fei was very good at that job. She was also
coming my way.
Fuck.
I ignored
her right up until she sat down across from me, at which point I
put on a sick smile. “Buy you a drink, Captain?”
“Thank
you, Aral, that would be lovely.” She raised a hand to signal the
waitress and ordered a glass of rice wine. “Been a long time since
I last saw you in here.”
It was a
request for information.
“I like
the food well enough, but I’m rarely so much in pocket I can
indulge myself.”
“And you
are now?”
“I’d say
that’s self-evident.”
The
captain’s sake arrived, and she took a sip before continuing,
“S’funny, you don’t look in pocket.” She
reached across and touched a stain on my cuff. “Not at
all.”
Shit. I’d forgotten the clothes. I wanted to blame
the dungeon and the deathspark, but too many years of booze and
easy jobs made a more likely answer. My heart tried to beat faster,
but I forced it to stay slow and steady. The captain might not be
able to hear the beat, but she’d see the secondary signs if I let
myself get too nervous. For a brief moment I regretted having given
up efik—a dose of calm would have gone down very nicely just
then.
I darted a
look around, then lowered my voice, “Don’t tell anyone, but I got
rolled last night. In my best clothes no less. Finished up a nice
little job and went on a binge. Passed out in the wrong place just
like a green fool.”
When a
tough question comes too close to the truth, the easiest way to
throw off the scent is to give an embarrassing confession to
something completely different.
“That was
a damned stupid move, especially for a jack of your experience and
reputation. Even a drunk. Might be time to cut back on the
booze.”
“It is
that,” I agreed, and a pressure along my back let me know that
Triss thought so, too. When I spoke again, it was as much to him as
Fei. “I learned an important lesson last night, and a dangerous
one. From here on out I’ll be mastering my drinking instead of
letting the drink master me. I really am getting my act back
together”—I leaned forward—“and I’d take it as a personal favor if
you wouldn’t pass that story along to anyone,
Captain.”
She took
another sip of her rice wine and gave me a long, considering look.
“Your eyes have seen what the bottom looks like. I can see it
there, and that didn’t used to be the case.” She nodded. “You’re a
smart man, Aral, and a good jack. Every time I’ve given you a job,
it’s gotten done without any mess or fuss, which is why you’ve
gotten more than one and will likely see my coin again in the
future. Don’t let the bottom suck you down again.”
“I don’t
intend to.” Triss rubbed my back companionably, and I started to
relax.
Mistake.
“Now tell
me why you reek of smoke and not from a brazier. The Old Mews is on
fire, and you’ve been up that way today, or I’m a fresh-hatched
chick. That’s well outside your normal territory. What brought you
there?”
“A
delivery.” How had she smelled that? I hadn’t washed my clothes,
but I wasn’t sitting all that close to her, and there were plenty
of stronger scents in the packed tavern. “I can’t say
more.”
“Not even
for me?” She batted her long eyelashes at me. On her it looked
predatory.
“Not even
for the Son of Heaven,” I replied. “Where it comes to my hires, I’m
a mute, Fei. That’s to you and . . .” I
drew out the pause, “about you.”
Fei
laughed. “You drive a sharp point there, jack. Fair enough. But if
I find out you had anything to do with starting that fire, I’ll
nail your flayed hide up for display behind the gallows. Nobody
does that in my city and lives.”
“Then
we’re fine. Emberman’s so far out of my line, you can’t even see
the shadow from where I stand. That’s black-work of the worst sort.
I don’t kill for money and I’d sooner slit my wrists than take a
job that involved fire.”
“Glad to
hear you so emphatic,” said Fei, but her eyes narrowed
slightly—curious but not suspicious, though I don’t think anyone
who hadn’t been trained to read faces would have caught
it.
I’d
slipped somehow, exposed something I oughtn’t.
I took a
sip of my whiskey and leaned back in my chair and tried to decide
how to cover whatever it was I’d given away. But I just didn’t know
enough. Fei took another drink as well and I could see her weighing
things up in her head like a warboard player trying to decide what
piece to move next.
“S’funny,”
she said eventually.
“What?” I
asked after a few seconds of silence told me she wanted me
to.
“You speak
the language so well that I sometimes forget you’re not a native,
and that despite your looks. Where are you from originally? Your
bones are Varyan, but the accent’s too faint for me to be sure, and
there’s enough outbreeding between Varya and Dalridia or the Kvanas
to blur things.”
“You’re
very good, Captain. I’m from Emain Wast, right on the edges of the
mageburned lands.”
Which was
half a lie. I was Varyan right enough, but I’d been born in Emain
Tarn on the shores of the sacred lake and less than a day’s walk
from the temple of Namara. Anyone who knew Namara would know that
didn’t really matter, that her Blades came from every one of the
eleven kingdoms that had survived the great burning. But I didn’t
want Fei putting Namara and me in the same thought even in passing,
and Emain Wast lay as far away from the temple as you could get in
Varya and still be in a city. I didn’t think the captain would buy
me as a country boy.
“What were
you there, I wonder?”
Fei didn’t
sound like she was really talking to me, but I answered anyway,
“Shadow jack, same as here. Or maybe just a bit shadier.” I grinned
and flicked my eyebrows up, inviting the captain to share in the
joke. “Left the place a half step ahead of one of your counterparts
in the law.”
“Price on
your head?” asked Fei.
I nodded.
“Though not big enough to be worth the shipping fee, if you’re
thinking about trying to collect on it.”
“But it
is big enough that you can’t go
home.”
“Nor
anyplace else in Varya or the Kvanas. It taught me a lesson that’s
stuck, too—that there’s good work and bad in the shadows and that I
won’t touch the latter ever again.”
“Once
burned . . .” she said.
“I don’t
think I’ll complete the old saw if you don’t mind. No burning for
me. Not then and not now. Let’s just say that I’m cautious about
the jobs I’ll take and leave it there. But that’s more than enough
talking about me. What brings you down to this end of town? If the
question’s not treading on any dangerous ground, that is. If it is,
forget I asked.”
Fei rolled
her glass between her fingers, warming the sake, which had cooled
while we talked. “It’s not dangerous ground at all. Not for you at
any rate, unless you’re hiding a mage under those old rags you’re
wearing. Actually, there might be some coin for you in this job if
you’re interested and not otherwise engaged.”
“Hang on a
second.” I pulled my shirt out and looked down the collar. “Nope.
Nobody in here but one slightly sooty jack.” I forced a grin.
“Figured I’d best check for mages since the odd spot of nightside
delivery does fall into my line though not
usually so big a package as all that, and I’d rather play honest
with you where I can.”
Fei
snorted, then drank a bit more of her sake. “No. Whoever set this
play up runs a couple of cards up from the jack. I’m looking for a
king or an ace if it’s really a shadowside job and an earl or a
baroness if the sunside royalty is playing.”
My ears
pricked at the word “baroness.” “Sounds messy.”
“And
political. Someone ghosted a couple of Kadeshi mercenaries about a
hundred and fifty yards thataway.” The captain waved vaguely toward
the door. “Which circumstance would normally be grounds for
celebration in my office. There’s no one like a Kadeshi for making
trouble.”
“But . .
.” I had to fight to keep the interest out of my
voice.
“But these
bastards all had deathmarks on the backs of their necks of the
magelightning variety. A deathspark’s a tricky and expensive bit of
magery even without tying it to three deaths instead of just the
one. And that’s saying nothing about how illegal it is. But again,
not something I’d normally worry about. My job’s making sure things
run smooth and quiet, not enforcing the law.”
“What
happened to the killers? Charcoal? That’s how a deathspark works,
right?”
“It is and
I wish, but no. Whatever party or parties sliced these boys up—a
very fancy piece of knifework, I might
add—has vanished away completely.”
“So where
do you come in? And, more importantly,
where do I? I’m always up for a bit more coin, but . . . Bad boys
get marked. Bad boys get killed. Killers go completely bye-bye.
That sounds about as smooth and quiet as you could ask for things
to run. I’d think you’d want to leave it there.”
“Nothing
would make me happier,” said Fei, “but this one’s got its very own
set of noises and bumps in the person of a baroness of the royal
house and her own pet colonel of the Elite, both of whom want to
know what happened and why justice has not yet been served on all
involved.”
Fuck, Elite.
“Okay, I’m
still not seeing where I come in,” I said.
Meanwhile,
Triss started doing the routine where he marches invisible
centipedes up and down my back.
“I thought
you might want to play ear for me. Outside your normal line, I
know, but it’s clean, and you’re a smart player. The noble pressure
means I need to get this one done quick, and that calls for a wide
net. If you hear anything I might want to know on this one, I’ll
make it worth your while.”
“Now that
sounds like . . . Oh, shit.”
The door
of the Spinnerfish had just opened.
“What is
it?” asked Fei.
“Your
Elite colonel, skinny little quink with a bit of a
limp?”
“That’s
him.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Well,
he’s about to join us.”
In the
moment before Fei turned in her seat and waved to the colonel, I
saw the faintest trace of fear ripple through her eyes. It was
erased an instant later by the adamantine nerves that had made her
such a power in Tien’s shadow trades, but it was
there.
Blade
training or not, I started to sweat.