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I waited for the curtains to fall back in place before turning to Adeet. “How much do you owe the Vipers?”
“Four hundred sungold,” he said. “Not a significant fortune, at least under average circumstances, but if my goods are confiscated, my profits are gone. I can’t pay Irshan two moonsilver, much less four hundred gold.”
“You’d really think he would not give you a few weeks? He’s a good guy, if a bit grumpy, and you two looked like friends.”
“We have a past, that is true,” he said. “But it has been many moons since.”
“Since?”
“Since Irshan, a young, foolish mercenary boy back then, made me spend every last coin on his idea. Quite the irony for him to barge into my home now, demanding a much smaller debt.”
“I could tell you about the ideas of the foolish mercenary boys... But I guess it didn’t work out? For you and Irshan.”
“It worked perfectly. I have heard they quickly turned into a well-respected organization, while I have crafted a society underneath the city. The two complimented each other seamlessly. But times change, men grow old, and plans fall.” Adeet leaned back and put his hands on his lap. “I should retire soon.”
“You can’t do that,” I said. “You heard Irshan. We’re just his brats like the beggars are yours. Leaders can’t retire before the brats grow up. However, this brat may have a thing to teach you. Or two.”
“I am intrigued,” he said, his usual grin spreading on his face again.
“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe your meds are working as intended. I have friends excelling at both gathering and spreading information. If a hopeless, sick man is looking for a last resort, I can make sure he’s led your way, and if they survive, your reputation spreads. I’ll even take it up a notch by telling the woes of the poor alchemist excluded by the evil provincial guild. People like that kind of thing.”
“Advertising was never a problem. Keeping it from authorities is far more difficult.”
“Trust me, the friends mentioned aren’t fond of authorities, either. As for the second thing... Do you know how much a pack of crystals costs these days?”
“Seven or eight sungold? It depends on who you are buying it from,” he replied, folding his thick arms.
“If you cook better than what’s on the market, you can charge ten for it. Worst-case scenario, you could pay your debt to Irshan in two nights. It’s not the same as selling remedies, of course, but an option.”
Adeet shook his head. “If no one will take my potions in fear of the soldiers, what makes you think crystal would be any different?”
“They’re only afraid because the guild keeps spreading fear to defeat the opposition. There’s no guild for crystal cooks. The stuff comes from the northern islands, so the only problem is the other distributors – and they fall outside the law. Violent, but not as organized as the soldiers. And the addicts don’t care, they buy the best quality for the lowest price, so if you can protect yourself, you would be fine.”
“I would be lying if I claimed I am at all experienced in these substances. My education was to cure and revitalize, not to hook people on false joy and bought happiness. But I can see you are quick with your wits, Irshan’s daughter,” Adeet said. “We could accomplish great things given more time. Things that don’t cross either of our boundaries.”
“I’ll think about it.”
That was a lie, of course. Even if I survived my date with Arjun Sikdar and the Court of Fire, who knew when I could return, if ever.
Where the hell were these opportunities a year ago?
“Think as much as you’d like. I should warn you, though. Science is a dangerous lake. First, you only dip a foot in it, then take one step, then another, and before you know it, you are swallowed into the deep.”
“I’m not afraid. Everyone needs a calling, and the longer it keeps me busy, the better.”
“I see.” Adeet stood up and walked toward the stairs leading to the upper floors. “In that case, you might want to follow me.”
I hurried after him through the trapdoor he opened, but it only led to an empty room. There was no other exit, no windows, and when Adeet closed the trapdoor, we were left in utter darkness.
“Now watch carefully,” he said, fumbling with something that sounded like a rope sliding across a pulley. A small window opened on the roof and sunlight blinded me for a moment.
Then my jaw dropped.
At first, I thought there were dots of light all over the wall, except for the corner where Adeet stood, but the more I looked at it, the more I recognized the port district of Kahlaran from a bird’s-eye-view. Adeet pulled another rope and the image slowly shifted, showing another part of the city. I thought it was just some interesting image until I noticed the moving images of people, and even spotted Sheen’s exotic blonde hair for a moment, rushing towards the Lotus.
I stumbled towards the wall. It was real. Live, as in showing exactly what was going on around us in that exact moment.
“Is that... Some kind of magic?” I whispered as if my voice would have destroyed the phantasm.
“It is not. Only knowledge.” Adeet grinned. “Our people believe that every age ends eventually. Knowledge and magic corner each other in a perpetual dance, cycling through the ages one by one. You’ve just glimpsed the next era.”
“How... how do you do this?”
“Light is similar to people. Some things attract it, others repel. Silver repels it most clearly, and if someone has the knowledge, they can use it to see where they don’t have eyes. Above us stands one of the prayer towers. The light pours down from its ledge, propelled by silver mirrors on top of the tallest buildings in Kahlaran. Even the slightest tilt allows me to look at the city from a different perspective, through a different mirror. Well, what do you say?”
I was speechless. I’ve seen a thousand miracles in our world – dancing images on the surface of water conjured by the marids, playful rainbow spectacles in the city among clouds, but what Adeet showed was different. It was achievable, understandable, and that awakened a new kind of greed in me.
“That’s impressive,” I said finally. “I see what you meant. Once you can sense the scope of all this, it grips you.” I looked at the miniature mirror city of Kahlaran again. Adeet’s science could tie me down for another century or two, if not more. “I don’t really think mercenary life is for me, but I might just try alchemy if you will teach me. But first, we have a more pressing matter. Will you help us?”
“We made a deal,” Adeet shrugged, still smiling with satisfaction as he closed the upper window. He pulled a glass tube filled with a yellowish liquid from a pocket and shook it until it lit up with a warm light. “I am a respectable businessman. If you keep your end, so shall I honor mine.”
“Remind me, what’s the deal precisely? Just so we’re clear which part is going to cost us because there were a lot of things said.”
“I think this can wait until our less smart but much more abrupt companions return,” he said, as we returned downstairs.
I couldn’t handle all the excitement, so I practically bolted to the curtains and stuck my head out.
Tamen was standing against the wall, Ezair was a few feet away, still rubbing his temple, while Chief Irshan continuously scratched the tip of his nose, circling Ezair with a thoughtful expression. They spotted me almost at the same time.
“I see you’ve finished, lass,” Irshan said. “Come, let us sit before I wear my feet down. This mess you’re in... It boggles me how you always end up like this.”
I shrugged. “It only takes a couple of malicious djinns and Ezair’s craziness. It’s not that difficult. Come in, we got ourselves a deal.”
When they had settled, Adeet leaned forward.
“My offer is as follows. I know of an upstream passage that opens directly into the corridor outside the palace watch house. They clogged it with rubble, but with my skills and the help of my people, that can be solved in minutes. The real problem is that as soon as we walk through the last door, there will be four guards waiting for us.”
Ezair shook his head. “That’s not a problem. We have a mejai at our side, so—”
“I think it is best if I know as little as possible, Viper,” Adeet said, cutting Ezair off. “Just tell me, can you assure three of the Ancestral Land can enter the palace undetected?”
“Depends. How far do you want to get in?”
“No further than yourselves. After that point, we will manage on our own.”
“In that case, yes.”
Adeet bowed his head, turning to Irshan. “I and my men will... borrow things from the prince’s palace and sell them off within three days. Then I shall pay your debt while helping the members of your household.”
Irshan just grunted. “Fine.”
“When do we begin?” Ezair said.
“Patience, Viper. I’ll send a message when the preparations are complete.”
He put on a sour face, but we had little choice. We needed their help, and to get it we had to play by their rules.
“I think it’s time for us to get ready,” he said looking at me and Tamen.
“The sooner we take care of it, the sooner we can get back to our private matter,” I said to Adeet. “We came down a slide... How can we leave?”
“I’ll have you escorted out,” Adeet said, stepping through the makeshift doorway and whistling at the nearest beggars, pointing at the one that had carried Ezair here. “Lead our guests to the market entrance.”
“We’ll wait for your message. Don’t tally for long,” Ezair said.
“You seirs and your impatience,” Adeet replied with a shake of his head. “Worry not, Viper, it will come sooner than you think.”
The beggar supposed to guide us was already halfway across the makeshift square around the tower, shouting at us from a distance. “So, you coming or what?”
“Seriously?” I shouted back. “What’s your problem? Why are you this offended?”
The beggar just shrugged and kept walking, so offense or not, we had to hurry.
“Irshan’s daughter?” Ezair asked meanwhile.
“I didn’t give him the idea, but why not? It’d be fun to be his daughter.”
Tamen shivered. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“Also, you’d be siblings with Hain,” Ezair added. That’s not something I wanted to think about, so I just kept trotting after our guide.
***
The path we were led through ended in an alley near the fairground, through a boarded-up and—thankfully—dry sewer, where our attendant left us.
Ezair took a deep breath and leaned against the wall of a small apartment building nearby. “I think we used up our luck for the next year.”
“Only if you say things like that. Although I agree that without Irshan, we’d be in a much deeper hole,” I said. I could still hear echoes and shreds of my conversation with the alchemist, and see the image of Kahlaran reflected by those mirrors, and I was sure I wouldn’t be able to get it out of my head for a while. “Did you.... Did you think about the future? Rashad and Osmi will be wanted fugitives.”
“You said you’d expand the shop into An Ramash,” Ezair said. “That’s the best place to disappear. No one would ever find us in that chaos.”
“That’s what I was thinking. As soon as I finish a personal business with Adeet.” And a rendezvous with the Marid and probably his master, but I couldn’t say that to Ezair. “What about Inspector Rashad?”
“He’ll sulk and not talk to me for a while, but he’ll put up with it. The City of Wonders also needs two strong arms and a sharp sword, or twice that. We’ll be fine.”
“You’re staying with him?”
“I don’t have a better idea. Without me, he’d be a priest and make a pilgrimage to find the New Garden or something... But it’s time we forge a plan. How many times will they let me into the Velvet Lotus wounded, I wonder?”
“Miss Chai won’t be happy.” Tamen shook his head. Ezair quickly started walking forward, so we couldn’t see the look on his face.
“Don’t be so sure, Tamen,” I said, patting the boy’s shoulder. “I think she won’t mind Ezair’s injury after we tell her we all plan to leave for An Ramash. She’s much more likely to kill us for leaving her here, bored out of her mind.”
The Velvet Lotus was no different than most evenings. Patrons laughed and mingled with the girls, goblets tinkled as they knocked against each other, water splashed when someone jumped into the pools.
To my delight, I caught Ilea’s dance. Watching her spin and coil, waving sinuous fabrics around was mesmerizing, but I was careful not to get hammered this time. It was difficult to turn down the drinks, the pipe, or the crystal tonight, but I managed. I couldn’t let myself get a hangover for tomorrow, as there was no saying when Adeet would call for us. I had to be ready.
Ezair disappeared into Chai’s room to get himself ready for the great dungeon break, and neither of them turned up for some time. I struggled to fall asleep for an hour, and I was back on my feet before the last guest left. There was no chance I could rest while the life of my dad and Ezair’s uncle all depended on our next move.
To occupy myself, I took a mop from a teenage girl and started washing the courtyard myself. The small community of the Lotus reflected society perfectly; they pushed the dirtiest work on the youngest girls, the lowest ranking members of this intricate chain. They had to bear this and hope that in years to come they would be the ones giving orders to their younger peers. But as per usual, I, the foreigner, unsettled the norms and did things no one expected me to do.
That sounded almost as philosophical as Ezair, but I blamed the sunrise.
I had already moved the carpets and pillows, and I was busy mopping the tiles when Ezair approached me with an unusually bitter face.
“Zaira. I need to talk to you.”
“I hate the sound of that. Nothing good starts that way.”
“Adeet sent the message. They’ll be ready tonight. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come with us.”.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear the latter.”
“I will repeat it as many times as needed. Nazrik’s magic objects work best with a mejai and one other person. The three of us are much less likely to go unnoticed, so I want you to stay with Tamen and prepare for when we succeed and free my uncle and your father.”
I got dizzy. Something was strangling my throat and even tears gathered in my eyes, so I turned away from Ezair. “He’s my father. I’m coming with you.”
“And you’d rather be there than make sure we could save him?”
“I can do both. After I mop up here, I’ll get our stuff ready, and if we escape, we’ll just grab it and move on to An Ramash.”
“What if the palace guards catch us? I can’t protect you forever and I’d hate to see you hurt.”
“You... you would?” I asked, blinking the tears away.
“We’re in this together. You’re my partner and my friend, and mercenaries take care of their partners.”
An unpleasant tingling spread around in my chest, like a burst of seeping blood from my heart, but I ignored it. That’s how we were. There was no surprise in it.
It shouldn’t have hurt that bad, but it did.
“They’ll get me no matter what. If they catch us by accident, it only hastens things a bit. But... Please let me do this, because if I can’t...”
Then I’m truly useless. I had failed nearly every task he gave me, and this was my last chance to prove myself.
“I don’t care what you think, or say. If you forbid it, I’ll sneak after you.”
Ezair just sighed, taking a step back and raising his hand like he was anticipating an attack. “Fine. Then show me I don’t have to protect you. That you’ll manage in the palace on your own.”
“You want me to attack you with a mop?”
“Yes, I do.”
He said it like it was the most natural thing ever, but I was thoughtless. I tried to hold it with both hands like a spear so I could whirl it around, then swung the wet end towards Ezair’s face.
He easily caught the handle and pulled it towards himself, which made his face wet, but the “weapon” flew out of my hand.
“That won’t save you from a guard. If that’s all you can do, anyone can drag you in front of the Marid.”
“You’re not listening. I said he’ll catch me no matter what.”
“I am listening, I just refuse to take you seriously. It’s just your pessimism talking again. That can also get you killed tomorrow.”
“If you’re trying to prove something, don’t bother. I know everyone outmatches me. But I’m trying to be useful like you said, so if you don’t think I can make it, teach me.”
“I’m not trying to prove anything, I’m trying to teach you enough so you would survive,” he said, circling me. “I can’t show much in a few hours, but if you still insist on coming with—”
“I do.”
“—then we’ll make it do. Let’s just say the end of the handle is a spearhead, so if you hit me with it, I’ll die. I’m stronger and faster. But how are you better than me?”
“Is that rhetorical?”
“No, it’s quite concrete. That’s the question that decides life and death.”
It was far from easy. I could create plans and haggle my way out of things, and since he followed the overt route I sketched out for him without thinking, I turned out an okay leader. But those had nothing to do with fighting.
“I might be smarter than you. Maybe I can deceive you,” I said.
“Do it, then.”
He stopped, held one hand with his palm open to his side, while his other hand prepared for the attack around his waist. Ezair was quick with his hands and could easily catch the mop from any direction, but I had an idea.
I swiped towards his knee. He bounced back reflexively, but I still managed to hit his left leg with the end of the mop handle. The jab wasn’t strong enough to rattle him, but it squeezed out a satisfied nod from him.
“It’s a clever move, but it’s dangerous. From here, I can stomp on your weapon, kick it, or just reach for it, unless you pull it back. My calf is hurt, but if I snatch it from your hand, you’ve lost. If you have a weapon longer than your arm, you must make sure that your opponent never gets between the tip and you.”
“You’re right. If it’s my only weapon.”
To be frank, my plan was for him to reach down and grab the mop. Then I could either smash my knee against his chin or even stab him in the stomach with a hidden dagger. My only chance was a ruse, I wasn’t even considering anything else.
“Fair point. Polearms are not weapons you’d use anyways, since the legitimate halberds are sequestered by the cavalry.”
“What about the palace guard?”
“Those are fancy flagpoles, not weapons, trust me. What’s more likely to be with you is a... Hmm... Let’s just say a borrowed short sword or dagger. Or your bare hands.”
To keep with the latter situation, Ezair stomped on the mop handle, knocking it out of my hands.
He moved closer in the same defensive position as before. I tried mirroring his stance.
“Every man is made of flesh, no matter how strong he is. And there are points where no one is protected, so if you want to attack, I suggest this.”
Ezair closed in at an untraceable speed, only stopping the edge of his palm less than an inch from my throat.
I winced, even though I hoped he wouldn’t actually hit me.
“Everyone freezes for a moment when they realize pain is about to strike them. That moment is your chance. Understand?”
I nodded. “And then they only concentrate on avoiding the pain so I can try other things?”
“Something like that. Now, let’s see you try....”