ã€ŠThe Butcher of Graywallã€‹


 Chapter 1

    PART 1

    Abbee felt something strike her back, and she pitched forward off the bridge pier. She caught a glimpse of blue sky and the noonday sun before the Charrin River rose up and slapped her in the face. It was cold and wet, and it wrapped around her threadbare shirt and trousers. She twisted and rolled, trying to get her face above the surface. Caught a glimpse of the bridge pier with faces on it. Most laughing or snickering. A couple of sad faces. Timm and Chella, brother and sister. Timm was a wiry boy and two years older than his sibling, a slender wisp of a girl with poor boundary control around other people¡¯s pockets. They frowned at her as she thrashed in the water. The others jeered and pointed.

    The water closed over Abbee¡¯s head. She opened her mouth to scream and instead sucked in a mouthful of river. She kicked and thrashed. Her mouth crested the water, and she choked and spluttered. Maybe hanging out on a bridge pier when she couldn¡¯t swim wasn¡¯t the brightest idea in the world.

    ¡°Aw, look at her!¡± someone shouted. ¡°Gonna be another strike! She¡¯s up to four!¡±

    ¡°Five and she¡¯s out!¡± another cried. ¡°Five and she¡¯s out!¡±

    Anger rose in Abbee¡¯s chest even though she knew she was dying. This wasn¡¯t fair. They knew she was almost out of strikes. Abbee couldn¡¯t see her name on the pier, on account of squeezing her eyes shut. She wouldn¡¯t see it, anyway. It was on the other side. Lots of names were carved into the bridge pier. Most of them had four vertical lines and a fifth through the lines and the name. Five strikes, and you were crossed out. You got crossed out; you got kicked off the pier. Couldn¡¯t come back. Abbee¡¯s name was in green and had three strikes. Somebody had said the names went back twenty years. Abbee was twelve. She couldn¡¯t imagine someone reaching twenty years old. Not a bridgie, anyway.

    Abbee felt something grab her arm. The river monster? Sammy was always talking about the river monster. Timm and Chella said it didn¡¯t exist, but Abbee couldn¡¯t swim. She didn¡¯t know if the river monster was real or not. Sammy had seemed serious about it, so Abbee had believed him. Then again, Sammy had pushed her into the river three times already. Abbee kicked. Her foot connected with something soft.

    ¡°Abbee!¡± a voice shouted, sounding strange through the water. Sounding familiar. ¡°It¡¯s me! It¡¯s Timm! Lemme help!¡±

    A hand on her arm again. Abbee tried opening her eyes underwater. It felt weird and wrong. She saw light above and shadows below. The river was deep here, too deep to see the bottom even with the sun overhead. Plenty of dark down there to hide a big river monster.

    Abbee felt an arm wrap around her waist. Her head crested the water. She gasped for air. Timm wasn¡¯t much bigger than Abbee, but he had powerful legs. He swam every day. He kicked and pulled, kicked and pulled. He brought Abbee over to the pier and swung her around. She slapped her hands against the rough stone. Chella bent over and pulled her up out of the water. Abbee tried to help and heave herself up, but her arms didn¡¯t work. No strength. She¡¯d expended all her energy flailing in the water.

    Chella pulled on Abbee¡¯s arms, but she was tiny. Timm pushed and scraped and heaved until Abbee lay on her back on the pier. She stayed there, coughing and gasping. She was alive. She was alive. Tears welled up in her eyes, clouding her vision. She was alive. She rolled over and started to cry.

    She heard the distinct ping of a stone chisel. Abbee knew it was Mith, Sammy¡¯s hanger-on. Mith had three strikes next to his name. He was always the one to carve a strike for somebody else.

    Sammy¡¯s head appeared above her, blocking the sun. Rough-cut brown hair hung down around his big round head, framing his usual sneer. ¡°Four strikes, Danner.¡±

    Abbee wiped her tears away. She hated crying in front of Sammy. She hated looking weak in front of anyone. Her father had said she was weak, like her mother. Abbee hated her father like she hated looking weak. Her mother was dead, and her father drank and hit people. Mostly Abbee. She wasn¡¯t big. Fighting with her inebriated father had been like slapping a bear. The bear was slow and clumsy, but it still hurt when it landed a blow. A lot. On the moonless night Abbee had fled her home, she¡¯d escaped with a black eye and bruised ribs. Every breath had been agony. Abbee wished she¡¯d known people big enough to help her hit back, but she¡¯d been alone on the streets of Akken.

    Sammy wasn¡¯t much better. He knew Abbee couldn¡¯t swim, and he pushed her off the pier anyway. Abbee knew hanging around a lot of water without knowing how to swim wasn¡¯t smart, but she had nowhere else to go. The bridge pier was the last stop on the river before the North Bend. Abbee knew that the North Bend was where all the thieves in the city lived. At least, that was what her father had said. She hated her father and disliked everything he¡¯d said, but he¡¯d been right about the North Bend. Everyone who lived on that side of the bridge looked harder and meaner than anyone else.

    Abbee climbed to her feet and glared at Sammy. She hated that he kept using her surname, even after multiple attempts to get him to use her first name. Abbee disliked using surnames and titles in general, partly because she¡¯d never had a title that she liked. But mostly because ¡°Danner¡± reminded her of her father and she hated everything about him. ¡°You said you¡¯d stop pushing me into the river.¡±

    ¡°I lied,¡± Sammy said. He barked a short, nasty chuckle. ¡°And you let your guard down. Made it easy. You want someone to blame¡ªI get it. Too bad that¡¯s you. Blame yourself.¡±

    Abbee wished she¡¯d present a talent right then. A mover. Throw Sammy off the pier with her mind. Or maybe a torch. Set him on fire. But Abbee was twelve and had no talent. Twelve was late. Abbee wasn¡¯t getting a talent. She knew it. She still wished for one. Wished so hard. Nothing came. It never did. Nobody on the pier had a talent. Sammy was old enough, but he didn¡¯t either. Abbee wondered why nobody returned after presenting and kicked Sammy off the pier. Chella said people with talents stopped caring about being in a bridgie gang. They got jobs and made real coin. Abbee knew she wouldn¡¯t be like that. She¡¯d come back and kick Sammy off the pier.

    ¡°You gonna do something?¡± Sammy asked.

    Abbee realized she¡¯d balled up her fists. Sammy was a lot bigger than her. Hitting him would be like hitting her father. Like hitting a bear. She relaxed her fists. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Good. It¡¯d be too bad if you got five strikes and a busted nose at the same time.¡±

    Thunder crashed in a clear sky, and the pier shook under Abbee¡¯s feet. Everyone froze. Abbee heard shouts of alarm from up on the bridge. More than that. Voices. Angry whispers from all around, in a language she didn¡¯t understand. The whispers died, and the bridge stilled. The shouts kept going.

    ¡°Mith!¡± Sammy barked. ¡°Go up and find out what¡¯s goin¡¯ on.¡±

    ¡°Why me?¡± Mith whined. ¡°Make Danner go.¡±

    ¡°Are you arguin¡¯ with me?¡± Sammy demanded. ¡°Do it, or it¡¯s another strike for you.¡±

    Mith glared at Abbee and clambered up the side of the bridge. He moved like he¡¯d done it a thousand times, and reached the top in seconds. The boy looked down and mouthed something to Abbee. She knew what he¡¯d said and felt her face go red. Mith disappeared over the railing. He didn¡¯t see Abbee¡¯s rude gesture in return.

    Sammy stood staring up after Mith. Waiting. He¡¯d turned away from Abbee. She could run up and push him into the water. Maybe. She was small. Might bounce off Sammy¡¯s back. And what if it was real trouble, and she needed someone big like him?

    Mith leaned out over the bridge railing. ¡°Can¡¯t see it from here,¡± he called down, ¡°but people are sayin¡¯ the Tower Bridge blew up.¡±

    Abbee remembered seeing the Tower Bridge. A grand span over a great chasm, connecting the Tower¡¯s plateau to the Overlook District. Her mother had brought her up the Tower Road one time. Took all day to climb to the top. They were poor. Couldn¡¯t afford a cart. Abbee¡¯s father had been furious that they¡¯d spent a whole day to see a stupid bridge.

    ¡°Blew up?¡± Sammy echoed.

    ¡°With people on it.¡±

    ¡°From what?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. Constables are runnin¡¯ all over the place.¡±

    ¡°Are the carts closin¡¯?¡± Sammy asked.

    Mith leaned back to look. His head reappeared. ¡°Nah, not yet.¡±

    Abbee released tension from her shoulders she hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d been holding. Whatever was happening in the city wasn¡¯t the end of the world. Common on every corner the whole city over, the frosty bread carts could tell the weather. If a big storm was coming, or some bad trouble with the wizards, the carts would close up shop and rattle off. If the bread sellers weren¡¯t nervous, nobody else had to be.

    ¡°We¡¯re comin¡¯ up,¡± Sammy said. ¡°Everybody with me.¡±

    Abbee grabbed the first brick and hauled herself up.

    ¡°No, Danner. You stay.¡±

    Abbee fumed and dropped back down. He¡¯d waited until she was about to climb just to tell her no.

    Sammy arched a brow. ¡°You gonna fight about it?¡±

    Abbee folded her arms and hugged her anger inside. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Good. Stay here and watch the pier. If anything¡¯s missin¡¯ when I come back, it¡¯s another strike.¡±

    Another strike would be five. Abbee glared at him. Sammy smirked at her and climbed up the bridge. Timm followed. Chella opened her mouth to say something. Closed it. She shrugged and climbed up after her brother.

    Abbee blinked back tears. It wasn¡¯t fair. She didn¡¯t know why somebody had to stay on the pier to watch their stuff. Timm had said that the constables rarely harassed the bridgie gangs, but they¡¯d clear the pier if they saw detritus from the railings. The gangs always returned, like flies to bad meat. Abbee hadn¡¯t wanted to think of herself as a fly. Still didn¡¯t.

    This was stupid. Nobody cared about the junk scattered under the bridge where nobody could see it. A small lean-to sat at the far end, out of the wind, made from scavenged planks and canvas. Abbee used it for sleeping only if Chella was there. Abbee didn¡¯t like being close to Sammy and Mith. The latter especially. He creeped her out.

    Abbee waited for what felt like forever. Nobody came back. She sat at the base of the pier and watched the river rush past. She didn¡¯t like being this close to the water. She wished Sammy had let her go with the others. Abbee resolved to ask Timm to teach her to swim when he came back. She didn¡¯t like being helpless. Especially helpless against boredom.

    She heard shouting overhead. Angry, frustrated yelling. Abbee climbed up the side of the bridge. Sammy couldn¡¯t yell at her and give her a fifth strike for investigating. It could be the constables, coming to clear out the bridge piers again. She got to the top and peered over the edge.

    The bridge was wide enough for four carriages. Abbee knew this because there were currently five of them jammed together down toward the west end, blocking traffic. Their drovers stood atop each one, pointing and yelling at each other, and ignoring the three constables shouting for them to move. Abbee giggled.

    Beyond the bridge stood the High Falls of Charrin. Clouds of mist shrouded the bottom. The highest known waterfall in the world and visible from outside the city. Atop the High Falls stood the Tower of Akken, where the wizards lived. Abbee saw three of the Tower¡¯s marble spires from this angle. The Tower Bridge was on the other side. The escarpment stretched in both directions as far as Abbee could see. The tall cliffs supposedly went all the way to the ocean on both sides of the continent, but Abbee had never left Akken. The world outside was rough and scary.

    Pedestrian traffic had started to back up behind the carriage jam. Some stood still enough, and distracted enough, to make easy marks for bridgie pickpockets. Abbee climbed over the railing and dropped to the ground. Looked left. Three people stood a few paces away, watching the drovers yell at one another. Abbee gauged the closest one. Their trousers had a pocket sewn onto the side. Something bulged in it. Something squarish. Abbee figured someone might get a couple of fingers in there without them noticing.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Chella barked. Close.

    Abbee jumped. ¡°Don¡¯t sneak up on me.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t lookin¡¯,¡± Chella said. ¡°You were busy tryin¡¯ to get up the nerve to pick that pocket. And you would¡¯ve gotten caught.¡±

    ¡°What? No, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Chella laughed at her. ¡°They¡¯d a caught you red-handed. You¡¯re no good at it. You won¡¯t ever be, neither. You won¡¯t and you know it. You¡¯re too clumsy. Sorry, Abbee, but you are. You need light hands.¡±

    ¡°I can learn,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Chella said, ¡°like you can learn to swim.¡±

    That stung. Doubly so because Abbee¡¯s mother had said the same thing about Abbee¡¯s hands. Abbee hadn¡¯t been deft enough to help her mother with sewing. She couldn¡¯t manage the threads, and she¡¯d consistently poked herself with the needles. Abbee¡¯s mother had let her carry things. But Abbee hadn¡¯t been allowed to touch anything smaller than a pincushion. Her mother had been patient and kind about Abbee¡¯s shortcomings in the sewing department. Her father, not so much. Every time Abbee had poked herself with a needle, he¡¯d called her stupid and slow.

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Abbee asked, looking around.

    ¡°They went upriver. Somebody said there are bodies at the bottom of the Falls.¡±

    ¡°Bodies?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Sammy said. He said he overheard somethin¡¯ about a monster too. Dunno about that part. But you and me are to get bait.¡±

    ¡°Bait?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°For the river monster?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not real,¡± Chella scoffed. ¡°This monster people are talkin¡¯ about probably isn¡¯t real either, but that¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re getting bait?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Sammy said he heard something about a reward for catchin¡¯ the monster. Said he¡¯d split it with us if we got all the bait we could find. I think he¡¯s full of it. He wouldn¡¯t split a bread crust with his best friend. But I¡¯d rather goof off than hang out with Sammy all day. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°What about the pier?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Sammy said¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nobody cares about the pier,¡± Chella said. ¡°Sammy just told you to wait down there to tell you to do something. You gotta grow a spine, Abbee, else he¡¯s gonna keep walkin¡¯ all over you.¡± She turned east, toward the River District end of the bridge. ¡°This way.¡±

    Abbee followed her. ¡°Where are we going?¡± There were parts of the city she wanted to avoid, and they were all in the direction Chella was walking in.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°I dunno,¡± Chella said. ¡°Far enough that I can¡¯t smell the river.¡±

    ***

    Abbee watched Chella pickpocket all the way across town. She stole enough money for frosty bread, several apples, meat pies, and a jaunty hat. Chella shared her food with Abbee. She gave the hat back, though. Said she¡¯d never be able to keep it. Mith would steal it and drop it in the water. Chella made sure to never come back to the pier with something that made her a target. The sun was high in the sky when Abbee asked why Chella wasn¡¯t in charge.

    ¡°You always need someone like Sammy,¡± Chella said.

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked. She couldn¡¯t imagine a reason why anyone would want Sammy around. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You always need someone who doesn¡¯t mind a bloody nose. I don¡¯t like gettin¡¯ punched. So I put up with Sammy. He doesn¡¯t mind so much. He¡¯s also dumb about money.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with it?¡±

    Chella flipped a copper coin between her fingers. ¡°It means he¡¯s easy to distract.¡± She snickered, and the coin disappeared. ¡°Kind of like you.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t everybody?¡±

    ¡°Sammy thinks that we have to steal all the time,¡± Chella said. ¡°That we have to get as much coin as possible and hold on to it. It¡¯s dumb.¡±

    ¡°Why is that dumb?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Chella chuckled. ¡°Because he¡¯s afraid. It¡¯s the same reason he fights all the time. He¡¯s afraid that someone will take what¡¯s his. It¡¯s not his. None of it is.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Look, anytime I need money, I go get some from someone. It¡¯s easy. It¡¯s there for the takin¡¯. I don¡¯t worry about losin¡¯ it either. If a bigger boy than me says, ¡®Give me your money,¡¯ I hand it over. I usually give them a silver.¡±

    ¡°A silver?¡± Abbee echoed. She¡¯d held a silver coin once in her life. Her mother had shown it to her, after getting it from a single job one time. Abbee had turned it over and over in her clumsy fingers, wondering at the wealth. Then she¡¯d dropped it. Her father had snatched it up, and neither she nor her mother had ever seen that silver coin again. ¡°You give them a whole silver?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re so surprised to get a silver they¡¯re not payin¡¯ attention when I run away. I don¡¯t mind givin¡¯ it to them. I can always get more.¡±

    That was strange to Abbee. It went against everything she knew about money. She looked around and realized they¡¯d crossed into the Yards. The buildings here were all the same. Rows and rows of four-story buildings. About a third of them had stores and shops on the first floor, and the rest were all apartments. They were older than houses in the North Bend but sturdier built. Abbee¡¯s family were too poor for the Yards.

    Chella slowed and veered off to the side. She leaned up against a building and fiddled with the end of her sleeve. Abbee recognized the ¡°pretend you¡¯re not scoping out a mark¡± behavior and did the same with the hem of her own shirt. She didn¡¯t have to pretend. There was a hole in it, and it was getting bigger.

    Abbee glanced around the street, trying to figure out what Chella was looking at. A frosty bread cart to the left, flanked on one side by a row of shops. A baker, a tailor, and a man out in front selling chickens off the back of an old cart.

    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Quit starin¡¯,¡± Chella admonished. ¡°Those chickens.¡±

    ¡°The ¡­ really? We¡¯re going to carry chickens all the way back to the bridge?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna carry them,¡± Chella said. ¡°And yes. For bait. Also for you to stay.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°What do you mean, for me to stay?¡±

    ¡°Look,¡± Chella said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna tell you this, but you¡¯re nice to me and Timm. Sammy was talkin¡¯ today. He¡¯s gonna give you a fifth strike if you come back with anything less than a full chicken. Or a rabbit. His words. He says you don¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Abbee stared at her. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±

    Chella snorted. ¡°Believe what you want. You can¡¯t pickpocket and you can¡¯t swim. You can¡¯t fight. The only thing you¡¯d be good for is ¡­ well, you¡¯re too young for that. You¡¯re a drag. Sammy aims to give you a fifth strike.¡± Chella pointed at the chickens with her chin. ¡°You gotta get those chickens, or you¡¯ll be sleepin¡¯ on the street tonight.¡±

    Fear gripped Abbee. She¡¯d slept on the street her first night after running away, in a moldy crate behind a tavern. She¡¯d cried herself to sleep. The innkeeper had chased her away in the morning with a broom.

    Abbee watched a man buy chickens. The chicken seller, a tall, fussy man with a beard, took the money and opened a cage. He reached in under two brown chickens and pulled them out by their feet. The chickens thrashed and squawked. Abbee had never held chickens before, but she¡¯d seen people carry them plenty. She figured she¡¯d get a couple of chickens, easy.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯ll get some chickens.¡±

    Chella smiled and pushed off the wall. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll distract the seller. You grab the chickens and run.¡±

    Chella asked the seller for directions. Abbee went around the side of the cart, angling for the cage furthest away from the tall, fussy man. She managed to get the hasp open and yanked open the cage door. She was so excited that she pulled too hard. The entire cart rocked. Chickens squawked in protest.

    ¡°Hey!¡± the chicken seller shouted.

    Abbee reached in and grabbed two chickens. She hauled them out. The chicken seller rounded the cages and grabbed for her. Abbee turned tail and ran.

    ¡°Thief! Thief! Constable! My prize chickens! Thief!¡±

    Abbee glanced over her shoulder and saw a man running after her, wearing the dark blue uniform of an Akken constable. She swore. It was just her luck that one happened to come by. The constable was fast, but Abbee was smaller. She fit into tighter spaces than him, but his legs were longer. He got within reach in seconds. Abbee felt fingers slip off her shoulder. She poured everything she had into her legs and squeezed through a stack of crates. She spared a glance and saw the constable a few paces behind her. He was going to catch her. Abbee whipped around the next corner and stopped. Her fear screamed at her to keep going. She forced herself to stay put. She waited until his footfalls got real close. Real loud.

    Abbee hauled the chicken in her right hand around as hard as she could and let go. She hit the constable in the face. He stumbled back, flailing. Abbee didn¡¯t like to lose one of her chickens, but at least she still had one. One would be good enough for Sammy. It had to be. Abbee tore off down the alley. Didn¡¯t look back until she got to the end. Busy street a few meters away. The constable was all the way down at the other end. He had feathers and bird droppings on his jacket. Abbee grinned at him.

    She ran out into the street holding her one chicken, and she bounced off something solid and fell back onto her bottom. The chicken wriggled out of her grip and fled the alley, squawking and flapping. The air in front of her shimmered, and with the faint sound of trumpets, a tall constable appeared out of thin air. A lightbender. The biggest man she¡¯d ever seen. Bigger than her father. Abbee backed away from him. The constable had his hands on his hips and his chin held high. He wasn¡¯t looking at her. He looked like he was trying to be impressive. Or impressed with himself, maybe. The other constable, who¡¯d chased her, walked toward them from the other end of the alley. Abbee scrambled to her feet, ready to scoot right past this big doofus.

    ¡°How about you stop looking for a way out?¡± the other constable called. He had a hand hovering near the hard leather case on his belt.

    Abbee froze. That hard leather case held the constable¡¯s wand. If he pulled it out and pointed it at her, she¡¯d end up in a precinct via warp. If she were unlucky, she¡¯d show up missing parts. Nobody ever got their bits back.

    She was caught. She¡¯d lost her chance. Instead of getting scared and freezing, she should¡¯ve run like that chicken. Every time she froze, she got hit or hurt. She was caught, and even if she got away from the constables, Sammy was going to throw her off the pier. For good this time. Abbee told herself to forget about Sammy. He wasn¡¯t here, and he wouldn¡¯t help her, anyway. It was all on her to talk her way out.

    The other constable got closer. He was older than the big one. He wasn¡¯t looking off into space. He was looking right at her. He moved with the easy confidence of someone in charge. He looked smarter than the North Bend constables she was used to. He had a slight smile on his face, as if he thought everything she was about to tell him would be a lie.

    ¡°Tell me why you took those chickens,¡± he said.

    ¡°Bait,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Bait for what?¡±

    ¡°For the monster.¡±

    ¡°Monster?¡± the constable echoed, drawing closer.

    ¡°The one that left all those bodies down by the river.¡±

    ¡°There are bodies down by the river?¡±

    Abbee wondered if the constable was messing with her. Had Sammy lied to Chella about the bodies? ¡°Parts, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Why would you be setting bait for something that left body parts lying around?¡±

    ¡°For the reward, dummy.¡±

    The constable frowned at her. ¡°There¡¯s no reward for any monster. Who told you there was a reward?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no reward?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Sammy said there¡¯s a reward. Sammy said he¡¯d split the reward with us if we got him all the bait we could find.¡±

    The constable stopped a couple of paces away from her. The big one hadn¡¯t moved. Still had his hands on his hips and everything.

    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®us¡¯?¡± the smart constable asked. ¡°Who¡¯s Sammy? And how many chickens have you stolen so far?¡±

    ¡°¡®Us¡¯ is me and my brothers,¡± Abbee said. She didn¡¯t have any brothers, and she definitely didn¡¯t include Sammy or Mith in that category. Maybe Timm. Even so, she told everybody she had brothers. Big brothers. Nasty ones who¡¯d clobber anyone to smithereens if they messed with her. Sometimes it worked. Mostly over here, on this side of the river. Everybody in the North Bend knew she was with Sammy¡¯s crew and she didn¡¯t have any brothers. This constable was from this part of town. The nicer part of town. Abbee tried to sound like she was from the North Bend and had a lot of big, beefy brothers. ¡°Sammy is Sammy, and if you don¡¯t know who he is, I ain¡¯t tellin¡¯. And I haven¡¯t stolen any chickens. You see me holdin¡¯ any chickens?¡±

    The constables exchanged a glance.

    ¡°You hear about any bodies down by the river?¡± the smaller one asked the big one.

    ¡°Nope,¡± the big one rumbled. ¡°That¡¯s the River District Precinct, though. They don¡¯t share.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t share with just you, Randall,¡± the smaller one said. ¡°They like me just fine.¡±

    ¡°Everybody likes you, Trippers,¡± the big one, Randall, said. ¡°You¡¯re the Big Shield, after all.¡±

    Abbee had heard of the Big Shield. Everybody knew about that one. Some big-time constable who dealt with out-of-control talented. Their magic didn¡¯t affect him or something. Seemed like a weird talent to have. Abbee had been expecting some big brute of a fellow like her father. Not this Trippers person. He looked smaller than she¡¯d have thought the Big Shield to be. He didn¡¯t seem weak, but she¡¯d have considered the bigger one, Randall, Big Shield material.

    Trippers looked back at Abbee. ¡°You¡¯ve seen these bodies?¡±

    ¡°No, but they¡¯re down by the Falls. Along the riverbank.¡±

    ¡°You know quite a bit about them for somebody who hasn¡¯t seen them.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Abbee protested. ¡°I don¡¯t go down by the river. Sammy likes to push people in, and I can¡¯t swim. I don¡¯t wanna drown.¡±

    ¡°Sammy doesn¡¯t sound very nice.¡±

    Abbee fought the urge to nod. He didn¡¯t know the half of it.

    She was about to tell him when Trippers asked, ¡°Why are you out stealing chickens for him, then?¡±

    ¡°Where are these chickens you keep talkin¡¯ about?¡± Abbee asked.

    Trippers¡¯s small smile touched his eyes. ¡°You do realize that just because you can¡¯t hold on to things doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not in trouble, right? You made me chase you, so Constable Randall here is going to take you in and put your name on the rolls.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Randall said. ¡°Why do I have to do that?¡±

    ¡°Because I need to go talk to the River District Precinct, and it¡¯ll be easier for me to get the story out of them if you aren¡¯t standing behind me looking all majestic.¡± Trippers walked past Abbee and out into the street.

    As he rounded the corner and vanished, Abbee glanced at Randall. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose¡ª¡±

    Randall shook his big head. ¡°Don¡¯t start. Trippers will check later to see if I brought you in. He¡¯s a stickler, not to mention the captain¡¯s favorite. I¡¯m not getting chewed out over you.¡± He eyed her. ¡°How about we make a deal? There¡¯s a hot meal at the precinct for you, but only if you don¡¯t run. If you run, I¡¯ll warp you.¡±

    Abbee loved the idea of a hot meal and hated the idea of getting warped. She didn¡¯t know this part of town well and didn¡¯t know how far they were from the precinct. She didn¡¯t want to lose any fingers or toes. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t run off.¡±

    Randall gestured back down the alley. ¡°After you, then.¡±

    ***

    The Yard District Precinct sat on a busy three-way intersection called Three Points. Abbee knew two of the streets were Tulley and Roper but couldn¡¯t remember the third. She and Randall crossed the intersection and approached a large building. It looked like every other precinct. Imposing. It had a wrought-iron fence around its grounds. A nice lawn and a fountain. There was no hiding the fact that it was a place where people told other people what to do. The big marble sculpture of a constable standing proud on the fountain was what really sold it, in Abbee¡¯s mind.

    Randall had to help her with the big front doors. He ushered Abbee into a big open room with desks, bustling people, and a loud hum of conversation. A woman sat on a chair on a pedestal in the sea of desks, wearing a constable¡¯s outfit and a hat. She looked like the kind of person who saw everything and disliked all of it.

    ¡°Over there,¡± Randall said, gesturing to a counter set into the wall on the right.

    A harassed-looking man sat on the other side. The man saw Randall and brightened. ¡°Did you bring it?¡± he asked in a hopeful tone.

    ¡°No,¡± Randall said. ¡°I got interrupted on the way over.¡± He pointed at Abbee. ¡°Put her name on the rolls, and I¡¯ll go again.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the man said, crestfallen.

    ¡°You know, Harald,¡± Randall said, ¡°it¡¯d be a lot easier if you went to see Whimsy.¡±

    The other man, Harald, flushed. ¡°No way. I¡¯m not explaining to her how I got ¡­ never mind. She¡¯d blabber to the whole precinct.¡± Harald¡¯s face reddened even more. ¡°Not in a million years. I came to you because you keep secrets, Randall.¡±

    Randall nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°You better,¡± Harald said. He turned and scratched something below the counter, out of sight. He straightened and didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d taken care of whatever itched. ¡°This thing is killing me.¡± Harald opened a thick, leather-bound book on the counter and flipped to the middle. He picked up a quill pen, dipped it in a pot of ink, and held it over the page. ¡°You there, what¡¯s your name? And don¡¯t try to lie. We¡¯ll find out. We take a dim view of that sort of behavior.¡±

    ¡°Abbee.¡±

    ¡°Abbee what?¡± Harald prompted.

    Her first instinct was to lie, but Abbee remembered what Harald said about lying. They¡¯d find out. Every time someone had found out she¡¯d lied, the consequences had been dire. ¡°Danner.¡±

    Randall shifted. Harald noticed it. ¡°You know ¡­ Okay. Abbee Danner.¡± Harald scratched on the page.

    Abbee glanced at Randall, who was looking at her with a thoughtful expression. He¡¯d recognized Abbee¡¯s name. Abbee had no idea how that was possible. She was a nobody living under a bridge. She¡¯d never seen Randall before today.

    Randall saw Abbee looking at him and pointed with his chin at Harald. ¡°She¡¯s in for stealing chickens,¡± Randall said. ¡°Put Trippers down as the collar. I¡¯m just delivering.¡±

    ¡°You promised a hot meal,¡± Abbee reminded him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get it.¡±

    Harald looked harassed again. ¡°Randall¡ª¡±

    ¡°Everybody¡¯s going to get what I promised today,¡± Randall said. ¡°Don¡¯t any of you worry.¡±

    Harald gave Abbee a hard look and scratched on the page. ¡°You better. Okay, she¡¯s on the rolls. Who¡¯s the plaintiff?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Nooli,¡± Randall said.

    Harald chuckled and put his quill down. He closed the book with a big thump. ¡°Prize chickens, eh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. Those birds he sells are real prizes. It was only two. I doubt he¡¯ll even make the trek to complain about it.¡±

    ¡°And if he does?¡±

    ¡°Send him to me, and I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    Harald considered Abbee again. Shrugged. ¡°Okay. Give her some food and then get me that ointment you promised.¡± He scratched again. Hard. ¡°This is killing me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I have to tell you to stay out of¡ª¡±

    Harald waved. ¡°No, no, you don¡¯t, and don¡¯t say it out loud.¡±

    Randall nodded. ¡°Right. Abbee, this way. Hot meal coming up.¡±

    Abbee followed Randall across the big room with all the desks. ¡°What happened to him?¡±

    Randall shook his head. ¡°I promised not to say.¡±

    ¡°Looks uncomfortable, whatever it is,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°True statement.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Whimsy?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°She runs our infirmary,¡± Randall said, ¡°and she also runs her mouth. Don¡¯t tell Whimsy anything you don¡¯t want the whole precinct to know.¡±

    ¡°Why do people tell her things, then?¡±

    Randall smiled. ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d learn, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    He led her past a stairwell heading down, a hallway, and into a shallow side room off the main one. The side room was opposite the front doors. It had a long table with bench seats. On one end was a heavy pot with some bowls and spoons stacked to one side. Half-dried dark brown gravy spattered the side of the pot. Abbee caught a whiff, and her stomach growled at her. Randall grabbed a bowl and handed Abbee a spoon. He lifted the cover off and slopped a generous amount into the bowl. He sat down on one side of the table and gestured for Abbee to do the same on her side. She didn¡¯t want to sit with her back to the main room, but she felt safe with Randall. She didn¡¯t know why, because she was technically under arrest, but he hadn¡¯t expressed anything but care since she¡¯d met him. Abbee sat down and attacked the stew. It was wonderful.

    Randall watched her inhale the food. ¡°When¡¯s the last time you ate?¡±

    ¡°A couple hours ago,¡± Abbee said. ¡°But before that it was yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your mother?¡±

    Abbee looked away. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±

    Randall leaned forward a little. ¡°What about your father? Is he looking for you?¡±

    Abbee¡¯s whole body tensed at the idea of her father finding her. Her breath froze in her chest. She tried to become invisible. Hoped for a lightbender talent to present right then and there. Hide. Hide from the world. Maybe she¡¯d be broken and she¡¯d stay invisible forever. That didn¡¯t seem so bad to Abbee.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Randall said. ¡°We¡¯re not going to look for him.¡±

    Abbee remembered to breathe. She looked around. Over her shoulder, she watched the constables move around the room. Abbee knew that the woman sitting on the pedestal was in charge. Everyone was deferential to her, but in a respectful way. The woman wasn¡¯t like Sammy. She didn¡¯t rule by fear. ¡°Who¡¯s she? The one in the big chair.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Captain Barnes,¡± Randall said. ¡°She runs this precinct. Don¡¯t cross her.¡±

    Abbee watched Captain Barnes. Watched the way the woman held herself on her chair. Watched the way she watched. After a few moments, Captain Barnes turned in her seat and looked right at Abbee. Her eyes were like steel. When Barnes turned around, Abbee felt like she could move again. Breathe again. Abbee was in awe. She knew Barnes could stand up to her father. Abbee wished she were half as strong as that woman.

    ¡°How do you get to be a constable, anyway?¡± Abbee asked.

    Randall pursed his lips.

    After a moment, Abbee felt uncomfortable. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Wait here,¡± Randall said. His chair screeched as he pushed it back and stood up. The big constable walked across the room and climbed up steps on the back of the pedestal. Randall and Captain Barnes had a short conversation Abbee couldn¡¯t hear. Captain Barnes glanced at Abbee several times. She nodded once and said in a voice that carried all the way to Abbee, ¡°She¡¯s your responsibility, Constable.¡±

    ***

    It started with a broom. Randall gave her a new shirt, trousers, and shoes. Gray, like a constable¡¯s jacket. The shirt was a little too big, but it was better than her threadbare smock. The trousers and shoes fit. Randall handed her a broom and dustpan, saying, ¡°Start here in the bullpen. Bin¡¯s under the stairs here. I have to leave for a little while.¡±

    ¡°The ointment for Harald?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Randall said. ¡°Don¡¯t mention that to anyone. Stay out of trouble while I¡¯m gone. Don¡¯t get in anyone¡¯s way. Don¡¯t go downstairs.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s downstairs?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°The infirmary, the holding cells, and beneath that, the mover pit. None of those places are for you.¡± Randall nodded at the broom. ¡°Do a good job, and you might get to do it tomorrow.¡±

    Abbee liked that idea. ¡°How do you have clothes that fit me?¡± She stuck out her arm. The sleeve hung past her fingertips. ¡°Well, almost fit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only young gofer we¡¯ve had around here doing chores.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the last one?¡±

    ¡°He went downstairs.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Abbee swept. She swept like a professional. It had been one of her main chores for her mother. Abbee had been too clumsy to work the needles, but she was great with a broom. Short strokes won the day. She didn¡¯t tire herself out with long strokes. Let the wind do the work. Abbee explored the bullpen and the adjacent locker room under the stairs. Beyond the locker room was a wide-open room with training dummies.

    She explored a short hallway next to the locker room and found a couple of offices and several small rooms. Each small room had a table and chairs in it. No cabinets or writing materials or anything. Nobody was in there either, to explain what they were for. Abbee worked her way around the edge of the bullpen, to the stewpot, where she spotted a stack of bread behind the pot. The bread hadn¡¯t been there the first time, and Abbee filched a piece when nobody was looking. She crammed it into her mouth in one go. The bread didn¡¯t have a sign on it that said no little girls, but Abbee wasn¡¯t taking chances. The chickens hadn¡¯t had a sign like that, and taking them had had consequences. She looked around the bustling precinct and down at her own new clothes. Things hadn¡¯t turned out so bad after all. She found pockets in her trousers and grabbed two more pieces of bread.

    Abbee moved on from the stewpot, hooked around a corner, and found a very curious room. It was small. She figured she could hold the broom horizontal and touch the walls with either end. An empty stool on wheels sat in the middle. The far wall held a giant sheet of paper with lines and squares on it. A big squiggly line cut through the middle, with a wide curving arc near the top, and a big empty space in the middle left, near the top. Abbee felt her jaw drop open. This was a map of Akken. It said so in tiny lettering across the top. Abbee couldn¡¯t read, but she¡¯d seen the city¡¯s name often enough to recognize the chunky symbols.

    Abbee hadn¡¯t known that Akken looked like this. It was like looking at the city the way a bird might see it. Streets crisscrossed all over it with no discernible pattern. There were parts she¡¯d never visited before. Overlook was smaller than she¡¯d imagined, for one thing. Just a thin strip along the escarpment, compared to the bigger city below. The North Bend took up a lot of space on the other side of the Tower plateau. The streets there looked like the random collection of yarn Abbee¡¯s mother had once crammed into the bottom drawer of her sewing cabinet.

    A collection of different shapes near the bottom marked the Geometric Gardens. Abbee leaned forward into the room to see them. It looked like the map had an exact view of the Circle Maze on it. She didn¡¯t have great memories of the maze. She¡¯d been there once and had gotten lost among the tall hedges within minutes. Her father had been furious.

    Abbee examined the Tower plateau. She¡¯d seen the spires from different angles, but it had never occurred to her that there were eight of them and they formed a perfect circle. The plateau was bigger than she¡¯d pictured it, and the Tower sat on the southern end. It seemed like there was a lot of space up there. A lot of houses could fit on the plateau, but it was just the Tower by itself.

    The map had dozens of colored pins on it. Blue, green, red, and orange. The pins moved by themselves. Abbee had no idea how that worked. She peered at the map. It seemed like paper, and the pins were metal, but they made no cuts as they moved.

    Footsteps behind her. ¡°Hey, who¡¯re you?¡± a man asked.

    Abbee whirled around, clutching her broom. A constable stood at the edge of the room with bread in one hand and a bowl of stew in the other. The entrance was small, and he took up all of it. Abbee was trapped.

    The man arched a brow at her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the new gofer. Perfect. Call me Vit. Everybody else does.¡±

    ¡°Vit?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I have a first name but only special people get to use it. You¡¯re not special. Let me know if you find anything bigger than dust on the floor in here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Vit gestured at the wall to Abbee¡¯s right. She looked at it and saw it was full of tiny shelves. Abbee¡¯s mother had had a bunch of cubbies like this for buttons and other bits and bobs. The shelves here had little tabs, with a name and number on each. Sitting on each shelf was a roundish gray rock. All the rocks looked similar. Abbee had no idea what they were or what they were for.

    ¡°Let me know if you find a chip on the floor,¡± Vit said. ¡°Sometimes they get bumped and fall out.¡±

    Chip. The word echoed in Abbee¡¯s head. ¡°These ¡­ these are artifact chips?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Vit said. ¡°What, you¡¯ve never seen a chip before?¡±

    ¡°Not this close.¡± Abbee was too poor to own one, and nobody she had ever met in her twelve years had been rich enough to have one. They looked like rocks. Every little rock on the wall was an artifact chip. They looked worthless, but Abbee knew she was standing next to more money than she¡¯d ever imagined. She doubted she could steal one without Vit noticing.

    ¡°Dispatch request,¡± a voice behind Abbee said.

    She jumped and scuttled out of the room. Her broom banged into her knees on the way out, and she tripped and fell.

    The voice kept talking. Sounded familiar. ¡°Constable Trippers requesting a sniffer in Sweeney¡¯s Rhombus. Possible kidnapping of a mover.¡±

    Trippers. The Big Shield. The one who¡¯d arrested her. Abbee got to her feet and looked around. She saw only Vit. She had no idea where Trippers was.

    Vit snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a talkie tab either? What, you live under a bridge or something?¡± He shook his head at her and stepped into the room. Sat down on the stool, balanced his bowl on his lap, and touched one of the artifact chips on the small shelves. ¡°Sniffer request received,¡± Vit said. ¡°All available sniffers are out on calls. As soon as one becomes available, they¡¯ll be dispatched to Sweeney¡¯s Rhombus. Dispatch out.¡±

    Trippers¡¯s voice issued out of the same chip. ¡°Constable Trippers requesting an estimated time to availability on the requested sniffer.¡±

    There were talents Abbee wished for, and there were talents she hoped she didn¡¯t get. The sniffer talent was one of the latter. Abbee had smelled a lot of bad smells, and she didn¡¯t like the idea of turning into a bloodhound that couldn¡¯t get away from all horrible odors. Most of the jobs for sniffers involved finding things, and all the people Abbee knew who stole things lived in smelly places.

    ¡°Availability request regarding your sniffer request received,¡± Vit responded. ¡°One cannot see into the future. Otherwise, one would have chosen a different straw. They¡¯ll arrive when they arrive. Dispatch out.¡± He smirked at Abbee. ¡°He¡¯s going to ask again, you watch. Anybody else would move on, but Parn Trippers is like a dog with a bone. Can¡¯t let it go.¡± Abbee giggled. Vit frowned at her. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Did you just say ¡®barn¡¯?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Parn,¡± Vit corrected her. ¡°With a ¡®p¡¯. And don¡¯t be smart. I¡¯m on the tabs all day, I enunciate my words. You heard the right sound the first time.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t know what ¡°enunciate¡± meant. She still heard ¡°barn¡± the first time, but she kept that to herself. Vit seemed touchy. Abbee was happy she knew Parn¡¯s name now, because ¡°Trippers¡± was a mouthful and sounded like a nickname he got for being clumsy.

    Parn¡¯s voice came through the chip again with a tinge of exasperation. ¡°Constable Trippers requesting that any sniffer not on a priority call be rerouted to the Geometric Gardens. Repeat, possible mover-involved kidnapping.¡±

    ¡°Request received,¡± Vit replied. ¡°No sniffers are currently available. Unknown availability at this time. Dispatch out.¡± Vit huffed. He stood up, almost lost his bowl of stew, and caught it at the last minute. His hunk of bread hit the floor. Vit grabbed it and peered up and down the hallway outside the room. He pointed with his chin at Abbee. ¡°Beat it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Go sweep somewhere else,¡± Vit said. ¡°Bugger off, or I¡¯ll tell the captain you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±

    She walked toward the bullpen. When she got to the edge of the hallway, she looked over her shoulder, and Vit had disappeared into his room. She heard whispering. Abbee couldn¡¯t make out the words. Curious, she edged closer, pretending to sweep with her broom but not letting it touch the floor.

    ¡°¡­ every one of them?¡± It was Parn. He and Vit were still speaking through the talkie tabs. Parn¡¯s voice sounded quieter. Muffled. ¡°Even the off-duty ones?¡±

    Vit said something Abbee couldn¡¯t hear. She got closer.

    ¡°You¡¯re not serious,¡± Parn said. A pause. ¡°Why did the wizards want them all?¡±

    Vit¡¯s voice was too muffled for Abbee to make out his reply.

    ¡°Where did they report to?¡± Parn asked. ¡°The Tower?¡±

    Abbee got to the corner. ¡°¡­ had to show ¡­ High Falls.¡± Vit¡¯s voice sounded garbled, but Abbee didn¡¯t dare get any closer.

    ¡°The High Falls?¡± Parn asked. ¡°I was just there. There¡¯s nobody. When was this?¡±

    ¡°¡­ half an hour ¡­ Tower Bridge collapsed ¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s damn strange,¡± Parn said. ¡°What the hell is going on, Vit?¡±

    Vit said something Abbee didn¡¯t make out. Then, ¡°¡­ body parts at the Falls.¡± More garbled words.

    ¡°No,¡± Parn said. ¡°The White Ring showed up and took everything before I got there.¡±

    Abbee started. Her broom tapped the wall above her head. She backtracked away from the room. Vit didn¡¯t lean out. Abbee scooted around the corner and pressed her back to the wall. She couldn¡¯t hear anything else from Parn and Vit¡¯s conversation, but she was okay with missing the rest of it. She was happy she¡¯d lost her chickens. Happy she hadn¡¯t been anywhere near the High Falls, trying to catch a stupid river monster. Lots of folks died badly when the White Ring was around. Commoners like Abbee, turned inside out or blown to bits. She was afraid of a lot, but none of that held a candle to how scared she was of the Ringers.

    Abbee went back to sweeping. She swept around the edge of the bullpen and got to the top of the stairs heading down. She swept the first step and considered going down to the first landing. What exactly was the limit of ¡°downstairs¡±? Would she get in trouble for the first landing? Or was it down downstairs? Abbee didn¡¯t know. She decided it wasn¡¯t worth it. She couldn¡¯t go back to the bridge pier empty-handed, and she¡¯d achieved a significant step up here. A pot of warm food sat nearby. Abbee hoped she¡¯d get to sleep indoors tonight. It had been weeks since she¡¯d had a bed without creepy boys in it.

    Abbee heard footfalls on the steps below her. Coming up. She swept the top step again. A woman in a constable¡¯s uniform appeared around the corner. She had a round face and a ponytail. Her jacket was unbuttoned, but her artifact chip harness kept it from flopping open. She spotted Abbee and missed a step. The woman stumbled and went down with a yelp. She pushed off with her hands and vaulted up right next to Abbee.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t see that,¡± she said.

    ¡°What do I get if I didn¡¯t?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°You get healing if you get hurt,¡± the woman said, ¡°which might come sooner rather than later if you¡¯ve got a big mouth. Who¡¯re you? The new gofer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Abbee. Are you Whimsy?¡±

    The woman brightened. ¡°How did you know?¡± Her brows lowered. ¡°Wait, who¡ª¡±

    ¡°Randall said you ran the infirmary. You¡¯re a healer?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Whimsy winced. She bent over and rubbed her shin. ¡°That smarts.¡±

    Abbee frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t you take care of it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works,¡± Whimsy said, straightening. ¡°Healers heal others. We can¡¯t heal ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bloody inconvenient,¡± Whimsy finished. ¡°I think wizards can do themselves, but we talented get the short end of the stick.¡± She peered at Abbee. ¡°Where¡¯d he find you?¡±

    ¡°Who, Randall? I ¡­ uh, we met¡ª¡±

    ¡°Right. You just met him, all normal like. What¡¯re you in for?¡±

    ¡°Chickens,¡± Abbee said. She hefted her broom. ¡°But I don¡¯t need them anymore.¡±

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re hedging your bets with that bread in your pocket, yeah?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good bread.¡±

    Whimsy sniffed. ¡°It¡¯s bearable. Bups is on vacation. Otherwise, we¡¯d be getting it from Lea¡¯s. Bups lives upstairs from the bakery and gets free loaves.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t anything free in Akken. ¡°Are they really free?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, not really, but nobody¡¯s getting hurt with a little bread on the side¡ª¡± Whimsy stopped. ¡°You¡¯re new. You don¡¯t need to know about that. Keep sweeping.¡±

    ***

    A while later, Abbee leaned on her broomstick near the bin under the stairs. She closed her eyes. Just for a moment. Her hands slipped down the handle, and she tipped forward and caught herself before she fell over. She looked around. Nobody seemed to have seen her.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Behind her, Captain Barnes said, ¡°I hear you have a mover down in the cells.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± A man¡¯s voice. Parn Trippers.

    Abbee peeked around the stairs and caught a glimpse of him standing by the captain¡¯s pedestal. She jerked back out of sight.

    ¡°Why not in the pit?¡± Captain Barnes asked.

    ¡°This one¡¯s not a flight risk,¡± Parn said. ¡°She seemed actually pleased with the idea of spending the night in a cell.¡± Parn paused. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the sniffers, sir? I asked for one in the Gardens but couldn¡¯t get one.¡±

    ¡°Wizards called them up,¡± Captain Barnes said. ¡°Needed them to track a suspect from the Falls.¡±

    ¡°I was down at the Falls after hearing a report of body parts,¡± Parn said. ¡°Nothing to see when I got there. Wizards had cleaned it all up. Is this suspect they¡¯re looking for responsible for that?¡±

    Abbee leaned closer. So Sammy hadn¡¯t been lying about the bodies after all.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Captain Barnes said, exasperated. ¡°They¡¯re being tight-lipped about this one. More than usual. The White Ring has been taking over murder crime scenes all over the River District. Two in ours.¡±

    ¡°Old Man Hudson,¡± Parn said. ¡°I heard about the scene, that it was bad. Who was the other?¡±

    ¡°A tailor on Fairway Street.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s two streets over from Hudson and Sons. Who was it?¡±

    ¡°Some up-and-comer,¡± Captain Barnes said. ¡°I can¡¯t remember the name, but Vit said the district lost a good one.¡±

    ¡°Constable Vit does have fine taste, sir,¡± Parn said. ¡°It¡¯s a shame about Old Man Hudson, sir. He made a fine boot.¡±

    ¡°Well, hopefully, his sons are as good as him. I¡¯ve a pair I¡¯m about to replace.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not very compassionate toward the victim, sir.¡±

    ¡°Do I look like a compassionate person, Constable Trippers?¡± Captain Barnes asked.

    ¡°No, sir. You look like a hard-ass who¡¯s lookin¡¯ to lay the law down hard across the backsides of miscreants.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Captain Barnes said. ¡°Don¡¯t you forget it.¡±

    Abbee stifled a giggle. She liked Captain Barnes. Parn and the captain chattered on about constable things. Abbee was about to move away from the pedestal and out of sight when a loud bell went off somewhere. Activity in the bullpen ceased. Abbee jumped at a muffled boom upstairs. She almost dropped her broom. Captain Barnes snapped her fingers. Abbee jumped again. She thought she was in trouble, but the captain wasn¡¯t looking at her.

    A woman swept down the stairs and walked right up to the captain¡¯s pedestal. She wore black robes, and her black hair was tied back from her head in a tight bun. She had a crooked nose. The woman took in the entire precinct with a single glance. She didn¡¯t look at Abbee, but Abbee wanted to turn invisible all the same.

    The woman marched right up to the captain. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Constable Trippers, the one they call the Big Shield.¡±

    Abbee was confused. Parn was standing right there. Oh. The woman in black had no idea who Parn really was.

    ¡°What for?¡± Captain Barnes asked.

    ¡°White Ring business.¡±

    Abbee froze extra hard. This woman was a wizard. Not just a wizard but a member of the White Ring. Abbee didn¡¯t want any Ringer knowing she existed. They killed people.

    ¡°Is this the same White Ring business that vacuumed up all of my sniffers?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±

    ¡°How about the White Ring business that involves two murders in my district, a district that has gone without a murder in six months?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say about that either.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t?¡± Captain Barnes asked. ¡°Or won¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°You decide which it is,¡± the wizard said. ¡°Look, where is he? This is important.¡±

    ¡°If I give you Constable Trippers, can I have my sniffers back?¡±

    ¡°Captain, kindly produce Constable Trippers, or I¡¯ll take all of your constables with me to go find him.¡±

    The two women glared at each other. ¡°Constable Trippers,¡± Barnes barked.

    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Parn asked.

    The wizard looked annoyed. ¡°Constable Trippers, your presence is requested by the White Ring.¡±

    She held out her hand. The constable took it, and the two of them vanished with an ear-shattering crack.

    Abbee dropped her broom. She¡¯d never seen anyone warp before. Heard it, plenty of times, but never from a few paces away. She rubbed her ears with her fingers. It was a lot louder than she¡¯d imagined.

    When Abbee straightened with her broom, Captain Barnes was watching her. The woman pinned Abbee with an arched brow. ¡°I think that spot is clean enough, Danner.¡± Abbee frowned at the surname. Captain Barnes saw it. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Can you, um, call you me Abbee?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your last name Danner?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Abbee said. She shifted and looked at the floor. ¡°But ¡­ I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°Eyes up,¡± Captain Barnes said.

    Abbee looked up at the woman. Captain Barnes¡¯s expression was stern. ¡°Face the world with your eyes up.¡± Her eyes softened and she gave an almost imperceptible nod. ¡°Abbee.¡±

    ***

    Randall returned about ten minutes later. Abbee was fighting with some persistent dust near the front door. The door opened, sucked out the dust pile she¡¯d been building, and blew it back all over the floor when Randall closed the door behind him. It was the fifth time that had happened.

    Abbee stomped her foot. ¡°Hey, watch it.¡±

    Randall gave her a quizzical look. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Oi!¡± Harald called. ¡°You get it?¡±

    ¡°Get what?¡± Whimsy asked. She hovered near one of the desks at the edge of the bullpen, chatting with the woman sitting there. The desk had an oil lamp on it. Abbee hadn¡¯t swept over there yet, but she intended to ask the woman why she had a regular oil lamp when there were so many magical lights in the room.

    Whimsy pushed off the desk and intercepted Randall. Harald¡¯s expression became alarmed. Whimsy pointed at Randall. ¡°What do you have there in your pocket, Randall? Wouldn¡¯t happen to be a jar of Dottie¡¯s Magic Cure-All, would it? Don¡¯t look surprised. Harald¡¯s practically itched a hole through the bottom of his trousers today. Harald, if you want me to find out something¡¯s up, the best way to do it is trying to avoid me all day, which is what you¡¯ve been doing. Bravo. I know you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    Harald turned bright red. ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªsuffering from a bad case of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you say it,¡± Harald hissed. ¡°Randall, give that here.¡±

    Randall stepped around Whimsy and fished a small jar out of his pocket. ¡°Be careful with this, Harald. They said you gotta¡ª¡±

    Harald grabbed it and twisted off the lid. A pungent smell wafted into the air. Abbee¡¯s eyes watered, and she covered her nose with her arm.

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s strong,¡± Harald said, blinking. He held the jar away from his face.

    Abbee saw how the jar¡¯s smell wafted across the bullpen on account of the ripple of constables lifting their noses to the air and recoiling.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey,¡± the woman with the oil lamp said. ¡°Is that Dottie¡¯s Magic Cure-All? Can¡¯t you read? It¡¯s got a big warning label on it that says ¡®for outdoor use only.¡¯¡±

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s got that label?¡± Randall asked.

    The woman¡¯s face flushed. ¡°I ¡­ uh, never mind.¡±

    Whimsy snickered. She turned back to Harald. ¡°If you use that, Harald, I give it ten-to-one odds you¡¯ll be coming to see me for burns.¡±

    ¡°Burns?¡± Harald asked. He peered at the jar. ¡°It doesn¡¯t say anything about ¡­ no, wait, here it is.¡± His eyebrows climbed up his head. ¡°What¡¯s this stuff made out of?¡±

    ¡°I bet you got to the part where it says ¡®Do not drink¡ªseller not responsible for throat damage,¡¯¡± Whimsy said. ¡°What¡¯ll it be, Harald? Are you gonna see me for burns on your hands and your bottom, or just an itch on your bottom? I¡¯m not choosy.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you blabbering to everybody in the precinct what I got,¡± Harald said.

    ¡°Everybody knows already,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°C¡¯mon, Harald, let¡¯s go downstairs and get you taken care of. You can give me that jar. I¡¯ve got a nasty stain on the infirmary floor, and I bet that¡¯ll take it off.¡±

    ¡°The floor down there is stone,¡± Harald said.

    ¡°Right, and that stuff will etch into it.¡±

    Harald gave Randall an accusing look. ¡°You said this would help.¡±

    Randall snorted. ¡°You asked for that, Harald. I only fetched it for you because you¡¯re stuck on the intake desk. It was your idea. Look, I¡¯ll cover the desk for you while you¡¯re getting sorted out, all right?¡±

    The front door banged open, and a breathless constable appeared. The light outside had a blue tinge to it. ¡°Shield!¡± the constable shouted. ¡°Shield over the Yards!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± several people asked at once.

    The constable pushed the front door wide open and pointed outside. Crackling blue energy crisscrossed over the sky. Abbee got the sense that it curved down in places. Blue light flashed. Once, twice, three times. Abbee had never seen anything like it. From the surprised faces around her, the constables hadn¡¯t either.

    Everybody started babbling at once. ¡°What is that? Where¡¯d it come from? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    A sharp, powerful whistle tore through the bullpen, silencing the rising chorus. Abbee turned and saw Captain Barnes with her fingers in her mouth. She put them down and said in a crisp voice, ¡°Vit, I want to know how many patrols we have outside the precinct right now. Whimsy, get downstairs and prep for incoming injuries. We just had the White Ring in here, and we know how careful they are. This smells like their¡ª¡± Captain Barnes snapped her fingers. ¡°Vit! Vit!¡±

    Vit rolled out into the hallway on his stool. He had a confused expression on his face. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m not getting anybody¡ª¡±

    ¡°Contact Parn,¡± Captain Barnes snapped. ¡°I bet he¡¯s right in the middle of this.¡±

    Vit nodded. He rolled back into the dispatcher¡¯s room. Rolled back out and shook his head. ¡°Nobody, sir. I can¡¯t raise anybody at all. The tabs aren¡¯t working. Might as well be rocks.¡±

    ¡°Keep trying. Let me know the moment they work again.¡±

    Vit rolled out of sight.

    Outside, Abbee heard muffled booms. Far off. Everyone perked up at the sound. Randall walked out onto the front steps. Smoke billowed up behind a row of apartment buildings a few blocks away.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s coming from the Windy,¡± Randall reported over his shoulder. ¡°The Ringers were over there when I was on my way back to the precinct. Captain, should we go investigate?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Captain Barnes said. ¡°We¡¯ll keep the peace once the Ringers are done breaking it. I don¡¯t want to send anyone too far out there if I can¡¯t communicate with them. Harald, man the door.¡± Barnes pointed at several constables clustered around the stewpot. ¡°You lot, quit eating and take up positions in Three Points. Ferry reports back here as you get them. Don¡¯t forget, you won¡¯t be able to use your tabs. Randall, take our new gofer and go with them. I want to know what¡¯s going on out there right after you do.¡± She blinked and wrinkled her nose. ¡°For crying out loud, Harald, put a cap on that stuff! It¡¯s making my eyes water all the way over here.¡±

    ***

    Abbee spent the next hour or so running back and forth across the precinct¡¯s lawn to Three Points. The messages were the same for a long time: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± and ¡°We¡¯re not sure yet.¡± The last message Abbee delivered from a Three Points darkened by evening changed abruptly to ¡°Something¡¯s out here killing people, and the Ringers can¡¯t stop it.¡± Captain Barnes replaced Abbee with a real constable and told Whimsy to stash Abbee out of the way upstairs.

    Whimsy led Abbee up the stairs off the bullpen. Past an empty square stone room, two offices, and down to a narrow door at the end. Whimsy shouldered open the door and pushed Abbee inside. A single magical light in the ceiling flared, illuminating a battered file cabinet, a plain writing desk, and an old chair.

    ¡°There¡¯s a cot behind the cabinet,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything. Stay here until someone comes to get you.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡ª¡±

    Whimsy stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Abbee heard her footfalls hasten up the hallway and fade down the steps.

    She stood in the small room. It was barely bigger than a closet. The light in the ceiling cast stark shadows off everything. There was indeed a cot behind the cabinet. Abbee sat down on the cot. She realized how tired her legs were from delivering messages. She stretched. Felt a thump through the cot. The light in the ceiling flickered. Abbee stood back up. Listened. Muted, uncertain voices shouting somewhere down in the bullpen. She went to the door and put her hand on the doorknob. She felt another thump and heard crashes and more shouts. The shouts turned to screams. Terrible, terrible screams.

    Abbee cracked the door. The screams grew louder.

    ¡°Warp it!¡± Captain Barnes yelled. ¡°Warp it!¡± That last bit morphed into a gurgling scream.

    Abbee heard a strange noise intermixed with shouts and screams from many voices. Sounded like crunching.

    Half of Abbee¡¯s body demanded she huddle on the cot behind the file cabinet. The other half was in control of Abbee¡¯s feet and carried her forward out into the hallway. She edged along the wall, ready to dash back to dubious safety. She got far enough to peer down the steps into the bullpen.

    It took her a couple of seconds to register what she was looking at. Shattered desks and chairs. Debris strewn everywhere, shredded constable jackets and trousers strewn all over the floor, and mixed in with all of it ¡­ Abbee gagged. Glistening globs of torn and shattered flesh, ruptured organs, and spattered blood. A constable backed onto the stairs, blocking Abbee¡¯s view. She didn¡¯t recognize him. The constable had his hand on his wand and faced the bullpen. Shouts and screams filled the air.

    The constable flipped off the stairs, as if hit in the legs. He smashed into the floor with a grunt. Abbee watched his head and shoulder vanish, revealing a mess of innards and white bone. Abbee threw up in her mouth and backtracked away from the top of the stairs. She tripped and fell down on her bottom as she heard that same sickening crunching sound. The sound of bones snapping. The sound of someone being eaten. Whatever was eating that constable was at the foot of the stairs, and there wasn¡¯t anything between it and Abbee.

    She turned and fled. Ran to the end of the hall. No way out. Abbee shouldered her way through the last door. The light in the ceiling flicked on again. Heart pounding, Abbee flew to the cot. Pushed herself into the corner of the room, onto the cot behind the file cabinet. Her breath sounded ragged in her own ears. She peered around the cabinet and realized she¡¯d left the door open. Abbee jumped up and closed the door and returned to her corner. She tried to climb under the cot, but it was too low. Abbee smashed herself into the corner and tucked herself into the smallest ball. She knew she¡¯d be dead if anything came up here, but she hoped and hoped and hoped she was safe.

    No one came. The door didn¡¯t open. The shouts and screams in the bullpen faded away to nothing.

    Abbee sat there for a long time. Her breath smoothed out and her muscles relaxed. She was about to scoot forward when she heard a thunderous crack. Close. Very close. Another crack. Another.

    The silence stretched out. Abbee huddled in a ball. She lost track of how long she had sat there, staring at the door. A knock. Abbee screamed and clapped her hand over her mouth. What if it was the monster? Had it killed and eaten everyone in the precinct, and now it was coming for her?

    The door cracked open. ¡°Abbee?¡±

    ¡°W-Whimsy?¡± Abbee squeaked.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Whimsy said. She sounded ragged. Raw. ¡°It¡¯s over. It¡¯s over.¡± She came inside the room. Her face was pale and her hands trembled.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°I saw ¡­ I saw ¡­ It was invisible ¡­ Was it a monster?¡±

    Whimsy sat down on the cot next to Abbee and put her arm around her. Pulled her close. Abbee hadn¡¯t been hugged for weeks. Not since she had run away. Not since she¡¯d last seen her mother alive. Abbee hugged Whimsy back. Whimsy¡¯s artifact chip harness dug into her face, but she didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°It was,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°But it¡¯s contained now. It won¡¯t hurt anybody anymore.¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    ¡°The wizards aren¡¯t talking,¡± Whimsy said in a dark tone. ¡°As usual. You¡¯d think they¡¯d be a bit more forthcoming after¡ªwell, they¡¯re being tight-lipped. Parn too, which is weird, because normally he won¡¯t shut up. But the wizards told him ¡­ He¡¯s not talking, even after the captain and ¡­ everything. I don¡¯t understand how he¡ª¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Randall?¡± Abbee asked.

    Whimsy¡¯s arms tightened. ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Abbee. Randall¡¯s gone. The captain too. And so many¡ª¡± She sucked in a breath, and her words stopped.

    Abbee felt silent sobs rack Whimsy¡¯s frame. She was sorry Randall and Captain Barnes were gone. She hoped they hadn¡¯t been eaten alive. Both of them had been the first people who¡¯d treated her with respect in a long time. It wasn¡¯t fair.

    Whimsy sniffed and cleared her throat. ¡°We should get you home.¡±

    Abbee stiffened. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Look, I know Randall likes ¡­ liked you and all, but the precinct¡¯s no place for¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Abbee repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t have a home.¡±

    Whimsy turned to look at Abbee¡¯s face. ¡°Where are your¡ª¡±

    ¡°Mum¡¯s gone,¡± Abbee said. She looked at the floor.

    ¡°And your¡ª¡±

    ¡°I wish he was dead too. He¡ª¡± Abbee touched the parts of her face that had finished healing a few days ago. ¡°He ¡­ If you make me¡ª¡± She couldn¡¯t say it. Couldn¡¯t think it. She looked Whimsy in the eye. ¡°I¡¯ll never go back. Not until I¡¯m big enough to¡ª¡± Abbee set her jaw. She¡¯d never be big enough. She was too small, like her mother. ¡°You might as well kill me now.¡±

    Whimsy blinked. ¡°Nobody¡¯s doing that. You don¡¯t have any¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anybody.¡± Abbee thought about the bridge. She¡¯d get a fifth strike showing up empty-handed. She wasn¡¯t walking across town just to get rejected by Sammy. ¡°There¡¯s nobody.¡±

    Whimsy sighed. ¡°Well, this closet¡¯s no place for you.¡± She stood up. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°The infirmary,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I¡¯ve been asking for a helper for ages. You¡¯ll do.¡±

    Abbee stood up and followed Whimsy out of the room. Down the hallway and the stairs. Abbee¡¯s anxiety rose with every step. She didn¡¯t want to see any more death. Didn¡¯t want to see people she knew. She expected a disaster and got a clean room instead. The bullpen was back to normal, minus the people who worked there. The desks were all back in their original configuration. Some of them were missing. The blood and gore was all gone. So were the bodies.

    Abbee frowned. ¡°Where ¡­ there was¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wizards,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°They never show up when you need them, but they¡¯re always quick to clean up their mess.¡±

    Abbee saw a few constables here and there, sitting or standing in small clusters. Some spoke in hushed tones. Several had their heads in their hands. All had grim expressions. The last time Abbee had been in this room, she¡¯d seen dozens of constables. She counted eight. Nine including Whimsy. The captain¡¯s pedestal was empty. ¡°Where is everybody?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re¡ª¡± Whimsy let off a string of curses. The wizards featured heavily. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they trapped us in here with that thing. This way.¡± Whimsy threaded through the bullpen to the other side, toward the stairs heading down.

    Abbee slowed. ¡°Randall said downstairs was no place¡ª¡±

    ¡°That was to keep you from falling into the mover pit,¡± Whimsy said, trotting down the steps. She paused on the landing and looked up at Abbee. ¡°And if you still want to stay after what happened here tonight, then I¡¯d say no place is off-limits to you. C¡¯mon. I need someone handy with a mop.¡±

 Chapter 3

    Abbee settled into a routine. She swept the precinct, top to bottom, minus the room at the bottom with the round stone door. The mover pit. It was well-known that movers couldn¡¯t levitate themselves, and there were no bricks in the wall of the pit for a person to grab. So no climbing out. Abbee wondered what it really looked like, but she still wasn''t allowed. There weren¡¯t any guardrails at the top of the pit and it was a long way down.

    The other place she never went was the captain¡¯s office, because the new captain was always in it. Captain Orom. He didn¡¯t seem as good as Captain Barnes. Nobody liked him, for one thing. And he didn¡¯t seem to do much, at least not to Abbee. He never sat on the captain¡¯s pedestal, and he never showed his face in the bullpen. He stayed cooped up in his office all day with some accountants he¡¯d brought with him.

    Abbee supposed Captain Orom didn¡¯t want to deal with the steady stream of bad news filtering in from the Yards. Hundreds killed in Three Points. All talented. Scores more injured during the monster¡¯s rampage, due to falling debris and accidents. Whimsy was busy. Abbee learned that healers were rare among talented, especially Class Fours, like Whimsy. Not as rare as refractors, but close. Whimsy was one of a handful of healers in the entire district, and the single Class Four. Classes were how the wizards ranked talented, by a scale of one through five. Class Ones could barely do anything. A Class One Torch could create a little flame off their finger and that was it. Abbee had heard that a Class Five could call down fire tornadoes and level whole blocks. Abbee wished she were a torch. Set Sammy on fire whenever he threatened her.

    Abbee often contemplated going to the North Bend to tell Sammy off but never went. She was too busy. Even though Whimsy hardly had any time to herself, she¡¯d taken it upon herself to teach Abbee how to read. Abbee suspected it was out of self-preservation rather than altruism, after Abbee had accidentally picked out a strong acid instead of a healing salve.

    Abbee caught other bits about the bin workers forming a union, whatever that meant. It seemed important to the constables. They talked about it whenever they weren¡¯t talking about the Three Points Massacre¡ªor complaining about Captain Orom. They did a lot of complaining about Captain Orom. Abbee suspected he was a distraction from talking about the massacre itself. A sort of focal point for all their pain. The Yard District Precinct had lost thirty constables during that terrible night. Talented constables out on the streets, and more inside the building when the creature got inside. Many of the remaining constables had filed for transfers on account of both the massacre and the new captain. Abbee saw lots of new faces around the precinct. Some got touchy when Abbee commented on how young they looked.

    There was a shortage of local talented of all sorts. Movers, torches, spouts¡ªeverybody. A few days after the massacre, the Yard District discovered its volunteer fire squad had been decimated. An apartment building burned to the ground, and they¡¯d had to call in reserves from Central District to put it out. That fire had been the talk of the precinct for a whole day, because Parn Trippers had lived there.

    The Big Shield received a fair amount of vitriol from the constabulary. The fact that he¡¯d gone to work for the Ringers split the precinct¡¯s opinion right down the middle. On one side, he was a traitor to everyone in a uniform. On the other, he was a bridge between the city and the Tower. Not to mention having someone the constabulary knew in tight with the Ringers seemed like a good thing. But opinion on Parn working for the Ringers solidified in the negative camp after his apartment was burned down, supposedly by a fire tornado. Wizards were bad for everyone. It was better if they stayed up in the Tower, as far as the constables were concerned.

    The other person who featured heavily in the precinct chitchat was Vani Brattle. A Class Five Mover from Bloch, of all places. Abbee had never been outside Akken in her entire life. She couldn¡¯t picture what a small town looked like. Vani had helped trap the monster the night of the massacre. That had seemed like a positive to Abbee¡ªuntil Vani had demolished half the Council House a couple of days later and gotten herself arrested. The Ringers had exonerated her the same day in spectacular fashion. Some big voice in the sky, though Abbee had been mopping the floor in the infirmary and hadn¡¯t heard it.

    Vani¡¯s run with the wizards ended the same day Parn¡¯s apartment building burned down, though the events involved seemed sketchy to Abbee. An inn in Overlook fell off the escarpment, and Vani had caused it, as the rumors went. Or she¡¯d been in it. Abbee never found out for sure.

    The big story that day was the golem tearing through Central District. Lots of talk about people near the golem¡¯s path dying or getting older. Sometimes Abbee had a hard time teasing apart truth from fantasy when listening to the constables¡¯ rumors. Most sounded ludicrous. Abbee didn¡¯t like the golems, but they¡¯d never moved, and nobody she knew had seen one move. They were just big statues. Plenty of constables in the Yard District Precinct reported seeing the wreckage left behind, and there was an empty spot in the Red District wall. Too many witnesses to discount the story outright.

    Vani had supposedly destroyed the golem when the wizards hadn¡¯t been able to. Maybe that was why the Tower had said she was a criminal afterward, because she¡¯d shown up the wizards. That was the going theory in the precinct, anyway. Nobody ever found out, because Vani went into hiding, the rumors said, and nobody saw her for days. The rumors also said that she could fly, but Abbee didn''t understand how that worked. Movers couldn''t levitate themselves. Maybe it was a Class Five thing. Seemed far-fetched.

    Whimsy kept Abbee occupied with her broom and running errands for the other constables. At the end of each day, she collapsed onto her cot. Whimsy had moved it into a spare closet off the infirmary after Captain Orom had filled the upstairs closet with file cabinets. Captain Orom had briefly talked about firing Abbee, but Whimsy had said she was free. Orom liked free things, so he¡¯d let Abbee stay so long as she never went into his office. Abbee was fine with that¡ªone less place to sweep.

    Several days after Vani Brattle had vanished, the Bank of Akken reported a breakout. Abbee didn¡¯t understand that at all, but two bank guards reported seeing Vani wrecking the vault door from the inside. A little while later, the Red District¡¯s repeater headquarters got demolished. Some attack in the Tower the same night had the wizards up in arms, but the biggest story in the precinct was two North Bend constables warping themselves with their own wand, of all things. Nobody had high opinions of the North Bend constables, and if anybody might get warped with their own wands, it would be them.

    The next night, everything fell apart.

    ***

    Talk during the day was that repeater delivery quality all over Akken had dropped like a stone, and that was if you could even find one. Abbee couldn¡¯t understand why someone would pay real coin to send a message. Not when DotPost was basically free. It seemed outrageous. People complained to the constables, who of course couldn¡¯t do anything, but the constables were the city¡¯s suggestion box¡ªeven though most of those suggestions went in one ear and out the other.

    The bullpen was abuzz with reports of Vani Brattle sightings in different parts of town. Flying, for the most part. Abbee again wished for a mover talent, though it seemed like someone as strong as Brattle would always get into trouble, so maybe not that. There was also something going on up in Overlook, on the street with all the big houses. Explosions and wizard activity. Everyone in the precinct attributed the events to rich people doing rich-people things, and so long as it stayed up there, it was acceptable.

    Abbee was upstairs during the shift change early in the evening, keeping ahead of the dirt the constables tracked into the precinct. Some might view it as an unending task, but Abbee viewed dust as a renewable resource. Her services would always be needed in the precinct. She had a roof over her head, tasty food, endless entertainment, and nobody was hitting her or pushing her into the river. Abbee felt happy and content and safe for the first time since ¡­ well, a long time ago.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Harald said as Abbee went past the intake desk with her broom. ¡°Your surname is Danner, right?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°You related to a Kril Danner?¡±

    Abbee missed a step.

    Harald saw it. ¡°So you know him.¡±

    Abbee touched her face. The bruise was long gone, but the memory still tormented her in the night. ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got him downstairs till he sobers up. In holding. Been there about half an hour.¡±

    Fear seized Abbee. Nobody could get out of a holding cell unless they were very, very strong, or they could warp like a wizard. Abbee¡¯s father couldn¡¯t warp, but he was as strong as a bear. He was the strongest person Abbee had ever met. But if he could break free, he¡¯d have done it already, and she wouldn¡¯t be here talking to Harald about it. ¡°What¡¯d he do?¡±

    Harald read from the intake book. ¡°Assaulting a constable, disorderly conduct, theft. Tried to walk out of Nell¡¯s pub without paying, properly sloshed, and threw a punch at Madge. She doesn¡¯t put up with that from anybody and warped him.¡±

    Abbee was scared of her father, but she was also a little afraid of Sergeant¡ªno, Corporal Madge Poe. Mostly her mouth. Madge was a Class Two Speaker. Speaking was a weird talent to Abbee. Class Twos were more numerous but could only send mental messages to someone within eyesight. They were like one-way telepaths. Speaking silently or aloud, Madge let people know how she felt whether they liked it or not, and it had gotten her into trouble with the new captain. Captain Orom had demoted her to corporal on his first day. She¡¯d called him a ¡°squishy, rich pencil pusher who¡¯d bought himself a badge and a fancy hat¡± in front of the bullpen. No one was safe from Madge¡¯s sharp tongue, especially not Abbee. Madge never called her by name. Always ¡°street rat¡± or ¡°smelly urchin.¡± It changed every few days. Madge had somehow found out Abbee had lived under a bridge, and lately it was ¡°bridgie.¡± Abbee hated that the most.

    ¡°Nell¡¯s is on the edge of the district,¡± Harald went on. ¡°Your boy probably lost something in transit.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not mine,¡± Abbee snapped.

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s downstairs if you want to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Vit called from the other end of the room. ¡°Captain! All points alert from the North Bend. Veronna soldiers murdering constables in the street.¡±

    Captain Orom emerged from his office. His expression was one of disbelief. ¡°Veronna? In the North Bend? Sounds like the Benders are hitting the sauce early¡ª¡±

    The precinct door banged open. Val Wilkers, a rookie constable with a nervous demeanor, stood on the threshold. Her face was pale. ¡°Tower¡¯s on fire!¡± she shouted.

    Fifteen seconds later, Abbee found herself out on the front steps on account of everyone in the bullpen crowding outside to see. She clutched her broom and stared at the landmark at the top of the High Falls. The landmark that had stood for her entire lifetime and never changed. The Tower burned. Flames spurted out of several spires, and the tallest, the one in front, was missing its top. Abbee had no idea what could do so much damage to the Tower. Not with all those wizards in it. Fire exploded out of several places at once in several spires. Ominous black smoke spread out over the city, and the ground shivered beneath Abbee¡¯s feet. The constables stared in shock along with Abbee. Eventually, someone started talking, and then everyone started talking, shouting, and yelling. It didn¡¯t sound like order to Abbee. It sounded like panic.

    A sharp whistle cut through the din. ¡°Oi!¡± Madge shouted from the rear of the crowd. ¡°So the wizards have gone and done it now, yeah. It¡¯s a bit over the top from their usual, but that doesn¡¯t change what we gotta do. Quit squawking like a bunch of chickens, and get back to work, before the captain sees you and¡ªoh, hello, Captain. Nice to see you this fine evening.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Captain Orom asked from inside the precinct. ¡°First the Benders are hallucinating, and now ¡­ oh. Oh. This is ¡­ this can¡¯t be happening¡ª¡±

    ¡°It is, sir,¡± Madge said. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°We ¡­ uh, I, um, well, we should, uh¡ª¡±

    ¡°Right, sir,¡± Madge said. ¡°Everyone, back to your posts. Go on, get ready. You know this means we¡¯ll be pulling a double tonight. Vit, get back on the tabs. Recall everybody back to the precinct. And we gotta know what the other precincts are doing. Find out from the Benders if they¡¯ve really got House soldiers over there.¡±

    Constables filtered off the front steps back into the precinct, past Captain Orom. The man hadn¡¯t taken his eyes off the burning tower.

    Madge pushed the rest of the constables inside and eyed Abbee. ¡°Oi, Whimsy¡¯s gone home for the night, but we¡¯ll call her back. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have injured tonight. You get downstairs and prep the infirmary.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®sir¡¯ me, bridgie. Do I look like an officer to you? Off with you now.¡±

    Abbee scuttled past Madge and Orom, back into the precinct, past the bullpen, and downstairs. The air smelled of barely constrained fear. It felt familiar. Felt the same as their flat before her father had come home from the pub. My father. One level down, in the holding cells. Abbee touched her face again.

    She paused at the doorway to the infirmary. The ground rumbled. Glass jars and bottles on Whimsy¡¯s supply shelf rattled. A few were close to the edge. Abbee set her broom against the wall and hurried into the infirmary. She caught the bottles as they were about to fall and pushed them back. Another earthquake rattled them forward again. Abbee fetched a stool and spent the next fifteen minutes moving the entire shelf of bottles to the wider countertop below. More room down there. She found some dusty books and set them in front to form a wall.

    The rest of the infirmary was as Whimsy had left it. Orderly. The woman kept a neat operation. Abbee didn¡¯t have to prep anything. Madge had sent her down here to keep her out of the way. Abbee didn¡¯t know why Madge wasn¡¯t in charge instead of Orom. She seemed like she knew what she was doing.

    Abbee waited for a long time. She thought about going downstairs. Seeing her father in his cell. She went to the first stairwell landing and glanced upstairs. Constables ran past the stairwell in both directions. Lots of shouts. Abbee pieced together bits of coherence from the chaos. House soldiers in the streets in Red, Central, and the North Bend. Killing constables. They hadn¡¯t come this way yet.

    She waited but still no Whimsy. Abbee hoped Whimsy was okay. She started to worry. Whimsy lived in Central District. What if the House soldiers had gotten her? Abbee went up to the top of the stairs. She was about to go to the front desk and ask Harald when Madge spotted her from across the bullpen.

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    Inside Abbee¡¯s head, Madge barked, ¡°Go back downstairs and stay there!¡±

    ¡°All right, all right,¡± Abbee said.

    She turned around and went back downstairs. The bottles were still in their little fort. The infirmary was clean. Ready.

    The floor shifted beneath Abbee¡¯s feet. She grabbed the examining table for support. The bottles jumped on the countertop. It felt like the whole building had jumped. The constables went quiet upstairs for a moment. Their shouts got louder. More urgent. Abbee wondered what was happening and if she should leave. She almost laughed out loud. She had nowhere else to go. The reason for that was downstairs in the cells.

    Abbee decided she wanted to see. She went downstairs. She wanted to show her father that she was with the constables, that she¡¯d made it without him. That was something he¡¯d always said to her and her mother. They couldn¡¯t make it without him. Abbee was making it just fine. If her mother had had the strength to leave, then maybe Abbee wouldn¡¯t have had to live under a bridge. She wouldn¡¯t have had to dodge creepy boys or anyone who thought pushing her into a river was funny. Abbee¡¯s fear of her father battled her rising anger, and her anger won out. She knew she was blaming her mother and she shouldn¡¯t do that. Maybe Abbee could¡¯ve done something instead of hiding under her bed while her parents had fought. Conflicted emotions chased Abbee downstairs to the cells.

    Constable Darren Scolp was on duty. He was so new and so young that it felt weird to Abbee to address him with the same deference as Sergeant¡ªno, Corporal Poe. But Abbee was twelve and smaller, and Darren was uptight about his shiny badge.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on up there?¡± Darren demanded.

    ¡°Tower¡¯s on fire,¡± Abbee reported. ¡°Veronna¡¯s attacking the city.¡± She looked around the corner to the cells. Ten barred doors, five on each side. Offset, so the holding cells didn¡¯t face one another.

    ¡°Who¡¯s tha¡¯?¡± a deep voice slurred.

    Abbee tensed. The voice brought back dark memories.

    ¡°On fire?¡± Darren echoed. ¡°Veronna? And that¡¯s ¡®Constable Scolp¡¯ to you.¡± He looked around. ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs. You stay here and keep an eye on the cells.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°I¡¯m no constable. What if they¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Darren said. ¡°They¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± He gestured at the numbered levers on the wall behind him. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t bump these and let any of them out, you¡¯ll be all right. You can barely reach them, anyways. I¡¯ll only be a minute.¡±

    Abbee frowned. She didn¡¯t need anybody reminding her about her height. ¡°What if Captain Orom sees you?¡±

    Darren snorted. ¡°He never comes out of his office. Besides, he has no idea who anybody is. He wouldn¡¯t remember me even if I poked him on the nose.¡± Darren dashed off.

    Abbee muttered a couple of discouraging words in his direction. She hoped Madge saw him.

    ¡°I know tha¡¯ voice,¡± the deep voice said.

    Abbee heard springs creak in protest.

    ¡°It¡¯s you, Rat. I know it. Come ¡¯ere.¡±

    Rat. Abbee felt sadness and anger at the same time. Her mother had called her ¡°little mouse¡± when she was small. Before she had learned to walk, Abbee had been a fast crawler, and she¡¯d fit into many tight spaces. Abbee¡¯s father had called her Mouse. He never called her by name. After Abbee¡¯s mother had disappeared, Kril Danner had started to call his daughter Rat.

    Abbee walked around the corner. She stayed near the opposite wall. Kril Danner stood at his cell door. He was nearly as tall as the ceiling. As big and terrible and awful as Abbee remembered. A little thinner. Greasy dark hair hung in front of his eyes. He didn¡¯t look good. His clothes looked like they hadn¡¯t been washed in ages. His left hand was missing a finger. No wound, no scar, just smooth, clean skin as if he¡¯d been born without it. Abbee knew he¡¯d had ten fingers. Harald had been right¡ªKril had lost parts when warped by Poe. Abbee hoped it was more than just the finger.

    Kril¡¯s face broke into a wide sneer at the sight of her. ¡°Look at you with yer fancy jacket, Rat.¡±

    Anger smothered Abbee¡¯s satisfaction at Kril losing bits to a wand warp. ¡°My name¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Rat.¡± Kril finished with a bright grin. ¡°Everyone knows ye¡¯re a rat, Rat. Twisty and grimy.¡± Kril gripped the bars of his cell with his meaty paws. He sneered at her. ¡°Ya can take the rat outta the gutter, but ya can never take the gutter outta the rat. Like yer mother. Got ¡¯er from the gutter.¡±

    Abbee wished the levers on the wall had an option for incineration.

    ¡°Everybody out!¡± a voice cried down the stairs. ¡°We¡¯re evacuating. Golems are marching through the city. Everyone out. Scolp, release the prisoners. Even the big one.¡± Footsteps trotted back up the stairs. Whoever it was, they didn¡¯t know Scolp had left his post. They didn¡¯t know Abbee was down here. She took a step toward the stairwell.

    ¡°Lemme out,¡± Kril said.

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee snapped over her shoulder.

    A voice down the hall called, ¡°Hey, let me out!¡±

    Another, ¡°Me! Let me out! I never hurt nobody.¡±

    Abbee hadn¡¯t realized there was anybody else in here. She trotted past Kril¡¯s cell, glancing in the cells as she went. All empty save the two at the end. A man and a woman. The man was thin and shifty-looking. Abbee had seen a lot of people come through the precinct, and she¡¯d learned to put them into buckets. The first bucket held people down on their luck. They¡¯d made a silly mistake and wouldn¡¯t make another one again. The second bucket held those who preyed on the people in the first bucket. The woman looked like a first-bucket person. The shifty man looked like a second. Abbee knew Kril Danner occupied a third bucket, and that bucket wasn¡¯t worth saving at all.

    Abbee took note of the numbers on the cell doors. Seven and eight. She went back.

    Kril swiped at her. ¡°Lemme out. You lemme out, Rat.¡±

    Abbee dodged him. She got to the levers on the wall. Found the numbers to the cells on the end. She flipped the lever marked 7. The woman¡¯s cell. Her door swung open, and she stepped out. She hurried up the hall, dodged another swipe from Kril, and stopped at Abbee. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Abbee replied. ¡°Actually, if anybody asks, tell them Constable Scolp let you out.¡±

    The woman smiled. ¡°I will.¡± She ran up the stairs.

    ¡°Hey,¡± the shifty man called from the end of the hall. ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°Lemme out,¡± Kril repeated, his voice rising. ¡°You let me out, Rat. You let me out.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°No.¡± She hesitated. Grunted. She reached up and flipped the lever for cell eight.

    The shifty man came out. He trotted past Abbee and grinned at her. ¡°Thanks, kid. I¡¯ll remember you.¡± He ran up the stairs and was gone.

    Abbee turned to leave.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lemme die in here,¡± Kril pleaded. ¡°Your mother woulda let me out. You know she woulda.¡±

    Abbee froze. He was right. Abbee¡¯s mother had endured enormous abuse from her husband, but she would¡¯ve let him out. Abbee¡¯s mother had been good. She¡¯d been everything Abbee wanted to be. Kind and forgiving, even in the face of adversity. She would¡¯ve let Kril out.

    A voice in the back of Abbee¡¯s head screamed that she shouldn¡¯t. She reached up on tippy-toes and flipped the lever to Kril¡¯s cell. The door creaked open. Kril pushed out and turned. He spied Abbee and scowled at her. Before she realized what was happening, he¡¯d crossed the space between them. He moved so fast. So fast for someone so big.

    Kril¡¯s scowl twisted in anger and loathing. ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡ª¡±

    A big fist fell at Abbee¡¯s head. She couldn¡¯t believe this was happening. She was stuck in the corner. Abbee raised her pitiful arms and shied away. That big fist crashed through her forearms and into her face. Abbee felt bones shatter, and her world went white with pain. She crumpled and went down. The blows kept coming. Fists and feet. A curse with every strike. Kril¡¯s grunts and yelling filled Abbee¡¯s ears.

    All at once they stopped. Abbee tried to move. Her arms didn¡¯t work, and she hurt so bad. Even thinking about moving her arms hurt.

    ¡°Gotta put you somewhere,¡± Kril muttered. ¡°Someplace they won¡¯t find you.¡± He gave a dark chuckle. ¡°I know where. A big hole, like where I put ¡¯er. A big hole for a little rat.¡±

    Kril grabbed Abbee by the hair and pulled. She tried to move her arms and stop Kril, but nothing worked. Kril dragged her by the hair out into the hall. Everything was fuzzy through her swollen eyes. She caught a glimpse of her arms. Both broken. Whitish shards poked through the skin at her wrists. Kril turned left and down the stairs. Abbee caught a glimpse of a stone portal. Another door. More dragging.

    Pain lanced through other pain. Her neck hurt, and gravity tugged at her. Abbee peered into the darkness. Kril held her at arm¡¯s length. His lips twisted in contempt. He glanced down. Abbee looked down and saw only shadows. No, the floor. A round lip where the floor ended. The toe of Kril¡¯s boot hung over the edge. Abbee realized where they were. The mover pit. Kril was about to drop her into the mover pit.

    The floor, the walls, and the ceiling rattled. Earthquake. A big one. Kril¡¯s expression turned to alarm as he slipped on the edge. He tipped toward Abbee. The walls tilted, and the dark hole swallowed them up.

    Abbee and Kril fell. They fell forever.

    A terrible fury rose in Abbee. She was falling into a hole with her father, and if she¡¯d just left him in the cell, this wouldn¡¯t be happening. But she¡¯d felt sorry for him, like she¡¯d felt for her mother, and look where it had gotten her. Compassion had gotten her killed. At least Kril would die here with her, and she¡¯d never feel sorry for anyone again. Abbee fell toward her death, and all she felt was rage.

    She crunched into something hard and unforgiving. Felt her head hit stone, and bones already broken shattered further. Heat and pain crashed into her. Abbee wondered if she was dead. She should be dead, but she still felt so angry. She felt it all. And something ¡­ else. Something new. Like a fire inside. Everywhere, all at once. Abbee felt her bones knit back together. Felt muscles reattach, teeth fall back into their sockets. Wounds closed, and her left eye, which had been in the process of bursting, re-formed. Abbee felt everything. Wonder, agony, awe, and terror mixed into a symphony of awful. She registered a big weight on top of her. Smothering her. Abbee stretched out her arms, trying to find purchase. Both her arms shouldn¡¯t work¡ªboth had been broken¡ªbut they seemed fine now. Abbee crawled out from under her father¡¯s limp form. She wriggled free and scrambled away in the pitch black.

    Her head banged into stone. Abbee¡¯s hands found a curving stone wall. She twisted around, pressed her back against the wall, and raised her hands into the gloom. She couldn¡¯t see her own hands. She couldn¡¯t see anything. No light. Nothing. She held her breath and listened. Nothing. She couldn¡¯t hear or see Kril. He wasn¡¯t moving. Abbee realized she was over here, he was over there, and she¡¯d fallen into the mover pit. Kril had landed on top of her. She should be dead. She had felt the impact.

    And ¡­ and ¡­ and more.

    She¡¯d felt her body put itself back together. Felt her wounds heal.

    Understanding and confusion crackled through her. I¡¯m talented.

    Abbee had presented. A healer, maybe, but that didn¡¯t make any sense. Healers couldn¡¯t heal themselves. Her wrists itched. She rubbed at them and felt something there. Something rough and flaky. Abbee couldn¡¯t see in the dark, but she knew at once what it was. Glimmermote. The sparkly dust came from talented and wizards alike; more mote meant more effort. Abbee felt astonished that she¡¯d presented an actual talent. Astonished that she had mote of her own on her wrists. She shouldn¡¯t be alive. Healers couldn¡¯t heal themselves. The fall should¡¯ve killed her. Still, Abbee couldn¡¯t argue with the fact that she¡¯d fallen into a mover pit and lived. She was alive and Kril was dead.

    Well, maybe not that last part. She didn¡¯t know if he was dead for sure.

    She inched across the floor. Her hands found a leg. Abbee jerked away and waited. She nudged Kril¡¯s body again and backed away. Froze. Listened. Nothing. She poked Kril again. Same thing. He didn¡¯t move. Abbee¡¯s fingers found his face. It felt wrong and squishy and wet. She jerked away again. Got closer. She put the back of her hand under what felt like his nose and held it there. No warmth. No breath. Kril wasn¡¯t breathing.

    Abbee waited to feel something. Her father was dead, and Abbee felt ¡­ nothing.

    A little indignation, maybe. He was dead, and she was stuck with his body at the bottom of a mover pit. Stuck in the dark.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Abbee shouted. Her voice was rough. She cleared her throat, and something caught in it. She coughed and spat. Something wet hit the floor. ¡°Anyone hear me? Hey! Someone help!¡±

    Nothing. Nobody. Abbee heard a thud. Felt it. Felt it through her feet and her back. Another one. A few of them. Moving away. Somewhere far above her. Little earthquakes.

    Everything went quiet. Abbee sat against the far wall and hugged her knees to her chest. She stared into the murk. She couldn¡¯t see anything but knew she was staring at a body.

    It was quiet for a long time.

    ***

    Abbee heard a sound from the top of the pit and jerked awake. She hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d fallen asleep. She strained to identify the sound. Footsteps, maybe. Light flickered, and a steady beam pointed down at her. She shielded her eyes and saw a shadow hanging over the edge.

    ¡°How did you get down there?¡± a man called. Abbee didn¡¯t recognize his voice.

    ¡°I ¡­ we fell.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®we¡¯?¡±

    ¡°My ¡­ there¡¯s someone else down here. He¡¯s dead.¡± The light moved and illuminated Kril¡¯s body. He was face down, but Abbee knew nobody would recognize him anyway. Too much damage.

    The shadow at the top shifted. Abbee realized it was the man¡¯s head. ¡°You fell down there from all the way up here?¡±

    ¡°Both of us did. I think ¡­ I landed on top of him.¡± Abbee hoped the man didn¡¯t hear the lie.

    ¡°How long have you been down there?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°I dunno. A while.¡±

    ¡°This pit likely saved your life.¡±

    ¡°From what?¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± The man moved away.

    Panic seized Abbee. ¡°Hey! Where¡¯d you go?¡±

    The man¡¯s head reappeared. ¡°Would you like to get out?¡±

    Abbee stared at him. What kind of idiot wanted to be down here? ¡°Yes, I want to get out.¡±

    ¡°Then wait.¡± The man disappeared again.

    Abbee heard footsteps somewhere up above. Heeled boots. Bright light bobbed up and down, growing brighter as the footsteps neared. The edge of the pit stood out in sharp contrast. Abbee made out a large metal plate hanging from the ceiling. Round.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± a woman¡¯s voice asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone in the pit,¡± the man said. ¡°A girl.¡±

    The light neared, and a bright spot slid out above the pit. Hung in midair. A glow globe, Abbee surmised. It made the small light the man carried look feeble in comparison. Abbee squinted against the glare. Someone leaned out over the pit, holding a staff. Something moved at the top of the staff. Abbee couldn¡¯t make out what it was from all the way down here. The woman with the staff leaned back out of view.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no one here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is,¡± the man said.

    ¡°You know what I mean. And before you say something else completely obvious, I don¡¯t mean those House soldiers I found near the holding cells either.¡± She wiggled her staff. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that Veronna brought their talented soldiers with them. Dealing with them is much easier when they¡¯re unconscious.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t know anything about any House soldiers in the precinct. Wood scraped on stone. Abbee saw movement over the lip of the pit. She squinted. A thick wooden rod attached to a rope. The rod slid downward, bouncing and knocking against the stone walls of the pit.

    The woman leaned out over the edge again. ¡°What are you going to do with her once you get her out?¡±

    As soon as it was within reach, Abbee grabbed the rod. Pulled it down and sat on it, crossing her legs around the rope. She turned and rested her back against the wall. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she called.

    The rope quivered, and Abbee jerked up off the floor. Her feet dangled. A few seconds later, another quiver, and she rose again. The ascent was slow. Abbee wanted it to go faster, but she wasn¡¯t in charge here, and she kept quiet about it. The man might decide at any time that Abbee wasn¡¯t worth the trouble and leave her down here.

    Rise, stop. Rise, stop.

    ¡°Do you want help?¡± the woman asked. ¡°You sure? I would¡¯ve thought, with you having only one arm, you¡¯d¡ªfine, fine, do it your way. The slow way.¡±

    Halfway up, one stop lasted a lot longer than normal. Abbee couldn¡¯t see the pit¡¯s floor anymore. ¡°Hey,¡± she called. ¡°Why¡¯d I stop?¡±

    ¡°That staff might be a problem,¡± the man said.

    ¡°It will be a problem if I need it and don¡¯t have it,¡± the woman said. ¡°The one second it takes to summon is more than enough for a Forged. Not to mention those pesky assassins who keep seeming to know where I am. So far, they¡¯ve all been talented, and that¡¯s gone in my favor. You wouldn¡¯t know anything about that, would you?¡±

    ¡°No. And speaking of talented, this is a mover pit.¡±

    The woman leaned out over the lip. ¡°Are you a mover?¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t about to tell the woman about her talent. She wanted to ask what the woman had meant about forging. It sounded like a thing worth knowing about, but a woman with a staff and a glow globe was a wizard, and the wizards hadn¡¯t been good to the Yards. Abbee didn¡¯t trust wizards. ¡°I¡¯m not a mover.¡±

    The woman leaned back. ¡°See?¡±

    The man¡¯s head appeared. ¡°Hug the rope, and put your hands under your arms.¡±

    Abbee frowned at him. ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to get out?¡± the man asked.

    Abbee did as she was told. She folded her arms and jammed her hands into her armpits. Tilted her head and tucked the rope under her chin. It was rough and chafed her skin.

    The rope shuddered against Abbee¡¯s chin. She slid up the side of the pit again.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± the woman asked. ¡°She said she¡¯s not a mover.¡±

    Abbee slid upward. Her hope grew strong as she neared the lip, and she blinked back tears. She wasn¡¯t there yet. And her head was starting to hurt. She frowned. She wasn¡¯t sure what was happening. Her stomach lurched, and the pressure grew. Her vision blurred and darkened even as she grew closer to the glow globe. Abbee opened her mouth to say she didn¡¯t feel so good, and passed out.

    ***

    Abbee came to and sucked in a breath. Her head pounded in her skull. It felt like her brain was trying to get out. She groaned and rubbed her temples with one hand. She was awake. She was alive. Stars glittered above her in the night sky. She was outside. Abbee rolled over. She was on a bedroll on the grass. A small fire burned a few meters away, painting her face with its warmth. Trees all around. Abbee had never been outside the city at night and didn¡¯t like all the strange sounds. Didn¡¯t like the shadows.

    A man sat cross-legged on the other side of a low fire. His eyes were closed, but his chin was too high for him to be sleeping. He had an old face with wrinkles around his eyes. Old-man spots on his shaved head. He wore a loose-fitting, short-sleeved shirt that had been white at one point but was now streaked with ash. Baggy black trousers and no shoes. His right arm was missing. The stump poked out of his shirt. An old injury. His other arm hung loose, and he had his hand in his lap.

    Abbee sensed this man was dangerous. He wasn¡¯t big like her father, but he wasn¡¯t small either. She knew the relaxed state was a ruse. ¡°Where ¡­ what happened? How did I get here?¡±

    ¡°Let us begin,¡± the man said, opening his eyes.

    Abbee recognized his voice. The man at the top of the pit. She looked around for the woman with the staff. ¡°Begin what? Where¡¯s the other one?¡±

    The man unfolded his legs and stood up in one smooth motion. ¡°I am called Ipsu. Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 4

    PART 2: SEVEN YEARS LATER

    ¡°Up,¡± Ipsu said.

    Abbee lay on her stomach, clutching at clumps of grass. Felt granules of dirt sticking to her lips. Her toes pushed at air. Slowly writhing distracted Abbee from her wheezing. She wished getting the wind knocked out of her didn¡¯t hurt so much.

    ¡°Up,¡± Ipsu repeated.

    Up was one of his favorite words. Abbee knew Ipsu had a large vocabulary, heard his frequent catechisms during the evening fire, but he seemed to fixate on a few words or phrases for weeks at a time. His first favorite phrase had nearly driven her insane. Still did. Seven years after leaving Akken, Ipsu still asked his signature question whenever she least expected it. Ipsu had spoiled meeting new people for Abbee for the rest of her life. She couldn¡¯t hear anyone ask ¡°Who are you?¡± without twitching.

    ¡°Up.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like up. It usually meant she was on the ground after standing¡ªand after Ipsu had forced a sudden change in orientation.

    ¡°Up.¡±

    Today was a ¡°chase day.¡± Ipsu chased her all day, through woods thick with underbrush that whipped at her legs, down swift rivers with dangerous rocks, and across fields filled with nettles. If he caught her, they fought. Abbee always ended up on the ground. Ipsu only had one arm, and still Abbee lost. Always.

    ¡°Up.¡±

    ¡°I heard you,¡± Abbee said.

    She¡¯d come close to getting him earlier that morning, but the sun was low in the afternoon sky, and Abbee was tired. Slower. They both carried knives, but their sparring on chase days was hand to hand only. Abbee wished she could use her knives¡ªIpsu moved like a snake. Her scalp stung. She knew she¡¯d have to cut her hair again tonight. It was long enough for Ipsu to grab and use as leverage. Abbee wondered if she¡¯d ever be able to have long brown hair like her mother¡¯s. If only she could see her little mouse now. Abbee felt a pang of dull sadness and pushed it away.

    ¡°Up.¡± A hint of irritation.

    Abbee smiled at his display of emotion. ¡°I¡¯m enjoying this nice dirt.¡±

    She felt the air shift. She rolled away from Ipsu and up to her feet to face him. Ipsu wore a light deerskin coat over a plain linen shirt. Leather trousers and good boots. His clothes always seemed too thin for the cold, but Ipsu ignored the weather. A satchel was slung across his back, with a buckle in front to close it. Ipsu¡¯s satchel was smaller than Abbee¡¯s backpack, and he still managed to carry everything he owned in it.

    Ipsu watched her without expression. She knew he¡¯d moved to kick her and was now just standing there as if nothing had happened. Lounging around on the ground too long always earned her a kick to the ribs.

    ¡°Run,¡± Ipsu commanded.

    Abbee turned and ran.

    ***

    The sun was low in the sky when Abbee paused at the top of a ravine to rest. Another couple of hours of daylight. Chase days ended when the sun went down. The late-autumn air was crisp, and she steamed in the cold. A stiff breeze washed over the top of the ravine, and Abbee saw dark clouds to the northwest.

    She spotted Ipsu half a kilometer behind her, coming up the north side of the hill. She¡¯d led him up through thick underbrush to slow him down. In a few minutes, he¡¯d encounter a big stone ledge, tall enough to require climbing. Ipsu managed a great deal with his one arm, but it would be a while before he caught up to her.

    The forest stretched away from the ravine. Abbee was high enough to see across the tops of the trees, and she saw what she¡¯d been looking for about a kilometer to the north. A cut in the trees. It looked like a river passing through. Abbee knew there wasn¡¯t a river near here wide enough for that. No, that was a continental road. Ipsu usually avoided them, but Abbee covered a lot of ground on chase days, and she¡¯d been looking for one. The cut in the trees stretched further north, to a wide-open space. Abbee saw several columns of gray smoke rising from chimneys. She was fairly sure that was Lencoe, a train town.

    A strong gust of cold air snatched the warmth from Abbee, and she shivered. She shouldered off her pack, untied her fur coat from the bottom, and pulled it on. A memory of rolling around in the dark flickered through her head. Flashing claws and sharp teeth. Abbee felt a satisfied smile as she donned the coat. The wolf hadn¡¯t expected to end up this way. She pulled her pack back on and tightened the straps. It was light. She was low on food, and she knew Ipsu didn¡¯t have much left either. She wasn¡¯t stopping to resupply on her run. She was staying in that town tonight.

    Abbee picked her way down the ravine and headed north. She went as fast as she could over the rough terrain. She knew Ipsu would try harder to catch up to her. He didn¡¯t like going into towns. In the beginning, it had been to avoid the chaos and upheaval following the fall of Akken. What had actually happened that night in the central continental city depended on who you asked, but everyone agreed on two things: the Tower was destroyed, and the golems turned on the city. Everyone called it Towerfall.

    It had been seven years since, and the world seemed a bit more stable now, but Ipsu kept to old habits. They¡¯d spent months coming down the western seaboard and skipped every settlement with more than ten people in it. No visit to Morat nor Joor. Abbee had been sure Ipsu would stop in Joor, but he¡¯d veered southeast days before they¡¯d reached the coastal basin where the city lay.

    She reached the bottom of the ravine and beelined for the continental road. Ipsu would give her an earful for going into a town, but Abbee was feeling mutinous. She wanted hot water and soap.

    Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the trees and stepped out onto the continental road. Thirty-five meters wide and constructed from stone slabs, the continental road was like a ribbon of rock draped across the land. Several such roads connected all the major cities, and north¨Csouth travel still required passage through Akken¡¯s escarpment tunnels.

    Unencumbered by trees, rocks, and roots, Abbee turned toward Lencoe and settled into a sprint. A smile spread across her face. Ipsu wasn¡¯t catching her across open ground. Abbee was grateful for her strength and speed, because it hadn¡¯t always been this way. When she¡¯d first met Ipsu, he¡¯d towered over her and run far faster. Training with him had been difficult and frustrating, but Abbee had wanted to learn. She never wanted to end up in a pit again, never wanted another man to take advantage of her like her father had. Ipsu was a ready teacher. He¡¯d taught her to survive in the wild. Taught her to hunt. To fight, dodge, and run. And when she could no longer do those, to use an opponent¡¯s weight against them. To use weapons of opportunity and go for weak spots. Ipsu wasn¡¯t her father and didn¡¯t try to kill her, but he didn¡¯t pull his punches. Not even with twelve-year-old girls. In the first couple of years, Abbee had relied on her gift a lot.

    At first she¡¯d tried to hide it, but Ipsu wasn¡¯t dumb. He¡¯d known she was talented from the beginning, though Abbee was fairly sure he hadn¡¯t known with what at first. He¡¯d shown about as much surprise as Ipsu ever did the first day they had been together, when he¡¯d handed Abbee a knife and she¡¯d promptly cut herself with it. He¡¯d seized her hand to dress the wound and instead watched with her as it had closed on its own. She¡¯d only bled for a few seconds.

    Abbee had wanted to test the boundaries of her gift herself in private, but Ipsu had made it his hobby. In their time together, Ipsu had pushed her out of plenty of trees, into rapid rivers, and down steep ravines. She¡¯d lost count of how many times she¡¯d broken her arms and legs. Ipsu told her to keep her gift to herself. No one would understand, because healers couldn¡¯t heal themselves, and now was not the time to be suspected of being a wizard.

    Many monumental things had happened during Towerfall, one of which was wizardry disappearing overnight. The last wizard Abbee had ever seen was that woman with the weird staff at the top of the mover pit. Engineered by Veronna¡¯s shadowy network of spies, coordinated assassinations had wiped out wizards all over the continent. Nobody figured out how the network had known all their locations. To this day, the network hunted both secrets and wizards with equal enthusiasm. Presenting as a talented still guaranteed steady work for life. But presenting as a wizard meant living on the run until the wizard hunters caught up with you and snuffed you out.

    At first Abbee had wondered if Ipsu was a wizard on the run. He wasn¡¯t. Ipsu was a refractor. A Class Three. He couldn¡¯t choose the effect and was immune to all magic. Abbee actually liked that arrangement, because it meant she didn¡¯t have to feel guilty about her gift being backward. Abbee¡¯s gift only affected her. Try as she might, she couldn¡¯t ever use it on anyone else. In the early days with Ipsu, Abbee had indeed relied on her gift to heal her from sparring damage, but she¡¯d also relied on Ipsu. Before meeting him, Abbee had never spent a night outside Akken. The reversal was astonishing. Seven years since that chaotic night in Akken, and Abbee could count the number of nights she¡¯d slept inside a building on two hands. It was as if Ipsu had an aversion to level floors.

    Abbee felt the train before she heard it, and heard it before she saw it. The ground beneath her feet vibrated. A rumble reached her ears. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the train crest the hill behind her. Abbee got off the road. She chafed at the loss of speed, but she wasn¡¯t getting run over by a continental train.

    The train was a big one. At least fifteen carts. Each continental train cart had huge steel wheels at its corners and two leather-clad drovers sitting on top. Movers. Had to be, using their telekinetic gifts to both turn each cart¡¯s big drive cranks and keep the giant wheels from oscillating at speed. The ground shook as the train thundered past Abbee with a deafening roar, shooting past as if she weren¡¯t even moving. She knew the train would never leave the road on purpose and that she was perfectly safe, but it was like a building rolling by only three meters away. Abbee whooped at the surge of adrenaline.

    As soon as the train went past, she hopped back onto the road and ran at a dead sprint. She saw Lencoe five minutes later. The road forked before the town. A thinner ribbon of stone hooked to the right around Lencoe, to a wide-open space with three trains parked in it. The town was built on a hilltop with a big metal-reinforced stone bulwark facing the train road. Continentals sometimes lost wheels at speed, and the train towns had learned early that a steel wheel weighing several tons rolled a long way.

    Lencoe had one street, with a bunch of houses and shops on it. Five inns¡ªfour more than was needed for a town of this size. The town only existed to provide roadside services to the continentals. Abbee paused on the edge of town and looked back. The road was clear. No Ipsu. She guessed he¡¯d stay in the woods tonight, but Abbee wished he¡¯d come into town. She wasn¡¯t the only person who needed a bath.

    Drovers crowded the street, clumping into small groups to exchange news and gossip. Abbee got a lot of strange looks. She knew it was her clothing. She wore an odd mix of fine leathers and crude furs. Ipsu avoided civilization for the amenities, but he never skimped on gear. Poor or damaged equipment meant death or disease in the wilderness, and while Abbee was impervious to food poisoning and infection, Ipsu wasn¡¯t. Abbee wasn¡¯t sure where Ipsu got his money, but he always had enough to buy the best boots, bandages, knives, and clothing. She hadn¡¯t washed anything since she and Ipsu had been caught in the middle of a field during a cloudburst last week. Abbee had been running all day, and she was filthy.

    Abbee picked the last inn on the street. A sign out front with a horn and some apples on it. She walked up the front steps of the Gray Horn and pushed the door open.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± a deep voice rumbled from within. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you, Abbee, but no. Go round back and get that dirt off you first.¡±

    Abbee smiled at the big man standing inside. It had been a year since she¡¯d seen Gerro, and he looked about the same. Maybe a little grayer. ¡°You got room for me tonight?¡±

    ¡°Just you?¡± Gerro asked.

    ¡°I doubt Ipsu will come into town,¡± Abbee said, ¡°and if he does, he can get his own room.¡±

    Gerro¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Yeah? Who¡¯s paying, then?¡±

    Abbee thumbed some coins out of her pocket. Her hands were still too clumsy for pickpocketing, but she¡¯d long since learned to keep the change anytime Ipsu sent her into a town to buy supplies. ¡°I¡¯ve got money if you¡¯ve got hot water¡ª¡±

    Gerro glowered at her. ¡°It was one time.¡±

    ¡°Twice,¡± Abbee reminded him. ¡°Almost a habit at this point.¡±

    ¡°Coincidence,¡± Gerro snapped. ¡°Gonna charge you double if you keep spreading vile falsehoods about my humble inn.¡±

    Ipsu¡¯s spare change wouldn¡¯t cover double. ¡°If the water¡¯s hot tonight, I promise that you¡¯ll never hear about it again.¡± She handed over her money.

    ¡°It¡¯s hot,¡± Gerro said. ¡°I got rid of that furnace and hired a torch.¡±

    With the wizards gone and no one left to repair magical furnaces, every torch had found themselves flush with employment opportunities. Even a Class One could heat a big water tank if they stayed at it long enough.

    ¡°Go get clean,¡± Gerro added. ¡°I¡¯ll have your room ready for you when you¡¯re done. Oh, watch out for the drovers. They¡¯re feisty tonight.¡±

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Great,¡± Abbee said.

    Like intelligence and brawn, talented had a pecking order. Movers and elementals were at the top, for obvious reasons. Irritating a telepath was an invitation to have your dearest secrets aired publicly. Lightbenders might make you look foolish with a comical illusion. Empaths might make you feel foolish¡ªor worse. Nobody messed with the healers out of self-preservation.

    Normals were at the bottom. That was the new term for it. Used to be ¡°untalented¡± when Abbee was little, but after Towerfall the untalented among the population came to call themselves ¡°normal¡± or ¡°regular people.¡± Abbee appeared normal. If she used her talent in public, people would think her a wizard. She¡¯d seen what happened to people suspected of being a wizard.

    In the old days, off-duty constables out of Akken rode the trains and kept the peace along the continental roads. Train towns usually hired one or two marshals to keep the peace on their streets, and the ever-present threat of a wizard showing up added to the pressure to reduce mischief. Talented crime carried stiff penalties, and a violent talented crime was typically a capital offense.

    Those days were gone. In the cities, talented constables and enforcers kept the peace with superior numbers, but out on the continental roads and in the countryside, the talented had the upper hand, and they knew it. Banditry was on the rise. That had never been done while the Tower had stood. It turned out the wizards had held quite a bit together. In the past few years, normal-on-talented violence, and vice versa, had been on the rise. Last spring, the big story on everyone¡¯s lips had been of a mob lynching a mover in a small town outside Morat. Everyone was on edge.

    Abbee went around back to the bathhouse. It was a long building that had probably served as a stable at some point, back when the continent¡¯s commerce traveled by animal power instead of movers. Abbee doubted they¡¯d needed a big water tank mounted to the roof back then. The bathhouse was full of drovers, hanging out of rooms in various stages of undress. Abbee could tell by the banter that they all knew each other. Their conversation lulled when Abbee came in, and turned to whispers when she passed. Whispers and giggles. Abbee felt eyes on her back and didn¡¯t like it. She¡¯d spent the last seven years in and out of the woods, and while she¡¯d been in plenty of settlements and around other people, she still felt a little anxious in closed spaces with so many people.

    Abbee found an empty stall in the back, away from the crowd. She shouldered open the door and found a big bathtub full of steaming water, a chair in the corner, and a couple of rough towels. Abbee sighed happily. She shouldered off her pack and dropped it next to the chair. Her fur coat came next. Abbee was about to peel off the rest of her clothes when she heard light footsteps outside the door. She tensed. So intent on the bath, she¡¯d forgotten to lock the door behind her.

    The door creaked inward. A young woman not much older than Abbee poked her face in. One of the drovers from down the hall. Abbee relaxed. She was lucky it was a nosy drover and not Ipsu¡ªthe sun hadn¡¯t gone down yet, and it would be just like him to consider this part of the chase day.

    The drover came inside and shut the door behind her. Abbee looked her up and down, searching for weapons, then reminded herself that the drover didn¡¯t need any. She was a mover. No way to tell how strong she was, but it took at least a Class Three to drive a continental. That meant this lithe woman could lift twice her bodyweight, and that meant Abbee. Part of Ipsu¡¯s training involved hypotheticals about fighting talented people. Most of his answers for movers involved ¡°surprise them first.¡± Abbee kept her hands off her knives.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Abbee demanded.

    The drover gestured. ¡°Keep going.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, my mates bet that you¡¯re part wolf, and I said no way, so I¡¯m here to prove them wrong. I need to see your back for that first, though.¡± She eyed Abbee¡¯s legs. ¡°And your backside, while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    Abbee flushed. ¡°I¡¯m not taking a bath with you in here. I don¡¯t even know you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Bala,¡± the woman said. ¡°There, you know me. And you are?¡±

    ¡°Annoyed,¡± Abbee warned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Bala said. ¡°Show me your fur, wolf girl.¡±

    Abbee pointed at the door. ¡°Out.¡±

    When Bala didn¡¯t move, Abbee pointed again. ¡°I¡¯m not asking. Out.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Bala said. ¡°Gotta know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not part wolf,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Well, you could say that, but you could be lying, and I wouldn¡¯t know. Who knows what escaped the Tower when it fell down? For all I know, you could have a bunch of wolf babies back in your den.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any babies,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Wolf or otherwise. Leave, or I¡¯ll find the town marshal.¡±

    Bala huffed. ¡°Fine. Be that way.¡± She opened the door and stepped out into the hall. As she drew the door closed behind her, Bala called to her friends. ¡°Not a wolf, but she is a bitch.¡±

    Laughter from up the hall.

    Abbee set her jaw and imagined bludgeoning Bala with a rock. She wanted a bath, not a fight with a bunch of bored drovers. She went to the door and locked it. Movers had a hard time with things they couldn¡¯t see. Abbee grabbed the chair and jammed it under the doorknob for good measure. She wasn¡¯t letting annoying drovers ruin her bath. She¡¯d been planning this for days, since Ipsu had refused to enter Joor. Abbee was having a hot bath, and nobody was getting in her way.

    She waited at the door for a couple of minutes, listening. The banter quieted as more of the drovers exited the building. There wasn¡¯t a window in here, and the door was well secured, but Abbee wouldn¡¯t put it past Bala to try something. The other woman reminded Abbee of Sammy, who¡¯d said plenty of offensive things and had tried to bully her. She hoped the drovers¡¯ hunger won out on their mischief, and they¡¯d all gone into Gerro¡¯s common room to eat.

    Abbee peeled off the rest of her clothes and settled into the hot water. It was just right. Whoever Gerro had hired knew just the right temperature for Abbee. Borderline scalding. Her opportunities for hot baths over the past seven years had been so few that Abbee could count them on one hand. This one included. Ipsu always made some comment about washing and not marinating.

    ***

    Abbee returned to Gerro¡¯s common room clean and damp an hour later. She¡¯d washed her clothes in the bathwater and wrung them out as best she could. She didn¡¯t care if she dripped on the floor. She did care that the drovers from the bathhouse were still in the common room. Three of them, clustered around a table.

    Bala looked up when Abbee walked in. Wrinkled her nose. ¡°Smells like wet dog in here.¡±

    Her friends laughed.

    Abbee kept her face still and walked to the furthest table. She dropped her pack between her feet and sat down facing the door. She¡¯d assumed she¡¯d be able to ignore the other woman, much the same way Abbee had learned to ignore Ipsu at the evening fire. She had been wrong. Bala¡¯s voice was new and grated on Abbee.

    Gerro brought Abbee a plate of food. ¡°Sorry about them,¡± he murmured.

    Abbee eyed the drovers as Gerro went back into the kitchen. She doubted they¡¯d stop with verbal barbs. Sammy hadn¡¯t, and Sammy had been the tip of the spear for the other bridgies. He led and others followed. Bala was the same. Movers were an arrogant lot in general. The ability to hit someone from across the room did something to a person.

    Abbee ate quickly and stood up. She shouldered her pack and walked toward the door. She¡¯d been looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight, but it wasn¡¯t worth being an evening¡¯s entertainment for these idiots.

    Bala grinned. She got to the door first. Hung her arm across it. ¡°Going somewhere?¡±

    Abbee sighed. ¡°Can you not?¡±

    Someone at the table made ¡°wolfy¡± comments in a low voice, but loud enough for Abbee to hear.

    More snickers.

    ¡°Look,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get through my day.¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯re having some fun,¡± Bala said. She looked at her friends. ¡°Right? Just some fun?¡±

    ¡°Just a little fun, Bala,¡± one of her companions agreed.

    ¡°Can you do it without me?¡± Abbee asked.

    Bala shrugged. ¡°Not really.¡±

    Gerro came up behind Bala with two large earthenware mugs. ¡°Coming through.¡±

    Bala moved out of the way.

    ¡°Can I have one of those?¡± Abbee asked, gesturing at the mug in Gerro¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Yeah, this one¡¯s yours anyway.¡± He handed it over. ¡°Spiced cider.¡±

    Out of the corner of her eye, Abbee saw Bala¡¯s grin widen. She didn¡¯t have to guess what the drover was going to do next. Her irritation spiked. At least I got my bath.

    Abbee threw her cider into Bala¡¯s face. Movers usually had trouble with liquids. Bala blinked and spluttered, and while she rubbed her eyes, Abbee clocked her in the side of the head with the mug. Hit her as hard as she could. The mug shattered into pieces. Bala dropped.

    Abbee pushed past Gerro and dashed from the room. ¡°Sorry!¡± she shouted over her shoulder.

    ¡°Out of the way!¡± someone cried.

    Abbee burst out of the front door. It was dusk. Lencoe¡¯s street was lit by torches and held considerably less foot traffic. She spared a single glance at the street and went right. She hooked around Gerro¡¯s inn and sprinted for the far end. Line of sight. She couldn¡¯t be seen. Any Class Three could lift Abbee clear off the ground. If they lifted her, she was done.

    She got to the corner and ducked around it. She found a dozen crates stacked against the back wall of the Gray Horn. Some canvas sacks too. The Gray Horn was in the back corner of town, on the edge of the hill. The continental road was at the bottom and on the other side of the tree line. No moon tonight.

    Abbee half sprinted, half fell down the hill. She hit the bottom and dashed across the road. Her boots made a lot of noise crossing the stone slabs. A shout atop the hill behind her. Something wrapped around Abbee¡¯s waist. Something unseen. The drovers. They were trying to grab her. Abbee dove at the ground, trying to shift their target. She rolled and popped back up into a run. The unseen bands fell away. More batted her around the legs and arms. They felt light, as if a child were hitting her with a broom. The drovers were at the edge of their range, making it hard to see in the low-light conditions. Abbee hit the dirt on the other side of the road.

    Something impacted the ground in front of her. Something heavy. Wood splintered and shattered. Another one behind her. The crates. They were throwing Gerro¡¯s crates at her. A canvas sack thudded into the ground a few meters away. The sack exploded and threw a big plume of flour everywhere. Abbee ran through it. She was still damp from her bath, and the flour stuck to her.

    Something big and heavy and hard hit her in the back. Abbee both heard and felt her right shoulder fracture under the impact. She stumbled and went down. Put her hands out to break her fall. Her right arm didn¡¯t work right, and she hit the ground with a curse. Pain exploded up through her elbow and rippled through her injured shoulder. Abbee kicked off the ground, trying to flip over, away from the broken bone.

    A dark shadow filled her vision and smashed into her face, and she knew no more.

    ***

    Abbee woke up to a slap upside her face. Ruddy torchlight illuminated the grass and two pairs of boots. Their legs were going the wrong way. Oh, I¡¯m upside down. Her head pounded. Something wet dripped into her eyes, and bright agony sang through her injured shoulder. Her whole face hurt. She twisted around in the air. Something unseen held her from one ankle. The ground was just out of reach.

    Dark laughter somewhere to the left. ¡°She looks funny flopping around.¡±

    Abbee twisted and tried to see her captors.

    ¡°Oh, look,¡± one of the drovers said. ¡°Her arm¡¯s broken.¡±

    ¡°That was my crate,¡± another said. ¡°I¡¯m the one who got her. You completely missed her with every throw.¡± Abbee felt a rough hand on her broken arm. ¡°Ha! It flaps around completely the wrong way.¡±

    White-hot agony lanced through Abbee. She screamed in pain. ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡±

    ¡°Did you get her?¡± Bala stepped into the torchlight. An angry bruise was forming on her temple, with red scrapes where the mug had shattered on her head. ¡°You got her. Good.¡±

    Abbee scrabbled for one of her belt knives with her intact hand. She knew it wouldn¡¯t help, not against movers, but she couldn¡¯t just hang there and do nothing.

    Bala slapped her hand away and pulled out both of Abbee¡¯s belt knives. ¡°Ah, ah, ah, none of that.¡±

    Abbee hated that Bala had her knives. She tried to pull herself up far enough to grab at the blades sticking out of her boots. The flash of agony from her broken shoulder almost made her throw up. She whimpered and hung there, defeated.

    Bala dropped one of the knives and grabbed Abbee¡¯s scruff. Twisted. Abbee hissed in pain.

    Bala got in close. ¡°You¡¯re gonna howl for me, wolfy girl.¡± She looked up at her friends. ¡°We gotta be fast. That stupid innkeeper went to fetch the marshal.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± a drover demanded. ¡°She¡¯s the one who started it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and when the marshal sees her like this, it¡¯ll be us in the jail cart. We¡¯re talented and she¡¯s not. Probably not.¡± Bala gestured around. ¡°Besides, you gonna pay for these broken supply crates?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get her out of sight, then.¡±

    Abbee felt something tug on her ankle. She slid through the air toward the trees.

    ¡°Just stop,¡± Bala snapped. ¡°This won¡¯t take long. Besides, they¡¯ll find us in the woods. You¡¯re carrying a torch, you idiot.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do with her?¡± The drover with the torch wiggled Abbee¡¯s injured shoulder.

    Abbee sobbed with pain. She felt a tickle on her wrists. Felt the healing start with a fresh wave of pain as bone shards reassembled. She hissed as snapped tendons and torn muscles reattached. She had dozens of tiny fractures across her skull from the flying crate, and they all healed at once. Abbee got a metallic taste in her mouth as her blood vessels healed.

    It occurred to Abbee that Gerro had called the marshal on her. For hitting a bully with a mug. In hindsight, she¡¯d only meant to throw cider in Bala¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t know why she¡¯d broken the mug on the woman¡¯s head, but she¡¯d felt good doing it. She felt betrayed that Gerro would report her. Violence in the train towns was strictly forbidden, but movers had ways of making bad things happen to people without being implicated. It wasn¡¯t fair. It definitely wouldn¡¯t be fair if these fools saw her heal. They¡¯d think her a wizard.

    Abbee felt more pressure on her ankle. ¡°I got her,¡± Bala said. ¡°You can let go.¡±

    Abbee dropped. Impacted the ground. Popped back up. Bala dropped her and pulled her up again. She bounced her off the ground a couple more times like a rag doll. On the last drop, Abbee¡¯s hands hit something on the ground. Something hard. Her fingers wrapped around it. She came up with a shard of shattered crate. Pointy on one end.

    Bala got closer to Abbee. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have a scar where you hit me.¡± She waggled Abbee¡¯s knife. ¡°Only fair that you get a scar too.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t getting a scar. She didn¡¯t have any scars. Her skin looked as if she spent her days cradled in soft wool.

    Bala grabbed Abbee¡¯s scruff. Pulled on it, hard. ¡°Quit wiggling. It¡¯s up to you how big the scar is.¡±

    Abbee gripped the shard of wood. The drovers hadn¡¯t noticed that she¡¯d healed her broken shoulder. They might and at any moment bind her arms. She¡¯d lose her advantage. It was now or never. Splinters dug into Abbee¡¯s palm as Bala¡¯s face came into view. Into range. Abbee twisted with all her might and rammed the shard into Bala¡¯s neck.

    Bala stumbled back with a gurgling choke. She dropped the knife and let go of Abbee¡¯s ankle. Abbee fell to the ground. She got her hands out and managed a halfway-decent roll. She snatched up both her knives and swept toward the other two drovers. They¡¯d gotten in close to watch the show. Too close. Abbee slashed the first across the belly. He dropped his torch. With a roar of rage, Abbee slammed into the other drover, who¡¯d toyed with her broken arm. She buried both knives up to their hilts in his stomach. He let out a little ¡°Oh¡± and grabbed onto her with both hands. Her momentum knocked him down. Abbee rode him to the ground. She twisted the knives in him, and he let go.

    ¡°You cut me,¡± a voice said behind her.

    Abbee yanked her knives free and whirled around, ready to strike again.

    The other drover sat on the ground, clutching at his stomach. Blood soaked a dark patch on his shirt beneath his hands. He stared at her in confusion. ¡°You had a broken arm,¡± he said. ¡°And a busted nose. You¡¯re healed.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in shock,¡± Abbee told him. She stood up and looked around. Three movers lay on the ground. The torch hissed in the dirt. Abbee blinked at the knives in her hand. They were slick with blood. Not my blood. Abbee hadn¡¯t meant to hit Bala in the neck with that wooden shard. She¡¯d been aiming at her shoulder. Bala¡¯s feet twitched.

    ¡°Hey!¡± someone shouted from the direction of Lencoe.

    Abbee looked up and saw people coming down the hill. A small crowd of shadows. A couple had lamps. Abbee was in a lot of trouble if there was a marshal with them. Violence in a train town wasn¡¯t tolerated. Abbee could make a case that they weren¡¯t actually in a train town, but marshals were prickly about where their jurisdictions ended. She couldn¡¯t even say they¡¯d jumped and beaten her. No one would believe her. Her shoulder had already finished healing. Not a scratch on her now. Lots of blood on her face and clothes. Abbee stood there, apparently uninjured, while three drovers lay on the ground with serious wounds. Their wounds wouldn¡¯t be fatal if the marshal called a healer in time, but if not, nobody would care where the road was. The marshal could hang her before morning, and nobody would complain.

    Abbee fled.

    ***

    She found Ipsu¡¯s camp a couple of hours later. The crowd from Lencoe hadn¡¯t followed her into the woods. In case the marshal brought in a sniffer, Abbee had cleaned her knives in a pond near town. The marshal. She spent the trek to Ipsu¡¯s camp fuming about her experience in Lencoe. Fuming about Gerro. He hadn¡¯t had to call the marshal on her. She¡¯d been minding her own business. The drovers had pushed her too far. She knew that nobody would see it that way. They¡¯d see a wild wolf girl who had gone crazy in a train town and attacked their precious drovers.

    Ipsu watched Abbee come in from the night and approach his fire. He poked his fire with a stick and took in her bloodied face and dirty clothes. Flour from the burst canvas sack still stuck to her in places. Abbee dropped her pack next to a tree and slid down its trunk to the ground.

    ¡°Was it everything you hoped it would be?¡± Ipsu asked.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Abbee woke the following morning to a cold fire and an empty camp. She tracked Ipsu¡¯s footprints to a hilltop overlooking Lencoe. From her vantage, Abbee saw scattered, broken crates on the ground on this side of the continental road. The stopover yard was empty. All the trains had departed already. Bala and her friends were gone, but Gerro and Lencoe¡¯s marshal were still down there.

    So was Ipsu. She saw him at the edge of town, talking to someone. Abbee couldn¡¯t tell who it was from here, but she knew it wasn¡¯t Gerro. Somebody else. Ipsu didn¡¯t know many people in Lencoe. They¡¯d been there twice in the past three years, and Ipsu had only visited Gerro and one other person. The leatherworker. Ipsu had been all business with them. He wasn¡¯t a chitchat type of person.

    Ipsu finished his conversation and turned away from town. The person he¡¯d spoken with watched him go. Abbee realized she was standing in full view of the town. Felt eyes on her. She stepped back into the trees and waited for Ipsu. When he neared, she saw that he had bathed at some point. His clothes had been washed, and he¡¯d cleaned out the dirt from under his fingernails.

    ¡°What, you went into town? Who was that?¡±

    Ipsu walked past her. Heading west.

    ¡°Where are you going? Who was that? Ipsu.¡±

    Ipsu walked for another fifteen minutes without saying a word. Abbee had no choice but to follow. She wondered where they were going. Yesterday they¡¯d been heading northeast. Now they were going west, back the way they¡¯d come. Ipsu hadn¡¯t ever backtracked in all their time together. He led her to a pond. The one where she¡¯d cleaned her bloody knives.

    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± Abbee asked.

    Ipsu tossed her something. She caught it. Soap. He gestured at the water. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you on the other side. Wash everything.¡±

    She held up the soap. ¡°So they are sending for a sniffer.¡± Supposedly, sniffers had a hard time across bodies of water. Abbee didn¡¯t know if that was true, but if she could get the stink of blood off her, maybe that would be enough. She waded into the murky water. It was frigid.

    ¡°Start a fire. I¡¯m going to be freezing when I get out.¡±

    ***

    Abbee¡¯s teeth were chattering when she emerged from the pond. The air was like ice on her skin. Ipsu sat on the ground with his back to a tree.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the fire?¡± Abbee demanded. Her feet squelched in her boots. She pulled them off and dumped them out.

    Ipsu stood up and jogged away. West. ¡°You¡¯ll warm up as we run.¡±

    Abbee swore. She tugged on her boots and sprinted to catch up. ¡°Where are we going? Who were you talking to in Lencoe?¡±

    When he didn¡¯t answer, she asked, ¡°Are they really sending a sniffer?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Ipsu said.

    ¡°They¡¯re not?¡± Abbee demanded. ¡°Then what was the business with the pond? Why make me freeze to death in¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hunters.¡±

    Abbee slowed to a stop. ¡°What?¡±

    Ipsu turned. He raised his eyebrows and halted. ¡°You killed two people last night.¡±

    Abbee felt like he¡¯d punched her in the gut. She¡¯d never killed anyone before. Had thought about it plenty, especially under the bridge with Sammy and Mith. Her father. But she would never have done it on purpose. Abbee blinked. Thought about the blood. Stabbing Bala in the neck. The woman had been awful, but Abbee hadn¡¯t meant to kill her. Or the other one. Abbee remembered her broken shoulder. Her broken nose. They¡¯d toyed with her pain. Well, maybe she¡¯d meant it. A little. Abbee shied away from the murderous desire. It felt wrong. But right. That felt more wrong.

    Ipsu cocked his head at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t know.¡±

    Abbee let out an explosive breath. ¡°No. They were alive when I left.¡± Nausea roiled in her belly. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡±

    ¡°Breathe.¡±

    Abbee breathed. Four in, hold four, four out, hold four. She walked around in circles. It didn¡¯t help. She wasn¡¯t sorry they were dead, but she wished she hadn¡¯t killed them. She knew she was being selfish. She was alive and they weren¡¯t. Abbee didn¡¯t care. She told herself that Bala would¡¯ve graduated to killing at some point. She¡¯d held that darkness. It was good that Abbee had stopped Bala. Keep telling yourself that.

    ¡°Why hunters? It was self-defense.¡±

    Ipsu arched a brow. ¡°You started it.¡±

    ¡°They started it,¡± Abbee snapped. ¡°I tried to get out. They ran me down. Would¡¯ve had a grand old time with me if I hadn¡¯t defended myself.¡±

    ¡°You healed in front of someone. They think you¡¯re a wizard.¡±

    Abbee swore. ¡°Did you tell them I wasn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Too late,¡± Ipsu said. ¡°The marshal sent the call out with the first train.¡±

    Abbee had known this might happen eventually. She¡¯d imagined that she¡¯d be able to explain. Prove it to someone that she healed, and that was all she did. No fireballs, no warping, no anything else. No wizard. It hadn¡¯t occurred to her that someone would just decide when she wasn¡¯t even there. Decide she was a wizard and then call for wizard hunters. In Abbee¡¯s vision, she¡¯d never had to run.

    ¡°Where can I go that¡¯s safe from hunters?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°They go everywhere,¡± Ipsu said.

    ¡°How long are they going to look for me?¡±

    ¡°Trails go cold sometimes. But they don¡¯t give up.¡±

    Abbee felt a surge of anger. ¡°It was Gerro, wasn¡¯t it? He told them.¡±

    ¡°Gerro didn¡¯t see anything except you hitting a drover with a mug. Are you saying that didn¡¯t happen?¡±

    When Abbee stayed silent, he nodded. ¡°Gerro asked if you were a wizard, and I told him no. Didn¡¯t matter, though. The drover you stabbed saw it with his own eyes. A telepath in town confirmed it. Saw what he saw. You healed yourself.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that telepath also saw that they held me up by my ankle and were torturing me?¡±

    ¡°They saw,¡± Ipsu said. ¡°You let yourself get caught.¡±

    Abbee felt her jaw drop open. ¡°What? You think I ¡­ seriously? Ipsu, movers threw crates at me from across the continental road, like catapults attacking a town. They hit me in the dark.¡± She shook her head and walked past him. ¡°But sure, yeah, I let them catch me. Where are they? Where did the marshal send word?¡±

    ¡°Joor.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯ll be coming from¡ª¡± Abbee stopped. ¡°Then why are we heading west?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯ll ride a train to Lencoe and then look everywhere but west.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Abbee said, understanding. ¡°You think we can sneak past them. Crafty.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Ipsu said, walking by her. ¡°Hunters are crafty too.¡±

    ***

    Lencoe was a day away from Joor by train, but continental trails covered hundreds of kilometers each day. It was ten days by foot. Abbee and Ipsu made good time, especially since five of the ten days turned into chase days. Abbee didn¡¯t see any hunters. She saw the ground a lot. Ipsu seemed miffed that Abbee had let herself get caught in Lencoe. They were close to Joor when Abbee grew tired of the extra punishment.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that I¡¯m just going to hand myself in to the hunters,¡± she told him, lying on her back.

    ¡°Up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m thinking whatever they do is better than this. They can run their wizard tests, and then I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Up,¡± Ipsu repeated.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Ipsu darted forward and launched a kick at Abbee¡¯s ribs. She blocked the strike with her forearms, grabbed his ankle, wrapped her upper arm around his calf, and rolled into him. He went down onto his back. Ipsu blocked her elbow from a vicious shot to his groin. Abbee scrambled away and popped up to her feet.

    ¡°Run,¡± Ipsu commanded.

    Abbee attacked. Frustration and anger sang through her limbs. She imagined she was fighting Bala. Fighting drovers. Fighting people trying to maim or kill her. She kept her knives in their sheaths, but she fought for her life all the same. Every strike was an attempt to disable and maim. Knock out or kill. Abbee pierced Ipsu¡¯s defenses and landed a blow to his head for the first time in her life.

    Ipsu jerked backward in surprise. Abbee pressed her attack. Landed another strike to his knee. Another to his gut. His breath whooshed out. She hooked his ankle and pushed him down. Ipsu landed flat on his back.

    Abbee fought the urge to pummel him on the ground. She didn¡¯t have to. She didn¡¯t even feel a surge of triumph that she¡¯d finally beaten him. It felt empty. She wasn¡¯t trying to kill him. She didn¡¯t want it to be Ipsu. She wanted it to be Bala. Wanted to land a killing strike and see the light go out in the woman¡¯s eyes. Abbee blinked at the thought. Felt wrong. She didn¡¯t have to kill anyone. She was never in any permanent danger¡ªher gift saw to that. It didn¡¯t matter to her. Someone had tried to hurt her, to maim her, and she¡¯d made sure they couldn¡¯t do that ever again. Made sure by accident, but it still felt right. And wrong.

    Abbee set her jaw. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± She walked away to the edge of the clearing and sat down on a log.

    A few minutes later, she heard footsteps behind her. Abbee tensed. ¡°I said I¡¯m done.¡±

    Ipsu sat down on the log next to her. He was chewing on some dried meat. He turned to her and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Abbee met his gaze. She was done answering that question, and all the others. ¡°I owe an explanation to no one.¡±

    Ipsu nodded. ¡°Do you truly intend to surrender to the hunters?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. There was no guarantee the hunters wouldn¡¯t experiment on her. That was the other fear, that they¡¯d try to find the limits of her gift. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to run from them for the rest of my life either. I was just trying to defend myself.¡±

    Ipsu gave her a long look.

    Abbee waved her hand. ¡°Fine, fine. After the mug. I was defending myself after the mug. But what they did wasn¡¯t even remotely equal. Anyone else would¡¯ve died from getting hit in the face with a crate.¡±

    ¡°There might be a way,¡± Ipsu said. ¡°With the hunters.¡±

    ¡°What way? Who do you know?¡± Abbee knew Ipsu had friends in high places. He knew wizards, or at least the one with the staff in the precinct, the night of Towerfall. Abbee wouldn¡¯t put it past Ipsu to know hunters too. He was recalcitrant about his past, and even more tight-lipped about why he traveled with Abbee. Why he hadn¡¯t handed her over to an orphanage. The only thing he¡¯d ever said, after much pressing and many ultimatums, was that she was ¡°a task that becomes something more.¡± It was the closest Ipsu had ever come to saying that he cared about her. He had never expanded on what the task was, though. Tasks were given by others. Abbee had wondered who the others might be for the past seven years. Did anyone else know about her gift?

    ¡°I will have to send a message in Joor,¡± Ipsu said. ¡°I will say when I know more.¡± He pointed at the trees with his chin. ¡°The city is over the next two hills. Tomorrow, when I go into the city, don¡¯t follow me.¡± He stood up and walked to the other side of the clearing.

    Abbee watched him over her shoulder as he gathered sticks and branches for a fire. Don¡¯t follow me. That was code. Abbee¡¯s job the following day was to track him without getting caught. At tomorrow¡¯s evening fire, she¡¯d tell him all the places he¡¯d been. It was like hide-and-seek in reverse. Seek-and-hide. It was her favorite game, and Ipsu knew it. Abbee wondered if this was a reward for finally beating him.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    She doubted it. Ipsu didn¡¯t do rewards.

    ***

    Ipsu was gone when Abbee woke in the morning. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed her pack, and set off west at a sprint. She had no idea how long it had been since Ipsu had left. On other don¡¯t follow days, he¡¯d let her know he was leaving in the morning. And he¡¯d usually told her not to follow him in the morning, not the previous evening. Abbee wondered if his admonition to stay behind yesterday had been true, that he truly did not want her to follow him. He¡¯d have said something. He¡¯d have said that today wasn¡¯t a don¡¯t follow day. He¡¯d have told her.

    Abbee crested the second hill and saw the city and the sea. Joor¡¯s sheltered port faced her, angling southeast from its position behind a short, rocky peninsula. The peninsula looked like a lone knob in the otherwise flat basin. The basin stretched from the sea toward rolling hills several kilometers to the northwest. While some might consider it foolish to place a city at sea level, this part of the world received little dangerous weather. Abbee couldn¡¯t remember the last time Joor had suffered any storm like the ones that regularly demolished Bloch, on the continent¡¯s opposite coast. A couple of dozen ships clustered in the harbor, ranging from single-mast sloops up to tall clippers out of Kiva.

    Abbee swept her gaze left to right over the city. Several blocks of warehouses sat around the port, followed by rows and rows of two- and three-story houses. The skyline dropped to ground level around the tall clock tower marking Justice Square, the center of town. Abbee couldn¡¯t see Judgment Hall from here. Where most city squares had fountains, Joor had an ominous stone building with no windows. Abbee had never been inside, on account of not getting caught committing anything the city considered a capital offense. Joor had no hangmen, headsmen, or other executors of swift, deadly justice. The gray-clad enforcers, Joor¡¯s equivalent of constables, kept the peace. Anyone who couldn¡¯t be reformed with a wooden club was shoved into Judgment Hall and never seen again.

    Past Justice Square was the marble open-air auditorium where the city¡¯s democratic government held court. The building was up a little hill and faced Justice Square. A person petitioning the senate or debating a new law did so within full view of Judgment Hall. Joor was a strange place.

    More houses and schools spread out on the other side of the city¡¯s civic center, and beyond those, farms. Abbee saw the tops of continental trains to the north, behind another hill. Joor¡¯s train yard. A road connected the yard to the East Gate. The road was quiet this morning.

    Abbee couldn¡¯t see it from this hill, but she knew the sealed wizard monastery lay a kilometer south, within a big grove of redwoods. She¡¯d seen the shield once, on the same trip where Ipsu had shown her Judgment Hall and the rest of Joor. She hadn¡¯t known what to look at¡ªthe shield obscured a big compound of interconnected buildings that she¡¯d only seen in drawings, or trees with trunks wider than a house that stretched at least a hundred meters into the sky. Maybe two hundred. Seeing them always made Abbee feel small. She wondered how old some of these trees were. They¡¯d been here long before her and would remain long after she was gone. But the shield might open in her lifetime. Twenty-three years if stories in Joor were to be believed. Abbee wondered if she might get a chance to match the monastery to the drawings. She wondered if the wizard hunters would set up camp outside the monastery, and what that meeting would be like. The Joor wizards were rumored to be much more powerful than the old Tower ones.

    Abbee spotted a lone figure approaching the East Gate. Ipsu. She couldn¡¯t tell the number of his limbs from here, but she recognized his walk. She took off down the hill at a dead sprint. Ipsu would reach the city before she caught up to him. He¡¯d disappear into a throng of people. Abbee reached the train yard road and increased speed.

    She was close enough to make out the scars on Ipsu¡¯s shaved head when he disappeared through the gate and around a corner. Joor didn¡¯t really have gates. More like two big stone posts. There was no wall around the city, not like Akken¡¯s giant stone barrier. No guards at the posts either. Joor was an open city with an open culture. Its few laws were all some variation of no theft, no violence, and no arguing with an enforcer.

    Abbee slowed as she passed the stone posts marking Joor¡¯s outer edge. More people here. Lots of foot traffic heading toward the train yard. Abbee weaved upstream through the crowd. She found a shop inside the city with a porch and climbed up on it, looking for Ipsu.

    She was momentarily distracted by a small crowd across the street, surrounding three people wearing distinct leather jackets. Each one had bright red pauldrons, stubby iron spikes at the elbows, and fringed tassels on the sleeves. Hurling jackets. Only players wore those jackets, and that was the color of the Veronna Valiants.

    The game had shown up a couple of years after Towerfall, an exciting test of skill, strategy, and mettle involving talented players. Abbee remembered begging Ipsu to visit Akken one year to see the Veronna Valiants play in the continental championship tournament. She¡¯d idolized their team captain, Mira Nabo. A rags-to-riches story. Born a refractor, she¡¯d lived beneath the Veronna peaks in the dark, survived some cave-in as a child, and jumped at the chance to play hurling when she was just thirteen. Abbee didn¡¯t see Mira¡¯s signature braided red locks across the street. Otherwise, she¡¯d have completely forgotten about Ipsu.

    She pushed aside the intense desire to go meet the players and looked for a bald head. Saw lots of bald heads. Looked for a particular color, a particular scar pattern, a particular gray and white of the short hairs collected around the base of the neck.

    She spotted Ipsu disappearing around a corner, four buildings away. Next to a bakery. Abbee stepped off the porch and darted through the crowd. Found the bakery. Found the corner. An alley between two buildings, stacked high with crates and sacks. Abbee caught a whiff of freshly baked bread, and her stomach growled. She almost threw off her hunt. Decided against it. She¡¯d stop for bread later. The bakery would be there tomorrow. Abbee trotted down the alley. Passed the end of the bakery and found a small courtyard. A dead end to the left, with three workers moving heavy sacks of flour off a laden cart. Two women and one man. The sacks moved by themselves. Movers.

    The memory of hanging upside down in the dark flickered through her head. Abbee felt a sudden stab of fear at being so close to three movers. One worker saw Abbee, and he stared at her, startled. Abbee turned and hurried away, toward the other end of the courtyard, where another alley stretched further into the city. Abbee didn¡¯t see anyone, but Ipsu must have gone this way.

    She got five steps and felt bands of pressure around her ankles. Abbee stopped and looked down. Nothing there. She tried to turn, and more bands of pressure wrapped around her hips and shoulders. She twisted and saw the workers walking toward her. Both women in front and the man in the rear. He watched her, concentrating.

    Panic sang through Abbee¡¯s limbs. ¡°Hey, let go of me.¡± The bands of pressure tightened across Abbee¡¯s shoulders. She felt momentarily weightless. The world spun, and she impacted the ground. Hard. She saw blue sky. ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°I got her,¡± the man said. ¡°Hold her mouth shut.¡±

    Something grabbed Abbee¡¯s jaw and closed it. She was lucky she didn¡¯t bite her tongue. Abbee gurgled and struggled in an invisible iron grip.

    A woman¡¯s face appeared over Abbee¡¯s head. Blond hair. She had a rough face and kind eyes. ¡°It¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± another woman asked, peering over the first¡¯s shoulder. Long brown hair in a ponytail.

    ¡°Young, short brown hair, green eyes,¡± the blond woman said. ¡°Fur coat from a wolf, carrying lots of knives, and a beat-up pack. Tough fighter, apparently. Can¡¯t tell about that last bit, though. She looks a little scrawny.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like any wizard I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± the brunette woman said.

    Abbee tried to tell them she wasn¡¯t a wizard, but she couldn¡¯t move her mouth. They didn¡¯t look like hunters. Wizard hunters dressed a lot like House soldiers. Black leather armor with metal plates. These movers were dressed like regular laborers. Hunters didn¡¯t hide. They let you know who they were and weren¡¯t shy about it.

    ¡°Maybe she isn¡¯t,¡± the blonde said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a wizard warp away?¡±

    ¡°I gagged her,¡± the brunette said. ¡°Wizards speak incantations.¡±

    ¡°Not all of them.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t realize you were a wizard expert.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, but you didn¡¯t get her mouth right away.¡±

    ¡°I bet she doesn¡¯t know how,¡± the man said. ¡°She looks young. I bet nobody¡¯s taught her how to do it yet.¡±

    ¡°He said she¡¯d heal herself,¡± the blonde said.

    Abbee wanted to know who ¡°he¡± was.

    The blond woman pulled a knife from her belt. ¡°I can cut her and see.¡±

    Abbee felt her arms stretch out. Felt a momentary pressure on her hips and legs. She saw something whip away from her. A flash of steel. Her knives. The movers had just grabbed all four of her knives.

    The blond woman looked up in alarm. ¡°Hey, hey, no need for that.¡±

    ¡°You heard the stories,¡± the man said. ¡°She murdered six drovers in Lencoe. Turned them inside out, one by one, while they watched.¡±

    Abbee struggled to tell them that was a lie. That hadn¡¯t happened. It had been three, not six, and all three had still been alive when Abbee had left. It didn¡¯t matter. She could barely move or make a sound.

    ¡°This is the least she deserves,¡± the man went on. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve always wanted to try it.¡±

    The blond woman¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No, don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Abbee heard a sliding slorp. She heard and felt a crunch as pain lanced through her hands and feet all at once. She gurgled her scream around the pressure holding her mouth shut. Every movement was agony. Abbee stopped struggling. The pain didn¡¯t stop. She fought against the mover¡¯s grip to turn her head. She caught a glimpse of her arms. Her knife hilts poked up from her hands. She couldn¡¯t see, but she knew it was the same with her feet. They¡¯d staked her to the ground with her own knives.

    ¡°Hey!¡± the blond woman snapped. ¡°Knock it off.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t see her healing any,¡± the brunette said.

    The blonde looked down at Abbee. Chagrin painted her face. ¡°Uh, what¡¯re we gonna do if she¡¯s the wrong one?¡±

    The pressure and pain left Abbee¡¯s hands and feet. ¡°Maybe she can¡¯t if she¡¯s got blades in her,¡± the man said. Abbee¡¯s knives clattered to the ground.

    Abbee knew her healing worked fine with blades stuck in her, it just took a bit to get going if the wounds weren¡¯t fatal. Getting impaled wasn¡¯t fatal. A tiny scratch, and her gift would¡¯ve just ignored it. Her gift pushed all sorts of things out of her while fixing wounds. Over the years, she¡¯d felt and seen plenty of dirt, debris, shards of glass, blades, spikes, and even a machete slip out of her skin. Once the healing started, nothing stood in its way¡ªthough she¡¯d never tried to heal against a mover before.

    She felt a familiar itch at her wrist. Mote. The wounds in her hands and feet healed and closed. The pain slowly lessened and faded.

    The movers watched in fascination. ¡°That¡¯s incredible,¡± the blonde breathed.

    ¡°Wow,¡± the man said. ¡°She really is a wizard.¡±

    Abbee tried to shake her head. She managed a frown.

    The man grunted. ¡°Guess she¡¯s not happy we know.¡±

    ¡°Can we cut her again?¡± the brunette asked. ¡°I want to see that again.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the blonde said. ¡°We¡¯ve taken too long already. Get the hood.¡±

    The man walked away, and Abbee felt an irrational surge of indignation. My boots. They¡¯d pierced her boots. She loved these boots, and now they both had holes in them. Abbee knew she should be worrying about herself and not her stupid boots.

    The man returned with a dark hood. ¡°I hate these things.¡±

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to wear it,¡± the blonde said. She took the hood and stuffed it over Abbee¡¯s head.

    The thick cloth blocked her sight, and heavy muffs crammed painfully over her ears, muting most sound. A mover hood. Typically used to subdue a mover, as they couldn¡¯t direct their gift. Abbee had seen them but hadn¡¯t ever worn one.

    She felt the pressure on her body shift until she was upright and her feet touched the ground. Abbee¡¯s toes dragged as the movers pushed her along. She lost track of the turns. Couldn¡¯t hear anything. Abbee wondered where they were bringing her, and why nobody had noticed three movers dragging a hooded person through the streets. The movers weren¡¯t dressed like enforcers, and they weren¡¯t hunters, so who were they? More importantly, who was ¡°he¡±? Who had told them she¡¯d heal?

    At least fifteen or twenty minutes had passed when she felt her toes bounce off some stairs. The air changed. Grew cooler. Musty. A basement. Underground, at least. A couple more corners, down some more stairs. Not many basements had two levels.

    The pressure on Abbee shifted again, and she felt a hard surface under her bottom. It shifted beneath her. A chair. The movers bent her forward and bound her arms to something. Her legs, same thing.

    All the pressure left her. She could move. She could talk. Still had the mover hood on her head, though. She couldn¡¯t see or hear.

    ¡°Hey!¡± she said. ¡°Hey, let me out!¡±

    Silence.

    Abbee struggled against her bonds. She was stuck fast. She was definitely in a chair and seemed strapped to a heavy table. She flailed with all her might, and it barely moved. The chair barely moved. Must be nailed down. Abbee struggled some more, trying to loosen the nails. When she finally relaxed, spent, they hadn¡¯t budged a millimeter.

    Abbee took stock. She was underground somewhere in Joor. She had no idea where she was. Ipsu had no idea where she was. She was alive, and her gift would heal just about anything, but maybe that was the point. Abbee spent a small eternity wondering if someone was going to slice her to ribbons over and over again. Burn her, maybe. Bury her in a crate full of spiders. Abbee wriggled uncontrollably at that idea. She hated spiders. Creepy-crawly grossness.

    Abbee sat there and terrorized herself with nightmares of the torture she¡¯d endured. Terrorized herself with the growing realization that Ipsu¡¯s don¡¯t follow directive had been real. She shouldn¡¯t be here. Shouldn¡¯t be in this mess. Shouldn¡¯t be sitting here, imagining all the terrible things that were about to happen to her. Even though she was in limited discomfort and she knew she should enjoy this quiet respite, she wished her captors would just come in and get on with it.

    ***

    Abbee lost track of time. It must have been hours when she felt the air shift. Smelled body odor. Someone was in here with her. ¡°Hello?¡±

    A hand on her arm. Her shoulder. Her head. The fingers moved in an odd way, as if exploring in the dark. The hood came off her head. Abbee blinked at a blinding glare in her face. She squinted, trying to both see and limit the light at the same time.

    She was indeed strapped to a heavy wooden table. Dark leather bindings pinned her upper and lower arms to the table¡¯s stained and pitted surface, bending her awkwardly at the waist. The light in her face burned bright white and never wavered. A magical light, like the one she had seen at the top of the mover pit all those years ago. Such lights were rare these days, with no wizards left to make them. The light was so bright that Abbee could barely make out the other side of the table, and nothing of the room. She couldn¡¯t see the person who¡¯d removed her hood.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Someone shuffled on the other side of the light.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    Abbee heard a door open, and she thought she saw the light change but couldn¡¯t be sure. More shuffling. Grunting. Struggling. A thump. Footsteps and what sounded like a sack being dragged across the floor. Movement just beyond the light.

    A big, dark-clad man stepped into the light. He wore loose-fitting clothing, thin leather gloves, and a hood with no eye holes. No skin showing anywhere. He heaved something into a chair on the other end of the table. Another person. Smaller, thinner, dressed in a sleeveless smock. A young man with calloused hands. His arms flopped onto the table and didn¡¯t move. The big man tied his arms down with similar bindings to the ones pinning Abbee.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Abbee demanded. No response. The big man didn¡¯t indicate that he¡¯d even heard her. ¡°What are you doing? Why am I here?¡±

    The man walked around behind Abbee. She twisted her head, trying to see what he was doing. She felt a rough tug on her back and heard cutting sounds. Her jacket slipped down. Her shirt too. She felt cold, dank air on her skin. Panic seized her. Abbee heard a scrape of metal on wood behind her. Felt the sightless man come closer. Felt his presence. Felt a finger tap on her back. She flinched but had nowhere to go. His finger moved across her spine, neck, and shoulder. Down her spine. Another finger started at her neck and traced a similar path. Little pauses. Abbee realized that the man was counting her vertebrae.

    She felt a tiny prick against her skin next to the first finger. More pressure. Pain. Incredible pain. The man pushed a knife into her back. Angled perfectly between her ribs, cutting straight through skin and muscle and piercing her heart. Glimmermote exploded from her wrists. Abbee felt her heart seize around the blade. It collapsed in on itself as the sightless man withdrew the blade from her body. She heard the knife clatter onto wood behind her. She barely registered the sightless man hurrying out of the room as her pain consumed her.

    Her heart stopped, and her breath died, and fear found her. Fear and rage and horror and panic clawed their way up through Abbee¡¯s frame. She lost herself in the torrent of emotion as mote turned to rivers off her wrists, as every part of her body sang its jangled anthem of pain and healing.

    When she became aware of her surroundings again, her heart beat anew, and the wound on her back tickled as it closed. Her wrists itched. The young man was still slumped forward against his bonds. His arms looked shriveled, like a raisin. Abbee stared at those arms in horror. That man was dead. My gift. I killed him. She had healed a mortal wound. It wasn¡¯t the first time, but it was the first time since Towerfall that Abbee had been close to another person at the moment of healing from a lethal injury. The first time had been her father. Abbee realized that she might have killed him. Maybe it hadn¡¯t been the floor of the mover pit. She¡¯d landed first. Abbee wondered if her gift had saved her and had murdered her father to do it. Murdered this helpless man across the table. Abbee was glad her father was dead, but this poor, withered man hadn¡¯t deserved to die.

    A voice came from above, beyond the lamp¡¯s glare. A man. She¡¯d never heard his voice before.

    ¡°Again.¡±

 Chapter 6

    ¡°Again.¡±

    Abbee whimpered. No more. The pain in her chest had just subsided. She had no strength left to struggle against her bonds, or wrinkle her nose at the room¡¯s stench. She¡¯d long since loosened her bowels. She couldn¡¯t even muster the energy to voice a simple ¡°No.¡± All Abbee managed was an unintelligible groan. She had no idea how long she¡¯d endured this torture. Could be hours. Maybe days. She¡¯d lost track of time. Even worse, she¡¯d lost track of the dead.

    The ever-present, ever-blinding magical light hung in front of Abbee¡¯s face. Glimmermote encrusted her wrists and surrounded her hands, thick as sand. She barely saw the far end of the table, but enough of it to make out a body slumped in a chair there. A woman. Her long hair spread down over her face. She wore a simple, threadbare dress. A rag had been stuffed in her mouth. It was soaked with bloody mucus.

    The dark-clad man appeared out of shadow behind the dead woman. Abbee never saw any part of him. He moved with small steps, head cocked like a bird¡¯s, and used his thighs, hips, and hands to find obstacles. Abbee had stopped begging him for help. He never responded. Never said a word.

    The sightless man popped the buckle holding the dead woman in place. The leather strap slapped the table, and the corpse sank in the chair, as if exhausted. The man grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and dragged her off the table. Her body made a whump as it hit the floor. They both disappeared into the deep shadows on the other side of the windowless room. Abbee heard a heavy door clank open. Scraping sounds and footsteps. Saw a sliver of gray light outside. A hallway, maybe. A formless shadow passed over the threshold.

    Abbee strained to see around the magical lamp¡¯s glare, hoping against hope to see Ipsu come through that door. He¡¯d admonish her for getting caught. He¡¯d cluck at her inability to stop four movers from pinning her to the ground with their gift. Hassle her for letting them stake her there with her own knives. Berate her for doing nothing while they bound, hooded, and dragged her off the street. He¡¯d offer to leave her there as punishment even while unbuckling the leather straps holding her arms. Tell her she deserved this fate while knocking loose the pins on the iron clamp squeezing her hips. He¡¯d voice some pithy wisdom about her poor decision-making skills and free her from her torture. Maybe he¡¯d have a little food. A scrap of bread to soothe the aching pit in her stomach. A drop of water for her parched tongue and throat. He¡¯d come. He¡¯d save her.

    The door banged shut, swallowing the room in darkness.

    The sightless man reappeared, pushing someone ahead of him. Sat them down on the empty chair across from Abbee. A boy. Young and dirty, with freckles and brown hair. He had a rag stuffed in his mouth and his arms tied behind his back. His nose found Abbee first, and he recoiled from the room¡¯s stink. His gaze fell on her and crinkled in fear and confusion. The sightless man fixed the leather strap across the boy¡¯s chest and cranked it tight. The boy struggled against his bonds and made unintelligible noises around his gag.

    The sightless man rounded the table toward Abbee and went behind her. She felt tears of despair leak down her face. She tried straining against the straps and the iron clamp, but her strength was gone. The boy struggled harder than she did. Abbee knew she should be the one doing the most thrashing. She knew what was about to happen. All she could do was weep and whimper.

    Abbee heard the thin, familiar scrape of metal on wood behind her. Felt a finger tap on her back. Another, counting vertebrae. Zeroing in. Finding the spot. The finger stopped.

    Abbee looked at the boy. Met his eyes. Matched his fear, matched his terror. Tears clouded her vision as she croaked, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The sightless man stabbed her in the back and pierced her heart. Glimmermote pushed aside the old, caked mote on her wrists and flaked off onto the table. The boy¡¯s eyes bulged. Abbee felt her heart seize around the blade again. The sightless man withdrew the blade and left the room. She let the pain consume her, trying to keep her panic at bay. Trying to keep control. Trying to save that little boy.

    It didn¡¯t matter. When she came to again, the boy was slumped forward against his bonds. Shrunken and desiccated. He didn¡¯t move. Dead, like the others. Dead, so Abbee might live.

    The voice came from above, always above, beyond the lamp¡¯s glare. His voice was burned into her mind now. She wondered if she even heard it anymore, or if it was a figment of her imagination. Always one word. She heard it before he even spoke. Knew what he¡¯d say before he said it.

    ¡°Again.¡±

    ***

    Abbee heard a thump somewhere. Maybe she felt it through her chair. She couldn¡¯t tell. It was new. Different. An odd event in a constant stream of terror. She squinted against the magical lamp¡¯s glare and realized the door was open. A shape appeared in it. Someone stalked across the room and tilted the lamp out of Abbee¡¯s face.

    Light spilled across the room. Abbee saw Ipsu. She let out a cry of anguish and hope.

    His face was horrified. Abbee wondered what she looked like for him to look at her like that. Ipsu was unflappable. He reached down and untied her. He was close, and the air smelled like him, and Abbee hoped beyond hope that this was real. She looked around the room. It had a low ceiling and rough-cut stone walls. No windows and only a single door. The voice ordering her torture had sounded like it had come from above, but there wasn¡¯t any room up there for anyone. No grate or anything. She didn¡¯t understand where the voice had come from. Maybe she¡¯d imagined it.

    Abbee¡¯s muscles were stiff from sitting in one position for so long. Starving and weak, she tried to move and found that she couldn¡¯t. Ipsu pulled her off the chair. Abbee¡¯s legs didn¡¯t work, and she fell. Ipsu did his best with his one arm, but she slipped from his grip and hit the floor. Her cut coat and shirt slipped off her. Her clothes were in tatters, covered with her blood and filth. She didn¡¯t have the energy to cover herself as Ipsu got her upright.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    He shouldered out of his coat and put it on her. It felt strange to be dressed by someone else. The last person to do that had been Abbee¡¯s mother. Abbee had a hard time remembering what she looked like. Losing the memory of her mother¡¯s face bothered her even more than being trapped and tortured in this basement. Ipsu¡¯s coat smelled like him and made Abbee feel safe. He managed to pull her upright. Her legs didn¡¯t want to work but slowly remembered.

    Abbee held on to Ipsu¡¯s arm, and he helped her from the room. The hallway outside was short. Dead end to the right. Ipsu turned left and led her into a big room with a staircase at the other end. Heading up. A single torch burned in a sconce near the stairs, throwing shadows across the room.

    On the way out, Abbee saw a stack of logs against the wall. She couldn¡¯t figure out why there was a stack of logs in a basement. Dozens of them. Something sticking out. A stick. No, that¡¯s a hand. Shriveled and withered. Abbee realized the logs weren¡¯t logs. She saw a bracelet. Remembered it. Remembered seeing a bracelet just like it on a little girl. Remembered the girl¡¯s terrified eyes around the glare of a bright magical light. Abbee collapsed in anguish and self-loathing. She had killed that little girl. She had killed all these people.

    ¡°Up,¡± Ipsu said.

    Anger burned away the sorrow. Up was the first thing he¡¯d said to her since finding her. Not You¡¯re okay or I¡¯m happy you¡¯re alive. Just Up.

    Abbee struggled to stand. She saw a lump on the floor at the foot of the staircase. Dark clothing. The sightless man. His arm was bent at a strange angle. He wasn¡¯t moving, and a pool of dark liquid slowly crept out around his head.

    Ipsu guided her around the body and half carried, half dragged her up the stairs. Three turns, and Abbee saw a doorway. They emerged from the basement into open air. It smelled like the sea. Smelled incredible. Smelled like freedom. It was night. The moon was out. Abbee heard crashing waves. They were on the edge of the city. Near the beach.

    Ipsu guided Abbee away from Joor. She fell several times. They eventually reached the trees. Walked some more until they came to a stream. Ipsu set her down near the rushing water. Abbee didn¡¯t let go of him. Ipsu disentangled himself from her in a slow but firm manner. He left her there and gathered sticks to build a fire.

    Abbee sat there and watched the flames. Stared at the fire and forgot about where she was and who she was. She¡¯d lost track of time when Ipsu came to her again. He reached down and gripped the coat around her. Abbee shied away from his touch. Ipsu tried to pull the coat away. Abbee tugged it back around her.

    ¡°You need to get clean,¡± Ipsu said.

    Abbee wanted to be clean, but she didn¡¯t want anyone to touch her. She was still weak and needed help. Ipsu helped her out of her ruined clothes even as she argued her resentment with weaker and weaker shoves. He half pulled, half pushed her into the stream. The water was freezing. Ipsu gently bathed her. Gentler than he¡¯d ever been. Abbee still flinched away from his touch. It took a few minutes, but she eventually let him wash her.

    About halfway through, Abbee remembered the light. Remembered the bindings. The frightened face of a little girl. Abbee shook her head against the memory. It wouldn¡¯t go away. She started crying. She hated crying in front of Ipsu. Hated feeling weak. She couldn¡¯t stop. Ipsu paused and hugged her. It was the first time he¡¯d ever done that. Ever. Abbee clutched him and sobbed. She focused on his shirt. Focused on the linen, on the individual threads. Anything to keep her from the basement in her mind.

    Ipsu finished and helped Abbee out of the stream. She was numb from the cold, and the fire felt good. Ipsu wrapped her in his coat, and she lay down right next to the flames. Ipsu made her back up a little to avoid burning herself. He went out into the night and gathered up more sticks and bigger branches. Built up a big fire.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to the city,¡± Ipsu said.

    Abbee shook her head.

    ¡°You need new clothes.¡±

    Abbee shook her head again. She tried to speak, but no words came. They lodged in her chest and became stuck there. She mouthed, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re safe here.¡±

    Abbee cried at the idea of him leaving her. She begged him with her sobs. He left anyway.

    Abbee huddled under his coat next to the roaring fire. She tried to ignore the shadows all around her. She was warm, yet she shivered. So tired. Abbee tried to stay awake, but exhaustion smothered her into oblivion.

    ***

    She woke up with a start. Felt fear ripple through her limbs. She couldn¡¯t remember what she¡¯d dreamed about, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. The clearing. The fire burned low. Ipsu knelt on the other side, poking it with a stick. A stack of clothes and new boots sat on the ground next to her. A new pack. Two knives. Abbee saw burnt scraps of her trousers in the fire. Everything she¡¯d had was gone.

    Ipsu reached into a sack and pulled out a hunk of bread. He handed it to her. Abbee snatched it and buried her face in it. She tore it with her fingers and crammed it into her mouth.

    ¡°Slow,¡± Ipsu said.

    Abbee ignored him. It was plain bread but the first thing she¡¯d eaten in ¡­ she didn¡¯t know how long. She wanted to ask how long. She opened her mouth to ask. The words didn¡¯t come.

    No words came.

    ***

    They stayed in that camp while Abbee slowly regained enough strength to walk. She didn¡¯t speak. She communicated with gestures. Every time she tried to talk, the words froze in her chest. After a few tries, she gave up.

    On the second day, they broke camp, and Ipsu led her north. Abbee followed along in a detached stupor. She navigated the forest easily enough, but all attempts to engage her in conversation failed. Abbee retreated inward and let her body do the walking.

    No words came.

    ***

    The days stretched into weeks. Abbee¡¯s body regained its strength. Ipsu led her on long runs, and she kept up without trouble. They passed villages. Some they visited, but most they avoided. They avoided train towns. Their trek intersected the continental roads twice. Ipsu never mentioned where he was headed, and Abbee didn¡¯t ask, but she knew they were heading north.

    There were no chase days. No sparring. Abbee got the impression that Ipsu didn¡¯t know what to do with her. He stopped speaking altogether, and the silence stretched between them.

    ***

    They crested a low hill, and Abbee saw the escarpment. It was still a few hours away, but the cliff ran across the entire continent, from ocean to ocean, and was visible for tens of kilometers. Abbee saw the Charrin River snaking north and the High Falls from here. Akken lay in its shadow. She made out buildings atop the escarpment. She should¡¯ve seen the Tower from here, but that had been gone for a long time. Destroyed the night of the golems, and nobody had rebuilt it. Abbee wondered what she and Ipsu were doing here, but she didn¡¯t ask.

    ***

    They stayed on the hilltop for three days. On the third day, Abbee went down to the river to wash. On her way back, she was about fifty meters from their camp, deep in the trees, when she heard Ipsu talking to someone. Shouting. Ipsu sounded angry. No, this was something else. Abbee had heard him shout, and angrily, but not like this. He sounded furious.

    ¡°¡­ never said it would involve torture!¡± Ipsu roared. ¡°You said she¡¯d be tested. I never agreed to ¡­ whatever it was you were doing. Madness!¡±

    ¡°You never asked,¡± the voice said. ¡°You just asked me to take care of Lencoe, remember?¡±

    Abbee froze. She knew that voice. She¡¯d only ever heard it utter one word, but she¡¯d never forget the tone. The timbre.

    Again.

 Chapter 7

    Abbee realized Ipsu was arguing with the man who¡¯d ordered death after death. Murder after murder. She¡¯d been the weapon, and this man had used her against helpless people. Helpless children. Abbee was rooted to the spot. She couldn¡¯t move. Could barely breathe. Her fear froze her in place.

    ¡°Take care of Lencoe?¡± Ipsu asked. ¡°That¡¯s what you call it?¡±

    ¡°Well, the hunters aren¡¯t interested in her anymore,¡± the man said. ¡°No small feat on my part. You¡¯re welcome for that. The test was a bonus. Timing, really. The hunters still had a bounty out on her then. You¡¯re lucky the hunters were offering more money for alive than dead, and the people who found her didn¡¯t try to kill her outright. And you were right to keep her hidden. Something happened to the others.¡±

    ¡°What hap¡ªno, stop trying to change the subject. We¡¯re not done talking about what you did. It was too much, even for you.¡±

    Abbee forced herself forward. She couldn¡¯t believe Ipsu knew this man. Ipsu couldn¡¯t be involved in what had happened to her. The idea made her nauseous. She crept toward Ipsu¡¯s voice. Saw him through a break in the trees. He paced back and forth in a clearing not far from camp, in front of a man dressed in gray. She caught a glimpse of a plain gray jacket and trousers. The man stood facing away from her. She couldn¡¯t see his face.

    ¡°What was I supposed to do?¡± the man asked. ¡°Let the opportunity slide by? She¡¯s the first of her kind. I wanted to know the extent of her gift. And I still do, by the way. You interrupted before I could finish. And killed Golug. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a blind mute who also likes creative projects?¡±

    Ipsu stared at him. ¡°Creative¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s unlocked even a fraction of her capabilities. There were others from the golems, did you know? She¡¯s not the only one. She¡¯s the only one like her, though. A healer who only heals herself. Her talent is unique. And she¡¯s the strongest I¡¯ve seen so far of anyone who presented that night. She must have been really close to a golem at the moment she presented. Your girl¡¯s on Brattle¡¯s level.¡±

    Abbee couldn¡¯t take listening to this man. She got closer. She still couldn¡¯t see his face. She needed to see his face. She couldn¡¯t hunt him if she didn¡¯t know what he looked like. She moved without care. Fast. She stepped on a branch, and it cracked under her foot.

    ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± Ipsu said. ¡°Go. We¡¯ll finish this later. We¡¯re not done, you and I.¡±

    The man vanished.

    Hurt and anger battled for supremacy in Abbee¡¯s head. Ipsu had sounded like he was a willing participant in that gray man¡¯s aims. Abbee ignored stealth and burst into the clearing. ¡°Who was that?¡± Her voice cracked and croaked from disuse. ¡°Where did he go? You know him. You¡ªit was him. He was the one who¡ª¡± Betrayal shook her to her core. ¡°You ¡­ you knew.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Ipsu said.

    ¡°Liar,¡± Abbee said with venom.

    Ipsu looked surprised. Hurt, even.

    Abbee felt guilty. Angrier for feeling guilty. She pushed away the guilt as her rage seethed. ¡°You left me there for days.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure,¡± Ipsu said. ¡°I went back to the camp, and you weren¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°You said ¡®don¡¯t follow,¡¯¡± Abbee said. ¡°You know what that means.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Ipsu grimaced. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for you¡ª¡±

    All the hurt, rage, and pain Abbee hadn¡¯t voiced for two months boiled up within her. She¡¯d been wrong about the don¡¯t follow. This was her fault. If she¡¯d stayed in camp, none of this would¡¯ve happened. Abbee brought herself up short. Her torture wasn¡¯t her fault. It wasn¡¯t. It was Ipsu¡¯s. He¡¯d led her to Joor. He¡¯d been hiding his relationship with that wizard. ¡°You knew exactly where to find me,¡± Abbee added, her voice rising with every word. ¡°Because ¡­ because you¡¯re working with him.¡±

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Ipsu shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Abbee vibrated with fury. She felt tingly all over. She was so angry that she barely registered the sensation. An intense jolt zapped Abbee¡¯s entire body. The lush ferns near her feet turned brown, becoming dry and brittle. Three paces away, a massive oak tree shuddered as if struck. Its bark shriveled and cracked, and its giant canopy of leaves flashed from deep green to dark brown, and half of them fell in a huge rush. To her left, falling leaves from another stricken tree half obscured a stand of birch trees suffering the same fate, as their bark peeled away from dry trunks and their crowns lost all their greenery. The soil lurched beneath Abbee¡¯s feet, turning from dense-packed earth to a dusty dune. The moist, earthy smell of summer vanished as every living thing in the clearing withered and died. The grass, the trees, the bushes, and leaves. Everything except Ipsu.

    The jolt thrummed through Abbee¡¯s limbs. She felt stronger, more alive, than ever before. She felt like she was bursting at the seams. She had to do something with all that energy. Put it somewhere. She focused all her rage, all her anger on a single point. Ipsu.

    Abbee roared and rushed forward. Everything seemed to slow. Ipsu moved like he was encased in mud. Abbee planted her fist in his belly. He didn¡¯t block her strike. Never even tried. He was still looking at where she¡¯d just stood. He didn¡¯t even respond to getting hit at first, as the electric sensation faded and the world returned to normal speed.

    Ipsu folded around her fist. His breath whooshed out, and he stumbled backward. He went down. Rolled and popped back up to a crouch. His eyes were startled and even a little afraid.

    Abbee stood, panting, fighting down her rage. She remembered to breathe. Four in, hold four, four out, hold four. She breathed and breathed. Her wrists itched. She looked and saw glimmermote all over her hands. A lot of it.

    Ipsu massaged his stomach and kept his distance. He split his attention between Abbee and the ruined clearing around them. He stopped and watched her every time she moved. Watched her like she was a snake.

    Abbee registered the withered ground. She¡¯d never experienced anything like that electric feeling before. It had been incredible. And a little frightening. She knew she¡¯d been the one to turn everything brown. It had been her. The wizard had done something to her. And Ipsu had helped.

    ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Abbee demanded, her voice rising. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I did nothing,¡± Ipsu said. ¡°This was all you.¡±

    ¡°Everything was fine before you took me to Joor!¡± Abbee shouted. ¡°Lured me there with a promise of fixing Lencoe. I bet it was you. I bet you told the movers about me.¡± The rage bubbled up within her again. ¡°He¡¯s a wizard, isn¡¯t he? You let him experiment on me!¡±

    Ipsu shook his head. ¡°I tried ¡­ I cannot do¡ª¡± He sighed. Gave a slight shake of his head. He turned around and walked away.

    ¡°You come back here!¡± Abbee shouted after him. ¡°I¡¯m not done with you yet!¡±

    Ipsu didn¡¯t come back.

    Abbee went down to the river to wash off the glimmermote. She worried the entire time about what had happened to her. She¡¯d become faster, even stronger, when she¡¯d struck Ipsu. He hadn¡¯t even blocked her strike. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible, yet she¡¯d done it. How? It made no sense. My gift is healing, not ¡­ whatever that was.

    On the way back to camp, she went to the clearing. She inspected the withered plants and ground. Everything right from where she¡¯d been standing. Abbee found dead plants and trees, bugs, a desiccated snake, and a few rodents. All shriveled and dry. She saw a shattered pine tree with a terrible crack running up its middle, exposing dry wood inside. No sap. Even the soil had turned to gray dust. Abbee knew that Ipsu was only alive because he was a refractor. If he¡¯d been anyone else, he¡¯d be dead. Dead like all those people stacked like logs in that horrid basement. This was her. Her gift. Her curse.

    Abbee returned to their camp and found Ipsu gone. His pack was missing. She assumed he was camping somewhere else nearby, to give her space. She couldn¡¯t think about him without growing angry. That liar. That betrayer. Who knew what terrible fate she¡¯d avoided by getting away from him? Still, Abbee wanted to know what their plans had been. Who was the wizard? She knew the gray man was a wizard. Could¡¯ve been a lightbender, sending an illusion to speak with Ipsu, but they¡¯d have to have been close enough to see Ipsu. No, the gray man was a wizard. Abbee wanted to know who he was and what he had done to her. She stayed overnight, waiting for Ipsu to return.

    He didn¡¯t.

    She waited three days. On the fourth day, she knew he wasn¡¯t coming back. The longest he¡¯d ever been away from her in all their travels was two days, and they¡¯d communicated about his absence. This was different. He¡¯d left. Abandoned her.

    Akken was close. Ipsu had probably gone there to get supplies. Might still be there. Abbee needed to find him. Demand answers. She wouldn¡¯t let him leave next time. Not until he¡¯d told her the truth.

 Chapter 8

    Abbee approached the city from the southwest. The terrain changed from high to low hills within a few kilometers of the city, affording Abbee a good view as she got closer. Even from a distance, the city looked so different. No Tower perched atop the High Falls, and the walls had been smoothed over. No golem alcoves. Abbee saw two big tent camps outside the walls. One on the west side, and another to the south. Each camp had hundreds of large tents around a few permanent structures. The tents were all different sizes and colors.

    Abbee saw the roundish gray tents common in Kiva, the square tents matching Veronna House colors, and the wide brown tents she was used to seeing around Morat. Two camps was a surprise, because she remembered three camps. There used to be a camp on the city¡¯s east side, near the exit tunnels from the train yards.

    Thousands of laborers from all over the continent were helping to rebuild Akken, for both the coin and a shot at a new house in a new city. Abbee had heard there was a lottery for laborers for a home in the North Bend. The golems had wiped out over half the city¡¯s population during Towerfall, and Akken had plenty of room for newcomers. Abbee had no idea what she¡¯d do with a whole house, but she wondered if maybe she could get one.

    The western work camp was closest, and Abbee headed in that direction. As she neared, she found tents dotting the hills around the camp, likely those people who needed to be close for work but wanted some privacy. Abbee walked beneath a crude sign marking the edge of New Bend and stepped onto what passed for a main street for the makeshift town. It ran for several hundred meters and ended at Akken¡¯s West Gate. Abbee looked down the dilapidated road and wondered if she should go around.

    The camp¡¯s tents spread apart from the road like a growing fungus. The buildings here were constructed from a combination of wood and canvas, and everything was dirty. Abbee decided she could hurry through the camp. It was midmorning, and the work camp was sparsely occupied. She walked by several general supply stores, a barber, a bakery, two blacksmiths, a leatherworker, and at least six alehouses.

    In the middle of the camp was a big building with a canvas roof. Curious, Abbee walked through an open door and found a narrow hall lined with unlit torches. She went down the hall and stepped out into a big open space. Bleachers rose up behind her and circled a pit of hard-packed dirt. A bout hall.

    Abbee had heard stories of these showing up in Akken. Veronna justice depended heavily on trials by combat. Private duels were strictly forbidden. If two people couldn¡¯t solve a disagreement peacefully, they ended up in a bout hall. Seconds were allowed, though deferring to the biggest fighter didn¡¯t always work out, because House soldiers could step in and second at their discretion. Abbee knew weapons were forbidden but talents were allowed. She¡¯d heard talented House soldiers drew the biggest crowds.

    Wooden boards up to her midriff separated her from the fighting pit, twenty meters in diameter and covered with straw. Abbee wondered if the dark patches beneath the straw were shadows or dried blood. Probably both. Abbee saw a few grubby teenagers sitting up in the back. They muttered to each other and watched her. A few toothy grins.

    Abbee left the bout hall and continued down the road. She counted no fewer than seven signs for healers. More healers than there should be for a camp this size. Mostly Class Twos, one Three, and no Fours. Abbee wondered why they were all here instead of inside the city. People got the best outcomes when the healers were near where people got injured, and that would surely be at work sites, where people suffered frequent accidents.

    Abbee passed a frosty bread cart manned by a grizzled old torch. She knew he was a torch on account of the flames he periodically shot from his good hand at the oil vat at the bottom of his cart. Her stomach growled at the smells. Abbee realized she had no money. She hadn¡¯t done any errands for Ipsu on their trek north from Joor. No change. No coin.

    The bread seller¡¯s eyes were sharp, and he arched a brow at Abbee. ¡°You¡¯re new.¡±

    Abbee slowed. ¡°What, you know everybody in the camp?¡±

    The bread seller gave her a toothy grin. ¡°Never forget a face. Not seen yours before.¡±

    He twirled his tongs. Abbee considered that a feat, given he was missing three fingers on his left hand. The skin around the missing digits was smooth and free of scars.

    She stopped. ¡°Have you seen a man with one arm come through here in the past few days?¡±

    He waggled his left thumb and middle finger. ¡°Lots of people around here are missin¡¯ limbs. Gonna have to be more specific.¡±

    ¡°About my height, shaved head. Deerskin coat and trousers. He¡¯s missing his right arm. Older than me but not as old as you. Satchel on his back. He probably ate something and would¡¯ve passed you by without stopping. He doesn¡¯t like frosty bread, for some reason.¡±

    The old man nodded. ¡°Oh, that one. Yeah, I seen ¡¯im.¡±

    Abbee felt a surge of triumph. A lead. ¡°When? Where did he go?¡±

    The old man¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Information¡¯s not free.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any money.¡±

    He looked her up and down and smirked. ¡°You¡¯re young, and you got all your teeth. You got plenty for sale.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like his appraising gaze. She put her hand on her belt knife. She hadn¡¯t wanted to carry knives after the movers in Lencoe, but she couldn¡¯t survive in the wilderness without a knife. ¡°Hey. Keep your eyes up here.¡±

    The old man¡¯s gaze flicked to something over her shoulder. Abbee stepped left and turned. Kept the old man in her peripheral vision. The teenagers from the bout hall were a few paces away. One headed toward the bread cart. The other two walked past Abbee. She kept her hand on her knife. Just in case. They ignored her, but Abbee suspected they hadn¡¯t been ignoring her before, when she hadn¡¯t been looking.

    Abbee wondered if the old man had even seen Ipsu or if he was trying to fool her out of some coin. He wasn¡¯t looking at her anymore and had focused on his new customer. Abbee decided that she didn¡¯t like the work camp. She left the bread seller and avoided the teenagers. Avoided everyone else until she reached several wooden posts driven into the ground, marking the edge of the camp. The posts reminded her of Joor, and Abbee didn¡¯t like thinking of that place.

    She entered the city through the West Gate. It looked the same as it had when she was a child, if only slightly smaller. The last time she¡¯d been this close up, she¡¯d been twelve, and everything had seemed bigger. The other major difference was that two golems no longer flanked the gatehouse. Fresh stone where their alcoves used to be, and the top of the gatehouse looked new. Inside the city, a pair of constables stood at the base of the gatehouse, watching foot and cart traffic. The constables wore the same uniform as they had before Veronna had taken over. Dark blue trousers and coats, with a shiny silver badge on their breasts. The caps were the same.

    No artifact chip harnesses, though. Hardly anybody carried artifact chips these days, at least not openly. No wizards to make them anymore meant the chips were now the world¡¯s scarcest, most valuable objects. Wearing one was an invitation to get mugged. However, Abbee didn¡¯t see any hard leather case on the constables¡¯ belts. Short swords instead. No wands? Abbee wondered how constables kept the peace without wands.

    The West Gate was open and wide enough to drive two continentals through side by side. Abbee walked through the gate and past the two constables. They didn¡¯t look at her that Abbee could tell, but she didn¡¯t pay them much attention. She stared at the North Bend. Or what should¡¯ve been the North Bend.

    Where a narrow, claustrophobic road should¡¯ve been was now a new paved boulevard. Straight. Trees lined the middle, and sidewalks running along each edge separated foot and cart traffic. The buildings were all new and solidly constructed from stone, wood, and brick. Every window frame had an unbroken window, and Abbee didn¡¯t see any trash anywhere. The old North Bend had been a dirty, rough place. It had been a lot like New Bend but with running water. But this ¡­ Abbee wondered if she¡¯d accidentally walked into the Overlook District.

    ¡°Oi!¡± someone barked behind her. ¡°Out of the road!¡±

    Abbee jumped, startled. She saw a big cart behind her, with an annoyed drover in the front seat.

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    He spread his hands at her. ¡°You right in the head? Move! Get out of the way!¡±

    Abbee realized she¡¯d stopped in the middle of the street. Gawking at the city and completely losing her situational awareness. Ipsu would¡¯ve had choice words for her if he¡¯d seen her like that. Abbee stepped up onto the sidewalk as the cart rumbled past. She was annoyed that she¡¯d lost track of her surroundings. Annoyed that she¡¯d thought of what Ipsu might say.

    This was a different North Bend from the one Abbee had grown up with. All the buildings were new. It didn¡¯t have the air of desperation anymore. Wide avenues stretched east in straight lines toward the river bridges. Up ahead was a small park with several trees and nice lawns. The streets had sidewalks and swept doorsteps. Abbee found herself happy that the bottom floor windows still had bars on them. She was happy something was the same, and some gritty part of the North Bend remained. You could take the North Bend out of Akken, but you couldn¡¯t take all the rough out of the North Bend.

    About a couple of hundred meters into the city, she encountered House soldiers. The crowd in front of her parted, and there they were. Two of them, coming her way. One soldier looked right at her. Fear seized her. Abbee had never seen a wizard hunter in person, but she¡¯d heard they dressed a lot like House soldiers. She didn¡¯t know if these were hunters. She¡¯d overheard the gray wizard say she was no longer a target, but Abbee didn¡¯t want to test one theory right out here on the street.

    The soldier¡¯s gaze slid off her, and the pair walked by. They were both walking armories. Two swords on their backs, thick pouch belts, and at least six knives each. They didn¡¯t clink very much either.

    Abbee kept moving. She glanced over her shoulder. The soldiers weren¡¯t looking at her. Blue sashes marked them as House Togrim. Abbee knew that Veronna had a council made up of the different Houses, and Akken had one with three people. They were both committees with equal votes on paper, but Abbee knew House Togrim was in charge in Akken, just like it was in charge in Veronna. She didn¡¯t stay up to date on political machinations, living in the wilderness, but Abbee at least knew that much.

    She kept heading east. The road from the West Gate wasn¡¯t marked, but it seemed to be in the same place as Baker Street. It ran a lot further than Baker Street. The North Bend used to be a confusing ball of yarn in Abbee¡¯s head, but she followed the same road all the way to the Charrin River. That was new. A person used to have to take at least four turns to get from the West Gate to the river. The road on the other side of the bridge looked straight too. Abbee wondered if there were any curves left in Akken.

    The five bridges spanning the Charrin all looked original. Abbee stopped halfway across one and leaned over the railing. No bridgies. Abbee walked to the upstream side of the bridge, dodging two carts, and leaned over. No bridgies over here either. A few hundred meters upstream, she saw the bridge pier she¡¯d briefly lived on. It was clean. No shanty. No bridgies anywhere. No Sammy. Abbee wondered what had happened to Timm and Chella. She hoped they had avoided the golems. They¡¯d been nice to her and deserved to live. Not Sammy, and definitely not Mith.

    Abbee knew she¡¯d not find Ipsu tonight. Maybe not ever. The city was so different. She hardly recognized any of it. Abbee knew she¡¯d get lost wandering around, and the sun was falling in the sky. She needed a place for the night. And food. She was surrounded by food but didn¡¯t have any money. Didn¡¯t want to steal anything. She wasn¡¯t the stealing type, and besides, the last time she¡¯d stolen something in Akken, she¡¯d gotten arrested. Abbee felt her lips tighten with a sad grin. Randall. She wished she could see him again. And Whimsy. Abbee wondered if Whimsy was still a constable in the Yards. She¡¯d like to see Whimsy again. Maybe the Yard District Precinct still had a stewpot and fresh bread. Abbee¡¯s stomach grumbled at the thought.

    She pushed off the bridge railing and headed east. She hoped the precinct was still in the same place.

    ***

    Abbee found the Yard District Precinct in its old location, across from Three Points. Well, Two Points now. Tulley and Meeds Streets were still there, but to the south, where Roper Street had been, there was now a big park. The precinct was up on a little hill, and Abbee saw that the park stretched for several blocks. She¡¯d passed a lot of parks on her way here. It seemed that adding parks and straight streets had been a design requirement when rebuilding Akken. Abbee wondered what else had been a design requirement, and if they were all as benign as adding more greenery.

    She stepped into the Yard District Precinct, and memories flooded back to her. Her memories didn¡¯t match the current precinct. The entrance used to open right into the bullpen, but now there was a short hallway and a big window across the end of it. On the other side of the window sat two constables on tall chairs or stools, high enough that they could put their elbows on the counter. A wall behind them blocked Abbee¡¯s view of the bullpen. An open doorway led into the precinct proper. On Abbee¡¯s side was a heavy door set into a reinforced frame.

    Abbee walked up to the window and found a little opening with a narrow, curved cubby for exchanging documents or objects. A big, heavy book sat open on the counter, in front of the man on the right. This was the intake desk. Abbee remembered the Three Points Massacre and knew why this lobby had been added. She doubted the window or even that heavy door would¡¯ve stopped the creature that night. The constables behind the window looked her up and down.

    Abbee still carried all her wilderness gear and knew she looked out of place in the lobby. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Whimsy Gallaby.¡±

    The left one shook his head. ¡°Constables only. You need to go see a registered healer if you want service.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡ªI don¡¯t need healing. I¡¯m just looking for her. Is she here?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Abbee.¡± Abbee hoped Whimsy remembered. She hadn¡¯t seen Whimsy for seven years, since the night of the golems. Abbee had only been twelve. ¡°Ask her if the gofer is any good with a broom these days. She¡¯ll know who it is.¡±

    The left one squinted. ¡°Martin, go give Whimsy the message.¡±

    Martin slid off his chair and exited the room, grumbling something about not being the gofer. The other one looked ready to ask Abbee something when the precinct door opened, and two constables walked in, half dragging, half carrying a man wearing soot-streaked clothes. The man¡¯s head lolled around, and the parts of him that Abbee saw looked bruised and bloody.

    ¡°Open the door, would you, Tyber?¡± asked one of the new constables.

    The remaining constable on the intake desk, Tyber, shook his head. ¡°Sign him in first.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll come back and do it. The bastard¡¯s a torch, and he was free with the flames during his arrest. Gotta get him to some snuffer before he wakes up again.¡±

    Tyber sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll be expecting you back, then.¡±

    He pressed something under his counter. The heavy door clicked and popped ajar. The constables dragged the unconscious man past Abbee and into the precinct.

    Through the open door, Abbee heard a familiar voice talking around the corner. She had stepped forward to look when an older woman with a round face and a brown ponytail tripped on the way out. She swore and stumbled.

    Abbee caught her and set her back on her own two feet. ¡°Hi, Whimsy.¡±

    Whimsy smoothed her uniform and looked at Abbee, starting with her feet. She got to Abbee¡¯s face, and her eyes flared with recognition. ¡°It is you. I thought Martin was pulling my leg.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all,¡± Abbee observed. ¡°You¡¯re the only person I know who trips sitting down.¡±

    Whimsy opened her mouth to retort but stopped. She searched Abbee¡¯s face. ¡°Something happened to you,¡± she said in a quiet, serious voice.

    Abbee fought with a dark, terrible memory. A fresh memory. Anger pricked her. She pushed all that away and gave Whimsy a tight, forced smile. ¡°Lots of somethings. I¡¯ve been on the road a long time, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°More like the road is on you,¡± Whimsy said, looking Abbee up and down.

    ¡°Yeah, well, I think my road days are over. Look, I barely recognize this place, and you¡¯re the only person I could think of who might help.¡±

    ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Ipsu Billings. He¡¯s got¡ª¡±

    Whimsy¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°That¡¯s not a name I¡¯ve heard for a very long time.¡±

    ¡°You know Ipsu?¡± Abbee asked, surprised.

    ¡°He used to train the constables,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Called me clumsy and unteachable. Don¡¯t look at me like that. I know it¡¯s true, but he didn¡¯t have to say it in front of the whole precinct.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know how to be sympathetic,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Very true. For someone who asks ¡®Who are you?¡¯ all the time, he seems to form negative opinions about everyone a lot. How do you know him?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I need help finding him. I don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s here in the city, but it¡¯s a big place, and I¡¯m only one person.¡±

    ¡°We can help with that,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°We still do a lot of missing persons these days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be grateful,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I also need a place to stay for a little while, until I get my feet under me. A line on a job too, maybe.¡±

    Whimsy squinted at her. ¡°How old are you now?¡±

    ¡°Nineteen,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Why?¡±

    Whimsy pursed her lips. ¡°That¡¯s perfect.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Academy¡¯s next session is starting up in a few days. Could solve both your housing and your job problems in one go.¡±

    Abbee realized what the other woman was saying. ¡°What ¡­ really? A constable? Me? You serious?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    Abbee had been thinking of something temporary, not permanent employment. Not a constable. Especially if Ipsu had left the city. She¡¯d need to go after him. But ¡­ a constable. Maybe being a constable would let her search in places she couldn¡¯t otherwise go. Abbee hadn¡¯t considered it until now, but maybe it would be a way to honor Randall¡¯s memory. Maybe she would find his family and thank them for producing such a fine person who had given her a chance. And maybe, just maybe, she could finally put down some roots. Abbee knew it was a fantasy. Her search for Ipsu and the truth would take her out of Akken if she didn¡¯t find him in a few days. Still, the promise of a roof and food was enticing. Abbee could stay a couple of days.

    She brushed a twig off her coat. ¡°Not sure I¡¯m cadet material.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, applications have been declining for years, ever since the House soldiers moved in, so we can¡¯t afford to be choosy.¡± Whimsy wrinkled her nose. ¡°We¡¯ll get you some new clothes, though. There might still be a line, and it¡¯d be unfortunate if you found it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a terrible idea,¡± Abbee said. She gestured at Whimsy¡¯s hip. ¡°You don¡¯t have wands anymore?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Whimsy said, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s not the worst thing Parn¡¯s done since cozying up to the Togrims, but it¡¯s near the top of the list.¡±

    Abbee remembered Parn Trippers. Remembered him from the alley and the chickens, and his involvement with the White Ring. She¡¯d heard that he¡¯d catapulted up to first constable on the night of the golems. Abbee knew Parn was on the Akken Council, along with Ekon and Sera Togrim. Lots of opportunities for cozying. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

    ¡°How long¡¯s the list?¡±

    Whimsy snorted. ¡°There¡¯s not enough paper in the world for that.¡±

 Chapter 9

    Abbee waited for Whimsy outside by the fountain. She wasn¡¯t allowed inside the precinct, which was new, and Whimsy promised to answer all her questions when she got off her shift at dusk. Abbee sat on the edge of the fountain and listened to the bubbling water. The precinct¡¯s condition was another reason for her hesitation at joining the constables. The wrought-iron fence surrounding the grounds was rusted, and the lawn was dead in places. Abbee looked up at the marble constable standing proud on the fountain. The statue was missing an arm and looked like it had been covered with graffiti at one point. She saw lewd lettering in one armpit that someone had missed.

    The dilapidation surprised Abbee. In her short time as the gofer, she¡¯d learned that cleanliness was a guiding star for the constabulary. Captain Barnes had barked aplenty at the slightest whiff of slovenly appearances, and even Captain Orom had demanded orderliness, though he¡¯d demanded little else. If the precinct¡¯s exterior looked like this, Abbee wondered what was going on inside.

    The sun was on the horizon when a crowd of constables emerged from the precinct. Shift change. Whimsy appeared and looked around. Spotted Abbee and walked over. She sat down on the fountain¡¯s edge with a grunt. ¡°What a day.¡± She pulled off her boots, socks, and rolled up her trousers. Whimsy swiveled around and stuck her feet in the fountain. She sighed, conveying her immense satisfaction in a tone that made Abbee¡¯s face heat.

    ¡°You, uh, need a minute?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°New boots,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to head off a blister. Turns out the son in Hudson and Sons isn¡¯t as good as his old man.¡±

    ¡°Then why buy the boots?¡±

    ¡°We get a discount. It was a great deal when the boots were better, though.¡±

    Whimsy leaned back and wobbled on the fountain¡¯s edge with a whoop. Abbee raised her arms to steady her, but Whimsy caught herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯m good.¡±

    Abbee kept her hands out at the ready. ¡°I think you¡¯ve gotten worse since I saw you last. You need a padded uniform. Maybe a helmet.¡±

    Whimsy snorted but nodded her agreement. ¡°I put in a missing-person report for Ipsu. If he¡¯s in the city, we¡¯ll find him.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You going to tell me how you know him?¡± Whimsy asked. ¡°Along with where you¡¯ve been? You disappeared after the golems.¡±

    Abbee¡¯s stomach growled. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you anything you want if you feed me.¡±

    ¡°When was the last time you ate?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday.¡±

    ¡°What? Wait, you¡¯ve no money?¡±

    ¡°When I said I needed a line on a job,¡± Abbee said, ¡°I was thinking about something this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve said you didn¡¯t have any money.¡± Whimsy pulled her feet out of the fountain and stood up. Wiggled her soaked toes. ¡°Poe¡¯s going to kill me if she sees me, but ¡­ wait here.¡± She left Abbee next to her boots and socks, padded across the cobblestones to the precinct, and went inside.

    A few minutes later, she reemerged carrying a bowl and several pieces of thick bread.

    Abbee didn¡¯t wait for Whimsy to reach her. She stood up and half jogged, half ran to the other woman. ¡°Gimme that.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you must be really hungry,¡± Whimsy said, handing over the food.

    ¡°That, and I didn¡¯t want you to drop it coming down the stairs.¡±

    ¡°Fair.¡±

    Abbee held the warm bowl in one hand, balancing the bread atop. Stew, looked like. And the bread was the same as she remembered. She left Whimsy to deal with the steps and hurried over to the fountain. Sat down with her boon. Set the dry bread down on the fountain beside her and lifted the bottom slice of bread out of the stew. It dripped. Abbee took a big bite and sighed. It tasted incredible.

    Whimsy chuckled and sat down. ¡°You, uh, need a minute?¡±

    ¡°Stew¡¯s gotten better,¡± Abbee said, ¡°and Bups is still getting free bread from the same place, I see.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Whimsy said. She pulled a spoon out of her pocket and handed it to Abbee. ¡°Poe thinks he should retire, but she doesn¡¯t have the heart to make him. It¡¯d probably kill him.¡±

    ¡°Poe?¡± Abbee echoed around a mouth full of stew-soaked bread. ¡°Madge Poe?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s captain now,¡± Whimsy said. She brushed the dirt off her feet and pulled on her socks. ¡°One of the best we¡¯ve ever had, though don¡¯t tell her I said that. She hates praise for some reason and finds a way to punish you for it.¡±

    ¡°How come I couldn¡¯t come in?¡±

    ¡°The rule was designed to keep the House soldiers out,¡± Whimsy said, ¡°but Parn made it so vague that it applies to civilians too. Turns out most of us like it that way, so we kept it. The precinct is sort of our own private space now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the House soldiers? I saw a bunch on my way here. Constables and House soldiers seem to go out of their way to avoid each other.¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s another rule. There are a lot of rules around how we interact, mostly to head off incidents. There were some nasty ones early on.¡± Her faced clouded. ¡°We¡¯re lucky we were able to come back to the precincts at all. We used to be out in the camps.¡±

    ¡°I remember there being three. Camps, I mean.¡±

    ¡°What, you didn¡¯t visit?¡± Whimsy asked in a hurt voice.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t come into the city,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I would¡¯ve if Ipsu had let¡ª¡±

    ¡°You traveled with him?¡± Whimsy asked. ¡°Is that where you¡¯ve been all this time?¡± She waved her hand. ¡°No, no, start at the beginning.¡±

    ¡°Not much to tell,¡± Abbee said. ¡°He found me in the mover pit and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Mover pit?¡± Whimsy echoed. Her brows slammed down. ¡°We found your father down there after the¡ªwait, you were down there too?¡±

    ¡°He tried to kill me,¡± Abbee said in a flat voice. ¡°Would¡¯ve too, had he not slipped and fallen in. I felt sorry for him when the golems were coming through that night. I let him out. Dumb decision.¡± She dipped another hunk of bread in her stew and took another bite.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Abbee,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°That must¡¯ve been hard.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, he was a right bastard and got what he deserved.¡±

    Whimsy opened her mouth and closed it. She seemed to struggle for a moment to find something to say. ¡°How did you survive? The pit was twenty meters deep. Did you land on him?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Wait, was twenty meters deep? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the pit¡¯s not there anymore. We don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°What do you do with movers who misbehave, then?¡±

    ¡°Give ¡¯em snuffer and shove ¡¯em in a cell.¡±

    Abbee remembered what the constables dragging in that torch had said. ¡°Snuffer?¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°Tower used to have it, but I think they didn¡¯t know how to make it. I guess they forgot. It¡¯s some kind of oil. Give it to a talented person, and it suppresses their abilities.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°How does it work? Is it magical? For how long?¡±

    ¡°Depends how much you take. Not magical, comes from some plant. Not sure which one¡ªit¡¯s a bit of a secret. But the university figured it out a few years ago, and it changed everything around here.¡± Whimsy nodded at Abbee¡¯s unhappy expression. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t like it either, but we don¡¯t have to execute people hardly ever anymore. I¡¯m not sure Graywall¡¯s an improvement, though.¡±

    ¡°Graywall?¡±

    Whimsy turned and gestured up at the escarpment. ¡°See that dark patch up there?¡±

    Abbee looked. The setting sun cast numerous shadows on the cliffs above. ¡°I see lots of dark patches.¡±

    ¡°Where I¡¯m pointing.¡±

    Abbee looked over Whimsy¡¯s shoulder at the escarpment. Squinted. ¡°I don¡¯t¡ªwait.¡± She saw a pinpoint of flickering light among one particular shadow, two-thirds of the way up the wall. She leaned back. ¡°Are those torches?¡±

    Whimsy put her arm down. ¡°That¡¯s Graywall. The prison.¡±

    ¡°Akken has a prison now? I don¡¯t see any stairs or a road. How do you get to it?¡±

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    ¡°Movers drop a platform down from the top to the entrance,¡± Whimsy said, ¡°which is a narrow outcropping only a few meters wide. Whole experience is nerve-racking. I don¡¯t advise it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been up there?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve heard about it. Corporal Hamor drives the prison cart from our precinct, and he says he almost fell off one time. Supposedly, it¡¯s perfectly safe, but one of the movers for the platform sneezed. Hamor says the whole platform tilted and he almost slipped off. Said he was hanging from his fingertips. I don¡¯t believe that last part. They use five times more movers than necessary, just in case something like that happens. I¡¯m pretty sure the platform just jiggled a little. Hamor¡¯s the kind of person who¡¯d tell you he almost drowned stepping into a puddle.¡±

    ¡°Seems a little extreme to put a prison inside the cliff wall,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°They argued about where to put it for months,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°The trouble with building a new prison is it¡¯s always next to something, and that something doesn¡¯t want to be next to a prison. Some idiot suggested putting it in the escarpment as a joke within earshot of Ekon Togrim, who apparently thought that would be really funny. A year and a lot of excavation later, we now have a prison in a cliff wall. Nobody really knows how big it is in there.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that platform is moving all day long, pulling dirt and rock out. Probably a few tons a day.¡±

    ¡°What are they digging for?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°The prison carts are active every day, so I think they run out of room on a regular basis. That¡¯s just my guess, though. The theory changes depending on who you talk to.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like all sorts of crazy. There¡¯s nothing up there. The closest thing is hundreds of meters away. It¡¯s a toss-up whether it¡¯s the train tunnel through the escarpment or where High Street used to be.¡±

    Abbee twisted around on the fountain and looked up. ¡°What, Overlook¡¯s not there anymore?¡±

    ¡°Well, it is, but not that street with all the big houses on it. Everything had to be torn down. You¡¯ve really not been here since that night, have you?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t. I came in from the West Gate. The North Bend looks completely different with straight roads.¡±

    ¡°That was Abol Togrim¡¯s doing,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°He has an obsession with straight things. I hear he would¡¯ve straightened the river if Imara hadn¡¯t intervened.¡±

    ¡°Imara?¡±

    ¡°Sister,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°It goes Abol, Sera, Imara, and Ekon. There are three more brothers between Abol and Ekon, but I can¡¯t remember their names. They never leave Veronna, whoever they are. The Togrims are a big group and have their fingers in everything. Imara runs the university here in Akken.¡±

    ¡°The what?¡±

    Whimsy waved west. ¡°It¡¯s one of the first things she did after Veronna took over. It¡¯s up in the Civic District. What used to be the Red District. They renamed it. Anyway, the Council¡¯s three people and takes up a lot less space, so they replaced the Council House, the precinct, the repeater headquarters, and a few other things with a new campus. It¡¯s called the University of Akken. I have mixed feelings about the place. They¡¯re too secretive for my tastes, but they did figure out how to rig indoor plumbing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just lucky that your precinct is in the same spot.¡± Abbee pointed at the intersection with a hunk of bread. ¡°What do you call Three Points now, with that park?¡±

    ¡°We still call it Three Points,¡± Whimsy said. She spread her hands toward the fence. ¡°Everyone still calls this place Akken, but if anyone said New Akken, they wouldn¡¯t be wrong. The first year of reconstruction was more like a year of demolition. The golems destroyed everything. We had to remove blocks and blocks of wreckage. Buildings, basements, and the top two meters of dead soil. Not to mention all the golems all over the place. There¡¯s a whole story just in that. Everything in the North Bend, the River District, Overlook, Civic, and most of the Yards is new. I look around at everything, and I can¡¯t believe how fast it came back. Four and a half districts rebuilt literally from the ground up. There are several hills south of here that aren¡¯t there anymore. We needed the dirt.¡±

    ¡°Where did they get all the laborers?¡±

    ¡°Everywhere,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°You must have noticed how empty the other cities are.¡±

    Abbee shook her head. ¡°Ipsu avoided populated areas. We visited the other cities once, maybe twice, and didn¡¯t stay long. Though now that you mention it, the one time we were in Kiva, a year after, it did seem a little sparse. The mover boards there were fuller than I¡¯d ever seen them.¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°Akken¡¯s the mover capital of the world now. We needed so many, and lots of them came and just stayed. For the first five years after the Tower fell, you¡¯d be hurting if you needed a mover anywhere else. Cost three times as much, because they were all here, making five times the previous rate.¡±

    ¡°Five times?¡±

    ¡°The Council spent a fortune rebuilding the city.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d they get the money?¡± Abbee asked.

    Whimsy frowned. ¡°Changes depending on who you ask. I think it was a combination of things, but there was a lot of it lying around in the wreckage of the old city.¡±

    ¡°They just stole people¡¯s money?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Well, most of them were dead,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Whole families wiped out overnight.¡± Her face fell. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand how¡ª¡± She stopped and looked at the ground. ¡°It was really, really bad. I can still remember the stink of the pyres. Every once in a while, the wind shifts, and you catch a whiff of something, and you remember. Even now. Happens to everyone here who lived through reconstruction.¡± She sighed. ¡°Anyway. We¡¯ve less movers now than before. The volume of work has dropped here, so lots of people are moving back home. It got so bad that the continentals had a hard time hiring drovers.¡±

    Abbee grunted. ¡°And the ones they have now are real pieces of work.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Whimsy asked, sounding curious.

    ¡°Never mind,¡± Abbee said. She ran out of bread and picked up her spoon. ¡°You¡¯d have needed all the movers for the golems. Must¡¯ve taken an army to relocate them.¡±

    Whimsy shook her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t take any. Alize Trei figured it out. Trei is a High House, in case¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know who they are,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Whimsy grinned. ¡°I thought that since you¡¯ve been living under a rock for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, very funny. I know they were all deposed after the city fell. Not really high anything anymore. I lived in the woods, Whimsy, not under a rock.¡±

    Whimsy¡¯s smile widened. ¡°I see that you¡¯re sensitive about your rock-dwelling days.¡±

    Abbee frowned at her. ¡°You were talking about the golems?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Alize figured out that they can run on water.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did you say water?¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°She noticed that all of the golems that had walked across the North Bend had stopped in the river. She somehow knew about the driver¡¯s seat in the head.¡±

    ¡°The what?¡±

    ¡°I guess they were originally built to have pilots, and the wizards changed them.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea.¡±

    ¡°Nobody did. Well, I think the wizards knew but didn¡¯t tell anybody. After what happened to Alize, I think it was for the best.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Whimsy grimaced. ¡°The golems can run on water, but if there isn¡¯t any, they steal life from the pilot. Everything living within ten meters too. Alize drove a golem out of the river and out of the city. She stopped near the slate quarry. It took some doing to figure out what she was doing there. Turns out she was dead. She went in a spry twenty-three and came out a corpse. They say she looked over a hundred.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t notice she was aging?¡±

    Whimsy shook her head. ¡°Apparently not. They¡¯ve restricted who gets to drive them to refractors only, and they¡¯re all in the slate quarry. It¡¯s northeast of New Bend. You might have felt the ground vibrating over there.¡±

    Abbee shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t, but I wasn¡¯t really sticking around in that place. Gave me the creeps.¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°New Bend will do that. Anyway, give the golem access to a water supply; stick a refractor in the cockpit in case that supply runs dry; and you¡¯ve got a twenty-meter crane, pile driver, and hauler. Perfect for quarry work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d have thought that they¡¯d used the golems to help with the demolition.¡±

    Whimsy shook her head. ¡°Too dangerous. They tried a couple of times, but the golems always ran out of water and killed somebody. Parn put his foot down. He got the Council to restrict the golems to the quarry. One of the few good things he¡¯s managed to do.¡±

    Abbee scraped the bottom of her bowl and wished she had more stew. ¡°You, uh, seem to have some strong opinions about him. What¡¯s the story there?¡±

    Whimsy folded her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll need some strong alcohol if we¡¯re getting into that. How about you tell me why Ipsu took you out of Akken?¡±

    Abbee opened her mouth to say she had no idea. Stopped. Thought about their fight. Ipsu¡¯s conversation with the gray wizard. Joor. She remembered what the gray wizard had said about people presenting the night of the golems. There were others. Other talented. Maybe Ipsu finding her in the mover pit hadn¡¯t been so random. ¡°That¡¯s why I need to find him.¡±

    Whimsy searched Abbee¡¯s face. ¡°He never told you?¡±

    ¡°No. He spent all his time training me.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°To fight and survive,¡± Abbee said. ¡°But mostly running.¡±

    ¡°Running?¡±

    ¡°We ran a lot.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being evasive,¡± Whimsy said.

    Abbee sighed. ¡°It¡¯s hard, okay? He¡ª¡±

    ¡°What did he do to you?¡± Whimsy demanded, her voice rising. ¡°Did he ¡­ did¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said, shaking her head. ¡°Never.¡±

    Whimsy looked unconvinced.

    ¡°He never touched me, Whimsy. Not like that.¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°But he did something, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Abbee shied away from her memories of Joor. It was a struggle to speak. She felt an itch on her back, between her shoulder blades. For a brief, terrifying instant, she was back in her mental prison, trapped behind a wall of silence. She forced herself to speak. Forced out a word. ¡°Yeah.¡± A few more. ¡°We had a fight.¡±

    ¡°When was this?¡±

    ¡°Four days ago. A bad one. He¡ª¡± Abbee broke off, remembering what she¡¯d done to the clearing. Killing all the plants and launching herself at Ipsu. Remembered his surprise. His hurt. Something had changed then, and Abbee couldn¡¯t ever go back to the way it was. Couldn¡¯t return to a time when she hadn¡¯t murdered people in a basement. The itch on her back intensified. Abbee tried to scratch it but couldn¡¯t reach. Suddenly she was back in that dark room, strapped to a table, sitting in filth, and waking up to dead children.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Whimsy asked. She laid her hand on Abbee¡¯s arm.

    Abbee flinched away at her touch. Whimsy pulled her hand back with a frown.

    Abbee hated that she reacted to comfort with fear. She was broken, and she didn¡¯t know how to fix it. She¡¯d be broken forever. She was scared and small, and everywhere she went people died. Her breath seized in her chest, and she blinked back tears. The world collapsed to a single point, and it was all Abbee could do to sit upright and hold on to her empty bowl.

    ¡°Oh, Abbee,¡± Whimsy said in a soft voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Tears leaked down Abbee¡¯s face. Her grip on her bowl tightened until she was afraid she¡¯d break it. She couldn¡¯t loosen her fingers. She knew if she lost the bowl, she¡¯d be lost in a torrent of pain. She¡¯d break down in front of Whimsy. The other woman scooted closer to Abbee and wrapped her arms around her. Abbee tried to flinch away again, but Whimsy didn¡¯t let go. She put her hands on Whimsy¡¯s arms, ready to fling her away.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    Abbee froze. She didn¡¯t push. The wall around Abbee¡¯s anguish crumbled, and she held on to Whimsy as if clinging to tufts of grass on the side of a cliff. She held on. She held on for dear life. Abbee buried her face in Whimsy¡¯s shoulder and wept. Heavy sobs racked her frame as Whimsy told her it was okay, over and over. Her words were a soothing calm washing over Abbee even as her hurt threatened to yank her under.

    Abbee lost track of time, and when her tears finally subsided, the sun was almost gone below the horizon, and long shadows covered the lawn. Abbee registered that her face was wet and sticky. She leaned back a little. Whimsy loosened her arms. Abbee pulled away and wiped her face with her sleeve. ¡°I, uh, made a mess of you.¡±

    Whimsy watched Abbee with a faint smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Tears and snot are better than some of the other bodily fluids that get on me here.¡±

    Abbee sniffed.

    Whimsy pulled out a handkerchief. ¡°Blow your nose.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Abbee asked, sniffing again.

    Whimsy rolled her eyes. ¡°Civilized people blow their noses, Abbee.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the need.¡± Abbee hawked up phlegm and spat it onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯m good now. What? I thought you said snot wasn¡¯t a big deal compared to other fluids.¡±

    Whimsy sighed. ¡°I see you¡¯ve got a long way to go. Ipsu did a number on you.¡±

    Ipsu. Abbee¡¯s breath seized in her chest again. She looked at the ground and focused on her breathing. The pain was right there. So close. It was as if her sobbing hadn¡¯t done anything at all, and she was right on the edge of losing it again. Abbee was afraid she was going to be stuck like this, always on the edge of a breakdown. She didn¡¯t know what to do. Didn¡¯t want to move.

    Whimsy regarded Abbee for a moment. She stood up. ¡°Come with me. I know someone who can help.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone can help,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve been living in the woods with a lunatic. You¡¯re in Akken now. Lots more options.¡± She held out her hand. ¡°C¡¯mon. Leave the bowl. I¡¯ll pick it up if it¡¯s still here in the morning.¡±

 Chapter 10

    Whimsy led Abbee away from the precinct, heading north toward the escarpment. Abbee didn¡¯t talk much at first. She told herself it was getting dark and too hard to look at everything that was different. But the walk felt too close to home. Too close to the wordless trek north from Joor. A few blocks from the precinct, Abbee forced herself to skip forward and walk backward so she could see Whimsy.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡± Whimsy said.

    Abbee turned back around. ¡°What kind of a surprise?¡±

    ¡°This kind.¡± Whimsy stopped in front of a house that looked like all the others. A young man sat on an upside-down crate on the step. He was in his stocking feet and eating a carrot.

    The young man saw Whimsy and pulled the carrot out of his mouth. ¡°Hi, Whimsy.¡±

    ¡°Hoger,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Is your father free right now?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Hoger said. ¡°Back so soon?¡±

    ¡°Not for me,¡± Whimsy said.

    Hoger looked at Abbee. Smiled at her. His eyes took on a faraway look, as if he were looking through her, across the street. Abbee recognized that look. Hoger had one of the mental talents. Maybe he was a speaker, talking to his father inside the house. Abbee watched the smile slide off Hoger¡¯s face. He blinked. Shuddered. Hoger hopped down off his crate and went inside.

    Not a speaker. Hoger was an empath or a telepath, and Abbee had just been scanned without her permission. She wondered what Hoger had found. She had a lot of negative emotions swirling just below the surface. None of them were any of his business. Of the known talents, Abbee hated movers the most. Telepaths were a close second, and empaths right behind them. They always poked around in people¡¯s heads whenever they felt like it. Irritation spiked, and her tone grew short.

    ¡°Why are we here, Whimsy?¡±

    Hoger leaned out of the door and hooked his thumb. ¡°C¡¯mon in. Take off your shoes.¡±

    Whimsy walked up the front step. Abbee didn¡¯t move. ¡°Whimsy.¡±

    ¡°Baylor can help,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°He¡¯s the best in the city.¡±

    ¡°The best at what?¡±

    ¡°Smoothing you out.¡± Whimsy stepped inside. ¡°C¡¯mon. It¡¯s painless, and you¡¯ll feel better.¡±

    Feeling better sounded good to Abbee, but she wasn¡¯t sure how anyone could help with that. She walked up the steps. ¡°You need to explain more.¡±

    Whimsy kicked off her boots and stood them next to the open doorway. Abbee did the same and placed hers on the other side of Whimsy¡¯s. They were right next to the open door, and anybody could step inside and take them. Whimsy¡¯s looked newer, and a thief would probably take those first. Still, Abbee didn¡¯t like it.

    ¡°If someone takes my boots,¡± she warned, ¡°you¡¯re buying me a new pair. And not from Hudson¡¯s son.¡±

    ¡°You and me both,¡± Whimsy said. She looked happy to be out of her uncomfortable shoes.

    Hoger stood around the corner, outside a room. He gestured for them to go in. Whimsy moved like she knew where she was going, and walked past Hoger into a small sitting room, where Abbee saw a plush sofa and chair. A round table sat between them. The walls had dark wood paneling on their bottom halves and deep green wallpaper above. Oil lamps in several places, but turned low, so the room had many shadows.

    Abbee stopped in the doorway and turned to Hoger. She gave him the same disapproving look that Ipsu had used on a daily basis. It wasn¡¯t exactly the same. Ipsu was taller than Abbee, and he could loom. Abbee couldn¡¯t loom over Hoger, but she glowered at him anyway.

    ¡°Don¡¯t scan me again without permission.¡±

    Hoger blinked and frowned in confusion.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that at all,¡± Abbee added. ¡°To anyone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of the service,¡± Hoger said. ¡°I have to do a¡ª¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t agreed to any kind of service,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Ask first.¡±

    Whimsy let out another sigh. Abbee looked and saw her leaning back on the sofa with a satisfied expression.

    ¡°Abbee,¡± Whimsy said without looking up. ¡°You have to sit on this thing.¡±

    Hoger used Whimsy¡¯s interruption to walk away, moving deeper into the house.

    ¡°Where¡¯s he going?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Whimsy said, still with closed eyes. ¡°Come sit and relax. This is amazing.¡±

    Abbee walked over to the couch, careful to avoid bumping the table. She looked down at Whimsy, who indeed looked comfortable. Abbee decided to try out the couch and sat down. It was like sitting on a cradling cloud. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips unbidden. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe anything could be so comfortable. She leaned back and rested her neck on the back cushion. Her cares seemed to leak out of her, and she let out a groan a lot like Whimsy¡¯s.

    ¡°I told you,¡± Whimsy murmured.

    Abbee felt like she should be doing something or asking about where Hoger had gone, but she found it difficult to care. She sighed in contentment.

    Something soft rubbed up against her leg. Abbee opened her eyes as something landed on her. She surprised herself by not punching the big furry cat standing on her lap. It was gray blue with giant golden eyes. Abbee froze in astonishment. In the past seven years, no animal had done anything but run away from her. In their defense, she¡¯d been trying to eat them, but this cat¡¯s behavior still surprised her. The cat blinked at Abbee, settled down, and started purring. Abbee scratched behind the cat¡¯s ears, and the animal¡¯s purring grew louder.

    ¡°That¡¯s Urd,¡± Whimsy said, opening one eye to regard the cat. ¡°He likes you. He never sits on me.¡± Whimsy reached her hand out toward Urd. The cat¡¯s eyes turned to slits, and his ears lay back. Whimsy withdrew her hand with a snort. ¡°See?¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t know why a cat as soft as Urd would resist petting. She scratched his ears, relaxed on the sofa, and felt better than she had in ages.

    Footsteps in the hall. A tall man with a thick brown beard stepped into the doorway. He held a silver tray with a teapot and three cups. He could¡¯ve loomed if he¡¯d wanted, but Abbee didn¡¯t feel threatened by him at all. He smiled at them, and Abbee found herself liking him immediately. A tiny alarm bell dinged in the back of her head but vanished under the waves of happiness and contentment she felt from sitting next to Whimsy on this very comfortable sofa.

    ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to see you,¡± the man said in a slow, rumbling baritone. ¡°My name is Baylor.¡± His voice sounded like distant thunder on a breezy plain. He stepped into the room and set his tray down on the table. He settled into the chair across from them and smiled again. Baylor poured tea into one cup. Lifted it and held it out to Abbee. ¡°This is for you.¡±

    Abbee shifted her weight and took the cup, careful not to dislodge Urd from her lap. She sniffed it. It smelled earthy and floral. The cup was warm but not too hot. She sipped it. The tea tasted nice. She noticed she was the only one with a cup, and the alarm bell dinged again but faded just as quickly. Abbee drank the rest of the tea and leaned back in even more contentment than before. She rolled her head to the side and grinned at Whimsy, who nodded at her with a knowing smile. Abbee scratched Urd¡¯s ears and wished this feeling would last forever. The only thing wrong with the whole scene was a faint itching on the back of Abbee¡¯s wrists. She ignored it.

    ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± Baylor rumbled. ¡°I¡¯m told you are suffering, and I can help with that.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t remember telling anyone she was suffering, but that was okay. Urd was soft, and the couch was soft, and she felt utterly relaxed.

    ¡°Strong emotions can be powerful,¡± Baylor continued, ¡°but left to our own devices, we dwell on them and ruminate and let them rule us. Emotions are like a river. A healthy person stands in their river and lets everything flow past them. Hardly anybody¡¯s like that. Most people are bobbing along and sometimes touching the bottom with their toes.¡±

    ¡°And an unhealthy person?¡± Whimsy prompted.

    ¡°They never touch the bottom. And down there, down in the deep, is a dark place that they never touch, but it poisons everything else.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like the sound of that. She wanted to feel better. The itch on her wrists grew stronger. Baylor leaned forward and stared at Abbee. His eyes became hooded, and the smile on his lips faded into a thin line of concentration. Abbee felt something twist inside her, and not in a good way. She frowned. Baylor frowned. His eyes flared wide, and he sucked in a breath. Mote streamed from his wrists.

    The room tilted and changed in front of Abbee. Baylor turned into a bright light, and the deep green walls lost their color, changing to deep black shadows. Urd shifted into a pitted table, and the cradling sofa dug uncomfortably into her shoulder and hips. The leather restraints. Abbee was back in Joor. She was trapped in the basement all over again.

    Panic thrummed through Abbee. No! Not again!

    The panic flashed to anger. Ipsu!

    Ipsu had done this to her.

    Working with the gray wizard all along. He¡¯d pawned her off to the sightless torturer. He had only rescued her because he¡¯d felt guilty about it. Abbee bet he had been eager to abandon her outside Akken.

    The basement shifted, and Abbee was no longer strapped to a table. She registered movement. A grunt. No, a cry of fear. She recognized that sound, that voice. She was falling. She looked up and caught a glimpse of her father¡¯s terrified face in the gloom. She liked seeing his fear. Liked that he was going to die and she was going to live.

    A tingle vibrated her body, and her wrists itched. She wanted to scratch them, but she couldn¡¯t move.

    Oh. Her arms were broken. Her father had smashed them both. She was weak. Couldn¡¯t fight back. No, she was a fighter. Fought plenty. She¡¯d sparred and wrestled with Ipsu and¡ªIpsu.

    That bastard. He¡¯d made her this way. Her father had made her this way.

    She lived in the darkness, and she was going to die in the gloom. Her fear rippled into fury at her lot in life. All she had wanted to do was help her mother with her knitting, but her father had ripped that dream from her.

    She had wanted to run forever in the woods, and Ipsu had torn that from her.

    She had wanted to heal others, like Whimsy, but the world had said no. She¡¯d be broken and backward and selfish and full of fear and rage. The tingle grew and grew until Abbee felt like she was about to burst. She wanted to burst. She wanted to explode and be done with it. Abbee was on the cusp of something. So close. A deep, dark core of something, and she wanted it. Wanted to set it free. Show everyone what they¡¯d made. Abbee reached out in her mind. It¡¯s right there. I¡¯m right there.

    ¡°Abbee.¡± Whimsy¡¯s voice. ¡°Abbee.¡± Sounded far away. Scared. ¡°Snap out of it.¡±

    The basement fell away and morphed back into Baylor¡¯s sitting room. Whimsy had both hands on Abbee¡¯s arm and was shaking her. Baylor was on his feet in the doorway, half in and half out, like he was about to leave. His eyes were wide, and his fists clenched at his sides. Mote streamed from him. Abbee registered pain. Urd hissed and yowled, and his claws dug into Abbee¡¯s legs through her trousers. He¡¯d twisted his head around and bitten her knuckles several times. She realized that she was holding him down. Abbee blinked and loosened her grip. Urd launched himself off Abbee¡¯s lap and fled the room through Baylor¡¯s legs.

    Whimsy let go of Abbee and leaned back, watching both Baylor and Abbee with alarm. Abbee massaged her fingers and saw mote on her wrists. A lot of it. She rubbed them on her legs, trying to get the mote off. She realized the sofa wasn¡¯t all that comfortable. It was stiff and stained, and a spring poked her in the back. The wallpaper was peeling, and the room smelled faintly of smoke. Smelled of ¡­ Abbee couldn¡¯t place it. She picked up the teacup from the floor. She must have dropped it. A few drops of amber-colored liquid rolled in the bottom. She sniffed it. No floral notes. Her nose wrinkled at the bitter, acrid aroma.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Abbee frowned at Baylor. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    Baylor stared at her wrists in astonishment. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have ¡­ That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    ¡°What doesn¡¯t make sense?¡±

    ¡°I gave you snuffer,¡± Baylor said. ¡°In the tea.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re giving people snuffer?¡± Whimsy asked. ¡°Baylor.¡±

    ¡°Snuffer?¡± Abbee asked, alarmed. ¡°You gave me snuffer without telling me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to help you relax and smother your talent in case you have one,¡± Baylor said. ¡°I give the tea to everyone. There are so many talented who come in for delving that I don¡¯t even ask anymore.¡±

    ¡°Delving?¡± Abbee echoed. ¡°What¡¯s that? What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Baylor said. ¡°I never got that far.¡±

    Abbee pushed off the sofa and rose to her feet. She felt a familiar tickle on her knuckles as her body healed Urd¡¯s scratches. She tucked her hands into her armpits to hide the healing. ¡°You¡¯re an empath.¡± Horror spread over Abbee. ¡°Wait, did you see my memories?¡± She didn¡¯t want anyone to know what had happened to her in Joor. ¡°Did your son?¡±

    ¡°No. We¡¯re both empaths. You need a telepath for that.¡±

    Abbee turned to Whimsy. ¡°You should¡¯ve told me. I wouldn¡¯t have agreed to this.¡±

    Whimsy stood up, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s for your own good. You can barely carry on a conversation without breaking down. You¡¯re never going to make it through training if you¡¯re falling apart every other minute.¡± She gestured at Baylor. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve done this twice. He¡¯s the best around. Perfectly safe.¡± She frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about the snuffer, though. What¡¯s your talent?¡± She looked at Baylor. ¡°Did you screw up the dose? Is she an empath? I¡¯ve heard you can¡¯t delve each other.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an empath,¡± Abbee said. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a telepath either, and I¡¯m not a wizard, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are,¡± Baylor said, ¡°but it took everything I had to keep you together. Longest moment of my life. I was fighting you the entire time.¡± He regarded Abbee with tight, frightened eyes. ¡°And you were fighting back. I was losing. There¡¯s evil in you, and ¡­ it¡¯s as if you wanted to let it out.¡± He shuddered. ¡°You should go.¡±

    Abbee shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened.¡±

    ¡°Get out,¡± Baylor said. He backed out of the doorway and pointed down the hall.

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Leave,¡± Baylor said, his voice rising. ¡°Or ¡­ or I¡¯ll report you. I¡¯ll tell the university¡ª¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t know what that meant, but Whimsy apparently did. Her eyes flared.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Whimsy said, stepping around the table toward Baylor. She took two steps and tripped. Stumbled. ¡°Hey!¡± she shouted, straightening. ¡°You do that and you¡¯re done, Baylor. Really done. Especially after I just found out you¡¯re giving people snuffer. Where did you get it? You¡¯re not supposed to even have that.¡± Her voice rose an octave. ¡°Wait, did you give me snuffer when I came in here?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Baylor said, folding his arms. ¡°I know you¡¯re a healer. Your talent isn¡¯t dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Good. You¡¯re still going to tell me where you¡¯re getting snuffer.¡±

    Abbee decided she didn¡¯t care. The room was too small, and all she wanted was to get out. She pushed past Whimsy and shouldered Baylor out of the way. Whimsy and Baylor continued to argue over Baylor¡¯s access to snuffer. Abbee grabbed her boots on the way out. Hoger was sitting on his crate outside. He scrambled off and scooted down to the other side of the porch when Abbee emerged from the house.

    She glowered at him. ¡°Stay out of my head.¡±

    ¡°No objection here,¡± Hoger said, waving his hands.

    Abbee sat down on the front step and pulled on her boots. She wanted to leave but didn¡¯t know where to go. It was getting dark, and she had nowhere to stay. She had to wait for Whimsy to come out. Abbee swore. This had been a mistake. She should never have come into the city, looking for Ipsu. Four days was an eternity; he¡¯d never stay in the city that long. He was gone. She had no idea in which direction he might¡¯ve gone either. It could be months, maybe even years before she saw him again. If ever.

    The shouting inside died down. Whimsy appeared on the porch with her boots in her hand. She saw Abbee. Turned around and went back inside. Whimsy¡¯s angry voice echoed out through the door. ¡°I mean it, Baylor. I hear one whisper of this, and you¡¯ll have so many constables in here it¡¯ll look like we moved the precinct.¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I got it,¡± Baylor answered, sounding beaten. ¡°I got it. I won¡¯t say anything. But you know I¡¯m right.¡±

    Whimsy came back outside. She sat down next to Abbee and pulled on her boots. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about all that.¡±

    Abbee stood up and turned around. Folded her arms. ¡°Sorry about Baylor or sorry that you didn¡¯t tell me what we were here for?¡±

    ¡°Both, okay?¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Look, it¡¯s a little complicated.¡± Her voice dropped to a murmur. ¡°I think I convinced Baylor that you¡¯re not a wizard.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not¡ª¡±

    ¡°Either way, he won¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Baylor appeared in the doorway. He saw Abbee and grimaced. ¡°Hoger, come in here.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Hoger replied.

    ¡°Just do it. I need to talk to you.¡±

    Hoger groaned and hopped down off his crate. He walked around his father and went inside. Baylor looked at Abbee and opened his mouth to say something. Closed it. He shot a nasty look at Whimsy¡¯s back and closed the door.

    Whimsy stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Go where?¡±

    ¡°You still need a place to sleep tonight, yeah? I got a spare room.¡± She glanced at Baylor¡¯s door. ¡°And my house is right near the train yards.¡±

    ¡°What, so I can leave the city in a hurry?¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t come to that.¡± She headed down the street. ¡°Baylor knows I can make his life a living nightmare, but people get all squirrelly over wizards.¡±

    Abbee fell in next to her. ¡°I said I¡¯m not a wizard. I¡¯m talented, okay? I presented the night of the golems. I¡ª¡±

    Whimsy yelped. She pushed Abbee off the street into an alley. Abbee was so surprised she didn¡¯t fight back. Whimsy shoved Abbee next to a stack of crates and walked back into the street. Looked around. When she came back, her eyes were frightened. ¡°Don¡¯t ever tell anybody that. I mean it, Abbee. It would almost be better for you if you said you were a wizard.¡±

    ¡°What? Then I¡¯d have the hunters after me.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯d figure out you weren¡¯t, or kill you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that last bit is an improvement.¡±

    ¡°Either way, you wouldn¡¯t disappear into the university and never come out.¡± Whimsy looked around again. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say you presented during Towerfall. You presented before. Or the day after. But not during. Never that.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Abbee said. ¡°But why? What happens to people at the university?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Nobody does. But it¡¯s bad. They don¡¯t come back. Look, even asking about it can make your life miserable.¡± She took a step back and paced in a little circle. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t say that in front of Baylor. You¡¯d really have to leave the city. It wouldn¡¯t be safe. You remember Harald? Ran the front desk at the precinct while you were there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the one with the itch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Harald had a cousin who presented over in the River District that night. She was weird, had a strange talent. She vanished into the university. Harald tried everything to get her out but got told off. Got demoted. He tried to break into their campus and got sacked over it. He still didn¡¯t stop. He vanished too. Nobody¡¯s seen him in months.¡±

    Abbee frowned. ¡°What do you mean, she was weird?¡±

    ¡°Are you not listening to what I¡¯m saying?¡± Whimsy demanded. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous for you here.¡±

    The memory of a dark basement flickered through Abbee¡¯s head. She pushed it away. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous for me everywhere. Why was Harald¡¯s cousin weird?¡±

    ¡°She was a telepath, but backward. Broadcast her thoughts to everyone within twenty meters. Can you imagine? Everyone around you knowing your private thoughts?¡± Whimsy shuddered. ¡°I¡¯d rather die.¡±

    Abbee felt her mouth drop open. The golems. Their march had made talented people backward. The golems had done it. For the first time in seven years, Abbee had a reason for her gift. A reason for being broken and backward. She wasn¡¯t a mistake. I was made this way. And there were others like her. She wasn¡¯t alone. Well, sort of alone if the university was scooping them up. Another memory of Joor rattled through her head. Abbee knew that if the university caught her, she¡¯d end up like that again. But this time, Ipsu wouldn¡¯t show up to save her. Abbee felt a stab of anger at needing Ipsu for anything, and a shiver of fear at the idea of another basement. Whimsy was right. Akken wasn¡¯t safe. Abbee shook herself. It wasn¡¯t safe anywhere.

    ¡°What¡¯s your talent?¡± Whimsy asked. She shook her head. ¡°No, no, don¡¯t tell me. It¡¯s better that I don¡¯t know.¡± She swore. ¡°But I do know that you presented, you told me ¡­ No, don¡¯t say anything more. I¡¯ll tell myself I misheard you. I do that enough, convince myself, and a telepath won¡¯t read it if I get scanned. I misheard you. You didn¡¯t ¡­ I¡¯m not ¡­ I misheard you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the most ridiculous thing I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± Abbee said. ¡°As if a telepath isn¡¯t going to figure out that you¡¯re lying to yourself. Besides, all they have to do is scan me.¡± Abbee gestured at Whimsy with her chin. ¡°I¡¯m like you.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no!¡± Whimsy exclaimed. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡­ Wait.¡± Her brows shot up. ¡°You¡¯re a healer?¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°But backward. I can¡¯t heal anyone else¡±¡ªshe looked around and lowered her voice¡ª¡°but me.¡±

    Whimsy¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°So that¡¯s why the snuffer didn¡¯t work on you. Your gift neutralized it.¡± She blinked in astonishment. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. I¡¯m so jealous. I can¡¯t even do a headache, and you can ¡­ Wait, what¡¯s the worst thing you¡¯ve healed?¡±

    Abbee managed to stay out of the dark places in her mind. She wasn¡¯t telling Whimsy what had happened in Joor. That she¡¯d murdered helpless people. Children. Whimsy liked Abbee right now, and Abbee didn¡¯t want that to end. Abbee thought of Lencoe. Remembered the drovers and rotated her shoulder. ¡°I broke my arm a few months ago.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so jealous,¡± Whimsy repeated. ¡°So jealous.¡±

    Abbee was happy she had an explanation for why she was backward, as Whimsy had said, but it didn¡¯t explain everything. Didn¡¯t explain how Abbee stole life from other people. Didn¡¯t explain why she¡¯d withered an entire clearing, or suddenly become faster, stronger. Abbee had a little more information about herself but somehow felt even more confused. The golems had done something to her, maybe, but she was still very different from everyone else. Maybe she really was a wizard. No, I¡¯m not. But maybe. The thought wouldn¡¯t go away, and there wasn¡¯t anyone around who she could ask. Seven years ago, Abbee could¡¯ve walked up to the Tower and found a wizard and asked them. Now she was alone. ¡°Yes, well, at least you can help other people. I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You also probably can¡¯t be poisoned,¡± Whimsy said.

    ¡°I can, sort of,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Ipsu went through a phase. He gave me¡ª¡±

    ¡°He knew about your gift?¡±

    ¡°Not at first, I don¡¯t think,¡± Abbee said. ¡°But he did eventually. He tested the boundaries of my gift all the time. Pushed me out of trees, off cliffs, down ravines. I think the poisons were the worst. He ruined all my favorite foods trying to poison me. Except bread. He never tried to poison bread, thankfully. He gave me concentrated cobra venom one time, and all I did was take a nap.¡±

    Whimsy shook her head in amazement. ¡°You can¡¯t get drunk, can you?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. Look, you wouldn¡¯t be so jealous if you knew I felt everything. I know you can deaden pain in other people. I can¡¯t.¡±

    Whimsy grimaced. ¡°Not even a little?¡±

    ¡°Not a bit. I can heal, but I hurt. I feel everything. I¡¯m not invincible.¡± Abbee hoped Whimsy didn¡¯t catch the truth bending. She could be stopped. Just not permanently. ¡°So it¡¯s not like I go looking for injuries or anything. Though they seem to find me without trouble.¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why you need to stay away from the university. Imara Togrim would start salivating if she found out about you.¡±

    Abbee sighed. She couldn¡¯t stay in Akken. Ipsu was probably gone, anyway. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to impose on you any more than I already have. You¡¯re right. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re not imposing ¡­ Wait, what am I right about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for me here,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I should go.¡±

    Whimsy sighed. ¡°I wish it weren¡¯t true, but ¡­ okay. You can stay at my place tonight, and I¡¯ll put you on a train first thing in the morning. I¡¯d do it now, but the trains don¡¯t run at night.¡±

    ¡°Mostly,¡± Abbee corrected. ¡°There¡¯s that story that one made the trip from Akken to Veronna in two days, running at night.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a myth,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Nobody did that.¡±

    ***

    Akken was an expansive city with wide avenues and parks, but it still had lots of nooks and crannies. Whimsy¡¯s house sat in a quiet neighborhood that had been crammed into a corner of the city, between the escarpment and the train yards. Abbee didn¡¯t like it. She liked the quiet island, set apart from the city¡¯s constant bustle, but the street dead-ended in Whimsy¡¯s neighborhood, and there was only one way in or out. If Abbee had to leave in a hurry, she¡¯d have to grow wings.

    They walked under an iron arch and into a wide courtyard bordered by a dozen houses. A fountain bubbled in the center of the courtyard, encircled by a patch of yellowing grass. Several small children ran around the fountain under the watch of their parents. Whimsy waved at them, and they waved back with smiles that didn¡¯t extend to Abbee. They watched Abbee and gathered their children a little closer.

    ¡°Touchy group,¡± Abbee observed.

    ¡°They don¡¯t like strangers is all,¡± Whimsy said.

    ¡°You bring a lot of strangers home?¡±

    ¡°What? No.¡± Whimsy looked over her shoulder at Abbee. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but you look rough.¡±

    ¡°I live in the woods, Whimsy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and it takes a rough sort to do that.¡±

    The escarpment loomed over the neighborhood. Abbee was used to living in the woods and didn¡¯t like standing so close to potential rockfalls.

    When she asked about it, Whimsy said, ¡°There¡¯s no danger. It looks close, but we¡¯re actually about fifty meters away. All the rocks settle in a little pocket on the other side of Rankin¡¯s house. A crew comes through and cleans them up every month.¡± Whimsy frowned at a gray house across the courtyard. ¡°Though if a boulder hit his house, I wouldn¡¯t complain.¡±

    Fifty meters didn¡¯t seem far enough to Abbee. ¡°What¡¯s so bad about him?¡±

    Whimsy sniffed. ¡°It¡¯s less Rankin and more his yap dog that barks in the middle of the night.¡±

    ¡°I can take care of that if you want,¡± Abbee offered, tapping one of her belt knives.

    ¡°Abbee, you can¡¯t just go into people¡¯s houses and kill their pets,¡± Whimsy said.

    ¡°Everybody¡¯s gotta eat.¡±

    Whimsy shuddered. She stopped in front of a narrow house sandwiched in between two larger ones. ¡°This is me.¡±

    The house was bright yellow with a blue door. The houses on either side were brick and were connected overhead by a brick skyway. ¡°It looks like your neighbors are trying to absorb your place,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°A little,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°That¡¯s one house, actually. Mine used to be their carriage courtyard, but space was at a premium during reconstruction. They shoved houses into nearly every open space, which makes for some strange places littered around Akken.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You should see what the Geometric Gardens look like. The nice thing is, that brick isn¡¯t a facade. Their whole house is made of brick, which means I can¡¯t hear them through the walls. It¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°You got a house even while the constables were out in the camps?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Class Four,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I had to be inside the city. Reconstruction was dangerous. Lots of people got hurt or killed during the first couple years. I was busy.¡± Her smile slipped. ¡°Too busy.¡± She looked across the courtyard and sighed. ¡°This place saved my sanity.¡± She watched the children and sighed again.

    A dog started barking across the street. Strident, insistent yaps.

    Whimsy¡¯s lips tightened into a line. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get you inside and away from prying eyes.¡±

    ¡°You mean before you ask me to murder that dog,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°It really is annoying.¡±

    The interior of Whimsy¡¯s home felt squeezed, just like its exterior. A narrow staircase headed upstairs right inside the door. Next to it was a narrow hallway leading to the back of the house. To the immediate right was a tiny sitting room. Whimsy gestured at the sitting room. ¡°Make yourself comfortable. I have to ready the spare room.¡± She trotted upstairs.

    Abbee glanced into the sitting room. A small sofa and a chair sat too close together, with a small table set off to the side because it wouldn¡¯t fit between them. A narrow window with a curtain drawn shut. Abbee walked down the hallway and found a kitchen with a small sink and a surprising amount of cupboard and counter space for such a small dwelling. Behind the kitchen was a privy. No back door or window. Abbee left the kitchen and walked back into the sitting room, feeling squeezed, just like the house.

    The upholstered chair in Whimsy¡¯s sitting room was a lot more comfortable than Baylor¡¯s. No springs poked Abbee in the back. Whimsy¡¯s sofa was higher on one side than the other. Abbee guessed that Whimsy habitually sat on one end, and the other didn¡¯t get much use. Every surface in the house was neat and orderly, like the neat and orderly infirmary Abbee remembered. Whimsy couldn¡¯t abide clutter, and Abbee was happy that hadn¡¯t changed. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to stay in this place if it had been squeezed and cluttered. It would have been too much.

    Something heavy scraped across the floor upstairs. Abbee heard a thump and Whimsy swearing.

    ¡°You all right up there?¡± she called.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± Whimsy said. More heavy scraping and more swearing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound fine,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°I forgot,¡± Whimsy grunted, ¡°that I put this dresser in here. It¡¯s heavy.¡±

    ¡°You need a hand?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Whimsy said. One more thump. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    She came back downstairs with dust all over her. She pulled off her coat and brushed it off. Draped it on the stairway banister and sat down on the bottom stair. Whimsy pulled off her boots and massaged her feet. ¡°These things really are terrible.¡±

    ¡°You should get different boots,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Discount, remember?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t skimp on the things that matter.¡±

    Whimsy looked up. ¡°Ipsu used to say that.¡±

    Abbee frowned. It bothered her that she parroted that betrayer. She wanted to change the subject. ¡°You got any food in here?¡±

    ¡°Hungry already?¡±

    ¡°Planning ahead,¡± Abbee said. ¡°For the morning.¡±

    Whimsy shook her head. ¡°You can get something on the way to the train yards. I don¡¯t really cook in here. I¡¯m at the precinct most of the time, so stuff tends to spoil before I eat it. Not to mention the whole place stinks of whatever I make.¡± She smiled. ¡°I ate already. I usually eat from the stewpot at the end of my shift. If you want a snack, we can go out to the frosty bread cart on the corner.¡± Her face brightened. ¡°When¡¯s the last time you had frosty bread?¡±

    Abbee shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t remember. I don¡¯t know why people get so fired up over it. It¡¯s just¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you like crispy bread.¡±

    ¡°What? No. That¡¯s even worse.¡±

    Whimsy nodded. ¡°Okay, good. I bet you¡¯ve just not had the real thing. If Ipsu never came into Akken, then¡ª¡±

    Abbee rolled her eyes. ¡°Whimsy, I was born here. I¡¯ve had frosty bread before.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re all grown up now. My tastes changed as I got older.¡± Whimsy gave her a piercing look. She opened her mouth and closed it. Stood up, took three steps, and sat down in her spot on the sofa. She leaned back and folded her arms.

    ¡°You clearly want to ask me something,¡± Abbee said, ¡°so just spit it out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nineteen, right?¡± Whimsy asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be twenty in a couple months. Why?¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ve been traveling with Ipsu this whole time?¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°So you were twelve when you started, and you¡¯re nineteen now. Then have you ¡­ well¡ª¡± Whimsy flushed. ¡°Um, well, how did you ¡­ uh¡ª¡±

    Abbee knew what Whimsy was asking, but it clearly made the woman uncomfortable, so she didn¡¯t say anything and let that continue. Abbee thought Whimsy was funny, given all the bodily functions and fluids the healer encountered in her work. During her time as the precinct gofer, Abbee had seen plenty of people in the infirmary grow embarrassed whenever Whimsy told them to take off their shirt or trousers so she could examine them. Meat on the table is what Whimsy had said.

    ¡°¡ªyou, uh, have you ever, well ¡­ you know what I¡¯m asking, right?¡±

    Abbee tried to keep a straight face and shook her head. ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡±

    Whimsy sighed. ¡°Have you ever even kissed anyone?¡±

    Abbee laughed. ¡°You¡¯re funny.¡± She thought about the boys she knew. Sammy, Ipsu, Timm, and a freckled boy who helped his father run a supply shop outside Kiva. She couldn¡¯t remember his name, but he¡¯d told good jokes. Friends and enemies, and whatever Ipsu was. Abbee thought about kissing any of them and shuddered. ¡°No. Gross.¡±

    ¡°Girls?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said.

    Whimsy frowned. ¡°You went through your teenage years without kissing a single person?¡±

    ¡°Never came up.¡±

    ¡°And you never wanted to?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re still a, well¡ª¡±

    Abbee chuckled. ¡°Do you ask everyone you know if they¡¯re a virgin?¡±

    Whimsy flushed. ¡°It¡¯s just, well, I¡¯ve never met anyone who, well¡ª¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t try to mount the nearest person when they hit sixteen?¡± Abbee asked. She remembered rebuffing that freckled boy at least three times. The third time had required a knife. When she¡¯d commented on it at the evening fire, Ipsu had said young people had a hard time controlling their urges. Abbee had never had any of those and had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°I¡¯ve never had any interest. In any of it. Dunno why.¡±

    Whimsy looked confused. ¡°You¡¯ve ¡­ never, well¡ª¡±

    Abbee smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to put you out of your misery, Whimsy. I do know what people do together. Lots of yelling. They seem to be happy, but I¡¯m not interested.¡±

    ¡°You remind me of Constable Graysin,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°She never had any interest either. You¡¯d have liked her. She was grumpy like you.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not grumpy. You¡¯re grumpy.¡±

    Whimsy chuckled. ¡°So Ipsu never treated you any different when you filled out?¡±

    ¡°You mean these fun things?¡± Abbee asked, looking down at her chest. ¡°I¡¯m lucky I¡¯m not as big as other girls, but no. And he used my discomfort against me. If anything, the fights only got nastier. Ipsu always said you have to fight when you don¡¯t want to. Sparring was obnoxious until I was able to get a tight shirt. Had to sew my own at one point. The day I started wearing a jerkin was a lifesaver.¡±

    ¡°Well, at least you heal¡ªoh. You said you feel all the pain.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. All of it.¡±

    ¡°What about your moonblood?¡±

    ¡°Never had it,¡± Abbee said.

    Whimsy stared at her. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, with that one I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s happening,¡± Abbee mused. ¡°But it¡¯s not like I¡¯m complaining about it. That whole business seems really obnoxious.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Whimsy said, nodding. ¡°Never?¡±

    ¡°Never ever. No cramps, no bleeding, nothing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really not fair,¡± Whimsy complained.

    Abbee wanted to change the subject. She didn¡¯t want to talk about all the ways in which she was odd. She didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. It was as if she¡¯d finally run out of words. Her breaths grew short. A tightness spread across her chest. Abbee stood up. ¡°I need the privy.¡±

    Whimsy pointed toward the kitchen. ¡°At the end of the hall, last door on your right.¡±

    Abbee left the sitting room. She didn¡¯t need the facilities. She needed a private space. The city had so few of them. She found the last door on the right and stepped inside. The room was so small that its door opened into the hall. Abbee pulled the door shut and leaned against it. The privy bordered on claustrophobic, but it had to be enough. She needed a space where she could fall apart without anybody looking at her. She focused on her immediate senses. Leaned her cheek against the door, feeling the old wood and smelling the old paint. She breathed in. Out. Slow. The tightness in her chest faded.

    This had happened to her before. Twice, and both times in cities. Both after several hours of walking around, taking in the sights and sounds. Abbee had suddenly ¡­ crumpled. It was if the world had decided to crush her instead of delight her. In a rare admission, Ipsu had said that it had happened to him sometimes. Some places were too busy. Overstimulating.

    With her cheek still against the door, Abbee felt something through the wood. A thump. Vibration, maybe. Footsteps. She was about to open the door when she heard a bang somewhere out toward the front of the house.

    Whimsy yelped. ¡°Hey, who¡¯re¡ª¡± Her voice cut off with a muffled curse.

    A strange woman¡¯s voice. ¡°This isn¡¯t the right one. The one we want is back there somewhere.¡±

    ¡°What do I do with her, then?¡± a man asked.

    ¡°No witnesses,¡± the woman said. ¡°Make it look like¡ª¡±

    Abbee heard footsteps on the other side of the privy door.

    The woman raised her voice. ¡°No, stop, Moro. You¡¯re not¡ªshe knows you¡¯re coming¡ª¡±

    Abbee threw her weight against the door, pushing it outward into the hall. The door crashed into a dark shape, pinning it against the wall. A man wearing dark brown clothes. He grunted in surprise. Fire wreathed his hands. Abbee noted a leather cuirass covering his chest but not his belly. She yanked a knife from her belt and stabbed him in the soft parts. His grunt turned to a tortured yelp. Abbee stabbed him several times. She hit his groin, and his fire winked out. He screamed. Abbee loosened her grip on the door, backed away, and angled her knife toward the man¡¯s neck. She felt it crunch into cartilage. The man¡¯s scream broke off into a gurgle, and he went down.

    Abbee glanced down the hallway. She saw straight to the front door. A woman wearing dark colors stood in the doorway, framed by the night¡¯s darkness behind her. Abbee didn¡¯t wait to find out her talent and flung her knife at her. The woman took it in the face and stumbled backward out the door.

    A man¡¯s shout from the sitting room. Abbee yanked out her belt knives and, with a blade in each hand, scuttled down the hall. She kept low. A dark shape appeared in the hall. A man. Abbee felt something grab her about the shoulders, locking her arms in place. Something invisible. The man was a mover. He hadn¡¯t grabbed all of her. Abbee drove her legs forward and crashed into him. The pressure left her shoulders. Her blades flashed. Stabbed him several times in succession. He stumbled back, trying to get away. His foot caught and he fell. Abbee rode him to the floor and opened his belly. Hot blood spurted onto her. The man screamed. Exposed his throat. Abbee rammed a blade up through his jaw and into his brain. His scream died, and so did he.

    Movement to her left.

    Abbee pushed off the dead mover and hopped up into a crouch. Registered a shape in the sitting room. Brown hair in a ponytail, massaging her neck. Whimsy. No more threats. Abbee walked outside to the woman¡¯s body.

    She was dead. Three of them. Three people dead because of Abbee. No, because of them. They came looking for a fight. They¡¯d said no witnesses. If Abbee hadn¡¯t stopped them, they¡¯d have killed Whimsy. It wasn¡¯t the first time Abbee had killed someone, but it was the first time she¡¯d done it on purpose. The drovers in Lencoe had been an accident. With these assailants, Abbee had reacted without hesitation. None whatsoever. She had intended to kill them. As adrenaline sang through her limbs, Abbee wondered what that said about her. Decisive came to her first. Abbee went with that. She retrieved her knife and wiped the blade on the dead woman¡¯s coat.

    Steps inside. Whimsy¡¯s voice, sounding stunned. ¡°You ¡­ three of them?¡± She appeared in the doorway and peered outside. ¡°You killed all of them in, what, ten seconds?¡±

    ¡°I got lucky,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Tight quarters. Who were they?¡± She nudged the woman¡¯s body with her foot. ¡°This one knew where I was in the house. A telepath or empath.¡± She gestured at the corpse beside Whimsy. ¡°That one¡¯s a mover, and the one in the back¡¯s a torch. A telepath, a mover, and a torch. They were here for me, Whimsy. They came for me.¡±

    ¡°Baylor,¡± Whimsy hissed. ¡°That bastard. He sent them to my house.¡±

    ¡°Who are they?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Hunters?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°And you¡¯re lucky. If they had been hunters, you¡¯d be dead, not the other way around. No way to know for sure, but I¡¯d bet my pay this month that they work for the university.¡±

    Abbee heard shouts from across the courtyard. ¡°We need to go.¡± She pushed past Whimsy into the house. Poked her head into the sitting room and saw her pack where she¡¯d left it. She picked it up and shouldered it. ¡°What¡¯s the fastest way out of the city?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not running from these bastards,¡± Whimsy declared. She pulled on her constable jacket and lit off a string of curses. ¡°In my damn house.¡± She stepped outside. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere you¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said I wasn¡¯t safe anywhere in Akken.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, we¡¯re going straight to the top.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Whimsy led Abbee out of the courtyard and back into the Yard District. The adrenaline drained from Abbee, and her legs felt leaden. She forced herself to keep up with Whimsy¡¯s trot. It had gotten dark out, and the street was lit by torches. Flickering yellow pools of light covered most of the street. Not enough to make Abbee comfortable as Whimsy ran right out into the road. An open buggy whizzed past them. Too close. Its drover thought so as well and yelled at them to move. His voice faded, so Abbee didn¡¯t hear all his discouraging words.

    Whimsy flagged down a covered cart. Flashed her badge when the drover tried to maneuver around her. The cart rolled to a halt a few meters past. ¡°I¡¯m done for the night. What¡¯s this¡ª¡±

    ¡°Take us to four Row Street,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°As fast as you can. It¡¯s an emergency.¡±

    The drover wore a leather jacket and cap. Plain wool trousers. She frowned at Abbee. ¡°Is that blood? Forget it. Find a different cart to get blood all over.¡±

    Whimsy wasn¡¯t having any of that. ¡°Take us, or I¡¯ll pull your chit.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± the woman blustered, ¡°just because I won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Refusing an emergency ambulance order from a constable healer is grounds for losing your chit,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I don¡¯t even have to do any paperwork over it.¡±

    Enough light from a nearby torch illuminated the drover¡¯s deepening frown. She pointed at Abbee with her chin. ¡°She looks okay to¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re this close,¡± Whimsy barked, holding her finger and thumb a centimeter apart. ¡°Your next words should be ¡®Yes, ma¡¯am.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± the drover grumbled. She kicked something at her feet, and the cart¡¯s door popped open. ¡°Get in. Try to keep the seats clean.¡±

    Whimsy held the door and gestured for Abbee to get in. Abbee climbed up the step and found a richly appointed interior lit by two small lanterns. Soft leather seats and a carpeted floor. The walls were polished wood, and the doors had ornate brass handles. Each door had a small window in it. This was the first time Abbee had ever been inside a covered cart. The blood on her hands and clothes was getting sticky. The cart was clean, and she was filthy.

    ¡°Move,¡± Whimsy ordered, poking Abbee in the back.

    Abbee slid across a seat. Whimsy climbed up after her and closed the door behind her. Sat down across from Abbee as the cart took off. The momentum pushed Abbee back against her seat. She rested her dirty hands on her thighs and tried to keep the blood facing up.

    ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Whimsy asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Not a scratch. And I¡¯d have healed by now, anyways.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Whimsy said. She looked out the window. ¡°We should be there in fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s ¡®there¡¯?¡±

    Whimsy swore. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Baylor sold me out.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he sold you out,¡± Abbee said. ¡°It was me they were after.¡±

    ¡°But they came to my house,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I heard what they said. No witnesses. Yes, they were going to take you, but they were going to kill me.¡± She didn¡¯t appear to be in shock over the ordeal. Just angry. ¡°He¡¯s done. He¡¯s so done.¡±

    ¡°If Baylor thought I was a wizard,¡± Abbee said, still holding her hands away from the leather seat, ¡°why¡¯d they only send three people? And no refractors? The three they did send didn¡¯t seem to be all that smart. Grabbing me inside a house, in tight quarters, and not using a mover against me from the get-go. Tactical blunders.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Baylor¡¯s made a lot of dumb decisions tonight.¡±

    ¡°Baylor sent that squad?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it. No, I still think it was the university. Maybe they couldn¡¯t scrape together enough good people on short notice. Whatever the reason, I think we got lucky. It could¡¯ve gone a lot worse.¡±

    Abbee almost said, ¡°For you,¡± but kept that to herself. Then she remembered Joor. Trapped in a basement. Changed her mind. That was worse than death.

    The cart went around a sharp corner and started climbing. Abbee pressed back against her seat.

    Whimsy braced herself from sliding off hers. ¡°Tower Road,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Abbee looked out the window but didn¡¯t see anything. The glass had a tint, presumably for privacy inside the cart, but it made seeing out in the dark difficult. ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°To someone who can help,¡± Whimsy said. Her brows lowered. ¡°And he¡¯d better help, if he knows what¡¯s good for him.¡±

    The cart rolled to a stop ten minutes later. A slat behind Whimsy¡¯s head slid back, exposing darkness. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± the drover said. ¡°Get out.¡±

    Whimsy opened the door and clambered outside. She looked around and gestured for Abbee. ¡°It¡¯s clear. C¡¯mon.¡±

    Abbee climbed down to the ground. They were in a courtyard. Cobblestones on the ground, a wall, and a wrought-iron gate. The gate was open. Abbee turned and saw a big gray house. Three stories with windows and shutters and manicured shrubbery around the ground floor. Several windows were lit, and Abbee saw movement in two. Oil lamps burned in sconces around the courtyard, but Abbee spotted a single lamp near the front door that burned with the unwavering intensity of a magical lamp. Rare. The house had a double front door, flanked by men with swords. Both had hands on hilts.

    ¡°Next time,¡± Whimsy told the drover, ¡°don¡¯t argue with an ambulance order.¡±

    ¡°Maybe next time actually be injured,¡± the drover shot back. She engaged her crank, and the cart rattled out of the courtyard.

    ¡°State your business,¡± one of the armed doormen barked.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I need to see him.¡±

    Both men relaxed. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend? Wait, is that blood?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not ours,¡± Whimsy said, ¡°but it¡¯s the reason we¡¯re here. He¡¯s going to want to hear this, Perci.¡±

    The guard on the left, Perci, nodded and opened the door. Light flicked out and illuminated the landing. Abbee heard light music coming from inside. Perci went inside, and the door closed.

    A minute later, the door opened, and two men stepped out onto the landing. One was Perci. The other man was Parn Trippers. He was older than Abbee remembered. He was dressed in plain but fine woolens. No jewelry or other adornments, and his waistline had the extra centimeters of someone who no longer chased people for stealing chickens. Parn¡¯s face was lined, and his brow was furrowed with what looked like a permanent frown. His eyes reminded Abbee of Ipsu. They saw everything. Whimsy frowned at Parn, and he frowned back. Abbee got the impression that Whimsy had expected to go inside. Parn opened his mouth, but Whimsy got there first.

    ¡°We need your help,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°The university came to my house. They¡¯d have killed me, Parn, just to get to her. My house!¡±

    Parn¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Your house?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s got three dead people in it,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°They were there for her.¡±

    Parn shifted his attention to Abbee. Pursed his lips, considering. Turned to the guards. ¡°Perci, do you and Denni mind covering the front gate for a minute?¡±

    Perci hesitated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be all right.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Perci said. He signaled to his companion, and the two guards walked around Abbee and headed for the gate. Perci gave Abbee a steady look on his way by.

    ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± Parn asked Abbee.

    ¡°My name is Abbee.¡±

    ¡°Abbee¡­?¡± Parn asked.

    Abbee set her jaw. ¡°Danner.¡± Her surname still reminded her of her father. Saying it aloud hadn¡¯t gotten much easier, even after all this time. She¡¯d found the only time she didn¡¯t mind giving it to someone was when they were about to fight. Abbee hoped she didn¡¯t have to fight Parn. He looked soft and would go down easy, but she wasn¡¯t sure about the guards here. They looked competent. ¡°You¡¯ve arrested me before.¡±

    ¡°I ¡­ I what? I¡¯ve not arrested anyone in years.¡±

    ¡°It was before the golems. I was a lot smaller then.¡±

    Parn squinted at her. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize¡ª¡±

    ¡°You thought I¡¯d stolen a couple of chickens.¡±

    Parn blinked. ¡°Oh.¡± A thin smile tugged at his cheek. ¡°That was you?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been living in the woods with Ipsu Billings,¡± Whimsy said.

    Parn blinked. ¡°Ipsu?¡±

    ¡°Since Towerfall, apparently.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been with Ipsu? I¡¯ve not seen him in years. Where is he?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Abbee said. ¡°We ¡­ we had a falling-out. Four days ago. I tracked him into the city. I need to find him, and Whimsy was going to help with that.¡±

    ¡°You were?¡± Parn asked.

    ¡°Well, you were,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I just hadn¡¯t told you yet.¡±

    Parn sighed. ¡°Whimsy¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Whimsy¡¯ me, Parn. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°We talked about this,¡± Parn said, sounding tired. ¡°At length. We aren¡¯t doing this again.¡±

    ¡°This is different,¡± Whimsy said.

    ¡°It¡¯s always different, but the end is the same. Boundaries don¡¯t work if one person keeps stepping over them.¡± He looked at Abbee in a calculating way that she didn¡¯t really like. ¡°Why would the university be interested in you?¡±

    ¡°They think I¡¯m a wizard,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯m not, by the way. But Whimsy took me to see an empath and¡ª¡±

    Parn rolled his eyes. ¡°Baylor?¡±

    ¡°Yes. How did you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you give me that big ol¡¯ Parn sigh,¡± Whimsy warned. ¡°They tried to kill me. No witnesses, they said. A telepath, a mover, and a torch. I¡¯d be dead if not for her.¡±

    Parn¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°A kill squad was at your house?¡± He looked at Abbee. ¡°And you ¡­ all three of them?¡±

    ¡°Not sure it was an actual kill squad,¡± Whimsy said, ¡°but something like it. Ten seconds, Parn. She took down all three of them in ten seconds. Maybe less. I think Ipsu was holding out on the constables, if he trained her to fight like that.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a kill squad?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Murder Guild operates that way,¡± Parn said, ¡°for high-value or dangerous targets. A telepath to find their victims in the dark, a mover to hold them fast, and a torch to burn them alive¡ªeven cremate if the torch is strong enough. Were they carrying hand crossbows?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Coats with masks sewn into the hoods?¡±

    ¡°Not that I saw,¡± Abbee said. ¡°They had some leather armor, but it seemed secondhand. They weren¡¯t that smart, to be honest. Akken still has a Murder Guild?¡±

    Parn nodded. ¡°The sanitation depots didn¡¯t survive reconstruction, but the guild did.¡±

    Abbee frowned. The depots used to be in every district. Big, tall buildings with a magical portal to an incineration pit outside the city, where Akken disposed of its trash. Most houses had had a bin that teleported refuse to the depot, where it was dumped into the depot portal. No wizards meant no bins, which meant no depots, but she didn¡¯t get the guild connection. ¡°What do the depots have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°They were a front for the guild,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°The incineration pit was great for getting rid of a body, which conveniently fit in a household bin.¡±

    Abbee blinked. ¡°I had no idea.¡±

    ¡°Nobody did,¡± Parn said. ¡°Well, the constables did, and so did the Tower.¡±

    ¡°And you let that happen?¡±

    Parn shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s how it was back then. The wizards made everything more complicated. The point is, the golems destroyed most of the depots, and the remaining ones were torn down. Everybody knew the guild had operated out of the depots, and we had the mistaken idea that removing them might also remove the guild. It just forced them underground. They¡¯re not as active, but they¡¯re still around.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the guild,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°They weren¡¯t good enough. If I¡¯d had a wand¡ª¡±

    Parn¡¯s expression grew pained. ¡°There was no way I could¡ª¡±

    Whimsy waved her hand at him. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. We don¡¯t have to rehash all of your pathetic excuses again.¡±

    Parn set his jaw. Looked at Abbee. She wondered if he was thinking about sending them away. She needed help, and she knew Parn was on the Akken Council. If anyone could move mountains to find Ipsu and keep the university off her back, it was him.

    ¡°I wanted to thank you,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why?¡± Parn asked, startled. ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t met you, I wouldn¡¯t have met Randall, and I wouldn¡¯t have been the precinct gofer for a few weeks. Some of my best memories are from that time.¡± And some of her worst. She kept those to herself.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Parn said, nodding. He gestured at Whimsy. ¡°That¡¯s how you two know each other. It¡¯s becoming a little clearer. What¡¯s not clearer is why Baylor would think you a wizard. If he thought you were a wizard, why not the hunters?¡±

    ¡°Maybe because I¡¯m not a wizard,¡± Abbee said. ¡°And the hunters have already looked at me.¡±

    ¡°They ¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe they did tonight, sent a telepath, and they saw something ¡­ else. Enough for the university to be interested.¡± She glanced at Whimsy. ¡°I guess they¡¯ve been experimenting on ¡­ uh, people like me.¡±

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Like you?¡± Parn echoed. His eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re talented.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You presented during the night of the golems, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t sure if she should confirm that to him. She glanced at Whimsy, who nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Perci,¡± Parn called. ¡°I need you.¡±

    Abbee tensed. She took a step back as the guard arrived at Parn¡¯s side at a dead sprint.

    ¡°We¡¯re going inside,¡± Parn said. ¡°Close the gate. No more visitors tonight.¡±

    Abbee relaxed a little.

    ¡°Expecting trouble, my lord?¡± Perci asked.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Parn said. ¡°I doubt our campus friends are dumb enough to try something at my house, but you never know. They assaulted a constable in her home tonight, so they¡¯re feeling frisky.¡±

    ¡°Brazen,¡± Perci said. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready for them, my lord.¡±

    He turned and walked away, shouting orders. Guards sprouted from several places around the courtyard. Abbee hadn¡¯t noticed them at all. She revised her opinion of Perci and his crew.

    Parn opened the door. ¡°Come in. I want to hear your story.¡±

    ¡°Me too?¡± Whimsy asked. ¡°Or are you going to hold on to your boundaries even now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it,¡± Parn said. ¡°But yes, you too.¡±

    Whimsy sniffed and walked inside. Abbee hesitated.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Parn added. ¡°You¡¯re safe here.¡±

    Safety wasn¡¯t Abbee¡¯s issue. There was a lot in her story that she didn¡¯t feel like sharing.

    She sighed and followed Whimsy into a brightly lit foyer. A staircase mounted the far wall up to the second story. Under the stairs was a small door, and two open doorways on either side led to a sitting room and what looked like a library. Polished wooden floors and plaster walls. Parn had money.

    Whimsy went into the sitting room, straight to a sideboard with several decanters filled with dark liquid. Glass clinked as she poured herself a stiff drink.

    Abbee noticed a long gouge across the floor, perpendicular to the flooring. Looked fresh. ¡°What¡¯s the story with that?¡± she asked, gesturing at the cut in the floor.

    Parn closed the front door. ¡°A long one,¡± he said. He glanced into the sitting room. ¡°Sure, Whimsy, help yourself to my liquor.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a night,¡± Whimsy said, sitting down on one of the two sofas.

    Abbee went into the room. She was still dirty from the fight and didn¡¯t want to touch anything.

    Parn stepped past her and pulled the curtains shut. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Parn asked Abbee.

    ¡°What¡¯ve you got?¡± Whimsy asked.

    ¡°I was asking her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you,¡± Abbee said. ¡°No, wait, I changed my mind. I¡¯ll take anything you¡¯ve got. Dunno when I¡¯ll eat next.¡±

    ¡°Carver,¡± Parn called.

    Footsteps in the foyer. A thin man wearing black appeared in the door and surveyed the group. His gaze flicked to Abbee and her clothes. ¡°Is that blood?¡± he asked in a reedy voice.

    ¡°Not mine,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°But it¡¯s blood. In the house. You¡¯re standing on a rug over three hundred years old and worth¡ª¡±

    ¡°Looks dry to me, Carver,¡± Parn said. ¡°Would you please get a plate for this young lady from tonight¡¯s dinner? And a basin to wash her hands, at least.¡±

    Carver huffed. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    He stepped out of the room and came right back carrying a big basin of water. He set it down on the sideboard next to the decanters and laid a towel on the rim. ¡°Something for the lieutenant?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Whimsy said, looking over her glass at Parn, ¡°but thank you for offering.¡±

    Parn rolled his eyes. Carver left.

    ¡°Lieutenant?¡± Abbee asked, dipping her hands into the water. She scrubbed the blood off with her fingernails.

    Whimsy shrugged. ¡°Carver is old school.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°In the old days,¡± Parn explained, ¡°before our time, people received an automatic rank based on their talent strength. It¡¯s a silly rule. I know a lot of Class Threes who shouldn¡¯t be sergeants. We¡¯ve long since discontinued that practice, but the rules remain on the books. Technically, Whimsy would be a lieutenant in the army¡ªif we had an army, which we don¡¯t. Carver likes his history. Be careful if you ask him about anything. You might get a long-winded history lesson.¡±

    ¡°I heard that,¡± Carver called. He returned with a big plate piled with food. ¡°Everyone could use a history lesson. Or four.¡± He handed the plate to Abbee. ¡°Might avoid unpleasantness today if we learned about the same thing that happened in the past.¡±

    Abbee dried her hands on the towel and took the plate. It was warm but not hot. Abbee wondered if Carver was a torch, and if he was more than just a butler. She was about to eat with her fingers when Carver handed her a small bundle. Abbee took it and realized it was a napkin. Something inside. She carefully opened it and found silverware. Clever.

    Carver straightened. ¡°Does my lord require anything else?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Parn said.

    Carver withdrew.

    Parn turned to Abbee. ¡°What¡¯s your talent?¡±

    ¡°Healer,¡± Abbee said around a mouthful of warm bread. She swallowed. ¡°But backward.¡±

    Parn¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°Healer? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of anyone like you from Towerfall. Mostly empaths. No healers.¡±

    ¡°How many?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Not many,¡± Parn said. ¡°Four or so. You make five.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like a lot.¡±

    ¡°But the numbers make sense,¡± Parn said. ¡°When the golems attacked, Akken had half a million people in it. Talented show up in about a quarter of the population. At the time, about six percent of the population was in the age range to present. We know¡ª¡±

    ¡°How do you know those numbers?¡± Abbee asked.

    Parn smiled. ¡°The Tower had a vested interest in the population of Akken and kept track. We found their records in the Tower¡¯s wreckage. Detailed census numbers going back decades, tracking the population.¡±

    ¡°Why would they¡ª¡±

    ¡°The wizards were dying out,¡± Parn said.

    ¡°They ¡­ really?¡±

    Parn nodded. ¡°They weren¡¯t advertising it, of course. I found out a few weeks before the Tower fell. Fewer and fewer wizards born every year. If Raok hadn¡¯t killed them all, they¡¯d have all but vanished in seven generations.¡± He nodded at Abbee. ¡°They said more talented were showing up, and stronger ones. It was as if magic was moving from them to us. Well, gradually, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Us?¡± Abbee asked.

    Parn tapped his chest. ¡°Refractor. Class Four.¡±

    Abbee had been about to say, ¡°Like Ipsu,¡± but Parn could choose the magical effect. Ipsu couldn¡¯t. Abbee knew that Parn¡¯s talent was very, very rare. There might only be one or two other people like him in the whole world.

    ¡°So a half-dozen backward talented makes sense from the wizards¡¯ records?¡± Whimsy prompted.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Parn said. ¡°We know talents present around puberty. So a quarter of half a million, take six percent of that, and divide by the number of days in a year ¡­ I¡¯ve already done this. I¡¯m not so fast at doing math in my head ¡­ So on average, give or take some, about twenty children present a day in Akken.¡±

    ¡°Twenty talented a day?¡± Abbee echoed. ¡°Seems like a lot.¡±

    ¡°Back then, anyway.¡± Parn said. ¡°There are fewer people here now, and we don¡¯t do the census anymore. But on the day you presented, about twenty. And they¡¯d had to have presented while the golems were near. We know that much. And survived too.¡± Parn¡¯s face stilled, and he sighed heavily. When he spoke again, his voice was solemn. ¡°The golems killed a lot of people.¡± He blinked and shook himself. ¡°So, say a dozen presented at just the right time. You can assume the golems killed some, and the talents did too. We found a couple of burnt bodies with nothing else around. Could¡¯ve been backward torches. One person had drowned in the middle of a street.¡±

    ¡°Drowned?¡± Abbee echoed.

    Parn nodded. ¡°A spout, we think. Most talents are lethal if you turn them around. I¡¯ve not heard of any backward refractors who survived, and no elementals. No movers. A backward mover probably crushes or tears their internal organs by accident. Of the five backward talented that I know about, there are two empaths, a speaker, a telepath, and now you. A healer. You said you¡¯re backward. So you heal yourself?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Amazing. What¡¯s the worst injury you¡¯ve healed?¡±

    ¡°I had a broken arm a few months ago,¡± Abbee said. ¡°For a minute or so.¡±

    Parn studied her. He looked at her like Ipsu had looked at her. Too long. ¡°That¡¯s not the worst one, is it?¡±

    Abbee cursed inwardly. She wondered what had given it away. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Whimsy exclaimed. ¡°You held out on me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something I want to spread around,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Remember, I feel all the pain. All of it. I don¡¯t need anyone testing the limits of my gift.¡±

    ¡°All the pain?¡± Parn asked. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Abbee gestured at Whimsy. ¡°You take away pain when you¡¯re healing someone, right?¡±

    Whimsy sloshed the whiskey in her glass. ¡°Mostly. I leave some on purpose.¡±

    ¡°You ¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but some people get addicted to it. I leave some pain.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea.¡±

    ¡°Most people don¡¯t,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°The good healers leave some pain. The smart ones, anyway. It takes finesse to keep pain reduction from tipping over into euphoria. If you make people feel euphoria, they¡¯ll chase you for that high.¡± She downed her glass. ¡°If you could do that to yourself, you might put yourself into a stupor all the time.¡±

    Abbee turned back to Parn and found him watching her. His expression was unreadable. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If your worst injury isn¡¯t a broken arm, then that¡¯s significant pain. Significant trauma. You¡¯ve been through a lot.¡±

    Anxiety seized Abbee. He was going to make her talk about it. She wasn¡¯t talking about it. The panic she¡¯d felt in Whimsy¡¯s house brushed against her. Abbee felt tears stand in her eyes. Fury followed. I¡¯m not breaking down in front of this man. Abbee gripped the arms of her chair. Don¡¯t ask. Don¡¯t you dare ask.

    Parn didn¡¯t seem to notice her struggle. ¡°You¡¯re a backward healer, and Ipsu Billings trained you to fight. And from what Whimsy says, Ipsu didn¡¯t train you like he trained the constables. He taught you the same way he taught the White Ring. Lethal.¡±

    Abbee¡¯s anxiety evaporated, and curiosity replaced it. She knew hardly anything about Ipsu from before the golems. He¡¯d been tight-lipped about his past with her. ¡°The White Ring?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Whimsy admitted.

    Parn nodded. ¡°Ipsu taught hand-to-hand combat to the Ringers. They didn¡¯t do halfway measures. They fought to kill.¡± He considered Abbee. ¡°You sound very capable, and very durable. I want to know what Ipsu was doing with you.¡±

    ¡°Pushing me around, mostly,¡± Abbee said. She remembered their last argument. ¡°And lying to me. He lied to me for years.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the worst injury you¡¯ve healed?¡± Parn asked. ¡°You¡¯ve dodged this question once already.¡±

    Abbee shook her head. She wasn¡¯t going there.

    ¡°We¡¯ll come back to that. When did you connect with Ipsu?¡±

    ¡°He found me right after the golems,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Him and a wizard. Pretty sure she was a wizard. Had a staff that made me sick.¡±

    Parn sucked in a breath. ¡°Black ball at the top that moved by itself? Made you pass out?¡±

    ¡°You know what that is?¡± Abbee demanded.

    ¡°A suppression staff,¡± Parn said, nodding. ¡°A certain kind of wizard carried it. What did he look like?¡±

    ¡°It was a woman. I didn¡¯t get a good look at her. It was, uh, dark. Ipsu never used her name. I passed out before I saw her face, and when I woke up, she was gone. I never saw her again. Ipsu didn¡¯t talk about her.¡±

    ¡°They knew each other?¡±

    ¡°Seemed to.¡±

    ¡°Why did Ipsu take you out of Akken?¡±

    Abbee looked at the floor. Bad memories fought for purchase in her head. ¡°He never said.¡±

    ¡°But you have some ideas,¡± Parn pressed.

    ¡°Some. I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Abbee looked him in the eye. ¡°And I don¡¯t see how this is relevant here, anyway.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll come back to that too,¡± Parn said. ¡°So Whimsy took you to an empath operating without a license, who¡¯s a known front for the university, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Whimsy yelped. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was a front¡ª¡±

    ¡°I distinctly remember telling you to stay away from him.¡±

    ¡°You said he was a crank and a fraud,¡± Whimsy retorted. ¡°You never said anything about him working for the university.¡±

    ¡°You knew these things when you took me to him?¡± Abbee demanded.

    ¡°He¡¯s not a crank, and he¡¯s not a fraud,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°He helped me get over a particularly bad relationship.¡±

    Parn snorted. ¡°Not a great job so far, from my perspective.¡±

    ¡°Can you two work out your problems without me?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Whimsy, you said he could help.¡± She stood up. ¡°If all you¡¯re going to do is interrogate me, I can just go.¡±

    ¡°Sit down, please,¡± Parn said. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to fill in some blank spots. I need to know the whole picture. Otherwise, I might just make things worse. Do you want me to make them worse?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Then please sit.¡±

    Abbee sat back down but didn¡¯t lean back. She stayed on the edge, ready to rise again if she didn¡¯t like what Parn said next. Leave Akken and be on her way. But Parn knew things. And he was a councilor. The first constable too. He had resources Abbee didn¡¯t. He could find Ipsu a lot faster than she could, especially if Ipsu had left the city.

    ¡°You mentioned before that the hunters had looked at you already,¡± Parn said. ¡°What did you mean?¡±

    ¡°There was an incident in Lencoe a few months ago,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I healed in front of someone. I guess they thought I was a wizard, and the town marshal reported me to the hunters. They aren¡¯t looking for me anymore.¡±

    ¡°They interviewed you?¡± Parn asked.

    ¡°I never saw them,¡± Abbee said, ¡°but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re looking for me anymore.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    This was getting into gray-wizard territory. Too close to home. Too close to why Ipsu had taken Abbee away. She wanted to find that out herself. Besides, the reason might turn Parn against her. She already had too many enemies. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been three months.¡±

    Parn studied her again. ¡°Your reasoning is weak. So, you might still get a visit while you¡¯re here. You¡¯ve got both the university and the hunters interested in you. Hmm.¡± He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair and watched her. A small smile appeared on his face, and his tapping stopped. ¡°There¡¯s one thing that I could do, but it might make you more of a target than you already are. But it¡¯ll push them off-balance, and that could be useful.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Abbee confessed. ¡°What do¡ª¡±

    ¡°You were a gofer in the Yard District Precinct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Randall vouched for her,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Barnes too. I kept her on after Three Points, to help in the infirmary. She¡¯s good people, Parn.¡±

    Abbee felt grateful for the vote of confidence but wished it didn¡¯t feel hollow. If Whimsy knew what Abbee had done in Joor, she¡¯d be turning her away in horror, not sticking up for her.

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t quit,¡± Parn said.

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I mean, technically, I was kidnapped, but everything was wrecked, so¡ª¡±

    Parn nodded. ¡°You didn¡¯t quit, and you weren¡¯t fired either.¡±

    ¡°I guess?¡±

    ¡°So you still work for the constabulary.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a big reach. I mean, I didn¡¯t show up for seven years. That¡¯s sort of like quitting.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I doubt we fired you for it.¡±

    ¡°You want to make me a gofer again?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°How is this going to help me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Parn said. ¡°But you being the gofer lets me do this: Abbee Danner, as first constable, I bestow upon you the field promotion of special constable, and you will perform duties at my discretion.¡± He grinned at her. ¡°Congratulations. You work for me now.¡±

    Abbee blinked. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got the university after you,¡± Parn said. ¡°This will protect you from them.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking you could just help me get out of the city tonight,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to find Ipsu?¡± Parn asked.

    ¡°Yes, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°A badge will help you do that.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask. What if I don¡¯t want the job?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be a constable?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Abbee hadn¡¯t thought terribly hard about it. Maybe she did. Maybe. Abbee remembered her brief time in the Yard District Precinct. Her first island of safety since losing her mother. Sammy¡¯s bridge pier hadn¡¯t felt safe. Abbee had felt safe with Captain Barnes and Randall and Harald and even Madge Poe. Felt needed. She¡¯d even felt safe with Ipsu, until it had all fallen apart. Abbee wanted that safety back, and if she couldn¡¯t get it, she at least wanted an explanation. She deserved an explanation. Abbee was going to get an explanation from somebody. ¡°If Ipsu¡¯s left the city, I¡¯m not staying.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Parn said. ¡°It¡¯s not like the old days. A special constable¡¯s jurisdiction doesn¡¯t end at the city walls. You¡¯d have resources for your search.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea who I am, and you just make me a constable?¡± Abbee asked.

    Parn nodded at Whimsy. ¡°She vouches for you. Good enough for me.¡±

    Whimsy looked mollified. She rubbed her lips and watched Parn.

    Abbee shook her head. ¡°After one meeting? Just like that? You want something. What is it? What exactly am I going to be doing for you?¡±

    Parn raised his voice. ¡°Carver.¡±

    Footsteps. Carver appeared in the doorway. ¡°My lord?¡±

    ¡°You were listening? Good. Please set up the spare room for an overnight stay. Find suitable accommodations for Special Constable Danner in the morning. And a uniform. Start her out at a sergeant¡¯s standard rate. And ask Perci to come in here.¡±

    ¡°Very good, my lord,¡± Carver said. He left again.

    Abbee realized that people were going to call her Constable Danner. Danner. She was going to hear the name a lot. She¡¯d only had the job for a minute and was already having second thoughts. This had better be worth it. ¡°What¡¯s the job?¡± Abbee repeated.

    ¡°Investigating,¡± Parn said.

    ¡°For what? Besides, I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to ask questions?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what the job is. You ask questions. You ask them until you find someone who doesn¡¯t want to talk. That¡¯s what we call a person of interest. Then you ask them more questions. Lots more. There might be some paperwork involved, but that¡¯s the gist of the job.¡±

    ¡°Seems like you just need a telepath.¡±

    ¡°Turns out there aren¡¯t that many of them,¡± Parn said. ¡°Plus, the wizards got all uppity when we had them on the force. Had to do it the old-fashioned way. Well, and some Finley¡¯s Dust, but that¡¯s hard to come by these days.¡±

    ¡°And wands,¡± Whimsy said.

    ¡°Those aren¡¯t coming back,¡± Parn said. ¡°After that incident with Abol, we¡¯re lucky we got to keep the constabulary.¡± He looked at Abbee. ¡°Are you any good with a sword?¡±

    ¡°I prefer my knives,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Constables wear swords.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like special constables get to be special,¡± Abbee countered.

    That small smile tugged his lips. ¡°That they do. Tomorrow morning you¡¯ll go back to Baylor¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°And do what?¡± Whimsy demanded.

    Abbee¡¯s objections melted away at the idea of confronting Baylor. She cracked her knuckles. ¡°I¡¯m going to find out who he told about me.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll start there,¡± Parn said. He leaned forward. ¡°You have to keep them alive to ask the questions, though.¡± He raised a finger. ¡°I want to know what¡¯s going on at the university. What they were planning on doing with you, for instance. You won¡¯t be able to go at the campus directly. Pull on the Baylor thread, and see where that goes. I want daily reports. In return, I¡¯ll look for Ipsu. I doubt he¡¯s still in the city. He¡¯d have left already. You¡¯re one person. You could go in the wrong direction and never find him. I have access to more eyeballs than you do. I¡¯ll find him.¡±

    ¡°Deal,¡± Abbee said.

    Perci emerged from the room on the other side of the foyer. He walked across to the sitting room, his boot heels loud on the polished wood. He regarded Abbee with a cool expression, then turned to Parn. ¡°My lord, Carver says you made a field promotion. Her, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Special Constable Danner is opening an investigation. Talented kidnapping,¡± Parn said.

    ¡°Who was kidnapped?¡± Perci asked.

    ¡°Attempted kidnapping,¡± Abbee corrected. ¡°Mine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange a security detail,¡± Perci said, ¡°but we¡¯re stretched a little thin right now with your¡ª¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need it,¡± Parn said. ¡°If anything, it¡¯s the other way around. But that¡¯s not why I asked you in here. A kill squad showed up at Whimsy¡¯s house and tried to kidnap Special Constable Danner. They would¡¯ve killed Whimsy had Danner not been there.¡±

    Perci blinked. He gave Abbee an appraising glance. ¡°The guild, my lord?¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t that good,¡± Parn said. ¡°I think it was one of Imara¡¯s grab squads. The point is, there are three dead bodies in Whimsy¡¯s house. Can you send a detail to her house to gather the dead and clean it up? Let¡¯s see if we can identify the bodies too.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my lord,¡± Perci said.

    ¡°Whimsy,¡± Parn said, ¡°if you¡¯d rather not sleep in a war zone tonight, you¡¯re welcome to use the other spare room here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Whimsy said, brightening.

    ¡°For tonight only,¡± Parn added.

    Whimsy arched a brow at him. ¡°There you go, assuming I¡¯d want to stay longer than that.¡± The two of them exchanged a long look.

    Abbee exchanged her own look with Perci, who gave an ever-so-slight eye roll. Carver saved them by reappearing and announcing in a loud tone that the spare rooms were ready. Parn reminded Abbee to see Perci before she left in the morning and excused himself. Gave Whimsy another look on his way out. Abbee wondered if Parn and Whimsy¡¯s rocky relationship was on the up-and-up, or merely pausing for a breather on the way off a steep cliff.

    ***

    Abbee lay in bed awake. Her room was next to Whimsy¡¯s, on the third floor of the house. It was hot, and Abbee kept the single window open for ventilation. She wasn¡¯t used to sleeping in the city. The house creaked and groaned around her, and sounds of a city that never slept came through the open window. Rattling carts, distant shouts, and the peeps of birds roosting somewhere on the roof. Every little noise jerked her out of twilight slumber. As Abbee was about to drift off, she thought she heard footsteps leaving Whimsy¡¯s room. She fell asleep listening for Whimsy to come back.

 Chapter 12

    Abbee awoke the next morning before dawn, feeling a little stuffy and wrapped in her blankets. She listened to the house. Footsteps crisscrossed the building; soft voices rose and fell. Abbee picked out Carver for the most part. Perci a few times, and several other voices that Abbee didn¡¯t recognize. She stretched and fell back asleep.

    A knock jerked her awake.

    ¡°Abbee?¡± Whimsy asked, her voice muffled through the door.

    ¡°Coming,¡± Abbee called.

    She climbed out of bed. Tried to. Her foot hooked on a knot in her sheets and she tripped. Almost fell on her face. Abbee swore and disentangled herself. Two steps, and she was at the door. Cracked it. Whimsy stood on the other side in her constable uniform. It looked clean and pressed. So did Whimsy.

    Abbee smirked at her. ¡°You look refreshed. Glowing, even.¡±

    Whimsy smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from her coat. ¡°Yes, well, I have to head into the precinct. Come see me today, before you go to Baylor¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°Why not after?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°He¡¯s on the way to the precinct.¡±

    ¡°I want to talk to you before you see him,¡± Whimsy said.

    ¡°We¡¯re talking now.¡±

    Whimsy looked around and lowered her voice. ¡°Away from prying ears.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re worried about being overheard,¡± Abbee asked, ¡°then how come you spent the night in Parn¡¯s room? Carver seems like the type who listens where he shouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Whimsy both blushed and frowned. ¡°Carver knows better.¡±

    Abbee snickered.

    ¡°I was going to talk to you on the way,¡± Whimsy added, ¡°but I can¡¯t be late again.¡±

    ¡°Again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Look, I need to talk to you before you do anything. Will you come by the precinct first? Please?¡±

    ¡°Whimsy, Baylor made me kill three people last night. He doesn¡¯t get to have a nice, leisurely morning.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Whimsy said. She leaned forward and whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t trust Parn.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked, startled. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Come to the precinct, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    ***

    Carver found Abbee first. The thin man was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer. Abbee couldn¡¯t tell how long he¡¯d been there, and found herself wondering if he¡¯d overheard Whimsy¡¯s whispered warning.

    ¡°Special Constable Danner,¡± Carver said. ¡°I have your new uniform.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡±

    Carver pointed at a nearby table, where Abbee spotted a bundle of dark blue clothing, a pair of black boots, and a shiny silver badge sitting on top. ¡°I took the liberty of guessing your measurements.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t sure she liked anybody looking at her long enough to get her measurements.

    She reached the bottom step, and Carver made room for her in the foyer. He remained close, but not too close. Abbee walked over to the table with the uniform and dropped her pack on the floor. She picked up the badge. She¡¯d seen plenty of people wear this. Seen them up close. Never held one in her hands. Getting one of these usually involved a year of academy, two years of probationary work, and lots and lots of training. Abbee walked into the city and got one in a day. This feels like cheating. ¡°How long have you worked for Parn?¡±

    ¡°Six years,¡± Carver said. ¡°I came with the house.¡±

    ¡°You what?¡±

    Carver smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve worked here for three decades. This house belonged to House Grommen. After the Tower fell, it was appropriated for Lord Trippers. It¡¯s been a welcome improvement.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Well, Kol Grommen fled the city without telling any of us of the danger. Left everyone here to die.¡±

    ¡°He left you here?¡±

    ¡°I helped him into the carriage that took him out of the city,¡± Carver said. ¡°Saw the panic in his face. I even asked what was wrong. He said not to worry. He told me it was fine. It wasn¡¯t fine. When Kol Grommen fled the city, Veronna had breached the Tower, and House Danan soldiers were killing constables on the streets. He¡¯d said not to worry.¡±

    ¡°That was selfish.¡±

    ¡°It went beyond selfish,¡± Carver said. ¡°It meant he viewed the people who worked for him as less than human. When you work for someone in a station or with status, work closely with them, you realize that they¡¯re just people with a strange job. They¡¯re people. The basic rules of decency still apply to them. Kol Grommen lost my respect when he didn¡¯t have the basic decency to warn the staff of the danger.¡±

    That tracked with everything Abbee knew about lords and ladies. People in high stations only looked out for themselves. She wondered how someone like Carver, who¡¯d been around power all his life, could see it any other way. ¡°And Parn¡¯s different?¡±

    Carver nodded. ¡°I could tell right away. His Lordship was hopeless with delegating. He was used to doing everything himself. It took me a month to get him to stop doing my job. And he keeps trying to be friends with the staff. Asking after their families, their children.¡± Carver smiled. ¡°You should have seen his face when he found out we were living in the work camps. He moved all the staff into the house until permanent residences could be built. He looks out for us in ways the Grommens never did.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you trust him,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°When it comes to the staff, yes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°It means he¡¯s on the Akken Council. He works with snakes. You don¡¯t survive around snakes unless you adapt.¡±

    ¡°So he¡¯s a snake?¡±

    ¡°On some things, yes. But not on the important things. Not when it comes to the staff.¡±

    Abbee rubbed the badge in her hand with her thumb and wondered if Parn considered her staff. Wondered if he¡¯d look out for her or if she fell into the purview of the snake. She didn¡¯t wonder very long. The special constable business felt too fast. Parn barely knew her. He was using her for something. This was the snake. Parn was using Abbee for something.

    She¡¯d use him right back. She pinned the badge to her jerkin. Picked up the cap and tried it on. That fit. ¡°I think I¡¯m good,¡± Abbee said. ¡°You can keep the rest.¡±

    Carver gaped at her. ¡°You¡¯re not wearing the uniform?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already got good clothes that fit,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Constables need to be in uniform.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a special constable,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°You look ridiculous. You look like you stole the cap.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°I do?¡± Abbee took off the cap. She didn¡¯t mind leaving it¡ªit wasn¡¯t a proper hat, anyway. It only had a brim in front. A good hat had a brim that went all the way around. Kept the rain off. Abbee usually didn¡¯t wear hats except in the winter. They always got knocked off when sparring. She put the cap on top of the jacket.

    ¡°I guess the badge will do.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± Carver said, shaking his head. ¡°No one will believe you when you tell them you¡¯re a constable. You don¡¯t look the part. You look like a vagrant. At least put on the jacket.¡±

    Abbee shouldered out of her own coat and tried on the new one over her jerkin. It was dark blue wool with a soft inner lining. She¡¯d expected it to be too restricting or too bulky, but it was just right. She buttoned the front and raised her arms over her head. Windmilled. The sleeves didn¡¯t ride up as much as she¡¯d expected, and she had a full range of motion. Easy access to all her knives. ¡°This is actually pretty good,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not leather, though. It¡¯s not going to keep me dry in a downpour.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t stand in one,¡± Carver said. ¡°What about the boots?¡±

    ¡°Are they from Hudson and Sons?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not a sadist.¡±

    ¡°The heels are too big,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I need a softer sole. And they¡¯re too tall. I don¡¯t need to go reaching for a knife and find it in the wrong spot. I need midcalf boots.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have those adjusted too. Do they fit at least?¡±

    Abbee kicked off her boots and tried on the new ones. They fit surprisingly well. Better than her current boots. She took a few steps around the foyer. She clomped. Walking in them made her feel like she was wearing stilts, and she didn¡¯t like how the tops banged into the back of her knees. Major chafe point. Abbee pulled them off and put her old boots back on. ¡°They fit. Lose the giant heels, and make them midcalf boots.¡±

    ¡°And the trousers?¡±

    Abbee held them up. She grabbed the legs and pulled them apart. The stitching split in the crotch. ¡°Yeah, no. If I crouch or stretch or lunge, that¡¯s going to happen. I¡¯m good with what I¡¯ve got.¡±

    Carver sighed. ¡°Fine. You can leave your pack here. Lord Trippers has said you can stay here until we arrange housing. That will take a couple of days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep the pack, thanks.¡±

    Carver shook his head. ¡°Leave it. Constables don¡¯t carry packs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m special, remember?¡±

    ¡°It looks like you collect random objects and you happen to be wearing some of them. Authority is granted because people believe you have it. You still look like a vagrant. Leave the pack. Don¡¯t worry¡ªnobody will take anything.¡±

    Abbee hesitated. It was less about people stealing it and more about being ready to leave the city on a moment¡¯s notice. Leaving the pack meant she had to come back to get it. It meant putting down a root. Not a big root, but a little tendril was how roots started. Abbee wondered if having a home base was really all that bad. She dropped her pack on the floor. Everything Abbee owned was in her pack. She didn¡¯t like leaving it. ¡°Don¡¯t lose it.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± Carver said. He opened the front door. It looked sunny and warm outside. ¡°Perci¡¯s in the gatehouse. See him before you leave.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s his role here?¡±

    ¡°Perci? He runs His Lordship¡¯s security detail. He¡¯s like me¡ªhe came with the house. Oh, and take the cap. You still look like you stole the jacket, but maybe you¡¯ll always look that way. There¡¯s just something about you that doesn¡¯t say ¡®constable.¡¯¡±

    Abbee put the cap on. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t say ¡®constable,¡¯ what does it say?¡±

    ¡°¡®Dangerous.¡¯ It says you¡¯re dangerous.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably better.¡±

    ***

    Perci stepped out of the gatehouse as Abbee neared. He nodded appreciatively at her. ¡°Looking smart.¡±

    ¡°Carver says it looks like I stole it,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Well, you are only wearing half the uniform,¡± Perci said, gesturing at her legs. ¡°And you don¡¯t carry yourself quite like a constable does. They all walk around like they own the place.¡±

    ¡°Carver told me to see you before I left.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon in. I¡¯ve got something for you.¡±

    Perci led her inside the gatehouse, into a large room with benches, weapon racks, and several tables. Abbee saw a big map spread out on one, and the other had a stack of gear. An older woman stood leaning over the map. She was dressed in gray woolens, like Perci. The woman looked up at Abbee as she came inside. Took in her appearance. She snorted and went back to the map.

    ¡°Planning something?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with that,¡± Perci said.

    He walked over to a cabinet. Unlocked the door and opened it. Abbee couldn¡¯t see inside, on account of Perci blocking her view. He took something out and closed the door. When he turned around, he held two small pouches. Perci hefted the larger of the two. It clinked.

    ¡°This is a week¡¯s advance of your pay. Wages are typically paid at the end of the week for that week¡¯s work, but Parn said you didn¡¯t have any money.¡±

    ¡°How does he know that?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°I never told him.¡±

    ¡°Did you tell Whimsy?¡±

    Abbee tried to remember. Yesterday had been a lot. ¡°I might have mentioned it to her.¡±

    ¡°Right. Here¡¯s your pay.¡± He handed over the first pouch.

    Abbee took it and opened it. A jumble of coins inside. This was a lot more than the spare change she¡¯d managed to pilfer from Ipsu.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to stretch that for two weeks,¡± Perci warned.

    Abbee almost said that she could stretch it for two months, but that was living in the woods. She had no idea how much she¡¯d spend here in the city. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Her gaze moved to a table behind Perci. A plate of food sat on it, half-eaten. Meat and bread and a little cheese.

    ¡°You hungry?¡± Perci asked. ¡°You can have the rest of that, if you want.¡±

    Abbee grabbed everything that didn¡¯t look nibbled upon.

    ¡°Carver is looking for a house for you,¡± Perci went on. ¡°He¡¯ll try the River District first, but space is tight there. North Bend, most likely. Don¡¯t worry¡ªit¡¯s not like the old city. The New Bend work camp has more of the old district¡¯s vibe.¡±

    ¡°I know. I came through there,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I can probably find my own house, you know.¡±

    ¡°Let Carver do it. There are some formalities for Parn¡¯s staff that Carver knows about and you don¡¯t. Besides, you¡¯re going to be too busy.¡±

    ¡°I notice you don¡¯t use Parn¡¯s title.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on a first-name basis,¡± Perci said. ¡°You aren¡¯t. It¡¯s ¡®my lord¡¯ or ¡®His Lordship¡¯ to you.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. You said two things.¡± Abbee pointed at the other pouch in Perci¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    Perci raised the pouch. ¡°This is a loan. This isn¡¯t to keep. You have to turn it back in when you return to the house tonight.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Perci handed it over. Abbee opened the drawstrings and found a rock inside. It was squarish, gray, and had flecks of teal around the edges. Abbee tipped it out into her palm. It was about the size of her thumbnail, and lighter than it should¡¯ve been for a rock. Abbee¡¯s breath caught. Not a rock. ¡°This is an artifact chip.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mental protection. It will shield you from a telepath, speaker, or empath. None of them will be able to enter your mind, scan you, or put thoughts in there. Anyone who tries to scan you won¡¯t get anything.¡±

    This was the first time in Abbee¡¯s entire life that she¡¯d even held an artifact chip. It seemed strange that the nearly weightless chip in Abbee¡¯s palm was worth more than everything she had ever owned. And then some. She could trade this for a fortune. It reminded her of the time when she was twelve and had encountered all the talkie tabs in Vit¡¯s cubby.

    Abbee gestured at the cabinet on the wall. ¡°You keep artifact chips out in the open like this?¡±

    ¡°This is just where we keep the ones we¡¯re planning on using for something.¡±

    ¡°So you have others.¡±

    Perci¡¯s brows lowered. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. And if you go looking for any, the university will be the least of your problems.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Does it have to touch my skin or something?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Perci said. ¡°You just have to be carrying it. That jacket has a small pocket on the inside, on the right. Should have a button. Put it in there so you don¡¯t lose it.¡±

    Abbee found the pocket and slid the chip inside. She didn¡¯t feel any different. Perci could be giving her a fake chip, for all Abbee knew.

    ¡°Returning that chip is your top priority today,¡± Perci said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to give it to you, but Parn insisted. We only have three like it. The Tower didn¡¯t make very many. That chip is worth more than you. A lot more.¡±

    ¡°Then how come I¡¯m a special constable and you¡¯re not?¡±

    ¡°Maybe because he wants me to stay alive.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The woman at the map looked up. ¡°Trippers didn¡¯t tell you that special constables don¡¯t hold the position very long, did he?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Do people quit or something?¡±

    ¡°No. They tend to die.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t know what to make of that. Maybe they were trying to rile her up. And she wondered if Parn had told them about her talent. Dying was hard for Abbee.

    ¡°Speaking of people dying,¡± Perci said, ¡°Nilga here didn¡¯t find any bodies at Constable Gallaby¡¯s house last night.¡±

    ¡°Wait, none? Are you sure you looked in the right house?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re sure,¡± Nilga said. ¡°Whole place had been cleaned. Not very well, mind you. We found blood between the floorboards in a couple places. You¡¯d best head to Baylor¡¯s as fast as possible. We checked last night, and he was still at home, but if the university is cleaning up loose ends, he might be dead already. Someone took great pains to make it look like the attack never happened.¡±

    ¡°One of them died outside,¡± Abbee said. ¡°The neighbors saw the body.¡±

    ¡°Nobody remembers seeing a body,¡± Nilga said.

    ¡°So they were paid to not say anything.¡±

    Nilga shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s worse. They don¡¯t remember at all. They thought I was crazy when I asked. Their memories have been erased, which means the university sent a Class Four Telepath to clean up their mess. There¡¯s only one of those in the city that we know about, and if he¡¯s doing cleanup work for the university ¡­ well, that¡¯s very bad.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Ekon Togrim.¡±

    ¡°The councilor?¡± Abbee asked, startled.

    Perci nodded. ¡°Which is why it¡¯s very bad. Parn left first thing this morning when we told him about it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°They¡¯re friends. Mostly. Sometimes it¡¯s hard to tell. Parn spends half his time complaining about Ekon but still invites him over for dinner twice a month.¡±

    ¡°That seems like a political thing to do,¡± Abbee observed.

    ¡°Then how come he never invites Sera Togrim?¡± Perci asked.

    ¡°Everybody knows they hate each other,¡± Nilga said. ¡°Look, here¡¯s some advice. Trippers isn¡¯t a planner. He doesn¡¯t think five moves ahead, like Sera. Or however far ahead Ekon is¡ªthat man is on a whole different level. But Trippers is always searching for the truth. He has multiple avenues of inquiry open at all times. But because he doesn¡¯t think ahead very far, he usually doesn¡¯t consider the ramifications of those inquiries.¡± Nilga gestured at Abbee. ¡°You¡¯re an avenue of inquiry. He¡¯s really excited that you¡¯re here. You have no skin in the game here in Akken. No political connections. No reputation to worry about. He¡¯s using you like a golem, smashing into things.¡±

    ¡°Or like someone tipping over rocks,¡± Perci added, ¡°and watching all the bugs run around.¡±

    Abbee had tipped over plenty of rocks and logs in the woods. ¡°Bugs run away.¡±

    Nilga snorted. ¡°Yeah, well, here they fight back.¡±

 Chapter 13

    Abbee decided that she couldn¡¯t wait to see Whimsy first and asked for directions to Baylor¡¯s house. Perci called for a buggy instead. Akken¡¯s streets teemed with them, basically big chairs with wheels. A seat in back for the drover. Higher-end buggies had a roof to keep the rain and sun off the passengers. This buggy had a roof. Perci paid the drover but warned Abbee that she¡¯d have to pay for travel around the city from her own wages from now on.

    Akken looked different in daylight. Abbee got a good look from her seat on the buggy as it rattled down the Tower Road, and she finally appreciated what Whimsy had said about the city¡¯s reconstruction. Abbee knew that Akken had been rebuilt, but this was the first time she¡¯d been back inside the walls in years. Ipsu had always avoided the city when they¡¯d passed nearby as they crisscrossed the continent. Over the years, she¡¯d watched its skyline change, but she hadn¡¯t realized that they¡¯d redesigned everything. The city had been reshaped into a grid, with only the curving Charrin, the escarpment cliffs, and the existing outer walls as the restraints. The same red slate adorned the roofs of buildings, but all the buildings were new. Some of them must have been replaced with the original designs, because in the Yard District, Abbee spotted the opera house rising from a sea of red. The whole thing was still made of marble. Still had that massive bronze dome with the statue on top. The city looked strange to Abbee without the sanitation depots poking up from the carpet of rooftops.

    The Tower Road curved around the Red¡ªnow Civic¡ªDistrict. Abbee hadn¡¯t spent much time there as a child, but she knew it was drastically different. No more Council House. The Bank of Akken still stood¡ªor had been replaced with the same building¡ªon the west side, but everything else was different. A sprawling collection of buildings covered the entire district. The University of Akken. If Whimsy and Parn were right, these people had come after her last night.

    Her gaze was drawn to a large structure in the middle of what had been the park. From her vantage point above, the building looked like a block of sandstone that had birthed five smaller blocks around it. The central block was the tallest building on the campus and appeared to have a direct line of sight to everything else in the district. Abbee counted eight stories. Every building had the same pattern of windows, with long, horizontal panes of glass set high above the ground. The whole place gave off an air of secrecy.

    Abbee touched the badge pinned to her jacket. It didn¡¯t seem real. And it felt like a lodestone, pulling her away from her target. Ipsu. Parn said he could help find him, but Abbee wasn¡¯t so sure. She thought about Whimsy¡¯s warning and decided Parn was using her for something. Abbee wasn¡¯t interested in Akken Council business. She just wanted to find Ipsu.

    I¡¯m fooling myself, Abbee thought. Parn hadn¡¯t been living with the one-armed man for the past seven years. Parn didn¡¯t know Ipsu like Abbee did. Ipsu knew how to disappear. It had been five days since he¡¯d abandoned Abbee on that hilltop.

    Five days.

    Ipsu was gone.

    ***

    Hoger was sitting in his spot on the front porch when Abbee¡¯s buggy pulled up to Baylor¡¯s house. The young man saw her. Made eye contact. His eyes widened in surprise, and he jumped to his feet. Abbee stepped down to the ground, and Hoger took off.

    Abbee smiled and gave chase. Hoger hadn¡¯t spent seven years in the woods, running from an implacable one-armed man. She caught up to him at the end of the street. Tackled him from behind, and they both went sprawling. Abbee scrambled and got on top of him. He tried to get away, but she slammed her knee into his chest.

    ¡°Quit squirming.¡±

    Hoger¡¯s face became a mask of concentration. He held it for a moment and then frowned at her. ¡°Why can¡¯t I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Surprised to see me, eh?¡±

    Hoger heaved upward. Abbee rocked from side to side. He was about her size, and she knew he could throw her off. She pulled out a knife and put the point under his chin. She pressed a little too hard, and a trickle of blood leaped from his skin. Hoger froze.

    ¡°Why did you run?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me,¡± Hoger pleaded. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me.¡±

    ¡°Why did you run?¡± Abbee repeated.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna kill me,¡± Hoger said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Not if you tell me what I want to know.¡±

    ¡°I saw it,¡± Hoger said. ¡°I saw it. You¡¯re gonna kill¡ª¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? You saw it? Saw what?¡±

    ¡°When I scanned you last night,¡± Hoger said. ¡°My father saw it too. We both did. And when he started delving¡ª¡± Hoger shuddered. ¡°Any empath within ten blocks would¡¯ve felt it. There¡¯s a darkness ¡­ You want to let it out. You¡¯re bad. Real bad.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re acting like I¡¯m about to sprout tentacles or something,¡± Abbee said. ¡°And you¡¯re wrong about me. Tell me everything that happened after I left your house last night.¡± She wiggled her blade. ¡°Who did you tell about me?¡±

    Hoger pressed his lips together. ¡°I can¡¯t. They¡¯ll kill me. It¡¯ll be worse than death. I can¡¯t.¡±

    Abbee actually understood that last part. She knew there were things far worse than death. A familiar itch tickled her back, and a dark basement flickered through her head. Abbee removed her knife from Hoger¡¯s chin. Shifted her weight and leaned away.

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    Hoger blinked. He looked over Abbee¡¯s shoulder and frowned. That mask of concentration again.

    Footsteps. Running. Closer. Abbee turned and saw a dark shape as somebody plowed into her. They went sprawling. Abbee lost her cap. She kept her grip on her knife but lost her grip on Hoger. The boy leaped to his feet and sprinted away.

    Abbee wrestled away from her attacker¡ªa woman carrying a crushed meat pie in one hand, looking angry, confused, and alarmed that she was now sitting on the ground. She stared at Abbee and said, ¡°I was suddenly so mad at you, but now I can¡¯t remember why.¡±

    Abbee scrambled to her feet and ran after Hoger. The boy turned the corner onto a new street and vanished. Abbee swore and poured on the speed. She weaved around startled people and carts and buggies. Reached the corner. Spotted a shape moving faster than everybody else, fifty meters away. Abbee sprinted after the fleeing teenager.

    She¡¯d closed the distance at the next intersection. A four-way with a handful of carts and buggies negotiating their turns and passings. Hoger looked over his shoulder and saw Abbee. With wild eyes, he veered into the middle of the street, just missing getting run over by a buggy.

    Abbee slowed a little. A big, heavy cart with steel wheels blocked her view of the street. She paused at the cart¡¯s corner and looked out. No oncoming cart. She stepped into the street. Hoger dug something out of his pocket.

    The boy¡¯s eyes were wide as he tipped a glass vial into his mouth. One gulp. He made a face and dropped the vial. Bent over and clutched at his stomach. He groaned in effort. Abbee was five meters away when everyone in the intersection, at least fifty people, turned and looked at her. Shopkeepers, laborers, children, a frosty bread seller, a pack of laborers leaving a nearby tavern, two teenagers stealing a kiss behind a canvas-backed shop selling glassware, poor people and rich people and some in between¡ªall their faces twisted into a rictus of fury.

    With a roar of rage, they charged.

    Abbee was surrounded. Ipsu¡¯s training hadn¡¯t covered this. She felt someone knock her in the back, and she stumbled forward. The crowd swarmed her like angry bees. People and limbs and grabbing hands all around. Punching, pushing, tearing. Someone ripped her badge from her jacket. A man with thick eyebrows kicked her. A little girl with pigtails poked her in the cheek with a stick. Abbee tried to pull a knife to defend herself, but there wasn¡¯t room.

    Fear and fury seized her. For an instant, Abbee was swept away in a torrent of her own dark rage, seething with turbulent wrath. The pushing bodies, grabbing hands, and punching fists fell away. The dark place in her mind sat there like a lodestone, pulling her down into its depths. She reached out for it. Reached for darkness, reached for freedom.

    Something small and hard pelted Abbee in the shoulder. Her awareness snapped back to reality. A glancing blow, but it still hurt. A lot. She didn¡¯t see what had hit her, but it had been moving fast enough to knock her off-balance. She stumbled again. A woman in front of her, dressed in a frilly shawl, took a small dark shape to the face. She shrieked and crumpled. Abbee turned. A heavyset man with a big brown beard, his face contorted with anger, reached toward her. Abbee pulled both her knives. Something hit him in the back of the head. He dropped.

    Ten meters behind him, sitting motionless in the street, was that big, heavy cart with the steel wheels. Metal bands around the cargo box. A steel hatch in the back. Bank of Akken in grand lettering on the side. Abbee saw three men clad in red jackets standing atop it. Two dropped down to the ground and yanked out swords. The third stood atop the cart with a cloud of small dark objects surrounding him. The cloud hovered in place. The man pointed, and one of the objects whipped straight at Abbee. She rolled to the side. Heard metal strike stone.

    A mover. The bank cart¡¯s drover. He was trying to hit Abbee with his missiles and apparently didn¡¯t care who else he struck.

    A hand grabbed Abbee on the arm. She struck at it with a knife. A woman yowled and fell away. Abbee pushed herself to her feet and dodged around a fat man in an apron. Kept low to avoid the drover. The fat man took a missile to the back and fell. Abbee rolled forward, avoiding another missile strike, and sliced with both knives at the nearest bank guard on the ground. His sword arm was out of position, and he took both knives to the chest. He wasn¡¯t wearing any armor. He yelled and fell back. The second guard drove his sword forward. Abbee dodged and scuttled under the bank cart. Someone grabbed her foot. Abbee kicked and kicked and hit something soft. She rolled out from under the cart into the street.

    Not as many people over here. A few on the opposite sidewalk, staring at the mayhem. Abbee saw Hoger on his knees in the middle of the road, with one hand clutching his stomach and the other pressing on the ground. The boy¡¯s face twisted in pain. Abbee needed to stop him, but he was over there and she was over here, and if she tried to get him, that drover would kill people on the way.

    The drover first.

    Abbee jumped to her feet and clambered up the side of the bank cart. Her head crested the top. The drover was standing on the far side, looking down. A cluster of twisted metal shards hovered around his head and shoulders. A dozen or so. A small box of the shards sat next to the drover¡¯s seat. Abbee heaved herself up to the top. The cart rocked. The drover turned. Spotted Abbee. The cloud of shards whipped at Abbee as one. She dove forward. Shards ripped down her back like giant wasps. Pain bloomed. Anger bloomed. She roared and buried both her blades in his belly. She stood up and ripped her knives through his soft parts until she hit the underside of his ribs. The drover went slack and toppled backward, sliding off Abbee¡¯s knives. He dropped off the cart.

    The roof of the cart rocked under Abbee¡¯s feet as people climbed up. Two faces poked up over the edge in front of Abbee. Abbee kicked one in the face. She was about to kick another when the insane crowd around the cart froze. Faces clouded in bewilderment. The shouts, roars, and curses turned to confusion. Pain. Panic. The crowd melted away from Abbee, like a bucket of water dumped out, leaving a dozen bodies on the ground. Most were victims of the drover¡¯s shards. A few moved, cradling limbs and mewling in pain. Half of them lay inert with bleeding wounds. Others looked trampled.

    Abbee turned her head and saw Hoger in the middle of the street. He was on his back and looking at the sky. Both hands on his stomach. He didn¡¯t move. His eyes didn¡¯t move. Hoger¡¯s mouth hung open, as if he were about to say, ¡°Oh.¡± Dead. Abbee knew it. She didn¡¯t understand. Nobody had touched him.

    Stinging pain reached Abbee¡¯s awareness. She hurt all over. Mote wisped from her wrists, healing the worst wounds first. Her back, her shoulder. The drover¡¯s metal shards. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t been pulled under and torn apart by the crowd. She knew it hadn¡¯t been her skill. Luck. So much luck.

    Movement at the north corner of the intersection. Two constables appeared. Behind the constables came three House soldiers, blue sashes fluttering. They all slowed, taking in the scene. Their mouths dropped open in stunned astonishment.

    Abbee realized what they saw. Her, standing alone atop the bank cart, breathing heavily, holding bloody knives, covered in grime and gore. No constable badge or cap. Standing while so many lay dead or injured around her. Two red-clad bank guards among the bodies.

    The third bank guard stumbled toward the constables and soldiers, pointing over his shoulder at Abbee. ¡°She attacked. Tried to steal the cart. She¡¯s a maniac.¡±

    Abbee felt her own stunned astonishment. That¡¯s not what happened. ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± she shouted.

    Movement to her right. Abbee saw four more House soldiers coming toward the bank cart. Swords out. Blue sashes. She looked at the soldiers around her. The constables. The crowd. Hoger, dead.

    Abbee dropped her knives and put her hands up. ¡°I can explain everything,¡± she called out. ¡°But I gotta talk to Parn Trippers first.¡±

 Chapter 14

    Abbee sat in an uncomfortable wooden chair, with an even more uncomfortable set of heavy manacles attached to her wrists, and tried to ignore the first constable yelling at her. Ipsu never yelled. He was an expert with the silent treatment. Kril Danner had yelled. Big, deep, hateful roars that always ended with a punch or slap. Abbee hated it when anyone yelled at her. It made her feel small and stupid.

    They were in Parn¡¯s office in the Civic District. The room was big enough for three tall windows, a desk, two wide tables covered with paper, and a huge map of the city on one wall. A new map, with straight streets arranged in a grid. It didn¡¯t look like Akken to Abbee. She found herself wishing for the old map and the old city, with its twisting roads and bent character. Abbee sat in her chair with her back to the door, which was flanked by two of the biggest constables she¡¯d ever seen. Two more stood behind the desk. They all watched Abbee with impassive expressions. Hands on hilts.

    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Parn railed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you tried to steal from a bank pickup cart.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked, her awareness coming back to her present circumstances. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Everyone saw you do it. I give you a badge, and the first thing you do¡ª¡±

    ¡°I only climbed on top of the cart to get away from that crowd¡ª¡±

    ¡°You stabbed the drover.¡±

    ¡°To get him to stop throwing metal shards at me.¡±

    ¡°Because you attacked another guard,¡± Parn snapped.

    ¡°I told you already. He was wild and hitting pedestrians. Nobody was thinking clearly.¡±

    ¡°Especially you,¡± Parn snapped.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, you have to know that it was Hoger. He made everyone mad at me. He¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hoger¡¯s a Class Three. Threes can do a handful of people. Not a crowd of fifty in an open street. Quit trying to make up your story on the fly.¡±

    Abbee remembered the vial. ¡°He drank something. Right before I got to him. I think it made him sick. It was in a little vial. He threw it away. If you look for¡ª¡±

    ¡°For broken glass on an Akken street?¡± Parn asked. He pursed his lips. For a moment, he appeared to consider Abbee¡¯s recollection. Gave a little headshake. He pointed at a stack of paper on one of the wide tables. ¡°I have statements here from both constables and House soldiers, two groups that despise one another, who interviewed a hundred people. They all say that they saw you gut two bank guards.¡±

    ¡°In self-defense.¡±

    Parn¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°You climbed up a bank pickup cart and buried two knives in a man¡¯s stomach in self-defense?¡± He waved his hands. ¡°I¡¯m not having this argument with you again. Your story is thinner than the one you spun about Ipsu Billings.¡± Parn rubbed his eyes with one hand. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I bought that one. I could almost let that go, but you spun your tale for Whimsy. Got her involved with whatever it is you¡¯re into. Almost got her killed. I can¡¯t abide that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee yelped. ¡°Why would I make up¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Parn snapped. ¡°Nobody does. You¡¯ve got no value, and it would¡¯ve been better if you¡¯d never set foot back in Akken.¡± Parn glowered at her. Got in close. ¡°I looked you up, you know. I thought I recognized your name. Danner. I knew your father. Kril was a piece of work. Randall had a soft spot for bad apples like you. You¡¯re just like your old man. You¡¯re¡ª¡±

    Rage flashed through Abbee like a runaway continental. With a screech, she launched herself from her chair at Parn. Brought her hands up. She meant to push him, but Parn was too close. Abbee caught him in the chin with her manacles. Metal struck bone. Parn¡¯s head snapped back, and he crumpled to the floor.

    The two constables near the window rushed forward. Abbee heard footsteps over her shoulder. Someone grabbed her from behind. The room spun, and her face hit the ground, hard. Someone landed on her back, and her breath whooshed out. A big, meaty fist grabbed her neck. The floor fell away from her. Came rushing back. Abbee hit it again with her nose and forehead. She heard the crunch of her nose breaking, and she blacked out.

    ***

    When Abbee came to, she was somewhere else. Somewhere moving. A cart, maybe. She felt the bumps and heard turning wheels. She lay on her side. Her hands were bound behind her back. Still had the manacles on, felt like. Abbee couldn¡¯t see. Scratchy cloth rubbed her face. A bag. She had a bag on her head. Her wrists itched.

    Her nose was full of something, and she had to breathe through her mouth. Abbee sniffed to clear her nose. A thick, wet chunk of phlegm popped out and lodged in her throat. Tasted metallic. She coughed and hacked on bloody phlegm, so hard she got light-headed, but after one last cough, her nose and throat were clear.

    But now the inside of the bag was wet, and it touched her face. Abbee tried to position her neck so the damp didn¡¯t touch her skin, but every bump brought an unpleasant cold tap to her cheek.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Abbee asked.

    No answer. Conscious of her manacled hands and wrists, Abbee scooted about on her side, trying to find the edges of this moving space. She found the walls. Rough wooden floor and rough wooden walls, only a couple of meters wide. She pushed herself up onto her knees. Tried to stand but hit the roof of the cart. No light, and manacled hands made keeping her balance in the moving cart hard. The back of the cart was about three meters long. Nobody touched her or told her to stop moving. She was alone in here.

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    Abbee shifted her head and caught a sliver of light through the bag¡¯s threads. She froze, peering through the damp cloth. She got back down on her knees, then her side. Moved around, trying to find that spot of light. There. Abbee saw rough pine boards and light beyond. A crack between the boards. She saw the ground, moving underneath her, about a meter down. Cobblestones. She put her ear to the floorboards and heard the scrape of the wheels on stone. The creak of the axle. She couldn¡¯t tell where the cart was or who was driving it.

    The cart made a sharp turn, and the sound of the ground changed. Abbee peered through the crack in the floorboards and saw packed dirt with random rocks. A dirt road. Lots of bumps. Abbee wondered where there was a dirt road in Akken. The city was basically brand new. There shouldn¡¯t be any dirt roads in it.

    Voices. Men calling to one another. Abbee strained to hear through the crack in the floorboards.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the extra drop?¡± a man asked. ¡°You were just here this morning.¡±

    ¡°Got another one for you,¡± someone else called, their voice reverberating through the cart. The drover. ¡°Special delivery. Be careful with this one. She almost killed the first constable.¡±

    ¡°The first constable, eh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s lucky to be alive, or so I hear. Had a healer nearby, and they stitched him back together. We were told to keep the guards out of the cart on the way over here¡ªfor our own safety.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t think she¡¯d hit Parn that hard. And it had been an accident. She doubted anyone would listen to her on that score, though. It seemed she was well past that. Abbee wondered if the healer had been Whimsy.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°No idea. I overheard ¡®hired to fired in a single morning¡¯ or something like that. Dunno what that¡¯s about, but there was some sort of riot down in the Yard District, and this one caused it. Killed two bank guards and tried to steal a pickup cart. She¡¯s bound and bagged, but I wouldn¡¯t take any chances if I were you.¡±

    Abbee felt another stab of anger at the lie, and that it was getting spread around to a bunch of people she didn¡¯t even know. More shouting. Abbee heard many footsteps on the ground. She guessed at least five, maybe six people gathering at the back of the cart. Heard the creak of leather and blades sliding from sheaths. Abbee wrestled herself into a crouch and put her back to the side of the cart for stability. She wasn¡¯t going lying down.

    ¡°Open it,¡± someone ordered.

    Several heavy pins slid aside on the back of the cart, and the door opened. Abbee saw a rectangle of light through the bag¡¯s threads. She felt bands of pressure all over her body, and she popped up off the floor. A mover. They had a mover. Her orientation changed, rotating, as the mover pulled her out of the cart. Daylight shone through the bag. Abbee thought she registered ground and a wide horizon before people surrounded her. Dark clothing. She couldn¡¯t make out their faces through the bag.

    ¡°I got her,¡± a man said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Light flickered through the bag, and a breeze rustled Abbee¡¯s skin. She was moving. Sensed the ground gliding beneath her. ¡°Where am I? Where are you taking me?¡±

    A chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ll see. Shut up.¡±

    Abbee heard the ground change beneath the footsteps of her captors, from dirt to wood. She bobbled in the mover¡¯s grip.

    ¡°Ready to descend?¡± someone called nearby.

    ¡°Ready,¡± another answered.

    ¡°Descending.¡±

    Abbee felt a lurch in her stomach. She peered through the hood and saw nothing but darkness. A crisp wind picked at her clothes. Birds shrieked somewhere close.

    ¡°I hate this part,¡± a man muttered.

    ¡°Hold,¡± a voice called, now above Abbee.

    She bobbled in the air again. She heard footsteps and leather creaking and grunts. She was moving again. The light through the bag changed. The wind died down, and the air changed from fresh to dank. Smelled like a cave.

    ¡°Stop here,¡± a man said. ¡°Gotta give her the first-day water ration.¡±

    A hand pulled up Abbee¡¯s hood to her nose. Pinched her nostrils shut. Abbee opened her mouth to breathe and felt liquid pour in. She choked and gagged. More liquid splashed her mouth and face. Tasted like water. She tried to spit it out, but something jammed her mouth shut. She barely avoided biting her tongue.

    ¡°Swallow,¡± a man commanded. ¡°Swallow, and you can breathe again.¡±

    Abbee struggled to get away, but between the big hands and the mover, she was stuck. She couldn¡¯t survive without air. She swallowed.

    The hands left her face. Someone pulled her hood down. Abbee sensed she was moving again. ¡°Where am I?¡±

    Dark chuckles. ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough. Just you wait.¡±

    They continued on in silence for several long minutes. Abbee tried to focus on the details around her instead of the fears clamoring for purchase in her mind. Focused on the air passing through the bag and touching the cold droplets on her face. The scents on the air became foul and rank. Unwashed bodies and open sewers. She tried to count the turns and stairs but lost track. Wherever they were, it was underground, and it was big.

    ¡°Ho!¡± came a call from somewhere up ahead. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Special delivery,¡± one of Abbee¡¯s captors replied.

    ¡°Must be special¡ªthere¡¯s six of you.¡±

    ¡°I heard that she almost decapitated the first constable.¡±

    ¡°Almost ¡­ Wait, she?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in the wrong wing, Crom. This is¡ª¡±

    The bands of pressure holding Abbee evaporated, and she thumped onto the floor. She felt hands on her.

    ¡°It¡¯s a special-delivery bonus,¡± Crom said. ¡°Nobody¡¯s watching. We get to have some fun with her first.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like where his hands were going. She spun on the floor, sweeping her legs around. Caught someone. They yelped. She felt them thump into the floor beside her. Abbee brought her heel back and struck out as hard as she could. Caught something and both heard and felt a satisfying crunch. The yelp turned into a pained cry.

    Something hard slammed into her shoulder. Abbee tucked her head and rolled away from it. More strikes to her back, side, and hips. Kicks. She was getting kicked. Abbee folded herself into a ball and struggled to get away. Something hit her manacled wrists. Bone snapped, and pain ripped up her arm. She tried not to scream¡ªshe didn¡¯t want to give them the satisfaction¡ªbut a pitiful whine escaped her throat anyway. The kicks kept coming.

    ¡°That bitch broke by doze,¡± Crom gasped. ¡°She broke by doze.¡±

    Abbee felt something lift her by her manacles. By her broken wrist. She howled in pain. She felt pressure on her, and her manacles fell away, clanking onto the floor.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you take those off?¡± one of them asked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t give ¡¯em any weapons,¡± another said, ¡°when I do this.¡±

    Her hood left her head. Abbee blinked at her surroundings but only caught a glimpse of three men in black uniforms before one of them kicked her in the stomach. She tipped backward. Her feet left the ground. The ceiling fell away from her. Wind whooshed past her ears. She saw rough stone wall and the uniformed men above her.

    I¡¯m falling. I¡¯m¡ª

    She smashed into something hard with her shoulder, hip, arms, and legs. She somehow managed to protect her broken wrist, but Abbee still screamed in pain from the shock of impact. She turned on her side and looked up. She was in a wide pit. The only illumination came from the torches at the top, four meters away.

    Abbee heard movement in the shadows. She strained to see. Her eyes adjusted to the light. She saw filthy faces in the gloom. Men. They were all around her. Hungry grins peeled back dirty lips. Abbee looked up at the guards overhead. They all smirked down at her, even the one with the busted nose. The one on the right chuckled, a short, nasty sound.

    ¡°Welcome to Graywall.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Abbee heard the prison¡¯s name and heaved herself into a crouch. Mote wisped from her wrists as her gift began its work, healing her broken wrist. A twinge in her side declared broken or bruised ribs too. Another cinch of pain in her shoulder spoke of a fractured clavicle, and probably a concussion. She¡¯d be back to normal in ten seconds. Abbee didn¡¯t think she had that kind of time.

    The pit cut back underneath the guard platform, leaving Abbee no wall to back into. More faces in the shadows. At least two dozen men surrounded her on all sides. They were all dressed in mismatched clothes in various states of ruin. Abbee guessed the only clothes in the prison were what people had been wearing when they¡¯d arrived. Some were half-naked, indicating that holding on to one¡¯s clothes wasn¡¯t guaranteed. The men were of all sizes, but all of them were bigger than Abbee. The closest one, straight ahead, was shirtless and had only torn trousers held on with patchwork rope. A thick scar ran up over his shoulder and down his chest. An old wound. He crouched, ready to spring. Lips pulled back to show broken teeth. His dark eyes flared in greed.

    ¡°She¡¯s so young,¡± the scarred man whispered.

    ¡°Here, pretty,¡± a brute to her left crooned.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s mine,¡± another hissed on her right. ¡°You can have her after.¡±

    ¡°Pretty, pretty.¡±

    Fear pierced Abbee. Wolf whistles and hoots and dark whispers chased Abbee¡¯s anxiety higher. She couldn¡¯t fight them all. There were too many. Nowhere to hide, no place to control how many came at her at once.

    A giant of a man lumbered into the torchlight directly in front of Abbee. He was huge. Bigger than her father. Meaner. The man¡¯s sleeveless shirt appeared to be stitched together from multiple cloth fragments. His bare arms were covered with scars, and his forearm was thicker than Abbee¡¯s thigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m first,¡± he rumbled.

    He lunged forward, far faster than Abbee thought possible. She tried to dodge, but he slapped her down. It was like getting hit by a wall. She struck the ground on her half-healed wrist. Abbee cried out. Twisted and turned, trying to get away, but all she managed to do was get onto her back. The giant straddled her, locking her arms at her sides. He stank of urine and sweat and blood. Abbee kicked her legs and bucked, but it was no use. She was pinned.

    The giant leered at her and reached down into his trousers.

    Abbee saw the guards overhead. The man with the broken nose, Crom, looked triumphant. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe this was happening. It felt like a terrible, twisted nightmare. This morning she had woken up in a bed, hearing the sounds of the city, feeling the promise of a new beginning. All lies. Everyone had lied to her. Everyone in this city had turned on her. Everyone she¡¯d ever known had turned on her in the end. Her father, Ipsu, Sammy and Mith, Chella abandoning her with the chickens, Gerro in Lencoe, Parn and his promises and plans, Carver and Perci with their cold advice, even Whimsy, selling her out to an unscrupulous empath¡ªthey¡¯d all contributed to this moment. Abbee gritted her teeth and focused all her rage on the people she had thought she could trust. She blamed them all.

    A tingle rippled over Abbee¡¯s body from head to toe.

    The giant atop her paused with his hand down his trousers. His eyes widened, and he sucked in a short gasp as a sharp jolt zinged through Abbee¡¯s limbs. Another. Another and another, coming faster now. Abbee recognized it as the same sensation she¡¯d touched at Baylor¡¯s.

    She didn¡¯t try to stop. Abbee leaned into it, wanting it, until she felt like she was going to explode. For a brief instant, her awareness dropped into a sunless space, a soundless space, where a dark heart thrummed in a powerful rhythm. It was close enough to touch. Abbee reached out in her mind. I¡¯m right here. She reached for the darkness. Grabbed it, pulled it close, feeling at home in herself for the first time in her life. The heart ripped open like overripe fruit. Darkness spilled out and splashed her face and hands. It was hot and went everywhere and bathed her in slippery exultation.

    She heard a distant, roaring scream.

    Her scream.

    She felt her limbs move, shadows dance and power and fury, and above it all, a thrilling song of freedom and rage. It was chaos and magic and glorious. Energy coursed through her body, and she felt more alive than ever before. Thought fell away. Fear fell away. All her pain and anxieties vanished amid a torrent of sizzling energy. It tasted incredible, and Abbee wanted more.

    More.

    MORE!

    The rushing energy ebbed from Abbee. She snarled in frustration. She wanted more, not less. But it kept slipping from her fingers. The vibrating darkness around her faded, replaced by ruddy torchlight. All at once, her awareness snapped back to the pit.

    Abbee stood on her own two feet in the gloom. She looked down and saw dark streaks on the floor. Her wounds had healed. Her wrist was healed. Glimmermote caked her hands, along with ¡­ Is that blood? Abbee looked at her arms. She was covered in gore. She licked her lips and tasted the metallic tinge of blood.

    Moans reached Abbee¡¯s ears. All around her. She turned and blinked. It was hard to figure out what she was looking at. The crowd that had surrounded her was gone. Everywhere around her, Abbee saw broken and sundered bodies. None moved. A wet sheen covered the floor, growing wider as thick liquid pooled and spread. Blood. The big brute, the one who¡¯d knocked her down and straddled her, lay on his back nearby. The bottom half of him was missing. His guts stretched behind him for several paces, as if he¡¯d been torn from his legs and flung. A chunk of flesh was missing from his chest. No, there was a big hole in it. Abbee saw bone. His ribs. She leaned over to see. Something had punched through and crushed his heart and lungs. Dread licked at Abbee. Some creature had done this. She knew it, but even as she looked around, seeking out the golden glint of eyes in the dark, she knew she¡¯d not find any. Deep down, she knew what had done this. Who had done this.

    Shouts above. Panicked. Abbee looked up and saw four men standing at the top of the pit, staring down in abject horror. None of them had a broken nose. She didn¡¯t recognize any of them. Abbee thought she saw an arm hanging over the edge of the pit. She squinted. A weathered hand poked out of black cloth. Yes, that¡¯s an arm.

    ¡°What happened?¡± a man shouted. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are these guards ¡­? Wait, is he dead? Are they all dead? What happened?¡± A fifth man pushed his way to the edge of the pit. Looked down. Blinked. ¡°What the ¡­? Where is everyone? What¡ª¡± The man turned and pulled a torch from the wall. He tossed it down into the pit. The flaming brand clattered onto the floor.

    Abbee got a better look at the carnage. Dozens of bodies strewn around her. Most looked shriveled and dry. Their tattered clothes were spattered with blood and worse. Abbee saw what looked like the scarred man¡¯s trousers on a body, but the sight didn¡¯t make much sense to Abbee. The man lay face down, arms splayed out. He was missing a leg. White bone poked out of a bloody stump. The skin around the wound looked torn. Abbee recognized the damage. She¡¯d seen it in the woods plenty of times, the leavings of wolves and bears. The man¡¯s wrecked leg looked gnawed upon. She ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth. Caught debris. Abbee spat it out onto the floor. Something heavy and wet. She reached into her mouth and fished out a hard chip. She held it up in the light. Bone. Abbee knew that it wasn¡¯t hers.

    I didn¡¯t ¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡ª

    Bile rose in her throat, and Abbee threw up onto the floor. Hardly anything came up. She hadn¡¯t eaten since Perci¡¯s leftovers in the gatehouse. Abbee almost whimpered in relief. No shards of leg in her vomit. She hadn¡¯t eaten that man¡¯s leg. Her shock didn¡¯t wane and only grew stronger. What happened to me?

    ¡°Is that a woman down there?¡± the fifth man demanded. ¡°My word! Look at the ¡­ This is¡ª¡± He swore and shook himself. ¡°Get her out of there. Clean her up, and get her to a holding cell until we¡ªdon¡¯t go down there, you idiot! Put that ladder back. Get a mover.¡±

    ¡°Our mover¡¯s here, sir,¡± a man said, nudging one of the bodies at the top of the pit. ¡°Dead. He looks like a raisin.¡±

    ¡°Thunderation. Fetch Sergeant Ludd. Not a word to anyone else, or it¡¯ll be us down in that pit. Move!¡±

    ***

    A mover arrived and pulled Abbee from the pit. Sergeant Ludd. She was thin and had the sallow face of someone who rarely sees the sun. Ludd raised Abbee up from the pit and carried her through rough-cut tunnels. Angry and fearful shouts chased Abbee through the murk. Ludd wasn¡¯t careful. She banged Abbee off walls, scraped her against torch holders, and dragged her on the floor. Abbee couldn¡¯t tell if the woman was doing it on purpose or if she was shaken from the scene in the pit. Probably both.

    Abbee ended up in a small cell with a heavy steel door. Ludd held her against the wall with bands of pressure. ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± Ludd said.

    Abbee wondered what she meant. She looked over her shoulder and saw another man appear in the doorway. Younger. No uniform. He wore a dirty linen smock, and his eyes were fearful when he looked at Abbee. He raised his hand, and water roared out of nowhere and blasted Abbee in the face. A spout. Water scoured her whole body from head to toe. The torrent lasted several seconds, spraying water all over the place.

    All at once the water cut off, and the bands of pressure left Abbee¡¯s body. The door slammed shut. She heard a thick thump as a lock slid home on the other side. Abbee stood at the wall, stunned and dripping. No window. She saw a tiny sliver of light through a crack in the doorframe, where it met the surrounding rock. Not enough to see anything in the cell. The light was more of a diffuse glow, taunting Abbee instead of giving her hope.

    She felt around the space with her feet and hands. The cell was about two meters square. The ceiling was too far away for Abbee to touch, even when jumping, and the floor was too slimy for her to want to touch at all. The rough stone seemed to have a slope to it and led to a small grate in the corner. No pallet or even any straw. Abbee had slept in plenty of uncomfortable places, but this cell would be the worst.

    She strained to hear the sounds of the prison, but it was dead quiet in her cell. She put her ear to the cold steel door. Some low grinding sound, coming from somewhere. Rhythmic. A few seconds on, a few seconds off, over and over. Abbee had no idea what it could be.

    She paced the cell. Abbee was used to wide-open spaces with trees, grass, dirt, and blue sky in every direction. She wasn¡¯t used to this tiny cell. She worried that she¡¯d go crazy if she was stuck in here for long.

    Crazy like the pit. Abbee shied away from the memory of spurting blood and flailing limbs. She didn¡¯t know what had happened to her. It had felt incredible in the moment, but the aftermath had been horrifying.

    Did I turn into an animal? I chewed on them. What am I?

    Baylor had been right. There was a darkness in her. Abbee had thought it the ramblings of a con man, trying to frighten her. She hadn¡¯t believed him then. She did now.

    A vibration started in her shoulders. Abbee didn¡¯t know what it was. She realized she was clenching her shoulder blades. Clenching all over. She released her muscles. It was as if she had opened a dam. Abbee began shaking and crying. She sobbed. Pressed her back against the wall and put her hands on her knees. More sobs.

    What am I?

    Had the darkness always been there, and Joor had simply unlocked it, or had the gray wizard put this darkness in her? She suspected the former but didn¡¯t want to think about the implications. Abbee hugged herself and sank into a corner. She tucked her knees under her chin and faced the door, worrying that the darkness within her was far deeper than this sightless cell.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ***

    Abbee lost track of time. Hours. The only marker of time was how long it took for her muscles to grow stiff in any one position, and the rumblings of her stomach. She grew hungrier and hungrier. There was no slot in the door, no room to toss food in. She wondered if they were going to let her starve to death in here.

    Voices. Abbee heard voices. No, it was her imagination. She strained to listen, turning her head this way and that. There it was again. A woman¡¯s voice. Somewhere below. Abbee scooted across the slimy floor, listening for the voice. She got to the door and put her ear against it. Heard the grinding deep below, and over it, a woman¡¯s voice. Abbee didn¡¯t recognize it. The woman seemed agitated.

    A second voice. A man. ¡°¡­ weren¡¯t going to tell me, were you?¡± he asked, sounding alarmed.

    Abbee gasped. She recognized that voice. She¡¯d heard it last in a clearing south of Akken. Heard it in a dank basement in Joor. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe it. The gray wizard.

    She heard only snatches of the woman¡¯s response. ¡°¡­ because of how you¡¯re reacting now. I haven¡¯t even done anything, so¡ª¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t,¡± the gray wizard said. ¡°She¡¯s off-limits.¡±

    ¡°What? Why? She presented the night of the golems.¡± Silence. ¡°You knew. Wait, how long ¡­¡±

    Their voices turned unintelligible. Abbee strained to hear at the door.

    ¡°¡­ he can¡¯t know about her,¡± the gray wizard said.

    ¡°He already knows,¡± the woman declared. ¡°Everyone does. They¡¯re calling her the Butcher after what happened. The Butcher of Graywall.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear? Some idiot guards put her in the pit. She went berserk. Nobody lived to say what happened, but she killed fifteen people. The snuffer they gave her might as well have been lemonade. Didn¡¯t work. Did you know that she metabolizes snuffer? You did. Of course you did. Look, as far as I can tell, she tore them apart with her bare hands. I have some theories about her latent, and I want to run some tests.¡±

    Abbee remembered the blood in her mouth. The bone chip. She had done more than use her hands, and bile rose in her throat again at the hazy memory. Abbee was happy she couldn¡¯t remember much.

    The woman asked a question Abbee didn¡¯t catch, and neither did she hear the wizard¡¯s response. They went back and forth a few times, and none of it made sense to Abbee. The woman¡¯s voice became clear.

    ¡°¡­ managed to keep the more pertinent details quiet. Anyone who saw her in the pit is either dead or can¡¯t remember. It¡¯s ¡­¡±

    More arguing. Their voices rose and fell. Sounded like they were getting closer, then further away. Abbee pressed her ear to the door so hard it hurt.

    The woman again. ¡°¡­ safe to ¡­¡±

    More murmuring.

    ¡°¡­ hadn¡¯t imagined the Butcher incident. It¡¯s too ¡­¡± the wizard said.

    ¡°Wait, you know what it is¡ªher latent. How it works.¡±

    The gray wizard said something Abbee couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°¡­ Kai tried something similar, and it didn¡¯t go so well for him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m smarter,¡± the woman said. ¡°Have you found him yet?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The gray wizard swore. ¡°It¡¯s too soon.¡±

    ¡°Too soon for what?¡± the woman asked.

    More arguing.

    ¡°¡­ no tests,¡± the gray wizard said. ¡°Keep her away from your brother.¡±

    Abbee needed the woman to say the wizard¡¯s name. All this talking and no name. Abbee wanted to know who this wizard was, and why he seemed to know so much about her. And who was this woman? What brother?

    Their voices suddenly became clear.

    ¡°Hang on,¡± the woman said. ¡°This sounds a lot like I¡¯m protecting her now. I am, aren¡¯t I? What do I get for it?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a negotiation.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t everything? I¡¯m a very curious person, you know. Lots of things can happen in Graywall.¡±

    ¡°Lots of things can happen everywhere,¡± the gray wizard warned. ¡°But don¡¯t ever say that I¡¯m not generous. No tests, and your supply of mental-protection chips will never run out.¡±

    ¡°And truth-seeking,¡± the woman prompted. ¡°Science is hard without objective information.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°Where are you getting them? The chips.¡±

    ¡°Do we have a deal?¡±

    ¡°Fine, don¡¯t tell me. And yes, we have a deal.¡±

    ¡°And none of your¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the woman said. ¡°She¡¯ll be completely free from meddling, from all parties. I give you my word.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll take my leave, then.¡±

    Their voices faded. ¡°Wait, while you¡¯re here,¡± the woman said, ¡°do you mind looking at the ¡­¡±

    They were gone.

    Abbee let out an explosive breath. Who was this wizard? Whoever the wizard was, he had access to a cache of artifact chips. He must be from the Tower. How had he escaped? And he was collaborating with some woman who seemed to have free range of the prison. Who was she?

    Abbee stood up and paced, cursing herself for not pounding on the door. For not asking questions. Demanding the truth. Even if they hadn¡¯t told her, she could¡¯ve gotten something. Something more than eavesdropping and feeling like she knew even less than she had when she¡¯d gotten dragged in here. Abbee felt like she was standing at the edge of a precipice. No matter which way she fell, she¡¯d hit the truth, but she was blind and frozen in place in this stupid cell.

    ***

    Abbee heard a thump behind the door. The heavy steel panel swung open, and bright torchlight stabbed at Abbee¡¯s eyes. She brought up her arm to shield her face. Made out two people outside her cell. Guards, looked like. Abbee felt uncomfortable bands of pressure all over her. A mover again. Maybe Sergeant Ludd. Abbee assumed it was Ludd.

    The bands of pressure didn¡¯t cover Abbee¡¯s mouth, and she asked questions this time. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±

    ¡°No talking,¡± Ludd snapped.

    Ludd didn¡¯t scrape Abbee across every available surface this time. She carried Abbee through dim halls, bright halls, up flights of stairs, down flights of stairs, and at one point, they transited a curious round room with glowing crystal spikes embedded in the walls. Not once did Abbee see another prisoner. ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Something cuffed Abbee on her head. ¡°I said no talking.¡±

    ¡°We forgot the bag,¡± the other guard muttered.

    ¡°It¡¯s not going to matter,¡± Ludd said.

    Abbee waited for them to expound on why no bag wouldn¡¯t matter, but all she got was another roughhewn stone tunnel with torches along the walls. ¡°Why won¡¯t it matter?¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Who lights all the torches in here? Must take all day.¡±

    Abbee swung close to the wall, brushed it, scraped across an iron sconce with her shoulder, and bounced away.

    ¡°I said shut up,¡± Ludd warned. ¡°Next time, it¡¯ll be a lot worse.¡±

    Abbee wanted to continue needling Ludd, but all the woman had to do was squeeze with her gift and break both Abbee¡¯s arms, and maybe all her ribs. Abbee kept her mouth shut.

    They rounded a corner and came upon another stairwell, heading up. Ludd carried Abbee up six flights of stairs, to a single metal door at the end of a short tunnel. Ludd held Abbee aside while the other guard pounded on the door.

    ¡°Open up,¡± he called. ¡°We¡¯ve got your special transfer.¡±

    The door clicked and swung open, revealing another hallway. Smooth walls and a polished stone floor, with oil lamps instead of torches. The air tasted cleaner here. The hall had corridors branching off every few meters, in an alternating pattern. They reminded Abbee of the alternating holding cells in the Yard District Precinct. Abbee peered down one corridor as she passed, and spied a heavy door set into a metal frame. Another door in the next corridor. Strange runes were carved into each door. It must have been a trick of the light, because Abbee thought she spotted them glowing a pale blue hue.

    Ludd swung Abbee into the last corridor on the right. The door was open. Abbee saw a room on the other side with a cot in it. Ludd pushed Abbee into the room, which had no other doors. Another cell. Better accommodations, at least. It was twice as big as her old cell, and there was a window of sorts in the ceiling, bringing in daylight. Abbee deduced that it was done with mirrors, because she didn¡¯t feel any air movement. A stool sat beneath a small writing desk. No paper or quills. The stone floor was smooth and clean. A slot in the door, presumably for food, none of which Abbee had received yet. All in all, things looked on the up-and-up. Still, that grate in the corner, though.

    The door closed, and the bands of pressure left Abbee¡¯s body. She managed to get her feet planted without stumbling. She went to the door and pressed her ear against it. No sound. No footsteps. Not even that steady grinding rhythm through the ground. Total silence.

    Abbee sat down on the cot. Much better than the slimy stone floor in the last cell. She leaned back against the wall and hugged her knees. Wondered what Ludd had meant, what she¡¯d said about the bag. Abbee wondered how long she¡¯d be in here. She wondered if there were other people in the other cells. Most of all, she wondered when they¡¯d feed her.

    ***

    The slot in the door opened, and someone tossed a thin metal bowl through. It skittered across the floor, splashing out opaque yellowish liquid. A hunk of dark bread rolled off the lip and toward the corner grate. Abbee snatched it up just in time. The slot slammed shut.

    Abbee had wanted to ask where she was. She sniffed the contents of the bowl. Some sort of stew. She poked at it with her finger and decided it was more broth than stew. She produced three peas and a couple of shards of sliced carrot. No meat. The bread was stale. But it was food, and Abbee was starving, and she inhaled all of it. She licked the bowl when she was done and wished she had four more just like it.

    An hour after the bowl had arrived, the light through the overhead window flicked off, plunging Abbee into darkness. The light hadn¡¯t dimmed. No sunset. Abbee found the cot with her hands and sat down. She thought about her day. The promises. The lies. Hoger. The fight atop the bank cart. Parn¡¯s rage. The pit. The gray wizard and the unknown woman, bartering over Abbee¡¯s fate. Now this cell.

    Abbee remembered the pit most of all. The screaming. Her screams. Despair washed over her in a sudden torrent. Tears leaked down her face, and Abbee cried herself to sleep.

    ***

    Abbee tracked the days by the unwavering light through the ceiling. It flicked on and off at regular intervals. Food came twice a day. An hour after the light came on and an hour before it flicked off, the slot opened, and someone tossed a bowl in. Same broth, same bread. No one spoke to her when the food slot opened. Abbee asked plenty of questions. No answers. She had a stack of bowls after seven days, on the writing desk. No one answered when she asked about the bowls either. She wondered if anyone would take the bowls, or if people eventually died when there was no room left to move in the cell. Just the prisoner and thousands of bowls.

    She amused herself with the bowls. Made a game out of tossing a bowl across the room and landing it on the stool without the bowl falling off. When she¡¯d mastered that, she flipped the stool upside down and tried to hook a bowl on a leg instead.

    On the tenth day, the slot opened at breakfast. No bowl appeared. Instead, a man ordered, ¡°Back up and face the far wall.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t recognize his voice. She backed up to the wall but didn¡¯t turn around. She watched the slot, trying to see who was on the other side.

    ¡°I said, face the wall.¡± The stool tipped over by itself. ¡°You have three seconds before I bounce you off the ceiling.¡±

    A mover. Abbee faced the wall. The door opened. Abbee looked over her shoulder and saw a man dressed in the black uniform of a Graywall guard. He had a stern face and a gray beard. No obvious weapons, but the bands of pressure that suddenly glued Abbee to the wall said he didn¡¯t need them. The bowls rose up off the table and floated out of the room.

    ¡°Your turn,¡± the guard said.

    Abbee looked and saw the young man in the linen smock. The spout. She knew what was coming and braced herself. She squeezed her eyes shut as water blasted her from head to toe.

    All at once the water cut off, and the bands of pressure left Abbee¡¯s body. The door slammed shut. Another bowl of broth and bread bounced through the food slot.

    She had her answer on what they did with the bowls.

    ***

    Abbee called the two men the washers. Every ten days, they showed up, doused Abbee, and took her bowls. The washers never spoke beyond ordering her against the wall. The man in the smock seemed afraid of Abbee. Less so of the guard. But Abbee got the impression he was terrified whenever he soaked her. Neither of them ever answered any of her questions.

    Two months after Abbee had arrived in Graywall, the slot opened on the door on wash day. She sighed and went to the wall. The door opened. Footsteps entered the room. Halted. ¡°Abbee?¡±

    Abbee turned. Whimsy stood inside her cell. She was wearing her constable uniform and looked at Abbee in worried astonishment.

    The Graywall guard with the stern face and the beard stood outside. ¡°You¡¯ve got five minutes,¡± he said. The door thumped shut.

    Whimsy stared at Abbee, and Abbee stared at Whimsy.

    Abbee spoke first. ¡°Where have¡ª¡±

    She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence before Whimsy swept forward and hugged her. Another human¡¯s touch startled Abbee, and she burst into tears at how good it felt.

    Whimsy pulled away first. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took me so long. Nobody told me what happened to you. Parn made it sound like you¡¯d left the city after your first day.¡± Her face clouded in anger. ¡°That coward. Wouldn¡¯t even tell me he¡¯d sacked you.¡± She frowned. ¡°Did you really hijack a bank cart?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said, shaking her head. ¡°Hoger sent the crowd at me.¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s ¡­ He was a Class Three.¡±

    ¡°I saw him drink something right before. From a vial. I told Parn, but he wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything that can boost a talented,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°If we had something like that, they¡¯d be giving it to me all day long.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it agreed with him,¡± Abbee said. ¡°What killed him? I never touched him.¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°Baylor had him cremated. He was really distraught about it. Baylor, I mean. And a little scared, actually. He stopped talking to me, and a week after you disappeared, he did too. Closed up shop and sold his house.¡±

    ¡°How did you find out I was here?¡±

    Whimsy pointed with her thumb at the door. ¡°The guards. One of them transferred to the constables a couple weeks ago. He was telling stories, trying to impress the rookies, and mentioned that he¡¯d seen the famed Butcher of Graywall. Nobody believed him when he said it was a woman. I didn¡¯t either, until he described you.¡± Her face wrinkled. ¡°They really put you in the pit? That¡¯s for killers and worse.¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think they knew about my talent. And yeah, something happened. Remember what Baylor said that day? That I had a darkness in me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Well, I think it came out. Saved my life, but ¡­ yeah. The Butcher thing is true.¡±

    ¡°Abbee, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got better accommodation now. Food¡¯s not great, but at least they didn¡¯t leave me in the pit.¡± Abbee frowned. ¡°Wait, you said that guard transferred two weeks ago. Then why¡ª¡±

    ¡°It took me that long to convince Parn to let me see you,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°He tried to lie first.¡±

    ¡°Figures. How¡¯s his jaw?¡±

    ¡°Still has a scar,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°The healer they had in the building at the time isn¡¯t as good as me. Though if I¡¯d been there, he wouldn¡¯t have just one scar.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he sent you to Graywall.¡±

    The slot opened. ¡°One minute,¡± the guard said.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the warden here?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Is it a woman?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Whimsy asked. ¡°No. It¡¯s definitely a man, and a real piece of work too. I doubt you¡¯d see him. I hear he doesn¡¯t actually spend a lot of time here. The real person in charge is the captain of the guard. Captain Vicher. I¡¯ve not met him in person, but Parn says he¡¯s tough. Fair, though. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Just curious,¡± Abbee said. She was about to talk about the mysterious woman and the gray wizard but kept them to herself. She¡¯d have to explain the wizard, which meant explaining Joor, and Abbee wasn¡¯t telling Whimsy that she¡¯d murdered children in a basement. ¡°How long is His Majesty, the first constable, planning on keeping me in here?¡±

    Whimsy¡¯s expression lost its light. She looked away.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, Whimsy,¡± Abbee prodded. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping with him.¡±

    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Whimsy said in a dark tone. ¡°Not after this.¡±

    ¡°You still know, right? Tell me.¡±

    Whimsy pursed her lips and sighed.

    ¡°Whimsy.¡±

    Whimsy told her.

    Abbee felt the bottom of her world drop out.

 Chapter 16

    PART 3

    TEN YEARS LATER

    Abbee emerged from Graywall and stepped out onto a narrow rock outcropping. The city of Akken lay below. It was early evening, just after sunset, and a gray rain sifted down onto red slate rooftops. The neat grid layout looked unnatural.

    Abbee tilted her face up. Closed her eyes and stood there, feeling rain on her face for the first time in ten years. It almost didn¡¯t seem real. Maybe this was a trick. This wasn¡¯t the twenty-three years that Whimsy had told her. This was early. Abbee had just seen Whimsy three weeks ago for their monthly visit. Abbee knew her time in the woods with Ipsu had prepared her for a decade mostly alone, but Whimsy¡¯s visits were the only reason Abbee was still sane. The other woman¡¯s face had shown the steady march of time, picking up wrinkles around her eyes and a few gray hairs. Abbee had never seen anyone else in her entire time in Graywall. Just Whimsy and the washers.

    ¡°Watch your head,¡± Sergeant Ludd advised.

    Abbee opened her eyes and saw a wooden platform floating in midair, dropping down from above. She backed up a step to avoid it hitting her. The platform reached the outcropping. Someone called ¡°Hold!¡± above her, and the platform halted. Hovered in place, half on the rock cliff and half hanging off. Abbee eyed it, suspecting this was a trick and they were going to suck her back into Graywall.

    ¡°You getting on or what?¡± Ludd asked.

    Abbee ignored a sudden impulse to jump off and free-fall to her death. She sighed and stepped onto the platform. It wouldn¡¯t work, anyway.

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    ¡°Ready to lift?¡± a man called overhead.

    ¡°Ready,¡± a group answered.

    ¡°Lift.¡±

    The platform rose beneath Abbee¡¯s feet. Ludd stayed down on the outcropping. Abbee stood alone. She was halfway up when she realized the movers could just tip the platform vertical and throw her down the escarpment. Even though she¡¯d just considered hurling herself off, the idea of it being done to her gave her anxiety.

    The platform reached the top, and Abbee stepped off into a covered shed of some kind. More like a freestanding roof. Something to keep the weather off the six movers arrayed around the platform. They wore the black Graywall uniform and watched Abbee as if she were a rabid lion.

    Whimsy was waiting for her on the other side of the station. She was out of uniform and looked odd to Abbee. The woman had always worn a constable jacket, even when off duty. Today she wore a light sweater over a collared shirt. She¡¯d cut her hair short. Looked recent. Whimsy opened her arms, and Abbee stepped into them. Their embrace lasted a few seconds, then a few moments longer when Abbee didn¡¯t let go. She hung on. No walls was overwhelming. Abbee felt tears of joy leak down her face. She was out. I¡¯m out. It¡¯s over. Is it over?

    Abbee disengaged from Whimsy. ¡°Ten years is early.¡±

    ¡°I guess I finally got through to Parn.¡± Whimsy snorted. ¡°I think it was when I compared him to Sera Togrim. I wish I¡¯d known that earlier.¡± She shoved her hands into her pockets. The wind caught her shortened locks and blew strands across her face. ¡°I also quit.¡±

    ¡°You quit?¡±

    ¡°The constables,¡± Whimsy said.

    ¡°What for?¡±

    Whimsy flicked her head to clear her face. ¡°I can¡¯t be part of something that man touches. He poisons everything.¡±

    Abbee felt taken aback. Whimsy had been a constable for ¡­ well, forever. Her quitting felt more seismic than getting out of prison early. ¡°What¡¯re you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I dunno yet,¡± Whimsy said. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought that far ahead.¡± Her brow wrinkled. ¡°But that¡¯s not what I want to know at all. I want to know what you¡¯re going to do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do what I came to Akken for in the first place,¡± Abbee declared. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Ipsu.¡± And a wizard. ¡°I¡¯m going to find the truth.¡±

 Chapter 17

    Abbee heard her own jawbone shatter. Her world went white for an instant. Hot pain seared through her face and chased away the shouting crowd. Her legs wobbled, and she went down to one knee, slapping her left hand on soggy straw and compacted dirt. Touching the ground was the part she hated the most in the bouts. Damp ground compacted by thousands of fights. Thousands of punches and kicks and buckets of blood. Some of the blood was hers.

    But that wasn¡¯t what she hated, touching old blood. She hated the memories of sitting on the ground, beaten and broken, with a one-armed man standing over her. Judging her and finding her lacking. Telling her to get up. Abbee hated herself for looking for his approval and never finding it. She hated him for abandoning her without ever saying she was good enough.

    Hated him for disappearing and being impossible to find.

    Abbee hated Ipsu more than anything because she¡¯d given up looking for him. It had taken two years, two fruitless years of searching after emerging from Graywall, but she¡¯d given up.

    He¡¯d made her give up.

    Roars of the crowd rushed back into her awareness. Abbee knelt in the fighting pit of New Bend¡¯s bout hall. Dirty and mismatched wooden boards separated the straw-covered pit from the bleachers, half-full with a rough-looking crowd of day laborers. Abbee looked up at the man who¡¯d hit her. A big beast she hadn¡¯t recognized. Abbee knew all the fighters in New Bend. She knew everybody who fought for coin. The beast was new. He stood with his back to Abbee, his arms raised to the crowd. Shouting for praise.

    Flakes of glimmermote gathered at her wrists as new pain crackled through the nerves in her face. Her shattered jawbone knitted back together. She felt tiny slivers of bone worm through her flesh and reattach themselves together like a puzzle. Muscle fibers and tissue reassembled. Blood vessels grew back. The massive bruise forming on her face slowed and reversed progress.

    The crowd shouted and pointed.

    The beast looked over his shoulder at Abbee. His shaved head glistened in the torchlight. He was almost twice her height and probably weighed three times as much. He was about the same size as the giant she¡¯d faced in Graywall. Enormous muscles rippled across his back. He looked like a monster, and he was. But he had one move. That right hook. His jabs were weak and his footwork sloppy. His tactic was to get in close and hit so hard the other person didn¡¯t get up. His dark frown said he hadn¡¯t expected Abbee to get up.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he growled. ¡°No weapons, no talents. No talents. It¡¯s the rule.¡±

    Abbee felt her cheek muscles reattach beneath her skin. She grinned, half in amusement, half to make sure her face still worked. She opened her mouth to speak, and her breath caught on a knot of phlegm in her throat. She coughed and spat a thick glob of pinkish wet onto the dirt.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the rule. The rule says I¡¯m not allowed to use a talent on you.¡± She straightened. ¡°You¡¯re going to wish I could use it on you.¡±

    The beast glanced up at the first row behind Abbee¡¯s head. She knew who was there. Knew the beast would find no succor from the House soldiers watching the bout. Using talents against combatants in a bout was indeed forbidden, but the soldiers weren¡¯t looking at Abbee. They were looking at the crowd, trying to find the healer they were sure must be helping her. They wanted the fight to continue so they could catch her in the act, which had a stiffer sentence. House soldiers loved dispensing lethal justice. They weren¡¯t going to find anybody. Only a few people knew how her talent worked, and none of them talked to House soldiers.

    The beast¡¯s scowl deepened in confusion. ¡°Healers can¡¯t heal themselves.¡±

    Abbee ran straight at him.

    Ipsu used to say that human bodies were all the same. Some were covered with more muscle and ligaments than others, but the weak points never changed. Knees, wrists, groin, eyes, throat. Take out someone¡¯s knee, and it didn¡¯t matter what their pain tolerance was. They couldn¡¯t walk. Break a wrist, and their hitting power was much reduced. Poke the eyes, and discover who could manage without sight. Abbee liked the throat. Damage the right spot on the throat, and a person couldn¡¯t breathe. Take away the air, and the whole body broke down.

    The beast made a clumsy grab for her, but she dodged and kicked him in the inside kneecap. He howled. Twisted and stumbled. His head dropped into Abbee¡¯s range. She drove herself forward, plowing all her momentum and power into a single point twenty centimeters behind the beast. Her fist smashed into his exposed throat.

    Cartilage crumpled. He tried to suck in a breath, but it caught with a terrible wheeze. Tried to speak and failed. She¡¯d crushed his trachea. The beast¡¯s hands flew to his damaged throat. Panic leaped into his eyes as his body seized up for lack of air.

    Abbee straightened. ¡°Like I said. You wish I could use it on you.¡±

    The beast gasped and wheezed and toppled to the ground like a rotten tree.

    ***

    ¡°What¡¯s with the short fight?¡± Bory complained when Abbee approached him in the alley behind the bout hall. A crisp breeze scattered scraps of paper into grimy corners. Bory stood in shadow, close to the main road. Easy to melt into the foot traffic streaming out into the night. Easy to get away if uptight House soldiers got nosy. Betting on bouts was illegal.

    Abbee knew Bory liked longer fights. More hits. More bets. ¡°Stop whining. I let him break my jaw.¡± She stuck out her hand.

    ¡°I still have no idea how you¡¯re doing it,¡± Bory said. ¡°I keep looking for somebody in the crowd who¡¯s healing you, but there¡¯s never anybody close enough. House soldiers went so far as to clear the first two rows tonight, too.¡±

    Abbee snorted. That was the going theory these days. She was paying a Class Three or maybe even a Four to hide nearby and help sell the self-healing illusion. Everyone knew that healers couldn¡¯t heal themselves, but everyone also knew that healers had to be close to do their work. The mystery was driving everybody crazy. The House soldiers had been trying to catch her in the act for weeks. Apparently, the first constable hadn¡¯t told anyone about her talent. Nobody knew.

    ¡°If they get you,¡± Bory went on, ¡°they¡¯re not going to send you back to Graywall, you know. You¡¯ve been out, what, a couple years? You¡¯ll not get a second stint when they catch you cheating on the bouts. They¡¯ll save you the trip and kill you on the spot.¡±

    ¡°How about you let me worry about that?¡± Abbee told him. She wasn¡¯t cheating, and she wasn¡¯t going back to prison either. She¡¯d die first. Or try to. Her gift made that hard. Abbee snapped her fingers. ¡°Gimme my cut.¡±

    Bory grunted. ¡°Here.¡± He dug into his pocket and produced a wad of paper bills.

    Abbee closed her hand. ¡°Coin, Bory. You know I don¡¯t do that paper rubbish.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what people are using now. Gotta get with the times.¡± Bory raised his brow. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I can keep¡ª¡±

    Abbee grabbed the money. She thumbed the edges, counting the brightly colored bills. ¡°This is it?¡±

    Bory shrugged. ¡°People know your game now. The only ones who bet against you are from out of town. They don¡¯t know better. Or the suckers. Tonight was light on suckers.¡± He pushed off the wall and stepped out into the street. ¡°Next time, make the fight go longer.¡±

    Abbee shot a rude gesture at Bory¡¯s back. She walked in the opposite direction, down the length of the alley and out the other side to New Baker Street. Abbee spotted two House soldiers looking away from her, eyeballing a pair of constables across the street. The constables eyeballed the House soldiers back, each daring the other to step off their respective sidewalks. Abbee flipped up the hood on her leather jerkin and melted into the crowd exiting the bout hall. She turned right and climbed a short hill. Crossed an intersection and up onto the front porch of the Iron Bull Tavern. Abbee paused and glanced back east at the view.

    It had been nineteen years since Towerfall, when the golems had stridden across the city and wrecked everything. A person might be tricked for a moment into thinking that nothing like that had ever happened. Moonlight illuminated the usual reddish slate roofs and the exposed rock of the escarpment cliffs on the left. The cliffs rose a thousand meters into the air and zigzagged across the entire continent. A plateau jutted out from the escarpment and obscured half the city. Abbee watched mists gather around the High Falls of Charrin as the river plummeted off the high edge. The water looked like falling salt in the night.

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    Abbee held her contemplation for a brief moment before the stark differences of reality poked in. The plateau was empty, for one thing. For the first third of her life, the Tower of Akken had dominated the city¡¯s skyline. Eight marble spires reaching into the sky like bony fingers. The Tower was gone now. The plateau had a monument on it. Eight columns of obsidian, each three meters tall and ten meters in diameter, occupied the spot where the Tower gardens had once stood. Each column was covered with names. Everyone who had died the night the Tower had fallen had their name etched into stone. Hundreds of thousands of names.

    Abbee didn¡¯t like visiting the plateau nor the monument. Most people didn¡¯t. Standing anywhere on the plateau felt wrong to them somehow, like a tiny tug on the spirit. Some people said it was the weight of the dead, of that terrible night, that made people feel spiritually drained. Others said it was ghosts of evil wizards, lingering in the shadows and preying on good citizens. Some professed those wraiths still walked the sealed basements beneath the monument. The basements were supposedly a rabbit warren of tunnels and chambers riddling the entire plateau. Most people didn¡¯t think those tunnels existed at all. Everyone had their reasons for avoiding the plateau. Abbee had never felt any kind of tug on her spirit while on the plateau. She had no idea what people were talking about. Abbee hadn¡¯t returned ever since she¡¯d found a name on the monument that shouldn¡¯t have been there. Kril Danner didn¡¯t deserve that kind of recognition.

    Shouts from inside the tavern. Excited shouts, rising to a crescendo. The porch¡¯s floorboards vibrated. Abbee heard a whooping chorus. A surprised yell and a thump. The shouts slid into a groaning roar of dismay. The song of hope rising and crashing would go on for hours, until everyone ran out of spending money, got too drunk, or both. Hardly a night went by without someone breaking bones or getting a concussion at this tavern, and no one had to throw a single punch.

    The Iron Bull was the only watering hole in Akken with a surviving animated bull. The owner, Karl Meekar, had owned the original Iron Bull Tavern on Tulley Street, in the Yards. He¡¯d had to move it during the demolition of Akken, and they hadn¡¯t let him come back. Something about the bull bringing in the wrong sort of crowd or something. While somewhat plausible with Akken¡¯s new culture committees, Abbee suspected Karl¡¯s reluctance to move had more to do with his advancing age. He was slowing down, and moving his whole tavern again was too much work. Plus, it was easier to rail against the new world order from outside the city walls, especially when a hat shop had replaced Karl¡¯s old spot on Tulley Street.

    Abbee ducked inside and lowered her hood. Scanned left to right, taking in faces, body language, groups. Who made eye contact with her. Who held it and who glanced away. The ones she could see, anyway. Magical lights were rare these days and only showed up in rich places. The Iron Bull wasn¡¯t a rich place. The Iron Bull was lit by big oil lamps hanging on posts. Long shadows in the corners. Satisfied that there was no immediate threat, Abbee relaxed and took in the rest of the room.

    The bull itself dominated the wide-open room in front. It looked less like a bull and more like a floating saddle. The floor beneath the bull was polished granite, unlike the rough-hewn pine boards everywhere else. The bull sat in a recessed pocket in the floor, so spectators could watch the action without standing on surrounding tables. The crowd was currently selecting the next bull rider, which involved a combination of prodding, cajoling, and the promise of free beer. Free beer usually did it. A cheer went up from the crowd as a young man climbed up on the saddle.

    The saddle wiggled beneath him, as if asking him if he was certain. The young man grabbed the saddle horn with one hand and raised his free hand above his head. A bull¡¯s shriek filled the room, and the animal coalesced into form beneath the saddle. Abbee had seen that bull thousands of times, and it still amazed her. It looked real. Every hair, every muscle, even down to the mean-looking horns on its head. It was a monster. The bull pounded its front hooves on the floor. Abbee heard the thumps over the crowd. The illusion was so good.

    The young man¡¯s face twisted in surprise at the first buck. It was a little one. A step up from the first wiggle. The bull gave every rider a couple of chances to get off, all nice like. Then it got violent. It bucked in unpredictable patterns so a rider couldn¡¯t memorize the movements. Part of the problem of learning the bull was the recovery time in between bad falls. While broken bones mended faster with the aid of a healer, the mental scars hung around longer. The bull made people afraid of it.

    Abbee walked around the crowd to the bar. She made eye contact with Karl. The grizzled old man nodded and poured out a finger of whiskey. Abbee picked up the glass and swirled the amber liquid in anticipation. She couldn¡¯t get drunk, but she liked doing things that Ipsu might find offensive. Drinking alcohol was one of the many things he disliked. Fighting for coin was another. He¡¯d be apoplectic if he ever found out about that.

    Abbee grabbed an empty stool and saluted Karl with the glass. Behind her, the crowd roared with hope. Dismay right after. The young man hadn¡¯t made it past the first real buck.

    ¡°You gonna ride tonight?¡± Karl asked.

    Abbee massaged her jaw. ¡°No. I already put on a show at the bouts. I¡¯m done for the day.¡± She tipped the whiskey back. The Iron Bull was one of her favorite spots in New Bend. Karl had the animated bull and good whiskey and a roof that didn¡¯t leak.

    Karl gestured with the bottle. ¡°Another?¡±

    ¡°One,¡± Abbee said. She drank the shot, counted out a couple of bills, and put them on the bar.

    Karl wrinkled his nose at the bills but took them without comment.

    ¡°I¡¯m seeing real coin less and less these days,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Bory had bills. Bory. What¡¯s the world coming to when even bookies deal in paper?¡±

    Karl nodded. ¡°The sound of commerce used to clink. Now it shuffles. Whispers, even.¡±

    ¡°I used to not care if my money got wet,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Karl said, gesturing at the length of the bar. ¡°I lose a little money every night.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°Depends on what people spill,¡± Karl said, shrugging. ¡°Your whiskey will kill a bill in ten seconds. Scrapes the ink right off. Beer¡¯s safer.¡±

    ¡°Watered down, you mean.¡±

    Karl pointed at her. ¡°You watch your mouth. This isn¡¯t Tricky¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Tricky?¡±

    The old barkeep rolled his eyes. ¡°You young pups don¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thirty-one.¡±

    ¡°Like I said. Young pup. Tricky ran what I would call a less reputable establishment in the North Bend. Watered down his liquor. Golems got him.¡±

    A memory of a dark mover pit flickered in Abbee¡¯s head. Falling in the dark with broken arms. She pushed the thought away. ¡°Sorry, Karl.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. We weren¡¯t friends. Got what was coming to him.¡± Karl shook his head. ¡°Watering down booze should be a capital offense.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give the Council any more ideas about capital offenses.¡±

    ¡°Lucky for you, they don¡¯t come out here to ask my opinion.¡±

    ¡°Lucky for me?¡±

    Karl waved his hand. ¡°Figure of speech.¡±

    Abbee¡¯s stomach rumbled. Using her gift made her hungry. ¡°You got anything to eat in here?¡±

    ¡°Not much. Some bread and cheese. I had a roast pig, but that¡¯s been picked over.¡±

    ¡°Bread and cheese sounds great.¡± She fished out some more money from her pocket and put it on the bar. ¡°I¡¯ll take a whole loaf, if that¡¯s what you¡¯ve got.¡±

    Karl took the bills and went into the back. He returned with a small loaf of brown bread and a wedge of cheese. Abbee took both. She ripped a chunk off the loaf and stuffed it in her mouth. It was plain bread, but it tasted amazing. There was a baker around the corner, Whit, who knew what he was doing. Abbee sniffed the cheese. It didn¡¯t smell funky like some of the fancy cheeses in the city. She inhaled that too.

    The crowd shouted in dismay as another rider was tossed from the bull. ¡°You sure you¡¯re not going to ride tonight?¡± Karl asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Karl rapped his knuckles on the bar. ¡°You change your mind¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know where the bull is.¡±

    Karl moved away to take care of another customer. Abbee rotated on her seat and leaned against the bar. She watched a man wearing a drover vest mount the saddle. He moved with the assured grace of someone who rode continental trains for a living. Maybe this man thought his talent would help him with the bull. He was in for a surprise. Abbee folded her arms and watched. The drover didn¡¯t have the determined yet wary expression of an experienced bull rider. He had no idea what was about to happen. The drover lasted maybe five seconds before the bull ejected him into the first row of spectators. Five seconds wasn¡¯t bad. Hardly anyone got to ten.

    A familiar face with a red beard sidled up to the bar next to Abbee. Henk Slempy had the chubby build of someone who lived with a pen in one hand and a sandwich in the other. He worked as a speaker relay for the repeaters. The old Akken repeaters had been a weird bunch who¡¯d memorize whatever you said and repeat it verbatim to your message¡¯s recipient. They always seemed able to find the person, no matter where they were in the city. The old repeaters never came back after Towerfall. DotPost tried to be a replacement, but nobody believed DotPost messages further than a hundred meters.

    A local entrepreneur named Sully Winkley had stepped into the void. Abbee had heard about Sully from Whimsy during one of her monthly visits. She¡¯d kept Abbee abreast of happenings in Akken. Apparently, Sully¡¯s first trick had been inventing a system to ensure message coherence and security using Class Two Speakers. Sully put them in relay towers on top of buildings, forming a network across the entire city. Sully¡¯s other trick was using DotPost as the last leg in the delivery chain. He didn¡¯t compete with DotPost; he gave them steady work. Repeaters above, and DotPost below. The repeaters cost real coin. DotPost still ran on Dots, the ever-present pebbles everyone had in their pockets, like lint.

    Henk grinned. ¡°Fancy a dock?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked, frowning. She hadn¡¯t expected the phrase nor the context. ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Henk. No.¡±

    His expression turned hopeful. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯d ¡­ if I wasn¡¯t? I can go¡ª¡±

    ¡°Does Teena know you¡¯re out here propositioning people like a Kivan sailor?¡±

    Henk¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°She can go ride a golem, for all I care.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah? What¡¯re you two fighting about now?¡±

    ¡°The same old thing. It¡¯s always the same thing. That I don¡¯t listen. That I say I¡¯m too tired to talk. And I am. The messages never stop at the relays. I am going full tilt all day. All day. I¡¯m tired when I get home, okay? I don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°You ever tell Sully you¡¯re tired, Henk?¡±

    ¡°¡ªneed ¡­ What? No. I¡¯ve never told him I¡¯m tired, never. You know Sully. He expects the best.¡± Henk puffed up his chest. ¡°And I deliver without complaint.¡±

    ¡°Right. And you think Teena¡¯s going to be impressed when you tell her you¡¯re too tired to talk?¡±

    Henk opened his mouth. Closed it.

    Abbee gathered up her bread and cheese. She left before Henk launched into the tiresome portion of realizing he was wrong while inebriated. Talking to drunk people was exhausting.

    She skirted the crowd on her way out. The song of hope and dismay rose and fell. Abbee glanced at the slate chart to the left of the door, where someone had scrawled a list of names and times. The chart said Iron Bull Riders at the top in fancy lettering. Most names were written in chalk. The top name had been there so long someone had carved it into a wooden plaque. Abbee still felt a little charge of pride every time she saw the inscription.

    Abbee, 27 seconds.

 Chapter 18

    Abbee paused on the Iron Bull¡¯s porch. She stretched and scanned the street. Normal foot traffic for this time of night. Some stragglers heading home after working in the city proper. People who lived in New Bend didn¡¯t pay for carts to drop them off; they had to walk.

    Up the block, a big cart was parked in front of the nicest of New Bend¡¯s three general stores. The cart had a heavy, reinforced cargo box bolted to a steel frame. Steel wheels. A drover up top. Two big guards on the street, wearing leather armor and carrying swords. Red jackets. Bank pickup. New Bend had three stops for the Bank of Akken¡¯s deposit carts, and Maybell¡¯s General Store was the last one on the list.

    A third guard exited the store, carrying a heavy canvas bag. The other two guards perked up and watched everyone nearby. The drover looked like he was taking a nap. Abbee knew an open box of steel arrowheads sat at his feet. The guard with the bag signaled to his colleagues. The two on the street gave another look around before giving a thumbs-up. The bag carrier stepped around the back of the cart and out of view. The drover never moved. Three seconds later, the cargo was stowed, and three seconds after that, everyone was on the cart, the drover was awake, and the cart had pulled away from the curb. Six seconds. Smooth pickup. The cart rumbled past the Iron Bull, heading east. Two of the guards spotted Abbee on the porch. Hands tightened on sword hilts. They kept watching her until the cart turned the corner.

    Abbee sniffed. Stab a bank guard, and they never forget it. She went down the steps and turned left. She relaxed into her regular, measured pace. Hood down, head on a swivel. Abbee wasn¡¯t worried about anyone she might encounter in New Bend, but she was tired and wanted her bed.

    Several blocks later Abbee crested another hill and descended down into the roughest part of New Bend. The Brakes occupied a narrow valley where the air turned cold and clammy. All the shanties leaned in different directions, with no right angles to be found anywhere. The road became soft, and wooden planks covered frequent muddy spots. Putrid puddles collected in the silty soil, and the air here smelled like desperation.

    The reason New Bend had survived the dismantling of the work camps was over the next hill. The slate quarry. The massive pit had produced most of the stone used to build Akken¡ªboth times. It was deep, and rainwater loved to collect at the bottom. The old pumps had pushed that water up and out of the quarry¡ªright into the Brakes. A canal ran southeast through the middle of the slum and drained into the Charrin, but the canal¡¯s walls had never been reinforced with any of the ample stone lying around. The ground under the Brakes was sandy with centuries of accumulated slate dust. Everything turned to deep mud when it rained.

    Not the best building spot, but everyone had thought New Bend would be temporary. Instead, New Bend had turned into a new district. All the other camps had been dismantled and removed, but cities always needed places to put the poor people. It was better if that spot was a little out of sight from everything else, and New Bend fit the bill. It rankled Abbee that she couldn¡¯t afford a home in the old poor sections of Akken. The most durable spot in New Bend was the bout hall. The joke around this part of town was that you lived in the lap of luxury if your house didn¡¯t need significant repairs after a thunderstorm.

    A shadow detached from an alley ahead of her. Another shadow came out after the first one and yanked it back. Abbee heard a low, furious conversation.

    ¡°Get off me! What¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Abbee Danner. Don¡¯t ever get in her way.¡±

    ¡°¡ªdo you ¡­? Really? The Butcher? How¡¯d you know?¡±

    ¡°Short hair, alone in the Brakes at night without a blade, and walkin¡¯ like she owns the place. If you tangle with her ¡­ Look, nobody¡¯s carryin¡¯ you to a healer if you do somethin¡¯ dumb.¡±

    Abbee paused when she got even with the alley¡¯s mouth. It was less an alley and more an opportunistic space squeezed between two shanties. Dark. Big enough to hide several people. She gave it a beat. Two. Let the question hang between them in the night air.

    Nobody came out of the alley.

    The air lost its hopeless tinge at the top of the hill on the other side of the Brakes. A vast pit stretched away from Abbee. The quarry. Moonlight illuminated wide ramps on the far side. Numerous spots of light down in the depths. Green, yellow, a couple of red ones. The green and yellow lights moved. The ground shivered through Abbee¡¯s boots. An irregular staccato drumbeat of feet. Giant feet. Stone feet.

    Abbee headed south toward several long buildings. Further west was the slate-processing plant. Blocks of slate went in one side, and finished products came out the other. Roofing tiles were the predominant quarry product. The quarry also fabricated indoor flooring, wall cladding, and other building materials. The slate quarry saw steady business with the university. Abbee thought they should call the place the University of Explosive Applications, given how often they rebuilt the laboratories. The university never did anything small. While most schools taught known subjects, the University of Akken was a pure research institution. Over the past two decades, it had produced through science things that had been literally magic. Abbee had heard about some big construction project south of the city, something big enough to take half the golems, whatever it was. ¡°Go big¡± was one of their unofficial mottos. ¡°We never met anything we couldn¡¯t blow up¡± was another.

    Abbee descended the hill toward the eastern side of the plant. The closest buildings to the quarry perimeter were the commercial warehouses holding finished products. She saw a few green lights moving around at the far end of the plant. Golems never came out this way. Abbee was safe. She couldn¡¯t see it from here, but beyond the product warehouses was a wide slate berm. Ten meters across, the berm served as a boundary marker for golem pilots and non-refractors. Golems ran on water, true, but the barrels ran dry all the time. A golem with empty barrels was deadly to every living thing in a ten-meter radius. While there were fewer golems here on the surface than down in the quarry, anyone who wasn¡¯t a refractor took a risk traversing the berms.

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    The warehouses were quiet at this time of night. She walked around the back of one building, to a set of wooden stairs leading up to a small, enclosed structure hanging off the back of the warehouse. Originally for a warehouse manager, back before the quarry had expanded and built its own administration building, the tiny office now served as Abbee¡¯s home. The rent was cheap, and most people were afraid to get this close to the slate berm. That suited Abbee. She didn¡¯t like visitors.

    Abbee froze halfway up the stairs. Two dots on a step.

    She¡¯d gone up and down these stairs hundreds of times. She knew each one. The dots weren¡¯t supposed to be there. She leaned back and let the moonlight hit them. Wet. It hadn¡¯t rained for a couple of days. Abbee moved up the stairs. More drops. It was hard to see color in the gray, but Abbee knew what it was. Blood. She knew what blood looked like dried, half-dried, and fresh. This was fresh.

    She stopped at the top. The door to her apartment was two meters away. Closed. She had the only key, and the lock looked unbroken. The drops didn¡¯t go to the door. They went around the landing, to the back of the warehouse. Abbee had a window back there, in the privy closet. She suspected it was now broken.

    Abbee hadn¡¯t tried to be silent coming up the stairs. Anyone listening would know she¡¯d paused. Abbee stepped over to the door and unlocked it. She pushed the door open and let it swing on its hinges. She remained outside. The apartment was a single room with a privy closet in the far right corner. Rainwater catchment barrels on the roof fed down into a pipe there, feeding both a small sink and the privy. A table in the center of the room with two chairs, and beyond that, a simple cot. The table and the nearest chair had clothes, papers, and old foil wrappings all over them. Abbee saw wet spots on the chair facing the door. The table was out of position by a handspan.

    A single dark curse escaped her mouth.

    A body on the floor. A man with a shaved head and one arm folded beneath him. The other sleeve was empty. Abbee knew the man had one arm. Knew the man. He was a folded lump on her floor, and she hadn¡¯t seen him in twelve years, but she¡¯d recognize him anywhere. Ipsu. Abbee guessed he¡¯d sat on the chair and passed out, pushing the table out of the way on his way down. A pool of wet on the floor underneath him. A big one. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t noticed it dripping through the floorboards on her way up. She knew Ipsu was unconscious. Otherwise, he¡¯d have had some cutting remark about her sloppiness approaching her own home with someone waiting inside.

    A welter of emotions flooded through Abbee. Shock, anger, satisfaction, and a glint of happiness. But mostly anger. She took a breath and pushed it all away. If Ipsu had passed out from blood loss, he was either dead or close to it. She didn¡¯t have time to be mad at him.

    Abbee poked her head inside and checked the room¡¯s corners. Empty. Ipsu was alone. Two steps, and she was at Ipsu¡¯s side. She rolled him over. Ipsu¡¯s tunic was painted with a giant dark wetness. His one arm flopped onto the floor. Something hard clicked onto the floorboards. Abbee leaned over and snatched it up. A slender, unmarked cylinder. A message rod. She slipped it into her pocket. Abbee knew it was for someone else. Ipsu had an excellent memory and never wrote anything down.

    She pressed two fingers into Ipsu¡¯s throat. His pulse fluttered. She needed more light. The moonlight didn¡¯t come far enough into the apartment to see what she was dealing with. Abbee stood up and unhooked her single oil lamp from the ceiling. Clicked the starter button a couple of times, producing sparks. One of the university¡¯s early innovations had been self-starting oil lamps. A bright white flame sprang up inside the lamp and burned steadily. She set the lamp on the blood-slicked chair.

    Ipsu had new wrinkles on his face. A new scar too. A big one, running from his ear up onto the top of his scalp. Abbee wondered who¡¯d gotten the better of him so badly. Ipsu wore simple trousers and leather boots. No coat. A plain woolen shirt with a shoulder bag slung across his chest. The sheath at his hip was empty. It must have been a bad fight for Ipsu to lose his knife.

    Ipsu coughed and inhaled. His breath rattled in his chest. Sounded wet. His eyes fluttered open and settled on Abbee. He grunted. Opened his mouth to speak.

    Abbee beat him to it. ¡°Where have you been? You left without a word twelve years ago. Twelve years. No message in all this time. Not a peep. Nothing. And now you come back to die on my floor? Who did this? Should I expect¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ipsu croaked.

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°Not long.¡±

    Abbee snorted. ¡°Your gift for ambiguity is intact.¡± She frowned. ¡°Why are you still bleeding? Why haven¡¯t you stanched¡ª¡±

    ¡°Red blade.¡±

    ¡°So? You¡¯re a refractor. A red blade shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tip broke off. On purpose.¡±

    Abbee knew refactors were immune to magic but not if it got inside them. The old artifact chips worked if swallowed¡ªthough some of them were the size of an egg with rough edges. Swallowing them¡ªand passing them in a privy¡ªwould be horrifying. ¡°Broke off? That means ¡­ they knew you were a refractor. They knew it was you.¡±

    Ipsu nodded. ¡°They knew.¡±

    ¡°Network?¡±

    Another nod. ¡°Hunters. They¡¯ll risk the quarry.¡±

    Wizard hunters were far more attention than Abbee ever wanted. ¡°Why are they after you?¡±

    Ipsu held up his hand. ¡°Where is ¡­? You have it?¡±

    Abbee pulled the rod out of her pocket. ¡°This? What¡¯s in it? Who¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡±

    Abbee felt a shiver through the floor. The structure was old and had problems. Sagged in places it shouldn¡¯t. She¡¯d been meaning to add extra supports under the floorboards. She felt another shiver. Someone was on the stairs. At least two people, maybe more.

    Ipsu coughed again. Blood sprayed his chin. He grabbed Abbee¡¯s jerkin and pulled her close. Strong for someone in his condition. ¡°Give ¡­ give that to¡ª¡±

    His grip failed. His eyes glassed over, and he went limp.

    Abbee stared at him. This couldn¡¯t be happening.

    The middle stair creaked.

    Abbee started. She pushed the rod back into her pocket and rifled through Ipsu¡¯s clothes. Nothing on him except the rod she¡¯d already taken, and his shoulder bag. She pulled the bag off him. Slipped her arm through it and rotated it around until it had settled onto her back. Pulled the strap tight. She¡¯d search its contents later.

    Now she had to run.

 Chapter 19

    Abbee grabbed the lamp off the chair and hurled it toward the open front door of her apartment. Toward the floor. She needed a diversion. A splash of fire to create a space between her and the hunters. Something dramatic. If she was lucky, Abbee might spoil their night vision.

    The lamp bounced off the balcony floor with a dull clunk. It careened through the open railing. No explosion. No fire.

    Abbee hoped that wasn¡¯t a sign of how this chase was going to go. She dashed to the corner of the room and yanked her cot away from the wall. She jumped over it and tipped it upward. Turned and felt for the right spot with her hands. The pin, the pin. There. She kicked it with her foot. Abbee heard the scrape of metal on metal. Another kick, and the pin flew free. The floorboard dropped away, swinging on a hinge.

    Footsteps on the balcony landing.

    Abbee dropped through the opening. She heard the clack-clack-clack of a repeating bolt thrower, and thuds into the wall above her head. She fell five meters straight down. Abbee tried to time it right. Knees bent, fold, and roll, like she¡¯d practiced. She¡¯d never practiced at night. She¡¯d just looked at a bright oil lamp. Abbee couldn¡¯t see the ground in the dark.

    Her toes hit first. She absorbed the impact through her legs and tucked, falling into a roll. Escaped the roll and surged forward. Abbee didn¡¯t have time to congratulate herself on landing without breaking an ankle. She had to get clear. The Brakes were across an open field and up a hill. Too far in the moonlight. Too risky. She sprinted away from the escape hatch toward the next warehouse. Deeper into the quarry. That was risky too. I can¡¯t be seen.

    Clack-clack-clack.

    Thumps into the ground where she¡¯d stood. Abbee poured on the speed. Ahead of her, she saw the slate berm. She didn¡¯t hesitate. Ran right across it, her boot heels slamming against hard stone. She had no choice.

    Abbee got to the next warehouse. She turned the corner and looked back. Didn¡¯t see the hunters. She guessed they¡¯d stopped to examine Ipsu¡¯s body. Maybe Ipsu had been wrong, and the hunters wouldn¡¯t risk following her. Abbee knew she was fooling herself. They¡¯d follow.

    The quarry ran all day and half the night. Days were busiest. Night shift was light duty, a skeleton crew compared to the hundreds of people swarming the quarry during the day. The night crew moved material around the processing plant, filled water barrels, staged the carts used for hauling stone up the ramps, and positioned golems in the next day¡¯s digging areas. The night shift would be done in a couple of hours. Abbee didn¡¯t want to endanger the quarry workers by bringing the hunters closer, but New Bend was too far away across open ground. The moon was bright tonight. She couldn¡¯t risk being seen. Couldn¡¯t risk a mover getting line of sight on her.

    Abbee spotted a golem standing motionless about a hundred meters away. It was huge. She felt awe every time she saw one of these things, and she saw them a lot. The golem faced away from her. On its back, two big barrels hung on top of one another like a backpack. Each barrel was two meters tall, a supersized version of the beer barrels Karl rolled around inside the Iron Bull.

    No light. No pilot. Both the golem and its light turned on when a pilot sat in the cockpit. Pilots brought up the oil for the lights every shift. The lights indicated water levels in a golem¡¯s barrels. Green meant the top barrel had water in it, yellow meant the top barrel was empty, and a golem with a red light was running on drops or empty. A moving golem with no light was as dangerous as a red light. The quarry had spotters, whose only job was to watch the lights.

    The night shift crew hadn¡¯t yet moved this golem. Abbee beelined for it.

    The repeating bolt thrower was worrying. Abbee hadn¡¯t seen one of those before, only heard about them. Heard about the sound they made, the clack-clack-clack. Rarer than red blades, these bolt throwers were carried only by a few hunters. Senior hunters. The ones with the most kills. The upside Abbee saw was that a mover wouldn¡¯t need a bolt thrower.

    Abbee reached the golem. Metal bands surrounded its left leg and back. Rungs bolted to the bands provided a way up to the cockpit in the golem¡¯s head. She jumped onto the rungs and climbed. Scampered up the golem¡¯s leg to its back. Abbee pressed herself into a shadow behind the barrels. Spared a glance for her pursuers.

    Two figures rounded the corner of the warehouse. In the moonlight, she saw leather armor and helmets. Sword hilts poked up over their shoulders. They looked like House soldiers. Surviving artifact chips were rare, but the armor had defensive enchantments on the plating that lasted forever unless damaged. They each had a long metal box on one forearm. The repeating bolt throwers.

    Abbee froze. Maybe they wouldn¡¯t see her.

    One hunter looked toward the processing plant. Turned their head and scanned the open field. Looked right at the golem. Abbee didn¡¯t move. The hunter pointed at her. Both sprinted for the golem.

    Abbee yelped and scrambled up the golem¡¯s back. This was bad. The hunter who¡¯d pointed had barely glanced at the golem. They hadn¡¯t stopped to make a decision about what was more likely, that she had run for the processing plant, fled across the field, or gone to the golem. The hunter had known right where Abbee was. That hunter saw in the dark, or they were a telepath.

    Both were bad. A telepath was the worst. Abbee couldn¡¯t hide from a telepath. She wasn¡¯t Ipsu. Wasn¡¯t a refractor. She couldn¡¯t block a telepath from her mind. They might be rummaging around in her head right now, and she¡¯d not know. Abbee couldn¡¯t run. She had to fight.

    She reached the small platform at the base of the golem¡¯s head. A metal band sat on the golem¡¯s head like a circlet. Accessing a golem¡¯s cockpit used to take two people pressing spots on either side of the hatch. The pilots had worked out a way for one person to activate the lock. The locking mechanism was attached to the circlet, along with a tall metal pole with the water level light on it. Abbee slapped her hand against the lock mechanism. Two padded prongs banged into smooth spots on either side of the golem¡¯s head. A bright line snaked up and around in the shape of a rectangular door. The line connected back at its start, and the door slid to the side, revealing a smooth leather chair inside the cockpit. Metal arms with smooth black handles at each side.

    This was beyond dangerous. Besides the dangers of the golem itself, entering a golem cockpit without a Golem Guild membership was a capital offense. If a House soldier saw her doing this, they¡¯d execute her on the spot. She spared one more glance behind her. The hunters were coming, sprinting across the field.

    Abbee squeezed around and plopped into the seat. She rested her hands on the smooth handles, like gripping broom handles. Abbee pulled the handles toward herself. The hatch slid closed. Leather bands wrapped around Abbee¡¯s chest, hips, and each of her legs. The chair pushed her up into a standing position and ensconced her in the golem¡¯s driving harness. A sliding pad appeared through the floor under her feet. It gave the pilot the sense that they were walking across a floor. Abbee assumed it worked like a belt drive, like the leather ones she had seen once in a sawmill.

    Golems didn¡¯t have faces. No eyes, nose, or mouth. A smooth surface where a face would be. The cockpit¡¯s front wall was the same, but as soon as Abbee activated the chair, a view of the outside appeared on the wall. Abbee saw the field in front of her and the processing plant in the distance.

    As the golem sprang to life, Abbee realized that she hadn¡¯t checked the barrels. She had no idea if they were empty. She hoped she didn¡¯t go the way of Alize Trei and turn into an old woman or, worse, a desiccated corpse. Something tickled her wrists. She looked down and saw mote sifting down onto the floor. She had no idea why she was emitting mote. She wasn¡¯t injured.

    Pressure squeezed her all over. Felt like getting swaddled in a big blanket. It wasn¡¯t painful, but Abbee didn¡¯t know what it was. Terror flashed through her. Was the golem taking life from her? No, couldn¡¯t be. That was a pull. A tug on the spirit, people said. Some survivors of Towerfall had escaped the golems. Gotten too close but managed to get away before they had been killed. The ones who had all said it was a tug. Like something was yanking your energy away.

    Abbee felt no tug. Only pressure.

    She turned in her harness. Felt the golem turn beneath her. It was surprisingly quiet inside the cockpit, given how big a golem was and how much noise it made as it moved. The view slid to the left, revealing the warehouse and the hunters.

    Both hunters had slid to a stop. They stumbled and sprawled on the ground. Abbee didn¡¯t understand. She hadn¡¯t touched either of them. She stepped forward on the strange moving pad. The golem took a ponderous step. She leaned forward a little and saw the two hunters. They¡¯d collapsed. They weren¡¯t moving. A steady stream of mote fell from her wrists. A lot of it. She only produced this much mote when she healed mortal injuries. Abbee had no idea why it was happening, but she wanted it to be over.

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    She drove the golem forward and stepped on both hunters with one giant foot.

    Abbee brought her other foot forward, and as soon as the golem returned to a standing position, she let go of both handles. The driving harness released her body. Reconfigured back down into a plain leather chair. The sliding pad disappeared beneath a metal plate at her feet. All at once the pressure left her, and the tickle on her wrists went away. Abbee jumped up out of the chair like jumping away from a striking snake.

    The hatch slid back and revealed the night sky. A breeze ruffled her hair and stirred the mote on the floor. Abbee climbed past the chair and escaped the cockpit. She sucked in cool night air and let out an explosive breath. She felt her face, searching for withered skin. Checked her hands. No signs of advanced age. She¡¯d never seen anyone who had come out of a golem older, but she¡¯d heard the stories. Heard about what had happened to Alize. Abbee felt the same as when she¡¯d gone into the golem. An itch spread across her wrists. Except for the mote. She rubbed her arms on her trousers. She¡¯d have to wash her hands to get it all off.

    Abbee climbed down the metal rungs and hopped off the golem, happy to get back on the ground. She walked past the golem¡¯s foot. It was almost as tall as she was. An arm stuck out from underneath it, pressed into the dirt and bloody on one end. The arm had a repeater bolt thrower on it. Abbee hesitated. She wanted to take it. She couldn¡¯t leave it here, but having it would get her into deadly trouble. Abbee reminded herself that she was already in a great deal of deadly trouble, and a little more wouldn¡¯t matter.

    She bent down and loosened the straps underneath the floppy arm. She pulled the bolt thrower off, careful to point it away from herself. As she was looting the arm, she felt a tug of regret that she¡¯d covered the hunters with the golem. She¡¯d never find out what other goodies they¡¯d been carrying. Maybe she could¡¯ve gotten a red blade out of this deal too.

    The bolt thrower was a long, lightweight box made from dark gray metal. It had an ominous hole at one end. Abbee fought down the impulse to stick her finger in it. There didn¡¯t seem to be any way to disassemble it. No pins, nails, or straps holding the box together. It looked too small to propel anything bigger than a pea, but Abbee knew the device shot small, heavy bolts with as much force as a normal crossbow. All she had to do was strap the thing on her arm and think about shooting someone with it, and it would oblige. The weapon never needed reloading. As far as Abbee was aware, nobody knew where the bolts came from.

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    Abbee looked up. A man in overalls and a bright vest crossed the field toward her. A quarry spotter. He must have been in the nest atop the nearest warehouse, in the cupola. Abbee hadn¡¯t realized someone had been up there. She swore. She wasn¡¯t supposed to be on this side of the berm, and she definitely wasn¡¯t supposed to drive a golem. Abbee didn¡¯t need a witness telling anyone what had happened to the hunters.

    She opened Ipsu¡¯s satchel. Abbee couldn¡¯t see its contents very well in the moonlight, and she didn¡¯t have time to search it. She shoved the bolt thrower inside, closed the flap, and dropped the satchel on the ground on top of the arm, obscuring it from view. She stepped in front of the rest. Maybe the spotter had only seen her drive the golem before he¡¯d come down from the cupola. It took a minute or so to climb down the ladder, run across the catwalk, and dismount the raised platform in the back. Maybe he hadn¡¯t seen her step on the hunters.

    The man crossed the field with urgency in his steps.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± His voice sounded familiar, and as he got closer, Abbee recognized him in the moonlight. Lem Peytersen. She made a point of knowing every quarry worker¡¯s name. As many as she could, without asking them directly. There was power in names.

    Lem¡¯s eyebrows went up, and he slowed, half-turning as if his legs hadn¡¯t caught up with his brain¡¯s insistence that he be somewhere else. Abbee assumed he¡¯d recognized her. Everyone in the quarry gave her a wide berth.

    ¡°I ¡­ uh, I was just¡ª¡± Lem frowned. ¡°You know you¡¯re inside the berm, right? Are you okay? You look okay, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Why?¡±

    Lem pointed up at the golem. ¡°That thing¡¯s empty.¡±

    Abbee glanced at the barrels on the golem¡¯s back. ¡°Must have had a little splash left.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± Lem said. ¡°Myles ran it down again. Third time this month. Got his pay docked for doing it. There ain¡¯t a drop in those barrels.¡±

    Abbee realized what he was saying. Realized why the hunters had staggered. Why it had been so easy to kill them. The golem had been sucking the life from them. She felt sick. ¡°That¡¯s a dry golem?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lem said, nodding. ¡°Bone-dry.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Abbee said. She wasn¡¯t a refractor. She was a healer. A backward, broken healer that nobody had ever seen before, but a healer. If the golem had been dry, she¡¯d have felt its pull. Not a pressing, like someone had squeezed her with a blanket all over her body. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything. No tug, no pull.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t,¡± Lem said. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works for the pilot. Did you feel happy? Strong? Like you could conquer the world while you were in there?¡±

    ¡°Conquer the world?¡±

    Lem squinted at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t feel happy? Like it was the best thing in the world?¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like jaara dust.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than jaara dust,¡± Lem said, ¡°or so I¡¯ve been told. I¡¯ve not done neither¡ªdust or driving. But if you¡¯re not a refractor, happiness is what happens to you when you drive a golem. It¡¯s not common knowledge, because they don¡¯t want people to know there¡¯s a bigger high than jaara dust. We¡¯d have all sorts of idiots in here.¡±

    Abbee fixed him with a steady stare. ¡°Explain.¡±

    Lem swallowed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean ¡­ uh, okay. The university did tests back when Alize Trei found out how to drive the things. On the quiet, but they did tests. Ever wonder why golems are out here in the quarry? This is where they did the tests. They had people drive one at the bottom of the quarry. Figured out it could cut and haul rock. They also figured out that regular drivers feel euphoric. They feel invincible. They feel great. The golem is eating them, and they feel amazing. Alize was a dry corpse when they found her, but they said she had a smile on her face. She died happy. A big fat grin.¡±

    Abbee hadn¡¯t felt anything like that. Maybe she hadn¡¯t driven the golem long enough. She¡¯d only been in the pilot¡¯s chair a couple of minutes. A little voice in the back of her head said that had been plenty long. Something else had happened to her in there. The mote. The pressure. She wasn¡¯t a refractor, and she hadn¡¯t felt any euphoria. Something else was going on.

    Something ¡­ something not right.

    Abbee felt a growing pit in her stomach. She blinked. Focused on her breath. On her pulse.

    Inhale. Exhale. Slow.

    The pit faded. She didn¡¯t need to panic on top of all her other problems.

    ¡°You felt it, then, right?¡± Lem asked.

    Abbee¡¯s mind raced. As soon as someone moved the golem, they¡¯d find two flattened wizard hunters. A new story would spread like wildfire. A story Abbee didn¡¯t need or want. The Butcher of Graywall had driven a dry golem and stepped on two wizard hunters. How had that happened? What had the hunters been after? They¡¯d think it was her. That they¡¯d been after Abbee for some reason. The theories around that would be intense. More hunters would come after her. Hunters were relentless. Abbee thought about Ipsu¡¯s body in her apartment. What had he gotten her into? She wondered what was in the satchel at her feet. Wondered if anything in it might tell her what had happened to Ipsu, and why two hunters had been chasing him.

    Abbee had to deal with this mess first. She¡¯d have to move the golem and uncover the hunters¡¯ bodies. Dump them somewhere. She¡¯d need a cart or a horse or some other way to carry them. Not to mention Ipsu¡¯s dead body, bleeding all over her apartment floor. The hunters would be missed. Someone would come looking. Abbee had to get rid of them all and deflect attention away from the quarry. Erase the hunters. Erase Ipsu. And after all the erasing was done, she¡¯d have to erase Lem.

    ¡°Your name¡¯s Lem, right?¡± Abbee asked.

    Lem frowned. ¡°Yeah. Why do you ask?¡±

    Abbee bent down and retrieved the satchel. She put it on her back and moved away from the golem¡¯s foot.

    Lem glanced down. Did a double take. ¡°Is ¡­ is that an arm?¡± He leaned forward. ¡°That armor ¡­ Wait, did you step on a House soldier?¡±

    ¡°You saw me drive a golem tonight, Lem,¡± Abbee said, ¡°and it would be better if you hadn¡¯t. So you¡¯re going to help make this go away. And when you¡¯re done, you¡¯re not going to say anything about it. To anyone. Ever. Do you understand?¡±

    Lem¡¯s eyes widened in panic. ¡°You ¡­ you stepped on a House soldier with a quarry golem. This is bad. Oh, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad. We¡¯re buggered. We¡¯ll have the House soldiers crawling all over this place, and they¡¯ll find¡ª¡± Lem stopped. Closed his mouth. His eyes darted back and forth.

    Abbee hadn¡¯t realized Lem was in on that, but she jumped on the leverage he¡¯d handed to her. ¡°You mean they¡¯ll find out about the smuggling going on in the slate roofing tiles? Yes, I know about that. And yes, you¡¯re right. It¡¯ll be a true shame if they discover you took a joy ride in a golem and killed two people. Brought the wrong attention to the quarry.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Lem said. ¡°That was¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who do you think watches the quarry, Lem?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Makes sure everything is ticked and tied?¡± She didn¡¯t, and that wasn¡¯t why she had an apartment in a quarry warehouse. But Lem didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Whose story will be taken as truth? Yours or mine?¡±

    Lem¡¯s face said he knew who was on the bottom of that totem pole. He swore. ¡°I can go get some extra help to¡ª¡±

    ¡°No extra help,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Just you.¡± She glanced down at the arm. ¡°Well, if you could find a wheelbarrow, that¡¯ll make things easier.¡±

    Lem gestured at the warehouse. ¡°There¡¯s one in there. For cleaning up busted tiles.¡±

    ¡°Good. Go get it. And find some water. I need you to move the golem.¡±

    ¡°Regulations say we need¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Abbee looked past the golem¡¯s foot, toward the quarry proper. She saw several workers approaching from the other end of the yard. Shades in the moonlight. Six of them. Seven. Too many to threaten. Too many to fight. The one in the middle was shorter and wider than the rest. Abbee recognized him in the dark. Davo Bremmer, the night foreman. Abbee swore. Davo knew Abbee wasn¡¯t in on the smuggling ring, because he ran it.

    Abbee sprinted away from Lem and the stationary golem. She kept the golem between her and Davo for as long as possible. She wished she¡¯d had a moonless night. Not much to hide behind out here. She looked back. A few shadows stood on the berm. She¡¯d covered about a hundred meters. Another hundred, and Abbee looked again. The workers on the berm weren¡¯t following. Abbee slowed to a stop. She knew Davo was questioning Lem. Finding out everything. The upside to Davo finding the dead hunters was that he wouldn¡¯t welcome any interest in the quarry either. He¡¯d move the bodies.

    Abbee looked across the yard at the warehouse with her apartment in it. She thought about Ipsu sprawled on her floor. Going back was impossible. Davo¡¯s men would see her and intercept her. There were too many to fight. Abbee touched the satchel on her back. She needed a place to lie low for the night. She couldn¡¯t stay in the Brakes, nor New Bend. Davo would look for her, and Davo had more friends in New Bend¡¯s gangs than she did. That meant the city proper. Abbee thought about holing up at Whimsy¡¯s house. Discarded the idea. She didn¡¯t want to draw any trouble to Whimsy. Plus the last time they¡¯d talked hadn¡¯t ended exactly cordially. Abbee knew of a place she could use in a pinch. Just had to get to it.

 Chapter 20

    Running south took Abbee around the western wall of Akken. She remembered seeing Akken from a low hill further south, the night Ipsu had spirited her out of the ruined city. Remembered the shattered Tower and the broken walls and the holes where alcoves had been. The walls were still there and still towered twenty meters over her head, but the alcoves were gone. The walls were smooth all the way across, save for the occasional gate. New Bend didn¡¯t have a wall. It was easy to get into the work camp from outside, but to get into Akken proper, Abbee had to use a gate. Akken never slept, and the gates never closed, but that didn¡¯t mean they were unguarded. Akken¡¯s gate security was better now than it had been when the Tower had been in charge. Veronna took guard patrols seriously. Constables manned each one.

    Abbee headed to the Southwest Gate, where New Bend intersected with Akken. Only a few people passing through at this time of night, mostly heading out toward New Bend and not the other way. She reached the gate and hopped up on an empty porch nearby to watch for a few minutes. Watched the constables. Two of them. One outside and one inside the guard hut. The one in the hut looked a little familiar, but they spent most of their time in the hut, and Abbee couldn¡¯t get a good look. She watched who else watched them. The angle of the moon cast everything on this side of the wall in shadow. Lots of places to sit and watch. Abbee suspected there might be someone watching and she¡¯d not know.

    She was painfully aware of the satchel on her back. She didn¡¯t need anybody searching it on her way through the gate. During the day, the gate was too busy for constables to check everybody, so they didn¡¯t bother. But at night, there were fewer people, and constables got nosier. Everybody thought the dangerous people went through the gates at night. Night crossers had bad timing. Dangerous people knew to go in during the day.

    Abbee couldn¡¯t sit there forever. She stepped off the porch and crossed the courtyard. She kept her hood down. The constable in the center of the road watched Abbee coming.

    She held up her hand when Abbee got close. ¡°Where are you headed so late?¡±

    ¡°I have an errand in the city tonight,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Is that so? What kind of errand?¡±

    ¡°The kind that will go to someone else if I don¡¯t show.¡±

    ¡°That sounds suspicious,¡± a man said in a familiar voice. A round face poked out of the hut and split into a wide grin. ¡°Dunno if it¡¯s a good idea to let the infamous Abbee Danner into the city in the dark.¡±

    The other constable¡¯s brows shot up, and she tensed. Abbee felt a flash of relief all the same. Sergeant Shamus Potts. She¡¯d get through the checkpoint. There might be some grumbling, and she might have to agree to some sort of bribe, but she¡¯d get through.

    ¡°Shamus? How come you¡¯re working the gate?¡±

    ¡°My turn tonight. Everyone pulls a shift once a month.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°New thing. Old man says that if there are jobs only a few people do, then those are the jobs nobody will know how to do when it comes time to do them.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like something he¡¯d say,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I don¡¯t see him out here on the gate with you, though.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t, do you?¡± Shamus said. ¡°And that¡¯s a good thing for you. He doesn¡¯t like you much. Doesn¡¯t like you at all.¡±

    Abbee grunted. ¡°The feeling¡¯s mutual.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± the other constable asked.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t tell you, Mela?¡± Shamus asked. ¡°The Butcher of Graywall here was a constable once.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Mela said.

    ¡°Special constable,¡± Abbee corrected. ¡°For a day. Ask your precious first constable about it sometime.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Shamus warned. ¡°Not unless you want to be stuck on gate duty for a month.¡±

    ¡°Is it true that the first night in Graywall, they dropped you in the pit?¡± Mela asked. ¡°Sounds like rubbish. They wouldn¡¯t make a mistake like that.¡±

    ¡°No mistake. It happened. That¡¯s the night I got the nickname.¡±

    ¡°Ten, right?¡± Shamus asked.

    ¡°Fifteen,¡± Abbee corrected.

    ¡°Fifteen what?¡± Mela asked.

    Shamus dragged his finger across his throat.

    Mela goggled at Abbee. ¡°You killed fifteen men? In Graywall?¡±

    ¡°In the pit,¡± Shamus said. ¡°Body parts everywhere.¡± He grimaced and flexed his legs together. ¡°I heard that one man was even missing his¡ª¡±

    ¡°You going to let me through or not?¡± Abbee asked.

    Mela frowned in disbelief. She gestured at Abbee¡¯s trousers. ¡°Where¡¯d that blood come from?¡±

    Abbee looked down in chagrin at the dark stains on her clothing. She couldn¡¯t believe she hadn¡¯t noticed Ipsu¡¯s blood all over her. She¡¯d put her knees in his blood pool, and he¡¯d coughed on her. She realized she¡¯d not felt any damp. That didn¡¯t make any sense¡ªit was enough to soak through. She should¡¯ve been aware of cold, clammy cloth touching her skin. The stains had set already. They were dry. The golem. She felt a pit form in her stomach. Maybe Lem had been right. The golem had been dry and had sucked the water out of the bloodstains before moving on to the hunters. But Abbee hadn¡¯t aged at all. Something had happened to her, and she didn¡¯t know what, but Abbee wasn¡¯t going to figure that out while trying to talk her way past two constables.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°I had a bout tonight. I was on the ground a couple times. The floor of the bout hall is gross. I don¡¯t think they ever clean it.¡±

    Mela wrinkled her nose. ¡°Is it true you¡¯ve got a healer in the crowd?¡±

    ¡°House soldiers keep looking, but they¡¯ve not found one,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Can I pass? I promise to be on my best behavior.¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Mela?¡± Shamus asked his companion. ¡°Should I let her in?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put me in the middle of this,¡± Mela said. ¡°This is all you, Sergeant.¡±

    Shamus waved Abbee in. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this.¡±

    Abbee tried not to hurry as she walked past him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going straight to my destination and staying there for the night.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you had an errand in the city,¡± Mela said.

    ¡°Yep, and that¡¯s the errand. You have a good night.¡±

    ¡°Remember what I said, Abbee,¡± Shamus said. ¡°Don¡¯t make¡ª¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t regret it,¡± Abbee said.

    Maybe Davo would keep the quarry business quiet. Maybe she hadn¡¯t just lied to two constables. Abbee turned the first corner she found to break line of sight before either of them changed their mind.

    Several blocks from the gate, Abbee hooked a left down an alley. Reached a small courtyard tucked away in the back, with four unmarked doors set into the surrounding buildings. An even smaller alley further in, with a set of stairs heading down to a basement door. Abbee slowed when she saw three young men in a cluster at the bottom. They looked up in surprise. Abbee worried that they were breaking into the basement, but the door looked untouched. She surmised that she¡¯d interrupted some sort of deal. They weren¡¯t very good. Hadn¡¯t even posted a lookout.

    ¡°Beat it,¡± she told them.

    One flashed a small knife. ¡°You beat it,¡± he growled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me come down there and take that away from you.¡± Abbee stood off to one side. ¡°Make yourselves scarce.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s three of us and one of you,¡± another warned.

    The third young man leaned over to the first. Whispered something. Abbee didn¡¯t catch it. The first man started. The knife vanished. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He and the whisperer trotted up the stairs, leaving the second man standing at the bottom.

    ¡°Where you going?¡± the man at the bottom demanded.

    The two men at the top gave Abbee a wide berth. ¡°We¡¯re good?¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°We¡¯re good if your friend goes with you.¡±

    ¡°Larkin, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Larkin asked. ¡°She¡¯s half your size. What¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Abbee Danner, you idiot.¡±

    Larkin yelped and took three steps at a time. The three of them hustled out of the alley, whispering to each other as they went.

    Abbee watched them go with annoyance. They¡¯d tell everyone they knew that they had run into her tonight. Where it had happened. Davo might hear about it. Abbee decided Davo wouldn¡¯t hear about it until tomorrow, if ever. Davo wasn¡¯t talking to three small-timers in the North Bend, and the North Bend gangs didn¡¯t get along with New Bend ones.

    She walked down the steps. The door had a heavy lock and graffiti all over it. Abbee bent down and pulled a loose brick out of the wall. Reached in behind it. Felt around. There. Her hand came out with the key. She replaced the brick, unlocked the door, and pushed her way inside. She closed the door and pulled down the crossbar she¡¯d put nearby. The air smelled musty.

    Abbee shuffled forward two steps until she banged into a table with her hip. Reached across the table and found a lamp. Clicked the starter. A flame appeared and illuminated a small one-room basement with a low ceiling. A plain wooden table with a single chair, and a narrow cot over in the corner. A heavy door on the other side with another crossbar. Under the cot was a cask of water and a bag with some medical supplies. Some salted meat that Abbee wasn¡¯t hungry enough to chance.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    She had three of these bolt-holes scattered around the city. A second in the River District, and a third in the Yards. She¡¯d set them up a year ago, when she had been feeling paranoid about an old job. Paid for the space up front. This was the first time she¡¯d been in any of them. A seedy inn would¡¯ve sufficed as well, but all the seedy inns were in New Bend. That wasn¡¯t safe.

    Abbee put Ipsu¡¯s satchel on the table. Opened it and pulled out its contents, inspecting each item in the steady lamplight. The repeating bolt thrower came out first. Abbee kept the business end pointed away from her. A small sewing kit, a whetstone, and a worn flint and steel came out next. A pair of wool socks. A curious oval stone with a hinged lid and some cloth around its edges. Abbee thumbed it open and was rewarded with a bright light in the face. She almost dropped it in astonishment.

    Ipsu had been carrying a thumb light. One that still worked. The light looked brand new and made the table lamp look dark in comparison. This one looked like a shiny new Kivan lamp. The edge of the lid had thick felt on it to create a tight seal. Abbee closed the lid and set the thumb light on the table. The plain stone oval was worth more than all the money she¡¯d made since getting out of prison.

    Abbee reached into the satchel and pulled out a small cloth bag with a drawstring. The bag¡¯s contents seemed of various sizes. They clicked against each other. Was Ipsu carrying a bag of pebbles? Abbee pried open the drawstring and peered inside. Colors peered back at her. She gasped and dumped the contents of the bag out on the table.

    Not pebbles. Gemstones. Rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds. Dozens of them glittered there on the table.

    Abbee had no idea why Ipsu had been carrying so much wealth. He eschewed money, and here he had been, running around with enough to buy a golem. Maybe this was why the hunters had been after him. Had he stolen from them? Why would he do that in the first place?

    Abbee swept the gems back into their bag. The last one to go in was a diamond the size of her thumb. Two golems. She could buy two golems. Abbee grinned. She¡¯d never have to work again.

    She pulled the message rod out of her pocket and set it on the table. Message rods came in various sizes and materials, but they were all generally the same. A thin cylinder with a cork or cap on one end. Easy to carry. Waterproof. This one was small, no longer than Abbee¡¯s palm. She pried off the cork¡ªor tried to. It wouldn¡¯t come loose. She peered at the cork. Looked like any regular old cork, but it was as hard as a rock. She picked at it with her fingernail. Her nail lost material, not the cork. Abbee shook the rod next to her ear. She couldn¡¯t tell if there was anything inside. The rod could be empty, for all she knew. It wasn¡¯t. This was sealed tight with magic. Had to be. There was an important message in there, and she couldn¡¯t get to it. Abbee didn¡¯t know where Ipsu had been all this time, but between the message rod and the thumb light, she knew that he¡¯d found a wizard. The gray wizard.

    Abbee peered into the satchel. Scraped her fingers into the corners. She turned it inside out. Empty. She looked at the pile of loot on the table. Something was missing. She knew it was here. Ipsu hadn¡¯t had anything else on him, and he wouldn¡¯t have gone anywhere without it. She eyed the socks. Abbee reached out and grabbed them. Put her hand in each one and turned them inside out. The first sock, nothing. The second sock, something. Two things.

    Abbee fished out a small metal rod with quartz on one end. It was about as big as her index finger. She was astonished to be holding it and half expected to get rapped on the head. This was the one possession of Ipsu¡¯s she hadn¡¯t been allowed to touch. Ever. She still remembered the thrashing he¡¯d given her the single time he¡¯d caught her holding it. Still felt the sting of his hand on her face. They¡¯d sparred countless times, and she¡¯d felt his fists all over her body, but that one time had been dreadful. She remembered his expression. He¡¯d been frightened. It had been frightening seeing Ipsu¡¯s fear. The man had been her rock, and now he was gone.

    Tears welled in Abbee¡¯s eyes. She dashed them away. She was still mad at him. Abbee didn¡¯t know what was so important about the rod with the quartz end. It didn¡¯t light up. It didn¡¯t do anything. It was an automatic beating, and Abbee didn¡¯t like touching it.

    The second thing to come out of the sock was a silver ring. Heavy. She tried to fit it to her fingers. It was too big for all of them. The ring had strange markings on it, and Abbee peered at them. They looked chiseled into the metal, but the script was too delicate in places for tools. The markings wrapped around the outside and the inside of the ring. Abbee turned the band over and over, trying to follow them. They seemed to go on forever, rotating and turning around and around. Abbee lost track of how long she sat there, trying to find the end of the markings on that ring, but her eyes were dry when she finally blinked.

    Abbee set the ring down on the table. She rubbed her eyes with her fingertips. Leaned back and stared at the pile in front of her. Abbee had a message rod she couldn¡¯t open, a bag of gemstones, a curious silver ring, Ipsu¡¯s quartz-tipped hit-Abbee-if-she-touches-it stick, a brand-new thumb light, and a repeating bolt thrower she¡¯d stolen from a dead wizard hunter. One of two hunters she¡¯d crushed an hour ago with a golem. Which had been dry. And here Abbee had thought that letting someone break her jaw in a bout was going to be the most exciting event of her evening.

    Had Ipsu been helping the gray wizard escape the hunters? Or been trying to get to him, and the hunters had caught up to Ipsu first? Who was Abbee supposed to give the message rod to? The gray wizard? Only if I get to kill him after.

    Abbee stretched and yawned. She wouldn¡¯t figure it out tonight. She needed rest. She put the ring and the quartz-tipped rod back into the sock and stuffed everything back into the satchel. She turned off the lamp, took the satchel, and went to the cot. She wore the bag on her side, ready to jump up and run at a moment¡¯s notice. Abbee lay down on the cot and listened to the building overhead. Silence. It was a bookstore, and nobody was up there. The owners lived in the River District. She fell asleep wondering what to buy with those gems first.

    Abbee dreamed an old dream. The same dream. She woke up screaming and clutching at her heart. It was pitch black, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. The basement. She groaned. The nightmare again. She wanted to believe it was a dream and none of it had been real. It wasn¡¯t a dream. A memory. She hoped to someday find the man who¡¯d always said, ¡°Again,¡± and inflict her nightmare on him. Do to him what he had done to her.

    A familiar itch tickled her back, between her shoulder blades. Abbee rotated her shoulders, trying to make it go away, but it only strengthened. She growled and rolled onto her side. The satchel had migrated during the night to her belly, and the strap tugged painfully on her neck. Abbee stretched her arm, fighting the strap and trying to reach the itch. No use. She swore and stood up. Tried to use the satchel¡¯s strap like a saw, but the itch evaded her efforts. Abbee stepped over to the corner of a wall and rubbed her back against the cool stone before finally finding relief.

    Daylight peeked under the basement door. She¡¯d gotten several hours of sleep. Her stomach grumbled at her. She needed food. Abbee positioned the satchel on her hip, over her jerkin. She stretched. Didn¡¯t like how the satchel tugged her weight to one side. She didn¡¯t like how it hung on her hip. Abbee was used to moving more freely. She wondered if she should replace the satchel¡¯s leather strap with a chain. She could use its weight as a weapon, but Abbee wasn¡¯t used to fighting like that. She¡¯d end up getting pulled off-balance. Too risky. That, and it might break open during a fight and spill its precious contents.

    She walked back to the table, turned on the lamp, and emptied the satchel onto the surface. Abbee had two pockets in her trousers and two pouches on her belt. She¡¯d stitched her pockets herself. They wouldn¡¯t break, but things slipped out of pockets. That meant her pouches. One had her money in it. Some bills and coins. Not much. If she hadn¡¯t found the gemstones, Abbee would¡¯ve had to take a job or fight in the bouts again in a few days. Her money pouch had room for the thumb light and the silver ring, but she couldn¡¯t carry all the gemstones in it. She couldn¡¯t believe she carried too many gems to fit in her money pouch. She could carry fifty coins in there.

    Her second pouch sat at the small of her back, under her jerkin. Her jobs case. Odd jobs, more like. Abbee sometimes carried messages for people. Sensitive messages nobody wanted to entrust to repeaters or DotPost. Things they didn¡¯t want the constables or House soldiers to find. They trusted Abbee because she was reliable and durable. And fast. She ran for a living.

    Abbee wanted to carry as much as she could on her own person. She transferred the thumb light and the silver ring to her money pouch. Ipsu¡¯s quartz-tipped stick was too long. It stuck out. That, along with the message rod, went into her jobs case. She hefted the bag of gems and crammed them into the case too. Too full. If it broke open ¡­ Abbee split up the gems. Slipped several of the bigger rubies into her money pouch, along with several sapphires.

    She pushed the wool socks, whetstone, flint and steel, and the sewing kit back into the satchel. She didn¡¯t need them. All that remained was the repeating bolt thrower. Abbee wasn¡¯t wearing it over her leather bracer. She¡¯d get stopped for sure.

    Under it?

    She unlaced her bracer. The bolt thrower was small enough to fit under it and still allow the bracer to be laced up. Barely. She¡¯d have to get longer laces at some point. Anyone looking probably wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that she had a bolt thrower under her bracer, but they¡¯d know something was there. Maybe it should sit against the underside of her forearm.

    Abbee loosened the laces and repositioned the bolt thrower. Her bracer still rode a little high from the bolt thrower¡¯s straps, and her arm hung a little strangely, but it wasn¡¯t as noticeable. She¡¯d need a longer cloak or sleeves for something more permanent. Abbee discarded that idea. She didn¡¯t want anything more permanent. She just wanted to carry the bolt thrower on her person long enough to sell it.

    But ¡­ it was a repeating bolt thrower.

    She wouldn¡¯t get a weapon like it ever again. It was too valuable to sell. Still, Abbee didn¡¯t like carrying it under her wrist. She worried about shooting herself in the hand with it. Maybe a custom bracer would conceal it better. She¡¯d been in some tough scrapes in the past few years where the bolt thrower would¡¯ve come in handy. Abbee didn¡¯t have to decide right this second. She¡¯d figure that out later. It was also a weapon. Abbee didn¡¯t carry weapons anymore. Too dangerous. Movers. She hated them.

    Abbee figured the repeating bolt thrower was safe from movers for two reasons. One, because hunters carried it in the first place and presumably shot bolts at movers without fear. And two, because the bolt thrower didn¡¯t carry bolts to grab. No room inside the housing.

    She felt a little charge of happiness that she¡¯d managed to take what she wanted from the satchel and leave everything she didn¡¯t. The bolt thrower sat a little strangely on her arm, and her jobs case was filled nearly to bursting, but she was happy with the item distribution. One last look around the bolt-hole to make sure she hadn¡¯t left anything.

    She went through the satchel one more time, feeling at all the seams for hidden compartments. Satisfied she¡¯d taken all items of value, Abbee left the satchel on the table. She lifted the crossbar and opened the door. No hoodlums out on the steps. She locked the door behind her, replaced the key behind the loose brick, and walked up the stairs. Paused at the edge of the alley. Plenty of midmorning foot traffic and cart traffic out on the road to hide herself in. She scanned the street, looking for threats. Two constables walking around the corner to the west. Abbee went in the opposite direction.

    She found food sellers two blocks east. Bought a meat pie. Spiced pork in flat bread. Some fumbling with her money pouch¡ªAbbee almost pulled out a fat ruby by accident. She inhaled the pork in three steps. Spotted a frosty bread seller at the other end of the block, by the telltale gout of flame from nowhere. Abbee knew nearly every bread seller in Akken was a torch, because none of the old magical furnaces still worked. Torches also served as their own protection, ever since Arold from Veronna had moved in and plied his harassment game in Akken. Arold¡¯s crispies, the delivery crew, had harassed the bread carts early on. A brief price war had broken out, followed by an actual war, until the Council had stepped in and put a stop to it. Today, crispies weren¡¯t allowed to interfere with the bread sellers, and the bread sellers weren¡¯t allowed to set the crispies on fire.

    Abbee neared the bread seller. Two people in line. She was about to join them when the man in front said, ¡°I¡¯ll take one crispy bread.¡±

    The seller rolled his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s extra.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°And extra time.¡±

    ¡°I know that too. It¡¯s for my pa. He¡¯s lame. Otherwise, I¡¯d make him come down here and get it.¡±

    The person behind them groaned and walked away from the cart. The bread seller watched them go and fixed his current customer with a baleful stare. ¡°I¡¯ve half a mind to charge you double now.¡±

    The customer snorted. ¡°Then I¡¯d go to the Arold¡¯s down the street, and you¡¯d have nothing.¡±

    ¡°How come you didn¡¯t go there to begin with? They love making crispy bread.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re right here and they¡¯re all the way down there.¡± The customer slapped bills onto the cart. ¡°Quit complaining and just make it, will you? My pa will complain my ear off if I take too long.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t waiting for the man¡¯s crispy bread. There was an allotted time limit for frosty bread, and crispy bread ruined it. Not to mention it added a faint hint of ash to every piece of frosty bread cooked in the oil for ten minutes after.

    She got some frosty bread a couple of blocks later. Carried it out onto the bridge overlooking the Charrin. She paused halfway over to eat. The sun was shining, and a nice breeze washed over the river.

    Abbee stood on Charcer Bridge, the middle one. She looked north and spied a familiar pier under the North Bridge. It looked the same. Still no bridgies. Abbee figured her name was still chiseled on stone. She wondered if it had five strikes on it. She bet it did. Sammy wouldn¡¯t have let the others imagine she could come back. She finished her frosty bread and pushed off the railing. Time to buy some trousers without any bloodstains.

    She turned to head east and saw two constables walking toward her. They saw her. Saw her face. Abbee didn¡¯t recognize either of them, but it was clear they knew her. Brows dropped. Hands went to swords. They were three paces away.

    ¡°Hold it, Danner,¡± one of them barked.

 Chapter 21

    The foot traffic evaporated around Abbee. One constable stepped out onto the bridge in a pincer movement, baring his sword. The constables exchanged worried glances. Abbee knew neither of the men was a mover, because both looked nervous. She also knew they both wished they had more than two constables to make an arrest.

    She licked butter and sugar off her fingers. Kept her arm with the bolt thrower turned away from them. ¡°Can I do something for you, gentleman?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an arrest warrant out for you. Murder.¡±

    ¡°Murder?¡± Abbee echoed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be coy. There¡¯s a dead man at your place in the quarry. Blood all over. And look, you¡¯ve got dried blood on you.¡± The constable in front made a cautious step forward. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss, yeah?¡±

    So. Just the one. Davo was pinning Ipsu¡¯s body on her to get rid of her. It was what Abbee would¡¯ve done, but still obnoxious. No mention of the hunters. Davo was keeping that to himself. Also what Abbee would¡¯ve done. Keep prying eyes away from the quarry proper. Abbee wasn¡¯t going anywhere with these constables. She wasn¡¯t going back to Graywall. ¡°Why would I leave a body in my apartment?¡±

    ¡°Quarry foreman said you ran when confronted.¡±

    ¡°Foreman seems to know a lot,¡± Abbee said.

    The constable on the left was left-handed. He¡¯d have to turn and draw his sword, or draw it and turn, in which case he had to do some thinking to get to Abbee with it. ¡°Maybe he killed the man. Fishy things happen at the quarry. I¡¯ve not been home since yesterday. Shamus Potts was on the Southwest Gate. He can tell you I spent the night inside the walls.¡±

    ¡°You can tell us,¡± the constable said, ¡°at the precinct. You gonna come quiet?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Abbee ran straight at the constable doing the talking, the one on the left. He jumped and pulled his sword. Too slow. Only got it halfway out by the time she reached him. She broke left and squeezed between him and the stone bridge¡¯s railing. Two steps, and she was at a full sprint.

    Behind the constables, a crowd was forming to see the show. The onlookers were all toward the center of the bridge. A couple of children stood on the railing. Abbee ran past them and angled right, to put the crowd between her and the constables. Shouts said they were several paces behind her and losing ground.

    Abbee weaved around startled people, several carts, and got off the bridge. She ran across the intersection into the River District, across the faded blue and red stones forming the giant X on the ground. She angled left onto Porter Road, heading northeast. She whizzed past two constables coming out of an Arold¡¯s with foil-wrapped bread. They gave her curious looks. Shouts behind her. Abbee didn¡¯t look back, but she knew there were now four constables chasing her.

    Porter Road ran parallel to the Charrin River. About a hundred meters north of Charcer Bridge, the river bent in one of three curves. Porter Road bent too, into a thick cluster of alleys and side streets called the Narrows. Reconstruction had made most streets straight, but the Narrows were in the rough overhang of ground smooshed up against the riverbank. Porter Road ended in a mishmash of narrow paths and picked up on the other side, as if ignoring the knot of buildings and alleys in the middle. Plenty of places to get lost in.

    Abbee turned three successive corners, jumping over obstacles and dodging open shop tables. It reminded her of that time she¡¯d run from Parn Trippers, back when he had been a regular constable and had walked a beat. Back before he¡¯d turned into an insufferable, stuck-up bureaucrat. She¡¯d met Randall that day. Abbee vaulted past a cart and its surprised drover. She wished she¡¯d had more than one day with Randall.

    A glance behind her told her she¡¯d put enough distance between her and her pursuers. Which was good, because the place she wanted was up ahead. The building had a sign on it that said Right Done Laundry. Abbee hooked into the alley. The back door to the building was wide open. A thick cloud of humid air billowed out. Abbee caught a glance of the laundry inside, big vats of hot water with workers on gantries around the edges. They pushed into the water with long poles. A few people wandered around the floor, touching vats every so often. Torches.

    Abbee ran past the laundry door, down to the back edge of the building, where it pressed up against the adjacent one on the corner, a tailor¡¯s shop. A thick wooden door sat recessed into a heavy frame. A big copper pipe came out of the wall and ran up the corner of the building to the roof. Abbee caught a faint whiff of cinnamon.

    She skidded to a stop in front of the door. Pounded on it. Three times, a pause, followed by two more knocks. A thick slat in the door slid back. Dark eyes in shadow peered out.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± a rough voice said.

    Abbee didn¡¯t recognize the voice. Ramaro had gotten a new doorman. ¡°Open up.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯re you again?¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t have time for this. ¡°Tell Ramaro that if he doesn¡¯t let me in, I¡¯m telling everybody what happened that night in Morat. The one with the goats.¡±

    Eyebrows shot up. ¡°You know? I heard about it, but nobody¡¯ll say.¡±

    Abbee looked up the alley. No constables yet. ¡°If you don¡¯t open up this door, I¡¯ll be telling his story to the whole world¡ªexcept you, of course.¡±

    Three heavy locks turned inside. Slow. So slow. The constables were going to round that corner any second¡ªthe door creaked open. Abbee pushed inward and slipped past a monster of a man dressed in light woolens and a purple fabric vest. The air was thick with smoke and smelled strongly of cinnamon and a tangy sweetness. The doorman moved with the slow, measured pace of someone who spent their entire day inhaling draat smoke. Abbee helped him close the door, and it slammed shut. She got the bottom two locks while he turned the third.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± the doorman asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some friends behind me. Don¡¯t let them in. If they get pushy, at least try to stall.¡±

    ¡°These friends of yours,¡± the doorman drawled, ¡°they got badges?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Where¡¯s Ramaro?¡±

    The doorman pointed over his shoulder with a meaty thumb. ¡°In his office.¡± Thick brows lowered. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me about the goats, are you?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Abbee said. ¡°That¡¯s Ramaro¡¯s story to tell.¡± She grinned. ¡°I will say that it¡¯s wilder than you can imagine.¡±

    ¡°I dunno. I can imagine quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you.¡±

    Abbee walked past the doorman, down a short staircase, and into a narrow hallway riddled with doors. Half the doors were open, and as she went past, she saw lots of people in various states of stupor. Rich people, poor people, and those in between, all trying to escape the stress of their lives with a little induced relaxation. Each room had a hookah in the middle, and the sound of bubbles, coughs, and giggles filled the basement. A few conversations spoken in the tones of people convinced their inane babble was the most important thing they¡¯d ever said. Some of the sounds emanating from closed doors said smokers were enjoying draat¡¯s more stimulating effects before it rendered them semi-comatose.

    It seemed strange to Abbee that Akken had so many rules about how people worked and had even more about how they relaxed. Draat dens were illegal, and even though the constables knew where all the draat dens were, they didn¡¯t shut them down. Nobody cared about a talented person taking draat. It smoothed them out. It was jaara dust everybody worried about. Nobody needed a mover or an elemental high on jaara dust. Those the constables had to put down.

    Abbee couldn¡¯t imagine ever feeling safe enough to dull her senses with draat. It was a foreign concept, one she couldn¡¯t ever partake in even if she wanted to. She couldn¡¯t get high on draat, the same way she couldn¡¯t get high on jaara dust or drunk on alcohol. She didn¡¯t emit mote while purging alcohol or draat from her body, but it still made her hungry. She¡¯d just had breakfast. Twenty minutes in this place, and she¡¯d be starving all over again.

    Ramaro¡¯s office door was open. The thick, hairless man was dressed in a purple silk robe. He lounged in a vast bag chair with one beefy leg draped over the side. He was wearing glasses that looked a bit too small for his giant head. Dainty, even. Ramaro was reading a ledger. He looked up when Abbee appeared in the doorway. He smiled and put one finger in the ledger to mark his spot.

    ¡°Abbee,¡± Ramaro rumbled. ¡°What a pleasant surprise. I thought you didn¡¯t like it in here. Oh, you¡¯re running from somebody, aren¡¯t you?¡± His movements weren¡¯t slow, like his doorman¡¯s. Ramaro had long since built up a tolerance for draat smoke.

    ¡°Sorry, Ramaro,¡± Abbee said, and meant it. Ramaro looked depraved, but he was a big teddy bear. He liked running draat dens because lounging around fit the decor, and Ramaro enjoyed lounging. He¡¯d even had that big chair of his made custom, after seeing something similar in the draat dens of Morat. ¡°I would¡¯ve gone somewhere else, but you¡¯re the nicest.¡±

    Ramaro sniffed. ¡°Flattery will get you no¡ªokay, it¡¯ll get you pretty far. Who¡¯s chasing you this time?¡±

    ¡°Constables,¡± Abbee said. ¡°For murder. I didn¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°You do have blood on you.¡±

    Abbee wished she hadn¡¯t gotten Ipsu¡¯s blood on her clothes. It could be some time before she washed her trousers, if ever¡ªthe stain had long since set into the wool. She remembered the obscene wealth on her person and realized she could buy a new pair of trousers every day for a year and still not run out of money. ¡°I didn¡¯t murder anyone.¡± The hunters didn¡¯t count. Self-defense.

    ¡°Either way,¡± Ramaro said, ¡°hiding in a draat den isn¡¯t the smartest thing to do when running from constables. They¡¯ll look in the places they know about, and everybody knows about the dens. Wait, when you say they were chasing you, did you mean literally?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they didn¡¯t see me come into your alley. And besides, your doorman is enormous. Though he did let me in when I said I knew about the goats.¡±

    Ramaro stiffened.

    ¡°Relax. I didn¡¯t tell him anything.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to work out if he lets in just any riffraff off the street,¡± Ramaro growled.

    ¡°Riffraff?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him later. You¡¯ll want to use the basement, then?¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°It¡¯s time to spend a few months in a different city.¡±

    Ramaro looked over his glasses at her. ¡°What¡¯s that thing you¡¯re trying to smuggle under your bracer?¡±

    Abbee turned her wrist away from him. ¡°A souvenir. The less you know about it, the better.¡±

    ¡°That only makes me more curious.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to get involved, Ramaro,¡± Abbee warned. ¡°Believe me. I don¡¯t want to get involved with it either.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve come to my doorstep. I¡¯m involved.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°You¡¯re not. You don¡¯t know, so you can¡¯t talk about it. Or give it up to a telepath. Leave it. Please, Ramaro. I like you and don¡¯t want to see anything bad happen to you.¡±

    Ramaro pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep trying to see what it is, you know.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. The basement?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Ramaro stuck a scrap of paper as a placeholder in his ledger and left it behind. He heaved himself off his bag chair. It wasn¡¯t graceful and involved more rolling than standing. As he clambered to his feet, his robe fell open.

    Abbee rolled her eyes and averted her gaze. ¡°C¡¯mon, Ramaro. What do you have against smallclothes?¡±

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    ¡°They ride up and pinch,¡± Ramaro said. ¡°It¡¯s safe to look now.¡±

    Abbee risked a glance. Ramaro had closed his robe and tied the sash.

    He chuckled. ¡°How has your reputation survived you being such a prude?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel the need to see people naked,¡± Abbee said, ¡°or dwell on what they do together.¡±

    ¡°You should, you know. You could learn to like¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what happens,¡± Abbee snapped. The last thing she needed was Ramaro spreading rumors about her. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. It¡¯s a distraction, and distractions get people killed.¡±

    ¡°Wait, are you a vir¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you utter another word on this subject, Ramaro, nobody will ever find your body.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, never mind.¡±

    Abbee dug into her money pouch for payment, fishing around the gemstones, and pulled out her wad of bills.

    Ramaro wrinkled his nose at them. ¡°Do you have coin?¡±

    ¡°Not as much as I have in bills,¡± Abbee lied. She counted out payment for using Ramaro¡¯s basement. ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Ramaro took the money, thumbed through it, and tucked it into the ledger lying on his bag chair. He straightened. ¡°You know the way. After you.¡±

    ¡°You first, Ramaro. I don¡¯t need you sneaking looks at my wrist. And I don¡¯t need to turn around and find another robe malfunction.¡±

    Ramaro smirked and walked past Abbee into the hallway. She followed him around a corner and down another corridor lined with doors. Most were open. Abbee glanced in a couple and was rewarded with mostly unconscious people in various stages of undress. Ramaro turned a corner, and Abbee lost sight of him. When she caught up to him, he was having a whispered conversation with someone. A man wearing a rumpled robe like Ramaro¡¯s. The man glanced at Abbee and scooted past her.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ramaro said. ¡°That¡¯s just Dren. I asked him to take a look at room fifteen. The client looks like they may have smoked too much.¡±

    ¡°All of your clients smoke too much, Ramaro.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, there is an upper limit, and she seems to have gotten there. This way.¡±

    The doors had numbers on them, etched into the wood with a blade. Door twenty was next to Abbee. She looked over her shoulder. Dren walked right past door fifteen. Didn¡¯t look inside.

    Abbee¡¯s hackles went up. She followed Ramaro. Head on a swivel.

    ***

    Ramaro¡¯s draat den was built on the edge of the river. The building had a private pier in the basement with a modest pleasure boat. Some of Ramaro¡¯s clients liked to float around on the river on a hot day. The boat allowed Ramaro to run a side business smuggling people and things past the city gates.

    Ramaro led Abbee down a set of stone stairs and through a heavy door. Abbee caught a whiff of the river, and it grew stronger on the way down the steps. Strongest when Ramaro heaved the door open. Abbee followed him out onto a narrow stone pier. She had never thought she¡¯d be happy to smell the Charrin, but she was glad to escape all that draat smoke.

    A short canal ran about thirty meters and out through an arched opening. Thick stone pillars, spaced every few meters, held up heavy rafters overhead. The pleasure boat sat moored at one end of the pier. Daylight from the other end of the pier lit half the boat, and torches lit the rest. The boat was ten meters long and had a colorful canvas roof tied to posts. Abbee spotted several bag chairs and carpets on its deck. No pilot.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your spout?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s the other thing I asked Dren to do,¡± Ramaro said. ¡°Fetch Mims.¡±

    Abbee wondered if that was why Dren had walked past door fifteen. To fetch the boat¡¯s pilot. She relaxed a little.

    ¡°Though maybe you want to wait until nightfall,¡± Ramaro continued. ¡°If the constables are after you, they might check the boat if they see it out on the water. It¡¯s a risk. Up to you.¡±

    Abbee still wasn¡¯t sure about Dren¡¯s real task. She didn¡¯t think Ramaro had sold her out to the constables. It would damage his smuggling business if word got out that he had exposed his client. And Ramaro was right¡ªthe constables would search the boat if they saw it out on the water so soon after chasing her.

    A short, squat woman with long black hair and beady eyes came out onto the pier. Mims, Abbee assumed. Mims wore leather trousers and a shirt with a purple fabric vest. She looked Abbee up and down. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you,¡± she said. ¡°You look just like the stories say.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Abbee asked, knowing full well what the stories said.

    ¡°Short hair, black leather, no weapons, looks annoyed,¡± Mims said. ¡°Won¡¯t have a scratch but probably has blood all over her.¡± Mims turned to Ramaro. ¡°Bobo says the constables came to the door. They were hot to trot after our friend here. Bobo waved ¡¯em off for now.¡±

    Ramaro looked at Abbee. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to wait until dark?¡±

    Abbee sighed. It was still midmorning. Nightfall was a long way away. She thought about what Ramaro had said, about constables stopping the boat. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll wait. I¡¯ll stay out here, though. Fresh air. Well, fresher.¡± Her stomach grumbled. ¡°You got anything to eat? I¡¯m starving.¡±

    Ramaro nodded. ¡°Mims can fetch that for you. I¡¯ll leave you here. I have business upstairs. I¡¯ll come back down to see you off.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ramaro.¡±

    Ramaro went back inside and took Mims with him.

    Abbee walked the pier. Occasional waves rolled in through the opening and rubbed Ramaro¡¯s boat against the pier. The river saw a fair amount of traffic up this way. Glass Island was downstream from here, and plenty of supplies left warehouses in the Central District to float down to its docks.

    Abbee looked around for a place to sit down. The boat had a half-dozen bag chairs on it. Abbee climbed over the boat¡¯s railing and found her balance. It wasn¡¯t a wide boat, and it moved easily with her weight. She nudged a bag chair with her foot. She¡¯d never sat on one of the things before.

    The pier¡¯s door opened, and Mims came out onto the pier with a plate.

    ¡°How do you sit on this thing?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t sit on it,¡± Mims said. ¡°You sit in it. Flop on it, like you¡¯re falling into a pile of hay.¡±

    Abbee was worried about taking an impact to the jobs case pressed up against her back. She squatted in front of it and sort of rolled backward. The chair¡¯s fabric was soft, and it enveloped her. It felt like she was sitting on some sort of puffy throne. Her legs stuck out onto the deck of the boat.

    ¡°Pretty good, eh?¡± Mims said. ¡°Next time, you gotta commit. Fall back into it. You¡¯re too close to the edge. You need to get your legs up onto it.¡± She leaned over the railing with her plate. ¡°Here, I brought you some food.¡±

    Abbee tried to sit up. Her center of gravity was too far back. She rolled to the side and tipped off the bag chair. Getting off the chair in a hurry would be a challenge. She stood up and took Mims¡¯s proffered plate. It was stacked with bread, cheese, sauced meat, and a couple of pieces of frosty bread with what looked like the works in terms of toppings. Abbee wasn¡¯t a fan of the works, but her growling stomach wasn¡¯t picky. ¡°What kind of meat is this?¡±

    ¡°Chicken,¡± Mims said.

    Abbee moved to get the best light on the plate.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mims continued. ¡°It¡¯s cooked all the way through. I had some when I got in this morning, and I ain¡¯t died yet.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t worried about food poisoning per se. It wouldn¡¯t kill her, but it would still hurt a lot. Fighting with terrible gas and bloating on Ramaro¡¯s pleasure boat wasn¡¯t her idea of a fun afternoon. ¡°Thanks,¡± Abbee said around a mouthful of bread.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Mims said. ¡°You need anything else?¡±

    ¡°Any water?¡±

    A grin tugged at Mims¡¯s cheek. She held up one hand. A tiny spout of water leaped from one fingertip, arched over the side of the boat, and splattered onto the deck.

    Abbee arched a brow. Torches and spouts were always so fascinating to watch, conjuring fire or water from thin air. ¡°You want me to drink water off your finger?¡±

    Mims laughed. ¡°Ha! No.¡± She dropped her hand and gestured at the front of the boat. ¡°There¡¯s a cask of water tucked under the prow. It¡¯s not from the river. It¡¯s clean. I filled it last night. Cups are stacked next to the cask. I cleaned those too, when I filled it.¡±

    ¡°Water?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Would¡¯ve thought Ramaro¡¯s pleasure boat only had alcohol on it.¡±

    ¡°We have that too, but we keep water on the boat because if someone¡¯s been smoking draat all day, giving them alcohol can put them into a coma. Even kill ¡¯em if they¡¯re chronic smokers.¡±

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that could happen.¡±

    ¡°Most people don¡¯t. What¡¯s the saying? Too much of a good thing ain¡¯t so good?¡±

    Abbee walked to the other side of the boat with her plate. Sitting on the bag chairs was tactically dangerous. She leaned against the railing and finished off the bread while keeping an eye on both Mims and the door behind her.

    Mims watched Abbee eat. ¡°What¡¯s that thing you got on your arm? A hidden blade?¡± She shrugged at Abbee¡¯s frown. ¡°Ramaro told me to get a better look at it, but I ain¡¯t good at sneaky. Figured I should just ask instead. Plus, your body language pretty much screams ¡®Stay away from me.¡¯¡±

    Abbee turned her wrist away from Mims and kept eating.

    ¡°Are all the stories about you true?¡± Mims asked.

    ¡°Dunno,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard all the stories.¡±

    ¡°Did you hijack a bank cart in broad daylight?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Really? I heard¡ª¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hijack it. It was a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Oh ¡­ so you did¡ª¡±

    ¡°And that was a long time ago,¡± Abbee said.

    Mims gave her a considering look. ¡°Is it true that you broke the first constable¡¯s nose?¡±

    Abbee chuckled at the memory. ¡°How did you¡ªI didn¡¯t break his nose, but I did punch him in the face. I wish I¡¯d done more, but I got tackled after that.¡±

    ¡°So it is true,¡± Mims said. ¡°My cousin is a constable and heard about it. How did that happen, anyway?¡±

    ¡°I apparently made him look bad,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Hitting him seemed like a good idea at the time, but he sent me to Graywall over it. Well, that and killing a couple of bank guards. After I laid the bastard out on the floor, constables tied me up and threw me on the prison cart.¡±

    ¡°Is it true they put you in the pit? The one in the men¡¯s wing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Abbee said. She pushed away the memory. ¡°I was only in there for about five minutes, though, not the whole time.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Mims said. ¡°The stories make it out like you were in with the men for ten years.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said, shaking her head. ¡°Solitary confinement, for the most part.¡± Five minutes had been plenty long. Nobody had ever wanted to fight her again. It had taken months to get a bout after she¡¯d gotten out, and even now, only newcomers would fight her. Abbee didn¡¯t explain that this was the reason she went to the bouts to find the biggest, meanest-looking person to fight. Or that it had taken her a year to stop treating all men like the ones she¡¯d encountered in the pit. Or that men still made her uneasy if she was caught in tight quarters with one. ¡°But I don¡¯t correct the stories, or stop people from calling me the Butcher. It¡¯s good for my reputation. Gets me work. Speaking of work, how long have you worked for Ramaro?¡±

    Mims rotated her hand back and forth. ¡°Few months, maybe. I used to work in Central¡¯s fire brigade, but I had a, um, falling out with my station chief. I had to find alternative employment.¡±

    ¡°In a draat den? You couldn¡¯t work in a different district?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, I might have set him on fire a teeny bit,¡± Mims said. ¡°They frown on that in the brigades. We¡¯re supposed to put out fires, not set them. And definitely not on people.¡± Her face darkened. ¡°Bastard deserved it, though. He¡ª¡±

    The door opened behind Mims. Dren stuck his head out. ¡°Mims, boss wants to see you upstairs.¡±

    Mims rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder at him. ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t tell me everything,¡± Dren said. ¡°But he said it was important. C¡¯mon.¡±

    Mims grunted and pushed off the railing. The boat dipped with Abbee¡¯s weight, and she lurched up to both feet. Mims walked over to the door. Dren pushed it open and let her through.

    As he started to close the door, Abbee asked, ¡°How was the mess in room fifteen?¡±

    Dren paused. Frowned. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Room fifteen. Wasn¡¯t there a mess?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always a mess,¡± Dren said with a grunt. ¡°We hardly ever clean the rooms.¡± He hesitated, blinking. ¡°Oh, right. Room fifteen. Yeah, still gotta clean that.¡± He grimaced and pulled the door shut.

    Abbee blinked at the heavy door. Anxiety seized her. She looked around. No way off the pier except the boat. Or back upstairs. No telling what might be waiting for her up there. She suspected she didn¡¯t have long. Dren had come down to get Mims because somebody was here for Abbee. She spat a dark curse with Ramaro¡¯s name in it. She couldn¡¯t believe Ramaro had given her up to the constables.

    Abbee set her plate down on a bag chair. She moved toward the pier, intent on untying the boat. She was leaving. Now. She had moved to hop over the railing when the door opened and three people burst out onto the pier.

    Not constables.

    They were dressed in all black. Black coats, trousers, and boots. They wore masks. Hoods with fine mesh across their eyes. All three of them held small crossbows in one hand, and two had a bared sword in the other. Abbee stared at them in astonishment. Ramaro had sold her out to the Murder Guild.

    Abbee stood like an idiot at the boat¡¯s railing, trying to halt her forward momentum onto the pier. She felt pressure around her shoulders, like someone was wrapping her with stiff leather. The pressure intensified as her feet left the boat¡¯s deck. It hurt. A mover. No. Abbee¡¯s legs banged into the railing as the mover dragged her through the air toward them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got her,¡± the mover said. A woman, by the sound of her voice. She raised her crossbow. ¡°Shoot her.¡±

    All three pointed their crossbows at her. Abbee tensed as they shot. She felt three sharp pinches across her belly. She looked down and saw darts sticking out of her. Not bolts. She blinked. Poison, maybe. Her gift would deal with poison, but it would make her sleep. Abbee struggled against her invisible bonds. Her legs flailed in midair. She slapped at the darts and realized her arms were free below the elbow. She was able to reach two of the darts, but the third was too high. Slapping at them bent the needles in her skin, and it hurt.

    The assassin in the middle gestured at Abbee. ¡°You left her hands free.¡±

    The mover shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s not going anywhere, and this is more fun. I like it when they wiggle. I never get to see them wiggle.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just kill her?¡± another asked. ¡°This capture business is boring.¡±

    Capture. This was worse than poison. Abbee hadn¡¯t ever stopped looking over her shoulder after getting out of Graywall¡ªshe had presented the night of the golems, and she had known it would just be a matter of time before the university came calling. She hadn¡¯t realized they contracted out to the Murder Guild, though. They¡¯d given her enough to make her sleepy. Woozy. Her mind didn¡¯t work right.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± one said. ¡°She should be out by now. My dart was loaded for someone four times her size.¡±

    ¡°Four times?¡± the mover snapped. ¡°Orders were to bring her in alive, not kill her.¡±

    ¡°Then they should¡¯ve sent someone else. We don¡¯t do alive people.¡±

    ¡°Quit complaining and shoot her again.¡±

    Abbee was so tired. She wanted to sleep. The guilders pulled new darts from sheaths on their arms. Reloaded crossbows. Abbee watched. Some idea pounded on her drugged brain. It was important. They were reloading crossbows. Crossbows. Oh. Right.

    Abbee bent her arm at the elbow. Her arm came up. Slow, as if she were covered in lead.

    The complainer froze. ¡°Look out! She¡¯s got a¡ª¡±

    Abbee thought about shooting the mover.

    Clack-clack-clack. Three bolts snapped out of the repeating bolt thrower. The mover took all of them in the chest. The pressure left Abbee¡¯s upper body as the mover collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. Abbee dropped like a sack of rocks onto the side of the boat. She tipped forward and managed to get her hands out before she landed on the pier.

    The guilder in the middle dropped his weapons and stepped toward Abbee. Hands thrust out. Fire wreathed his fingertips and gathered around his palms. A gout of flame roared across the pier and hit Abbee. She forgot about her small injuries as the fire seared across her legs and set her trousers on fire. Flames raked across her abdomen and hit her hands. Abbee screamed in agony. She couldn¡¯t see anything and held up one arm to shield her eyes. Her arm was on fire. She rolled away, trying to escape. The fire followed her. Abbee aimed her arm at the source of the fire. She couldn¡¯t see the torch. She thought about shooting the fire.

    Clack-clack-clack. The torch went down, and the flames winked out. The last guilder shot her again with his crossbow. Abbee barely felt the pinch as her whole body screamed in furious pain. She was on fire. The river. Water. The boat was in the way. Abbee half rolled, half crawled away from her attacker. She scrambled across the pier. She felt another pinch on her back. Another.

    ¡°Go down!¡± her attacker snarled.

    Abbee gasped and wept. She twisted and thought about shooting the last man.

    Clack-clack-clack. Abbee didn¡¯t look to see if she¡¯d hit him. She couldn¡¯t see. Everything was black. Her hands slipped off the boat and off the pier, and she tipped forward into the river.

 Chapter 22

    Abbee woke up coughing. Her whole body hurt. She tried to open her eyes but couldn¡¯t. Fire. The river. Murder Guild. Someone was touching her. Hands on her body. Grabbing. Old memories rose, and terror took over. No. Not again. Abbee fought and kicked and pushed away.

    A man swore. Dren. ¡°She¡¯s awake.¡±

    ¡°Hold her down,¡± another ordered. Ramaro.

    Abbee felt hands on her shoulders, pressing her down. ¡°How is she even still alive?¡± Dren asked. ¡°She looks like someone pressed her onto a big stove.¡±

    Abbee flailed. She couldn¡¯t see.

    ¡°Hey, look at this,¡± Ramaro said. ¡°She¡¯s got gems on her.¡±

    Abbee couldn¡¯t believe it. Ramaro had given her up to the Murder Guild, and he was robbing her. Touching her. All at once she was back in Graywall, crouched on a dirt floor in the shadows, surrounded by strange men. Surrounded by laughter and promises of evil things. Fury and fear clamored to the surface. Abbee was afraid of herself when she let her emotions run rampant, afraid of who she became. Afraid of the frightened, angry, panicked animal who¡¯d appeared over and over again in her nightmare. The monster that night in the pit. But she needed that person now. She needed her greed.

    Abbee focused on her rage and fear.

    Fed it.

    Fed it with her pain and dread and resentment.

    Fed it with Ramaro¡¯s betrayal, with her father¡¯s disgust, with her mother¡¯s sadness.

    Fed it with her nightmare¡ªthe basement and the sightless man.

    Fed it with the beast she¡¯d become in Graywall.

    Fed it with Ipsu¡¯s desertion.

    Abbee snapped.

    She snarled as sharp tingles pricked her all over her body. Her hair stood on end, and mote tickled her wrists. A jolt of energy coursed through her bones. Both Ramaro and Dren grunted and groaned. Their hands left her.

    Abbee didn¡¯t lose herself to the rage and panic this time. She¡¯d learned a little control since the sightless man and his parade of victims. Since the pit. Abbee surfed on the wave of fury. Rode it, like that first night in Graywall. She felt an irresistible desire to take from Ramaro and Dren. Take from them like the inmates had intended to take from her. She became the monster. Self-loathing seeped into Abbee¡¯s fury. The wave of tingles trembled. She was losing her advantage. It was now or never. Abbee pointed her arm toward the sound of Ramaro¡¯s groans.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Ramaro croaked. ¡°What¡¯s¡ª¡±

    Abbee imagined shooting him. Clack-clack-clack. Ramaro¡¯s question ended in a gurgle. Dren swore again. Abbee turned toward the sound. Clack-clack-clack. Fresh pain ripped through Abbee¡¯s left hand, and she screamed.

    Nobody was touching her anymore. She couldn¡¯t hear anything except her gasps in her own ears. Abbee remembered falling into the river. Ramaro and Dren must have pulled her out. She listened for sounds of them, or anyone, but all she heard was the river and the boat bumping against the pier.

    Abbee put her hands down to sit up. Something scraped and tugged at her left hand. More pain lanced from her palm. Still blind, Abbee touched her hand and felt something¡ªa stick with a sharp end. A bolt. She¡¯d shot herself. The bolt had pierced the meaty part of her palm and had crunched through the bones at the base of her fingers. Moving hurt. Thinking about it hurt. Abbee had to get the bolt out. She couldn¡¯t heal with that thing stuck through her.

    She felt at the end poking out past her fingers. Enough to grab. She seized the end with her free hand, ignored how the point dug into her, and yanked on the bolt. Pain collapsed from a general whole-body fire to a single white-hot point. Abbee screamed, pulled, cried, and pulled. She felt the bolt slide through her flesh and scrape across bone and sinew. She felt everything.

    The bolt came free. Abbee dropped it and collapsed onto her side. The hot pain vanished and was replaced by hurt. Everywhere.

    Abbee lay there for several moments, gasping for air and clutching her ruined hand. She felt mote wisp from her wrists. In a few minutes, she¡¯d be able to move her fingers again. She wished, an ever-present wish her whole life, that her gift deadened the pain of its healing. She wished it made the hurt go away. It never did. What was the point of healing from any injury if she had to feel the agony of her body stitching itself back together?

    Abbee touched her own face. Her fingers stuck to her skin, and fresh pain licked at her hands and face. Fire. The torch. She¡¯d been burned. She tried opening her eyes. One of them pried itself open. It stuck, like whenever she had a bad cold. Abbee blinked, and the other one popped open. Her vision was cloudy, and she could barely see.

    She wanted to know how badly she¡¯d been burned, but sort of not. It was a morbid curiosity. In a few minutes, she¡¯d have new skin. Abbee felt at her head with her good hand. Felt her familiar short scruff. Her hair had somehow escaped the flames. At least she wouldn¡¯t be walking around half-bald while her hair grew back. Her gift never touched her hair. My eyebrows. Abbee tried touching her face again and was rewarded with the sticky horror of burnt skin. She was sure her eyebrows were gone.

    Abbee¡¯s vision slowly returned to normal, and she surveyed the damage. Her trousers were ruined. She saw the new pink skin of her thighs and shins through several big holes. Her jerkin was scorched in places. It had several holes through the chest where she¡¯d been shot with darts. The jerkin had fared much better than her trousers and had protected her upper body from the flames. Miraculously, her jobs case was still intact.

    Abbee looked around. Five bodies lay still. Each had bolts sticking out of it, like a sparsely quilled porcupine. Abbee wondered why the repeating bolt throwers shot three bolts. Always three. She spotted a few bright red and blue stones lying on the pier. The loose gems Ramaro had stolen from her money pouch. Abbee climbed to her feet, her muscles screeching in protest. She picked up the gems and tried to slip them back into her pouch, only to find that it was gone. She looked and saw it lying on the pier next to Ramaro¡¯s purple-clad body. She walked over and snatched up the pouch. Ramaro had cut the pouch¡¯s strings. The leather was scorched but otherwise intact.

    The thumb light and the silver ring were still inside. Her bills were soaked through. Abbee pulled them out and inspected the sodden paper. The ink had run, and she couldn¡¯t tell which one was which. Abbee discarded the useless money. She shoved the pouch into her right front pocket and discovered the pocket was gone. Burned clean away. Her scorched smallclothes peeked through the hole. Her left pocket was still there, and she squeezed the money pouch into it. She worried about the stitches holding, but it would have to do for now.

    Abbee had lost her left bracer at some point. It didn¡¯t matter. She knew she¡¯d never take off the repeating bolt thrower. It had saved her life here, and she¡¯d need the extra edge to deal with all the people chasing her: constables, wizard hunters, and now the Murder Guild. She still had a hard time understanding why Ramaro had called them. Why not the constables? Why the guild?

    Abbee rotated and flexed her left hand. No pain. She had a small pucker from where the bolt had pierced her palm, but that was fading too. If Abbee was going to wear the bolt thrower, she had to figure out a way to keep from shooting herself with it. She loosened the straps and repositioned it on the top of her forearm. Rotated her hand around and realized the change in position hadn¡¯t helped. She¡¯d shoot herself in the top of her hand as easily as the bottom. Maybe ¡­ Abbee pushed the bolt thrower to the outside of her arm. Its stiff leather arm guard felt more comfortable there. She had to push her hand over as far as it would go for it to cross in front of the bolt hole. Abbee wondered if this was the proper way to wear the thing to minimize self-injury. Satisfied with the bolt thrower¡¯s position, she tightened the straps on her arm.

    Abbee felt at her face again. Her eyebrows were gone.

    She searched the guilders first. Capturing people wasn¡¯t something guilders usually did, and from their chatter earlier, not normal for this squad. She didn¡¯t find any notes or instructions. No indication as to why they¡¯d tried to take her alive. Ramaro was dead, so Abbee couldn¡¯t ask him either.

    The mover¡¯s coat looked like it would fit Abbee, and it didn¡¯t have any holes in it. She pulled it off and tried it on. It fit. And a bonus¡ªit didn¡¯t have any blood on it either. The coat even had two pockets sewn on the inside, up high, so anything she put in them wouldn¡¯t swing. Abbee moved her damaged money pouch and felt better about its new position. The coat¡¯s sleeve was big enough to cover the repeating bolt thrower. The hood had the guilder¡¯s mask sewn into it in a clever way that allowed the wearer to unbutton the top and expose their face. Abbee tried the mask. The mesh around the eyes was thin, but Abbee still didn¡¯t like how it obscured her vision, so she left the mask off.

    Abbee eyeballed the woman¡¯s build. She looked about Abbee¡¯s size. A few moments later, Abbee had on a new pair of trousers. Given how much material she¡¯d stuffed into her boots, she¡¯d need to hem them at some point. But they hardly had any holes and had somehow escaped the mover¡¯s blood.

    Searching the bodies on the pier produced twelve knives, three short swords, and three quivers of crossbow bolts. Each quiver had compartments, and Abbee identified several different types of bolts. Some bladed, some simple points. Some bolts had dark paste on the heads. Poison, most likely. A few bolts had holes cut into the shafts so they¡¯d whistle when released. A signal, perhaps, or maybe for a distraction. The crossbow was a versatile tool for the Murder Guild.

    Abbee left the weapons and took all their money. She didn¡¯t have enough room for it all in her pouch. She took a second pouch and tied it to her belt. Found another and replaced her damaged money pouch. Once she had everything settled, she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. Good. I don¡¯t jingle.

    The door cracked open. Abbee was in the middle of the pier, and the door was opening faster than she could jump into the river. She tensed and brought her arm up. They weren¡¯t taking her alive. They weren¡¯t taking her at all. The door opened partway and stopped. Abbee couldn¡¯t see who it was from her angle.

    ¡°Ramaro?¡± Mims asked. ¡°You there?¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Come out slow, with your hands in the clear. You alone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±

    ¡°Come out now, Mims,¡± Abbee ordered.

    ¡°Okay, okay. I only came down because Ramaro didn¡¯t come back upstairs.¡± The door opened all the way, and Mims stepped out onto the pier. She was alone. She had her hands out. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. Abbee standing with five bodies arrayed around her. One of them didn¡¯t have any trousers on. Mims¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°What¡ª¡±

    ¡°Did you know?¡± Abbee demanded.

    Mims spotted Ramaro. ¡°Is that ¡­ did you ¡­ is he dead?¡±

    Abbee glanced at the purple-robed body with three bolts sticking out of its chest. ¡°Very dead.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna be¡ª¡± Mims turned and vomited.

    Abbee wished she hadn¡¯t shot Ramaro. Well, she was happy she had shot him¡ªhe¡¯d robbed her, after all. But she wished he hadn¡¯t died. Abbee wanted to know why he¡¯d called the guild and not the constables on her. The guild¡¯s involvement was troubling. That they¡¯d tried to capture her was even more disturbing. Abbee wanted to know who¡¯d opened a capture contract with the guild. She hadn¡¯t been aware that it was a service they even offered.

    ¡°Did you know?¡± Abbee repeated.

    Mims looked up. ¡°Did I ¡­? Oh, there¡¯s a lot of blood¡ª¡± She retched again.

    ¡°Focus, Mims,¡± Abbee said. ¡°When you were talking me up down here, did you know they were coming?¡±

    Mims wiped her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Ramaro didn¡¯t say anything, I swear. He just said to make sure you had everything you needed. I stayed because I was curious about you.¡± She looked at the other bodies. Grabbed her stomach and looked away. ¡°I didn¡¯t even see these three come in.¡± Glanced back. ¡°Those masks ¡­ Wait, did you kill guilders? Three of them?¡± She stared at Abbee. ¡°You don¡¯t have a scratch on you.¡±

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    Abbee didn¡¯t tell Mims about the injuries she¡¯d sustained. Half the stories about her came from people like Mims, who showed up after Abbee was done healing. When word spread that she¡¯d killed assassins from the Murder Guild without sustaining a single cut, others would keep a wide berth. It wouldn¡¯t help with the constables, or the Murder Guild, but those lower on the totem pole might avoid tangling with her. Abbee had a reputation for surviving fights unscathed. She preferred to avoid them altogether.

    ¡°We¡¯re taking the boat out,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯m not waiting for dark.¡±

    Mims looked at the river and back at Abbee. ¡°If I do that, you¡¯ll kill me.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Get in the boat.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get outside the city, and you¡¯ll kill me.¡±

    ¡°Three guilders,¡± Abbee said. She gestured at the bodies. ¡°That one was a mover. This one here was a torch. I¡¯m standing and they¡¯re not. You want to find out if a spout will fare any better? Look, I promise nothing bad will happen to you. You take me down the river and drop me off outside the city. I¡¯ll leave, and if you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll never see me again. Who knows, Mims? Maybe you can come back here and take over the den. Run it how you want.¡±

    Mims looked at Ramaro. Her lip curled when she glanced at Dren. Her gaze swept over the bodies and back to Abbee. Her face was still pale, but her expression turned calculating. ¡°What guarantees do I have that you¡¯ll let me go?¡±

    ¡°None,¡± Abbee said. ¡°But I¡¯ve got a reputation, right? You telling people I beat three guilders is good for me. Makes me sound dangerous.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need my help with that,¡± Mims said. ¡°You¡¯re the Butcher. Everybody knows that you¡¯re dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Yet here you are, arguing with me.¡±

    Mims eyed the door. ¡°I have to tell Bobo. If he comes down here, he might panic.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°You can tell him when you come back. We leave now. You want a guarantee? I guarantee you can¡¯t run a draat den if there are six bodies on this pier instead of five. Get in the boat, Mims.¡±

    Mims got in the boat. Abbee untied the lines and pushed off the pier, hopping over the rail and onto the deck. Mims strapped herself into the aft chair. The chair faced port, so she could see where they were going but keep her left arm dangling off the back. Mims put her hand in the water. Abbee couldn¡¯t see from her position, but she knew Mims was pushing water from her palm into the river. Her hand both generated thrust and acted like a rudder. The boat moved away from the pier. Abbee raised her hood as they emerged from the tunnel into daylight. It was warm, and the sun was hot on her coat, but the breeze coming off the river kept her from sweating.

    Mims kept them out of the shipping lanes and other water traffic. They passed under the first bridge. Abbee spotted a constable on the next one, recognizing the dark blue and the distinctive cap. She walked to the opposite side of the boat and looked across the river, both to face away from the constable and to keep an eye on Mims. She didn¡¯t need her pilot alerting the constable. Mims looked up as they approached the bridge. She smiled and waved.

    Abbee tensed. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Relax,¡± Mims said. ¡°That¡¯s Clara. The constable cousin I told you about? That¡¯s her. She¡¯s good. Doesn¡¯t give me any hassle for working in a draat den, and honestly, she¡¯d be excited to meet you. Look, she¡¯d be suspicious if I didn¡¯t wave.¡±

    They passed beneath the bridge. Abbee glanced up when the boat came out the other side. She didn¡¯t see any constables.

    Mims looked up when the sun hit her face. ¡°See? Nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the one with people chasing you,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Mims said, ¡°what am I supposed to tell the guild when they come looking for the ones they sent? They¡¯ll know I helped you.¡±

    ¡°Tell them the truth,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I didn¡¯t give you a choice. They won¡¯t hold that against you. The guild tends to be pragmatic about leverage.¡±

    Mims frowned. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Fear is a tool, and the guild knows how it works.¡±

    Abbee looked out across the water. They were even with Glass Island, where the city¡¯s glassblowers lived and worked. A half-dozen buildings perched on the rocky top. Black smoke chugged out of three chimneys in the middle. The structures beneath the chimneys looked recent. The glassblowers routinely burned down their own forges. They used to burn down themselves and everyone around them until the wizards had gotten fed up with it and made them an island. It had been decades since anyone had seen a wizard in Akken. While it was easy to forget that they¡¯d been dangerous, one look at the rock pile in the middle of the Charrin reminded Abbee of their power. They¡¯d made an island.

    Glass Island slipped behind them. One more bridge, a long, winding stretch of river, and they¡¯d be at the city wall. Fewer boats on this part of the river. Shipping via river into Akken wasn¡¯t a viable enterprise. Violent rapids south of the city and the established continental train routes made river barges irrelevant. Boats on the river were pleasure craft or small cargo boats supplying Glass Island.

    The boat slowed. Abbee saw that Mims had pulled her hand out of the water. ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking a break,¡± Mims said. ¡°Sustained thrust is tiring.¡±

    ¡°Take a break when I¡¯m off the boat,¡± Abbee said.

    Mims shook her head. ¡°If someone tries to intercept us, you¡¯ll be sorry if I don¡¯t have the energy to get away because you didn¡¯t let me take a break. Relax. We¡¯re still moving south.¡±

    Abbee looked around. ¡°It¡¯s clear now. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Mims pointed with her chin at a building poking out into the river, a couple of hundred meters downstream on the North Bend side. A plain stone structure, three stories tall, with a flat roof. ¡°That¡¯s a satellite precinct. Just went up last week. They¡¯ve not been advertising it, but we noticed. There¡¯s a pier tucked in off the side. If they put in the water, you¡¯re going to want me rested. They¡¯ll have spouts too.¡±

    Abbee kept abreast of what the constables were doing, and she¡¯d had no idea about the satellite precinct. She thought about the prospect of tangling with a boatload of constables out on the water. ¡°You¡¯re telling me this now?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve not been interested in any river traffic so far. We¡¯ve seen them at the water grates over the past couple months, but not during the day. I think the constables are patrolling at night. Either way, they¡¯re not there for us, so I think we¡¯re okay.¡± Mims stretched. ¡°But you¡¯re gonna want me ready just in case.¡±

    Abbee couldn¡¯t argue with Mims¡¯s logic, but she still didn¡¯t like it. The current was slow here, and she could barely tell that they were even moving. Abbee wanted to be moving. ¡°How long do you need?¡±

    ¡°Not long. Gimme a few minutes, and we¡¯ll be underway again.¡± Mims reached into a leather bag hanging from a hook next to her chair.

    Abbee tensed until Mims came up with a cloth-wrapped loaf of dark bread. Abbee¡¯s stomach growled, reminding her of all the work her gift had done keeping her alive back on the basement pier. ¡°You got another one of those?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m not eating this entire thing.¡± Mims tore the loaf apart and handed one half to Abbee. She peered into the satchel. ¡°Looks like I got some cheese in here, but I can¡¯t remember when ¡­ Yeah, this is from last week, and it¡¯s got mold on it.¡± She tossed it overboard.

    ¡°The bread is fine, thank you.¡±

    It was dry, and Abbee remembered the cask of water under the prow. The bread went down better with a cup of water. She turned around to see Mims with one finger in her mouth. Abbee realized the other woman was drinking.

    Mims noticed Abbee staring and grinned around her finger. She finished. ¡°I usually do this by myself. We do it all the time, though. Spouts, I mean.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something I see often,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I guess you never have to worry about running out of water.¡±

    ¡°Only in a desert.¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought spouts found water even in the driest desert.¡±

    ¡°Sure, if there¡¯s an underground aquifer or river or something.¡± Mims stretched and put her hand back in the water. The boat lurched forward. ¡°I¡¯m not creating water out of nothing when I do this, you know. I¡¯m pulling it from all around. The river, of course, but the air too. In a desert, though, there¡¯s hardly any moisture in the air, and none in the ground.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea,¡± Abbee admitted.

    ¡°Most people have no idea how it works,¡± Mims said.

    They passed under the last bridge. Abbee watched the railings. Less traffic on this bridge than on the others, and no curious onlookers. Abbee felt a surge of relief when they reached open air again. They¡¯d passed the satellite precinct too. No constables on skiffs had come out to pursue them, but their pier had been in shadow. Abbee couldn¡¯t tell if the skiffs were docked or not. She kept an eye on the river traffic ahead. She noticed several docks on the River District side, poking out into the river like stubby fingers. A few small boats bobbed at their tethers. At the end of one of the docks sat an old man with scraggly white hair and a fishing rod. His head drooped and lolled as he unsuccessfully fought off a nap. Abbee wished her life were quiet enough to sit on a dock and pretend to fish. Nap in the morning sun.

    She smiled and turned away, looking south. The outer wall reared up behind a collection of buildings crammed up against the riverbank. Abbee couldn¡¯t see the grates from here, where the river used to have two golems standing in it like twin figureheads on a ship¡¯s prow. Abbee remembered the two alcoves that used to be there. The bottom half of each had had a big grate impeding the passage of everything but the river. Both golems had kept their posts during Towerfall. Other golems had stopped in the river, but these two had already been standing in it. The golems and their alcoves were removed during reconstruction. The big grates remained.

    What also remained was the impressions in the riverbed from the golem feet. Someone had noticed the river golems standing a couple of meters shorter than their siblings and had gone down to investigate. The river had eroded gaps under the wall grates behind the golems. Before Towerfall, the gaps had been less than a meter between the grate and the golem¡¯s ankles. Today, without golems blocking the way, the gaps were as big as barn doors.

    Moving things under the gaps was a niche operation. Akken was open during the day without inspections, with only nightfall having constables on gate duty and tighter observation. Nobody checked the massive amount of goods flowing in and out via the train yards. Abbee¡¯s problem was being seen. Getting to the train yards required crossing three districts. Covered carriages were an option, but constables stopped and checked them when looking for people. Hiding among a wagon¡¯s cargo carried the same risk. The gates had a constable presence. They might not stop everybody, but they were there, watching, and if they were telepaths, there was no hiding from them.

    If you were an inert good, the gates or the train yards were easier and cheaper. Smuggling weapons under foodstuffs was a time-honored tradition. If you were a person of interest to anyone of means in Akken, however, the river grates were an option. If you could hold your breath and didn¡¯t mind getting wet. Abbee wondered if she might make it out of the city without further problems. She didn¡¯t get her hopes up. Akken had a habit of kicking people when they were down.

    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Mims said. She grimaced and pulled her hand out of the water again. ¡°We got trouble.¡±

    Abbee looked. They¡¯d turned the last bend, and she had a clear view. About a hundred meters away, in front of the water grates that separated Abbee from open ground outside the walls, were two skiffs. Four constables on one, two on the other. They¡¯d dropped anchor in front of the water grates. Most of the constables faced the grates, but one fellow faced upstream. His badge glittered in the midday sun.

    Abbee lit off a string of curses. This city. Kicking people when they¡¯re down. ¡°Put us to shore on the River District side.¡±

    ¡°They must be filling in the gaps under the grates,¡± Mims said. ¡°I bet they¡¯ve got a rockbreaker with them. A strong mover would work, but doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ve got a barge of dirt with them.¡±

    They were still drifting toward the constables. Abbee turned and shouted, ¡°Mims! River District, now!¡±

    Mims put her hand back in the water. Their boat turned toward the left bank. Abbee watched the one constable watching them. She was too far away to recognize him, but close enough to see his head track Ramaro¡¯s boat. The constable said something over his shoulder. Now two constables were looking at her. No, three. Four.

    ¡°Hurry, Mims.¡±

    ¡°If I go any faster, it¡¯ll look like we¡¯re running. Wave at them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Wave. Everybody waves on the river. It¡¯s the neighborly thing to do.¡±

    Abbee snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not waving at a bunch of constables.¡±

    Mims waved with her free hand. The constables didn¡¯t wave back. Abbee watched the four-constable boat have a conversation with the two-constable boat. She didn¡¯t like where this was going.

    ¡°I hope you can climb sheer walls,¡± Mims said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Mims gestured with her free hand at the eastern riverbank. Abbee looked. The River District was built several meters higher than the river. A thick stone wall served as the riverbank, where houses lined the river instead of commercial buildings. Abbee counted two small boats tied to piers on this side, and the piers were all down near the constables.

    ¡°I¡¯m a good climber,¡± Abbee said, ¡°but not that good. Turn around.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to look like we¡¯re running,¡± Mims said.

    Abbee glanced back at the constables. The boat with four turned around to face upriver. A big spray of water shot up behind them. Their bow leaped out of the water.

    ¡°Run, Mims!¡± Abbee shouted.

    ¡°Brace yourself!¡±

    The boat lurched under Abbee¡¯s feet, and their bow rose so high she thought they would flip over backward. She tipped aft and fell into one of the bag chairs. The water cask dropped off its cabinet in the prow and landed in the bag chair next to her with a heavy thump. Abbee had a split second to feel lucky that it hadn¡¯t hit her, before she was pelted by all the cups.

    Their bow dropped back into the water. Abbee squinted against the sudden wind in her face. She saw a thick churn of white water ripple backward from their boat. Mims was holding on to her chair so hard the knuckles on her right hand were white. Her left arm looked like it was trying to push its way up out of its socket.

    ¡°This hurts without a harness,¡± Mims complained. ¡°The thrill of a fast boat is wasted on draat smokers.¡±

    Abbee picked cups off her lap. She spied the constables¡¯ boat behind them. ¡°Go faster. I think they¡¯re gaining on us.¡±

    Mims shook her head. ¡°If I go any faster, I¡¯ll break my arm. Besides, their skiffs turn better than this scow. They¡¯ll catch us in the second bend in the river, before Glass Island. I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re not going to make it back to the den before they catch us.¡±

    Abbee spotted the docks on the River District side. The old fisherman was gone. She pointed. ¡°Drop me there.¡±

    The bow shifted in that direction. Abbee thought about where they were and started formulating routes away from the dock. She hadn¡¯t been on this side of the city often and couldn¡¯t picture all the little side streets and alleys. The Geometric Gardens were over here somewhere. Two streets over? Three? Abbee couldn¡¯t remember. She¡¯d find out when she got there.

    Mims aimed straight at the dock. She wasn¡¯t slowing down. Abbee watched the dock get closer at an alarming rate. ¡°Hey! What are you¡ª¡±

    Mims whipped the bow around at the last moment. All the bag chairs and the cask and Abbee slid across the deck and hit the railing. Their wake rolled into them, and the boat bumped up against the dock.

    Mims let out a small whoop. ¡°Hey, I still got it.¡± She looked down at Abbee lying on her back. ¡°We¡¯re here. I¡¯d get out if I were you.¡±

    Abbee scrambled to her feet. The constables were fifty meters away and closing. But slowing down. They didn¡¯t look like they were going to replicate Mims¡¯s braking maneuver. Abbee hopped over the railing onto the dock. It wasn¡¯t anchored to the riverbed and wobbled.

    ¡°When they catch you,¡± Abbee said, ¡°tell them I threatened you.¡±

    Mims snorted. ¡°You did. I was going to say that already.¡±

    ¡°Good luck with the den.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you did me any favors. We¡¯re even now. You didn¡¯t kill me, and I helped you escape. All even,¡± Mims said. ¡°And don¡¯t come back. Whatever deal you had with Ramaro, it ended with him.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t want to know what happened with Ramaro and the goats?¡±

    Mims¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, you know about that? What¡ª¡±

    ¡°You stop right there!¡± a constable shouted across the water. They were close enough for Abbee to make out their faces. Close enough for a mover to grab her, but none did. She recognized Clint Barrow in the bow, who¡¯d arrested Abbee a few months back for no good reason other than he was trying to get promoted to sergeant. From the look of things, he was still a corporal and getting undesirable jobs, like filling in riverbeds.

    Abbee made a rude gesture in his direction. She grinned at Mims. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll tell you about the goats next time I see you, but I gotta run.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Abbee dashed across the wobbly dock, up the steps, and into a small garden shared by two brick houses. A couple of marble benches surrounded by lush greenery, with a few trees and a babbling fountain in the corner. It was nice back here. No people at the moment. Quiet. The city¡¯s bustle sounded far away. Abbee might have paused to enjoy it if she hadn¡¯t had constables chasing her. A tall wall separated the garden from an alley between the houses. Abbee ran up the side of the house and pushed off as she lost momentum, vaulting high enough to get her hands on the top of the wall. She hauled herself up.

    ¡°There she is!¡± a man shouted behind her.

    Abbee saw Clint reach the garden with two other constables behind him. They were all out of shape and round. She doubted any of them could top the wall.

    Abbee twisted around and dropped off the wall. She landed in a dirty alley with two overflowing trash bins on one side, a stark difference in scenery to the garden. She wrinkled her nose and breathed shallowly until she reached the end. Three alleys on the opposite side of the street. To the left, on the corner of the opposite block, Abbee recognized the big red building that housed the River District¡¯s repeater hub. Henk Slempy might be on the roof, sending messages and nursing a hangover.

    The hub in this district was on the corner of Riverbend Street and Main Avenue, the latter of which ran all the way into the Yard District. Abbee realized she was six blocks south of Charcer Bridge and the Narrows. Six blocks. She felt a prickle of irritation, far more than having constables on her tail, at the colossal effort she¡¯d endured, including fighting three guilders, just to move six blocks south.

    She glanced both ways. A pair of constables to the right, heading away with their backs to her. Abbee sometimes wished for the old days, but she was happy for the current situation, in which constables didn¡¯t carry artifact chips. She didn¡¯t know how people had avoided the law back then, when the law had spoken to itself across the city with its talkie tabs. Clint couldn¡¯t call ahead. She heard crashes at the back of the house next to her. The constables were breaking in to go through. A man inside shouted in alarm.

    Abbee ran across the street, weaving between carts and foot traffic. Slipped into the alley behind the repeater building. Dodged more bins and a few people on a loading dock, playing dice. They watched her go by, and Abbee felt their gazes on her back. She popped out the other side and trotted up to Main Avenue. It was busy. Plenty of places to get lost in.

    But the repeater hub was also a great place to send word across the city that Abbee Danner had been spotted. The constables chasing her might be fat and slow, but Abbee doubted they were stupid enough to skip sending a message. She needed to get out of Akken, and fast.

    Abbee stepped into Main Avenue and flagged down the first passenger cart she saw. A battered buggy pulled up. The seat was stained and ripped in places, but the wheels looked solid, and the drover was alert.

    ¡°Where to?¡± the drover asked.

    ¡°Train yards,¡± Abbee said. She dug a silver coin out of her pouch and handed it over.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you some change.¡±

    Abbee climbed into the buggy¡¯s seat and rested her feet on the thick metal bar that doubled as a front bumper. ¡°That whole silver¡¯s yours if you can get me there in twenty minutes.¡± She expected to get change back but figured an incentive to hurry would help.

    ¡°Twenty minutes?¡± The drover pulled out a pair of goggles and put them on. Abbee heard a heavy clank, and the buggy kicked off from the curb, hard. ¡°What do I get if I get you there in ten?¡±

    ¡°Ten? You¡¯re crazy. Two silvers. And I have to be in one piece when we get there.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± the drover advised.

    ¡°To wh¡ª¡± Abbee¡¯s head snapped back with a sudden burst of speed. She pressed into the side of the seat as the buggy veered around a heavy cargo cart in front of them. Once past, she slid across the seat to the opposite side as the drover yanked them over into the right lane. Abbee grabbed onto the seat¡¯s arm, half-expecting to find nail marks from previous passengers. The wind rose from a gentle breeze to a steady rush past Abbee¡¯s ears. Water streamed from her eyes, and she squinted to see.

    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Abbee shouted. ¡°We¡¯re going to crash!¡±

    ¡°Doubt it,¡± the drover shouted back. The buggy lurched to avoid hitting two children crossing the street. ¡°Almost never happens.¡±

    ¡°Almost ¡­ How often¡ª¡± Abbee slid across the seat again. She wondered if the stains were from riders throwing up. She planted both feet on the bumper bar, her legs spread wide for bracing, and grabbed onto both sides of the seat. She was less sitting and more stretching, like skin across a drum.

    The buggy soared across the Yard District. Buildings blurred past them. Every time Abbee thought she could relax a little, the drover yanked the buggy around. She lost count of how many times she was nearly thrown from the seat.

    The eastern side of the Yards was the worst. The streets angled upward here to match the level of the train yards, so each intersection had a little lip on the road and turned into a jump. Abbee discovered she didn¡¯t like flying.

    They arrived outside the train yards in a cloud of dust and screeching wheels, halting right in front of the entrance. A large opening in the escarpment, wide enough for four carts to pass without scraping each other. Ten meters tall. Still not big enough for a golem, which was why the train yards weren¡¯t as new as the rest of the city. The golems hadn¡¯t walked through it. Lots of people living in this part of town had a story about where in the train yards they¡¯d taken refuge during Towerfall.

    It was midday, and the train yards were busy. A steady stream of foot and cart traffic heading in and out. Hundreds of people all watched Abbee¡¯s buggy arrive. Everybody saw them. So did a constable coming out of the train yards. He looked right at Abbee. Her hood had fallen off her head. She saw him see her. Abbee tensed.

    The constable¡¯s gaze slid past her to the drover. ¡°Orlen!¡± he barked. ¡°What did I tell you the last time you flew in here?¡±

    ¡°That you¡¯d arrest me if I hit anybody, sir,¡± the drover, Orlen, said. ¡°Didn¡¯t hit anybody, sir.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m amending it to if I see you skid across the courtyard like that again.¡±

    Orlen ducked his head. ¡°Got it.¡±

    The constable kept walking. Didn¡¯t look at Abbee again. She climbed off the buggy, facing away from him. She didn¡¯t understand. Why had he ignored her? Either she had gotten here faster than the repeaters sent messages, or Clint hadn¡¯t stopped to send word about her being in the city. He couldn¡¯t be that dumb.

    Orlen held up a thick brass disk. Peered at it. ¡°Damn. Thirteen minutes. Sorry. I was sure I could make it here in ten. I did it that one time, but it was at night. Less traffic.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve ¡­ at night?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Without ¡­ What is that thing you¡¯ve got there?¡±

    ¡°This?¡± Orlen showed her the disk. It was several centimeters across and had a glass cover over three little metal arms pointing in different directions. One of the arms moved. ¡°Timepiece. Brand new. My friend at the university gives me things to try out. This tells the time.¡±

    ¡°The time?¡±

    ¡°Well, sort of. I have to remember to wind it every few hours or so, or else it slows down too much. It¡¯s only easy to calibrate it at noon too, but it helps me see how fast I¡¯m going.¡±

    Abbee shook dirt off her coat. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need a timepiece ¡­ thing for that.¡±

    Orlen tapped the glass cover. ¡°Beats carrying an hourglass around.¡± He gestured at the escarpment. ¡°He wants to hang a giant one up there, so you can see it from anywhere in the city. Interesting idea, but he¡¯ll have to solve the winding and calibration problems first. Can¡¯t imagine having to climb up to wind a giant version of this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, thank you,¡± Abbee said. She gestured at the battered seat. ¡°You should add straps or a harness.¡±

    ¡°Tried that,¡± Orlen said, ¡°but there was that time when a fellow couldn¡¯t get out when we fell off Charcer Bridge, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Charcer Bridge has railings up to my waist,¡± Abbee said. ¡°How¡¯d you¡ªno, never mind.¡± Abbee counted herself lucky for surviving the trip across town without serious injury. She grimaced and left.

    She was also lucky that the constable who¡¯d berated Orlen had ignored her. Too lucky. It didn¡¯t make any sense. The constables who¡¯d chased her across Charcer Bridge into the Narrows had mentioned a warrant. They¡¯d said there was a warrant out for her arrest, for murder. If that was the case, it would¡¯ve been spread across Akken. Every constable would be on the lookout for Abbee. They had a likeness of her at the precincts. They all knew what she looked like. That constable should¡¯ve stopped her.

    No warrant?

    That made even less sense. No warrant meant Davo hadn¡¯t reported the events in the quarry. Not even Ipsu¡¯s body. She¡¯d have thought he¡¯d jump at any chance to get her out of his hair. Maybe Davo had a shipment coming in and didn¡¯t want the extra attention. But something was going on. Someone wanted Abbee. Badly. Someone who could move both the Murder Guild and corrupt North Bend constables. Abbee had to get out of town.

    She hurried out onto a wide platform with a sweeping view of the train yards. A giant cavern in the escarpment. Tall enough for a golem to fit comfortably, if the entrances had been big enough. The opera house would fit in here in its entirety with room to spare. The air was thick with glimmermote. It swirled about in glittering eddies and clouds. Every few minutes, a cloud touched one of the tall lamps towering over everybody¡¯s head, crackling into a violent ripple of rainbow hues.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Dozens of berths, and all of them had a continental train arriving, unloading, loading, or departing. The berths were set into the floor. The platform Abbee stood on was a few meters tall, but the trains were still taller. Continentals were enormous. Each cart was a long rectangle of wood and metal, with a giant steel wheel at each corner. Trains had strings of such carts, some of them so long they stretched into the tunnels heading back outside. Most carts were enclosed boxes carrying crates or packed sacks. Some carts were flatbeds, others round metal tubes carrying fluids, and still others had porthole windows. Passenger carts. Abbee looked for one with a single level of windows. Two levels was an economy cart. Abbee wanted out of the city fast, but not bad enough to squeeze into a single train cart with thirty other people. Plus, she had a lot of money on her from the dead guilders. She liked the idea of the Murder Guild funding a first-class compartment.

    Abbee stopped at the first train with a single-level passenger cart and walked down the gangway. The train was swarming with movers. Being around so many made Abbee nervous. She steeled herself against her fear. They were pushing crates and barrels around and weren¡¯t paying her any attention.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Abbee said to the nearest one dressed in drover leathers. She gestured at the passenger cart. ¡°You got room for one more?¡±

    The drover frowned at her. ¡°You got a ticket?¡±

    ¡°A what?¡±

    ¡°A ticket. You need one. We don¡¯t take walk-ups anymore.¡±

    ¡°Since when?¡±

    ¡°Since three months ago.¡± The drover pointed back toward the entrance. ¡°Ticket counter, back at the entrance to the yards. You walked right past it. There¡¯s a big sign. How¡¯d you miss it?¡±

    Because I was panicking about who might be after me. Ipsu would¡¯ve had choice words if he¡¯d seen her lose her situational awareness like that. ¡°Can¡¯t you¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. We¡¯ll get fined if we bypass the ticket system. The city takes a cut of the fare.¡±

    ¡°Seems harsh.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me. Though it does cut down on the number of people who interrupt us while we¡¯re working.¡±

    Abbee took the hint and walked back up the gangway. Back the way she had come. She paid attention this time. Watched faces around her, scanning for threats. She didn¡¯t see any. She passed another constable, who paid her no mind. It should have helped her relax but did the opposite.

    The ticket counter was a large desk with three clerks behind it. A big sign overhead said Tickets. Abbee had indeed walked right past it. Ipsu would¡¯ve had so many choice words. The sign had a list of destinations and corresponding rates. They were running trains to a lot of places these days. The main cities, yes, but Abbee hadn¡¯t realized trains went to the smaller cities from here too. Several dozen of them, so many she had to squint at the tiny lettering on the sign.

    Where to go, where to go.

    The smaller towns were out. Too few people, and too many who¡¯d remember any travelers staying longer than a couple of days. That meant one of the cities. Veronna was a no-go. It was the network¡¯s main hub, not to mention the coldest. Abbee didn¡¯t like being underground all the time. Morat was too close to Veronna for Abbee¡¯s comfort. Abbee only considered Joor because it was in her mental list of big cities. She wasn¡¯t going there.

    That left Kiva. Abbee thought about the thumb light she carried. It looked brand new. In the old days, Kiva had been the place to find the best lamps. Abbee might find a lamp seller who knew someone. It was a long shot. Kiva was also the last city to have reopened trade routes to Akken and Veronna after Towerfall, and relations between the cities had been frosty ever since. Kiva forbade the network or House soldiers from operating there¡ªand enforced the edict with a military force of its own.

    Every year, it seemed, Kivan authorities expelled or executed network operatives. Rumors in Akken rose and fell with whatever kerfuffle might cause this year to be ¡°the one¡± that led to an all-out war between the cities. War never came. Ipsu used to say the only thing holding the cities in check was the Tower, but with nineteen years of wizard-free living, war no longer seemed inevitable. Abbee suspected war hadn¡¯t arrived because Kiva itself was practically impregnable. Veronna had built its city inside mountains; Kiva was on top of one, with its back to the ocean and the finest navy in the world. If Abbee wanted to pick a major population center with the smallest network presence, Kiva was the place.

    Abbee looked at the fare rates. Steerage was the lowest. She had no idea what that was, but it was even lower than quadruple-occupancy economy, which Abbee had thought was the lowest. It went up from there. Triple, double, single economy, then up to first class, and ¡­ What is a suite? In place of the suite¡¯s rate was Inquire for availability. Abbee hadn¡¯t realized there were so many choices.

    She pulled out enough coins for first-class to Kiva. The guild was paying for her trip, though it took half her available coin. She had all the gems still. She could live off those for the rest of her life, but she¡¯d have to convert them at a bank or maybe a jeweler¡¯s. Abbee couldn¡¯t sell them all at the same time¡ªsomeone would take interest. Maybe it was time to see the world again, and all the bank branches in it.

    Abbee stepped up to the ticket counter. She almost asked about a suite, but she might as well announce to the whole world that she was on a particular train. Suites were for rich people, and she didn¡¯t look rich. Still, she wasn¡¯t riding in an economy cart with thirty people and two small privies. ¡°First class to Kiva.¡±

    The clerk ran his finger down a list in front of him. ¡°I got two trains. One leaves tomorrow and goes to Veronna first¡ª¡±

    ¡°And the other?¡±

    ¡°Was supposed to leave this morning but dropped a wheel right here in the yard. Straight to Kiva.¡±

    ¡°When does it leave?¡±

    ¡°As soon as they finish repairs,¡± the clerk said. ¡°An hour, maybe less. Trains normally wait till morning to take advantage of daylight, but we¡¯ve got a train holding outside for that berth.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    ¡°You sure? Leaving in the afternoon means you won¡¯t get to Streamdale before dark. You¡¯ll be parking in the middle of nowhere for the night. Half the passengers booked other trains.¡±

    ¡°Sounds great,¡± Abbee said, putting her money on the counter. ¡°I want that one.¡±

    ¡°The one that drops a wheel when it¡¯s hardly moving, sure,¡± the clerk said. He reached over and scooped up the coins. ¡°Hope another one doesn¡¯t fly off at full speed.¡± He pulled out a card with embossed edges and wrote down the fare details. He looked up halfway through. ¡°Name?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I need your name. And address.¡±

    ¡°Address? What for?¡±

    The clerk rolled his eyes. ¡°This again,¡± he muttered. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t make the rules, but we need your name and address to book fares.¡±

    ¡°Since when?¡±

    ¡°Since the Council made the rule. Name and address. I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t get a ticket without it.¡±

    ¡°Kaylan Bonner,¡± Abbee said. Kaylan was an old lady who lived in New Bend and watched small children during the day while their parents worked. She bought a pint at the Iron Bull once a week and complained about the changing times. She¡¯d lived in New Bend since Towerfall and had never left. ¡°Ash Place.¡±

    ¡°Number?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get numbers in New Bend.¡±

    The clerk eyeballed her. ¡°First class, and you live in New Bend, eh?¡±

    ¡°I made a lucky bet at the bouts,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Gonna see the world.¡±

    The clerk smirked at her. ¡°Sure.¡± He wrote down Abbee¡¯s fake name and address on the ticket.

    ¡°How much is a suite?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡°Twenty times the first-class rate.¡±

    ¡°Twenty? That¡¯s crazy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a full train cart all to yourself. You also have to book them a week in advance. Only a couple outfits provide the carts. Trains don¡¯t haul them around empty, just hoping for a rich fool to spend it all on one trip.¡±

    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s one trip? You don¡¯t get it for a year or something?¡±

    ¡°One trip,¡± the clerk said. He stamped Abbee¡¯s ticket and handed it over. ¡°More than I make in a year for one silly trip that¡¯s over in six days. Some people have too much money, if you ask me.¡±

    Six days.

    She knew that was how long it took to get to Kiva from Akken, but it was still mind-boggling. Abbee and Ipsu had once spent three months running there. She¡¯d been in the best shape of her life with Ipsu. Running, hunting, and training. She¡¯d watched plenty of trains thunder by them on the road, and Ipsu had always said no. Hard to practice fighting in enclosed spaces, he¡¯d said. Abbee wished they¡¯d taken the trains. She¡¯d done a lot of fighting in enclosed spaces and had had to learn the hard way. She¡¯d also gotten used to running water. It was hard to leave running water.

    ***

    Abbee¡¯s train was a big one, with over twelve carts. All cargo carts except for two passenger carts behind the gear cart. One of the carts had a single row of windows, and the other had two. A lot of people loitered on the platform beside the train. The economy passengers, waiting outside before they stuffed themselves into the cramped cart for the trip. Several children ran around, corralled by harassed-looking parents. A few drovers stood around the platform, keeping the smaller ones from running down under the train.

    A drover saw Abbee approaching down the gangway and peeled off from corral duty. ¡°We¡¯re leaving in about thirty minutes, once the wheel check is done. You can wait outside with the others.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°You got a ticket?¡±

    Abbee pulled the card out of her pocket.

    The drover¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to wait out here.¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Havren!¡±

    A man dressed in fancy livery leaned out of the front passenger cart. He had a trimmed silvery beard, and he wore spotless white gloves. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Got one for you.¡±

    Havren brightened. ¡°Excellent, excellent.¡± He stepped down off the cart.

    The crowd waiting outside all looked at Abbee. She had her hood down. At least fifty people saw her. Looked her up and down. Registered in their heads that this person was riding in first class, and they weren¡¯t. Showed up late and boarded right away, without waiting on the platform while the train replaced a wheel.

    Havren walked over and took the embossed card from the drover. He read it, his brow quivering a little. Abbee assumed he¡¯d seen the New Bend address. Havren smiled at Abbee, a real, warm smile that touched his eyes. He blinked and looked around. ¡°Does madam have any baggage for the journey?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said, trying not to feel self-conscious about the ¡°madam¡± business.

    Another arched brow. Abbee was chalking up lots of details for this man to remember about her. ¡°Right this way, madam,¡± Havren said. ¡°Right this way. Mind that first step off the platform.¡±

    Abbee followed Havren into the cart. A narrow corridor ran the length of the cart on one side, with four doors. The cart was twenty meters long. Four rooms on the whole cart. Havren opened the first door and stepped aside. ¡°Your cabin, madam.¡±

    Abbee noted the door slid sideways and had a latch instead of a doorknob.

    She looked in the cabin. An oil lamp hanging from a ceiling chain illuminated warm wood and a leather sofa. Abbee went in. On the left was another compartment with a large bed. A door in the front compartment led to a small privy. The place was bigger than her apartment. Both compartments had round windows that looked wide enough for her to squeeze through in case of an emergency. It wasn¡¯t a trapdoor but kept Abbee from feeling boxed in.

    ¡°Is everything to madam¡¯s satisfaction?¡± Havren asked from the corridor.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Abbee said. She could hole up in here for the entire trip and not talk to anybody. Well, almost. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have any food, would you?¡±

    ¡°A meal will be served when we stop for the night. You can either take it outside or in your cabin.¡±

    ¡°In my cabin, thank you,¡± Abbee said.

    Havren waited.

    Abbee waited.

    ¡°Was there something else?¡±

    ¡°Apologies, madam,¡± Havren said, ¡°but it¡¯s customary to tip.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Abbee was familiar with the practice but wasn¡¯t used to it. Nobody tipped in economy, on account of there being no attendant. ¡°Sorry.¡± She dug out a silver. She knew that it was a giant tip but handed it over anyway. It felt good to spread around the Murder Guild¡¯s money.

    Havren smiled a big smile, and the coin disappeared into his pocket. ¡°Thank you, madam. If you need anything, anything at all, pull this cord next to the door, and I¡¯ll be right over. You¡¯re one of two first-class passengers for this trip, so response times will be prompt. We¡¯ll be underway in about thirty minutes.¡± He put his hand on the door latch. ¡°Does madam require anything else before we depart?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Very good, madam.¡± Havren closed the door.

    Abbee inspected the latch on the door. It had a lever to lock it, at least. She locked the door and sat down on the leather seat, shifting to find a comfortable position with her jobs case pressing into her back. She listened for sounds of her environment. She heard dull thumps through the floor, and the occasional hiss of steam pipes in the wall, but that was it. The compartments were quiet. Abbee relaxed a little and sank back into the sofa. This was nice. She could get used to this. Weariness washed over her. Strenuous day. Constables, Ramaro, the Murder Guild, constables again, and that lunatic in the buggy. She¡¯d healed from significant injuries. Abbee closed her eyes, intent on resting for a couple of minutes, and fell asleep.

 Chapter 24

    A faint squeal in Abbee¡¯s dream turned into a louder squeal when she woke up. She was in the chair, and momentum pushed her against one side. The train¡¯s brakes. They were slowing down. Abbee realized they¡¯d left Akken and she hadn¡¯t even noticed.

    The train came to a stop. Abbee stood up and looked out the window. The golden afternoon sun lit a small collection of buildings. The escarpment was close and reared up overhead. Abbee knew where they were. The escarpment tunnels. She and Ipsu had run up and down the tunnels several times during their travels. She remembered the last time, when she¡¯d wagered they could ascend faster than a train. Ipsu hadn¡¯t been a betting man, which was good, because he¡¯d have lost.

    Abbee cracked the window and heard the clank of tools, shouts, and, somewhere in the distance, birds calling. It was good to hear the environment. She lost situational awareness in this sound cocoon. Maybe what she needed was some peace and quiet. Rest and reflection. Shut out the world, hermit in this cabin for six days, and arrive in Kiva fully rested. It had been a long time since Abbee had been able to shut the world out for more than a day.

    She was about to close the window when she heard a knock on the cart. On the outside. Abbee peered through the window but couldn¡¯t see the front of the passenger cart from her angle. She¡¯d have to open it and poke her head out, and the whole point of this journey was to escape notice.

    A moment later, the sound of a door opening. Havren¡¯s voice. ¡°What? We don¡¯t take ¡­ oh. Right. Sorry, of course. My apologies. I didn¡¯t ¡­ Yes, we have room. What? Ah, yes ¡­ yes, there¡¯s someone like that on the train. Got on right before we left.¡±

    Abbee swore and opened the window. She got her head out in time to see someone climb up onto the cart. She saw their backside. Dark cloak. Abbee went to the door and listened. The outside noise masked sounds inside. She darted to the window, closed it, and returned to the door. Heard Havren¡¯s muffled voice somewhere on her right. A door closed. More footsteps heading aft.

    The train jerked beneath her feet. They were underway again. Abbee wished she¡¯d gotten a good look at whoever had boarded the train. They might not be here for her. Could be here for someone else. Abbee doubted it. No coincidences. Suspicion kept her alive.

    Well, her gift kept her alive. Suspicion kept her from agonizing injuries.

    ***

    Abbee stayed in her cabin when the train halted for the night. She listened at the door for footsteps in the cart. Heard a couple of sets. She cracked her door open but didn¡¯t see anyone. Maybe she should get off the train. Now was her chance. There was also a good chance of being followed. She didn¡¯t know who¡¯d boarded, didn¡¯t know their capabilities. Could be a mover.

    A knock at the door. Abbee looked around the cabin for a weapon. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Me, madam,¡± Havren said. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you supper.¡±

    Abbee cracked the door. Havren stood outside with a big tray of food. Wonderful smells of meat and bread reached Abbee¡¯s nose, and her stomach almost took over her decision-making. ¡°Just you?¡±

    Havren frowned. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Abbee opened the door wider and poked her head out into the corridor. Empty save for Havren. ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Is madam always this jumpy?¡± Havren asked as he entered with the tray.

    ¡°Who did we pick up at the escarpment tunnels?¡±

    Havren deposited the tray on the sofa table and straightened to look at her. ¡°Uh ¡­¡±

    Abbee held up a silver coin. ¡°Who did we pick up?¡±

    Havren looked at the coin. Abbee saw him see it. He walked past her to the door. Half turned and asked on his way out, ¡°Will there be anything else, madam?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Abbee tried to get a gold coin from her pouch and accidentally pulled out a ruby instead. She held it up anyway. ¡°Havren, who did we pick up?¡±

    Havren saw the ruby. Blinked. Shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I ¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± He closed the door behind him with a sharp snap.

    Abbee swore. Havren was afraid of whoever had boarded. Very afraid. If he¡¯d been thinking more clearly, he¡¯d have taken the ruby knowing that Abbee wouldn¡¯t have been in a position to demand it back. I should get off this train.

    She sat down and ate instead. She¡¯d need the energy. Whatever she didn¡¯t eat she wrapped up in a napkin for later. The napkin was made of finer cloth than all her clothes. She found herself wishing for some frosty bread. No, crispy bread. Abbee didn¡¯t know why she¡¯d thought that. She didn¡¯t like crispy bread. For a long, strange moment, she wondered why not, and perhaps she should give crispy bread another chance. Abbee frowned and told herself to stop thinking about it. Crispy bread was disgusting.

    She stood up to leave. Sat back down. She wasn¡¯t running from a mover through the woods in the dark. Staying in this cabin didn¡¯t make her feel better, behind a flimsy door with a flimsy lock, and a latch instead of a doorknob. No way to wedge something under the door to keep it from opening. Her dinner had come with silverware, and she considered keeping the knife. She¡¯d need one in the woods. It was a butter knife with a dull edge, but it was better than nothing. Abbee left it on the tray. A mover could use it against her.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    She felt trapped by her options. She could go on the offensive and confront whoever had boarded the train. No. There might be more than one. Maybe they¡¯d marshal the train¡¯s drovers to help them. She¡¯d be walking into certain capture or death. Abbee went into the sleeping compartment. The inner door slid too. It had no lock. She went back out and sat on the sofa. Watched the door. Positioned her left arm so her bolt thrower pointed at the doorway.

    She watched all night.

    ***

    Abbee awoke with a start. The train was moving again. She¡¯d fallen asleep. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d fallen asleep. She admonished herself for sleeping on watch.

    A knock at the door. ¡°It¡¯s me, madam.¡± Havren. ¡°I have your breakfast.¡±

    Abbee stood up and unlocked the door. For a brief moment, she thought she should let Havren open it, but opening the door herself seemed like a good idea. A flicker in the back of her head screamed at her. What was she doing? The flicker vanished. She opened the door.

    A dark shape lunged through. Abbee caught a glimpse of bright red blade. She felt a sharp pain in her belly. She cried out and stumbled back. The shape became a hooded cloak with a blond beard shot through with silver. A man. He followed her in.

    Abbee tried to remember her weapons. She had a weapon. She knew she had a weapon, but she couldn¡¯t think of using it. She couldn¡¯t think straight. She couldn¡¯t think.

    The red blade flashed again. Abbee felt another deep wound in her stomach. She wanted to raise her arms to defend herself, but her arms didn¡¯t move. It was a good idea to keep them down. Her stomach and chest hurt, and she was bleeding.

    Mote exploded from her wrists. Her mind cleared. Slowly. Like someone was pushing gauze down into her brain, smothering her fear, smothering her thoughts. But she fought it. As her gift worked to close her wounds and heal her, it burned away whatever had clouded her mind.

    A telepath. This man was a telepath.

    Abbee saw dark armor plating on his legs beneath his cloak. Saw the bottom of a blue sash. Red blades in both hands. Knives. No bolt thrower on his arm.

    Wait. I have a bolt thrower.

    The man jumped back as Abbee raised her left arm. He dove out into the corridor.

    Clack-clack-clack. Bolts thudded into the wall across the corridor. Abbee stumbled forward. She had to get him while her gift worked, while it kept him out of her head. She¡¯d been cut by a red blade before. Her gift could heal that, but it took longer to start, took longer to finish. She might pass out while her gift worked. Had to get him before she passed out.

    Abbee staggered into the hallway and slumped into the wall for support. Pain ripped through her stomach as she moved, doing more damage. She¡¯d lost track of how many times she¡¯d been stabbed. Mote fell in a steady stream as her gift worked overtime to heal red blade damage. Moving hurt. Everything hurt. Abbee¡¯s head felt fuzzy again.

    Havren was in the corridor. A dark arm across his throat, red blades shining. The hooded man was using Havren as a shield. Abbee should shoot him, but she didn¡¯t know if the bolt thrower was smart enough to avoid hitting Havren. Don¡¯t shoot Havren. She didn¡¯t know if that was her thought or the telepath thinking for her. Havren inched forward. Abbee thought about backing up. She should back up. Backing up seemed like a good idea. She backed up to the cart door. Abbee wondered where all these good ideas where coming from, that maybe they weren¡¯t her good ideas, but they seemed reasonable. Opening the cart door was a good idea. She opened it.

    Wind roared in from outside. No railings. The ground whipped by at a nauseating speed. The train moved so fast she couldn¡¯t make out individual rocks or trees close to the road. It was all a brown-and-green blur. Maybe this wasn¡¯t a good idea after all. None of them were. The telepath was still in her head.

    The hooded man pushed Havren aside and lunged forward, red blades raised. Abbee thought maybe she should defend herself. She stood there like an idiot instead. She did nothing. The man buried the blades up to their hilts in her chest. She felt them crunch through her ribs like they weren¡¯t there and pierce her lungs and heart. Felt her heart quiver and jerk.

    The man yanked out his knives. Blood spurted out of Abbee. Her legs wobbled. The hooded man gave her shoulder a light push with the hilt of his knife. She collapsed backward off the train. The wind grabbed her as the man¡¯s cloak fell open, and his blue sash fluttered. The world spun. Bleeding and dying, Abbee hit the ground. Bounced, arms and legs flailing, and hit a tree. Bones snapped. She crashed into something else. Pain chased everything away into darkness, and she knew no more.

    ***

    Abbee opened her eyes and sucked in a breath and held it. Her throat felt full, and she coughed. A wet, choking cough. Something sticky and warm spattered her lips, chin, and cheeks. She rolled over on her side and hacked up bloody phlegm onto the dirt until all her muscles screamed in pain. She coughed some more. Mote sifted from encrusted wrists. Somewhere in the midst of her agony, Abbee realized her hands itched. It was insult to injury, to itch while in pain.

    She was in a ditch. All the trees around where Abbee lay were dead. The grass, bushes, everything wilted and brown. Several dead birds littered the ground beneath trees that had shed their leaves early. Abbee crawled up through dead underbrush and who knew what kind of ivy to the top. The train was gone.

    A telepath. She¡¯d fought a telepath armed with red blades and lived. Barely. And her gift had done all the work. She¡¯d stood there and waited while a man had sliced her open with knives. No wonder she¡¯d waited so long in her cabin. Waited to die. The telepath had probably been doing her thinking for her ever since he¡¯d boarded the train. That meant a Class Four. A Three could send thoughts to her, like a speaker, but it took a Four to make it seem like the thoughts were hers. Abbee still felt stupid. The crispy bread thing should have alerted her. Abbee hated crispy bread.

    The telepath had pushed her off a moving continental train. If she was lucky, the telepath thought she was dead from both the fall and her wounds. If she was unlucky, he knew about her gift and suspected she¡¯d survive. Abbee decided the telepath didn¡¯t know. If he did, he¡¯d have made the train stop. It took a long time to turn a continental train around, but if he thought she¡¯d lived, he¡¯d be back here, poking through the bushes. He probably thought the same thing as the House soldiers watching her bouts. Somebody was helping her, healing her. Maybe her healer friend, Whimsy. Red blades to the heart. Nobody survived that.

    Abbee touched her chest with tentative fingers. Lots of holes in her jerkin. Three, no, five slices. She looked down and saw new pink skin where gaping wounds should have been. She wished hard right then that she¡¯d taken Ipsu¡¯s sewing kit from his satchel. I won¡¯t need it, she¡¯d thought. Fool.

    Her jobs case had somehow held while bouncing off a tree. But she had no knife. No flint and steel. Just a bunch of gems and a repeating bolt thrower in the middle of nowhere. Akken was to the west, a few days¡¯ hike from wherever this was. Abbee headed east. When the road bent north, she kept going straight and disappeared into the woods.

 Chapter 25

    Two weeks later, Abbee crept through thick underbrush, mentally begging the sticks beneath her feet to hold. She put one hand on a damp tree trunk and peered around it. Twenty paces past the tree, a deer stood in profile. A big doe. Abbee forced herself to stay still. She¡¯d been chasing this animal for hours. It always stayed over a hill or behind a thicket, and she¡¯d never had a clear shot at it. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d managed to get this close. Hunger gnawed at her.

    She leaned around the other side of the tree. Got her arm with the repeating bolt thrower pointed in the right direction. The doe raised its head. Took a step to the left. Abbee raised her arm, and the doe flinched.

    Clack-clack-clack.

    Bolts thudded into the deer, and it went down with a startled thump. Abbee stepped out from behind the tree and was about to let out an excited whoop when the bushes to her right shifted. A dark shape rose up. A flicker in the air.

    Something smacked into Abbee¡¯s belly. Hard. She looked down and saw an arrow sticking out of her. Abbee¡¯s whoop turned into a startled curse, and she went down to one knee.

    Footsteps crashed through the underbrush. ¡°That was an accident!¡± a man shouted, getting closer. ¡°Sorry, sorry! Please don¡¯t be dead!¡±

    Abbee climbed to her feet, leaning back against the nearby tree. A man rushed toward her, holding a hunter¡¯s bow. He wore dark trousers and a leather vest with lots of pockets.

    Abbee raised her hand. ¡°Stop. Stay back.¡±

    The man slid to a halt. He looked around. ¡°I heard a bunch of shots all at once. Were those crossbows? Who else is out here?¡±

    ¡°Just me and my deer and a dumb hunter,¡± Abbee growled. Mote wisped from her wrists as her gift started its work. She felt the arrow shift inside her. She grabbed the shaft and winced at the pain. ¡°This thing have a bladed or hooked tip?¡±

    ¡°Iron point,¡± the man said. ¡°Bladed tips are expensive.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Abbee yanked out the arrow. She grunted and bent over, grabbing her knees as her gift, free of the arrow, completed knitting her flesh back together. It would eventually have pushed out the arrow, but that hurt. A lot. Abbee straightened and dropped the bloody shaft. She put a finger on the hole in her jerkin. ¡°Great. Another one.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± the man asked. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s my deer.¡±

    ¡°Mine,¡± Abbee countered. She walked through the bushes toward the fallen animal. ¡°I¡¯ve been tracking it for hours. I¡¯ve not seen you out here tracking it for hours. It ran into you. Where did you come from, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Streamdale,¡± the man said, gesturing east. ¡°Two kilometers that way.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ hmph. Would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d covered more ground than that.¡±

    She bent over the deer. One of her bolts had found its heart, and the animal lay still. Abbee pulled a crude stone knife from her belt and started dressing the deer. The hunter was behind her, and she didn¡¯t like it, but she was hungry and angry at the whole situation. She should¡¯ve seen the hunter. She couldn¡¯t believe that she had let herself get shot with a stupid arrow.

    ¡°Hey,¡± the man said, walking closer. ¡°We should take that to town first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to town, and if you take another step, you¡¯ll not be going to town either.¡±

    The man stopped. ¡°Where did you come from?¡±

    ¡°None of your business.¡±

    ¡°How long have you been out here?¡±

    ¡°Long enough to lose my city fat.¡±

    ¡°Your ¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a deal,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°What kind of deal?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t carry all of this. I¡¯ll give you whatever meat I don¡¯t take, plus the skin.¡±

    ¡°There are wolves around here,¡± the man said. ¡°They¡¯ll smell the kill on you. It¡¯s not safe.¡±

    ¡°A meal that stalks you is one you don¡¯t have to carry.¡± It came out before Abbee could stop herself. That was something Ipsu used to say. She swore under her breath and kept working. ¡°Look, in return for this generous offer, you say to whoever asks that you came across the deer like this. You didn¡¯t see me.¡±

    The man shifted. ¡°I shot you, and you pulled out the arrow like it was nothing. How did you do that?¡± His voice turned suspicious. ¡°Are you ¡­ are you a wizard?¡±

    Abbee snorted. ¡°No. If I were a wizard, do you think I¡¯d be dressing a deer like this in the middle of nowhere? I¡¯d be sitting in splendor, freshly bathed, conjuring my favorite foods from thin air. I certainly wouldn¡¯t be out here, making a deal with the same fool who shot me.¡±

    The man shifted behind her. Abbee heard bow arms creak.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding¡ª¡±

    The hunter shot her in the back.

    Abbee shouted in pain as the arrow pierced all the way through her. The bloody arrow point stuck out of her chest. She half twisted, half fell back onto the gutted deer. Brought her bolt thrower up and thought about shooting the hunter.

    Clack-clack-clack. He went down with a startled shout.

    Abbee pushed herself to her feet with an arrow impaling her. She bumped it and cursed at the fresh stab of pain. She stalked over to the hunter. His feet writhed on the ground. Three bolts stood in a line from his belt to his chest, blood leaking out around the wounds. He saw her coming and struggled to nock another arrow. Hot pain flashed through Abbee¡¯s frame as her gift squeezed the arrow within her. Getting it out was going to be agony. Furious, Abbee walked right up to him. The hunter spotted the rectangular metal box on her arm, and he frowned.

    Clack-clack-clack.

    ***

    Abbee didn¡¯t stop in Streamdale, but she did stop in the next train town ten days later. She knew she could walk all the way to Kiva, but she didn¡¯t have to. It was as if seeing Ipsu one last time had made her want to prove to herself that she¡¯d retained everything he¡¯d taught her. Do more, even. Prove to his memory that she still ¡°had it.¡± Foolishness. Needless risks. Like crossing paths with that idiot hunter, for instance. Now she had two extra holes in her jerkin. The hunter hadn¡¯t been carrying a sewing kit. She¡¯d left him next to the deer, knowing that forest scavengers would deal with his body along with the animal carcass. Abbee took the spent arrows and bolts with her and scattered them in streams and ponds. She didn¡¯t need anyone finding the bolts or the arrows with her blood all over them. No sense in making a sniffer¡¯s job any easier.

    She was done.

    Nearly a month in the wilderness, and an encounter with a stupid hunter was proof enough that she had the skills to make it out here. Hunting took a long time and left few hours every day to move further on her journey. She had occasionally brought down a deer that had given her meat for a few days, but carrying a kill drew larger and larger predators. Several days east of Streamdale, Abbee had discovered her bolt thrower didn¡¯t work well against bears, unless she let them chase her up a tree and shot them in the face.

    She got some strange looks when she walked into town. She¡¯d passed many ponds on her way out of the wilderness. Maybe she could¡¯ve washed, but the idea of real soap had propelled her past the stagnant water. She wanted to bathe in a real tub, not in a muddy pond with a bunch of croaking frogs and mosquitoes.

    The town was built a lot like other train towns. Up on a hill, behind a fortified wall facing the road. The hill had gouges in it, one of them recent. Trains lost wheels all the time out here. The stopover yard on the far side of the hill, away from the road, was empty. The sun was high, and any continental would¡¯ve left by now.

    Abbee walked up to the first inn and opened the front door. A man in a pressed shirt and trousers stood at the front desk. His eyebrows shot up at the sight of her. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare step inside this establishment!¡± he shouted. Lowering his voice, he said, ¡°Sorry. I just mopped in here.¡±

    Abbee paused on the threshold. The floor did indeed look wet. ¡°Where am I? What town?¡±

    ¡°Ellerton,¡± the man said, ¡°and you¡¯re about to defile the Red Lion, the finest inn on the Kiva Road. Did somebody build a pig pen around here? You look like you rolled in it.¡±

    Abbee sighed. A month, and she¡¯d only made it as far as the second stop on a continental route to Kiva. Second out of five. She reminded herself that she wasn¡¯t a giant train hurtling across the northern plains on stone roads, but still.

    The innkeeper gestured. ¡°Go around back. I¡¯ll meet you by the bathhouse. I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for, yes?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Figured. Go around back.¡±

    The innkeeper met Abbee outside the bathhouse. Like Gerro¡¯s inn in Lencoe, the bathhouse was a separate building and almost as big as the inn itself. ¡°Take your pick,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°You¡¯re my only customer at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take two,¡± Abbee said. ¡°One for me and one for my gear.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a separate laundry service,¡± the innkeeper said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. And I¡¯ll need sewing supplies. With needles strong enough for leather.¡±

    ¡°You can see the leatherworker here in town for that. You got any money for all this?¡±

    Abbee fished out a silver and tossed it to him. The innkeeper caught the coin. ¡°This is more than one night. I¡¯ll get you some change.¡±

    ¡°Keep it,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯m staying for a bit.¡± She examined her grimy hands. ¡°I¡¯ll need extra soap.¡±

    The innkeeper sniffed. ¡°Dunno if we have enough.¡±

    ***

    Abbee stayed in Ellerton for several days, soaking up bathwater, clean sheets, cooked food, and rumors in equal amounts. She spent her evenings floating through the gathering places, listening for news. It didn¡¯t sound like anybody was looking for her. Abbee kept an eye out for wizard hunters, House soldiers, and network agents¡ªshe was sure the man with the red blades had been a network agent. She didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t here.

    One upside of a roadside town was semi-competent leatherworkers. Drovers wore heavy leathers to protect themselves from road debris and bird strikes. Their gear often needed repair or replacement. Abbee found Ellerton¡¯s leatherworker the day after she walked into town. She entered the shop and found a wiry fellow using some sort of machine in the back. It involved steam, shrill whistles, and lots of swearing.

    Abbee was the only customer in the shop. She walked up to the counter. ¡°Hello?¡±

    The man didn¡¯t hear her.

    She stood at the counter and watched him wrestle with his contraption. After a few moments, she realized it was driving a needle and thread through several pieces of leather at once. ¡°What is that?¡± she shouted during a lull in the noise.

    The man jumped. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t hear you come in.¡± He kicked the machine and walked to the counter. ¡°It¡¯s a mistake is what it is. A big fat mistake. What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Abbee asked.

    The man sighed. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be a sewing machine, but the man who sold it to me shipped me something that bends needles instead.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°How does it work? Is it magic?¡±

    ¡°The only magic is coming from me,¡± the leatherworker said. A small flame appeared on his fingertips. ¡°I¡¯m a torch. I heat some water and generate some steam. The steam turns a wheel and ¡­ well, that part I don¡¯t quite understand, but that wheel drives the needle. A couple of dials control the needle force and speed, and the pedal turns it on. It¡ª¡±

    ¡°How does steam turn a wheel?¡±

    ¡°Do you know how pressure works?¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you get enough steam pressure, you can push some pretty big things around. The man who sold this to me works for the University of Akken. He said this will drive the continentals someday.¡± He frowned. ¡°They¡¯ve got a lot of kinks to work out first.¡±

    Abbee couldn¡¯t imagine something as insubstantial as steam driving a continental train. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

    ¡°This thing needs two people. I need both hands to guide the leather. I keep running out of steam, and the machine bends the needles. Or rips the leather. Or both.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you hire an assistant?¡±

    ¡°You offering?¡± the leatherworker asked, looking hopeful.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, Ellerton isn¡¯t a cultural hotspot. Doesn¡¯t have a big draw for assistants. Every time I get a good one, they realize they can go make twice the coin in Kiva or Akken. I¡¯d rather gouge both my eyes out than suffer through a bad assistant.¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in a city, making twice the coin?¡±

    ¡°Too many people,¡± the leatherworker said. ¡°I like the peace and quiet here.¡±

    Abbee thought that strange, given the amount of noise his sewing machine generated, but didn¡¯t mention it. She opened her coat enough to expose her damaged jerkin. ¡°I need¡ª¡±

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± the leatherworker asked. ¡°You look like you lost a fight with a bear.¡±

    ¡°I won that fight, actually.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I need repairs for this.¡±

    The leatherworker snorted. ¡°By ¡®repairs,¡¯ you mean ¡®replacement,¡¯ right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I had this made custom. It fits me just right.¡±

    ¡°If you leave it here, I¡¯ll make you a new one exactly like it.¡±

    Abbee must have looked skeptical, because he chuckled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I used to work in the costume department at the Akken Opera House. I¡¯ve made plenty of custom pieces.¡±

    ¡°How come you don¡¯t work there anymore?¡±

    The man¡¯s face clouded. ¡°City isn¡¯t the same.¡±

    Abbee had seen the man¡¯s expression before. Seen it too many times. He¡¯d lost someone during Towerfall. Several people, maybe. Abbee wasn¡¯t an opera person, but she¡¯d seen the memorial plaque hanging on the building near the ticket booth. The entire company had been rehearsing the night of Towerfall, and a golem had wiped them all out. Akken had a lot of memorial plaques.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Yes, well, it was a long time ago. Two silvers, and you get a brand-new jerkin. Minus the holes, of course.¡±

    Abbee frowned. The jerkin had cost her twice as much in Akken. ¡°Why so cheap?¡±

    ¡°You want to pay more? Three silvers, then.¡±

    ¡°Two is fine.¡±

    ¡°No, no, you¡¯re the kind who pays extra thinking you¡¯re gonna get extra quality. Three silvers for a new jerkin, exactly the same size as the old one. It¡¯ll take about five days.¡±

    ¡°Five days seems long.¡±

    ¡°I get a lot of rush work, on account of all my customers arriving in the afternoon and leaving the next day. I have to squeeze you in around that.¡± The man smiled. ¡°I can get it done faster for six silvers.¡±

    Abbee laughed. ¡°Three it is.¡± She dug around in her money pouch. She didn¡¯t have enough silver. She pulled out a gold coin. ¡°I¡¯ll need change.¡±

    The man arched a brow. ¡°Should¡¯ve charged you more.¡± He took the coin and rummaged around in a box under his counter. Came up with the change and handed it over. ¡°Just need the jerkin.¡±

    Abbee hesitated. She couldn¡¯t take off her coat without exposing her bolt thrower. Or her jobs case.

    The leatherworker pointed to a narrow door in the far wall. ¡°I got a dressing room in there.¡±

    Abbee went into the dressing room and closed the door. It had a bench seat on one side and a mirror on the other. A hook on the back of the door. Abbee regarded herself in the mirror. She¡¯d not had one in her own apartment and had often gone days without looking at her own reflection. She hoped her face might fill back in after her time in the wilderness. She looked a little hollowed out. Abbee noted her hair had grown long enough to brush her ears. Maybe she could let it grow out. She thought about Ipsu grabbing her hair for leverage and shuddered. She¡¯d cut it tonight.

    Abbee pulled off the coat and hung it on the hook. Next came her pouches and the jerkin. She held it up. So many holes. Her shirt was in the same condition. Worse. It was covered in leather, sweat, and bloodstains. It had originally been pale yellow, and now it was black in places. She should burn it. She put it back on, along with her pouch belt and coat. She closed the latter to avoid the leatherworker seeing her shirt and asking questions.

    He had plenty when she exited the dressing room. ¡°You know what these look like, right?¡± he asked, holding up the jerkin to the light.

    ¡°Holes,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Very funny.¡± He eyed her. ¡°You a mess of scars and bandages under that coat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m barely keeping it together.¡±

    ¡°Sure you are. You move like there¡¯s nothing wrong with you.¡±

    ¡°Two days, you said?¡±

    The leatherworker poked his fingers through the slits where Abbee had been stabbed in the chest by red blades. He looked at her again. Blinked in recognition. Abbee saw him see her. ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡±

    ¡°Passing through,¡± Abbee said.

    The man nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°I got family in Akken still, and sometimes I have to go back. I¡¯ve seen you fight in the bouts. Watched you get up after someone snapped your ankle. Then you kicked them in the head with the same foot. Craziest thing I ever saw.¡±

    Abbee remembered that fight. Happened about four months ago. Back when Bory was paying in coin and not bills. ¡°Five days?¡±

    ¡°Are the stories true?¡± the leatherworker asked. Abbee tensed, wondering which stories he meant. ¡°You got a healer in the crowd?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Abbee said, relaxing. She¡¯d rather talk about that story than anything to do with Graywall. ¡°Maybe I thought it best to get out of town for a while. Maybe the House soldiers were getting a little nosy. Five days, you said?¡±

    ¡°Five days. I might be done early, if I figure out the sewing machine. Where are you staying? I can drop it off.¡±

    ¡°The Red Lion.¡±

    ¡°Good choice. Varn runs a tight ship. If your shirt looks anything like this jerkin, ask to rummage around in the lost pile.¡±

    ¡°The what pile?¡±

    ¡°The lost pile. People leave stuff behind all the time. Varn calls it the ¡®lost and found¡¯ pile, but hardly anybody ever comes back to claim random articles of clothing. So I call it the lost pile.¡± His expression grew sly. ¡°Be sure to ask why he keeps so many ladies¡¯ underthings.¡±

    Abbee chuckled. ¡°Thanks for replacing the jerkin. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Call me Beyan,¡± the leatherworker said. ¡°And I¡¯ve not seen you, should anyone come looking.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Abbee replied, knowing if that blond telepath showed up in Ellerton, it wouldn¡¯t matter what Beyan said.

    ***

    The jerkin was done three days later. Beyan dropped it off himself, hand delivering it to Abbee in the inn¡¯s common room. Abbee liked spending time there during the day, since no one was in it during the morning lulls. As far as inns in train towns went, the Red Lion was on the smaller side, with only a half-dozen rooms, and the building was the longest walk from the stopover yard. Rowdy drovers seemed to pick the closer, larger inns. This suited Abbee just fine, and Varn didn¡¯t seem to mind her presence. She was sitting at a table in the empty common room, mending a hole in one of her socks, when Beyan walked in.

    ¡°That was fast,¡± Abbee said.

    Beyan shrugged. ¡°Habit. When you¡¯re working for an opera house director, you have to underpromise and overdeliver.¡± He smiled. ¡°Plus, I got the sewing machine to work.¡±

    ¡°Is steam still going to drive the continentals someday?¡±

    Beyan nodded. ¡°Definitely.¡± He handed over the jerkin. ¡°Come back and see me if that doesn¡¯t fit for some reason. I see you found a new shirt. Found something that fits in Varn¡¯s lost pile, eh?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°No socks, though?¡±

    Abbee shrugged. ¡°Good wool socks are hard to get on the road. People don¡¯t leave those behind.¡±

    The innkeeper, Varn, leaned out of the kitchen door. ¡°Thanks for offering up my own things for free, Beyan. And I could¡¯ve done without the underclothes comment, thank you. I know she only mentioned it because you told her to.¡±

    Beyan snickered. ¡°Lots of things in your lost pile are decidedly frilly, Varn.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re expensive, and you never know who¡¯s going to come back for them.¡± He gestured at Abbee. ¡°Would you want her thinking you¡¯d stolen something of hers?¡±

    Abbee pointed to herself. ¡°Me?¡±

    Varn rolled his eyes. ¡°Everyone knows¡ª¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Beyan announced in a loud voice. ¡°So let me know if everything fits¡ª¡±

    ¡°Everyone knows what?¡± Abbee asked.

    Varn exchanged a furtive glance with Beyan.

    Abbee frowned. ¡°Beyan. What was all that about not having seen me should anyone come looking?¡±

    Beyan grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t help it. I only told Varn here.¡±

    ¡°And the rest of the poker group,¡± Varn said.

    ¡°Poker group?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°We play wizard poker,¡± Varn said, ¡°at the White Stag, down the street. Backroom game with some local shop owners. It¡¯s less card playing and more complaining about customers.¡± Varn squinted at Beyan. ¡°My friend here name-dropped you when he had a bad hand, hoping to throw us off our game.¡±

    Abbee fixed Beyan with a steady glare. He looked increasingly uncomfortable the longer it went on. ¡°How big is this group of yours?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Five of us,¡± Varn said. ¡°Me, Varn, Leesa¡ªshe owns the Stag. Homs runs a general store, and Jorad is Ellerton¡¯s best metalworker. He plays about half the time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Beyan said. ¡°I know I said I wouldn¡¯t ¡­ but you¡¯re the Abbee Danner. The Butcher of Graywall. We never get anyone like you around here.¡±

    ¡°Like me?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt us,¡± Varn said. ¡°We won¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Abbee said. She wasn¡¯t about to make five innocent shop owners disappear. Besides, it would draw too much attention to Ellerton. Even so, she knew the network would eventually find out she had come through here. They found out everything eventually. She thought about the blond telepath. If Abbee couldn¡¯t stop him from discovering her visit, she might as well have some fun with him. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to hurt you. I¡¯m interested in your game, though.¡±

    Varn blinked. ¡°You are?¡±

    Abbee smirked at Beyan. ¡°Are you any good at poker?¡±

    ***

    None of them were any good. Beyan couldn¡¯t bluff to save his life. Varn called when he should¡¯ve folded. The prim owner of the White Stag, Leesa, considered herself a card shark but had obvious tells for every card position. The other two, Homs and Jorad, got some good hands in but spent most of their time egging Beyan and Varn into bad positions. Abbee cleaned them out. In the space of two hours, she¡¯d won back the cost of her new jerkin and her stay at the Red Lion.

    The six of them sat in the back room of the White Stag, an upscale inn on the opposite side of the street from the Red Lion. Leesa and Varn competed for the title of ¡°finest inn on the Kiva Road.¡± If Abbee had to judge from first impressions, she¡¯d picked the second-best experience. Abbee suspected Leesa would¡¯ve turned her away when she¡¯d first walked into town. Dirt was offensive at the Stag.

    Homs sat next to Leesa, a thin rail of a man. His nervous demeanor rendered him incapable of bluffing. He spent most of the night trying to look at Leesa¡¯s cards and snatching sweets off the silver tray that Leesa¡¯s staff delivered on a regular basis. Abbee tried one of them, a warm, buttery shortbread with a thick strawberry sauce. She found herself in a race with Homs to acquire them whenever a new plate arrived.

    On the other side of Leesa was Jorad, the metalworker. Jorad¡¯s cards looked small in his massive hands. He was the quietest of the group and played conservatively. Abbee suspected he was only here for the companionship and quite possibly as protection. Toward the end of the afternoon, Abbee pulled Jorad into an unannounced drinking contest. He met her shot for shot until Leesa put a stop to it.

    ¡°Jorad,¡± Leesa said, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough whiskey in the building to keep giving you free drinks.¡±

    ¡°She started it,¡± Jorad rumbled, gesturing to Abbee.

    ¡°From the pile of our money in front of her,¡± Leesa said, ¡°she has enough to pay if she wants to keep going.¡±

    Abbee grinned and drank her last shot in one go. Jorad tried to hide his deep breath before following suit. Abbee pushed a silver coin around on the table, pretending to consider it. She leaned back. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Jorad asked even as relief touched his eyes.

    ¡°Please be sure,¡± Varn commented. ¡°It¡¯ll take all of us and a giant wheelbarrow to carry you home, Jorad.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Jorad asked. ¡°You¡¯re assuming I¡¯d lose?¡±

    Beyan dealt out the next round of cards. ¡°I¡¯ve heard she can drink everyone under the table.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jorad asked, his hands freezing on his cards. He shot Abbee a suspicious glare. ¡°That true?¡±

    Abbee scooped up her cards and inspected them. ¡°What else have you heard?¡±

    ¡°Do you work for the Murder Guild?¡± Homs asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You were in Graywall,¡± Homs said. ¡°You¡¯ve killed people.¡±

    ¡°They deserved it.¡±

    ¡°For money?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°For pleasure, then,¡± Jorad accused her.

    ¡°Self-defense,¡± Abbee corrected. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve got a hittable face.¡±

    ¡°I bet your parents are real proud of you.¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± Abbee said. ¡°They¡¯re both dead.¡±

    Homs shot Jorad a worried look. ¡°How about we not irritate her?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve never lost a fight,¡± Beyan said.

    Abbee thought of flashing red blades. ¡°I lose plenty. Like this hand, for instance. I fold.¡±

    ¡°How are we supposed to win back our money if you keep folding?¡± Varn asked. ¡°When are you going to commit to a hand again?¡±

    ¡°As soon as Beyan here starts dealing me cards off the top of the deck.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Beyan spluttered. ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± Abbee touched her new jerkin. ¡°You did amazing work on this, by the way.¡±

    Beyan smiled. ¡°Thanks. I do want to hear about the holes in the front of your old one, though.¡±

    ¡°The front?¡± Homs asked.

    Beyan tapped his heart. ¡°Right here.¡±

    ¡°Some lunatic man with a wispy blond beard stabbed me,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Stabbed you?¡± Jorad asked. ¡°How did he get close enough to do that?¡±

    ¡°I was overwhelmed by his stench,¡± Abbee said, glad for the opportunity to talk about it. ¡°He smelled of hot garbage and urine. Made my eyes water.¡±

    Leesa shuddered. ¡°That¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say. He had his face covered, and I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s because of all the boils and pus. His hands were covered with them.¡±

    ¡°Please stop,¡± Leesa said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anymore.¡±

    ¡°He was muttering the entire time about his mother,¡± Abbee added, ¡°about how she¡¯d touch him. I don¡¯t think he meant touching in the normal mother-son way either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s revolting,¡± Homs said.

    From the expressions around the table, everyone else thought the same thing. Abbee leaned back in her chair, her mission complete. If the blond telepath tracked her here, she hoped he enjoyed the imagery.

    ¡°You were stabbed in the heart?¡± Homs asked, skeptical.

    Leesa sniffed. ¡°I think it¡¯s more likely she made the holes herself, to make it look that way. Nobody survives such wounds. Not even wizards did that.¡±

    Abbee gave her a small smile. ¡°You caught me.¡±

    ¡°And healers can¡¯t heal themselves,¡± Jorad said. ¡°You¡¯re a charlatan and a killer.¡±

    ¡°Jorad,¡± Beyan said. He gave Abbee an apologetic look. ¡°You have to forgive him. He lost¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Beyan,¡± Jorad snapped. To Abbee, ¡°I came here tonight to see you. See if you lived up to the stories. You do. You¡¯re cold-hearted and selfish. You talk about hurting people like you¡¯re breaking sticks in the woods. People mean nothing to you. People who go into Graywall shouldn¡¯t ever come out. You take from the world, take from everyone you meet, and never give anything back.¡±

    ¡°Must be nice to be so sure about everything,¡± Abbee said in a quiet tone.

    Jorad snorted.

    Abbee stood a coin on its edge in front of her and twirled it around. ¡°I don¡¯t owe anyone anything. The world took everything from me. And it wasn¡¯t the world, not really. It was people. People took from me. I wasn¡¯t willing to give it, and they took it anyway. They strapped me to a table and took it.¡± She pushed the coin down flat and rose from her chair. Fixed Jorad with a scornful glare. ¡°You know what it¡¯s like in Graywall? Really like? I had to fight for my life. I wasn¡¯t raped in there, because I see people for what they are. I didn¡¯t have any illusions.¡± She gestured at the others sitting around the table. ¡°Society is a veneer. A costume. Peel all this away, and you see people for what they are. Monsters.¡± Abbee scooped up her coins and poured them into her money pouch.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re better than us?¡± Jorad asked. ¡°Better than us monsters?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. A familiar itch twitched between her shoulder blades. Memories of a dank, filthy pit flashed through her head. Memories of the blood caking her hands, stuck under her fingernails. The iron taste of blood on her tongue. Memories of the broken bodies around her. Abbee ignored the itch and gave Jorad a thin smile. ¡°Did you know that grown men have this special kind of expression when they see a bunch of people torn to pieces? When they see someone¡¯s manhood lying on the ground?¡±

    Homs gagged.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t stuck in prison with a bunch of monsters,¡± Abbee told Jorad. ¡°I¡¯m the monster. They were stuck in there with me.¡± Abbee nodded at Leesa. ¡°Thanks for the game. Oh, and those little strawberry shortbread things were incredible.¡±

 Chapter 26

    That same evening, Abbee spotted a continental train arriving in Ellerton without any passenger carts. Heading east. Time to go. First thing in the morning, she settled up with Varn. The innkeeper kept shooting her worried looks while taking her money, as if he¡¯d discovered a rabid tiger in his establishment.

    As she was walking out the door, Varn blurted, ¡°Did you ¡­ in Graywall, did you really cut off ¡­?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t so much cut,¡± Abbee said, pausing on the threshold. ¡°More like tear. Or rip. Yeah, rip.¡± She showed her teeth. ¡°Had to bite to get it going.¡±

    Varn looked ill.

    Abbee found the eastward train in the yard. The drover crews were prepping to leave. She walked to the front of the train and found an older man with silvery hair sitting in the pilot¡¯s seat on the lead cart. Not older. Old. Almost too old to be on a continental. It was a hard life and wrung people out early.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the driver,¡± Abbee called up.

    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± the old man said.

    ¡°Where you headed?¡±

    The old man looked her up and down. ¡°Kiva, but not with you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t take passengers?¡±

    ¡°Not anymore.¡±

    ¡°You get a bad one?¡± Abbee asked.

    The old man shuddered. ¡°You have no idea.¡± He gestured at the next train over. ¡°They¡¯ve got a passenger cart. Go ask them.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going in the wrong direction.¡± Abbee thumbed a sapphire. ¡°I¡¯ll ride in your gear cart and not make any trouble.¡±

    The old man saw the gem. He regarded her. ¡°You look like trouble.¡±

    ¡°I look like an easy fare who¡¯ll pay handsomely.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°No. I¡ª¡±

    Abbee pushed a ruby up next to the sapphire.

    ¡°¡ªdon¡¯t want ¡­ What, you got a jewelry shop there in your fist? Are those even real?¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m dumb enough to pass fakes to a continental full of drovers?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°You don¡¯t want trouble, and I don¡¯t want to get thrown off a train a¡ª¡± She had almost said again. ¡°At speed.¡±

    The old man unbuckled himself from his seat and clambered down the side of the cart. He moved with the assured grace of someone who¡¯d spent a lifetime on trains. He dropped down next to Abbee and took the gems. Held them up to the sun and squinted at them.

    A woman walking by saw him. She wore drover leathers and had goggles perched atop a shaved head. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she asked, stopping. ¡°Wait, is that a ruby?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± the old man said. He gestured at Abbee. ¡°She wants passage to Kiva. Wants to pay with this.¡±

    The drover looked Abbee up and down. ¡°That¡¯s enough to buy a whole cart. You running from whoever you stole that from? What¡¯s to stop me from turning you upside down and shaking out what else you¡¯ve got?¡±

    Abbee tensed. ¡°You do not want to do that.¡±

    ¡°The gear cart, you said?¡± the old man asked.

    The drover snorted. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. We don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°A ruby¡¯s a ruby, and it¡¯s not like she¡¯ll take up much space.¡± The old man pocketed the gems. ¡°We leave in fifteen minutes. If you¡¯re not back here with your bags¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready now.¡±

    The old man¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Traveling light, eh? Don¡¯t touch anything in the gear cart that¡¯s not yours. This here¡¯s Nulea. You cause even a whiff of trouble, and she¡¯ll toss you off the train.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Abbee said. ¡°What do I call you?¡±

    ¡°Sir.¡±

    Nulea led Abbee to the gear cart, spending the short walk listing off all the infractions that would earn Abbee a fast exit at speed. Abbee didn¡¯t listen. She didn¡¯t rummage through other people¡¯s things for amusement, and gear carts weren¡¯t exactly containers of lost treasures. Continental trains always had at least two carts. The lead cart housed the steering mechanism. The gear cart sat behind the lead cart, doubling as a sleeping space for the drovers during foul weather. Abbee climbed into the cart behind Nulea. It smelled of oil and fresh pine. Abbee had no idea why it smelled of pine in here. Two small windows on either side let in enough light for Abbee to make out a dozen hammocks hanging amid crates, canvas sacks, and a stack of spare axles.

    ¡°You can pick any hammock,¡± Nulea said. ¡°I suggest one up front.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Nulea gestured at a narrow door next to the exit in the back. ¡°That¡¯s the privy. It has a vent, but you don¡¯t want to get close.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°One of our crew is like clockwork and will stink up this whole cart early afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I said I got it.¡±

    Nulea walked past Abbee. ¡°Next stop is Rudson. Should take us about twelve hours to get there. Don¡¯t touch anything.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Nulea gave Abbee one last hard look before exiting the cart. She closed the door behind her, and Abbee discovered a lot of the light had come from the open door. She let her eyes adjust, found a hammock up front near a window, and climbed into it. Abbee spotted a door at the front of the cart. The driver¡¯s cabin. She left it alone.

    Abbee listened to the drovers shouting to each other in preparation for departure. She picked out Nulea¡¯s voice calling a word she didn¡¯t recognize. No, a name. Thad. She assumed this was the old man¡¯s name. A few minutes after Nulea had left her in the cart, Abbee heard a dull clank. Another, and another, from back to front, growing louder with each one. Trains started back to front, each cart driving forward until the whole thing got going. The clanks reached the gear cart, and her hammock swung as the cart lurched forward. The train eased out of the stopover yard and onto the main continental road.

    Abbee watched the trees pass by at an increasing rate, until they blurred. She bunched up her coat¡¯s hood like a pillow and spent all day looking at the curious silver ring she¡¯d found on Ipsu. Following its unending pattern had occupied her during many evenings on her wilderness trek to Ellerton. She wished she knew what the runes meant, or who it belonged to. She knew it wasn¡¯t Ipsu¡¯s. The man hadn¡¯t worn jewelry of any kind and had always talked about poverty as a virtue.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Napping was difficult. The train had at least fifteen carts. There were two drovers per cart, and the one privy for them all was in the gear cart. The door slid back three or four times an hour to admit a roar of wind and a drover in a hurry. Nobody stopped for a chat. That suited Abbee. Fewer lies to tell.

    The train stopped in Rudson that evening. She confirmed the old man¡¯s name was indeed Thad. He warned Abbee that they¡¯d leave at first light, and if she wasn¡¯t on the train, they¡¯d leave her behind. She dealt with that by eating in town but sleeping in the gear cart. She bought enough food to keep from going hungry the following day. The train didn¡¯t serve lunch.

    The larger train towns were about a day¡¯s travel apart on the continental road. A few smaller towns were scattered in between in case of trouble or to serve the townie trains visiting smaller clusters of farms. The continental road cut straight across the land where possible. Trains could go for hours without seeing anybody or anything. The world was big. Abbee often saw a small cluster of houses on the horizon. She knew from her trek to Ellerton that there were many small villages away from the continental road. Lots of city folk had the idea that the world existed in the larger settlements, but that was not the case. Plenty of people lived their entire lives without setting foot on a continental train or within any city. It took a lot of food to feed a place like Akken, and it all had to come from somewhere.

    The days slid by. Rudson gave way to Sarcut, and then Mindge. Abbee found herself craving Leesa¡¯s strawberry shortbread treats and looked for them in each town. She came up empty. She kept an eye out for network agents but didn¡¯t see any of those either. On the morning the train left Mindge, Abbee hadn¡¯t seen or heard of anyone who might be looking for her, and she knew she¡¯d be in Kiva by nightfall. She finally started to relax.

    They¡¯d had good weather and bright sun the entire trip, but on the last day, a dark storm front rolled over them. The storm whipped driving rain and high winds across the train. It was too dark to see inside the gear cart. Abbee was antsy. She wanted to be in Kiva. She was all done with traveling. Every time the train hit a squall, it slowed down, and Abbee chafed at the delay. A few hours away from Kiva, it got so dark that Abbee couldn¡¯t see her own feet at the other end of the hammock. She tried to use the silver ring again to keep herself occupied. It was too dark to see even that.

    Abbee pulled out the thumb light. She¡¯d been careful to keep it hidden. Nobody carried a magical lamp anymore, and if anyone saw it, they¡¯d have more questions than they would for the gems she carried. But she was bored. And tired. Abbee tucked the thumb light into a fold in her coat to limit its glare and smothered the light whenever a drover came into the cart to use the privy. She knew she shouldn¡¯t use it, but Abbee needed the distraction of the ring to keep from going crazy inside the gear cart. It was fine. She kept it in her coat, and nobody would see it.

    Two hours of this lulled her into complacency. Or perhaps she drifted off to sleep. She never knew for sure, but at some point, the train jerked or Abbee jerked, and the thumb light tipped out of her coat. A thick beam of bright light lit up the gear cart, swiveled around like a spotlight, and shot out the cart¡¯s window.

    Abbee yelped and jumped. The light bounced off her lap and out of the hammock. It landed on the floor with a thump, pointing right down the cart at the exit door. She twisted in the hammock and reached for the light, but it was too far away. Abbee discovered it was tough to exit a hammock in a hurry. She ended up falling out of it, landing on top of the thumb light. She found it beneath her and closed it. Lay there for a minute, frozen. She hoped nobody had seen the light. Magical lights were brighter than any flame.

    Abbee climbed to her feet and put the light away. She heard footsteps across the roof of the cart, heading to the back. Two sets. She was about to climb back into the hammock when the door slammed open. Thad entered the cart with another drover, whose face was hidden behind a leather mask and thick goggles. Both were soaked to the bone.

    Thad carried a small oil lamp. He stripped off his mask and frowned at Abbee. ¡°I saw that light. Lit up the trees alongside the cart as bright as daylight. That¡¯s a magical light. Where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    Thad snapped his fingers, and Abbee felt bands of pressure around her entire body. Her arms pressed into her sides, and her legs squeezed together. Her feet left the floor as the drover behind Thad levitated her. A mover. No, no, no.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± Abbee commanded.

    Thad walked up to her. He balanced the lamp on a nearby crate and pushed Abbee¡¯s coat open. He squeezed the pouches on her belt. Rage flashed through Abbee at the idea of a man touching her without permission. She tried to move her arms but couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Get off me!¡±

    Thad opened her money pouch and peered inside. He pulled out the thumb light. Flipped up the lid. Bright light illuminated the ceiling.

    The drover whistled in surprise. ¡°Kivan lamp, Thad,¡± the drover, a woman, said. Abbee didn¡¯t recognize her voice. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen one of those in, what, ten, maybe twelve years?¡±

    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Thad demanded.

    ¡°Found it,¡± Abbee said. She saw glimmermote sifting out of the drover¡¯s sleeves. A lot. Abbee wasn¡¯t that heavy, which meant that this drover was a Class Two or Three.

    ¡°Sure you did,¡± Thad said. He balanced the thumb light on the crate next to the oil lamp. The magical light¡¯s brightness made the flame look sickly and weak.

    Abbee watched the drover¡¯s glimmermote turn to a stream. She¡¯d been powering the train all day. She was tired. Holding Abbee up was wearing her out.

    ¡°What else do you have in here?¡± Thad asked, returning to Abbee¡¯s pouch. He came up with a few gemstones. His hands froze. ¡°What the¡ª¡± He pulled out the silver ring. ¡°This is¡ª¡± He clamped his lips together.

    ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± Abbee asked.

    Thad jerked back. His eyes darted to her face. Her clothes. Her arms. Thad pushed back Abbee¡¯s coat from her wrists. Picked her right arm first, then her left. He hissed when he saw the bolt thrower. He swore, his curses rising in volume as he went. His gaze became distant momentarily. Abbee had seen that before. Thad was a speaker. Lots of trains employed a speaker for a driver, to give commands to the train¡¯s entire crew without loss of context.

    The drover¡¯s chest heaved from the strain. ¡°Thad, I¡¯m losing my grip here.¡±

    Abbee heard more footsteps on the cart¡¯s roof.

    Thad¡¯s eyes refocused right as the drover¡¯s mote stream ended. The pressure left Abbee¡¯s body, and her heels thumped onto the floor. She buried her fist in Thad¡¯s stomach. His breath whooshed out, and he doubled over. Abbee pulled the ring out of his hand and snatched the thumb light off the crate. She stuffed both into her pocket and grabbed the oil lamp. Abbee shouldered Thad out of the way and threw the oil lamp at the drover. It bounced off her chest. Didn¡¯t break. But she raised her arms in defense.

    Abbee brought up her arm, intent on shooting the woman. She couldn¡¯t let a mover grab her again. The door snapped open. Wind howled, and another person stood in the frame. Abbee felt more bands of pressure all over her body, trapping her again.

    ¡°Hunter!¡± Thad roared. ¡°Throw her off the train! Do it, Nulea! She¡¯s a hunter!¡±

    Abbee¡¯s protest to deny his accusation turned into a yelp as she felt herself yanked toward the back of the cart. Nulea stepped off to the side and ripped Abbee out into the storm. Rain plastered Abbee¡¯s face as the world spun and she arced up into the air. She heard the roar of the wind and the roar of the train. She felt the pressure leave her body. Felt gravity leave, and for a brief instant, she felt like she was flying.

    Right up until she hit a tree.

    ***

    Abbee sucked in a breath and woke up. Raindrops spattered her face. She rolled over, her muscles aching in protest. Her whole body hurt. Her clothes were soaked through, and mote ran from her wrists. She was still healing from her landing. She couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d gotten thrown off another train. All that for a stupid light. Abbee opened her fist and found the thumb light and the silver ring. At least she¡¯d held on to them. She pushed them into her money pouch and climbed to her feet, checking herself. Everything was intact, and she hadn¡¯t lost any belongings bouncing off trees and landing in this ditch.

    The drovers had thought she was a hunter. Not only that, but they¡¯d thrown her off the train knowing such a thing was lethal. They¡¯d tried to kill somebody they¡¯d thought was a wizard hunter. It was like trying to kill a councilor or the first constable¡ªit was simply not done. If the hunters found out, they¡¯d execute every drover on that train, and nobody would think twice about it. Abbee wondered why Thad thought he could weather such an event.

    She doubted she¡¯d get a chance to ask him. His train would arrive in Kiva in a few hours, but continentals covered hundreds of kilometers in a single day. She had to walk. It would be days before she reached the city. Abbee couldn¡¯t walk the road either¡ªif Thad¡¯s crew came back this way, they¡¯d see her, and she wouldn¡¯t fare well against a train full of drovers.

    Abbee started running. When the road curved south, she kept going into the trees, keeping an eye out for bears.

 Chapter 27

    It took her four days to reach Kiva. Abbee didn¡¯t see any bears. A pack of wolves stalked her for a time but ultimately decided to leave her alone after she stuffed at least three of them full of bolt thrower bolts. She learned that the bolt thrower hit targets in thick underbrush in the dark. She didn¡¯t even have to see very well. All she had to do was hear something, point her arm in its direction, and wish it dead. The bolt thrower did the rest. Even so, Abbee spent three nights sleeping in trees.

    She knew she was approaching Kiva because the ground took on a steady incline. Late afternoon on the fourth day, Abbee exited the forest at the base of a grassy hill. It stretched up for at least two kilometers, ending at rocky cliffs. Kiva sat at the top, arrayed across the cliffs and overlooking the ocean on the other side. It was smaller than Akken by a third but looked more majestic, because everything was built from brilliant marble.

    The continental road followed the hill upward, twisting on its way with a dozen or so switchbacks. Abbee watched a train climbing the road, slowing down at each curve. Ten carts. She didn¡¯t worry about it being Thad¡¯s train. He was on his way back to Akken already, or maybe Veronna. Those cities were too far away to get to and come back in four days. Abbee ran straight up the hill and beat the train to the city. She waited outside and followed the train into the cliff wall, through one of several tunnels leading to the train yard.

    The yard was built inside the cliff, much like Akken¡¯s train yards beneath the escarpment. Kiva¡¯s train yard was a third of the size, with about a dozen berths, yet was the grandest one of all. Kiva in general did grand as a baseline with its marble. Lots of big lights, echoey footfalls, and wide train berths. The yard was roomy. Most train yards looked like a combination of a big basement and a warehouse. Kiva¡¯s train yard looked as if they¡¯d put it in a bank lobby.

    Abbee got a few startled looks coming in through an entry tunnel. Foot traffic typically approached the city via a road at the Southeast Gate. Abbee ignored the looks. She walked up a gangway like she belonged here, intent on strolling right into the city. When she walked past the last berth, she saw a familiar train. She glanced up.

    Thad stood alone on the lead cart. He stared at her in astonishment.

    Abbee felt like an idiot¡ªshe had her hood down. She couldn¡¯t believe he and his train were still here. They should be gone by now. It cost trains money to remain in a berth longer than two days. Abbee flicked up her hood and hurried past Thad¡¯s train.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Thad shouted.

    Abbee moved faster. She hustled up the gangway, through a wide hall, and around the first corner. She didn¡¯t know where it went, but she had to break line of sight with any of Thad¡¯s drovers. She hadn¡¯t seen anyone on Thad¡¯s train other than Thad, but Abbee couldn¡¯t take the chance. If anybody tried to grab Abbee after she¡¯d hiked through the woods for four days without a bath, she¡¯d shoot them in the crowded hall. That would earn her a visit from the Kivan constabulary. They were like a cross between Akken constables and Veronna House soldiers, with a healthy dose of cynicism and a dollop of corruption. They kept the peace and were very good at it, but sometimes they were the ones breaking it in the first place.

    The first corner Abbee found led to an alley behind a row of canvas-backed shops. She reached the end and glanced around a stall selling meat pies. Abbee didn¡¯t see Thad anywhere in the crowd. The food next to her smelled incredible and set her mouth to watering. The stall had a line. She considered cutting in but didn¡¯t want to make a scene.

    A buggy stopped on the opposite side of the hall and discharged a passenger. Abbee hurried across and signaled the driver. He looked her up and down and grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you,¡± he said, ¡°but you have to pay extra so I can clean the seat after. You¡¯re filthy. Where are you headed?¡±

    Abbee considered her destination. She hadn¡¯t been to Kiva for years but remembered the name of the inn she and Ipsu had stayed at. ¡°The Lighthouse Inn.¡±

    The driver frowned. ¡°Nobody stays there anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Does it not have beds?¡±

    ¡°Well, it does, but it got a new owner a few years back, and I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s a bit of a crank.¡±

    An uncrowded inn sounded great to Abbee. ¡°I¡¯ll chance it.¡±

    The driver nodded. ¡°Up to you. I can take you there for eight coppers. Sorry¡ªextra for cleaning. You¡¯re a bit, well, dirty.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Abbee said.

    She dug into her money pouch and came up with the coins. She handed them over and climbed into the seat. Still didn¡¯t see Thad. She was about to ask the driver to hurry but closed her mouth. She remembered her harrowing trip through the streets of Akken on Orlen¡¯s buggy. She was in a rush but didn¡¯t care to chance this driver being Orlen¡¯s cousin or something. The buggy driver turned around and trundled across the underground hall. Abbee remembered a big ramp with a bunch of switchbacks climbing up through the cliff interior. They didn¡¯t go that way. The buggy driver veered to the right instead, toward a dead end with a large, open room.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°To the Lighthouse,¡± the driver said, ¡°like you said.¡±

    Abbee knew Thad was a speaker. Did he know people in Kiva? Was this buggy driver a convenient plant? Maybe this was a trap. ¡°That looks like a dead end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the lift.¡±

    ¡°The what?¡±

    ¡°The lift,¡± the driver said. ¡°When was the last time you were here? The lift¡¯s been here forever.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t remember any kind of lift. She was about to demand they stop, but she saw another buggy ahead of them go into the room. More foot traffic entered the room and waited. If this were a trap, there were a lot of other people in on it. Seemed like a lot of effort, and if someone knew Abbee was coming, there were less complicated methods of apprehending her. Abbee let the driver steer into the big room and roll to a halt. Oil lamps in the corners cast many shadows.

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    A man standing next to them inhaled. He frowned and looked at Abbee. He wrinkled his nose and turned away. Abbee knew she stank. In Akken, she wouldn¡¯t get this kind of treatment, but Kivans were big on personal cleanliness. She supposed living around glorious marble all day did something to people. Made them feel more important.

    The door to the big room rattled shut. Abbee heard a clank, and the entire room shuddered. She felt momentarily heavy. That passed, and the whole room shivered, and every second, another big clank. Abbee realized this entire room was a lift. Mechanical, not powered by movers. She¡¯d seen one in Akken a couple of times, but smaller and moving dishware, not in a cliff wall, moving four buggies and two dozen people. Abbee wondered how this lift worked without any wizards involved.

    ¡°What is that awful smell?¡± a woman asked from the other side of the room.

    Abbee felt eyes on her but kept her hood up and ignored the rising crescendo of affronted murmuring. She was tired and anxious and spent the ride keeping her breathing level.

    ¡°There should be a first-class lift,¡± the first woman complained. ¡°What¡¯s the point of a suite cart if I have to cap it off with this experience?¡± More murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

    The lift gave a loud clank and stopped moving. The door rattled open, and fresh air rushed in. Everyone exited the lift in a hurry. Abbee¡¯s buggy backed out and turned around. She shielded her eyes from the sudden sunlight. The lift opened into a large square with considerable foot, buggy, and carriage traffic. A large canopy off to the right led back down underground, into the cliffs below. Abbee recognized it as the old ramp down to the train yards.

    The buggy rattled across the square and merged onto Cable Street, the main thoroughfare running the entire length of Kiva. Abbee watched the city flow past. Short side streets branched off like irregular ribs on a long snake. Kiva was only three hundred meters wide in its thickest spot. The few buildings taller than three stories were heavily reinforced against the frequent sea storms that raked the city. Lots of decorative flags and bunting hung along their route. Even grand marble grew monotonous when an entire city was built from white stone.

    The Lighthouse Inn was on the northeastern edge of the city, on a narrow side street off Cable. The inn was perched on the cliff¡¯s edge, overlooking the coastline, with an empty lighthouse tower at one end. Heavy storm shutters hung next to narrow windows. The building had fallen on hard times. The inn had a porch built from rough pine boards, and it looked unstable. The front door was crooked. Abbee wondered why the buggy driver hadn¡¯t suggested better lodging, even when telling her that nobody stayed there anymore. Abbee realized that she looked similar¡ªshe¡¯d fallen on hard times and couldn¡¯t afford luxury.

    The buggy rolled to a halt in front of the rickety porch. Abbee slid off the seat and waved her thanks to the driver. He took down his availability flag and rolled away. Abbee suspected he was done for the day. It was early evening and getting dark.

    She climbed the steps. They seemed solid. Abbee paused at the top and watched the street from her vantage point. The inn was at a dead end, and traffic was light. The buildings nearby held a collection of shops with apartments on the upper floor.

    Satisfied no eyes stayed on her too long, Abbee walked into the inn. She remembered a front room with several tables and a desk off to the left, and a kitchen in the back. It was the same layout. The tables and chairs looked the same. So did the curtains on the windows. Everything looked dusty and in need of replacement. The room was empty save for an old man sitting behind the desk, writing in a ledger. Abbee assumed he was the innkeeper. He had a mane of white hair and a face gnarled by wrinkles. He wore a thin coat with loose threads in the stitching.

    The innkeeper looked up through bushy eyebrows when Abbee came in. Squinted at her. ¡°You lost?¡±

    ¡°Is this still an inn?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°It is,¡± the innkeeper said.

    ¡°And do you have a room available?¡± Abbee knew he did¡ªthe place was empty.

    He sighed. ¡°I do, but only if you use the bathhouse first.¡±

    ¡°You got hot water?¡±

    ¡°Plenty.¡± He pointed to a sign hanging on the front of the desk, listing the fee structure for the inn¡¯s rooms and services. Everything was twice as expensive as the Red Lion in Ellerton. ¡°You got coin?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Abbee said. She pulled out enough coins for the night, a bath, and a hot meal. She¡¯d have to sell one of her gems if she stayed longer. She might switch inns, but that was a task for tomorrow. Tonight she was tired and wanted a bath, food, and a bed. She handed over the money. ¡°Do you always greet prospective clients this way?¡±

    ¡°The ones who look like vagrants.¡± The innkeeper took the coins and counted them. He closed his ledger with a thump and stood up. ¡°Bathhouse is that way.¡± He pointed at a doorway in the far right corner of the room. The innkeeper walked toward the kitchen. ¡°Come back when you¡¯re done,¡± he said over his shoulder, ¡°and I¡¯ll have your food ready. Don¡¯t expect a three-course meal, though. This isn¡¯t that kind of establishment.¡±

    Abbee glanced at the man¡¯s boots. While scuffed, the leather was good, and they were finely made. They looked expensive. Everything in the place looked ready to fall apart, but not the innkeeper¡¯s boots. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you cook, so long as it¡¯s hot.¡±

    ***

    When Abbee returned from the bathhouse in damp yet somewhat cleaner clothes, there was a woman sitting in the front room, knitting. Scar across her nose. She was old. Black hair shot through with gray. Mid to late sixties at least and dressed in faded woolens, with a couple of plain rings on her fingers. Empty jewel settings. During her time as a bridgie, Abbee had learned to spot easy marks. This woman was not one of them. As dangerous as Abbee was, she got the impression this was a person she shouldn¡¯t cross.

    She also looked familiar. Abbee tried to place her. Couldn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t remember running into her the last time she¡¯d been in Kiva, but that had been years ago with Ipsu. Abbee knew it was going to bother her until she remembered.

    The innkeeper poked his head out of the kitchen. ¡°Sit wherever you want. Your supper¡¯s almost ready. I hope you like fish.¡±

    ¡°Fish is fine as long as it¡¯s fresh.¡± Abbee chose a table against the back wall, facing both the front door and the woman knitting.

    ¡°Benefits of living on the coast,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Fish is fresh. What do you want to drink? I¡¯ve got wine, ale, Kivan whiskey for the brave, water for the weak, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Whiskey,¡± Abbee said.

    Maybe the innkeeper would part with more information if he thought she was getting tipsy. Spill why his inn was deserted and broken down, yet his clothes were strategically ragged. Abbee also didn¡¯t know if the innkeeper was any good at cooking. Kivan whiskey was strong and would burn away any of the man¡¯s culinary sins.

    The innkeeper came out of the kitchen with a glass. Dark amber liquid sloshed as he set the glass down in front of Abbee. ¡°It¡¯ll be a few more minutes on the food.¡±

    Abbee picked up the glass and sniffed its contents. Her eyes watered. Kivan whiskey. She drank it in one pull.

    The innkeeper arched a brow. ¡°I¡¯ll be back with your food.¡± He walked back into the kitchen.

    Abbee set the glass down and paused. Felt dizzy. Woozy. She blinked, and the room spun. The table in front of her got bigger and smaller, as if there were bubbles in the world, growing and contracting. Abbee rubbed her eyes. Tried to. Her arms were too heavy to move. Her fingers felt fat and covered with gauze. Mote wisped from her wrists. Her head lolled to one side, and she slumped forward.

    ¡°How much did you give her?¡± the woman asked.

    Abbee couldn¡¯t look up. She couldn¡¯t move her head. Her mind was sluggish, her thoughts jumbled. Abbee felt some glimmer of alarm but couldn¡¯t figure out why. The woman¡¯s voice. She knew it from somewhere. It was important that she remember.

    ¡°I slipped in the little bottle you gave me,¡± the innkeeper said.

    A chair scraped. ¡°The whole thing? I said a few drops.¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded far away.

    Crushing darkness closed in around Abbee, and she passed out.

 Chapter 28

    Abbee woke up with a splitting headache and itchy wrists. It was dark. She was lying on her side on something hard. Pressure on her arms and legs. Abbee tried to move and discovered she was bound with rope. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She made out crates, shelves, and stone walls. A faint light shone from somewhere behind her. Abbee guessed she lay on the basement floor of the inn. Someone had tied her wrists and her ankles together.

    She stopped moving and listened. Couldn¡¯t hear anything except her own breathing. No footsteps overhead, no voices, nothing. She remembered getting drugged. Well, poisoned. She remembered the woman¡¯s voice, saying the innkeeper had used too much. Abbee wondered how much time had passed. She also guessed these people had no idea who she was.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time someone had tied her up. She looked around for something sharp. Saw the lid of a crate nearby, with a nail poking up from the wood. Abbee bounced and wiggled until she¡¯d rolled over. Her clothes felt different. She stopped and tried to feel around her waist. Her pouches were gone. So was her bolt thrower, her jobs case, and her coat. Abbee swore.

    She¡¯d have to deal with that later. Abbee pushed herself backward. Felt for the nail with her fingers and managed to scrape the back of her hand on it. Abbee swore under her breath at the pain. She wriggled a bit more and felt the nail tug on her bound wrists. She set to sawing.

    It took forever. Her arms burned with the effort. She struggled, wriggled, and sawed. She chafed her wrists into itchy pain as her gift healed the rope burns. Abbee didn¡¯t know how long it had been, but her headache was gone when the first rope strand snapped. She twisted her hands. The rope loosened. A few more minutes, and she was free.

    Abbee sat up and found the knot binding her legs. She untied herself and climbed to her feet. She was indeed in a basement. She saw a set of rickety stairs on the other side of the room. A bit of light shone under the door at the top. Abbee crept over to the stairs. She was about to go up when she heard voices. Sounded like they were down here, in the basement.

    Abbee looked behind the stairs and saw a stone wall. She moved closer. The voices grew louder. She put her ear to the wall, and the voices became intelligible.

    ¡°¡­ say we should get rid of her,¡± a woman said. The same one who had advised against using too much poison. The knitter. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I want to know who she is,¡± a man said. The innkeeper. ¡°How is it that she picked this inn, out of all the ones in the city? It¡¯s at the opposite end of the city from the train yards. Lots of places to stay between here and there. She¡¯s dressed sort of like a hunter. Where did she get the bolt thrower? She¡¯s got that but nothing else. No armor. No seal. Are the hunters using hired help? That¡¯s unlike them. Where did she get all these gems? And this ring. Where did she get this ring? You know what this is. You know whose this is. You may not want to know, but dammit, he¡¯s sent no word for years. Nothing. I want to know where she got it. I¡¯d like to know more before we toss her off the cliff wall. Then there¡¯s this. What is this? I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t either,¡± the woman said. ¡°Who cares?¡±

    ¡°This crystal,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Look closely. What do you see?¡±

    ¡°I see a piece of quartz. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re ¡­ Wait.¡±

    ¡°You see them.¡±

    ¡°These ¡­ are runes. They¡¯re so tiny. I¡¯ve never seen them so small before.¡±

    ¡°Right? I don¡¯t know of any method that inscribes runes so small into a surface so hard. What do you think the handle is made out of?¡±

    Abbee suspected they were looking at the quartz-tipped stick of Ipsu¡¯s, the one that had guaranteed her a beating if Ipsu had ever caught her touching it. Who were these people? They knew about hunters. And they didn¡¯t sound worried as they spoke of them.

    ¡°Bone,¡± the woman said. ¡°No, this is metal. An alloy?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but what kind?¡± the innkeeper asked. ¡°I¡¯ve not seen that before. It¡¯s too light for steel but too durable for tin.¡±

    Abbee pulled her ear off the wall and looked around for a door. She hoped she could retrieve her belongings without killing them. She wanted to question them.

    ¡°Fine,¡± the woman said. ¡°Maybe we should¡ª¡±

    Their voices fell silent. The wall in front of Abbee swung away from her on hidden hinges, revealing a room on the other side. Both the innkeeper and the woman were two meters away, standing around a small table. A magical light burned in the ceiling.

    Neither of them was anywhere near the stone door. At least one of them is a mover. Abbee tensed. She was about to back away when she noticed all her belongings on the table. Everything in her pouches had been pulled out and organized in neat piles.

    The woman¡¯s expression was one of astonishment. ¡°How are you conscious?¡±

    ¡°Probably ate an artifact chip,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Only way to deal with the sedative we gave her. I¡¯d love to know where she found one intact after all this time.¡±

    The woman squinted at Abbee. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a chip. I looked.¡±

    Abbee wondered if the woman was a telepath. Read her mind. They weren¡¯t hunters. Did they work with the network? Had Abbee traveled all this way just to get captured? Had she walked into a trap?

    ¡°She¡¯s got a lot of mote on her,¡± the innkeeper observed. ¡°How did she get out of her bonds? I tied those tight.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± the woman said, rolling her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re eighty-three. You can barely hold a book without dropping it.¡±

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    ¡°That¡¯s why I gave her snuffer too,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s a torch or something.¡±

    ¡°You gave her snuffer?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Then how come she¡¯s got mote on her?¡± She looked at Abbee. ¡°Is that old mote or something? Maybe we didn¡¯t notice it.¡±

    Abbee got the impression these two noticed everything. They didn¡¯t seem afraid of her at all. She took a step into the room. Both the innkeeper and the woman watched her. She took another step. Looked at the old woman. ¡°Why do you look familiar?¡±

    The woman frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before in my life.¡±

    The innkeeper gestured at the pile on the table. ¡°An odd collection of things for someone to be carrying these days.¡±

    ¡°Considering you¡¯re no hunter,¡± the woman observed.

    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous assumption,¡± Abbee said. ¡°When my friends¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother lying,¡± the woman said. ¡°We know when you¡¯re lying, and it¡¯s a waste of everybody¡¯s time.¡±

    The man held up the thumb light. ¡°This looks new. Where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°I found it.¡± Another step. One more, and she¡¯d be within striking range.

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Who are you people?¡± Abbee asked. She didn¡¯t wait for them to answer. She lunged forward and drove her palm toward the innkeeper¡¯s chest.

    She never connected. Abbee¡¯s muscles locked. Her whole body stopped. No. I won¡¯t be ¡­ Wait. Something was different. She couldn¡¯t move, but she felt no pressure. No hard grip from a mover. She knew what that felt like. This was something else. Abbee tried to move anything, even a toe. Nothing. Movers never kept her from squirming at the toe level. Abbee could only stand there and breathe. The innkeeper was a wizard. Probably the woman, too.

    The innkeeper frowned at her outstretched palm. His eyebrows shot up. ¡°Ipsu Billings trained you.¡±

    Abbee tried to return his frown, but her face couldn¡¯t form an expression. She tried to speak, but her mouth couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Very sure,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Look at the position of her thumb and fingers. Ipsu is opinionated about finger placement.¡± He walked around Abbee and gestured at her arm. ¡°The way she¡¯s driving toward her target with her entire body. This is a classic Ipsu move.¡± He looked at Abbee. ¡°You¡¯re aiming for a spot twenty centimeters past my chest, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Abbee tried to show surprise and couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Hmm, maybe not. She doesn¡¯t seem to know who that is.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she can move her face,¡± the woman said. ¡°Your body lock is total.¡±

    The innkeeper cocked his head. ¡°Oops. You¡¯re right. I got a little carried away.¡±

    Abbee felt her face tighten into the frown she¡¯d been trying to form. She still couldn¡¯t move anything else. ¡°How do you know Ipsu?¡± she blurted. ¡°How are you holding me? You don¡¯t feel like any mover.¡±

    ¡°Is Ipsu still disagreeable?¡± the innkeeper asked. ¡°I¡¯ve not met anyone quite as¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Abbee said.

    The innkeeper grimaced. ¡°Ah. I¡¯m sorry. He was a unique individual.¡±

    Abbee watched the innkeeper¡¯s face. His sorrow seemed genuine. Abbee didn¡¯t know how Ipsu could¡¯ve engendered so much compassion in another human being. He¡¯d been stable, sure. He¡¯d been Abbee¡¯s rock for years, right up until he¡¯d abandoned her. This old man couldn¡¯t have known Ipsu very well.

    ¡°Will you release me?¡±

    The innkeeper arched a brow. ¡°Depends. Are you going to try to hit me again?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Abbee said, ¡°seeing as I didn¡¯t do so well the first time.¡±

    The innkeeper squinted at Abbee¡¯s outstretched hand. He ran a finger along her wrist. Abbee didn¡¯t like him touching her. ¡°You¡¯re still emitting mote. What¡¯s your talent?¡±

    Abbee kept her mouth shut. She felt a little woozy and guessed her body was still processing the poison they had given her.

    ¡°Oh, a guessing game,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°I love guessing games.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long. She¡¯s not an elemental, because I¡¯m not seeing any fire or water or anything. Not a mover, for the same reason. I¡¯m not seeing anything flutter around the room. Can¡¯t be a healer¡ªnobody in here to heal. Not a lightbender¡ªor at least not a good one, because I can still see her. Maybe a speaker, but a very frustrated one. Can¡¯t talk to anyone outside this room. Could be an empath or telepath too, but she¡¯d run into the same problem as a speaker. Can¡¯t read anyone else, and can¡¯t read us either.¡± He smiled and ticked off his fingers. ¡°So, you¡¯re either a speaker, an empath, or a telepath. Which is it?¡±

    Abbee tried to move her legs. Her arms. Nothing. Wait. She moved her toes. Wriggled them. Her fingers. She twitched her fingers. More mote fell.

    The innkeeper frowned. His eyes darted to her arms and legs. ¡°What the ¡­? How are you ¡­? She¡¯s moving.¡±

    ¡°I can see she¡¯s moving,¡± the woman snapped. ¡°You released her face.¡±

    ¡°No, no. She¡¯s breaking free of the body lock.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± the woman said.

    The innkeeper pointed at Abbee. ¡°Who ¡­? How are you doing this?¡±

    Abbee had no idea, but every second, she gained more control over her own body.

    The innkeeper stared at her in fascination. ¡°I¡¯m not getting weaker. She¡¯s getting stronger. It¡¯s almost as if she¡¯s ¡­ eating the lock from the inside out.¡±

    The woman watched from her seat. She cocked her head at Abbee. ¡°Are you a wizard?¡±

    Wizard? Abbee blinked. ¡°What? No.¡±

    ¡°Of course she isn¡¯t,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°She walked right through my wards on the front door, didn¡¯t stop to check the whiskey I gave her. She¡¯s broadcasting her emotions around like a six-year-old, and she tried to hit me. With her own fist. If she were a wizard, she¡¯d be a bad one. Whoever, and whatever, she is, she¡¯s about to break out of the body lock.¡± The innkeeper looked at something behind Abbee. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, we don¡¯t need that.¡±

    ¡°This has gone on long enough,¡± the woman said. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. The only thing that can break free of a body lock is a Forged.¡±

    ¡°If she were Forged, the snuffer and the sedative wouldn¡¯t have done anything at all.¡±

    ¡°A what?¡± Abbee asked. She remembered that word being used before. Forged. The wizard with the staff had said something like it, back when Ipsu had found her in the mover pit. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She was almost free¡ªher whole body quivered against her invisible bonds.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to let you out,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything drastic.¡± He glanced at whatever was behind Abbee and grimaced. ¡°The results would be messy, and I just cleaned this jacket.¡±

    Abbee felt her body being released. She stepped forward out of the body lock and planted both her feet. Her mote slowed to a trickle and stopped. She shook out her hands. Looked behind her to see what the innkeeper was worried about. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She kept trying to follow it but only caught glimpses. Something was right behind her head. She tried to wave it away, like shooing a horsefly. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to answer my questions,¡± the woman said in a flat tone. ¡°If you try to lie, you die. If you hesitate, you die.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything permanent.¡±

    The woman spared no glances for the innkeeper. ¡°If you try anything at all, other than answer my questions, you die.¡±

    Good luck with that. Abbee tried to get the thing behind her head. Whatever it was, it was beige and kept scooting out of reach. It seemed long and moved as fast as she did.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the woman asked.

    Abbee moved her head slowly, then fast, trying to get the thing behind her. Her fingers brushed something hard.

    The innkeeper grimaced. ¡°Marin, no, don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    The woman, Marin, snapped her fingers.

    Abbee remembered where she¡¯d seen this woman before, right at the same time that something sharp impacted the back of her neck and pierced her throat. Blood exploded from her neck and sprayed all over the innkeeper. She saw a long, thin spike dart forward and vanish. Abbee couldn¡¯t breathe. All she felt was pain. She saw the innkeeper¡¯s face twist in annoyance before her legs gave out, and she collapsed.

 Chapter 29

    Abbee lay there while arterial blood pumped out of the massive wound in her neck.

    ¡°What an absolute waste,¡± the innkeeper said.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve killed her the moment you opened the door and found her standing there,¡± Marin said, her voice sounding far away. ¡°A whole bottle of that sedative is lethal. The only way she could¡ª¡±

    Somewhere in the avalanche of pain, Abbee felt glimmermote explode from her wrists. She heard a thunderous crack in the room as the real pain started. She felt the bones at the top of her spine reassemble. All the little bone chips wormed through her flesh back into place. Her muscle fibers snapped out and reattached. Veins and tendons grew back. Abbee tried to breathe, but something was in the way. Her lungs starved for air. Maybe this was it. The time when she couldn¡¯t heal an injury, and she was going to die.

    The two halves of Abbee¡¯s severed windpipe joined. She sucked in a breath. Something stuck in her throat. She coughed, trying to clear it. Pain ripped through her half-healed neck. She choked out a racking, wet hack and half coughed, half threw up. A bloody wet glob smacked onto the floor. Abbee felt her muscle fibers regrowing. She croaked and coughed. Every breath, every rasp, was agony.

    ¡°Well, that was exciting,¡± the innkeeper said. He sounded far away. Abbee heard footsteps on the stairs outside the room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go down there, you idiot,¡± Marin said. ¡°It felt like standing too close to a golem. You don¡¯t have much time left to lose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± the innkeeper said.

    Abbee recovered enough to realize she was alone in the room. The explosion. The two wizards had warped away from her. She coughed again and spat more blood. It still hurt to breathe, but the pain was fading as her gift did its work. Abbee turned her head toward the doorway as the innkeeper appeared on the bottom step.

    He gawked at Abbee. ¡°She¡¯s still alive.¡±

    Marin leaned past him and stared. Her dark eyes were astonished. ¡°What the ¡­? That¡¯s¡ª¡±

    Abbee remembered everything now. The wizard that time in the Yard District Precinct, the night of the Three Points Massacre. The one in the black robes. The one with the crooked nose. A wizard. Not just any wizard¡ªa White Ringer.

    ¡°Ilo,¡± Marin said. ¡°Ilo, she¡¯s ¡­ This is impossible. She¡¯s not Forged, we already ruled that out. What is this?¡±

    The innkeeper, Ilo, stepped down onto the floor. He pressed his hands against his stomach and squinted at Abbee. He looked around the basement. Back at Abbee. ¡°Hmm.¡± He stepped out of view.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Marin asked.

    Ilo appeared in the doorway again, carrying a small cask. He held it out to Marin. ¡°Here, hold this.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Marin took the cask, bracing herself for a heavy object. She looked surprised when Ilo handed it to her. Shook it. ¡°This is empty.¡±

    Abbee coughed again. The pain was nearly gone. She inhaled deep, full breaths. The back of her head felt wet. She knew she was in a pool of her own blood, but all she could do was lay there and breathe. She felt like she¡¯d just sprinted all day long.

    Ilo¡¯s face appeared overhead. ¡°Incredible. Complete tissue regeneration.¡±

    ¡°Makes me wonder what would happen if I completely severed her neck,¡± Marin said.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Ilo said. ¡°That could be truly fatal, and then I wouldn¡¯t get to talk to her.¡±

    Marin searched Abbee¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re the one from Akken. Annie or something. The one people say can heal her own injuries. I always thought you were a charlatan. Not real.¡±

    ¡°I thought the same,¡± Ilo said. ¡°Had to have someone in the crowd doing the healing for her, right?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I was half-right. She does have someone in the crowd. The crowd. But there isn¡¯t anybody around now, after we warped away. She used the next best thing.¡± He gestured at the basement. ¡°I¡¯ll have to check to see how many barrels are empty now. Probably a lot.¡± He swore. ¡°The best stuff is over where we tied her up. Damn it, some of that is irreplaceable. I had a Morat red that you can¡¯t get anymore.¡± He pursed his lips. ¡°I wonder what would happen if we tried to kill her in the middle of a desert. How far can she reach?¡±

    ¡°Maybe later,¡± Marin said. She glanced down. ¡°Look at the mote on her. It taxed her quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°I would assume so,¡± Ilo observed. ¡°A spike through the neck is fatal.¡± He plucked at his coat. ¡°Well, this is ruined. You know I go through a lot of effort to make these look worn out, right?¡±

    ¡°And you can make more,¡± Marin said. ¡°I thought that she might be the wizard helping the hunters.¡±

    Ilo snorted. ¡°I would¡¯ve thought the fact that she kept grabbing for the sliver would¡¯ve tipped you off that she wasn¡¯t a wizard. She had no idea what it was.¡±

    ¡°Well, somebody¡¯s making them these fancy bolt throwers.¡± She nudged Abbee¡¯s leg. ¡°I want to know where you got this one.¡±

    ¡°And how you know Ipsu,¡± Ilo added. ¡°Along with where he¡¯s been all these years.¡±

    Abbee found her voice. ¡°All ¡­ all these years? You mean he hasn¡¯t been with you?¡±

    ¡°What? No. I¡¯ve not seen him for almost twenty years.¡±

    ¡°We stayed in this very inn about fifteen years ago,¡± Abbee said. ¡°You weren¡¯t here back then?¡±

    Ilo shook his head. ¡°My ownership is a little more recent.¡±

    ¡°So me running into you here is luck?¡±

    ¡°Well, no,¡± Ilo said. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I have a vested interest in this establishment. We¡¯ll leave it at that. And we were talking about you, not me. Where did you get this bolt thrower?¡±

    Abbee pushed herself to her feet. Her own blood slicked her face and her clothes. ¡°I got it off a dead hunter.¡± She looked around. ¡°Do you have a chair or anything? This always wears me out. And maybe a towel or something. And my name is Abbee. Not Annie. Abbee.¡±

    Marin grunted. ¡°We¡¯d have heard if someone had killed a hunter. That¡¯s big news.¡±

    ¡°It was in the slate quarry,¡± Abbee said. ¡°In Akken.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the Golem Guild. They wouldn¡¯t want the attention. They probably buried the bodies in unmarked graves out in the woods.¡±

    ¡°Bodies?¡± Ilo asked. ¡°Plural?¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°Two of them.¡±

    ¡°You killed two hunters? By yourself?¡±

    ¡°They got stepped on by a golem,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I managed to pull a bolt thrower off one.¡±

    Marin gave her a considering look. She glanced at Ilo, who shrugged.

    ¡°She¡¯s not lying that I can tell,¡± he said.

    ¡°But she¡¯s being evasive for some reason,¡± Marin said. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°I recognize you,¡± Abbee said to Marin. ¡°Not him. You.¡±

    Marin squinted. ¡°I¡¯ve not seen you before.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t see me,¡± Abbee said. ¡°And I was little. I saw you the night of the Three Points Massacre, in the Yard District Precinct. I was their gofer. You came to fetch the first constable. Well, before he got promoted and turned into a bastard. You¡¯ve fixed your nose since then. You¡¯re a wizard. A Ringer.¡±

    Marin¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°If you want to keep your neck attached to your body, don¡¯t ever say Ringer again.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not anymore,¡± Ilo said.

    ¡°You too?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°You¡¯re a Ri¡ªone of them?¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± Ilo said. He flexed his knobby fingers and held them up in front of his face. ¡°I had straight fingers back then, and they didn¡¯t ache in bad weather.¡±

    ¡°Why were there two hunters in the quarry?¡± Marin asked.

    ¡°They were chasing Ipsu,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Because he was there.¡±

    Marin snarled. Another beige sliver appeared out of thin air in front of Abbee¡¯s face. Abbee turned her head and saw two more on either side of her.

    ¡°Be straight with us,¡± Marin said, ¡°and tell us the whole story. None of this evasion and four-word answers. Tell us what we want to know, or I¡¯ll drive these through your face and neck until there¡¯s nothing left for your gift to heal.¡±

    ¡°Glad to see you still live up to your reputation,¡± Abbee said.

    The slivers around her head trembled.

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± She sighed. ¡°Ipsu took care of me after Towerfall. He got me out of the city. He¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who else did Ipsu save that night?¡±

    ¡°Just me. I mean, I didn¡¯t see anyone else. Ah, except a wizard. I never caught her name. She had a staff. Something floated on the top of it. I never got a good look at it. She and Ipsu seemed to know each other. I only saw her that one night. Never again. Which is okay. I think her staff made me sick.¡±

    Ilo folded his arms and looked at Marin. ¡°That¡¯s concerning.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to figure out why he¡¯d associate with a sentinel later,¡± Marin said. ¡°Why would Ipsu pick you out of an entire city to save?¡±

    ¡°I think he found me by accident,¡± Abbee said, remembering Ipsu¡¯s dark shape at the top of the mover pit all those years ago. She wanted to know what they meant by ¡°sentinel,¡± but it sounded like wizard business, and so far they hadn¡¯t been all that forthcoming. ¡°I think he was looking for someone else. He never said, and I never asked. I was just happy to be away from that place. He taught me to hunt, to track, to fight. We traveled all over the continent together. Then he left. When I needed him most, too. He up and vanished.¡± She almost added for no reason, but that would¡¯ve been a lie. ¡°He left me near Akken. I went into the city to look for him. Never found him. No letter, no contact, nothing, and then he shows up over a decade later and bleeds to death in my kitchen. The hunters tracked him there. They weren¡¯t interested in talking. I ran.¡± Abbee gestured at the pile on the table. ¡°Almost all of that is his.¡±

    Ilo picked up the quartz-tipped rod. ¡°And this?¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°He had it when I was little. I¡¯ve no idea what it¡¯s for. I wasn¡¯t allowed to touch it.¡±

    Ilo nudged the silver ring. ¡°What about this?¡±

    Marin folded her arms, and her face somehow became even more standoffish.

    ¡°He had that on him when he died,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Hidden in a sock. I¡¯d not seen it before. Nor the thumb light.¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Marin and Ilo exchanged a long look. ¡°Why did you come to Kiva?¡± Marin asked.

    ¡°Besides Akken being unsafe,¡± Abbee said, ¡°I figured this was the best place to ask about the thumb light. Seemed like Kivan lamp sellers might know something. Never got to ask, though. Ran into you first. Did you make that lamp?¡±

    Marin shook her head. ¡°We know better than to advertise our presence with something like this.¡± She picked up the lamp. Flicked it open. Light stabbed the ceiling. Marin closed the lamp and turned it over in her fingers. ¡°It¡¯s new. Less than a year old.¡±

    ¡°Who could¡¯ve made it if not you?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re not the only wizards left in the world,¡± Ilo said. ¡°The Veronna network has someone working for them. At least one wizard, maybe more.¡± He picked up the bolt thrower. ¡°This is finely made. I know of several people from the old days who could¡¯ve made this. It would be bad if any of them were working with the network.¡±

    ¡°Who? Does one of them own that ring?¡± When Ilo¡¯s eyebrows shot up, she added, ¡°I overheard you talking. You know whose it is. Something about you¡¯ve not heard any word for years.¡±

    Ilo harrumphed. He picked up the message rod with the impervious cork. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you can¡¯t open this either.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Ilo said, shaking his head. ¡°There¡¯s a ward on it, keyed to a certain individual, and only they can remove the cork. We both tried. If I try to force it, the whole thing will disintegrate. So, Ipsu had a warded message rod, a fortune in gems, a brand-new thumb light, this weird quartz thing, and my ¡­ this ring.¡± He grimaced at Marin. ¡°You know what this means.¡±

    Marin glowered at him. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You were about to call that ring something,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Marin snapped. ¡°We¡¯re not, Ilo. You¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not what?¡± Abbee asked. She gestured at the floating slivers around her head. They were all very pointy. ¡°Look, can we drop these?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve still not decided whether to let you live,¡± Marin said. ¡°So no.¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t,¡± Ilo said, ¡°and you definitely won¡¯t, how about we send her?¡± He nodded at Abbee. ¡°She seems durable, and the hunters don¡¯t like her. She¡¯s not on their side, so she¡¯s on our side.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not on anybody¡¯s side,¡± Abbee said. ¡°And send me where?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t even know what she is,¡± Marin said. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should figure that out first?¡±

    Abbee felt dizzy. ¡°I¡¯m going to be passed out on the floor soon if you don¡¯t get me a chair and something to eat,¡± she warned.

    Ilo snapped his fingers. Abbee jumped, given what had happened the last time a wizard had snapped their fingers in her presence. Something thumped onto the floor behind her. She looked and saw a plain wooden chair. One of the chairs from upstairs.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Abbee said, sitting down.

    ¡°Hold out your hands,¡± Ilo said.

    ¡°What for?¡± Abbee asked.

    Ilo nodded at her, and she did as she was told. He gestured, and a small bubble of warm yellow light enveloped her hands. The light vanished, and a plate replaced it. Abbee saw a big fish filet and roasted vegetables. Or what was left of them. The filet was withered and dry. The vegetables looked like all the moisture had been squeezed out of them. The memory of a dark room and withered bodies invaded Abbee¡¯s mind. She gagged, set the plate on the table, and pushed it away.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like fish?¡± Ilo asked. He leaned over and inspected the plate. ¡°Oh.¡± He looked up. ¡°The kitchen is directly overhead. You ¡­ oh, for crying out loud. That means my apple pie is probably ruined.¡± His face fell. ¡°I was looking forward to a late night snack.¡±

    ¡°So, people,¡± Marin said, ¡°then food. Probably plants. But water, too?¡±

    ¡°Organic material first,¡± Ilo said, nodding. ¡°Liquids after that, I¡¯m guessing. If she¡¯s like a golem, that is. Remember the golems that all stopped in the Charrin during Towerfall? Ruining our wine cellar tracks with that behavior.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re lucky we have that wine cellar,¡± Marin said. ¡°Otherwise, we might not have warped away far enough.¡±

    ¡°What are you?¡± Ilo asked Abbee. ¡°Your talent, I mean. We¡¯ve never seen anything like it. Healers can¡¯t heal themselves, but you can.¡± He gave her a penetrating look. ¡°You presented during Towerfall, didn¡¯t you? During the golems.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Someone once called me a backward healer. I can¡¯t heal anyone else but myself. And I don¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Marin asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t control it. I¡¯ve seen movers and torches direct their gifts. They can¡¯t do anything if they¡¯re unconscious. Mine doesn¡¯t work like that. Anytime I get injured, I heal. Even if I¡¯m out cold.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the worst injury you¡¯ve suffered?¡± Ilo asked.

    Abbee glanced at the thickening blood pool on the floor. ¡°That was one of them.¡±

    ¡°What about the others?¡± Ilo asked. ¡°What other types of injuries have you sustained?¡±

    ¡°Aside from getting stabbed through the neck?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°I¡¯ve survived getting thrown off a moving continental. Twice. Hit a tree the last time, and I¡¯m pretty sure I broke my neck. I¡¯ve fallen into a mover pit and lived. Hit the bottom with my face.¡± She ticked her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve been drowned, crushed, mauled, impaled, set on fire, poisoned, shot with more arrows than I can count¡ªnot all at once, mind you. I¡¯ve broken almost all the bones in my body. Again, not all at once. And, um ¡­ a few weeks ago, I, uh ¡­ I drove a dry golem, and I didn¡¯t die. I didn¡¯t age either.¡±

    Ilo looked flabbergasted. ¡°You ¡­ what? A golem?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still pretty sure there was water left in the tanks, but I was told it was dry. So maybe that wasn¡¯t one of the times I¡¯ve healed.¡± She remembered the squeezing feeling and her mote. ¡°But something happened when I drove it.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel pain?¡± Marin asked.

    ¡°All of it,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I feel everything. And anything you might give me to block the pain doesn¡¯t work.¡± She got jealous anytime she watched someone else receive healing. She pointed at her neck and looked at Marin and her floating slivers. ¡°I felt all of that. It¡¯d be nice to not go through it again.¡±

    Marin gave a small shrug. ¡°Keep telling us the truth, then.¡±

    ¡°Your gift ate my body lock,¡± Ilo said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯ve never broken free of a mover, so I don¡¯t know why you were different.¡±

    ¡°Body locks aren¡¯t the same as the movers¡¯ method,¡± Ilo said. He gestured at her. ¡°Movers grab you on the outside. A body lock affects your muscles. Locks them all in place. I¡¯m guessing your gift treated it like an injury and healed the stasis effect.¡± His eyebrows shot up. ¡°Then there¡¯s the snuffer. I gave you enough to block your gift for hours. And I apparently poisoned you with the sedative.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been given snuffer,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±

    ¡°Would it help if I told you that I can¡¯t get drunk?¡± Abbee asked. It felt good to talk about her gift with someone. She felt like she was having a nice conversation with Ilo. The floating slivers and a glowering Marin ruined the feeling, though. ¡°Jaara dust does nothing. I get a little oomph, and then it¡¯s gone. Draat smoke just makes me hungry.¡± She smiled. ¡°If you give me poison, or enough sedative that would kill somebody else, I¡¯ll fall asleep for a little while, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Ilo said. ¡°Do you eat like a normal person?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Do you eat more per sitting than anybody else?¡± Marin asked.

    Abbee shrugged. ¡°Only after a healing.¡± She looked at the discarded plate. ¡°I¡¯m really hungry.¡±

    ¡°So her metabolism isn¡¯t sped up all the time,¡± Marin said to Ilo. ¡°Just when she uses her gift.¡±

    ¡°My what?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Metabo-what?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a word to describe the chemical reactions happening inside your body,¡± Ilo explained.

    ¡°Chemicals? In my body?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Ilo said. ¡°All of us have the same ones. Well, most of us. Talented and wizards have some different things going on. I¡¯d explain it, but we don¡¯t have time.¡± He cocked his head at her. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I want to behead you to see what happens.¡±

    Abbee tensed. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s obviously a conduit,¡± Marin said. ¡°Well, and backward.¡±

    ¡°Inverted?¡± Ilo offered.

    Marin gave the first smile Abbee had ever seen on her face. The wizard nodded. ¡°An inverted conduit. I like it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Abbee said. ¡°What¡¯s a conduit?¡±

    ¡°Healers are conduits,¡± Ilo said. ¡°They take energy from themselves and pipe it through another person. The process heals injuries. We¡¯re not sure how it works, but it does. You seem to turn that on its head. You take energy from your environment and pipe it through yourself instead. Hence the inverted part, and probably the reason you survived a golem. You did what they do. Sort of.¡±

    Abbee knew he was right. She remembered the dark basement and the sightless man. The pit in Graywall. Remembered the long line of dead she¡¯d left in her wake. The ruined vegetation after being thrown from the continentals. The overwhelming weakness she inflicted on others whenever she let her emotions run rampant. It still didn¡¯t help the growing pit in her stomach. Golems stole life indiscriminately.

    Ilo tapped his lips with his finger. ¡°I don¡¯t have any others to compare you to, but I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re a Class Five if you can heal fatal injuries. Class Five Healers can theoretically do that for others, not themselves, but I don¡¯t know of any Class Five Healers who¡¯ve ever existed. Have you ever lost a limb? Your arm or something?¡±

    Abbee reflexively rubbed her pinky finger. She saw Ilo notice the movement and stilled her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Did you regrow it?¡±

    ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Abbee snapped. ¡°But yes.¡±

    ¡°Incredible.¡± Ilo snapped his fingers, and two more bubbles of yellow light appeared at the table. Chairs popped into the air, and the bubbles vanished. Ilo sat down. ¡°Incredible.¡±

    ¡°How old were you when your talent presented?¡± Marin asked, sitting in the other chair. The floating slivers around Abbee¡¯s neck trembled when Marin moved. The old wizard crossed her legs and arranged her dress over her knee.

    ¡°Twelve,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Late,¡± Ilo said, nodding. ¡°Vani Brattle presented at twelve, if I remember correctly.¡±

    ¡°She did?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a common pattern for Fives,¡± Marin said. ¡°How did you present? Describe the moment for me.¡±

    Abbee folded her arms and waited.

    Marin tsked. ¡°I said¡ª¡±

    ¡°She knows what you said,¡± Ilo advised. ¡°I think you can drop the slivers.¡±

    ¡°Not until I know for sure that she¡¯s not working for the hunters.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not working for the hunters,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Or the network. Or anybody.¡±

    Ilo glanced at Marin. ¡°She¡¯s not lying.¡±

    Marin pursed her lips. ¡°Fine.¡± She pointed at Abbee. ¡°If you make a move I don¡¯t like, we¡¯re going to find out the answer to the beheading question.¡± She gestured, and the slivers vanished with a pop. ¡°Describe the moment you presented, please.¡±

    Abbee felt a little mollified by the please. ¡°I fell into a mover pit. I think I presented when I hit the bottom. I mean, I landed on my face and lived.¡±

    ¡°Was this the mover pit Ipsu found you in?¡± Marin asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°The one in the Yard District Precinct.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It was the night the Tower fell. I fell in while the precinct was being evacuated. I know a golem walked past at some point, but I¡¯m guessing I was in the mover pit by then. I dunno. It was very dark and I couldn¡¯t see.¡±

    ¡°How did you get into that pit?¡± Marin asked. ¡°If you were the precinct gofer, why were you not evacuating with the rest of them? The mover pit is down on the lowest level, if I recall correctly. You¡¯d have to have gone down there on purpose.¡±

    Abbee thought about her father dragging her down to the pit. Calling her Rat. Happy about murdering his own daughter. Abbee felt jealous every time she watched another man with children. Teaching them how to tie their shoes, protecting them while crossing a street, or letting them ride on his shoulders. She never had that from her father.

    ¡°My father tried to kill me,¡± Abbee said in a toneless voice. ¡°He was in the holding cells for assaulting a constable. I think he was drunk. I let him out, thinking I was doing a good thing. He beat me. I was twelve and little, and he was built like a bear. He broke both my arms and dragged me down to the pit. I think he was going to throw me in, but he tripped, and we both fell.¡±

    ¡°That sounds horrible,¡± Ilo said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that happened to you.¡±

    Abbee shrugged. ¡°It was a long time ago, and he was an evil man. He used to beat my mother when he was drunk, which was often. One day she didn¡¯t come home. I never found out what happened to her, but I know he did it. He killed her. I ran away after she disappeared. It was pure chance that he ended up in the Yards. But still, he might have saved my life. I heard a lot of people didn¡¯t outrun the golems. Maybe he did one good thing there at the end.¡±

    Ilo¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°Marin, remember Pyl¡¯s deposition? The part about Brattle¡¯s father. He was an empath, remember? He was amplifying Vani¡¯s emotions for months before she presented. Maybe even the very moment when it happened. She turned out to be a Class Five. Mental duress at the moment of presentation is a component of overall strength.¡±

    Marin looked unconvinced. ¡°Your sample size is two.¡±

    ¡°Two Class Fives.¡± Ilo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The golems ¡­ What if the environment stressors are also a component of how the talent presents? What if a person¡¯s environment influences what talent they¡¯ll have?¡±

    ¡°Bah, if that were true, where are all the Class Fives? We¡¯d be swimming in them by now, not finding one or two every fifty years. I remember the deposition too, Ilo, and it wasn¡¯t Pyl¡¯s theory. She learned it from ¡­ him. She said it wasn¡¯t his either, that he said he¡¯d learned it from ancient texts. From Temmit.¡± Marin waved her hand and turned back to Abbee. ¡°I¡¯m not buying it. You¡¯re telling me that you just happened to be in the mover pit at the right time? You just happened to present during Towerfall, and it was a complete accident that Ipsu found you there? Ilo, no. There¡¯s no way. Ipsu didn¡¯t form attachments. With anyone. His isolation was his thing. So, out of the blue, he shows up the same night, pulls her out of a mover pit, and then takes her with him? Takes care of her? Trains her? For years?¡±

    Ilo rubbed his chin. ¡°That is a bit out of character for the Ipsu I knew.¡±

    ¡°If I were a betting woman,¡± Marin said, ¡°which I¡¯m not, I¡¯d wager that he was keeping her from someone. Or something.¡± She looked at Abbee. ¡°He was hiding you.¡±

    ¡°How did he know to look for me in the precinct?¡± Abbee demanded. ¡°You make it sound like he was clairvoyant or something. He was a refractor, and he didn¡¯t get to choose the magical effect either. He was a Class Three. He couldn¡¯t choose.¡±

    ¡°You said he was there with a wizard,¡± Ilo said. ¡°One with a very particular staff.¡±

    ¡°I never saw her again. Are you saying the staff ¡­ led them to me?¡± Abbee remembered Ipsu¡¯s conversation with the wizard while Abbee was in the pit. ¡°The wizard didn¡¯t think I was important. She wasn¡¯t looking for me. And I don¡¯t buy that Ipsu was hiding me. He just didn¡¯t like cities.¡±

    ¡°How did you end up back in Akken?¡± Marin asked.

    Abbee grunted. ¡°It¡¯s where he abandoned me. Nearby, anyway. I waited for three days, but he never returned. I left a sign pointing to Akken and went into the city. I looked for him but never found him, and he never came back. I stayed. Found work. Found a life.¡± She remembered the big thick door to Graywall. The dark things that had happened there. ¡°Sort of. Look, I¡¯ve been living in Akken for over a decade now. Nobody has come looking for me there. The only reason people were chasing me is because Ipsu came to my apartment.¡±

    ¡°Chasing you?¡± Ilo echoed. ¡°As in they¡¯re still chasing you?¡±

    ¡°Someone attacked me on the train outside Akken,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Telepath. I caught a glimpse of House soldier armor and a blue sash. Everybody knows House Togrim is tight with the network. He stabbed me with red blades and pushed me off the train while it was moving.¡±

    ¡°That sounds a lot like they think you¡¯re dead,¡± Ilo said.

    ¡°Hope so,¡± Abbee said.

    However much she hoped that was the case, and the telepath thought her dead, she knew the network was thorough. They would have sent someone to find the body. If they searched along the train route, they¡¯d find memories of her in Ellerton. Another disturbing thought occurred to Abbee. She knew about two wizards. If a telepath scanned her, any telepath, they¡¯d find out about these two. Still, Ilo wanted to send her somewhere. He didn¡¯t strike Abbee as someone who¡¯d take that risk. He was old, though, and old people forgot things.

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave, can I?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°I know about you now.¡±

    Ilo waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll take care of that before you go.¡±

    ¡°You have something that will block a telepath?¡± Abbee felt her jaw drop. ¡°Do you have artifact chips? Can you still make them?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ilo laughed. ¡°No, nobody can make those anymore. I¡¯m going to erase your memory. You won¡¯t remember us, this inn, or this conversation we¡¯ve been having.¡±

 Chapter 30

    Abbee felt stunned. She wouldn¡¯t remember? But she¡¯d learned so much about herself. What she was. Something new. An inverted conduit. She didn¡¯t have to feel ashamed about how she couldn¡¯t heal others. It wasn¡¯t how her talent worked, how it was supposed to work. She¡¯d been whole all along.

    Marin rolled her eyes at Ilo. ¡°I was wondering if that was what you were thinking of doing. What if it doesn¡¯t work? Her gift threw off your body lock. What if it decides that tampering with her memory is an injury? Repairs the damage?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Ilo said.

    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you forgot the very real chance of it causing permanent brain damage,¡± Marin added. ¡°Seeing as that was the reason you used when you convinced the Quorum to avoid using the same technique on Vani Brattle. They didn¡¯t want to risk ruining a Class Five Mover.¡± She grunted. ¡°Would¡¯ve saved us loads of trouble had they ignored you.¡±

    ¡°You knew Vani Brattle?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Did she really demolish the Council House because of a lovers¡¯ spat?¡±

    Marin chuckled. ¡°No. Well, she did wreck half the building, but she was saving Ilo¡¯s life. Along with Parn Trippers. I understand he¡¯s a Council member himself these days.¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve gotten out,¡± Ilo said.

    Abbee hadn¡¯t realized that Ilo and Parn knew each other. Or that Vani had saved Parn¡¯s life, for that matter. The first constable never spoke about Brattle in a positive light, and to hear him tell it, all of Akken¡¯s problems were the mover¡¯s fault. ¡°What happened to her? How did she die?¡±

    ¡°No idea,¡± Ilo said. He picked at one of the loose threads poking out of his coat. ¡°I heard she went into the Tower and never came out.¡±

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s seen her since Towerfall,¡± Marin said, ¡°and we should count ourselves lucky for that.¡± She looked at Ilo. ¡°You can¡¯t tamper with her memories.¡± She sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to give it to her.¡±

    ¡°Give me what?¡± Abbee asked.

    Ilo looked at Marin in surprise. ¡°Oh, so you want to help her now? You¡¯re on board with sending her on my little errand?¡±

    ¡°What errand?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d made peace with exile here,¡± Marin said. ¡°I convinced myself that I didn¡¯t care anymore. But I do. I want to know what Ipsu was doing, how he showed up at the right time, right when she presented. Why was he with Juna? I¡¯ve always had my suspicions about her little clique. There are more efficient methods of keeping wizards in jail¡ªyou don¡¯t have to dedicate your entire life to mastering those silly staves. Her description of the telepath, it¡¯s ¡­ And I don¡¯t like that the hunters are involved. And then there¡¯s Joor. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence that he set up shop there.¡± Marin stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it. Let me know when you¡¯re done.¡± She walked over to the far wall and gestured. Flat stone rippled, and a doorway appeared. Abbee saw a dark tunnel. Marin walked in, and the wall returned behind her.

    ¡°Where did she go?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°To fetch something that will help you,¡± Ilo said, ¡°and to avoid bad memories.¡±

    ¡°What errand? Who¡¯s in Joor? Who are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°My brother, Kai. He and Marin have a history. It pains her to speak of him.¡±

    Abbee recognized the name. The gray wizard had mentioned Kai in the conversation Abbee had overheard while in Graywall. ¡°Was she with your brother at one point?¡±

    ¡°Not the way she wanted,¡± Ilo said, ¡°and if you want to keep your head on your shoulders, don¡¯t ever mention it to her. I don¡¯t talk about it either, if that helps convey the seriousness of my warning. Don¡¯t bring it up, Annie.¡±

    ¡°Abbee.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°My name is Abbee. Not Annie.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± He squinted at her. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Very. Is your brother a wizard too? Can¡¯t wizards talk to each other over long distances?¡±

    ¡°Yes, in the old days,¡± Ilo said, ¡°but not now. We all shield our minds to ward off detection. If I tried, I wouldn¡¯t get through, and I¡¯d end up broadcasting my own location.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s listening?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s at least one wizard working with the Veronna network,¡± Ilo said. He gestured at the repeating bolt thrower. ¡°They¡¯re the ones making magical weapons for the hunters.¡± Ilo¡¯s face clouded. ¡°I¡¯d like to do some permanent things to them. Whoever they are, I hope they die a slow and terrible death.¡±

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s not your brother?¡± Abbee asked. She knew it was the gray wizard. Knew it in her bones. She asked, anyway, just in case.

    ¡°Because he hates the hunters and network more than anyone else alive. Even more than I do, which is a lot.¡± Ilo picked up the silver ring. ¡°This is Kai¡¯s. It was the first ring he received as a Ringer. I used to wear one like it, and so did Marin. The fact that Ipsu was carrying this means that Kai gave it to him.¡±

    ¡°How do you know who that belonged to? If they¡¯re all the same.¡±

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re not exactly the same. The runes are different. This was Kai¡¯s. He was always clever with the runes that seem to go on forever.¡±

    ¡°How do you know your brother is still alive? Maybe ¡­ maybe Ipsu killed him and took the ring.¡±

    Ilo snorted. ¡°Ipsu is many things, but he¡¯s not strong enough for that. Kai is ¡­ let¡¯s just say that he¡¯s the most resourceful person I¡¯ve ever known. If anyone could catalog all the methods you might survive death, he¡¯s the one who¡¯d try them all.¡± He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s still alive. But if he is, you have to try to find him. Last I knew, he was somewhere near Joor.¡±

    ¡°Somewhere near ¡­ You don¡¯t know exactly?¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯ll have to find him. And he does not want to be found. But you have to try.¡±

    Abbee realized Ilo wanted her to go to Joor to find his brother. ¡°No.¡± When Ilo¡¯s eyebrows shot up, she added, ¡°I¡¯m never going back to that city.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Abbee pushed away her nightmare. Her memories. ¡°I was captured and tortured there. I¡¯m not going back. Ever.¡±

    ¡°Tortured?¡±

    Abbee felt a prickle between her shoulder blades and rubbed her back on her chair. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about it.¡±

    ¡°Well, you won¡¯t have to go into the city itself. Kai won¡¯t be there.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°You know that big shield around the monastery outside the city?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°It makes wizards sick. We don¡¯t know why, but if we get too close to it, we get horrible migraines. Kai won¡¯t be in the city. He¡¯ll be at least three kilometers from the monastery grove. Last I checked, that¡¯s outside the city proper.¡±

    Abbee relaxed a little. If she didn¡¯t have to enter the city ¡­ But still. Joor. She didn¡¯t want to go. But if Ipsu had gone there ¡­ Abbee wanted to know why Ipsu had abandoned her, where he¡¯d been all these years. She wanted to know his reason and if it had been worth leaving her alone. She needed to know what was so damn important. ¡°Why do I have to search for a wizard in hiding?¡±

    ¡°Because our interests are aligned,¡± Ilo said, ¡°and I¡¯m not wasting the opportunity.¡± He stood up and stretched. Groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t ever stop stretching,¡± he advised. ¡°Everything sticks together as you get older.¡±

    ¡°What interests?¡± Abbee pressed.

    ¡°Wizard interests,¡± Ilo said.

    Abbee didn¡¯t like that Ilo was suddenly being cagey. He¡¯d babbled all sorts of information at her this whole time, and now he was clamming up? ¡°Who attacked me on the train? The telepath. Marin seemed to recognize the description.¡±

    ¡°Did he have a beard?¡± Ilo asked.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see his face, but I saw that much. Yeah, and it was blond.¡±

    Ilo nodded. ¡°Yes, I think I know who that was. Interesting. They think you¡¯re dangerous.¡±

    ¡°He thinks I¡¯m dangerous? Who is he?¡±

    ¡°Not just him. If he was sent to deal with you, it signals how serious this is. It¡¯s bigger than a couple of exiled wizards. Marin is right. We have to help you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being irritatingly vague.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a wizard thing,¡± Ilo said. ¡°But it¡¯s also for your protection.¡±

    Abbee preferred having all available information so she could avoid danger, but she doubted she¡¯d get what she wanted from Ilo. She hadn¡¯t personally known any wizards growing up, but she¡¯d heard the stories. They were mysterious on purpose. And deadly even if they seemed pleasant. ¡°The two of you were going to kill me because I¡¯d found you,¡± Abbee said. ¡°So you want me to go find another wizard who doesn¡¯t want to be found? Sounds dangerous.¡±

    ¡°If you want to know where Ipsu has been, it¡¯s a risk you¡¯ll have to take. You have to go to Joor¡ªnear Joor, sorry¡ªand ask my brother.¡± He rubbed his face. ¡°Kai¡¯s older than me. He¡¯s in his nineties, and the last time I saw him, he had a long beard. Scraggly. He¡¯s about as tall as I am.¡±

    ¡°Where around the city am I supposed to look?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Ilo said. He picked up the silver ring off the table. ¡°If you show him this, be sure to tell him you¡¯re a friend of Ipsu¡¯s, so he doesn¡¯t kill you on the spot.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really selling this,¡± Abbee said. ¡°What do you want me to tell him? I¡¯m assuming you want me to give him a message.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the message,¡± Ilo said.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need more than that.¡±

    Ilo looked at the wall where Marin had gone. It rippled and revealed the dark tunnel. Marin walked out of the doorway, and the wall reappeared once more. ¡°You¡¯re done?¡± she asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Abbee said. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me anything.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Marin said. She walked over and handed Abbee an irregular stone fragment. Squarish, gray, and flecks of teal around the edges. It was almost identical to the artifact chip Parn had given Abbee over a decade ago. ¡°That¡¯s an artifact chip. It will¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen one of these before,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I know what it does.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Marin said. ¡°Then you know that chip also makes you a bigger target. If a telepath tries to scan you, and they know you¡¯re not a telepath yourself, they¡¯ll realize you¡¯re blocking them. The chip protects you, but given how rare artifact chips are now, it also puts you in danger.¡±

    ¡°How do you still have one?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to use it,¡± Ilo explained. ¡°We¡¯re wizards. We can block telepaths without using a chip. Artifact chips fade with both use and time. Use wears them out faster. An unused chip lasts a lot longer than twenty years.¡±

    ¡°Go back to why you want me to go to Joor,¡± she said, ignoring the warning look from Ilo. ¡°I know why I¡¯m going, to get answers about Ipsu. But I need more details than ¡®you¡¯re the message.¡¯ I need to know more about your interests beyond ¡®wizard interests.¡¯¡±

    Marin frowned. ¡°Are you a wizard?¡±

    ¡°Well, no¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t need to know. And knowing why would make us go back to the memory-erasure plan. Do you want that? Because we can do that.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then take the chip and shut up about it.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like it, but she liked having her memories more. She pointed at her belongings piled on the table. ¡°I¡¯m going to take all that, yeah?¡±

    Marin nodded. ¡°Yes. Except the bolt thrower. It stays here.¡±

    Abbee felt ill at the idea. She folded her arms. ¡°That thing has saved my life several times since I got it. If you want your message to get to Joor safely, I need it.¡±

    ¡°You appear to heal any injury,¡± Marin said, ¡°so I¡¯m unsure how it¡¯s saved your life when your gift does that just fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s prevented my mauling by a bear, a wolf pack, and it definitely saved me from getting captured by the Murder Guild.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ilo asked. ¡°They aren¡¯t in the capturing business. What did they want with you?¡±

    ¡°I never found out. They died first. They had a mover and a torch with them, so I wasn¡¯t interested in making friends. And the third one was probably a telepath. Yes, my gift heals me, but it doesn¡¯t make me invincible. I still get hurt and overwhelmed in a fight, and I don¡¯t go looking for fights either. They find me. I need an offensive weapon. You want me to get to Joor in one piece? I need that bolt thrower.¡±

    Marin grunted. ¡°Fine.¡± She scooped up the weapon and handed it over. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this. And don¡¯t point that thing at me either.¡±

    Abbee took the bolt thrower and strapped it on with a surge of relief. The wizards moved away from the table so she could retrieve the rest of her belongings. The thumb light and ring went into her belt pouches. The message rod, gems, and the quartz-tipped stick went back into her jobs case. Abbee donned her coat. She situated everything and bobbed on her feet a few times to ensure nothing rattled or pulled her off-balance.

    ¡°Why do you have that pouch on your back?¡± Ilo asked at one point.

    ¡°I did courier work in Akken,¡± Abbee replied. ¡°Helped to have a pouch nobody knew to search.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Ilo looked her over. ¡°No knife?¡±

    Abbee shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s the first thing a mover grabs when they fight. I¡¯ve had too many blades turned against me.¡± She raised her bolt thrower. ¡°They seem unable to grab these bolts, so it¡¯s safe to carry.¡± Abbee realized she hadn¡¯t even spent one night in Kiva yet. She¡¯d been on the road for almost a month. She¡¯d been looking forward to a bed. ¡°Can you warp me to Joor?¡±

    The old wizard shook his head. ¡°Neither of us is going, so we¡¯d have to warp you by yourself. Doesn¡¯t work well over a long distance. You¡¯d end up in the ground or up in the sky or something. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not going to make you walk. We¡¯ll send you by train. As luck would have it, there¡¯s someone in the train yard right now who can take you. Someone we trust to keep quiet.¡±

    ¡°You know, you never said what you¡¯re doing here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. We didn¡¯t. You¡¯ll stay here and leave in the morning.¡±

    ¡°A bed sounds wonderful.¡±

    ¡°We can do that,¡± Ilo said.

    ¡°And another bath?¡± Abbee asked, still covered in her own blood and gore.

    Marin sniffed. ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ***

    Ilo took Abbee to the train yard in a covered carriage in the morning, at first light. Marin stayed behind and didn¡¯t say goodbye. Abbee didn¡¯t even see her, and she wondered if the wizard lived someplace else. Abbee watched the city roll past out the carriage¡¯s window. She wished she¡¯d been able to stay longer, but she figured she¡¯d be back. Kiva seemed like a good place to live, now that Akken had grown too dangerous. It even had a couple of wizards who might come in handy.

    Abbee frowned as the carriage turned a corner before the train yard. She peered out the window and realized they were in an alley. ¡°What are we doing? Where are we?¡±

    The carriage door opened, and Thad climbed in. He saw Abbee and said, ¡°No,¡± and climbed back out.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Ilo called.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I¡¯m a no too.¡±

    ¡°Why? Thad, stop!¡±

    Thad turned around in the doorway. ¡°I¡¯ve already thrown her off my train once. Find somebody else.¡±

    ¡°He was one of the two?¡± Ilo asked Abbee.

    She nodded. ¡°He thought I was a hunter.¡±

    Ilo turned to Thad. ¡°Well, she¡¯s not. So you can take her to Joor.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to take her anywhere,¡± Thad said, ¡°and so I¡¯m not.¡± He held up his hand. ¡°No. I know I said I¡¯d do favors for you, but not this one. And no amount of money will change my mind, so don¡¯t bother asking my price.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Ilo said, ¡°it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m neither asking nor paying you. You¡¯re taking her to Joor.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that new clutch working out?¡± Ilo asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s great,¡± Thad said, looking suspicious. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Marin wants to improve the design,¡± Ilo said. ¡°She needs it back.¡± He folded his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here while you get it.¡±

    Thad sucked in a breath. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. It¡¯s saved me a fortune in repair costs since you gave it to me.¡±

    ¡°And we only gave it to you, remember? Maybe it¡¯s time we branched out. Maybe make a deal with Polan¡¯s Linens. They seem to have deep pockets and¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, you can¡¯t do that.¡± Thad glowered at Ilo. He swore. ¡°Fine.¡± He gave Abbee a hard look. ¡°You give me trouble again, and you¡¯re off the train.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything the last time,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I want your word that I can inspect my own belongings without you having a tantrum.¡±

    ¡°I did not have a tantrum,¡± Thad declared.

    ¡°You thought I was a hunter and freaked out,¡± Abbee said, ¡°when a hunter wouldn¡¯t have hidden themselves in the first place. They announce themselves and scare you into doing things. Speaking of which, if you thought I was one, how were you going to avoid repercussions if I¡¯d lived?¡± She gestured at Ilo. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re still here? He¡¯s offering you protection?¡±

    Ilo nodded. ¡°And now he doesn¡¯t need it, so he can return the favor by taking you.¡±

    Thad swore again. ¡°But just to Joor, yeah? We¡¯ll drop her off and be on our way.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Ilo said. ¡°Keep her safe from prying eyes and ears.¡±

    Thad considered Abbee. ¡°She¡¯s got that kind of attention, yeah?¡±

    ¡°She does. And I want you to help her avoid it.¡±

    Thad frowned at Ilo. ¡°Does that attention involve where she got that bolt thrower she was carrying? Oh, she still has it. Great. You let her keep it. You know, that says a lot about the danger you think she¡¯s in. Which you¡¯re now putting my train in.¡±

    ¡°This is important, Thad,¡± Ilo said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust this to anyone else.¡±

    Thad grunted. He sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll keep her presence on the train under wraps as much as I can.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Well, my crew knows about you,¡± Thad said. ¡°You¡¯re all they¡¯ve talked about for several days now. The mysterious hunter we threw off¡ªmoving, by the way, so now they¡¯ll want to hear how you survived that. Any telepath that comes looking for you will know you¡¯re on board. But we¡¯ll not say anything on purpose, and we¡¯ll try to keep your presence secret at the escarpment tunnel checkpoint, but no guarantees.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Abbee said. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Thad asked.

    ¡°I want a proper passenger room,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Not the gear cart.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t carry passenger carts,¡± Thad said.

    ¡°You do now.¡± Abbee remembered the wealthy lady from the lift. The one complaining about the smell and talking about a first-class lift. She¡¯d arrived in a suite cart. ¡°I want a suite.¡±

    Ilo shook his head. ¡°The whole point of this is to avoid notice.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Thad said, ¡°an economy passenger cart with a single passenger will draw more attention than a suite cart. They move the suite carts around all the time. There aren¡¯t that many of them, and sometimes a wealthy client will use one for a one-way trip.¡± He arched his brow at Abbee. ¡°How did you know there was such a cart here in Kiva? And that it needs to go back to Morat? It just rolled in yesterday.¡±

    ¡°A hunch,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Right.¡± Thad looked at Ilo. ¡°I¡¯ll do this and take her in the suite cart, but only if you promise to stop using the clutch as leverage.¡±

    Ilo frowned. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±

    Thad grunted. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you want me to take her as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°If you can,¡± Ilo said. ¡°Speed is essential.¡±

    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ve got enough time to make Mindge by nightfall, even factoring in the cart transfer.¡± He gestured at Abbee. ¡°It¡¯ll take a couple hours to arrange the suite cart. Will you deign to wait on our gear cart in the meantime?¡±

    Abbee gave Ilo a considering look. ¡°Why are you letting me go? I know you¡¯re here in Kiva. Two wizards from the old days. Seems¡ª¡±

    Ilo smiled. ¡°Because I put an enchantment on you on the ride over here,¡± the old wizard said. ¡°If you talk about wizards or Marin or me, I¡¯ll know about it. If you write it down, I¡¯ll know about it.¡±

    Abbee wondered if her gift might eat his enchantment like it had eaten his body lock. ¡°You¡¯ll find me and put me to death?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Ilo said. ¡°You said you feel all the pain. It will be a lot. It won¡¯t be quick. So kindly keep your mouth shut.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not very nice.¡±

    ¡°Never said I was.¡± He gestured at the door. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, but I hope you take this the right way when I say don¡¯t come back.¡±

 Chapter 31

    Abbee ran three errands in the city while Thad switched over the suite cart. One to exchange some of her gems for coin. She found a jeweler near the train yard who was more interested in who had cut such flawless stones than how someone like Abbee had come to have so many of them. She sold a third, mostly rubies and sapphires. The larger stones to free up space. Abbee left the shop with full money pouches and a promise to return someday that she didn¡¯t intend to keep.

    Her second errand involved a trinket store. The jeweler gave her directions to two. The closest one he spoke of in derisive tones, and the furthest one got a warm recommendation. Abbee picked the closest one. She found it around the corner from the jeweler, in a basement. A bell tinkled above her head when she opened the door. Several lamps illuminated low shelves in front and taller ones in the back. The whole place smelled of old paper and the sea.

    A girl with dark eyes stuck her head out from the back. ¡°Hi. You looking for something specific or just browsing?¡±

    ¡°You got any seashells?¡± Abbee asked.

    The girl rolled her eyes. ¡°This is Kiva. Of course we got seashells.¡± She pointed. ¡°Right-hand corner in the front. Holler when you see something you want.¡± She disappeared back behind the tall shelves.

    Abbee found a display case with a glass front. Four narrow wooden shelves stuffed with all manner of seashells. Big ones, little ones, all brightly colored. It looked less like a product display and more like the place the shop stored its shells. Abbee spent a couple of minutes searching for the one she wanted. There, on the bottom. The smallest, most boring seashell in the lot. ¡°I got it,¡± she called.

    A book slammed shut in the back. The girl walked out to the front. She squeezed behind the seashell display case. ¡°Which one?¡±

    Abbee bent over and pointed. ¡°Bottom shelf, third¡ªno, fourth from the left. My left. No, my left. The beige one that¡¯s about five centimeters long. Yes, that one.¡±

    The girl¡¯s fingers found the right seashell. She pulled it out of the jumble and stood up. ¡°You sure? This one looks ¡­ well, dull.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s perfect,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°I almost don¡¯t want to charge you. It¡¯s not like my pa will notice it¡¯s gone.¡±

    Abbee fished out two coppers and laid them on the display case. ¡°Will this do?¡±

    ¡°Sold,¡± the girl said, handing over the seashell. ¡°Did you need anything else?¡±

    ¡°Do you have gift wrapping available?¡±

    ¡°For that?¡± the girl asked.

    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Abbee said. ¡°The best you¡¯ve got.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be more expensive than what you just paid,¡± the girl warned.

    ¡°That¡¯s even better.¡±

    ***

    Abbee took a buggy to the Kivan branch of the Bank of Akken for her third errand. On the outside, it looked identical to the one in Akken, with marble walls and grand windows. It didn¡¯t seem as ostentatious here, since the rest of Kiva was sheathed in the same stone. Abbee walked through the front door, expecting a bubbling fountain like the one in Akken. No fountain, just a marble foyer with an open wall in the back into the main lobby. No big glass dome in the ceiling either. Abbee supposed it wouldn¡¯t be a bank branch if it had all the trappings of the main building in Akken.

    She walked into the lobby. A wide room with marble columns on either side. On the left and right walls stood many doors arranged in groups with House sigils overhead. Veronna Houses on the left, Akken Houses on the right. Abbee headed to the expansive desk in the back, where ten bank clerks sat in front of twelve unmarked doors. She joined the back of the long line of patrons snaking around stanchions linked by velvet rope. Abbee briefly worried about missing her train, but the clerks made short work of the line, and everyone moved along at a good clip.

    Ahead of Abbee, a small girl stood next to her father in line. They were both dressed in fine woolens. A coat and trousers for him, and a gray dress for her. Abbee guessed she was no older than three. The girl apparently found Abbee fascinating, because she stared at her whenever their positions matched up in the line.

    Halfway through the line, Abbee made a funny face at the girl. She giggled, and her bright laughter echoed off the lobby¡¯s marble columns.

    The father tapped the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Avie, it¡¯s not polite to stare.¡± To Abbee, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if she¡¯s bothering you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Abbee said. ¡°At least she¡¯s not crying.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky on that score,¡± the man said. ¡°Our Avie isn¡¯t one for tears. She spends most of her time figuring out the locks we keep changing on the pantry door.¡±

    Abbee arched her brow at the girl. ¡°Thievery at such a young age, eh?¡±

    ¡°She loves cookies and knows where we keep them.¡±

    ¡°Locks are safer than putting them up high.¡±

    Abbee remembered climbing up the shelves when she was the girl¡¯s age. She couldn¡¯t remember what for, because her parents had never had enough money for cookies. She had fallen once and nearly broken her arm. Her mother had been more scared than angry, but her father had laughed at her when he¡¯d heard about it. Abbee had made a point of climbing everything after that.

    She made another face at the little girl the next time their line positions matched, and the girl¡¯s sunny laughter filled the lobby.

    A few minutes later, Abbee got to the front of the line. She kept an eye on the clerks and patrons along the wide desk, feeling the pressure of patrons behind her expecting her to move fast. It was more stressful than some deadlier situations Abbee had been in. She turned her head from side to side and, after what seemed like minutes, spotted a clerk waving at her. She hurried over to free up her space at the front of the line.

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    The clerk, a young man in a crisp uniform, sat behind a piece of glass with a space underneath it to pass objects. Dividers on either side of him and on either side of Abbee gave a sense of privacy. He shuffled some paper into a drawer under the desk and asked, without looking at Abbee, ¡°What can I do for you today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to send a package to Akken,¡± Abbee said. She put her wrapped seashell on the counter.

    The clerk sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve wrapped it, I see. I¡¯ll need to open that to see what you¡¯re sending.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°We had an incident a few years back with a wrapped parcel, and now bank personnel must inspect every item.¡±

    ¡°I feel like there¡¯s a story there.¡±

    ¡°There is,¡± the clerk said. He gave her another smile. ¡°Maybe I can tell you all about it after my shift.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you to ask,¡± Abbee said, ¡°but I¡¯m leaving town after this.¡± She untucked the wrapping paper on one end and exposed the seashell.

    ¡°That¡¯s a ¡­ uh, a very nice seashell.¡±

    Abbee frowned. ¡°Are you judging my seashell?¡±

    The clerk grimaced. ¡°Oh, no, not at all.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re judging my seashell.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a very nice seashell. The best I¡¯ve seen in a long time. I¡¯m sure whoever is getting this will swoon with delight.¡±

    ¡°How many dates do you get as a bank clerk?¡±

    ¡°Oh, more than you¡¯d think. Dates, I mean. I think I look rather fetching in this uniform, and it¡¯s steady work. Lots of people value a person with a steady job.¡± He sniffed. ¡°Not like sailors.¡±

    ¡°I feel like there¡¯s a story there too,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Would you happen to have any of those gold-trimmed cards?¡±

    ¡°We do. It costs extra, mind you, and more than you paid for that seashell.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be perfect.¡±

    The clerk gave her a funny look. He swiveled on his chair and picked up a writing tray off the desk beside him. Abbee closed the wrapping paper and moved her package to the side to make room for the tray. It had a quill and an inkwell. The clerk gave her a card. Abbee rubbed her fingers on the card. It felt expensive.

    ¡°Four silvers, please,¡± the clerk said.

    Abbee arched a brow. ¡°Four? That¡¯s double what it used to be.¡±

    The clerk shrugged. ¡°And we used to have wizards to repair the broken transfer boxes. Teleportation is expensive these days.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Abbee said. She counted out four silvers from her pouch and slid them under the glass.

    The clerk took them. ¡°I can exchange all your physical coin for paper, if you¡¯d¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I hate paper money.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± the clerk said. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to make the pitch. I¡¯m not a fan of the paper money either. It¡¯s not durable enough yet.¡±

    Abbee nodded her agreement. She knew storing the gems and excess coin in the bank would be easier, but Ipsu had warned her against ever opening an account. The network tracked everyone of interest, and if she wasn¡¯t before, she was definitely of interest now. The easiest way to track someone was to follow their money around, and it also served as incredible leverage. The bank professed its neutrality in political machinations, but Abbee had no illusions about the network¡¯s long arm. Never mind the fact that the bank would never allow her to open an account. She wasn¡¯t allowed to set foot inside the Akken branch, and if these people only knew who she was, she¡¯d be bodily removed.

    She picked up the quill. A small smile danced on her lips as she wrote her note on crisp paper edged with gold. Her scratched letters looked out of place on bank stationery. Ipsu had taught her to read and write but hadn¡¯t spent any time on penmanship. Abbee appreciated fine writing with the eye of someone with the patience to learn it but no intention of ever doing so. She had all the patience. Ipsu had taught her plenty.

    Abbee didn¡¯t sign her name. No need. Her handwriting was signature enough. She put Whimsy¡¯s name in the recipient box with instructions for pickup. Abbee wanted her to go to the bank to get it. Half to get her out of the house and half to make her wonder why Abbee had sent something so ordinary via the most expensive method possible. Abbee could almost hear Whimsy¡¯s annoyed sigh. She left the bank with a big grin that lasted all the way back to the train yard.

    ***

    Thad was standing on the platform when she got back, watching his crew prepare the train for departure. He grunted when he saw her approach. ¡°Almost left without you.¡± He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. ¡°Your cart¡¯s in the back.¡±

    ¡°At the back, I¡¯m assuming,¡± Abbee said. Easy to cut loose. It was where she¡¯d put it if their roles were reversed, but she wasn¡¯t about to show empathy to this man. He¡¯d had her thrown into a tree.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Thad confirmed. ¡°Rules still stand. If you¡¯re not on the train every morning, we leave without you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s to stop you from dropping my cart somewhere between here and Joor?¡±

    ¡°My word,¡± Thad said. ¡°I said I¡¯d get you to Joor. Quietly, if possible. If you lose my hospitality en route, it¡¯ll be because of something you did, not me. Get aboard. We leave in ten minutes, and I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s mutual when I say I hope not to run into you much during the trip.¡±

    Abbee was about to mention she¡¯d been trying to mind her own business the first time, but he turned away. She walked toward the back of the train and felt eyes all the way. Drovers watching her, presumably wondering who she was and why she was still alive. Why she got a suite cart all to herself. Abbee realized this whole train remembered her, and it didn¡¯t matter if she tried to keep quiet or not. Any telepath who got within range would know she was on this train. She wondered if she¡¯d made the right decision coming back after her errands. Right up until she climbed onto the suite cart and opened the door.

    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± she murmured.

    Everything inside the cart was dark, polished wood with brass and copper accents. The first room was a compact mud room with a cushioned bench, a place for dirty boots, and hooks for coats. It had a mirror and tiny sink for sprucing up before going out. A hallway hooked around and ran the length of the cart. Five rooms beyond the mud room: three with doors and two without.

    The first room was open and had a cozy sitting room with two high-backed chairs. Built-ins in the walls revealed a foldout table, meaning this room doubled as a dining space. A nearby drawer had a full utensil set, including the extra, mystery forks and spoons that Abbee had never learned how to use. Fine dining had not been in Ipsu¡¯s training regime.

    The next room was a kitchen full of drawers and cabinets, a large countertop, and even a sink with running water. Abbee found the holding tank in a cabinet above. She also found a bottle of whiskey. Top-shelf stuff from Kiva. She rooted around, looking for a glass. Pulled open a drawer and found four glass tumblers sitting in individual lined pockets, which kept them from moving and clinking while the train was underway. The thought that had gone into the suite cart¡¯s construction fascinated Abbee. She poured herself a glass and toured the rest of the cart with it.

    The next room was very small, with a narrow bed, chair, and sink. Abbee assumed this was for an attendant or someone like Havren. Suite cart riders weren¡¯t doing all the work themselves. The last room in the suite cart was the primary bedroom. Abbee poked her head in and saw a large bed big enough for two people, thick carpet, and a window. A narrow door on the left led to a private privy. Abbee saw that the bed didn¡¯t have any bedding on it, and made a note to look through all the drawers before she turned in for the night. She wanted to experience rich people¡¯s sheets for this trip. Holding the bottle in one hand and her glass in the other, Abbee went into the sitting room and tested the chairs. They were wonderful. After her long, arduous trek through the woods, Abbee was looking forward to riding south in style.

    ***

    Abbee closed the last drawer in the suite cart¡¯s galley with a bang and a dark curse. She¡¯d looked everywhere. No bedsheets. It had never occurred to her that wealthy people traveled with their own bedsheets. If they had the exorbitant sums required to reserve an entire train cart for a single trip, wouldn¡¯t they have multiple sets of sheets? The suite¡¯s bedroom had a massive bed in it. The biggest bed Abbee had ever seen, but the mattress was bare. No pillows either. It beat sleeping on the ground or in a hammock, but Abbee had been looking forward to experiencing satin sheets. She¡¯d heard stories.

    Thad. He had something to do with this. Abbee knew it. He¡¯d come through here himself, stripping the bed with a smug face, removing the one thing Abbee had wanted. She knew it. He¡¯d been in here. It wasn¡¯t enough to put the cart at the back, wasn¡¯t enough to threaten abandonment if she wasn¡¯t on the train every morning, wasn¡¯t enough to treat her like dirt.

    He¡¯d stolen her sheets.

 Chapter 32

    ¡°How¡¯s the cart?¡± Thad called down from the driver¡¯s seat. They¡¯d stopped in Mindge for the night, and Abbee was on her way into town for supplies.

    She slowed her steps and imagined a messy murder. She couldn¡¯t let on that he¡¯d caused her any discomfort by looting the suite cart. She¡¯d rather die. Abbee smiled up at him. ¡°It¡¯s great. Thanks for going through the trouble to arrange it.¡±

    Thad squinted. ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Abbee walked out of the train yard before she did something permanent to him. She had no trouble arranging a food and water delivery to her suite cart, but she had trouble finding bedding. Mindge was a train town, and there was little market for luxury goods. No satin sheets. In the end, Abbee bought sheets from one of the town¡¯s several inns. She picked the nicest one and paid an exorbitant sum to the innkeeper for a set of his finest bedding. Abbee knew she was leaving a long trail of people who¡¯d remember her, but she implied she was traveling in a different direction whenever possible. At least Thad couldn¡¯t steal anything anymore, since Abbee had discovered a set of keys hanging by the forward door. The exterior doors had locks on them.

    She remembered Thad¡¯s threat to leave her behind in the train towns and made sure she returned to the train every evening. Sleeping in the suite cart beat any game in town, anyway. It was quiet, especially when she shut the windows. Whoever had designed the cart had optimized it for peace and comfort.

    Mindge gave way to Sarcut and then to Rudson. In Rudson, Abbee opened the cart door as they rolled into the stopover yard, intent on dropping down to go into town¡ªand avoid Thad. She overheard the two drovers on the next cart mention her and paused to listen.

    ¡°You know who she is, right?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the man said. ¡°The one Nulea threw off the train last week. And here she is, back again, making us work harder than the others. We should be getting a bonus.¡±

    ¡°What we should be getting is the story,¡± the woman said. ¡°She¡¯s the Butcher of Graywall, Kero.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rubbish,¡± the man, Kero, said. ¡°I heard the Butcher killed fifty men in Graywall in a single night. Chewed them to pieces in a bloody frenzy. The Butcher isn¡¯t a weird woman sitting in luxury in a suite cart at the back of our train, Motilda. He¡¯s the biggest brute of a man you¡¯ve ever seen. He¡¯s still in there, in the deepest, darkest hole they could find.¡±

    The woman, Motilda, snorted. ¡°It¡¯s just like you to attribute every woman¡¯s accomplishments to a man, Kero.¡±

    Their voices faded, and Abbee heard them climb down off the cart. She wondered what they¡¯d meant about causing them extra work, but Kero sounded disagreeable, so Abbee kept her distance during the trip.

    They reached Ellerton next. Spending time in the suite cart was immensely better than spending it in the gear cart. This cart had a covered balcony in the back. Since Thad had put her cart on the rear to make it easier to drop, she had an unimpeded view from the rear of the train. Sound baffles on the sides and roof limited road noise to an astonishing degree. Abbee spent much of the trip on the rear balcony. She especially liked sitting back there during rainstorms. The water sheeting off the train, the steady drone of the wheels, and the road disappearing into the distance all lulled her into several naps. It was her favorite spot on the trip. She almost mentioned it to Thad at one point, to thank him for the view, but thought better of it. He¡¯d stick her cart in the middle of the train out of spite.

    Abbee checked in on Beyan in Ellerton. The leatherworker¡¯s face split into a wide grin when Abbee entered his shop.

    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± he said. ¡°How¡¯s the jerkin holding up?¡±

    ¡°You did fine work. Has anyone come through here looking for me?¡±

    Beyan shook his head. ¡°No, nobody. You were the talk of the poker game for a few days, though.¡± His face brightened. ¡°You could join again today, maybe. Jorad won¡¯t be there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to offer,¡± Abbee said, ¡°but no, thank you. I doubt¡ª¡±

    ¡°You sure? Leesa will have more of those strawberry shortbreads.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ***

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a fifth,¡± Beyan announced as he and Abbee walked into Leesa¡¯s back room.

    Homs and Leesa sat at the table, and the former was shuffling cards.

    ¡°I already found one,¡± Leesa said, her back to the door. ¡°He¡¯s on his way.¡± She turned around and saw Abbee. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Here to wipe out my shortbread again, are you?¡±

    ¡°I promise to moderate myself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it. I¡¯ve never seen anyone eat as much as you.¡±

    Thad walked in. ¡°Did someone mention a big eater? Vani Brattle would¡¯ve given you a run¡ª¡± He stopped when he saw Abbee. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I could ask you the same thing,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°He¡¯s my fifth,¡± Leesa said. ¡°You two know each other?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Abbee said, sitting down next to Beyan.

    ¡°Sounds like a story there,¡± Homs said.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Thad said. ¡°She¡¯s been on my train a couple of times now, and she has ¡­ needs.¡±

    Beyan cleared his throat. ¡°Thad, did I hear you mention Vani Brattle? You knew her?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Thad said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know her know her, but I met her. She was one of those problem passengers I¡¯ve mentioned before. Interesting trip, though.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that if you want to see somebody eat¡±¡ªhe held his hand out about a meter or so off the floor¡ª¡°she was this tall and slender as a broomstick but could clear out your entire pantry in one sitting.¡±

    ¡°Glad she¡¯s not here, then,¡± Leesa said. ¡°Thad, are you going to sit down or not?¡±

    Thad¡¯s body and mind seemed to fight for a few seconds. He grunted and sat down next to Leesa. He smiled at Abbee. An empty smile that didn¡¯t touch his eyes. ¡°So, Leesa, seems like you¡¯re letting just anybody join the poker game these days.¡±

    Leesa sniffed. ¡°It was Beyan. If you¡¯ve got even a whisper of a name in Akken, he¡¯ll invite you.¡± She shuddered. ¡°Do you remember that opera singer two years ago? Olinar or something. Ghastly showing.¡±

    Beyan flushed. ¡°In my defense, nobody ever said he had that, um, privy problem.¡±

    ¡°Thad, you seem to know everybody already,¡± Abbee observed.

    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been visiting this town for over thirty years. Leesa¡¯s been here the whole time.¡±

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    ¡°Took a couple of decades to convince you to join the poker game, though,¡± Leesa said.

    ¡°He deigns to bless us with his presence for a game a few times a year,¡± Homs said, ¡°for about five years now.¡±

    ¡°Eleven,¡± Leesa corrected. ¡°Everything happened five years ago with you.¡±

    ¡°It was the shortbreads that did it,¡± Thad said as a plate of them arrived via one of Leesa¡¯s cooks. ¡°Ah, good. Put that right here.¡± He picked out three, no, four shortbreads and pushed the plate into the center of the table, where Abbee snatched up three treats. ¡°If we make good time and the train is in good shape,¡± Thad continued, ¡°I like to stop by and see how everyone is doing. Homs, the last time I saw you, you were considering building an addition on your store. How did that turn out?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still thinking about it,¡± Beyan said. ¡°One of these days, he¡¯ll make a decision. Maybe.¡±

    Homs snorted. ¡°Every time I think I need it, we hit a dry spell, and then I don¡¯t. Maybe there¡¯ll be another big disaster again. Like after the golems. Definitely didn¡¯t need it then.¡±

    Abbee had been living in the woods with Ipsu for years after the Tower fell. She hadn¡¯t experienced the resulting economic winter firsthand, but everybody who¡¯d lived through it remembered. Abbee had traveled all over the continent, and everyone¡¯s memories were the same. ¡°Bad?¡±

    Homs nodded. ¡°It was like someone turned off the trains, and when they turned them back on again, it was in fits and starts.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t get strawberries for a couple years,¡± Leesa said. ¡°The shortbreads were short on flavor.¡±

    ¡°We were short on everything,¡± Beyan said. He glanced at Thad. ¡°Didn¡¯t see you for, what, three years?¡±

    ¡°Four, I think,¡± Thad said. ¡°We stayed south of the escarpment. It looked like Kiva might fight Veronna. We didn¡¯t want to get caught in a war zone or conscripted into either army. Everybody wants talented when the fighting starts. That¡¯s probably what made the train traffic so light up here. We stayed around Joor for a long time. It¡¯s warm.¡±

    Homs shuffled one more time and dealt the first round. ¡°Smart to stay in Joor. They weren¡¯t getting involved in any fight up north.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never understood how Joor managed to stay out of that,¡± Beyan said. ¡°They don¡¯t have anything like Kivan military service. No House soldiers. No walls, no golems. No wizards neither, not even when there were wizards to go around.¡±

    Abbee thought about what Ilo had told her about the monastery shield¡¯s effect on wizards. She almost mentioned it but kept her mouth shut. She¡¯d have to explain where she¡¯d heard that information.

    ¡°They do have wizards,¡± Leesa said. ¡°They¡¯re just in that monastery, and they never come out. Well, every hundred years or something, if you believe the stories.¡±

    ¡°They have police,¡± Beyan said. ¡°Enforcers. Every single one of them is a mover.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t use to be like that,¡± Thad said. ¡°The movers. Joor bulked up their talented defenses when it looked like Veronna was having continental aspirations.¡±

    ¡°Joor has the Class Fives,¡± Beyan said. ¡°They¡¯d make an army¡¯s life miserable before they ever got close to the city.¡±

    Thad shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s like launching a firework from your fist. It¡¯ll work, but you¡¯ll lose your fingers. Every Class Five I¡¯ve ever met had some serious flaws.¡±

    Abbee wondered if she was a true Class Five, like Ilo had suggested. She didn¡¯t think she had any serious flaws, but she suspected Thad might disagree with her. ¡°Like what?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You mean beyond the insufferable superiority?¡± Thad asked. He inspected his cards. His brow twitched, and he added a coin to the pot. ¡°Well, let me see. Brattle¡¯s temper was inversely proportional to her weight. There¡¯s a torch in Joor who¡¯s addicted to draat, which might be viewed as a plus, since before she spent her days stoned, she used to set everything on fire. Their spout¡¯s sense of humor involves pranks. You might not think that¡¯s a big deal, but when you¡¯re dealing with someone who can destroy whole ships on a clear day with a water tornado ¡­ let¡¯s just say the enforcers keep a close watch on that one. Then there¡¯s the shifter rumor, but nobody¡¯s ever seen him.¡±

    ¡°Shifters aren¡¯t real,¡± Leesa said.

    Thad nodded. ¡°I agree, but there are more than a handful of people in Joor who swear they¡¯ve seen the fellow. I think it¡¯s a lightbender playing tricks.¡± He shot a nasty look at Abbee. ¡°Kind of like that healer in Akken who fights in the bouts. Playing tricks on people.¡±

    Abbee gave him a big smile. ¡°Fold.¡±

    Beyan took a look at his hand. ¡°Me too. I fold.¡± He grabbed a shortbread treat. ¡°My grandfather told me stories of some twin lightbenders in Morat who used to pretend like they were one shifter.¡±

    Thad nodded. ¡°I heard the same story. Oh, there¡¯s also a rockbreaker who¡¯s got an unwholesome attachment to small children. It¡¯s the reason he¡¯s forbidden from setting foot in Veronna. Word is Catho Stonar sends an assassin every year on his nephew¡¯s birthday, as a reminder.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dead, supposedly,¡± Beyan said. ¡°The rockbreaker.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Thad asked. ¡°Who says?¡±

    ¡°A man was talking about it in my shop a few days ago,¡± Beyan said.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Thad said. ¡°Hope that¡¯s true. The world is better without that garbage heap in it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they have the Class Five Mover in Joor,¡± Beyan said, ¡°and that¡¯s why¡ª¡±

    Thad snorted. ¡°I doubt it.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s seen any sign of her in, what, nineteen years? Believe me, you¡¯d know if she was around. The city is still there, for starters. Vani Brattle was ¡­ a force. You could tell she¡¯d been somewhere by the size of the debris field. I think it¡¯s safe to say she¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason nobody¡¯s bothered Joor,¡± Homs said. ¡°But it¡¯s not the Class Fives. It¡¯s¡ª¡±

    Beyan rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, here we go.¡±

    ¡°¡ªthe Society.¡±

    The entire table groaned, Abbee included. She remembered an old, lunatic patron at Karl¡¯s pub, who¡¯d corner anybody who¡¯d listen, and rave about conspiracy theories. The Society, some shadowy group who controlled Joor and who were responsible for everything, from vanishing artifact chips to Class Fives to bird migrations, featured heavily. They even had a magical portal somewhere in the city that led to other worlds in the sky.

    Beyan chuckled. ¡°Homs, the next thing you¡¯re going to say is that goblins discovered Kiva.¡±

    Homs frowned. ¡°Goblins aren¡¯t real, but the Society is.¡±

    ¡°I never took you for a conspiracy theorist, Homs,¡± Thad said. He looked at the shortbread in his hand. ¡°You didn¡¯t put something in these, did you, Leesa? Am I going to start seeing things that aren¡¯t real?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Leesa looked like she¡¯d smelled something bad. ¡°Homs, I distinctly remember saying you could come to this game only if you kept your wild ideas to yourself.¡±

    ¡°This is what they want,¡± Homs said, looking around the table at their disbelieving faces.

    ¡°Homs,¡± Leesa said in warning.

    ¡°Who is ¡®they,¡¯ exactly?¡± Thad asked. ¡°An ancient cabal that controls the world? Like ¡­ the Tower, for instance?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t encourage him,¡± Leesa said. She pointed one bony finger at Homs. ¡°One more word¡ª¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Homs said. His mouth worked and his chest heaved. ¡°But,¡± he snapped, ¡°they want you to believe they don¡¯t exist. Easier for them to operate.¡±

    ¡°Homs!¡± Leesa shouted.

    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Homs said, mollified. ¡°I¡¯m done. I won¡¯t talk about it anymore.¡±

    They played the rest of the round in silence, save for calls and folds. Thad took the pot with a strong position. Abbee remembered his brow twitch. Two hands later, he folded with an ever-so-slight lip curl. Abbee knew everyone else¡¯s tells from her previous visit, and by the end of the night, she¡¯d cleaned them out. The shortbreads too.

    ***

    Abbee promised Beyan she¡¯d visit the next time she came through, and returned to the train for the night. She was about to turn in when she heard a knock at the forward cart door. The door didn¡¯t have a peephole. She opened the bedroom window and poked her head out. It was dark, and she didn¡¯t see anybody at first. A shape leaned out from between the carts. Abbee couldn¡¯t see in the dark.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± she called out the window.

    ¡°Me,¡± Thad said. ¡°I¡¯ve been speaking to you for the past minute.¡± He tapped his head. ¡°I know you¡¯re ignoring me, but I need to talk to you.¡±

    Abbee realized he meant his speaker talent. She couldn¡¯t hear him with Ilo¡¯s artifact chip. She counted it as a blessing. ¡°Hang on.¡± She walked to the front of the cart and unlocked the door. Cracked it open. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to talk to you about the poker game,¡± Thad said. ¡°About your winnings.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving you your money back.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about my money,¡± Thad said. ¡°Well, I do, but that¡¯s not¡ªlook, you shouldn¡¯t be taking advantage of shopkeepers who don¡¯t have much to start with. Not when you¡¯re paying for train rides with rubies.¡±

    Abbee arched a brow. ¡°We¡¯re all adults here. People should know when to quit, and nobody should be playing poker with money they can¡¯t lose. Besides, you threw me off your train.¡±

    Thad frowned. ¡°That last point isn¡¯t related to the first.¡±

    ¡°It means don¡¯t lecture me. You have no idea who I am.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Thad asked. ¡°You¡¯re not Abbee Danner, literal man-eater? You¡¯re not a constable turned criminal? You¡¯re not a courier who doesn¡¯t ask questions, no matter the client? You¡¯re¡ª¡±

    ¡°Those are all things I¡¯ve done,¡± Abbee said, annoyed that he knew more about her than she did about him, ¡°not who I am.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what we think we are in our heart of hearts, Danner. That¡¯s not real. We are what we do. And you take advantage of people who have less than you.¡±

    ¡°I take advantage,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Everything else is a matter of perspective. Good night.¡±

    She closed the door. A moment later she heard him turn and drop to the ground.

    Abbee muttered a curse with Thad¡¯s name in it. She walked back into the sitting room and sat down to take off her boots. She felt a little thrill that she¡¯d irritated Thad. Taken so much of his money.

    But her satisfaction was dulled now. Abbee stood by what she¡¯d said. Gambling was something a person did with money they were ready to throw away. But Beyan had been nice to her. Leesa too, in her own prim way. Abbee wondered how much she¡¯d eaten in the form of shortbreads. She sighed. She kicked off her boots and went to bed. Maybe she¡¯d go back into town in the morning and find a reason to spend coin at Beyan¡¯s shop.

    In the morning, she awoke to the rattle of the train moving and forgot about the money.

 Chapter 33

    Abbee stayed on the train when they stopped for the night in Streamdale. She had enough food and water in the cart for a few days, and she didn¡¯t care to see Thad for another lecture on morality. He seemed like the lecturing type. Abbee had met a few people like him in her travels, and each of them had felt compelled to share their philosophy with everyone they met.

    She wasn¡¯t that lucky. A few hours into the evening, she heard a knock.

    Abbee went to the door. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Thad said. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? I¡¯ve been¡ªlook, I need to talk to you.¡±

    Abbee cracked the door. Light from inside her cart spilled out and illuminated the landing.

    Thad was alone. ¡°You can¡¯t hear me, can you?¡± He tapped his head. ¡°You can¡¯t hear me speaking to you. I thought you¡¯ve been ignoring me, but you¡¯re not, are you? You can¡¯t hear me.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°How? You¡¯re not a refractor. Nulea and Jikka have both grabbed you with their gifts. How?¡± Thad¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have a chip. A blocker. Where did you¡ªoh, you got it from Ilo.¡±

    ¡°Do I have to stand here while you figure everything out?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°It¡¯s late.¡±

    Thad cocked his head at her. ¡°I don¡¯t have one, and I¡ªwhy would Ilo give you a blocker? What do you know?¡±

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t tell you, I won¡¯t either. Good night.¡±

    Thad stopped the door from closing with his foot. ¡°Wait. There¡¯s something else. The big story here in Streamdale right now is that local woodsmen found a body in the forest yesterday. A couple kilometers from town.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°A man, they say,¡± Thad continued. ¡°Torn up by animals pretty bad, but it looks to be Davin Porter, a local game hunter who went missing last month.¡± Abbee had a name now to go with the shifty fellow too quick with his bow. ¡°He¡¯d been shot with a bunch of arrows, looked like, but no arrows nearby. Which was weird, because they found him near the remains of a deer carcass. Someone had dressed it but only taken a quarter of the meat. The deer had been brought down by arrows too, but none to be found. They commented that the grouping on Porter seemed tight. They thought he¡¯d been shot after he died. In the face. Townsfolk say he wasn¡¯t the most agreeable fellow, but not to that extent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for you to make an argument for why I should care.¡±

    Thad squinted. ¡°Tight grouping could¡¯ve come from that bolt thrower of yours. Three bolts¡ª¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Or could be like you said¡ªsomebody didn¡¯t like him. Maybe they wanted to make a statement.¡±

    ¡°If someone was making a statement, they¡¯d have left the arrows in him.¡±

    Abbee shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know why people do what they do.¡±

    ¡°He had a family,¡± Thad said. ¡°Two little boys.¡±

    Abbee pictured two dirty bridgies. They¡¯ll manage. I did. ¡°Is this going to be a recurring thing? You going to show up on my doorstep every night and give a pretentious little speech?¡± She cocked her head. ¡°You do this to all your drovers? You do, don¡¯t you? How many people get fed up with it and leave? Or do you somehow attract damaged people who think they deserve being talked down to all day?¡± She swept his foot out of the way.

    Thad stepped back. ¡°Nobody has everything figured out, Danner. We¡¯re all trying together.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Work together by yourselves, and leave me out of it.¡± She shut the door.

    The cart rocked a little when Thad jumped off it. Abbee went into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a glass. She poured herself two fingers and drank it in one go. The whiskey burned going down. Thad. She thought about the rest of her trip, wondering what else he¡¯d find fault with and lecture her about. Thought about the odds she¡¯d make it to Joor without shooting him. Low. They are low.

    Abbee poured more whiskey into her glass and put the bottle away. Something Thad had said tickled her memory. She glanced at the repeating bolt thrower on her left forearm. The grouping. She¡¯d not used the bolt thrower in front of Thad, and until she¡¯d worn one, Abbee hadn¡¯t known how many bolts it shot, nor the grouping.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± she said aloud, and downed the whiskey.

    ***

    The train reached the escarpment tunnels late in the afternoon the following day. Abbee paced inside the suite cart at the top checkpoint. Every time her circuit looped around the rearmost window, she looked out at Akken¡¯s Overlook District, across the escarpment. Checked the road from the city. It was late afternoon, and foot and cart traffic was minimal. Abbee didn¡¯t see anyone suspicious, but that didn¡¯t stop her looking.

    The train began moving again and started down the tunnel. Clanks reverberated through the floor as each cart crested the top of the tunnel and added its weight to the front of the train. The squealing and shrieking of stressed brakes penetrated even the suite cart¡¯s insulated walls. Abbee felt her cart roll into the tunnel, and the scene outside changed to stone. The train crept downward with a steady scream of constant brake pressure. The tunnel was five kilometers long, and descents took an hour. Abbee pulled her hood up over her head to block the sound. A minute later she pressed her fingers in her ears.

    Abbee kept pacing on the way down the tunnel. Stopping in Akken for the night was dangerous. It had been over a month, but Abbee couldn¡¯t assume that people had stopped looking for her. She couldn¡¯t decide if she should stay on the train in the yard overnight or venture out into the city. Check on her own status. She also wanted to find out if her seashell parcel had arrived safely, but she knew she couldn¡¯t. If the hunters were still looking for her, they¡¯d be watching everyone Abbee knew. She couldn¡¯t even ask anyone about the apartment in the quarry. Definitely couldn¡¯t ask after news of Ipsu¡¯s body. It bothered her that she hadn¡¯t been able to say goodbye. It bothered her more that it even bothered her.

    The train rolled out of the tunnel and picked up speed as the drovers eased off the brakes. Abbee let go of her ears. A few minutes later, when she was sure they¡¯d start braking to turn onto the train yard road, she watched the road whip past instead. She frowned. They weren¡¯t stopping. She looked out the west window. The sun was low in the sky. The train turned west as the road took them past Akken. The roaring wheels ahead changed in tone, and the view outside the window added flashing stone columns. The bridge crossing the Charrin. A few seconds later, they¡¯d cleared the bridge, and the train road turned southwest.

    They weren¡¯t stopping in Akken at all. That didn¡¯t make any sense. Sildbern was the next train town, and that was a nine-hour ride from Akken. They wouldn¡¯t make it before dark. Abbee wondered why Thad would skip Akken. She wondered what he knew and she didn¡¯t.

    A few hours later, when the sun had slipped below the horizon and it became too dark for Abbee to see outside her windows, the train rolled to a stop. Abbee heard drovers climbing down off the train. Shouts to set up camp. Abbee left her cart and walked forward, dodging drovers. She found Thad at the lead cart.

    He saw her coming and shook his head at her. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for you right now.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop in Akken?¡± Abbee asked.

    Thad looked around and sighed. He jerked his head at her and walked away from the train, out into the middle of the continental road. Abbee followed. It felt strange to stand in the middle of a continental road. They were on the top of a hill, and it was dark in both directions. She knew she¡¯d hear a train before she saw it, and there were no trains out here in the night, but she still felt anxious about getting run over.

    ¡°What are we doing all the way out here?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t stop in Akken because of you,¡± Thad said in a low voice, ¡°in case there were any hunters or sniffers in the yards. There weren¡¯t any at the checkpoint, none that I saw, but I didn¡¯t want to chance it.¡±

    ¡°Why? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I got a message from Ilo. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°A message?¡± Abbee interrupted. ¡°What message?¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°If you shut up a minute, I¡¯ll tell you. Hunters came to Kiva. Ilo and Marin are fine¡ªnobody came to the inn. They¡¯ve taken steps to avoid sniffers, which is good, because the hunters had one with them. They roughed up several jewelers and made a scene at the bank before Kivan constables chased them out. They left by continental. They¡¯re two days behind us.¡±

    Two days. Abbee drew a deep breath and let it out. She knew the hunters must have found the greedy jeweler she¡¯d used to exchange her gems. Knew he¡¯d told them about her. The bank too, and that trinket shop. They had a sniffer this time, to go everywhere Abbee had been. She folded her arms. Unfolded them.

    ¡°How do they know to follow us to Joor?¡±

    ¡°If they picked up your trail in the train yard, they¡¯ll know which train you boarded. They¡¯ll have checked the shipping manifests and found out where our cargo is bound.¡±

    ¡°When did you find out about all of this?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday,¡± Thad said. ¡°In Streamdale.¡±

    ¡°What? Yesterday? So you knew about it when you were accusing me of killing that game hunter. Why didn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Because you can¡¯t do anything about it,¡± Thad said, ¡°and I don¡¯t need a paranoid lunatic on my train, jumping at every shadow. I was¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lunatic? So far, you¡¯ve been the paranoid one.¡±

    ¡°Well, you know about it now,¡± Thad said. He pointed at the trees. ¡°You want to run off, exit¡¯s right there. You¡¯d be doing me a favor.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t leaving the train, not with hunters two days behind her. She didn¡¯t even want to stop here for the night, but any ground she gained on foot, Thad would erase it within an hour in the morning. She didn¡¯t like standing in one spot. Hated feeling like prey.

    Thad dropped his arm. ¡°No? Not going to run into the woods?¡±

    ¡°If I did that,¡± Abbee said, ¡°I¡¯d miss your amazing hospitality. Don¡¯t keep things from me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I think is right to protect my crew,¡± Thad declared. ¡°You¡¯re certainly not going to do that. You only care about yourself.¡±

    A drover near the front of the train called his name.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you to Joor because I gave Ilo my word. My only hope is that you don¡¯t get me and my entire crew killed for it.¡± He turned and walked away.

    Abbee wished she could shoot him. Wished Ilo had put her on any train but this one. She wondered how different her life would be right now if she¡¯d taken up Henk Slempy on his drunken proposition, and Ipsu had died alone in her apartment.

    Bile churned in her stomach at both ideas.

    ***

    Later that same night, Abbee heard voices on the ground outside her cart. Moving forward to back. Sounded like arguing. She went aft and eased the balcony door open. Crisp night air blew over her skin, and the voices grew louder.

    ¡°¡­ dangerous, Thad,¡± Nulea said. ¡°The moon¡¯s out. You might see better, but so can they.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not getting that close,¡± Thad said.

    He and Nulea walked past Abbee¡¯s cart. A third drover walked behind them. Abbee stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door to block the cart¡¯s light. She pressed herself into a shadow.

    ¡°Why risk it?¡± Nulea countered. ¡°We can find out from woodsmen in this area. We can ask in Sildbern tomorrow. They¡¯ll have news.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been over this,¡± Thad said. ¡°Nobody talks about what happens out there. Nobody. And besides, if we ask in Sildbern, someone will remember us asking, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a secret,¡± Nulea said. ¡°It¡¯s big news for everyone. It¡¯s the big project out in the woods. The place they take the golems. Everybody asks about it. Asking in Sildbern isn¡¯t going to draw attention. Sneaking out there in the dark will. Especially if you get caught.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to get caught,¡± Thad said. ¡°Keep an eye on the train. C¡¯mon, Jikka.¡±

    Thad and the other drover, Jikka, trotted down the road. A few hundred yards back, they disappeared into the woods. Nulea turned around and walked back toward the camp the drovers had set up near the lead cart. She didn¡¯t look in Abbee¡¯s direction.

    Abbee wondered why Thad would be interested in the university¡¯s project out here. She supposed its secrecy was enough to pique anyone¡¯s curiosity, but she hadn¡¯t paid it much attention. The golem drivers working in the quarry hadn¡¯t paid it much attention either. Some drivers had come out here to work. Abbee realized she hadn¡¯t heard about any drivers coming back to Akken. The project had been going on for months. Nobody came back. Maybe Thad was onto something.

    She considered following Thad and Jikka but discarded the idea. Even with the moon, tracking in the dark under a forest canopy was near impossible. She¡¯d have to use her thumb light to see where she was going. Too visible. Abbee sat in the shadows on her cart¡¯s balcony and waited for Thad to return. She wanted to know what he was doing out here. She wondered if his excuse for not stopping in Akken was a ruse, and he¡¯d meant to come here all along. Abbee nodded off several times. The stress of worrying about stopping in Akken, fighting with Thad, worrying about the hunters chasing her, it all wore her out. She waited a long time.

    ***

    Drovers climbing on the train woke her in the morning. Dawn painted the sky in yellow and purple hues. Abbee swore. She¡¯d missed Thad returning from his nocturnal observations. She briefly considered tracking him down and asking him about them, but she doubted he¡¯d say anything. Thad hadn¡¯t promptly shared information about the hunters, so he wasn¡¯t going to say why he had been snooping around the big university project in the dark.

    Abbee climbed to her feet and went inside her cart. She felt groggy, and her neck ached from sleeping in a sitting position. Abbee drank some water, kicked off her boots, and climbed into bed. She fell asleep before the train got underway and slept the whole morning.

    The sun was still high in the sky when they reached Sildbern. They didn¡¯t stop. Abbee watched from her rear balcony as the train town disappeared behind a hill. When they rolled to a halt on the side of the road, it was dark. Abbee opened the front door to listen to Kero and Motilda as they climbed down off the next cart.

    ¡°Two nights in a row?¡± Motilda asked. ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± Kero said. ¡°I was looking forward to a night in Akken. I asked Nulea about it this morning, and she told me to mind my own business.¡±

    ¡°Leeja says she saw Thad and Jikka coming out of the woods last night,¡± Motilda reported. ¡°She got up to pee and saw them. I bet they went out to that dig site.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. I wonder if they saw anything. I¡¯ll ask Jikka.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t tell you anything.¡±

    ¡°She tells me quite a bit after a dock. You would too, if we¡ª¡±

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Motilda said. ¡°You know that I don¡¯t sleep with crew. But, uh ¡­ tell me what she says.¡±

    Kero smirked. ¡°Which part?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be disgusting.¡±

    ***

    They skipped the next train town, Ashby, the following day, and Dalerton the day after that. Tensions were high on the train when Thad finally deigned to roll into Lencoe, the last town before Joor. Abbee had been getting dark looks from every drover since skipping Sildbern. It might have been better had she been stuck with them in the same dirty conditions, but she had the suite cart. She¡¯d offered her privy to Kero and Motilda as a peace offering, only to discover Thad had forbidden any of them from going anywhere near Abbee for the trip. The Lencoe bathhouses had relieved customers that evening.

    Abbee stayed on the train. Partly because they might remember her in Lencoe. She wanted to go into town and tell off Gerro, but that was too dangerous with sniffers on her trail. The last place where she¡¯d touched the ground was south of Akken, when she¡¯d argued with Thad in the middle of the road. Before that, Ellerton. Beyan. Abbee hoped he and the others were all right. They weren¡¯t involved in her activities, but she doubted the hunters would see it that way. Abbee wished she hadn¡¯t spent so much time in Ellerton. Wished she hadn¡¯t been friendly. Every time Abbee made friends, they got hurt. Ipsu had been right on that score.

    A dull clank woke Abbee the next morning. She heard muffled shouts, and the floor vibrated with impacts. Abbee opened the suite cart¡¯s front door and found Kero banging a connection pin into the joint.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Swapping out some carts,¡± Kero said.

    ¡°What for?¡±

    Kero gave the pin one last swing of his mallet. ¡°Dunno, but we¡¯ve switched out every cart except for yours.¡±

    ¡°Is that normal?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Not really, and nobody seems to know why. Well, Thad does, but when I asked, he told me in no uncertain terms to mind my own business.¡± He straightened. ¡°Motilda!¡±

    The other drover leaned over the edge of the roof. ¡°We good?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re good. Tell Thad we can leave.¡± He glanced at Abbee. ¡°Hope you didn¡¯t need anything from town.¡±

    Abbee went back inside as the train lurched out of the yard. She figured she¡¯d ask Thad about it when they stopped in Joor later that evening.

    She didn¡¯t get the chance. The train stopped on the side of the road at midday. Abbee leaned out of the front door to listen to drover chatter, but neither Kero nor Motilda seemed to know why they¡¯d stopped.

    Thad appeared at the foot of the steps. He saw Abbee. ¡°I¡¯m dropping you here.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s here?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re about five kilometers from Joor. The fork to the Morat Road is over the next hill. We¡¯re going that way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to Joor?¡±

    Thad shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°This is why you switched out your carts this morning,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not putting my crew in any more danger than they¡¯re already in. Hunters will have a harder time picking up your trail if you come in through the East Gate. They¡¯ll be expecting you to arrive via the train yard, so¡ª¡±

    ¡°Did you say hunters?¡± Kero called down from the next cart. ¡°Do you mean woodsmen, or wizard¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Thad snapped. ¡°What did I tell you about being nosy, Kero?¡±

    ¡°Whoa, whoa,¡± Kero said. ¡°Forget I said anything.¡±

    Thad turned back to Abbee and lowered his voice. ¡°Remember, you¡¯ve got two days to do whatever it is you¡¯re doing here. Then you¡¯re on borrowed time.¡±

    ¡°What did you find at the university site?¡± Abbee asked. When Thad frowned at her, she added, ¡°I saw you and Jikka go into the woods that night.¡±

    Thad gestured at her. ¡°You¡¯ve got five minutes to get your stuff and leave. After that, we¡¯ll toss you off like we did last time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a piece of work. Do you know that?¡±

    ¡°Time¡¯s wasting, Danner.¡±

    Abbee went back inside and gathered her things. It didn¡¯t take long. She swept back to front, opening all the drawers and cupboards to make sure she hadn¡¯t accidentally left something somewhere. When she got to the front part of the cabin, she went through her pouches and ensured everything was in its place.

    ¡°Out of curiosity,¡± Thad said when she came back out, ¡°how was everything? With the cart.¡±

    ¡°It would have been better had it been stocked,¡± Abbee said. She hopped down to the ground and oriented herself. She walked across the road. When Thad followed, she added, ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a tip, don¡¯t hold your breath. You promised to see me to Joor. This isn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re close enough,¡± Thad said. ¡°My conscience is clear.¡± He stretched theatrically. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep great tonight, like every other night on this trip.¡±

    Abbee felt her jaw drop. The bastard was talking about the bedsheets. Her bedsheets. He¡¯d stolen them and had been using them this entire trip. She hissed and brought her left arm up.

    Thad arched a brow. ¡°Hunters will stop here if their sniffer smells a murder scene. You know they can pick up on that, right?¡±

    Abbee did know. Sniffers were strange. They mostly worked on scent, like a bloodhound, but they also smelled violence. None of them had ever explained it to her in a way she understood. She didn¡¯t know if a sniffer could pick up on violent death while traveling on a continental, but she wasn¡¯t about to test it here. Though she wanted to. She wanted it so bad. Abbee couldn¡¯t even punch him. Not in front of a train full of drovers. She¡¯d land one, maybe two hits before they immobilized her. It would be worth it.

    She didn¡¯t hit him. Didn¡¯t even swear at him. Abbee turned on her heel and disappeared into the woods.

 Chapter 34

    Abbee reached the monastery grove a few hours later. She skirted giant redwoods and reached the beach. Gray-blue water stretched to the horizon as she followed the coastline west. Listening to the crashing waves stilled her mind, and for a brief while, she forgot about her troubles. Her peace faded when she crested a big dune and saw Joor across the bay.

    Abbee remembered Ilo telling her about the three-kilometer radius around the monastery grove being painful for wizards. So she didn¡¯t have to go into the city itself. The monastery was about a kilometer to the east, so the ground she¡¯d covered was out, along with the port itself and the city proper. Abbee was glad the city wasn¡¯t included in her search area. She hadn¡¯t been back here since ¡­ since then. She didn¡¯t even want to think about it. This place made her edgy.

    She guessed Kai was close enough that supply runs to the city weren¡¯t onerous. Someplace out of the way, but not too out of the way. Fishing villages dotted the coast on the opposite side of the city. Such places were insular, and inhabitants noticed outsiders. Locals remembered new arrivals for decades. Learning about newcomers was as easy as buying a round in the village¡¯s watering hole and asking questions. She doubted Kai was there.

    Abbee thought about the farms north of town. Ilo said Kai would be in his nineties. A farm was a lot of work, too much for an elderly man, and a farm that produced nothing got noticed. Abbee couldn¡¯t imagine a wizard farmer, but maybe that was the point. And perhaps Kai had done well for himself over the years and had hired help. There were dozens and dozens of farms. It would take her weeks to check them all. She only had two days before her pursuers reached the city. Thad was right. Abbee was on borrowed time. Better to eliminate other options first.

    She remembered a big forest along the northwestern coast, north of the fishing villages, where rolling hills rose from the basin. Windmere Forest. Lots of old growth and choked with underbrush. A wizard might hide out in that forest. But it was big and stretched for many square kilometers. She¡¯d need better directions.

    Abbee skipped the East Gate. She wasn¡¯t taking Thad¡¯s advice. She wasn¡¯t doing anything that insufferable thief suggested. She still couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d stolen her sheets and used them for the whole trip. Abbee wished she could¡¯ve shot him in the leg or something.

    It was late afternoon when Abbee reached the port¡¯s outskirts. She got lucky, and the tide was low, allowing her to dart among the wharf piers to the western side. Abbee decided to go into the city. She didn¡¯t like it, but she figured Kai had bought supplies in the city. Someone might remember him. Abbee went around the city and entered the Northwest Gate. She convinced herself that this was the opposite side of the city from where she was taken. The gate wasn¡¯t really a gate, more like two iron posts that marked the city¡¯s edge. Joor didn¡¯t have gates or walls. No guards at the posts either.

    Abbee stopped a woman walking with two children. She gave them her best smile. ¡°Pardon me, ma¡¯am, but would you happen to know the nearest place offering foodstuffs and the like? My uncle sent me out for supplies, but I¡¯m new here and have gotten a bit turned around.¡±

    The woman¡¯s children pointed before she did. ¡°Two blocks that way,¡± she answered. ¡°When you get to the intersection, take a right. Walk for a couple minutes, and you can¡¯t miss it.¡±

    Abbee thanked her and followed the directions to an open-air market teeming with people. She scouted the stalls around the edge, looking for someone selling dry goods. Found one, manned by a big, round man and a smaller, less round boy who looked like his son. She waited for a lull in the customers and approached the older vendor.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for my uncle,¡± Abbee said. ¡°He lived around here and might have bought from you.¡±

    ¡°Lots of people buy from me,¡± the vendor said. ¡°Can¡¯t remember all of¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s¡±¡ªAbbee was about to describe an elderly wizard she¡¯d never met, and switched at the last instant¡ª¡°only got one arm and thinks he¡¯s smarter than you.¡±

    The vendor¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Oh, that one.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°I know who you¡¯re talking about. Used to come here every three weeks, like clockwork.¡± He frowned. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him for a while, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m looking for him,¡± Abbee said. ¡°He used to send letters, and the letters stopped.¡±

    ¡°Rennie!¡± the man barked.

    The boy in the back, Rennie, perked up. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Your friend with the one arm,¡± the vendor said. ¡°This here¡¯s his niece, and she¡¯s looking for him. Help her out, would you?¡± He moved over to the other side of the stall to help another customer.

    Rennie set down a crate with a thump and approached Abbee. He was less a boy and more a young man with a baby face. Abbee guessed mid-teens. Rennie did his own sizing up of Abbee, and he looked suspicious. ¡°You¡¯re Mabo¡¯s niece?¡±

    Abbee nodded. Mabo was the name Ipsu had used when meeting random people. For someone who loved to ask ¡°Who are you?¡± until you couldn¡¯t take it anymore, he rarely shared his real name with anyone. At least not when Abbee had traveled with him.

    ¡°Did you ever answer his ¡®Who are you?¡¯ question to his satisfaction?¡± she asked.

    Rennie gave a lopsided smile. ¡°I thought so, but he didn¡¯t, because he kept asking.¡±

    ¡°Did you ever see where he lived?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°No, but I know the general area,¡± Rennie said. ¡°He came in one time with a sprained wrist. I did a delivery for him. You kind of take two hands for granted, but ¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but sometimes Mabo makes you feel a little bit happy when something bad happens to him.¡±

    Abbee chuckled. ¡°Yes, yes, he did. Do you remember where you took the delivery?¡±

    Rennie squinted. ¡°You keep using the past tense.¡±

    ¡°I assumed the worst when the letters stopped,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Habit of mine, really. I don¡¯t want to get my hopes up.¡±

    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me, given where I took him that one time. He had me drop him at the fork to Duskmire. I dunno how he managed the crates with one arm and a sprained wrist.¡±

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    ¡°Where¡¯s this fork? I¡¯m not from around here.¡±

    ¡°In Windmere Forest,¡± Rennie said. ¡°About four hours north of here by cart, though you¡¯re not going to find a drover who¡¯ll take you up there. Even woodsmen steer clear.¡±

    ¡°Why do woodsmen avoid ¡­ What is it called?¡±

    ¡°Duskmire,¡± Rennie supplied. ¡°Nasty place. Big swamp in the middle. People think it¡¯s haunted.¡± He glanced at his father and lowered his voice. ¡°I went there once with some friends, and I didn¡¯t see it, but my mate Lonno says the crows followed him around. Whole place is creepy.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Somebody goes missing out there every year or so. But Mabo didn¡¯t seem to mind.¡±

    Abbee felt a surge of satisfaction that she¡¯d picked the right area. ¡°I just need directions.¡±

    ¡°Your funeral,¡± Rennie said with a shrug. ¡°Follow Windmere Road northwest for a few hours. When you get to the fork with a chain across a deer track and all the signs saying to avoid Duskmire, ignore the signs.¡±

    ***

    Abbee didn¡¯t have much daylight left, and while she felt pressed for time, stumbling around in a haunted swamp in the dark felt too risky, even for her. She stayed at an inn near the Northwest Gate. Abbee didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d next get an opportunity and made liberal use of the bathhouse.

    The idea that her pursuers were two days away made relaxing difficult. She considered buying a horse and riding up to Lencoe to wait for the hunters. Get it over with. She discarded the option almost immediately. She¡¯d not ridden a horse in years. She and Ipsu had never used them while traveling together. Horses ate a lot of food, went lame all the time, and had to be shod. Carrying things meant more things to worry about, more things to maintain. Abbee had no idea what to do with the animal, nor how to care for it. Yes, every moment counted with hunters after her, but she¡¯d lose time wrangling such a big animal.

    Either way, going to Lencoe meant wasting all attempts to throw the sniffers off her trail. Not to mention the hunters had bolt throwers too, and if the blond telepath was with them, they¡¯d know what Abbee looked like. If they saw her first, she¡¯d lose her advantage. She lingered in the tub until her skin wrinkled like a raisin, playing scenarios over and over in her head. All ended with the same result: stay the course; find Kai. The story about Ipsu¡¯s sprained wrist gave her hope. He hadn¡¯t carried a bunch of crates with his teeth. He¡¯d had help. Abbee smiled at the thought. He must¡¯ve been beside himself to have to ask.

    Abbee slept poorly. She gave up tossing and turning, raided the inn¡¯s kitchen for food, and left Joor before dawn. The moon was out and made the road to Windmere easy to follow. She ran the whole way. Dawn broke as she arrived at the forest¡¯s edge, and the road narrowed to a dirt lane barely wide enough for a cart. A few kilometers in, she smelled woodsmoke. A couple of hundred meters later, she spotted a camp set back off the road, with some woodsmen sitting around a small fire. They didn¡¯t see her, and she didn¡¯t stop.

    A thick cloud cover rolled in, and Abbee had no idea of the time of day when she reached the fork Rennie had described. It was hard to miss. A thick, rusty chain had been wrapped around two trees and had been there long enough that both gnarled trunks had grown around the metal links. Three old and weathered signs had been nailed to the tree on the right. The first sign said Duskmire, and the second said Avoid. A third sign said Known Deaths and had a long list of names. At least thirty people. The last two looked recently added.

    Abbee ducked under the old chain and ran down the deer path.

    She lost the trail twice and gave up following it the third time. The air turned cold and stank of dead things. The land was covered with pools too murky to see the bottom, and Abbee never saw a body of water wider than ten meters. Thick clouds obscured the sun and made everything gray and dark. She crossed large stretches of thick canopy where she never saw daylight touch the ground. She supposed that was where Duskmire got its name. Not much light. Lots of mushrooms everywhere.

    Hunger told her it was midday, and the lack of trail or familiar markings told her she was lost. Duskmire was bigger than she¡¯d thought. She¡¯d avoided swamps on her trek to Kiva, because it was so easy to get turned around in them. The wet ground absorbed her footprints. She thought about marking trees or saplings, in case she went in circles, but Abbee decided that would make it easier to be followed. If the hunters had a sniffer, maybe they¡¯d trip on something out here and break an ankle.

    Abbee knew she wouldn¡¯t be so lucky. She stood at the edge of a dark pool, her boots slowly sinking into mud, and wondered if she¡¯d made a mistake. It would take forever to bushwhack through, searching for signs of an old wizard who didn¡¯t want to be found. Maybe I should¡¯ve checked the farms first. She knew she¡¯d have come up empty. The wizard was here in Duskmire. It was the most forbidding place around.

    She never saw Rennie¡¯s creepy crows. She hardly saw any animals at all. Abbee was struck by how few living things she saw in Duskmire. Swamps seemed like dank and dead places, but they were usually teeming with life. She worried that there was some large predator out here she¡¯d yet to encounter.

    Darkness fell, and Abbee still hadn¡¯t found anything.

    Worried about a predator, she climbed a suitable tree and tried to rest. She ate the last of the food she¡¯d stolen from the inn¡¯s kitchen. Food was going to be a problem in Duskmire. She could go without for a couple of days, but she hadn¡¯t seen much to hunt today, and none of the plants around here looked edible. None of them could kill her, but they¡¯d probably make her sick. Abbee hoped for clear skies tomorrow to see the sun for direction. She knew she¡¯d have to try to exit the swamp tomorrow.

    Worry gnawed at her. She couldn¡¯t give up. This was the best lead she had to find out where Ipsu had been. She didn¡¯t want to get caught by hunters either.

    Abbee pulled out the ring with the runes on it. She turned it over in her fingers, following the unending runes, and tried to still her mind. Her resolve about finding a wizard in the swamp battled with the sense that she had no idea where she was going. She worried she¡¯d wasted a whole day wandering around in the wilderness.

    The ring vibrated.

    Abbee almost dropped it. She turned it over and over, trying to make it happen again. When one particular rune pointed in one particular direction, the ring shook in her hand for a moment. She kept it pointing in that same direction. Nothing happened. She moved it away and moved it back. The same, short shudder. A beacon. She pulled out the thumb light, flicked off the cover, and pointed it where the ring had pointed. All she saw was trees.

    Abbee climbed down to the ground and set off in the dark. She stopped every so often to get her bearings with the shuddering ring. It was slow going. Frustrating. Abbee had her first indication of direction since entering Duskmire, and it felt like every step took her further away.

    She walked for what seemed like hours. She wondered more than once if the twitching ring was making her walk in random directions. Maybe it wasn¡¯t a beacon. Maybe it was leading her to her death. Ipsu would¡¯ve had choice words for her right now, blindly following a magic ring in a swamp in the dark.

    The sky had cleared and was pink with dawn when Abbee had to stop. The ring pointed back the way she¡¯d come. Abbee must have passed the destination, or so she thought. It was so easy to get turned around in here. She backtracked. No, now the ring pointed in the other direction. Abbee walked until the ring stopped vibrating no matter where she pointed it. This spot. She cast around with the thumb light, but she didn¡¯t see anything remarkable. Three trees within several meters. Plain old muddy ground. Abbee tried to see if she¡¯d gotten it wrong, and walked away. Tried the ring again. It led her back to the same spot.

    Abbee swore. She¡¯d done it. She¡¯d followed a magical ring to the middle of nowhere.

    She pointed the thumb light at the ground. Mud and fallen leaves. She expanded her search outward to the closest tree. It looked like any old tree. Abbee examined it closer, trying to find a clue. Anything. Nothing remarkable ¡­ Wait. The tree had a stone next to it, near a big root. The stone looked like any old rock, except for a little knob on top. It looked cut, or fashioned. Unnaturally round. The knob looked like the size of the ring she carried.

    On a whim, Abbee touched the runed ring to the knob.

    Something squeezed her. All over her body. The squeezing intensified, and she felt an uncomfortable wrenching in her belly. Abbee heard a thunderous crack, and the world shifted.

 Chapter 35

    She was somewhere else. Thunder faded away and was replaced by bells. Chimes? Abbee couldn¡¯t identify the sound on account of a sharp wave of nausea rolling over her. She managed to avoid throwing up. A magical light turned on overhead, illuminating a stone ceiling and a small room with crates and canvas sacks in one corner. Abbee realized she¡¯d been warped. The thunder. A warp boom. She¡¯d not heard a warp boom in years.

    The room had no door and emptied into a short hallway. The air was cool but free of the dank smell of swamp. Abbee knew she was underground. A cave, maybe. The ceiling was stone and irregularly carved in places, but the rooms had plaster walls and wood flooring. Someone had gone through a great deal of effort to make the cave look like a house. Abbee spotted a thick carpet on the floor in the next room, under some high-backed chairs.

    Footsteps. ¡°Emma?¡± a voice called. A man. ¡°Emma, is that you? I¡¯ve been worried sick. Are you all right?¡±

    The footsteps neared, and an old man appeared at the other end of the short hallway. He was tall and had a scraggly beard and looked like an older version of Ilo. Kai Tannen. A wizard. At least he was wearing a brown robe and looked the part.

    Kai spotted Abbee and froze. ¡°You¡¯re not¡ª¡±

    He gestured, and Abbee felt her muscles lock all over. The same body lock Ilo had used on her.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± he demanded. ¡°How did you get in here?¡±

    Abbee found she still had control of her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re Kai Tannen, yeah? Ilo sent me to find you.¡±

    Kai frowned. ¡°Ilo? What for? Has something happened? You have ten seconds to explain before I warp you into a wall.¡± His frown deepened. ¡°Start with how you got in here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve a ring,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°A ring?¡± Kai echoed.

    He walked up to her. He ran his gaze over her, taking in her face, her gear, her pouches, her hands. He yanked the ring and the thumb light away from her. His face went white. A rough push, and he found her repeating bolt thrower.

    Kai hissed, ¡°You¡¯re a hunter.¡± His face mottled with pain and rage. ¡°You ¡­ you won¡¯t get¡ª¡± He raised his hand, his fingers bent like claws.

    Abbee knew she was an instant away from excruciating pain. ¡°Ipsu!¡± she shouted. ¡°I knew Ipsu!¡±

    Kai froze. His eyes searched her face. He lowered his hand. ¡°You ¡­ you¡¯re his Abbee, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Abbee felt a surge of ¡­ something. Warmth, sadness, pride, and bitterness all at once. His Abbee, Kai had said. Ipsu had known Kai, and he¡¯d spoken of Abbee with this wizard. Abbee wanted to know why Ipsu hadn¡¯t come home sooner. Why he¡¯d waited twelve years to finally come back and die in her arms. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡±

    Kai squinted. ¡°You said knew. He¡¯s gone, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He came to Akken. Wounded. Died right in front of me. He had that ring.¡±

    The wizard¡¯s frown returned. ¡°Why would he ¡­ unless ¡­ Was he alone?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t mention anyone else, but we didn¡¯t get much time to talk. Hunters were after him. Two of them. They showed up right after, and I had to run. That¡¯s where I got my bolt thrower.¡±

    Kai arched a brow. ¡°They don¡¯t hand those out.¡±

    ¡°A golem stepped on them,¡± Abbee said. ¡°The hunter didn¡¯t need it anymore.¡±

    The wizard nodded. ¡°That would do it.¡± He glanced down and tsked. ¡°You¡¯ve tracked mud all over my floor. And ¡­ hey, you¡¯re emitting mote.¡±

    Abbee felt the familiar itch on her wrists. She tried to move her limbs. Nothing yet.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kai demanded. ¡°Whatever it is, stop it.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Abbee said. ¡°This happened before. Ilo froze me like you did, and I¡¯m ¡­ I can¡¯t stop it. My talent works whether I want it to or not. Ilo said I ate his body lock or something. Yeah, I can move my toes now. Fingers too.¡±

    ¡°Ate his ¡­ That¡¯s impossible.¡± Kai took a step back and watched Abbee. ¡°But you¡¯re doing something. I wonder how long ¡­ How does my brother look these days?¡±

    ¡°Old,¡± Abbee said. ¡°How do you know Ipsu?¡±

    Kai didn¡¯t answer and continued to watch her.

    Abbee wondered if her situation had not improved. ¡°Who¡¯s Emma?¡±

    Worry wrinkled Kai¡¯s face. ¡°How long were you in Joor looking for me?¡±

    ¡°I got here yesterday,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Yesterday?¡± Kai echoed. ¡°You found me in one day?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have, not without that ring. It pointed me in the right direction when I got close enough.¡±

    ¡°How did Ipsu get it?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t say. He was too busy dying. How do you know him?¡±

    Kai flicked his finger. Abbee felt a hot slice across her cheek. She hissed in pain. ¡°What was that for?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about you,¡± Kai said. ¡°Just confirming.¡± He watched her face. Both brows went up as Abbee¡¯s flesh stitched back together. ¡°Do you feel that?¡±

    ¡°I feel all of it,¡± Abbee snapped. ¡°You could¡¯ve asked.¡±

    ¡°Experiments are better,¡± Kai said.

    Anxiety thrummed through Abbee. ¡°Marin called me an inverted conduit.¡±

    Kai¡¯s eyes flared in recognition. A small smile tugged at his cheek. ¡°She was always good with names. Inverted ¡­ Wait, did she suggest you come to see me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said. ¡°That was Ilo. Marin wasn¡¯t happy about the idea at all. I don¡¯t think Ilo said your name in her presence.¡±

    ¡°I see that hasn¡¯t changed,¡± Kai said in disappointment. ¡°If she called you an inverted conduit, then that means ¡­ you can¡¯t heal others, can you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating. What¡¯s the worst injury you¡¯ve healed?¡±

    ¡°If I tell you, will you agree to not do any more experiments? Take my word for it?¡±

    Kai reached over and unbuckled Abbee¡¯s bolt thrower. He pulled it off her arm and searched her. He took her pouch belt but missed her jobs case. The wizard peered in her pouches one by one. ¡°No other weapons?¡±

    ¡°Just the bolt thrower.¡±

    ¡°Not even a knife?¡±

    ¡°Knives are the first thing movers grab.¡±

    Kai paused with his fingers on Abbee¡¯s money pouch. He hadn¡¯t looked in yet. ¡°You get in lots of fights with movers?¡±

    ¡°Not if I can help it.¡±

    The wizard shook the pouch belt in astonishment. ¡°This is all you brought? You walked into Duskmire to find me, and this is all you took with you? Ipsu said you were resourceful, not stupid.¡±

    Abbee wondered what else Ipsu had said about her. ¡°Found you, didn¡¯t I? What is it the university says? ¡®The future favors the daring¡¯ or something.¡±

    Kai¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I would normally agree with them, but you must know how dangerous that was.¡± He searched her face. ¡°You did, didn¡¯t you? You knew it was dangerous. You knew it was risky, but you did it anyway. There must be ¡­ Who¡¯s chasing you?¡±

    ¡°Hunters.¡±

    ¡°Wizard hunters? You have wizard hunters after you? Why you?¡±

    Abbee broke her head free of the body lock. Her chest next, and then the whole thing collapsed, and she stepped free of it.

    Kai gestured and locked her again. ¡°About seven minutes,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Let¡¯s see if that changes on the second go-around.¡±

    ¡°Can you not?¡± Abbee asked, exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m no threat to you.¡±

    Kai snorted. ¡°We¡¯ve established that wizard hunters are chasing you, and you are no wizard. The fact that they¡¯re still interested in you means that you¡¯re a threat. Do they know you¡¯re an inverted conduit?¡±

    ¡°They probably suspect something.¡±

    ¡°Explain.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t sure how much to tell him.

    Kai appeared to sense her hesitation. ¡°I understand that you¡¯re not sure if you can trust me, but Ipsu lived here for twelve years. He trusted¡ª¡±

    ¡°Here?¡± Abbee interrupted. ¡°He was here the whole time? Why here? Why did he abandon me to come to a stinking swamp?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t abandon you,¡± Kai said. ¡°You were of age, and I needed help with something. He said you were more than capable of taking care of yourself.¡± He lifted the pouch belt. ¡°Though now I¡¯m questioning that assertion.¡±

    Pride and fury clashed in Abbee¡¯s heart. She knew she was capable, but that wasn¡¯t the point. She and Ipsu had been a team. A family. And he had left. He had upped and left. ¡°Show me where he stayed,¡± Abbee demanded.

    Kai shook his head. ¡°Not until I know more about you. Could be an exploding inverted conduit, for all I know. Go back to the hunters. Why are they after you?¡±

    ¡°I did kill two of them.¡±

    ¡°You said a golem stepped on them.¡±

    Abbee swore to herself. ¡°I ¡­ uh¡ª¡±

    ¡°You drove a golem?¡± Kai asked. ¡°That¡¯s another mark in the ¡®stupid¡¯ column.¡±

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    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice,¡± Abbee snapped. ¡°They were after Ipsu, and he came to my place in Akken. Died there. The hunters caught up with him right after and decided to chase me instead.¡±

    ¡°When was this?¡±

    Abbee counted in her head. ¡°A month¡ªno, a month and a half ago. Seven weeks.¡±

    Kai nodded. ¡°That would¡¯ve been right after¡ª¡± He frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve been on the road for almost two months? To find me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were here until last week,¡± Abbee said, ¡°when I tripped over Ilo and Marin in Kiva. You know, they say they just happened to buy the inn Ipsu chose to stay at whenever we were in town, but I¡¯m not so sure anymore. I feel like Ipsu was into something with you wizards.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not with other wizards,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°Why does Marin hate your guts?¡± Abbee asked.

    Kai smiled his half smile. ¡°We were talking about you. Why would the wizard hunters suspect something about you? About your talent?¡±

    ¡°Can you please agree to avoid experimentation if I tell you?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Trust goes both ways.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Kai said. ¡°I won¡¯t do any more permanent damage.¡±

    Abbee snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve not done anything permanent except make me not like you. How do I know Ipsu wasn¡¯t a prisoner here, and when he came to see me, he was running from you?¡±

    Kai reached forward and poked her in the chest. Abbee felt a cool sensation where he¡¯d touched her, heard a sizzle, and then pain. Hot, sharp pain. She sucked in a breath and tried to jerk back from him, but she still couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Answer my questions,¡± Kai said. ¡°Be forthcoming, and I won¡¯t do that again.¡±

    Abbee lost her temper. She felt the familiar tingles. Several weeks of setbacks and frustrations and pain coalesced into a single point of fury. Mote ran from her wrists, and the body lock fell away. An intense jolt zapped her entire body. Far stronger than anything she¡¯d ever felt before. Kai stumbled and bent over, as if sick, and vanished with a thunderous crack.

    Abbee stood there, panting, fighting down her rage. Her weariness had vanished, and she felt ready to run all day. Fight all day. Abbee remembered to breathe. Four in, hold four, four out, hold four. She breathed and breathed and calmed down. The electric feeling faded, and she walked out into the next room. Three high-backed chairs were arranged so the sitters would face one another. She strained to pick out sounds, trying to listen for Kai. The crackling and popping of a woodstove against the far wall filled her ears. Abbee wondered why a wizard would need a woodstove. She thought they all heated rocks or something.

    An open doorway in the left wall led into what looked like a kitchen. The doorway on the right led into another hallway, this one with several doors on either side. Some closed, some open. At the far end, another door. Heavy. Reinforced metal of some kind. The door opened.

    ¡°Not exploding,¡± Kai called. The wizard poked his head out into the hall. He looked tired. ¡°But definitely dangerous. Your latent is very impressive. Quite vigorous.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t warp me into a wall.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still early.¡± Kai raised his eyebrows at her. ¡°But for now, how about you stay down there?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Abbee moved a chair so it faced the hall and sat down. It felt good to sit.

    Kai watched her. ¡°That was his chair, you know. He used to sit there with the stove open and watch the fire. He liked watching the flames.¡±

    Abbee remembered Ipsu staring into fires for much of her time with him. She felt another stab of jealousy that he¡¯d done that here too. If he¡¯d sat in this chair, then he hadn¡¯t been a prisoner. He¡¯d stayed on purpose. ¡°Why did he stay here so long?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I needed help with something.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Emma?¡±

    Kai rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers. ¡°Hang on a minute.¡± He entered a room and returned a few moments later, carrying a chair. He put it on the floor in the middle of the hall and sat down, facing Abbee. ¡°I¡¯d like to back up. Please tell me everything he said to you. It¡¯s important.¡±

    Abbee shook her head. ¡°No. You first. I want to know what was so damn important that Ipsu abandoned me and never came back. Yes, yes, you said he was helping you with something. What?¡±

    Kai sighed. ¡°My daughter. Emma. I was having, uh, some trouble keeping her safe.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a wizard.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, if you haven¡¯t noticed, we¡¯re sort of being hunted to extinction at the moment. Besides, I needed help. Emma is headstrong. Like her mother in that regard.¡±

    ¡°Marin?¡± Abbee guessed.

    ¡°Ha! No. Not in a million years. No, Emma¡¯s mother passed away a long time ago.¡± Sadness drooped the wizard¡¯s face. ¡°Just after Emma was born. She doesn¡¯t remember her.¡± Kai gestured at the walls. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it, but Emma had a hard time being cooped up in here. It was for her protection, of course.¡±

    ¡°Is she a wizard too, like you?¡±

    ¡°Not like me.¡±

    Abbee waited for him to elaborate. When he didn¡¯t, she said, ¡°You called for her when I first arrived. She¡¯s not here, is she?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kai said. ¡°We ¡­ we had a fight. A bad one. She left. Ipsu went after her. That was almost two months ago. I have no idea where she is.¡±

    ¡°And you haven¡¯t gone to look for her?¡± Abbee asked, astonished. ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°Of course I looked,¡± Kai snapped. ¡°Believe me, I looked. But if Emma doesn¡¯t want to be found, then ¡­ Are you sure Ipsu didn¡¯t mention her?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± Abbee said. ¡°How old is she?¡±

    ¡°Nineteen.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t keep her trapped in here for nineteen years, did you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Kai said. ¡°Once Ipsu was here, she was outside more than she was inside.¡±

    Abbee wanted to know what the two of them had done together. Where Ipsu had taken this Emma. What he¡¯d taught her, and why Ipsu had thought Emma more important than Abbee. Sadness, jealousy, and bitter resentment fought for purchase. Abbee had a hard time keeping a lid on it all. ¡°You didn¡¯t take her outside yourself?¡±

    Kai shook his head. ¡°Too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t warp?¡±

    ¡°I never taught her.¡±

    ¡°So you could keep her trapped here,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Sounds like this place was a prison.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Kai said. ¡°And she went out whenever she wanted.¡±

    ¡°Why is it that Ilo and Marin have no problem living in Kiva, but you¡¯re in a cave, and it sounds like you never leave?¡±

    ¡°The hunters know what I look like,¡± Kai said. ¡°They have agents everywhere.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t know what Ilo and Marin look like?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s Kiva,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°And you think that they have agents crawling around Duskmire?¡±

    ¡°Who says we¡¯re in Duskmire?¡± Kai said.

    Abbee blinked. The tree with the strange stone. The feeling of being squeezed and pulled. The warp. She¡¯d heard stories that wizards sometimes warped across the continent. But not without a receiving room, and so far as she knew, Abbee still had all her fingers and toes. She had to be close to where ¡­ Abbee looked down the hall to the room she¡¯d arrived in, the one with sacks and crates. The room was square. Like the receiving rooms she remembered from constable precincts. Receiving rooms stabilized long-distance warps. Abbee realized she could be anywhere.

    ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Kai folded his arms. ¡°What did Ipsu say to you before he died?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about other wizards warping in here?¡±

    ¡°Hardly any left to worry about,¡± Kai said. ¡°What did Ipsu say?¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like not knowing where she was. She liked being cooped up in here with a wizard even less. She couldn¡¯t imagine what it had been like for this Emma. Abbee frowned. She resented feeling sympathy toward the person who had taken Ipsu away from her. The interloper. ¡°He didn¡¯t say much. He had a bad wound. Red blade. Tip broke off on purpose. He said the hunters were coming, and then he died. Bled out. The hunters were right behind him, and I had to run.¡±

    Kai held up the runed ring. ¡°He didn¡¯t wear this. You had time to search his body and find it.¡±

    ¡°Did you give it to him?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Kai said. ¡°I rigged the sentry stone so he could get in and out of here.¡±

    ¡°Ipsu was a Class Three Refractor,¡± Abbee said. ¡°You can¡¯t warp a Class Three with a magic ring.¡±

    Kai¡¯s smile was sly. ¡°Must be nice to be so sure about everything.¡±

    Abbee frowned and tried to puzzle out how the ring-warping bit had worked for Ipsu, who¡¯d never used an artifact chip in his life, much less a magic ring. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°If we¡¯re not in Duskmire, why put the entrance to this place out in that swamp?¡±

    ¡°How did you know to look there in the first place?¡±

    ¡°A vendor in Joor remembered Ipsu,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how,¡± Kai said, nodding. ¡°Smart, to look for a one-armed man. The Duskmire sentry stone isn¡¯t the only way to get in here.¡± He put Abbee¡¯s pouch belt on his lap. He opened her money pouch and peered in. ¡°You¡¯re carrying a fair amount of coin but no knife¡ªwait.¡± He pulled out a sapphire. A diamond right after it. He held them up to the light. ¡°Did you pull these off Ipsu? You did, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Abbee hedged.

    ¡°Then he ¡­ Did he have more?¡± Kai stood up in a hurry. He poured the contents of the pouch out on the floor. Coins and glittering gems bounced and rolled all over the place. ¡°They¡¯re not all here. There would¡¯ve been more.¡±

    ¡°I spent some on my way here,¡± Abbee said. She wanted to tell him that the pouch was all that was left, but Ilo and Marin had seemed to know when she was lying. So far he hadn¡¯t noticed her jobs case. ¡°How would you know how much he had?¡±

    ¡°He must have found her,¡± Kai said, still muttering to himself. ¡°He found her and took the gems from her. But why go to you? Maybe ¡­ maybe ¡­¡± Clarity brightened Kai¡¯s face. ¡°If the hunters were right behind him, then he must¡¯ve led them away from her.¡± Kai smiled in admiration. ¡°He was devoted to her to the end.¡±

    Furious jealousy spiked again in Abbee. Ipsu wasn¡¯t devoted to anybody. She¡¯d traveled with him for years, and he¡¯d never treated her like that. Never put himself in harm¡¯s way for her. Never. ¡°How did they know where he was?¡±

    Kai bent down and picked up a diamond. ¡°These are all traced.¡±

    Abbee felt ill. ¡°Traced?¡±

    So that¡¯s how. She¡¯d been carrying traced gems this entire time. That was how the hunters knew to come to Joor, found the jeweler in Kiva, and knew which train she¡¯d boarded in Akken. That was¡ª

    ¡°Hang on a minute. I basically walked from Akken to Ellerton. It took me weeks. If I had a trace on me, why didn¡¯t they find me before then?¡±

    Kai gave her a funny look. ¡°You walked from ¡­ You got something against trains?¡±

    ¡°A hunter attacked me on the first train and pushed me off,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I wanted them to think I was dead.¡±

    ¡°You sure it was a hunter?¡± Kai asked.

    Abbee remembered the blond, hooded man. ¡°House soldier, at the very least. Armor and a blue sash. House Togrim.¡±

    ¡°Never seen a hunter wear a sash,¡± Kai said. ¡°Network, then.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t they work together?¡±

    Kai shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never figured out how they fit together. The hunters¡¯ armor is similar to that of House soldiers, but the hunters don¡¯t answer to either the Akken or Veronna Council. I know Raok Togrim ordered the original purge, but that was a long time ago. Raok¡¯s dead, and they¡¯ve kept operating all this time. The network doesn¡¯t interfere with hunter operations, and vice versa.¡±

    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone come after me while I was in the woods? Why wait until I was in Kiva?¡±

    ¡°You were on a train, and then you weren¡¯t.¡± Kai pursed his lips and sat back down in his chair. ¡°If they were very far away. Hmm ¡­ yes, yes, maybe the tracing wizard did think you were dead. You said you walked to Ellerton?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Took me about a month to get there.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. There¡¯s a wizard working with the hunters, but I¡¯m not sure where they are. If you were between Akken and Ellerton, and they were in ¡­ say, Morat or Veronna¡ªthough they¡¯d be crazy to be anywhere near there ¡­ If I had that trace and I were on the west coast and you were heading east, and on foot, I doubt I¡¯d notice you were even moving. The ping would feel the same.¡±

    ¡°Ping?¡± Abbee asked.

    Kai nodded. ¡°A wizard has to concentrate on a particular trace, and it will ping, or chime, or whatever, depends on the wizard, when they¡¯re pointing in the right direction. You have to concentrate, mind you. If the tracing wizard of those gems thought you were dead, they probably didn¡¯t listen for the ping¡ªor at least did so very infrequently.¡±

    ¡°And when they did, because I was on foot, heading away from them, they¡¯d have thought I wasn¡¯t moving?¡±

    ¡°Right. More so if you were very far away from them. Hundreds of kilometers¡ªthe relative movement would be so small as to be negligible. You said you got on a train in Ellerton? The continental road bends north up to Sarcut. They could¡¯ve picked up on that, if they¡¯d listened for long enough.¡±

    ¡°Ipsu was carrying a fortune in gemstones,¡± Abbee said. ¡°An absolute fortune. More money that I¡¯ve made in my entire life, total. The¡ª¡±

    Kai leaned forward in his chair and looked at the scattered coins and gems on the floor. He nudged a ruby with his foot. ¡°You seem to have spent most of it already.¡±

    Abbee wished she hadn¡¯t said that.

    He looked up at her. ¡°What did you buy, anyway? You can¡¯t be carrying it.¡±

    ¡°Suite carts are expensive,¡± Abbee said, ¡°and I¡¯d always wanted to travel in one.¡±

    Kai frowned.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the wizard have thought about it? It¡¯s a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re working with the hunters,¡± Kai said, shaking his head. ¡°They have all the money they need.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the hunters are controlling them. They could escape¡ª¡±

    ¡°Doubt it,¡± Kai said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t take much to warp away from somewhere. No, they¡¯re helping of their own free will.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t know that.¡±

    Kai snorted. ¡°Believe me when I tell you that a wizard does what he wants.¡±

    Abbee froze. ¡°You just said he. You know ¡­ you know who it is.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t read into it,¡± Kai said, waving his hand. ¡°The defector¡¯s on a short list of possibilities.¡±

    Abbee stood up. ¡°It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s why you¡¯re not worried about those gems being in here. You. You¡¯re the one with the trace.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not me,¡± Kai snapped. ¡°Sit down. I¡¯m not worried about the gems, because this place is warded against traces, and I always removed the traces before¡ª¡± He grimaced. ¡°The traces don¡¯t matter in here.¡±

    Abbee sank back down. ¡°You removed the traces before ¡­ what?¡±

    Kai sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you my life story. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve had traced gems in here, okay? I usually remove the traces before anyone leaves with them, though.¡±

    ¡°Emma,¡± Abbee said. ¡°You mean Emma. She left with them.¡±

    Kai nodded. ¡°Yes. After our fight. She took them and left. She had no idea they were traced. I sent Ipsu after her before the hunters caught up with her.¡±

    ¡°Can you put a trace on a person?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Yes. Why? Oh, you¡¯re wondering if I have a trace on Emma.¡±

    Abbee nodded. ¡°Seems prudent if you want to keep her safe.¡±

    ¡°Well, I do. But it¡¯s not pinging. I can¡¯t hear it. And before you ask, it doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s alive or not. It would still ping on her body. She knows about the trace and probably removed it right after she left.¡±

    ¡°So she is a wizard.¡±

    Kai folded his arms and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Abbee wondered why he was being silent on the wizard topic. ¡°Why would you have traced gems from wizard hunters?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated and unimportant,¡± Kai said. ¡°I have work to do. You¡¯ve been a nice distraction, but I need to get back to it. You came here to find out where Ipsu had been, yes? Well, now you¡¯ve found it. You can go now.¡± He gestured, and Abbee¡¯s body froze up again. ¡°I just have to remove your memories of being here.¡±

 Chapter 36

    Abbee struggled against the body lock, but Kai¡¯s magic held her fast. It would be seven minutes before her gift ate the lock, and she guessed that was more than enough time for Kai to tamper with her.

    ¡°What is it with wizards and erasing memories? Ilo wanted to do the same thing, you know. He didn¡¯t.¡±

    Kai stood up. ¡°Ilo¡¯s judgment has always been suspect. We¡¯re all in this mess because he tried to harness an uncontrollable force.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± Abbee said, ¡°but Ilo left my memories alone. He thought¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°Maybe I can find Emma,¡± Abbee offered. ¡°I can find your daughter.¡±

    Kai snorted. ¡°I doubt that.¡±

    ¡°I found you, didn¡¯t I? Let me go, and I¡¯ll bring her back.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that even more.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Abbee said, casting about for any scrap Ilo had said that might help. ¡°Ilo seemed to know who attacked me on the train.¡±

    ¡°I know that already,¡± Kai said. ¡°You said it was a House soldier.¡± He raised his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This won¡¯t hurt. At least, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll hurt.¡±

    ¡°He was blond,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Had a blond beard. A telepath.¡±

    Kai halted. ¡°A telepath?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Abbee said. ¡°He pushed me off the train.¡± She frowned, remembering. ¡°There was also this weird sense that I wanted crispy bread, and I hate crispy bread.¡±

    Kai blinked. ¡°Wait, what?¡± He put his hand down and cocked his head at her.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s terrible. I don¡¯t know why some people like it¡ª¡±

    ¡°He came out to deal with you?¡± Kai asked. ¡°Why would¡ª¡± His eyes widened. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°What is it? Who¡¯s the telepath? You know, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Kai muttered. ¡°I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    Abbee hoped he took long enough for her gift to dismantle the body lock. She wiggled her toes but not much else. She still didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d do once she was free, though. If she moved, he¡¯d lock her again, and she¡¯d lose her chance at freedom.

    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t tell me why ¡­¡± Kai muttered. ¡°Tell me everything you told Ilo.¡±

    ¡°It was a couple weeks ago,¡± Abbee warned.

    ¡°Remember,¡± Kai growled.

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Abbee said, thinking. ¡°It took a while to get to the point of talking. They drugged me, and tried to kill me at one point. But we got past that. They wanted to know how I knew Ipsu. I told them he found me in Akken, the night the Tower fell. We¡ª¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Kai asked. ¡°Did Ipsu know you were talented when he found you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d just presented,¡± Abbee said. ¡°In a constable precinct. The Yard District. I ¡­ I fell into the mover pit there. I presented on the way down.¡± She recalled the smell of her father¡¯s dead body in the dark. His bowels had loosened. She wrinkled her nose at the memory and focused on Ipsu pulling her up from the mover pit. Slow, with his one arm. She remembered him refusing help from the wizard with him. ¡°I think he knew I was talented. He told the wizard with¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wizard?¡± Kai broke in. ¡°What wizard?¡±

    ¡°A woman,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I never got her name. She had a staff, and they both seemed concerned the staff would do something to me. I never got a good look at it, but the staff had something floating on the top of it.¡±

    Kai sucked in a breath. ¡°Round? Black ball?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. It was dark. I couldn¡¯t see well.¡±

    ¡°This wizard,¡± Kai said. ¡°Brown hair? Maybe in a bun?¡±

    Abbee tried to remember. ¡°The light was behind her head and made her a silhouette. Maybe a bun. I don¡¯t remember lots of hair waving around. I think ¡­ I think her staff made me sick. I passed out. When I woke up, Ipsu and I were outside the city, and the wizard was gone. I never saw her again. I do remember ¡­ yeah, she mentioned assassins. And forging? Or something like that.¡±

    Pain passed across Kai¡¯s face. ¡°What about assassins?¡±

    ¡°Only that they kept finding her. They seemed to know where she was.¡±

    Kai drew a long, ragged breath. ¡°Ipsu,¡± he said. ¡°Ipsu knew this wizard?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Abbee said. ¡°They seemed to know each other. And Marin called her a sentinel. Juna or somebody.¡±

    Kai nodded. ¡°Only sentinels can carry the staff you saw.¡± He swore. More muttering. ¡°And Ipsu knew one. Why would he ¡­? But he never mentioned it. He¡ª¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a sentinel?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Something worrying,¡± Kai said, ¡°especially if Ipsu was friendly with her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being very vague.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking.¡± Kai paced up and down the hallway.

    Abbee broke free of the body lock. She flexed her fingers, trying to keep the movement hidden, but Kai saw it and stopped.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything,¡± Abbee promised. ¡°Please don¡¯t freeze me again.¡±

    ¡°As if,¡± Kai said. He gestured, and Abbee froze in place again. The wizard resumed his pacing.

    Abbee growled in frustration and set to waiting again. Maybe if he thought she was being helpful, he¡¯d form a better opinion of her. Think of her as an ally instead of a threat. ¡°Ilo and Marin seemed to think Ipsu finding me was connected to why you¡¯ve been holed up in Joor. What did they mean?¡±

    Kai waved his hand. ¡°Bah, that¡¯s just a wild Ringer theory. I wasted two years on it.¡±

    ¡°What theory?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to it. They¡¯re barking up the wrong tree. It¡ª¡±

    ¡°You know, they didn¡¯t tell me why they sent me to you,¡± Abbee said. ¡°Even when I asked. Ilo said I was the message. What did he mean?¡±

    ¡°You ¡­ Wait ¡­¡± Kai stopped. His face clouded. Turned pale. ¡°No,¡± he breathed. ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡± His eyes darted back and forth, and for a moment, Abbee wished he¡¯d speak the thoughts tumbling through his head. Kai shouted a dark curse. ¡°In all your time with him, did Ipsu ever mention the word society?¡±

    ¡°I ¡­ You don¡¯t mean that crazy conspiracy theory, do you? That Society? Ipsu didn¡¯t believe in anything, and especially not in crackpot theories like that.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t have a little rod with a clear stone on the end of it, did he?¡± Kai asked. ¡°He would¡¯ve been secretive about it.¡±

    Abbee thought about that very object sitting in her jobs case. Ilo and Marin had had no idea what it was, but Kai seemed to know a lot they didn¡¯t. ¡°Yes. I went through his things once when I traveled with him. He beat me bloody for it. Wait, do you know what that is?¡±

    Kai¡¯s face fell. ¡°He ¡­ he was¡ª¡± He walked forward into the sitting room and sagged into an open chair. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. He ¡­ all this time.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked. She couldn¡¯t move her head, and Kai sat just inside her peripheral vision. ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    Kai drew in a deep, long breath and exhaled slowly. Another one. Abbee recognized the four-count breath. Kai did it one more time and regarded Abbee. ¡°You¡¯ve died before, haven¡¯t you? Your gift. You¡¯ve come back from death.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t talking about that.

    Kai took her silence as assent. He shook his head in disbelief. ¡°It was you. It was you all along.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a Class Five,¡± Kai said, ¡°and ¡­ well, wait a minute ¡­ hmph. Why wander all over the wilderness with you? That¡¯s the opposite of what¡ªunless ¡­ Yes, that might be it.¡±

    ¡°Please make sense,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°The wizard with the staff,¡± Kai said, ¡°you truly never saw her again?¡±

    ¡°Never.¡±

    ¡°Did Ipsu ever bring you to Joor when you traveled with him?¡±

    ¡°Twice,¡± Abbee said. ¡°It was rare. We visited every city multiple times, but we only went to Joor twice. The first time was a sightseeing trip when I was maybe fifteen. I learned the city layout, a little history, that sort of thing. The second time ¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about that. But he abandoned me soon after that second visit.¡±

    Kai¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Abbee had no intention of rehashing her nightmare. ¡°I said¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s important,¡± Kai said. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±

    Abbee suddenly wanted to be very small. She wished she weren¡¯t frozen, so she could tuck her legs up under her and fold her arms around her knees. She settled for looking away from Kai. Stared at a spot on the wall over Kai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It was the second time we¡¯d gone to the city. I was nineteen. At the evening fire, Ipsu told me he had an errand to run in the city. He said to not follow him. That¡¯s a code. It means follow him and don¡¯t get caught. I was supposed to track him and, at the next evening fire, tell him where he went. It was a game we¡¯d played for years, and I thought this wasn¡¯t any different.¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°So you tracked him into the city the following morning?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I made it a few blocks and was captured.¡±

    ¡°Captured?¡±

    ¡°Look, is this necessary?¡± Abbee asked, trying to avoid sounding plaintive. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Please, Abbee,¡± Kai said. ¡°I think it¡¯s important.¡±

    Abbee disagreed but kept going. ¡°I tracked Ipsu down some street and into an alley. Movers jumped me. Four of them. They took my blades from me and staked me to the ground with them. Put a hood over my head, tied me up, and dragged me off. I tried to pay attention to the turns we made and the sounds I heard, but the hood was a mover hood. It blocked sound as well as sight. I lost track of the turns, but eventually, they took the hood off. I was in a basement or something. They put me in a chair, strapped my arms to a big table, and put a bright light in my face so I couldn¡¯t see very much. The table and my chair must have been nailed to the floor, because it didn¡¯t matter how much I struggled. I wasn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Abbee felt a familiar prickle between her shoulder blades. She was frozen. Couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t scratch. ¡°Please let me out.¡±

    ¡°No. Keep going.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t like you.¡±

    ¡°What happened in that basement?¡±

    Abbee willed herself to heal her itch. If anything, the itch only grew stronger. She growled in frustration. ¡°There was a man in the room. Blind, I think.¡±

    ¡°Blind?¡±

    ¡°It was the way he moved,¡± Abbee said, remembering, happy to focus on a detail that wasn¡¯t her own suffering. ¡°He used his body to find things.¡± She remembered him touching her, using his fingers to find the right spot for his knife. Her comfort level plummeted. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see any part of him. He wore gloves and a mask.¡± Abbee trailed off again.

    ¡°What did he do?¡± Kai asked in a quiet tone.

    ¡°He brought in people. Poor people, I think. One at a time. He strapped them down to the other side of the table from me. I tried to talk to them at first.¡± Abbee felt tears well in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t wipe them away. ¡°They were gagged. I wasn¡¯t. I could tell they had no idea what was going on. I didn¡¯t either. Not at first.¡± She sighed. She didn¡¯t want to say this next part, but she had a feeling Kai was going to keep her there until she did. Maybe if she told him her story, he¡¯d let her out. ¡°The blind man came around behind me and stabbed me in the back with a knife.¡±

    Kai¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Stabbed you?¡±

    ¡°Through the heart,¡± Abbee said. ¡°He pulled the knife out and hustled out of the room. My heart stopped, and my gift took over.¡± She looked away from the spot on the wall. Met Kai¡¯s gaze. The wizard was watching her with a strange mix of curiosity, apprehension, and a bit of empathy. ¡°I murdered those people to stay alive.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s like what happens with my latent,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I pull energy from things around me. I pull life. A bit like a golem, maybe. You felt it, right?¡±

    Kai nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t pleasant.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t for the people in Joor either,¡± Abbee said, remembering how they¡¯d thrashed in their bonds. A tear dropped from her eye. Another. ¡°They died. I lived.¡±

    ¡°You healed a knife through the heart?¡± Kai asked.

    ¡°Over and over and over.¡± The tears were coming faster. Abbee hated Kai right then, for seeing her cry without her permission. ¡°When it was done, somebody said, ¡®Again.¡¯ A man¡¯s voice. It was all he ever said. I lost track of how many times he said it.¡± Rage boiled up in Abbee. Fury at the gray wizard for putting her through her nightmare, and fury at the man sitting here now, prodding her to relive it. ¡°I hope I meet him someday. If I find him¡±¡ªAbbee¡¯s anger spiked, and she glared at Kai¡ª¡°he¡¯s going to die in a bad way.¡±

    She lost her temper again. Kai yelped and warped away again with a loud crack as tingles washed over Abbee and the body lock fell apart. Mote streamed from her wrists. Abbee stood up and screamed, a long cry of rage, pain, and loss. She sagged and collapsed to her knees. Her hands slapped the carpet beneath her, and it was all she could do to stay upright. Abbee knelt there and remembered every face from her nightmare. Over and over. She sobbed and wished for the comforting embrace of her mother¡¯s arms. The mere thought of that brought on a fresh wave of sorrow. Abbee wept harder than any time in her memory. She let herself tip over onto her side and lay there, curled into a ball.

    Abbee¡¯s sobs lessened and eventually stopped.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kai said, coming back into the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that happened to you. And I¡¯m sorry that I asked you to go there again.¡±

    Abbee looked up and saw him standing in the doorway. His eyes were kind but firm.

    ¡°How did you get out?¡±

    ¡°Ipsu,¡± Abbee croaked. She cleared her throat but stayed in her ball on the floor. ¡°He came and got me out.¡±

    ¡°How did he know where you were?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Abbee said. ¡°All I remember is that he came in at one point. He killed the sightless man and broke me out. Half carried, half dragged me out of the room. I think I passed out at some point in there, because I remember waking up at our camp, outside the city.¡± Abbee sighed and sat up, putting her back against her chair. She rubbed her face and felt the salt tracks of her tears. Wiped her nose with her sleeve. ¡°I didn¡¯t talk for a long time. Couldn¡¯t. We traveled north from Joor, and he left me outside Akken. He didn¡¯t say much on that trip. Talked a lot less than usual. No teachings at the fire, no sparring either.¡± Abbee folded her arms across her knees and propped her chin on them. ¡°I think I told myself that he was giving me space. I¡¯d survived a traumatic event, and he was letting me deal with that. But the more I think about it, the more I think he was done. With me, you know? He was done with me. I think he knew he was going to leave, and he did it in a spot where I could find a new life.¡± Abbee frowned at Kai. ¡°How did you run across him? When you asked him to help you with Emma.¡±

    ¡°I found him in Akken,¡± Kai said, ¡°at the Tower, of all places. At that monument they have there on the plateau.¡±

    ¡°He was at the monument?¡± Abbee asked. When Kai nodded, she added, ¡°What was he doing there?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°What were you doing there?¡±

    ¡°Breaking into the Tower basements,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°I thought those were sealed.¡±

    ¡°They are,¡± Kai said with a lopsided grin, ¡°unless you¡¯re a crafty old bastard like me.¡± His grin faded. ¡°They¡¯re mostly empty now.¡± He cocked his head at her. ¡°I think you were being tested. Your ordeal in Joor. I think that was a test.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± Abbee demanded. ¡°What could that possibly have been a test for, other than satisfying some lunatic¡¯s fetish to watch people die?¡±

    ¡°Did anything like that happen again?¡± Kai asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Were you ever approached? Anyone come calling or mention what had happened?¡±

    ¡°Never,¡± Abbee said, shaking her head. ¡°Did ¡­ did Ipsu ever say anything about it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He pursed his lips, thinking.

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Why did you ask me if Ipsu brought me to Joor?¡±

    Kai stared off into space, still shaking his head from side to side.

    ¡°What¡¯s that rod? Is it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kai said. ¡°Not from what I¡¯ve read. I¡¯ve never seen one in person.¡±

    ¡°Read about it where?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. The rod is a diviner, of sorts.¡±

    ¡°A what?¡±

    ¡°It finds things. Or a person, in this case. A suitable subject.¡±

    ¡°Suitable for what?¡±

    Kai shrugged. ¡°Not sure. I didn¡¯t spend much time on it. I was looking in the journals for something else. But I remember seeing an entry and a sketch of the diviner.¡± He grunted. ¡°I remember the exact book and its position on the shelf, but I can¡¯t remember reading everything on that page with the sketch.¡±

    ¡°Journals? Whose journals?¡±

    Kai squinted at her. ¡°But if he had a diviner and he avoided Joor, then he must have suspected something. He didn¡¯t hand you in. I wonder ¡­ unless ¡­¡± His eyes widened. ¡°Maybe he had a change of heart. Sounds like he did after he rescued you. Interesting ¡­ It¡¯s too bad he¡¯s gone. I need to talk to him.¡±

    ¡°For crying out loud!¡± Abbee said in exasperation. ¡°Will you please make sense? Hand me in?¡±

    Kai regarded her. ¡°I think Ipsu made a mistake, visiting Joor with you that second time. They found you. He got you out, but what I don¡¯t understand is why they never came after you again.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Abbee demanded. ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®they¡¯? What¡¯s in Joor? Wait, you think Ipsu knew who they were?¡±

    ¡°More than knew. The fact that he had a divining rod says that he was working for them at one point. He knew something about them. But probably not much. They¡¯re a very secretive, very compartmentalized group down there. Involved with the sentinels somehow. That woman with the staff you saw, the night you presented? That was a sentinel. They¡¯re involved. How or why, I don¡¯t know. I was curious about it, back when I was on good terms with the Tower. But when I found out how much effort it would be to get in their good graces, I decided I wasn¡¯t that curious.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about ¡­? Hang on.¡± Abbee goggled at him. ¡°Are you saying the Society is real?¡±

    Kai smiled. ¡°Maybe. Could be that, or could be something else. But something or somebody is down in Joor, pulling strings in that city. Ipsu seems to have worked with them for a time. But from what you¡¯ve told me, he was done with them when I found him in Akken. I think he wanted a way to disappear, but still remain nearby.¡± He grunted. ¡°That crafty, clever bastard. I thought he stayed here with me for Emma, but it was for you. He did it to disappear from them, but still be close enough to keep tabs.¡± He gave her a knowing nod. ¡°And now I know something about the people who took you.¡±

    ¡°What? Who?¡± Abbee felt like she was on the edge of the truth, but Kai was being maddeningly obtuse about everything. ¡°Wait, what do you mean, be close enough to keep tabs? Where are we?¡±

    Kai nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I know, I promise. But you need to help me first. Find Emma and bring her back.¡±

    ¡°I already offered to do that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but only because you were desperate. Now I have something you want.¡±

    Kai went into the room where he¡¯d gotten his chair. Abbee heard scuffs, and he came back out with the repeating bolt thrower. He picked up Abbee¡¯s pouch belt and walked into the sitting room, past Abbee, and out through the opposite doorway. He got halfway down that hall and turned back. ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Abbee stood up. ¡°Come where?¡±

    Kai turned a corner and disappeared out of view.

    Abbee followed him. She glanced into rooms as she passed. A washroom and a small bedroom. She got to the intersection and saw Kai climbing a set of stone stairs. He got to a landing and turned around. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±

    Abbee took the stairs two at a time and caught up to him. The stairs went up another flight and ended at a thick wooden door. The ceiling was wood. They were in a house. Kai walked up to the door and opened it. Abbee saw more plaster and wood in the room above, along with oil lamps. She thought that was strange. Magical lights downstairs but mundane lamps above? Abbee climbed up to the door and poked her head out.

    She was in a kitchen. A big window overlooked a garden outside. A tall stone wall at the garden¡¯s edge blocked Abbee¡¯s view of their location, but they weren¡¯t in Duskmire. She turned and saw a dining room off the kitchen. To the right, another doorway, and a narrow hallway leading to another thick door. Kai walked down to that door and opened it. Abbee saw a courtyard with cobblestones and a small fountain in the middle. The stone wall went around the courtyard, and there was a big wooden gate at the far end. Above the gate, Abbee saw the roofs of the buildings across the street. Red slate roofs.

    Abbee forgot to look at the house¡¯s interior and walked to the open front door. She stood on the threshold and stared. She recognized that slate. She recognized that building. ¡°This ¡­ this is Riverbend Street.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kai said, walking across the courtyard toward the big gate. To the right of the gate, set into the wall, was a door. Kai beelined for it.

    ¡°This is the River District,¡± Abbee said. ¡°We¡¯re in Akken.¡±

    ¡°You catch on fast,¡± Kai called. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find Emma in no time.¡±

    Abbee stood frozen in place, as if she still had a full body lock. She couldn¡¯t believe it. Ipsu was in Akken. He¡¯d been here all along. ¡°He could¡¯ve visited anytime he wanted,¡± she said aloud. Which meant he hadn¡¯t wanted to. A jumble of emotions crashed over her. She felt bereft in a torrent of hurt and pain. ¡°He could¡¯ve visited!¡± Abbee shouted. ¡°Anytime he wanted! Why would he abandon me and never come see me?¡±

    Kai hissed, ¡°Keep your voice down. We¡¯re not invisible, you know.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t care. She remembered her time in Graywall, and the hard years after, when she¡¯d had to rebuild her life brick by brick. She hated to admit it, even now, but she¡¯d needed Ipsu. Needed his calm, unflappable demeanor. Needed his advice, even if she¡¯d always tried to ignore it. She¡¯d needed him. And he¡¯d been here. Right here.

    ¡°Why live right across the stupid river and never tell me?¡± she yelled. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he let me know he was here? Why?¡±

    Kai rolled his eyes and sighed. He walked back across the courtyard. ¡°I don¡¯t think he could.¡±

    ¡°He could have done anything he wanted,¡± Abbee snapped, stepping down off the front step and into the sunlight. ¡°He never let anybody tell him otherwise.¡±

    ¡°He did it for you,¡± Kai said. ¡°I used to think he had given up on you, especially after that business that put you in Graywall, but now I¡ª¡±

    Something hit the ground off to Abbee¡¯s left. It sounded like a rock banging off stone. A flash of gray bounced across the courtyard and knocked into the fountain¡¯s base. It clattered to a halt. It was round and smooth and about as big as Abbee¡¯s palm. A gray stone disk.

    Kai frowned. ¡°What was that?¡±

    A person appeared above the disk. A man, dressed in House armor, with his back to Abbee.

    Kai let out an unintelligible shout and thrust his hand forward. A bar of orange light snapped out and pierced the soldier¡¯s chest. It went right through him and hit the corner of the house. Wood and stone evaporated as if scrubbed out by a giant eraser. Kai dropped his hand, and the bar vanished. He grunted and put his free hand on his thigh, bent over and breathing hard.

    The soldier was unfazed. He turned toward Abbee. She froze. He had a blue sash. No helmet. Blond hair and a beard streaked with gray. Abbee recognized him. She knew him because he was on the Akken Council, had seen his likeness all around town for years. Ekon Togrim. But she also recognized his beard. She¡¯d seen it that night on the train. The assassin. The one with the red blades. The telepath.

    ¡°You,¡± Abbee breathed. ¡°It was you on the train.¡±

    Ekon gave Abbee a disapproving glare. ¡°You know,¡± the blond telepath said, ¡°a number of shop owners in Ellerton had some unflattering ideas about me. Including some really inappropriate things about my mother. I don¡¯t see why you felt compelled to bring her into this. Speaks volumes about your character, Abbee Danner.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Ekon glowered at Abbee for a moment before giving Kai a broad grin. ¡°Kai Tannen. The last time I saw you was in the Veronna train yard, almost twenty years ago. Do you remember? You had glitter all over you.¡±

    Kai hurried over to the fountain. He looked at Ekon¡¯s feet and picked up the stone disk. Ekon¡¯s image rose up off the ground as if he were hovering, and jittered as Kai turned the disk over in his hands.

    Ekon looked around from his perch above their heads. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering what your accommodations were like in here.¡± He nodded appreciatively. ¡°Not bad, not bad. Not extravagant, but not poor either.¡±

    Kai dropped the disk on the ground and backed up. ¡°Where did you get an illusion anchor?¡±

    ¡°From our old friend Cragg Rawley, of course,¡± Ekon said. ¡°Well, not from him from him, but thereabouts.¡±

    Kai grunted. ¡°Where is he? Where do you have him stashed away?¡±

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Ekon said. ¡°I¡¯m keeping you two separate.¡±

    Abbee hadn¡¯t thought that Cragg Rawley was real, even though he was the most wanted man in all of Akken. Everyone wanted a piece of him, all the way up to the Akken Council. Cragg was the bogeyman of all bogeymen. Passing his name in shady enterprises was instant street cred, though most people were found to have had nothing to do with the kingpin. Abbee didn¡¯t know anyone who¡¯d ever seen the man, and she wasn¡¯t sure he even existed. Ekon seemed to think so.

    ¡°You tried to kill me,¡± Abbee said.

    Ekon beamed at her. ¡°And you survived despite significant effort on my part. Imagine my surprise when I got reports that you were in Kiva last week.¡± He gave her a quizzical look. ¡°Did you buy a plain old seashell and send it to Whimsy Gallaby via a bank transfer box? What¡¯s the significance of a seashell?¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t want Ekon thinking Whimsy was somehow involved. She told him the truth. ¡°I¡¯ve known her for years, and I like to send her boring mementos of places I visit.¡±

    Ekon nodded. ¡°That tracks with what she said when I dropped by this morning.¡±

    Abbee tensed at the idea of Ekon visiting Whimsy. ¡°Leave her alone. She¡¯s got nothing to do with any of this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ekon said, waving his hand. ¡°She¡¯s fine, she¡¯s fine. She¡¯s got friends in high places.¡±

    Abbee knew who that friend was, and she also knew Whimsy didn¡¯t care for him. Abbee didn¡¯t either, but she felt a begrudging gratitude that Parn Trippers was the person keeping Whimsy safe from Ekon. ¡°Why did you come out to deal with me yourself on that train? You¡¯re an Akken councilor. You¡¯re no common assassin.¡±

    Ekon buffed his fingernails on his armor plates. ¡°I agree. About the uncommon thing.¡±

    ¡°What are you after, Ekon?¡± Kai asked in a tired voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m after whatever will drag you out of this place,¡± Ekon said. ¡°It¡¯s incredibly obnoxious to know that you¡¯re somewhere in Akken, but no matter how hard we look, we never find you.¡± He looked over the gate. ¡°That looks like Riverbend Street. River District? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re in the River District. I was sure it was the North Bend. Parn will be insufferable when he finds out he won our little bet.¡± He cocked his head at Kai. ¡°That means you figured out how to replicate the ward from that old house. Cragg thought you¡¯d figured that out, but I didn¡¯t believe him.¡± He frowned. ¡°Which means he won that bet too. I¡¯m losing all over the place today.¡± He looked at Kai. ¡°We need the cipher, old man. You could die, and it¡¯ll be lost forever. Ipsu died before we could ask. She¡±¡ªEkon gestured at Abbee¡ª¡°had no idea about it when I scanned her two months ago, and ¡­ you didn¡¯t teach it to your daughter either.¡±

    Kai hissed, ¡°How do you know about my¡ª¡±

    ¡°About your Emma?¡± Ekon asked.

    ¡°You¡ª¡± Kai¡¯s face paled. ¡°You have her. Where is she? What have you¡ª¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Ekon said. ¡°She¡¯s as disagreeable as you are, though, and hasn¡¯t been forthcoming at all about how to get in here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not her fault,¡± Kai said. ¡°It¡¯s been too long. She won¡¯t know how to get back. I couldn¡¯t replicate the ward exactly. The knowledge evaporates in a couple of days. She won¡¯t remember, and her feet won¡¯t either. You better not have hurt her¡ª¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Ekon exclaimed, pumping his fist. ¡°I told Cragg that we should¡¯ve extorted the cipher out of you. He thought the idea was rubbish. Maintained that you were a heartless bastard who¡¯d sacrificed the mother of his own child, and it was a waste of time.¡± His expression brightened. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell him he was wrong.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing,¡± Abbee said. ¡°If you had his daughter, you¡¯d have used her as leverage by now.¡±

    Ekon nodded. ¡°Yes, well, the funny thing about meeting people for the first time is that sometimes you¡¯ve no idea who they are.¡± He looked at Kai. ¡°Or who their father is. It¡¯s your fault we have her, by the way. It seems that you¡¯ve been keeping some important information from her. She came to us. We¡¯d never have known she even existed if it hadn¡¯t been for you.¡±

    Kai frowned and fell silent.

    Abbee filled in the gap. ¡°If you don¡¯t know where this house is, then how did this ¡­ what did you call it ¡­ illusion anchor get in here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing what you can get on the other side of a wall if you just throw it,¡± Ekon said. ¡°And know the right wall, of course.¡± He beamed at her. ¡°We have you to thank for that.¡±

    ¡°How did you ¡­? Did you put a trace on me?¡±

    ¡°I told you, that¡¯s impossible,¡± Kai said. ¡°No trace works in here.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Ekon asked, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

    Kai blinked. Swore. ¡°You tagged her. I thought you had run out.¡±

    Ekon nodded. ¡°We did, effectively. There¡¯s so little of it left. You have absolutely no idea how hard it was to authorize. We know it doesn¡¯t take well on rocks, which is why I never tagged the gems Cragg uses to pay you. Why don¡¯t you wizards write down how to make things anymore?¡±

    ¡°Tagged me?¡± Abbee echoed.

    ¡°Mindless bureaucracy for the win,¡± Ekon said. ¡°It turns out that if you order surveillance of a market in Joor because you¡¯re looking for a one-armed man, and that person dies, the network doesn¡¯t stop watching unless you tell them to stop. Clever, by the way, going for supplies in a different city.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Kai asked.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have made the mistake,¡± Ekon said, ¡°but our one-armed friend habitually visited the same shop. Ipsu is a person of interest to us, and so far as we knew, he didn¡¯t live in Joor. We got suspicious. We¡¯d just ordered the watchers when he went and got himself killed. I thought it ruined the whole plan, but the network kept watching anyways.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I guess some people love watching for watching¡¯s sake. Luckily, they kept watching for two months, long enough for our durable friend here to show up and ask questions.¡± Ekon cocked his head at Abbee. ¡°We are, right? We¡¯re friends now.¡±

    ¡°Friends don¡¯t try to kill each other,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Maybe I have the wrong friends,¡± Ekon admitted. He squinted at her. ¡°How did you survive red blades to the chest?¡± He looked from Abbee to Kai and back again. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a wizard. Interesting.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stalling,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not stalling,¡± Ekon said, affronted. ¡°I¡¯m catching up¡ª¡±

    Kai flicked his finger. The stone disk and Ekon¡¯s image vanished with a loud bang.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Abbee said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done with him yet. I don¡¯t need someone like him thinking I¡¯m a wizard.¡±

    Kai put his hands on his hips and looked around the courtyard. Swore. He walked past Abbee toward the house. ¡°Come with me. Hurry.¡±

    ¡°What for? Why?¡±

    Kai gestured at the wall to the right of the courtyard. ¡°Hunters are on the other side. They¡¯re breaking in. I can¡¯t keep them out forever. I¡¯ve been betting on the obscurement ward to keep them at bay. It doesn¡¯t work if they¡¯ve got a tag pointing them in the right direction. I can¡¯t stay here, and neither can you.¡± He walked back into the house. ¡°Come. You¡¯ll be useful where I¡¯m going.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡± Abbee asked, following him.

    ¡°Close the door behind you,¡± Kai said. ¡°It¡¯ll slow them down.¡±

    Abbee regarded the house¡¯s front door. It was solid, but not that solid. She closed it anyway, and when she turned around, Kai was gone. Abbee heard his boots on the stairs down to the basement. ¡°Wait,¡± she called, trotting after him. ¡°I thought you said traces don¡¯t work in here.¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Magical ones don¡¯t,¡± Kai said over his shoulder, ¡°but a tag isn¡¯t magical in nature. I don¡¯t know how it works, not exactly, but it¡¯s foolproof. You can¡¯t see it, and you can¡¯t get rid of it either.¡±

    ¡°Does it wear off?¡±

    ¡°Not for a long time. A year, at least. It¡¯s what the hunters used after the Tower fell. It¡¯s how they knew where all the wizards were. They¡¯re coming. We need to go.¡±

    ¡°Go where?¡± Abbee asked in dismay. ¡°Where can I go that¡¯s safe from them?¡±

    ¡°Nowhere,¡± Kai said. ¡°But I¡¯ll help you for now, because you can help me with Cragg.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t like the sound of that. Distractions usually died first. ¡°I thought you said that you don¡¯t know where he is.¡±

    ¡°I do now. Ekon likes to talk. He told me where Cragg is.¡±

    They reached the basement. Kai turned right and went back through the sitting room and into the hallway he¡¯d sat in before.

    Abbee followed him.

    Kai saw her. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything in here.¡±

    Abbee rounded the corner and was confronted with a big room full of ¡­ things. She didn¡¯t know what to look at first. Magical lights in the ceiling illuminated numerous tables jammed into the room, among cabinets and shelves holding several workshops¡¯ worth of tools, mechanical parts, beakers, and books. Papers and notebooks everywhere. There didn¡¯t seem to be any rhyme or reason for the table arrangement, besides making it difficult to navigate the space.

    Kai weaved through the mess, picking up random objects and stuffing them into his robes. He grabbed a strange contraption of leather, glass, and metal. It looked like a belt or maybe a glove. Abbee didn¡¯t get a good look at it before it disappeared into a pocket. He grabbed another one and pushed it into the same pocket. Both items seemed too big, but his pocket didn¡¯t bulge.

    Against the far wall was a big wooden table with thick legs. Glittering golden liquid bubbled and gurgled in a confusing warren of glass tubes and globes. A thick blob of it sat in the biggest globe and had a blue flame underneath. An air pocket formed in the golden slop and popped with a gelatinous blorp. The air around the table shimmered when Kai got close to it.

    Abbee heard a muffled thump, and the whole house shuddered. Dust sifted down from the ceiling. ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Hunters breaking in,¡± Kai said. He glanced at the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯d imagine they¡¯ve used that explosive compound the university discovered a couple years ago. There¡¯s probably a cart-sized hole in the outer wall. They¡¯re in the courtyard. Don¡¯t worry. We have a little while before they breach the inner shield.¡± He snatched a set of vials with the golden mud off the table and crammed them into his pockets.

    ¡°How do you fit so much into your robes?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Magic, of course,¡± Kai said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a gamble, though. The latest iteration of the pocket design doesn¡¯t have a hard ceiling and causes everything to overrun the buffer.¡±

    Abbee didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What happens then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s messy,¡± Kai said. He stopped at a mannequin wearing a metal cuirass. It had dark interlocking plates covered with runes and other strange designs. ¡°I can¡¯t leave this here.¡± He looked at Abbee and back at the mannequin. ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks,¡± Abbee said, shaking her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s meant for Emma,¡± Kai warned. ¡°You can¡¯t keep it.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m good. That¡¯ll slow me down.¡±

    ¡°No, it won¡¯t,¡± Kai said. ¡°It has artifact chips beneath the plating.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ¡­ Wait, really?¡± Abbee moved closer. ¡°Where did you get them?¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Kai picked up the cuirass and held it out. ¡°Here, you can wear it over your jerkin.¡±

    Abbee took off her coat and took the cuirass. It had no apparent weight. The outside was metal, but the inside had leather and cloth padding. The stitchwork was meticulous. Abbee pulled the cuirass over her head like a shirt and got her head and arms through the right holes. She got it situated and was about to fiddle with the side straps when she felt the straps tighten by themselves. The plating reconfigured itself around her chest, shoulders, and abdomen, until it was snug around her entire torso. Abbee drew in a deep breath to make sure she still could. Everything felt comfortable.

    ¡°That¡¯s neat,¡± she observed. ¡°If you made this for your daughter, why make it self-adjusting?¡±

    Kai¡¯s face reddened. He coughed. ¡°Yes, well, when I started working on it, she was a lot younger. I ¡­ well, um¡ª¡±

    Abbee chuckled at his discomfort. ¡°Wait, how do I take it off?¡±

    ¡°There are two tabs under your ribs,¡± Kai said, pointing. ¡°Give those a yank at the same time, and the straps will loosen.¡±

    Abbee brushed the tabs with her fingertips. She was about to test them when she noticed the mannequin appeared crushed around the torso. Kai saw her looking and waved his hand. ¡°No, no, don¡¯t worry. I fixed that. Earlier prototype. I had them backward. The tabs work now.¡±

    Being suffocated by magic armor she couldn¡¯t get off sounded painful. Abbee decided to test the tabs while she had a wizard right here, and gave them a good yank. The straps loosened. Abbee pulled off the armor and put it back on. ¡°Are you sure the chips work?¡± she asked after the straps had tightened again. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a full kit,¡± Kai said. ¡°You¡¯ve got threat detection, temperature regulation, and missile protection. The cuirass itself is warded against puncture and crush damage. It will also slow your descent from heights taller than three meters. All passive effects. You don¡¯t have to do anything. Oh, it also has grapple protection. Movers can¡¯t affect you.¡±

    Abbee had felt happier and happier as Kai listed off the protections, but she felt ecstatic at that last one. Kai¡¯s daughter was never getting this armor back if it kept movers from touching Abbee. She smiled. She could even carry blades again. Abbee wished she¡¯d had the cuirass on her trek from Akken. It would¡¯ve saved her from a lot of pain and suffering. ¡°Does it work on animals?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Wolves and bears. Does threat detection work on them?¡±

    ¡°You get into fights with bears?¡±

    Another heavy thump shook the house. Abbee held out her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll need my bolt thrower back, please. And my pouches.¡±

    Kai handed over her pouch belt but pushed the bolt thrower into one of his pockets. Abbee felt her brows go up, both at his refusal and his bravery. She wouldn¡¯t have shoved that weapon into her own trousers. She took her pouch belt and held out her hand again. ¡°Look, this armor is great, but I need that bolt thrower. It¡¯s saved my life several times in the past two months. If I¡¯ve got hunters after me, I need to defend myself.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kai said. ¡°I don¡¯t want any more of these out in the world.¡±

    ¡°Marin didn¡¯t either, but she and Ilo let me keep it.¡±

    Kai smiled. ¡°Their judgment has always been suspect. You¡¯ve got that armor. You don¡¯t need the bolt thrower.¡± He walked away from her.

    ¡°Says the wizard who conjures destructive beams of light out of thin air,¡± Abbee said to his back. ¡°If we catch up to Emma and a hunter is about to shoot her in the back, gonna be a real looker if all I can do is throw rocks.¡±

    Kai stopped. Sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± He pulled the bolt thrower out of his pocket and handed it over. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this.¡±

    ¡°Marin said that too.¡±

    The wizard grunted and went back to scavenging around his workshop for useful items, while Abbee strapped the bolt thrower onto her wrist. She felt better now that she had it again. Safe. Several thumps in a row shook the house. Well, safer.

    ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t Emma take her armor with her when she left?¡±

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t given it to her yet,¡± Kai said. ¡°Ipsu was going to when she finished her training.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she nineteen?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°She should be done.¡±

    ¡°Ipsu said she wasn¡¯t ready.¡±

    Abbee felt a modicum of satisfaction. Ipsu had abandoned her when she was nineteen for Kai¡¯s daughter, who apparently had turned out poorly. If Emma wasn¡¯t ready at nineteen, there was no hope for her. She probably had lots of bad habits. ¡°And she didn¡¯t take it anyway?¡±

    ¡°It was in here, and so was I,¡± Kai said, ¡°but I¡¯d left those stupid gems out. If I hadn¡¯t, maybe she wouldn¡¯t have felt like she had money to leave. Maybe she¡¯d still be here.¡±

    Abbee remembered running away from Ipsu several times. Even when she knew he¡¯d follow and find her, she¡¯d still tried to get away. She hadn¡¯t liked him much in the beginning. Or at the end. ¡°I doubt it,¡± she said. ¡°If she wanted out, she was getting out.¡±

    Kai didn¡¯t reply.

    Abbee heard something heavy scrape across the floor in the back of the room. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Over here,¡± Kai called.

    Abbee picked her way through the workshop. She found Kai standing next to a big wooden box. The box was about three meters long and had metal bands wrapped around its sides. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°This is how we¡¯re getting out of here.¡±

    Abbee frowned. ¡°In that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m warping us out, and we¡¯re traveling a long ways. Where we¡¯re going, all the receiving rooms have been sealed and filled with water. Wizards can¡¯t warp themselves underwater, so I¡¯ll warp this tube instead.¡± Kai opened the tube, swinging the lid up on internal hinges. The tube had canvas sacks and leather bags stuffed into one end and an empty pocket at the other. ¡°I set this up when Emma was eight. It¡¯ll be a tight fit.¡±

    Abbee¡¯s skin crawled at the idea of smooshing herself into that tube with Kai. ¡°Forget it.¡±

    The wizard shrugged. ¡°Up to you. Staying here is a death sentence, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances with the hunters,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°You won¡¯t even see them,¡± Kai said, shaking his head. He pointed up as another thump vibrated through the ceiling. ¡°When they breach the shield, this house will annihilate itself and everything in it.¡±

    ¡°Annihilate?¡± Abbee asked. Even when the university suffered explosive setbacks, there was always debris lying around. Sometimes kilometers away. ¡°I¡¯ll survive.¡± She rapped on her new cuirass. ¡°I¡¯ve got this now.¡±

    Kai snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve lived in a world without wizards for too long. Everybody has. You¡¯ve all forgotten how completely a wizard could destroy something in the old days. Believe me when I tell you that the cuirass won¡¯t save you. Neither will your talent. There¡¯ll be nothing left of this place but a hole in the ground.¡±

    Abbee was about to comment when an otherworldly keening started somewhere upstairs. It grated on her ears and made her hair stand on end.

    ¡°Time to go,¡± Kai said. He climbed into the pocket, pushing a leather bag out of the way with his boots. He reached over and pulled the tube¡¯s lid up, holding it half-open. ¡°Last chance.¡±

    The keening rose in pitch and volume. Abbee felt an overwhelming desire to escape.

    She swore and climbed into the tube. Kai grunted as she crammed herself in next to him, lying on her side and so close that his beard scratched her face. She grimaced and tried to get away, but his beard just rubbed on her skin and made her itch. She couldn¡¯t pull her arms up to scratch, either. Abbee hated being this close to him. Hated him touching her. Hated his scent. She pushed away memories of Graywall. Pushed away the fear. Tears welled up at the overwhelming sensation of being trapped all over again, and Abbee squeezed her eyes shut. She hated feeling this way and hated Kai for making her feel it.

    The wizard pulled the lid shut. It stopped a few centimeters short. The wizard twitched, and the lid pressed itself against Abbee¡¯s elbow, hard. She was about to protest when she heard something click, followed by an explosion of agony from her shoulder. Abbee shouted in pain.

    ¡°Quit screaming in my ear,¡± Kai said.

    Abbee couldn¡¯t see anything in the pitch dark. ¡°You broke my arm.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll heal, right? Shut up so I can concentrate.¡±

    The keening sound outside was muffled, but Abbee heard it rise in pitch. Then it cut off all at once. Abbee felt her stomach lurch. They were moving. No, they were upside down. They were upside down and moving. Something thudded into the top of the tube. The bottom. The tube moved slowly, as if something outside were pushing against it. Abbee realized they were indeed underwater.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit better,¡± Kai said. ¡°Hang on one more moment.¡±

    Abbee hoped the wizard did whatever he was going to do in a hurry. She couldn¡¯t heal her broken arm until she was out of the tube and straightened the limb.

    A hissing and crackling sound reached her ears. Kai shifted beneath her. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s different. I ¡­ What the ¡­? Oh, those bastards.¡±

    The crackling got louder.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Pretty sure it¡¯s lava,¡± Kai answered.

    ¡°Lava?¡± Abbee squeaked, mortified that she¡¯d squeezed out such a sound.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± Kai told her. ¡°This means they¡¯ve moved the room. I can¡¯t be sure ¡­ Okay. Okay, brace yourself.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    Abbee felt a squeezing all over her body. Her stomach lurched again, and bile rose in her throat. She couldn¡¯t keep it down and vomited¡ªinto open air. She blinked and saw blue. Lots and lots of blue. Abbee looked down. She blinked. Looked again. She realized she was looking down at the top of a snowcapped mountain. It was so far away. Kai had warped her straight up into the sky.

 Chapter 38

    Abbee screamed and thrashed in midair. Pain lanced through her broken shoulder at the movement. Her body healed the damage while she fell. Healing broken bones while falling to her death was adding insult to literal injury. Abbee had seen what a person looked like after falling from a great height. Higher than a mover pit. She hyperventilated at the idea of living through her eventual impact with the ground.

    ¡°Relax,¡± Kai called from somewhere above her. ¡°You look ridiculous.¡±

    Abbee twisted and looked up. The wizard was a few meters away. Abbee realized that she wasn¡¯t falling fast. Falling, yes, but slowly. She remembered what Kai had said about the protective wards on her cuirass. It would slow her descent if she fell further than three meters. She was a lot higher in the air than three meters. More like three kilometers. The ground spread across the world in a mountainous carpet of stone and snow. Abbee oriented herself to the morning sun. Jagged ridges and mountain peaks went north to the horizon. Foothills stretched south. She¡¯d had no idea the world was so big.

    The wind was doing interesting things to Kai¡¯s robes. He had to hold his hands against his thighs to keep them from wrapping up around his head. Abbee laughed at him. Her giggle sounded insane in her own ears, but it calmed her down. A little. ¡°Speaking of ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, this is better than burning to death in molten rock.¡±

    ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Kai looked down. He tried pointing with one hand, but the wind grabbed his robes and pulled them over his head. He fought with the cloth for a moment, until he did something, and his robes smoothed down around his legs by themselves. The wind didn¡¯t touch him anymore, not even his beard. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± He pointed again. ¡°Veronna¡¯s over there.¡±

    She looked where Kai was pointing and saw mountains and rocky terrain. ¡°Which mountain is it?¡±

    Kai squinted. ¡°The one with the dark bands on the side is the enclave. And it¡¯s six mountains, not one.¡±

    ¡°Six?¡±

    ¡°A volcano complex.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Veronna is in a volcano?¡±

    Kai nodded. ¡°An active one, too. Multiple peaks with multiple magma chambers.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±

    ¡°The old wizards harnessed the mountains and made the whole thing stable. It hasn¡¯t erupted in millennia. I couldn¡¯t be sure which chamber we were in or how deep we were, so I warped us straight up, as far as I could. I didn¡¯t dare take the tube at that distance.¡± He held out his hands. ¡°I¡¯ve got all my fingers, and I think I¡¯ve got all my toes. Do you?¡±

    Abbee examined her hands and flexed her feet in her boots. Everything seemed to be where it should be. ¡°I¡¯m good. How high up are we?¡±

    ¡°About two kilometers. That¡¯s my maximum safe distance for a tandem warp. Slow-fall wards slow you down to about a meter per second. We¡¯ve got about ¡­ yeah, half an hour before we get down to the ground.¡±

    ¡°You going to apologize for breaking my arm?¡±

    Kai snorted. ¡°You¡¯re alive. You¡¯re welcome.¡± He stuck his arm out like a rudder and drifted away from Abbee. Away from Veronna, toward the northwest. ¡°We want to go this way,¡± he called.

    Abbee mimicked Kai¡¯s arm position and drifted after him. ¡°To where?¡±

    ¡°Valetown,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°Never heard of it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s not there anymore.¡±

    ¡°What happened to it?¡±

    ¡°Vani Brattle happened. Well, technically, Parn Trippers initiated the collapse, but Vani kicked off the landslide when she dropped the entire mountain.¡±

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± Abbee exclaimed, startled. ¡°Trippers wrecked a town? A whole town? He put me away for¡ªwait, did you just say mountain?¡±

    Kai nodded. ¡°Vani was quite something to behold. Usually from a safe distance, though.¡±

    Abbee tucked away the detail about Parn for later. She couldn¡¯t wait to ask Whimsy about it. ¡°You knew her, didn¡¯t you? Brattle.¡±

    Kai cocked his head as if listening. A faint smile crossed his face and was gone. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What was she like?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯d give you a run for your money in the stubbornness department.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not stubborn.¡±

    Kai snorted and opened his mouth to retort, but Abbee wasn¡¯t interested in his ideas about her temperament.

    ¡°Why are we going to this Valetown if it¡¯s not there anymore?¡±

    Kai didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Fine, don¡¯t tell me. Maybe you can go back to explaining why Ipsu abandoned me for your daughter.¡±

    Kai rolled his eyes. ¡°How long are you going to define yourself by that? You were, what, nineteen? Ancient history. You seem to have turned out mostly fine, except for your brief foray into armed robbery.¡±

    ¡°That was an accident.¡±

    ¡°You hijacked a bank cart by accident?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what happened,¡± Abbee said, folding her arms. She stopped drifting north and unfolded them. ¡°They attacked me first.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the refrain of every kindhearted robber. Nobody gets hurt. Never works out that way. But sure, let¡¯s not talk about why Ipsu helped you survive. Let¡¯s not talk about why he spent so many years training you to be resilient, self-sufficient, and tough. Let¡¯s not talk about that. Let¡¯s instead dredge up childhood angst over why he was so terrible. You¡¯re no paragon of humanity, Abbee Danner. You know, Ipsu stopped talking about you after Graywall. He never talked about you much, but he definitely stopped mentioning you after that. I think you were an embarrassment for him.¡±

    Dark fury and venom licked at Abbee¡¯s composure. ¡°I guess it was easier to train the new kid than confront what he did to me.¡±

    ¡°Did to you?¡±

    ¡°He made me this way,¡± Abbee snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t put down roots. Don¡¯t make friends. Every relationship is a transaction; everyone is out to screw you, and nobody can help. People aren¡¯t inherently good; they¡¯re just status seekers trying to improve their own positions. Ipsu drilled that into me for years.¡± Abbee remembered Randall and Whimsy and Captain Barnes. ¡°He was wrong. He was wrong about all of it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? If he was so wrong, then how come you were living alone in the slate quarry?¡±

    ¡°You know what?¡± Abbee shot back. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet this Emma. If all she had was you and Ipsu ¡­ I can¡¯t wait to find out how badly the two of you twisted her up. I bet she¡¯s a piece of work.¡±

    Kai harrumphed.

    They drifted in silence. Abbee didn¡¯t feel any better. She had gotten some good shots in, but they hadn¡¯t helped. She was still mad at Ipsu, and now he was gone. She¡¯d never get to say any of the myriad things she¡¯d dreamed she¡¯d tell him when she finally saw him again. Angry words, harsh words, hurt words¡ªeven the kind ones. All gone. Abbee knew she should feel a little guilty about unloading on Kai, but the wizard made it hard to like him. She recalled her experience with Ilo and Marin and decided that it was wizards in general. They were all hard to like.

    Neither of them spoke until the ground was closer and the mountains no longer looked like anthills. They drifted over a pair of peaks and a long, sloping rock pile. It had looked like jumbled stone from higher altitudes. As they neared, Abbee realized the jumbled stone was covered with a crisscrossing warren of wood-and-metal scaffolding. Some sort of dig site. Abbee spotted a few tents to the south and, beyond that, the telltale blue rectangle of a portal frame standing alone atop a snowy hill.

    Kai led them to the northern peak. They slid down through the air toward a small outcropping on its southern slope, facing the excavation site.

    ¡°When you land,¡± Kai advised, ¡°keep your feet together and your knees bent. You¡¯ll want to fall and roll to absorb the impact with the ground.¡±

    Abbee knew how to land without breaking her ankles.

    Kai hit the ground first and ignored his own advice. As soon as he stumbled, he threw out his hands, and his body stopped its forward momentum. Abbee didn¡¯t have that luxury and executed a forward roll. She worried that the cuirass might impact her flexibility, but she popped up to her feet with little trouble. Abbee felt disappointment that the ride was over and she was down on the ground again.

    She walked to the outcropping¡¯s edge and looked down. The ruined valley lay below. A massive landslide had pulled dirt and stone down the mountainside like hot taffy. A lot of the scaffolding looked old and had collapsed over time¡ªthrough age or shifting ground, Abbee couldn¡¯t be sure. Most of the work seemed focused on the eastern flank of the landslide, with the tightest cluster of people and material. Even from this distance, Abbee discerned House soldiers in their recognizable helmets.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Kai said behind her.

    ¡°What?¡± Abbee asked, turning.

    The wizard stood with his hands on his hips, facing uphill. ¡°There was a cave here. A way in. Looks like it collapsed.¡±

    Abbee looked where Kai was looking and saw dirt, stone, and nothing unusual. She couldn¡¯t tell if there had been a cave anywhere. ¡°A way in to where?¡±

    Kai turned and walked over to Abbee, grunting at the scene below. He gestured at the old scaffolding. ¡°Ha! They were digging in the wrong spot for a while.¡± He frowned. ¡°Where is it all?¡±

    ¡°All what?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°What was so special about Valetown that they¡¯d go to all this trouble?¡±

    ¡°Valetown was nothing,¡± Kai said. ¡°A small collection of hovels with very bad food. It¡¯s what was underneath the town that¡¯s important. I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s nothing here. They must have moved it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®it¡¯?¡±

    ¡°This place should be covered with glimmermote.¡±

    ¡°Glimmermote?¡± Abbee echoed. She looked around but didn¡¯t see any glittering specks of dust. ¡°You¡¯d have to store up all the mote in the world to cover this place.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Kai said. ¡°You¡¯d have a small sea of it. There should be something left. Hmph.¡± He pointed north, to the top of the valley, where the ground looked unspoiled. ¡°We want to go over there. Follow me.¡±

    Kai jumped off the cliff. He drifted down through the air to a spot twenty meters lower, touched off a rock with his foot, and bounded down the mountain.

    Abbee had a momentary bout of panic before she remembered her cuirass. ¡°Idiot,¡± she muttered, annoyed that she¡¯d somehow already forgotten about her fantastic descent out of the sky. She jumped off the cliff and dropped like a stone for several meters before the cuirass slowed her fall. Abbee landed on a big rock, spent an instant deciding where to go next, then pushed off into the air again. It took a few jumps and landings to time it right, so she got the best burst of speed from her initial fall before the cuirass took over.

    A grin spread over her face as she hopped and bounced after Kai, and Abbee was laughing in exhilaration when she got to the bottom. ¡°That was so fun. Can you warp us back up and go again?¡±

    ¡°What? No.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, wizard,¡± Abbee said. ¡°It¡¯ll only take five minutes.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not here to have fun. I¡¯m here to get my daughter back.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Abbee asked.

    Kai turned and walked away from her.

    ¡°What about me?¡± she persisted. ¡°Can you warp me up there?¡±

    Kai didn¡¯t reply.

    Abbee huffed in disappointment and decided when this was all over and she got back to Akken, she¡¯d try the same descent off the escarpment. Her new hobby might be climbing tall things and hurling herself from the top of them. ¡°Where are we now? What are we even doing here?¡±

    Kai stopped and turned. Abbee thought he was going to snap at her again, but he looked over her shoulder and crouched. Abbee turned and spotted three House soldiers climbing the debris field. Heading their way.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Kai hissed.

    Abbee dropped low and scrambled up to his position. Kai gestured, and the air around them shimmered. His hands moved in slow, sinuous waves. The soldiers kept coming.

    ¡°Did they see us?¡± Abbee whispered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Kai said. He stood up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to whisper. They can¡¯t see or hear us anymore. I don¡¯t think they saw us¡ªI¡¯m not getting any threat outlines. Speaking of which, do me a favor and don¡¯t look at them and don¡¯t think about them. They might still have working chips.¡±

    ¡°I live in Akken,¡± Abbee said, straightening. ¡°I know how threat detection works.¡± She stilled her mind and kept from thinking about the soldiers directly. ¡°None of the soldiers there have had those chips for years, though.¡±

    ¡°This is Veronna,¡± Kai said. ¡°They save the best for themselves.¡±

    ¡°Where did they come from?¡± Abbee asked as the soldiers picked their way up the debris field. ¡°I didn¡¯t see them on our descent.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Kai said. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure if this is a normal patrol or not. But you¡¯re right. They did come from somewhere nearby. There shouldn¡¯t be any entrance near here big enough for a person, but who knows what happened during the landslide?¡±

    ¡°Entrance to where?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Will you please¡ª¡±

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Kai interrupted her.

    ¡°I thought you said they can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shh. I¡¯m trying to concentrate.¡±

    Abbee fell silent. The soldiers were close enough to see clearly. A man and two women. Sword hilts poked up over their shoulders, and all three wore red sashes. House Danan¡¯s color. Abbee never saw red sashes in Akken. Only House Togrim blue and very occasionally the green sash of House Stonar. Abbee knew there was another color, gray, for House Halkren. She¡¯d learned about the Veronna Houses in school, before she¡¯d run away to live under a bridge.

    The man stopped and peered up the hill toward Kai¡¯s shimmering dome. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± he called over his shoulder to his companions. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here.¡±

    ¡°Keep looking, Tal,¡± one woman said, walking past him.

    ¡°What for?¡± the man, Tal, asked. ¡°Lieutenant, there¡¯s nothing¡ª¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s an order,¡± the lieutenant snapped. ¡°And because I can use the fresh air. I¡¯ve been cooped up down there for three days straight.¡±

    ¡°Three days?¡± Tal asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t been. I get to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut it, Tal,¡± the other woman said. ¡°Nobody wants to hear about how you lick Canor¡¯s backside to get your plum assignments.¡±

    Tal glowered at her. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®Corporal Larimer¡¯ to you, Private Easlee.¡±

    The lieutenant walked past them and stopped a couple of meters away from Abbee. The Danan soldier took off her helmet and sat down on a rock. She had graying brown hair and a weathered face. She looked tired. ¡°Would you two shut up for a minute? I¡¯d like to forget where I am for a bit.¡±

    Tal grunted and walked a little way down the hill. He stopped with his back to them and bent down. Came up with a handful of stones, which he threw down the mountain, one by one.

    Easlee climbed up to the lieutenant and stood nearby. She watched Tal with a sour expression. ¡°How much longer until he goes home?¡±

    The lieutenant shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, I guess I didn¡¯t realize the ¡®hazard¡¯ in ¡®hazard pay¡¯ was dealing with Tal.¡± Easlee¡¯s voice lowered. ¡°What was it like?¡±

    ¡°What was what like?¡±

    ¡°Back in the old days,¡± Easlee said, ¡°when we weren¡¯t scrounging for scraps out in the middle of nowhere. Back when House Danan had a real leader in cha¡ª¡±

    ¡°Watch it, Easlee,¡± the lieutenant said, raising her hand. ¡°That kind of talk can get you disappeared.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one saying it. There¡¯s a bunch of chatter like that in the barracks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, then that means a whole bunch of you will disappear at once.¡± She stood up and put her helmet back on. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll be quiet around here for once.¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Tal, put your rocks down. There¡¯s nothing here. We¡¯re heading back.¡±

    Abbee watched the patrol descend the mountain, picking their way through the scattered rocks and debris. The soldiers vanished behind a big rock about two hundred meters below their position. Kai held his shield for a moment longer before ceasing his waving hands. The air stopped shimmering.

    ¡°That was interesting,¡± Abbee said. She started down the hill. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s an entrance down there.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going in that way,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°What? I thought you were looking for¡ª¡±

    ¡°I found it already,¡± Kai said. He gestured at a steep rock face behind them.

    Abbee looked closer and saw three small holes in the ground. The holes were about ten centimeters across and spaced apart too evenly to be natural. ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°Ventilation shafts,¡± Kai said. ¡°I know where these go. While that patrol was relaxing, I was sensing the shaft terminations within the complex below us.¡±

    ¡°Sensing the ¡­ Underground?¡±

    ¡°A little trick I learned from Brattle,¡± Kai said. ¡°My method is a bit cruder than hers, but it¡¯s the results that count. There¡¯s an empty space about twenty meters straight down.¡± He gestured down the hill. ¡°I looked for the entrance that patrol is using. It doesn¡¯t extend far before it runs into rubble, and there are about ten more people in there. If we warp in here, we¡¯ll be closer to where we need to go, and those soldiers will be separated from us by a tunnel collapse.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Abbee gave the wizard her best smile. ¡°Hey, if we¡¯re going to warp down there, can we at least warp to the top of the mountain and run down again?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Kai said.

    He walked up to her and touched her on the shoulder. A bubble of yellow light enveloped them both, and the world shifted. The yellow bubble faded, and Abbee found herself in a dusty stone room.

    Not the mountaintop. ¡°Aw,¡± Abbee said, looking around.

    They were in a small room with stone walls. The stone had been smoothed at one point. The floor tilted downward, and the wooden door in front of Abbee stood ajar. The frame tilted along with the floor, and the door didn¡¯t look like it closed all the way anymore. A light breeze flowed through the room and up into three evenly spaced holes in the ceiling. The air smelled of dirt and damp.

    Kai went to the door and poked his head out. A magical light in the ceiling flicked on at the movement. Abbee followed behind and saw an empty hallway beyond, tilted at an angle. To the right, the hallway stopped at a jumble of dirt and stone. A cave-in had collapsed the ceiling. To the left, the hallway stretched about fifty meters and ended at an intersection. The floor had a thick layer of sparkly dust on it. Kai walked down the intact hallway. Magical ceiling lights flicked on as he passed.

    Abbee had no choice but to follow. She had no idea how to get out of this place. Kai got to the intersection and turned left. Abbee looked right and saw more debris. A rivulet of dirty water ran down the lowest corner of the hall and disappeared under the rubble. Everything that way seemed destroyed. She wondered where those House soldiers were and if there were more of them in here. She let Kai lead the way both from a navigational standpoint and the assumption that the wizard would annihilate any obstacle in his path.

    ¡°How do you know where you¡¯re going?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been here before, obviously,¡± Kai said.

    Everywhere they went was the same. Tilted and broken. A few of the rooms had big cracks in the ceiling, wide rents with water dripping down thick pillars of ice. Abbee wasn¡¯t cold, not with her new fancy cuirass, and Kai didn¡¯t appear cold either. He looked frustrated. The underground complex was a warren of halls, rooms, and stairwells. All empty. Cleared out. Kai¡¯s mood darkened with every new room. At one point, Kai led them through one cavernous space as big as a bout hall, completely barren save for some stone tables and scattered glass. Kai paused in the middle, looking around. He muttered a nasty curse.

    ¡°What was in here?¡± Abbee asked.

    Kai didn¡¯t answer except to swear more.

    ¡°Where is everyone? How come we¡¯ve not seen any soldiers?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Kai said. ¡°Maybe I was wrong about Emma being here.¡± He cocked his head as if listening. ¡°I wish she hadn¡¯t removed my trace.¡±

    Abbee wanted to make a comment about violating a daughter¡¯s trust, but she held her tongue. She rubbed her finger across a stone table and came up with more sparkly dust. Looked like glimmermote. It was everywhere in here. No evidence from the scattered debris gave any indication besides some sort of storage area. A workshop, maybe. The largest scrap was a thin glass tube with a rounded end. Like some sort of vial. Abbee had been inside an alchemist¡¯s shop one time. Had seen damage to their equipment, and a broken beaker. The glass underfoot in this empty underground complex looked like that. She remembered Kai¡¯s workshop under his house in Akken. Glass tubes and bubbling, glittering mud in bowls, beakers, and vials. Glittering mud.

    Glittering. Like glimmermote. A strange thought thumped through Abbee¡¯s head. Not like glimmermote. Actual glimmermote.

    Abbee had never seen enough glimmermote in one place to do anything other than wisp around like smoke. Well, there had been one time where it had collected into a flaky crust, but Abbee didn¡¯t like thinking about that. She looked around at the big room. Maybe Kai¡¯s glimmermote contraption in his Akken workshop had been small. Maybe there had been a bigger one in here. She had no idea why someone would experiment with glimmermote. It didn¡¯t do anything except make you itch.

    ¡°Why would Emma come here?¡± Abbee asked the fuming wizard. ¡°How did she even know about it?¡±

    Kai huffed in frustration. ¡°Wait here. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    ¡°What? Where are¡ª¡±

    A yellow bubble of light enveloped Kai, and he flickered. The yellow light turned a sickly brown. Abbee hadn¡¯t seen that before. The brown bubble withered away, and Kai reappeared. He staggered and fell against a stone table. His shoulders heaved, and he threw up.

    A man appeared in the center of the room as if stepping out of thin air. Abbee knew it was an illusion, on account of his image intersecting a stone table. He looked a bit strange with its corner poking out of his hip. The man wore a plain gray jacket and trousers. Fine boots. He had a short-trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. He smiled at Kai. ¡°The years have not been kind to you, Kai. You look terrible.¡±

    Abbee froze at the sound of his voice. The memory of a sightless man dressed in black flashed through her head. She remembered how the leather straps had felt, pinning her arms to a table. A familiar itch prickled her back as she remembered that voice coming out of the darkness, over and over in the dark. The voice in Graywall. She¡¯d recognize it anywhere.

    The gray wizard looked at her. ¡°Abbee Danner, it¡¯s good to see you.¡± He gave her a little bow. ¡°Again.¡±

    Abbee flinched. ¡°You.¡±

 Chapter 39

    Even though she knew the man was an illusion, Abbee still itched to drive a rusty blade straight through his heart. She hoped he was here in the complex somewhere. She wanted to do to him what he¡¯d done to her¡ªeven though she knew she couldn¡¯t. He wouldn¡¯t last. He¡¯d die too fast.

    Kai wiped his chin and looked up in surprise. ¡°You two know each other? You know Cragg Rawley?¡±

    Abbee hadn¡¯t known the voice had belonged to an underworld kingpin. She¡¯d never met the man before. Never even thought he existed. But here he was¡ªwell, an illusion of him¡ªand he was the man who had ordered so many people to die so she¡¯d live through a repeated knife in the heart.

    ¡°We¡¯ve never met in person,¡± Cragg said, ¡°but I know¡ª¡±

    ¡°How dare you?¡± Abbee hissed. ¡°You ¡­ you ¡­ How many died because of you?¡±

    Cragg arched a brow. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t you mean because of you?¡±

    Abbee brought up her arm. Clack-clack-clack. Bolts whizzed through Cragg¡¯s chest and cracked into the wall behind him. Abbee swept forward and looked down at the floor, searching for a round gray stone. The illusion anchor. She knew it must be here. She didn¡¯t find anything except sparkly dust. ¡°There¡¯s no anchor.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s close by,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°How close is close?¡± Abbee asked. She went to the doorway and looked down the hall. It stretched about twenty meters and ended at a T-intersection.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Neither of you is on my ¡®up close and personal¡¯ list.¡±

    ¡°Why do you have a warp restriction ward in here?¡± Kai asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left.¡±

    ¡°I do hope all your internal organs are still in the right spots,¡± Cragg said. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. I¡¯d forgotten about the ward. I set it up a long time ago, but you¡¯ve never visited.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Daughters are quite a handful, I¡¯d imagine. Never had the pleasure of children myself. Or the agony? All the parents I¡¯ve ever seen have looked weather-beaten.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Emma?¡± Kai demanded.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s around,¡± Cragg said, ¡°though I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll want to see her. You came a long way for nothing.¡± He gestured at the empty room. ¡°And I do mean nothing.¡±

    ¡°What did you do with all of the glimmermote?¡±

    ¡°Most of it blew away,¡± Cragg said. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t want it for anything.¡±

    ¡°Was that you who submerged Veronna¡¯s inbound receiving room in lava?¡±

    Cragg nodded. ¡°Took some doing to keep the magma from freezing. How did you get out?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll show you sometime.¡±

    Abbee watched the wizards verbally spar. She wondered if it had been like this in the Tower, back when it had still stood and there had been hundreds of wizards in it. All trying to get a leg up on one another with information. I know more than you do. It was like watching children squabble. She didn¡¯t care about any of it. She wanted to know where Cragg was so she could kill him. Do to him what he¡¯d done to her. A knife in the back, over and over.

    ¡°Are you here to give me the cipher?¡± Cragg asked. ¡°For someone who¡¯s shown little interest in their contents, you make everyone go through a great deal of effort to read the journals. Selfish, Kai. Very selfish.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give away valuable things for free,¡± Kai said.

    ¡°Yes, but I pay you up front, regardless of what I get back. Temmit¡¯s soup recipes aren¡¯t exactly gem-worthy.¡±

    ¡°Look, there are dangerous things in there, and I want to know what you¡¯re looking at. You and your friends are morally suspect.¡±

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    Cragg¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°Says the person who experimented on his own daughter.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t experimenting,¡± Kai said. ¡°Emma¡¯s abilities are different. Extremely volatile. She needs to learn control, and I doubt you¡¯d be a good teacher in that department.¡±

    Abbee frowned. Twelve years with Ipsu, and this Emma still needed to learn control? Abbee wondered what Emma was. A wizard? Kai had mentioned that he hadn¡¯t taught her how to warp. But as Abbee listened to the two wizards talk about Emma, it sounded like she was something else. Something different. Dangerous, even.

    ¡°What are you looking for in the journals, Cragg?¡± Kai asked. ¡°Ekon was cagey about it today in Akken. You know, when he told me where you were.¡±

    Cragg rolled his eyes. ¡°That man runs his mouth like no other¡ªwhich is bizarre, given his position.¡±

    ¡°Are you handing out illusion anchors to the network now? In addition to your fancy bolt throwers?¡±

    Cragg waved his hand. ¡°Insignificant compared to your contributions.¡±

    ¡°Mine?¡±

    ¡°Kai, we wouldn¡¯t be standing here if not for you,¡± Cragg said. ¡°None of us. It¡¯s all you. All of it. Even the parts that people lay at Vani¡¯s foot all started with you.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re finishing it? Helping the hunters stamp out the remaining wizards in the world?¡±

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s done any stamping for years. If you came out of your bolt-hole more often, you might realize that.¡±

    ¡°Hard to stamp when there¡¯s hardly anybody left. And if they aren¡¯t looking, why send me traced gemstones? Even when you know they won¡¯t help. Every time, a traced gem. You¡¯re nothing if not consistent.¡±

    Cragg gestured at Abbee. ¡°And it finally worked out.¡± He turned to her. ¡°The great Abbee Danner. Ipsu talked you up like no other. He was so sure about you, but he was wrong.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°He was very wrong. Disappointing, even. You broke so fast.¡±

    Cragg spoke like he¡¯d known Ipsu. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You¡¯re lying.¡±

    ¡°It turns out that, just like every other Class Five, you can¡¯t control your emotions under duress.¡±

    ¡°Duress?¡± Abbee echoed. ¡°Duress? You killed children in front of me.¡±

    ¡°You did that,¡± Cragg said. ¡°You. You couldn¡¯t control yourself. Brattle had the same problem. You Class Fives are all the same. You try to be strong, but you snap like twigs.¡±

    ¡°You had someone push a knife into my heart,¡± Abbee growled. ¡°Over and over. You never gave me a choice.¡±

    ¡°Believe what you want,¡± Cragg said. ¡°You could¡¯ve taken only a little from them, but you¡¯re greedy. You took everything they had.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Abbee said. It wasn¡¯t. She knew he was talking about her latent. She couldn¡¯t conjure it at a whim nor control how much she took from people. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    ¡°You knew she was a Class Five,¡± Kai said, ¡°but you didn¡¯t tell Ekon about her? I thought you were working together.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not friends,¡± Cragg said.

    Kai frowned. ¡°But you¡ª¡±

    Cragg pointed at Abbee. ¡°I didn¡¯t kidnap you from Ipsu. He brought you to me to be tested. He knew you¡¯d follow him into the city. You failed the test miserably, by the way.¡±

    His statement echoed Kai¡¯s earlier theory, back in Akken. That her ordeal had been some sick, twisted test, and Ipsu might have known about it. Abbee couldn¡¯t bring herself to believe it. ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± she snarled. ¡°I was jumped by movers. Kidnapped. He rescued me.¡±

    ¡°Believe what you want,¡± Cragg said, ¡°but no, he didn¡¯t. He came to collect you because I was done with you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Kai said. ¡°He¡¯s trying to rile you up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s working,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Well, get a handle on yourself.¡±

    ¡°He abandoned you.¡± Cragg curled his lip. ¡°That¡¯s the thing about abandoning something¡ªyou do it because something¡¯s worthless.¡±

    Kai walked in front of Cragg and snapped his fingers under Abbee¡¯s nose. ¡°Hey. Look at me. He¡¯s provoking you on purpose. Don¡¯t let him.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what he did,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°And I¡¯m sure it was all very terrible,¡± Kai said, ¡°but he¡¯s an illusion, and you can¡¯t do anything to him. I¡¯m a bit surprised, to be honest. Ipsu said you were the best warrior he¡¯s ever trained.¡±

    Abbee blinked.

    ¡°He talked about you a lot. Said you were the hardest to rile up, that you mostly riled him up.¡±

    Cragg spoke over Kai. ¡°Ipsu left you because you were no longer worth the investment.¡±

    Abbee wanted Cragg to stop talking. She wanted to make him stop with her fists.

    Kai shook his head. ¡°Ipsu told me that he had nothing left to teach you. He said that you had to battle your darkness. You had to face it alone.¡±

    ¡°Alone?¡± Abbee echoed. ¡°I needed him. He left when I needed him the most.¡± She looked over Kai¡¯s shoulder at Cragg. ¡°You shut up.¡±

    ¡°He was done,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Dumped you like trash.¡±

    ¡°Ipsu knew,¡± Kai said. ¡°He knew leaving you would hurt. But he also said that you¡¯d survive your ordeal. You¡¯re a fighter. The best.¡±

    A welter of pride and sadness warmed Abbee. ¡°He said that?¡±

    Kai gave Abbee a rueful grin. ¡°Emma¡¯s going to be mad when she meets you, you know.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because Ipsu compared her to you whenever Emma failed his expectations. You¡¯re the bar, Abbee.¡± He raised his eyebrows at her. ¡°And you better show up as the rock Ipsu trained you to be, and not some gibbering, wailing lunatic because some tired old crank poked you.¡±

    ¡°Crank?¡± Cragg echoed.

    Abbee heard a crackling sound coming from the hallway beyond.

    Cragg looked toward the open doorway on the other side of the room. ¡°Okay, backup plan it is. Kai, you¡¯re right about one thing.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Kai asked.

    ¡°Emma is indeed mad. At you. Apparently, you never told her what really happened to her mother.¡±

    Kai stilled.

    Cragg smirked at him. ¡°Brace yourself, old man. You¡¯re about to have the talk.¡±

 Chapter 40

    The crackling in the hall intensified. The air in the room changed. Dried out. Abbee¡¯s hair stood on end, and a bad taste lodged in the back of her throat. A flickering light emanated from the T-intersection at the other end of the hall. Bright, flashing lights. It was like a thunderstorm underground.

    Kai grabbed Abbee¡¯s shoulders and pulled her into the room. ¡°Get behind me.¡±

    Abbee put Kai between her and the doorway as a young woman rounded the corner of the intersection. At least, that was what Abbee thought she was. Hard to tell with all the lightning emanating from the woman¡¯s body.

    Abbee assumed this was Emma, Kai¡¯s daughter. She was a scene of contradictions. She was short. Abbee had expected someone in their physical prime, but Emma was a lot rounder than any pupil of Ipsu¡¯s should¡¯ve been. Her hair was white and cut to her shoulders. It was tough for Abbee to judge the other woman¡¯s age, on account of bright, glowing lines covering her face. It was as if all her blood vessels had light running through them. Her hands too. Every bit of exposed skin glowed and pulsed. She wore a big, fur-lined coat that hung open, showing a fine shirt and trousers beneath. Expensive boots. She had a thin outline around her body that didn¡¯t seem part of her but moved as she moved. The outline was solid red.

    Kai raised his hands in front of him and backed up. ¡°Emma¡ª¡±

    The wizard¡¯s daughter punched the air in front of her. The lightning around her collapsed to a single point at her fist and zapped down the hallway with a thundering boom. A shimmering blue dome appeared around Kai and Abbee. The lightning smashed into the dome and raged across its surface.

    ¡°Emma, don¡¯t!¡± Kai shouted.

    The woman vanished with a thunderous crack and reappeared right behind Abbee. Kai¡¯s dome blocked lightning but apparently not people. Abbee took a step forward to get some distance, but Emma moved fast¡ªtoo fast for a regular human¡ªand put her hand on Abbee¡¯s shoulder. Emma¡¯s glow flared.

    Pain exploded through Abbee¡¯s body, everywhere and all at once. Abbee felt like every piece of her being was trying to separate. Glimmermote blasted out of her wrists.

    Abbee brought her left arm up.

    Emma let go and vanished.

    Clack-clack-clack. Bolts sailed through empty air.

    Emma reappeared on the other side of the room.

    ¡°Her!¡± she shrieked at Kai. ¡°You brought her?¡±

    ¡°Emma, enough!¡± Kai shouted. ¡°Stop!¡±

    His daughter¡¯s face was mottled with fury. She screamed something unintelligible and thrust both hands out. More lightning pummeled Kai¡¯s shield. A thick cord of it slammed into a nearby stone table and blasted it to pieces. The lightning intersected Cragg¡¯s illusion. He flickered into fragments before reassembling into one image.

    The onslaught was overwhelming to Abbee. Every wizard she¡¯d ever seen gave off a vibe of immense control. Even when they used their magic, it felt tight and precise. This was pure chaos. Wild and frightening. Emma was crazy. She wasn¡¯t trying to hurt her father. She was trying to kill him.

    Kai¡¯s shield held under the assault, but the wizard staggered back, bumping into Abbee. She brought her left arm up, bunching Kai¡¯s robes, and discharged her bolt thrower at Emma. Lightning stabbed out and caught all three bolts, shattering them in midair.

    ¡°No!¡± Kai shouted. ¡°Stay out of it!¡±

    ¡°She tried to kill me!¡± Abbee shouted back. ¡°I¡¯ll stop when she stops.¡±

    ¡°This is draining her,¡± Kai said. ¡°She¡¯ll run out of energy soon.¡±

    Cracks appeared in Kai¡¯s shield. His breath sounded short to Abbee. She wasn¡¯t sure who was going to last the longest, father or daughter. ¡°How soon?¡±

    ¡°Should be¡ª¡±

    The wizard was cut off as Emma¡¯s lightning took on an otherworldly green hue. Some of it turned black. Bolts glanced off Kai¡¯s shield and impacted the floor, walls, and ceiling, blasting stone to pieces. Cragg¡¯s illusion sputtered inside the maelstrom and flickered out. A deep fissure appeared in the ceiling over Abbee¡¯s head, running across the length of the room. Kai grunted and went down on one knee.

    Abbee looked over the wizard¡¯s head at his daughter. The woman was a nightmare of sizzling energy and pure rage. Abbee wondered what had happened to Emma¡¯s mother. Kai had mentioned she¡¯d passed away. That sounded peaceful, like she had gone in her sleep. No mention of the wizard purge, which hadn¡¯t been peaceful at all.

    A wizard fight was no place for anyone else but wizards. Abbee glanced right. The doorway was two meters away. Emma had come from somewhere, and that somewhere might have a way out. Abbee pushed off Kai and hurled herself through the doorway.

    Lightning stabbed at her, scorching her body and legs. Pain tore through her limbs. The cuirass¡¯s protections apparently didn¡¯t work against Emma¡¯s magic. Abbee reached the hallway and broke line of sight with Kai¡¯s raging daughter. The lightning fell away, continuing instead to blast away at Kai¡¯s shield. Abbee¡¯s hunch was right. Emma¡¯s fury was directed at her father. Abbee wasn¡¯t the real target. Mote wisped out of her wrists, and the pain in her legs subsided.

    Abbee scrambled to her feet and met Kai¡¯s gaze. The wizard nodded at her. ¡°Left, down two, straight, right, up!¡± he shouted. ¡°Go until¡ª¡±

    A narrow wall of pale green energy rippled across the floor at Kai. Stone tables, their tops cracked and splintered, lifted off the floor as the wave passed beneath them, and slammed back down. The wave broke across Kai¡¯s shield and smashed into the wall behind him. More cracks appeared in the shimmering dome, and for the first time since Abbee had met him, Kai looked worried.

    ¡°Run!¡± Kai shouted.

    Abbee ran. She sprinted down the hallway and turned left. She found another hallway leading to a stairwell heading down. Abbee ran down the steps as fast as she could without falling. A light in the ceiling came on as she rounded the landing and went down the next flight. She found two corridors branching off from that landing. Darkened, crooked halls with dust and old, shattered stone. The ceiling had collapsed in one of them. Abbee remembered Kai¡¯s directions. Down two. She kept going downstairs, hoping that Kai had meant two floors and not two flights.

    She got to the next landing. One hallway led away from the stairwell, which kept going down. Abbee wondered how far down it went. She entered the hallway. No lights in here. She dug out her thumb light. Held it in her right hand and thumbed it open. Bright light stabbed into the darkness, illuminating a long corridor.

    Thunder shuddered through the walls and ceiling. Stone chips came loose and fell to the floor. Abbee hoped she got out of here before Emma brought the mountain down. She ran to the end of the hall and reached another T-intersection. Abbee went right and found a staircase heading both up and down.

    Abbee went up. She got to the next landing and stopped. Another long hallway running in both directions. The stairwell kept going up. Kai¡¯s directions had ended here. Abbee didn¡¯t know where to go. The mountain boomed around her. She licked her finger and held it up, hoping to get a draft. She got one, from down below, but she couldn¡¯t tell where the air was going. Up or across?

    Abbee went up. Up and up. She passed halls and rooms, some of them collapsed and full of rubble. This place was enormous. Abbee wondered why someone had gone to all this effort to build something inside the mountain. She lost count of how many flights of stairs she¡¯d climbed, but after several long minutes of climbing, Abbee felt a breeze. She rounded the next corner and saw light. Daylight.

    Hope surged in her, and she bounded up the stairs three at a time. Abbee rounded the next corner and saw a big, round room with a sloped ceiling. No, curved. The ceiling was a dome. A big cut ran down the middle. The inside of the cut was squared off, but the outside was irregular rock. Abbee saw blue sky through the cut, and the opening looked big enough for her to squeeze through.

    The room contained the strangest contraption she¡¯d ever seen. It looked like a big copper vat that someone had turned upside down. It had a chair at the bottom with a small cylinder near where a person¡¯s head might be. The copper vat had a big tube at the top end that poked up through the cut.

    Abbee didn¡¯t care what this thing was. She was happy it was still there and hadn¡¯t tipped over from the rumblings below. She was down here, and the exit was up there, and the contraption looked climbable. It had grooves and ledges in its irregular shape. Abbee dashed across the room, mounted the chair, and jumped up to grasp the first ledge. A deep, thundering boom shook the mountain, and Abbee almost fell. Kai and Emma¡¯s battle raged on. Abbee had to get out of here.

    She heard a scraping sound behind her. Light bathed the copper contraption, and Abbee heard a familiar voice. ¡°Whatever are you doing?¡±

    Abbee twisted and looked over her shoulder. Cragg stood in an open doorway with daylight behind him. Abbee didn¡¯t know where that door had come from¡ªshe couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d missed it. Cragg looked solid. Abbee couldn¡¯t see daylight through him, and the wind ruffled his clothing. She saw his breath in the cold air. He cast a shadow on the floor.

    Abbee let go of her perch and dropped to the floor. She hit the ground and rolled to her feet. Clack-clack-clack. Her bolts flew at Cragg and missed, veering away at the last moment and passing through the doorway behind him.

    Abbee blinked and shot him again. Same effect. The bolts¡¯ flight bent, as if buffeted by a great wind, and flew outside. ¡°What the¡ª¡±

    Cragg snorted. ¡°I made that,¡± he said, nodding at Abbee¡¯s bolt thrower. ¡°As if I¡¯d allow somebody to shoot me with it. One of the benefits of arming someone else is making their weapons useless against me.¡±

    Abbee set her jaw. The wizard was between her and freedom. She knew he was there, but he didn¡¯t have a threat outline. No color. Abbee knew that meant Cragg wasn¡¯t even thinking bad thoughts in her direction. He had to know how she felt about him, yet he was not concerned for his safety. He should be. The mountain shook again. Abbee wanted out of this place before Kai and his daughter brought it all crumbling down. But this was the man who¡¯d subjected her to terrible torture. She wanted him dead. She wanted it to be messy.

    Cragg arched a brow at her. ¡°Look, I know you want to fight, but maybe we can talk first.¡± He pointed at the floor. ¡°While those two are busy.¡±

    The floor shook. Rocks banged off the copper tube behind Abbee with a loud clang.

    ¡°We should go outside. Come.¡± The wizard turned and walked through the door.

    Abbee crept forward, ready for anything. She neared the door and smelled crisp air. She saw a platform outside with a thin metal railing. Cragg stood off to the side and made room for her. Abbee ducked out of the door and into daylight. It felt good to be outside. Out of the darkness. She put her thumb light away and stepped to the railing.

    She spared a few quick glances to orient herself. The platform was made of metal with a thick grate for a floor. Several long beams under the grate went back into the mountainside. The whole thing had been painted in irregular gray colors to match the surrounding stone. They were several hundred meters down from the peak and had a wide, sweeping view of the shattered valley below. Abbee looked around and thought she saw the spot where she and Kai had landed from their sky descent. She wondered why Kai hadn¡¯t come in through this door in the first place. Maybe he¡¯d thought it too obvious and had expected a trap. The mountain shook. It hadn¡¯t mattered.

    Cragg lounged against the railing a few meters away from Abbee. He watched her with a mix of curiosity and caution.

    ¡°You said you wanted to talk,¡± Abbee said. ¡°So talk.¡±

    ¡°First,¡± Cragg said, and Abbee tensed, but Cragg didn¡¯t move, ¡°an apology. I¡¯m sorry about what I said earlier. That Ipsu left you because he thought you were worthless.¡±

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    ¡°You ¡­ What?¡±

    ¡°I lied. I was trying to trigger your latent, to gain an advantage over Kai. I gambled that you didn¡¯t have truth-seeking, like Kai does. I mixed in the truth so it would confuse him long enough to provoke you. Look, Ipsu didn¡¯t leave you because you were worthless. We only spoke twice more after I tested you in Joor, but I knew enough to know that he didn¡¯t think you were rubbish.¡±

    Abbee frowned. ¡°Twice?¡±

    ¡°Once right after, when he told me to stay away from you. I think you stumbled into that conversation. He disapproved of my methods. And yes, he did rescue you. He was furious with me.¡±

    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not lying right now?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± Cragg said. ¡°But do you believe Ipsu would¡¯ve used children to test you?¡±

    Abbee knew Ipsu wouldn¡¯t have done that. ¡°Is that supposed to make me feel better? That he wasn¡¯t the monster; I was.¡±

    ¡°Eh, not really. Everyone I sent to you was dying already. You saved them from a horrible end.¡±

    Abbee remembered bloody rags stuffed in mouths. ¡°I don¡¯t think they went peacefully.¡±

    ¡°Well, no, they didn¡¯t,¡± Cragg agreed. ¡°But it was quicker than dying of a nasty form of nagu flu. It swept through Joor that year and killed thousands.¡±

    ¡°Nagu flu isn¡¯t that dangerous,¡± Abbee said.

    Cragg shook his head. ¡°This particular strain was different. It kept coming back. Even the best healers couldn¡¯t keep it at bay. You didn¡¯t save those people from a painful end, but you did save them from a long one.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Abbee asked.

    Cragg shrugged. ¡°The stories we tell ourselves shape us more than we know. If you keep telling yourself that some of the most important people in your life didn¡¯t think you were worth anything, you might form a terrible opinion of yourself. I don¡¯t want you telling yourself a lie.¡±

    Abbee folded her arms. ¡°You want something. Get on with it.¡±

    Cragg nodded. ¡°You¡¯re carrying the traced gemstones. No, I don¡¯t want them, but having them means you took Ipsu¡¯s belongings. Was he ¡­ did he have a message rod?¡±

    Abbee blinked.

    Cragg saw it and let out an explosive breath. ¡°You have it. Is it still intact?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving it to you,¡± Abbee said. ¡°You can¡¯t open it, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Please, Abbee,¡± Cragg said. ¡°It¡¯s meant for me.¡±

    Abbee frowned. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Ipsu wouldn¡¯t have had anything meant for you.¡±

    ¡°He would if I was the one who asked him to help Kai. He went there for me. Well, for all of us, but he was the only one who could do it.¡±

    ¡°Kai said he asked Ipsu to help with Emma.¡±

    Cragg snorted. ¡°Emma¡¯s a lost cause. And yes, you settling in Akken was a bonus for Ipsu. But he was with Kai to find something that Kai had. Something he took, and I need it.¡± He straightened. ¡°Please, Abbee. I can open that message rod.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Ipsu is ¡­ was a Class Three Refractor. He couldn¡¯t have used the rod.¡±

    ¡°All he had to do was write the message and put a cork in the rod. Any cork would do. It was warded to me and me alone already. It didn¡¯t matter that he was a refractor. Don¡¯t you want to see what he died for?¡±

    ¡°He died because he was collateral damage,¡± Abbee said. ¡°The hunters were after Emma.¡±

    ¡°The hunters were after whoever had those traced gems,¡± Cragg said. ¡°They assumed it was Kai, but got Ipsu instead. They never saw Emma. And they would have been after Ipsu if they¡¯d known he was carrying that message rod. They would have killed him if they¡¯d known what was in it. What I hope is in it.¡±

    ¡°What? What could possibly be so important?¡±

    Cragg smiled. ¡°Only a little something that will save the world.¡±

    Abbee wasn¡¯t aware that the world needed saving. ¡°From what?¡±

    The mountain boomed, and the platform shook beneath their feet. ¡°It will take too long to explain. But it¡¯s the reason Ipsu did what he did, and I¡¯m doing what I¡¯m doing now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s conveniently vague,¡± Abbee said. ¡°If you sent Ipsu to Kai, why trace the gems in the first place?¡±

    Cragg shrugged. ¡°Kai¡¯s paranoid. He¡¯s predictable.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Abbee said. ¡°He¡¯d have suspected something was wrong if you hadn¡¯t been trying to find him.¡±

    ¡°Well, I was trying to find him. Ipsu was gone a long time. He sent me two messages in twelve years.¡±

    ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°¡®Still looking.¡¯¡± Cragg chuckled. ¡°Typical Ipsu.¡±

    ¡°Looking for what?¡±

    ¡°If you give me the message rod, then I¡¯ll be able to tell you.¡±

    ¡°The cipher that Ekon and Kai were talking about?¡± Abbee guessed.

    ¡°No,¡± Cragg said, shaking his head. ¡°I already know the cipher.¡±

    ¡°You¡ªwhat?¡±

    ¡°Look, as I said, we don¡¯t have time for me to catch you up. I used the cipher as a distraction. It kept both Kai and Ekon busy. The hunters and the network too. I made sure nobody learned anything dangerous.¡± He nodded at Abbee. ¡°You¡¯re carrying the answer. I hope. I hope Ipsu found what we¡¯ve been looking for. The world is doomed if he didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Doomed from what?¡±

    Another earthquake rattled the mountain. A big one. Metal squealed under Abbee¡¯s feet, and the platform tilted downward. Abbee¡¯s arms windmilled as she fought for balance.

    Cragg grunted and pushed off the balcony. He sighed. ¡°I can see this is going to take a while, and Kai is holding out a lot longer than I expected. Emma looks close to finishing the job Vani started, and tearing down the rest of this mountain. You know I could just kill you and take it anyway. Well, perhaps not kill you, but certainly do enough damage that I could pluck the tube from your broken body before you could knit your broken bones and muscles back together. You think you can resist me?¡± He held out his hand.

    Abbee flinched. Nothing happened. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯d be so kind as to take my hand, I can warp us to a safer location.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you,¡± Abbee said. She wanted to kill him for what he had done to her, but he was a wizard. The moment she made a move, he¡¯d put her in a body lock. He knew what she was, and he knew how to immobilize her. Hurt her. He could warp her into solid rock. There was plenty around. Besides, she wasn¡¯t going to fall to her death¡ªshe had the cuirass. She¡¯d even enjoy the trip down the mountainside.

    ¡°I can hurt you, but I give you my word that I mean you no harm,¡± Cragg said.

    Abbee knew that much from his lack of threat outline, but if she hadn¡¯t seen Emma¡¯s red outline, Abbee would¡¯ve thought the cuirass was malfunctioning. She couldn¡¯t believe Cragg meant what he said. It must be some trick. The last time she¡¯d encountered this man, he¡¯d had her locked in a basement and tortured.

    Another earthquake shook the platform, hard enough to shear off the metal pins holding it to the cliff. The platform dropped out from beneath them. Cragg half fell, half lunged forward and grabbed Abbee¡¯s arm. Abbee felt a squeezing all over her body. She blinked, and she was somewhere else. Her stomach heaved.

    She was about to throw up when she felt another squeeze. The world shifted again. And again. Two more blinks and squeezes and moments of rising bile. Abbee caught a glimpse of more gray stone and a window when Cragg let go of her. Or maybe she twisted out of his grip. She couldn¡¯t tell. Abbee collapsed onto a hard stone floor and vomited all over it.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Cragg said. ¡°All the receiving rooms around here are blocked. I had to take short hops to get here. I never had stable tandem warps to begin with, so it¡¯s no knock against you to react badly to five in a row.¡±

    Abbee threw up again. One more heave, dry this time. She stayed on the floor until she was sure her stomach had calmed down. She spat out acid-tasting spittle and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

    Abbee sat back on her heels and looked around. They were in a big room with a long wooden table and benches. Skylights in the ceiling brought down sunlight, and a bank of low, long windows occupied one wall. The other side had plaster from floor to ceiling. The room was otherwise bare of decoration.

    ¡°Where are we? Where did you take me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Cragg said. ¡°You¡¯re in a safe place. This is the wizards¡¯ enclave in Veronna.¡±

    ¡°The enclave?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°I thought that was closed. Nobody can get in.¡±

    ¡°Nobody but a wizard,¡± Cragg corrected. ¡°And anybody a wizard brings along for the ride. There¡¯s nobody else here. Just you and me, and that¡¯s it. Don¡¯t worry. The hunters can¡¯t get in here.¡± He grimaced. ¡°They¡¯ll have some hard questions, though, when they realize where your tag is pointing them. But you¡¯re safe.¡±

    ¡°What about Emma?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°She¡¯s a wizard, right? Can she¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Cragg said, shaking his head. He fished a small stone disk out of his pocket. ¡°You need one of these to get in.¡± He put the disk away. ¡°Or be touching someone who has one.¡±

    ¡°Kai said he never taught her to warp. Did you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Cragg said. ¡°We¡¯ve not met in person. We only communicated via illusion anchor.¡±

    ¡°Where did she learn how to warp, then?¡±

    Cragg shrugged. ¡°Well, sometimes acolytes warp when under severe emotional duress. It¡¯s dangerous, and people usually die in the process by warping into solid objects. Emma must have studied how to do it before now. Either that, or she¡¯s incredibly lucky. She was warping a lot. Don¡¯t worry. Even if she did manage to warp in here, the enclave reacts poorly to intruders.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like this place is alive.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not. It just has a lot of protective wards.¡± Cragg looked at the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯ve had it to myself for years.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to have company for once.¡±

    Abbee clambered to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m not staying.¡± She considered the wizard. Still no threat outline. ¡°But since we¡¯re no longer in the middle of an earthquake, tell me what¡¯s so important about this message rod.¡±

    ¡°May I?¡± Cragg asked.

    ¡°I want your word that if I give this to you, and you can¡¯t open it, you¡¯ll give it back.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Cragg said. ¡°You have my word.¡± He gave her a quizzical look. ¡°If you can¡¯t open it, why do you keep it?¡±

    ¡°I ¡­ I don¡¯t know. Ipsu wanted me to give it to someone, but he died before he could say their name.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re in luck, because that person is me.¡±

    Abbee remembered his earlier threat. He could turn her inside out and just take the message rod. She had no choice. None whatsoever. Worst case, Cragg couldn¡¯t open it, and best case, it was meant for him, and she¡¯d finally find out what was in it. Abbee pulled on the cuirass¡¯s tabs, and the armor came loose. She popped the buckles for her jobs case and swung it around her midriff. It was a little uncomfortable under the cuirass. She worked the straps loose, opened the case, and was about to fish around inside for the message rod when she remembered the traced gems. Abbee stepped over to the table and, with her back to Cragg, pushed the contents of her jobs case out onto the weathered surface. Gems spilled out. The message rod came out. So did the quartz-tipped stick. She picked that up and put it back but left all the gems on the table. She closed her jobs case and spun it back around, then tightened the cuirass again. She picked up the rod and turned around to face Cragg. Hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this.¡±

    Cragg held out his hand. ¡°I promise I will not.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll share what¡¯s on it? Here on the table?¡±

    It was Cragg¡¯s turn to hesitate. ¡°Fine.¡±

    Abbee gestured at the table. ¡°And when you¡¯re done, you can remove the trace on those gems.¡±

    ¡°Or I can take them back,¡± Cragg said, ¡°since they¡¯re not yours.¡±

    ¡°Payment for holding on to this message rod this entire time,¡± Abbee said. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you have a lot more and won¡¯t miss them.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Cragg held out his hand. ¡°The rod?¡±

    Abbee pushed the rod into Cragg¡¯s open hand. The wizard grabbed the cork and twisted it free. Abbee couldn¡¯t believe it. Cragg had been telling the truth. Ipsu had carried something meant for Cragg. Hurt and nausea roiled her stomach.

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± she whispered. ¡°He ¡­ in Joor, he knew?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t know,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Well, he knew I¡¯d test you, but he didn¡¯t know the method. He was furious with me. Used language I¡¯d never heard before coming from him, including some obscure swear words that Kivan deepwater sailors say.¡±

    Abbee stared at him. Kai had been right about Ipsu. She put a hand out on the table to steady herself. Ipsu. She¡¯d kept his memory alive all this time, thinking he¡¯d always looked out for her, but it was his fault. His fault she¡¯d endured torture. His fault she¡¯d been forced to kill people. Children. All because of Ipsu. She couldn¡¯t believe it. Her time in the woods with him, her training, the running, the sparring, listening to his teaching every night at the campfire, she¡¯d thought he¡¯d been preparing her for something. All her life, preparing¡ªand to find out now, after all this time, that he¡¯d been dressing her for slaughter. She felt sorrow and anger and hopelessness all at once. Felt sick with betrayal. She felt things she¡¯d sworn to never let herself feel ever again. Tears leaped unbidden to her eyes, and Abbee let out a gasping sob.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Easy now. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not okay,¡± Abbee snarled. Ipsu had been working with Cragg all along. The man who¡¯d saved her from a mover pit, been a better father to her than Kril Danner ever had, who¡¯d protected her when she couldn¡¯t and trained her to survive any conditions, that man had betrayed her at every level. Abbee felt like she was about to explode. ¡°He gave me to you. He¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to read what¡¯s in here?¡± Cragg asked, holding up the uncorked message rod. ¡°Going to be difficult if you¡ª¡±

    ¡°If I was so interesting to you, then why did you leave me in Graywall?¡±

    Cragg blinked. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t know¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Abbee snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. I overheard you that first night. You were talking to some woman. You told her not to run any tests. You knew exactly where I was. You could¡¯ve done anything to me in Graywall, but you didn¡¯t. I never saw you again until today. Why leave me there?¡±

    Cragg shrugged. ¡°For safekeeping.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the reason I was moved to that special wing,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Yes. You were supposed to stay there a lot longer, though. Your friend Parn Trippers let you out early.¡±

    Abbee flinched. ¡°Don¡¯t ever call that man my friend.¡± She frowned. ¡°Wait, was it his idea? Twenty-three years was such an odd ¡­ It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± She stepped forward. ¡°It ¡­ You. You¡¯re the reason I was stuck in Graywall for so long. You¡ª¡±

    Cragg shrugged again. ¡°Like I said, safe¡ª¡±

    Abbee screamed in reckless rage. Tingly pinpricks dotted her skin all over, and mote spat from her wrists.

    Cragg vanished with a thunderous crack and reappeared at the other end of the room. The wizard shivered and shook out his arms. He let out an uneasy whoop. ¡°That smarts.¡±

    Abbee drew in a ragged breath and slumped onto the bench beside her. She exhaled just as raggedly. She felt out of control. An image of Emma screeching like an unhinged lunatic flickered through her head. Abbee didn¡¯t like feeling like that. It was unprofessional. She felt ridiculous. Yes, Ipsu had taught her, but Abbee was the one who¡¯d practiced resilience in the face of unyielding pressure. Abbee was the one who¡¯d survived all this time on her own. She¡¯d done that. By herself. Abbee sighed. She again wished Ipsu were still alive, so she could confront him. The worst thing he¡¯d ever done was die before she had found closure. Well, he¡¯s not coming back, so I¡¯d better get it together. Abbee exhaled, long and slow.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Cragg asked.

    ¡°Yes. Come back down here and show me that message.¡± When Cragg hesitated, Abbee added, ¡°I¡¯m okay, I promise. We¡¯re not done talking about Graywall, but I want to know what Ipsu thought was worth dying over.¡±

    Cragg muttered something under his breath and walked back over to Abbee. He stopped a couple of meters away and arched a brow at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Abbee said. She gestured at the table. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Cragg tipped the rod into his hand. A single roll of paper slid out. Cragg went to the table and smoothed out the paper in front of Abbee. She peered over his shoulder and recognized Ipsu¡¯s horrible penmanship.

    He keeps it in his pocket.

    Cragg breathed a curse. Repeated it in a louder voice. ¡°This is¡ª¡± He turned the paper over, looked at the blank back side, and slapped it back down on the table. ¡°Twelve years, and this is all¡ªdammit!¡±

    ¡°What does it mean?¡± Abbee asked. ¡°Is it about¡ª¡±

    Cragg answered by warping away with a thunderous boom. Abbee stared where the wizard had stood. She blinked. He¡¯d left her here. Where¡ª

    Cragg reappeared with another ear-shattering crack.

    Abbee rubbed her ears to clear the ringing. ¡°Will you stop¡ª¡±

    ¡°I need you,¡± Cragg said, putting his hand on Abbee¡¯s arm.

    Abbee¡¯s throat still felt raw from vomiting. ¡°Wait¡ª¡±

    The world shifted again.

 Chapter 41

    The world blinked five times before Cragg let go of Abbee¡¯s arm. She pitched forward into a snowbank and dry heaved. Abbee knelt there until her belly stopped lurching. The snow felt cool on her skin. Her temperature regulation kept the biting cold away, but the snow still melted on her spittle and stuck to her face. She registered thunder somewhere nearby. A lot of it. Crackling and sizzling and flashing lights. The ground trembled beneath her.

    ¡°Get up,¡± Cragg ordered. ¡°I need your help.¡±

    Abbee wiped her face and staggered to her feet. Her legs buckled and she swayed. Cragg grabbed her around the waist and held her up. Abbee stiffened at the contact and pushed him away. Hard. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±

    Cragg let go, holding his hands out as Abbee found her footing. He dropped them and stepped away to climb a short, snowcapped hill. He stopped at the top. Light flashed from the other side, illuminating the low clouds overhead, followed by rolling thunder. Abbee followed, managing to walk up the hill without stumbling.

    The scene in the valley below was chaos. The shattered ground was pockmarked with fresh fissures and blackened craters. On the far side, Abbee recognized the mountain she and Kai had landed on after their descent out of the sky. Or what was left of it. The top was missing. Kai and Emma flickered back and forth in a sea of wreckage, trading warp booms and blasts of crackling energy in equal amounts. A dozen House soldiers lay scattered around the field, broken and bloodied, red sashes fluttering in the wind.

    Every few moments, a blast of sickly orange light erupted from Emma, only to hit empty air as Kai warped away. Everything the light touched vanished as if scrubbed out by a giant eraser. Kai answered with blizzards of black darts. The darts pummeled a shield around Emma, thudding into it and exploding on contact. Every few volleys, Emma¡¯s shield shattered and re-formed. As Abbee watched the stalemate from her vantage point, she got the sense that Kai was holding back.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to throw you down there,¡± Cragg said.

    ¡°You¡¯re ¡­ what? No.¡±

    ¡°Emma¡¯s using death magic,¡± Cragg said, gesturing at the latest blast of orange light from Emma. ¡°And it¡¯s not exhausting her. She¡¯s used it four times since we got here. If I did that, I¡¯d be on my knees, gasping for air.¡±

    ¡°So? I¡¯m not¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t risk Emma hitting Kai with it. He¡¯s not using lethal force. I¡¯ve seen at least three openings Emma has exposed, and he¡¯s not exploiting them. I get it¡ªhe doesn¡¯t want to kill his daughter¡ªbut if she breaks through his defenses, nothing¡¯ll be left of him. I need you to distract her long enough for me to kill her.¡±

    Abbee dropped back into a defensive stance out of grabbing range. ¡°I¡¯m not going down there. I¡¯m not dying for whatever it is you and Ipsu were looking for. I don¡¯t care how important you think it is.¡±

    Cragg stepped toward her, and Abbee backed up to match.

    The wizard snarled in frustration. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. You can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Abbee said, gesturing at Emma. ¡°I¡¯ve never been hit with that kind of magic.¡±

    As Abbee pointed, Emma landed a glancing blow on Kai¡¯s shield. It shattered into a million glittering fragments. Emma shrieked in triumph. She took a step forward. Hatred and fury twisted her face as she thrust both arms out at her father. A wave of orange light hurtled at Kai. He threw himself to the side. The light hit him and annihilated his right arm at the shoulder.

    Kai dropped to his knees, stricken. He tried to stand, staggered, and collapsed.

    Emma¡¯s magic died. Her hands flew to her mouth, and even from this distance, Abbee saw horror on her face. Emma stepped toward Kai. Stopped. She shook her head in disbelief, and with a cry of despair, she warped away with a thunderous crack.

    ¡°Strange way to react to winning,¡± Abbee said.

    Cragg warped away from the hilltop. He reappeared down in the valley, near where Kai had fallen. Abbee stuck her fingers in her ears to ease the ringing. She wished wizards would stop warping right next to her.

    Abbee looked south. The afternoon sun illuminated the portal frame on its own hilltop. She guessed it would take her twenty minutes to get there. Twenty minutes to freedom from wizards and their mayhem. She looked back and saw Cragg kneeling, half-hidden behind a rock. She assumed he was searching Kai. Maybe he¡¯d find what he was looking for. Abbee wondered what was worth Ipsu abandoning her in Akken after the worst ordeal of her life. She sighed. She wanted to know what was so important that Ipsu had spent twelve years looking for it. She took another look at the portal, muttered a curse, and turned toward the valley.

    When Abbee reached Cragg, he was rifling through Kai¡¯s pockets. And swearing. Lots of swearing. He pulled out random objects and tossed them aside. Some of them were far too big for a single pocket.

    Emma¡¯s death magic had cauterized Kai¡¯s flesh. His right arm and most of his shoulder were gone. There was surprisingly little blood on the ground around his body.

    ¡°Is he dead?¡± Abbee asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Cragg answered.

    ¡°Huh. Tough old bastard.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, he¡¯d have died if I hadn¡¯t gotten here,¡± Cragg said. ¡°I¡¯ve put him into stasis until I ¡­¡± He trailed off as he pulled a short sword out of Kai¡¯s pocket. It was half a meter in length, and its scabbard was covered with strange runes. The runes glowed a faint blue. ¡°So that¡¯s where this went.¡± He tried to balance it on his knees, but it kept sliding off. He handed it to Abbee. ¡°Here, hold on to this.¡±

    Abbee inspected the sword as Cragg continued to search Kai¡¯s robes. It was lighter than steel but unbalanced enough to drag the point down as Abbee gripped the handle with one hand. The sword¡¯s hilt was shaped oddly too, with four stubby prongs curving downward toward the handle. Wondering if she¡¯d see a red glow, Abbee tried to expose the blade. It didn¡¯t budge. She peered at the scabbard and saw a tab of some sort at the top. She pressed it and pulled on the hilt again. The blade popped up a few centimeters. The brightest white light she¡¯d ever seen flashed out, blinding her. Pain seared Abbee¡¯s palm. She caught a whiff of scorched meat. She tried to drop the sword, but it had fused to her hand.

    ¡°Gah!¡± Cragg yelped. ¡°Put that away!¡±

    Abbee pushed the sword back into its scabbard. The tab made an audible click, and the blade¡¯s light died. She hissed in pain as she pried her hand from the hilt, her burnt flesh sticking in places as new skin formed beneath. Abbee blinked several times to get her vision to return to normal. When she could finally see again, she found Cragg staring at her in astonishment.

    ¡°What is this thing?¡±

    ¡°Something I asked you to hold, not play with.¡± Cragg regarded her for another long moment. ¡°Fascinating.¡± He went back to searching. ¡°This is taking too long, and I can¡¯t risk Emma coming back.¡± He gestured, and the littered items on the ground rose up and coalesced into a shifting ball over Kai¡¯s inert body. Cragg put his free hand on Kai¡¯s leg. ¡°Wait here.¡±

    ¡°Hang on¡ª¡±

    Cragg vanished with a crack, taking Kai and his loot with him.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Abbee looked around at the empty, broken valley. She assumed Cragg had taken Kai to the enclave, and since she was holding this strange sword, she also assumed he¡¯d come back. Still, it took a long time. She felt exposed out here. If Emma returned, all Abbee would have to protect herself was a blinding blade and a bunch of rocks.

    A loud boom sounded behind her, and Abbee jumped. She whirled around and almost pulled the sword out again.

    It was Cragg. He held out his hand. ¡°Ready?¡±

    Abbee drew a deep breath, steeling herself for another round of throwing up. ¡°No, but okay.¡±

    Cragg put his hand on her arm, and the world shifted five times. Abbee caught a glimpse of a room with beds before she was on her knees, staring at a polished stone floor and retching. Her stomach was empty, but her body didn¡¯t care. She lost track of time while she dry heaved.

    Her stomach eventually calmed. Abbee rocked back on her heels, still holding the sword, and looked around.

    A dozen beds lined each windowless wall, with an open doorway at either end of the long room. Next to each door was a sink and counter space covered in cubbies, jars, and bins. It reminded Abbee of Whimsy¡¯s infirmary in the Yard District Precinct. She wondered what interesting things she¡¯d find stocked in a wizard infirmary.

    Abbee climbed to her feet and found Kai on the nearest bed. Cragg was bent over him, yanking random items out of the wizard¡¯s deep pockets. Cases, pouches, and satchels joined a growing pile on the adjacent bed. Glass bottles filled with glowing liquid went onto the shelf above the headboard. The pile grew until it overflowed the bed, and Cragg was putting things on the floor.

    ¡°I¡¯m still on the first pocket,¡± the wizard complained. ¡°This is going to take forever.¡±

    Abbee remembered Kai putting things into his robe, back at his house in Akken. ¡°Kai said something about it, about the pockets. There¡¯s a flaw, I think.¡±

    ¡°What? What flaw?¡±

    ¡°He said if you put too many things in, they would ¡®overrun the buffer.¡¯ Or maybe ¡®overflow.¡¯ Something like that.¡±

    Cragg blinked. ¡°Wait, really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what he said. ¡®Overrun the buffer.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll try it.¡±

    Cragg stood up and held open the pocket he¡¯d been emptying. He gestured with his free hand, and the items scattered around him rose off the bed and floor. One by one, they whizzed back into Kai¡¯s pocket. All except the golden vials. Cragg looked around the room and gestured. Bins and bottles flew off the shelves and into Kai¡¯s robes. Bedding off all the beds. The beds themselves wrenched apart with screams of tortured metal. All vanished into Kai¡¯s pockets. Cragg stopped when the room was bare.

    ¡°Hmm, I guess I¡¯ll have to ¡­¡±

    Something was happening to Kai¡¯s clothes. All his pockets bulged as if full. The cloth rippled and jumped. Abbee heard a low rumble coming from Kai.

    Cragg backed up. ¡°I think we want to¡ª¡±

    Abbee and Cragg staggered back as Kai and his bed disappeared under an avalanche of random objects. It was as if the contents of a giant curiosity shop had suddenly materialized in the infirmary. Bedding and bed frames came out first, rocketing out and banging off the ceiling and walls. Pieces of a headboard whizzed past Abbee¡¯s head. She retreated through the nearest doorway. Magical lights in the ceiling came on, illuminating another empty infirmary.

    Cragg disappeared with a warp boom and reappeared in the same room as Abbee.

    ¡°How much is in there?¡± she shouted over the jangling din.

    Cragg shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re about to find out.¡±

    Bags and pouches fountained up out of Kai and tumbled down a growing hillock. At one point, several small kegs were jettisoned. One of them bounced past Abbee and knocked into a bed frame behind her. It burst open, and amber liquid splashed out onto the floor. Abbee caught a whiff of strong alcohol. ¡°That smells like Kivan whiskey.¡±

    Cragg bent down and put his finger in it. He stuck his finger in his mouth. Gave an appreciative nod. ¡°Good stuff, too.¡±

    Abbee couldn¡¯t see Kai anymore. ¡°Will he be okay under all that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cragg said. ¡°He¡¯s in stasis. You could drop a boulder on him, and he¡¯d be fine.¡±

    ¡°Can you heal him?¡±

    Cragg shook his head. ¡°The only person I¡¯ve ever seen regrow limbs is you.¡±

    Abbee shot him a look full of violence. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. Aside from his shoulder, will he survive?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Cragg said, shrugging. ¡°I need someone to look at him first.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Cragg stared at something over Abbee¡¯s shoulder. His eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    The wizard walked through the pool of whiskey and past Abbee, wading into the small mountain of objects. The flow of things slowed down. Cragg clambered over the pile and pushed aside a saddle, of all things.

    ¡°Aha!¡± he shouted. ¡°Finally.¡±

    The wizard half staggered, half fell down the pile back toward Abbee. He walked past her, cradling an object in both hands, and sat down on one of the beds. He balanced his hands on his knees. Abbee came over to get a good look. Cragg held a small stone tablet. It had strange designs etched on the sides, and a round emerald poked up from the top. Abbee frowned. She glanced at the sword in her grip. The runes on the scabbard and the etching on the stone tablet looked the same.

    ¡°This is why Ipsu left you behind,¡± Cragg said, hefting the strange brick. ¡°He went to find this.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The key to everything,¡± Cragg said.

    Abbee waited for him to elaborate, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯re being vague again.¡±

    Cragg looked up and met Abbee¡¯s gaze. His expression turned considering. ¡°I need your help.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Abbee said, shaking her head. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ve had enough of wizards, thank you, and more than enough of you. I¡¯ve not forgotten what you did to me. How about you tell me what that¡¯s for? And then I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Go where?¡± Cragg countered. ¡°The hunters have a tag on you. They¡¯ll find you wherever you try to run. If you stay, I can protect you.¡±

    ¡°I find that idea extremely offensive,¡± Abbee told him. ¡°You tortured me, made me kill people, and now you want me to forget about it? Help you, even? No. You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t try to kill you with this burning sword. Something tells me you¡¯d have a hard time defending yourself against it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a sword,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Well, it looks like one, but it¡¯s not.¡± He gave her a half smile. ¡°The fact that you exposed the blade and didn¡¯t immediately explode tells me¡ª¡±

    Abbee sucked in a breath. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me it was dangerous. You should have warned me.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re safe,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Abbee, I need your help. The world needs your help. If I¡¯m successful, the hunters won¡¯t be able to hurt you. They won¡¯t be able to hurt anybody.¡±

    Abbee frowned. ¡°Still going on with the very vague things.¡±

    She hated it, but Cragg was right. She had nowhere to go. If the hunters could find her anywhere, holing up in Veronna¡¯s wizards¡¯ enclave, a place they apparently couldn¡¯t enter, didn¡¯t seem like the worst idea in the world. She tried to ignore the idea that she¡¯d be stuck in here for a year. With Cragg.

    ¡°Answer two questions,¡± she said.

    ¡°Only two?¡±

    ¡°To start.¡± Abbee took a deep breath. ¡°When Ipsu found me in the mover pit all those years ago, was that random?¡±

    Cragg shook his head. ¡°No. You were a fortunate side effect of the golems.¡± He smiled. A genuine, warm grin. ¡°You¡¯re the best thing that¡¯s happened in a long while. A very long while.¡±

    Abbee planned on finding out where all of Cragg¡¯s gems had come from, and if there were more of them. ¡°Second question.¡± She gestured at the stone tablet. ¡°What¡¯s that thing for? And don¡¯t be vague. Tell me the truth.¡±

    Cragg drew a deep breath and exhaled. ¡°It¡¯s part of a machine, built a long time ago and never used. Some thought the machine was a weapon. Others believed it a way to create a superhuman. Technically, both are possible, but that¡¯s not its true purpose. We had to hide the machine¡¯s purpose from its builders. We even tricked the person who designed it¡ªshe had no idea what it was really for.¡±

    ¡°Which is?¡±

    ¡°To break an ancient stalemate and make the world truly safe. Finally.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being vague again,¡± Abbee said.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Cragg said. ¡°Force of habit. If the machine is used on the right day in eleven years, at exactly the right moment, it will destroy a very old, very dangerous being. Probably.¡±

    Abbee squinted at him. She couldn¡¯t tell if he was being truthful or not. He sounded sincere, but everything he¡¯d said sounded insane. The eleven-years bit, however, also coincided with the next Miracle Day in Joor. The monastery. Abbee knew that this had to do with the monastery. ¡°Probably?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s never been tried before, but the theory is sound.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now. Please stay. I need your help to secure the machine.¡±

    Abbee wondered why Cragg Rawley, a wizard, and quite possibly a monastery wizard, needed her help to do anything. ¡°Where is this machine?¡±

    ¡°Here in Veronna. So not far. Please, stay. You could be the key to everything. I¡¯ll make it worth your time. I can teach you how to control your latent.¡±

    Abbee wanted that a great deal. She hated causing pain to people who didn¡¯t deserve it. She hadn¡¯t completely ruled out the possibility that she was low-level stealing life just by walking through a crowd. Learning her own limits was worth a few days at least.

    Abbee sat down on the bed opposite Cragg. Spread her fingers out, feeling the soft cloth. It felt good to sit. She glanced at the tablet in the wizard¡¯s hands. Besides her latent, Abbee wanted to know if this story about a grand machine was true. Wanted to know if the tablet had been worth Ipsu spending twelve years in a stuffy basement with a crazy old wizard and his even crazier daughter. But most of all, she wanted to know who Cragg was and why he¡¯d done what he had to her. She¡¯d do something permanent to him if she caught a whiff of betrayal. Wizard or not, she¡¯d find a way.

    Cragg arched a brow. ¡°Your threat outline has made some alarming oscillations while we¡¯ve been talking.¡±

    ¡°Can you blame me?¡±

    ¡°No. Just making an observation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± Abbee held up her finger. ¡°But I¡¯ve got a long list of demands. The first one is a deal-breaker, so get ready.¡±

    Cragg¡¯s expression grew suspicious. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Have you got satin sheets?¡±

 Chapter 42: Epilogue

    Parn Trippers watched gray rain sift down over Akken and ignored the droning voice behind him. A fire burning in a nearby hearth warmed his back, while a draft from the tall, narrow window cooled his face. Parn had gazed out of this window hundreds of times since becoming councilor, but the view never made him comfortable. Akken had been rebuilt from the ground up and hadn¡¯t returned the same. At least the rooftops were still the old red slate, but the skyline was wrong.

    ¡°¡­ and grain shipments are up forty percent this year,¡± intoned Marto Carono, Akken¡¯s economic adviser.

    Parn found the whirlwind of figures that came with running a city mind-numbingly boring. He wasn¡¯t cut out for this, but he¡¯d learned over the years that all he had to do was appear interested. ¡°Forty percent?¡± Parn echoed, still watching the rain and paying little attention. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°It is, my lord,¡± Marto said. ¡°The new wheat from the university has improved yields. What¡¯s more, adding it to a winter rotation has ¡­¡±

    Parn tuned out again. Marto reminded Parn of one of his old schoolteachers, Miss Visee. Her primary contribution to the education of the masses was inducing naps right after lunch. Parn returned to watching the rain. It was coming down harder when Marto finished his report. The wind had picked up, driving big drops against the window.

    ¡°Thank you, Marto,¡± Sera Togrim said. ¡°We look forward to your next report.¡±

    Parn disagreed but didn¡¯t say anything. When the big double doors at the other end of the room closed behind Marto, Parn turned away from the window and looked at the table in the middle of the room. Four chairs at the table. More lined the walls. All empty save one.

    Sera Togrim sat at the head of the table, massaging her eyes with one hand. Jewels on rings and on her wrist glittered in the firelight. She wore a fine dress with a thick woolen shawl to ward off the cold. She was in her sixties but looked ninety. She had pushed her chair back to stand up when the door opened again.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Lorry, the Akken Council¡¯s clerk and primary protector of the Council¡¯s attention span, poked his head in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lady, my lord. I know you¡¯re done for the day, but there¡¯s a man out here who says he needs to see you. It¡¯s of the utmost urgency, he says. Do you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Parn said, excited for something interesting today. ¡°Show him in, please.¡±

    Sera sighed but nodded. ¡°Fine. One more. But this is it, Lorry.¡±

    Lorry nodded. ¡°Of course, my lady.¡±

    He opened the door wider and admitted a man dressed in plain working clothes. The man had his hat tucked under one arm. Parn recognized the deep green wool of a golem pilot. A fellow refractor.

    ¡°My lady, my lord,¡± the man said. He made an awkward bow. ¡°Thank you for seeing me on short notice.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Sera asked, her tone making it clear that it had better be significant.

    ¡°It¡¯s Brom, you see,¡± the man said. ¡°He¡¯s dead. He was a caretaker of that big monument up on the plateau.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Parn said. ¡°Did you know him?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯d not seen him in a long time. But I knew him, and when I heard about it, I went to pay my respects before they cremated the bastard.¡±

    ¡°Bastard?¡± Parn asked.

    ¡°Yeah, he was a right old prick¡ªpardon the language. I wanted to kick his corpse one last time for getting my baby sister¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why is this important?¡± Sera demanded.

    ¡°It was how he looked, my lady,¡± the man said. ¡°Brom looked a hundred years old. I asked around, and all the caretakers are like that. His body was old.¡±

    Sera arched a brow. ¡°And? We all look a bit silver¡ª¡±

    ¡°My lady, me and Brom went to school together. He¡¯s my age.¡±

    Parn stared at him. The man couldn¡¯t have been older than forty.

    Sera sucked in a breath. She lifted her hands off the table and looked at them. ¡°She¡¯s alive. That little monster is still alive. She¡¯s in the plateau. She¡¯s been there this entire time.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s alive?¡± the man asked.

    A pit formed in Parn¡¯s stomach. This wasn¡¯t exciting. This was dangerous.

    Sera put her hands down and looked at Parn, her eyes hard. ¡°I¡¯ve been up to the plateau dozens of times. How much more did she take?¡± Parn couldn¡¯t be sure but knew Sera well enough to stay his tongue. ¡°She¡¯s ¡­ This is¡ª¡± Sera slapped her hand on the table. ¡°I¡¯m putting her down, once and for all.¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Lorry.¡±

    The door opened and Lorry appeared. ¡°My lady? What¡ª¡±

    ¡°Send for Imara. Tell her I want every golem she can get her hands on. Tell her she¡¯s getting her wish. We¡¯re excavating the Tower basements.¡±

    Parn wished for boredom again. He¡¯d not get it. Nobody would. Vani Brattle was still alive, and Sera Togrim was about to tear the plateau apart to find her.