As her skill and eccentricity grew, Baron’s guards became increasingly uncomfortable to be around her, with the exception of Rat. Finally, Baron just ordered him to look after her at all hours, so he dragged his mattress into the great room.
Kala crept down from her nest to watch him sleep. He looked less dangerous as he slept, and it calmed her.
After several long moments, he rolled over, telling her, “Go back to sleep. You’re interrupting my beauty rest.”
Kala snorted but complied and climbed back up to her nest.
Rat brought throwing daggers to her next lesson. This pleased her for reasons that she couldn’t recall, and she grinned like a fool staring at them. He set up an array of targets and had her throw the daggers at them from all conceivable angles and positions. He taught her how to put her entire weight behind a throw but still do so blindingly fast. Kala’s shoulders ached from the strain, but she was a natural.
“You’re fast, but I’m faster,” he told her.
“It’s not a contest,” she quipped.
His stare burned holes through her. “It sure as hell could be,” he said and left her to practice on her own. She threw until her whole body throbbed.
Baron wandered in and collapsed into his throne, munching on a pastry. “How’s my weapon today?” he asked.
In less time than it took him to blink, she’d ringed his head with a circle of daggers.
“Deadly, I see,” he said, smiled wanly, and wandered out of the room.
Kala was perched in her nest when Baron entered, followed by an unfamiliar looking young man, who was flanked by his own scary-looking guards. Rat followed at a casual distance and took up a position near the door.
The boy stopped at the base of the dais, while Baron climbed onto it, lifted his crown off the chair, flopped down, and adjusted it on his head.
The boy rolled his eyes. “You promised me kor,” he began. “I even followed you to your little hidey-hole for it… now, where is it?” he demanded.
“I’ve an even better surprise for you,” Baron replied.
“This is bullshit. I’m not to be trifled with. My father is the richest man in town,” he protested, and his guards edged forward menacingly.
Baron muttered, “You wouldn’t be here if he weren’t,” and stretched lazily in his chair. Then he said to the air, “Birdy, could you come down here a moment?”
Kala dropped onto the dais from the darkness above clad in her black leathers, startling the boy and his guards. She pulled back her hood and shook her dark hair free. She turned her attention back to the boy and pierced him with a cool stare.
Baron chuckled. “Say hello to my friend here,” he said and waved her toward the boy.
Kala sashayed up to the youth until her face was just a hair’s breadth from his.
The boy swallowed. His guards stiffened and looked down to see one of Kala’s daggers in each of their stomachs. She leaned in and kissed the boy’s forehead, then twisted her blades. The guards collapsed.
The boy stepped back into Rat’s vice-like grip.
“Now, where were we?” Baron began again.
Kala stalked off.
I am Raven. I am a weapon. I am death.
18
Kala
Baron summoned Rat and Kala.
“Time to earn your keep, you two,” he said. “Rat, you’re familiar with Tito’s operation?”
“Of course. He runs a crew out of the brothel across town.”
“I want the two of you to shut down his interference in my business.”
Rat knew that in reality, it was Baron who was increasingly encroaching on Tito’s territory, not the other way around, but he just nodded and accepted the assignment.
Baron exited, leaving Kala and Rat to formulate a plan.
Rat sat on the floor. “Tito never leaves his lair, and it’s a veritable fortress, so we’ll need to scout it before we strike.”
Kala wandered over to water her flowers while Rat began thinking out loud.
“We can’t go in armed because if we get caught, and it looks like we’re there to cause trouble, it won’t go well for us. Tito has twice the men we have, and they know what they’re doing. So, we’ll play it subtle instead. Baron uses me for ‘discreet’ jobs, so I’m not well known in this town, and you’re a complete unknown, so we have that going for us.”
Kala finished watering her flowers and sat down beside Rat.
“Tito’s office is on the top floor above the tavern and the floor where he keeps the girls,” Rat told her.
“Keeps the girls?”
“It’s a brothel, so yeah. We can expect guards at the entrances and exits, but if we look like we’re just there for a drink, getting inside probably won’t be that hard. The real challenge will be getting up to take a look at Tito’s office.”
“If it’s on the top floor, wouldn’t it be easier just to get in from the roof?”
“You’d think, but there are no windows on the top floor. The only way up is a central staircase that’s well watched. I don’t even think a diversion would work. We’d need a reason to be there, so we might need to improvise one. For now, let’s just scout the main floor and figure it out from there. Meet you back here at dusk?”
Kala nodded and turned to go.
“Oh, and one last thing. Go see Marija and tell her that you need to be made up for a date.”
Kala had never been on a date in her life, but she altered course to hunt down Marija. Kala found her chatting with some of the girls in Baron’s employ. She watched Kala march up and shook her head.
“What?” asked Kala.
“You’ll never attract a man with a walk like that. Slow down. Take your time. Create expectations.”
“I’m not trying to attract a man.”
“I can see that,” she replied, taking in Kala’s utilitarian leathers, “although I’ll give you this… tight is good. You’ve got that figured out.”
Kala reddened, partly from embarrassment and partly from annoyance over being judged about her manner of dress.
Marija took her by the hand, “Let’s see what we can do with you.”
Rat was waiting impatiently by the fire in the great room when Kala appeared. She walked in slowly, wearing a tight-fitting black dress with a plunging neckline and high heels that shaped her muscled legs. Rat was shocked. He looked her over, and all he could manage to say was, “Wow.” Then it struck him – “This is a problem.”
Kala smoothed her dress, subconsciously trying to puzzle out what was wrong.
“No one will believe that you’d be out with me.”
“Why not?”
Rat gestured at her, “You’re gorgeous. What would a guy like me be doing with the likes of you?”
Kala blushed and countered, “Maybe you’re rich.”
“I don’t radiate that kind of arrogance.”
Kala raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t start.”
“Maybe you’re well endowed?”
“Maybe I am, but the point isn’t to draw attention to yourself by making people wonder what you’ve got going on beneath your clothes.” Rat waved at her outfit, “You, on the other hand, leave nothing to the imagination.”
Kala was about to protest, but Rat cut her off. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Hell, I love it. I just think you’re going to be all kinds of distracting. Although maybe that means I’ll go unnoticed.”
“You’re attractive,” Kala tried to assure him.
“Thanks. Real vote of confidence there.”
“Seriously. If you didn’t keep hitting me with sticks, I’d date you.”
Now it was Rat’s turn to be at a loss for words.
Kala stepped forward and smoothed his hair back. “You look great. Relax.”
Rat didn’t seem convinced, but you had to play the hand you were dealt, so he just sighed and offered her his arm. She took it, and they headed out on their first date.
They walked a circuitous p
ath around the town to obscure any sense of where they’d come from. They loitered on a bridge that spanned the canal that cut through the town. Kala looked over the railing into the water.
“This is a great idea – to build a way across so you don’t have to get wet,” she marveled.
Rat looked at her with mild amusement.
She turned to face him. “What do I call you?” she asked. “I can’t very well call you Rat in public.”
“Good point.”
“So, what’s your real name?”
“Ever since an airship dumped me in this gods-forsaken town and Baron took me in, I haven’t been able to remember my life before. When I’m not doing his dirty work, I like to think of myself as Hawke,” he admitted.
“That sounds much loftier than Rat.”
“Very funny. How about you? What should I call you if not ‘little bird’?”
“Call me Raven.”
“Well, that’s subtle.”
“Ravyn with a ‘y’ then.”
“Shut up. That’s still Raven. Oh well, I can work with that. We’re just a couple of birds out on the town.”
Rat, aka Hawke, took Kala, aka Raven, by the arm and guided her toward Tito’s tavern/brothel. Their closeness afforded them the luxury of silent communication. She patted his arm twice while gazing at the two guards standing at the entrance. She dug her nails into his arm to subtly indicate that the men were armed, and Rat caught his breath. He applied pressure with his hand on the small of her back to direct her where to look and what to look for. It was all very effective and very intimate.
They strolled between the guards. Kala puffed out her chest and smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of her bodice. Rat was right that no one paid him a moment’s notice.
They sat down at a table against the wall and Rat gestured for a serving girl to bring them something to drink. With a hand on each other’s leg, they continued their silent conversation about the security in the room. Rat counted eight guards, but beyond that, every employee of the establishment also seemed vigilant about its goings-on. There would be no way they could waltz up the central staircase unnoticed.
As the evening wore on, men filled up the bar, and working girls came down the stairs and began circulating around the room. The men bought them drinks, and the girls enticed them upstairs.
Kala motioned to a passing girl with smoky eyes and rouged lips. When she came over, Kala whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened, but she nodded. Kala took her hand and began walking toward the stairs. When Rat sat dumbfounded, she turned to him. “Coming?” she asked playfully.
Rat downed his drink, rose, and followed. Kala put one arm around him and her other around the girl, low on her waist. Every eye followed them up the stairs, but no one stopped them.
The girl led them down the second-floor hallway. Kala and Rat noted the position of the guards as they went. The girl opened a door and led them into a room that was dominated by an enormous bed, closing the door behind them.
“What’s your name?” Rat asked her.
“What would you like it to be?” she replied coyly.
“Let’s put the games aside for the moment, shall we? What’s your name?”
“Amber,” she replied, slightly irritated that this was not quite going as she’d expected.
“Amber. Pretty name. What do we owe you, Amber?”
“We’ll settle up after.”
“No. We’re good. My girlfriend has had her fun. She loves nothing more than causing a scandal. What do we owe you?”
“Ten silver for each of you,” she replied, still a bit uncertain.
“Here’s thirty,” he said and counted out the coins. Amber relaxed slightly.
Rat started to sit down on the bed.
“I wouldn’t sit on that, actually,” she stopped him.
“Oh. Thanks,” he replied and stayed on his feet.
“You sort of paid for it. It’s the least I could do.”
Kala looked around the drab room. “Are there nicer rooms upstairs?” she asked.
“Well, yes and no,” the girl replied. “The rooms are nicer, I’m told, but nothing good goes on up there. The guards bring girls up there sometimes, but they come back bruised, or they don’t come back at all. Trust me – you don’t want anything to do with upstairs.”
Anger rose in Kala, but she tamped it down. “Can I have a drink, Amber?”
“Ten silver,” she replied sheepishly.
“For the gods’ sake!” Rat declared.
Kala put a pacifying hand on his arm and winked at the girl. He grumbled but handed over another ten silver. The three of them drank and tried not to think about upstairs.
Flushed from their drinks, Kala moved to the door and thanked Amber.
“Ready to have a little more fun?” she asked Rat, grabbed Amber’s hand, and walked out the door. Descending the stairs, Kala made a show of rearranging her bodice with her free hand. Rat trailed behind, eclipsed by the spectacle. At the bottom of the stairs, Kala turned to Amber and gave her a deep kiss. Stepping back, Kala winked, grabbed Rat’s hand, and leisurely headed for the door.
“By the gods, you’re good for business,” Rat whispered.
In her peripheral vision, Kala noticed a rough-looking man do a double-take at Rat as they passed. She slowed her stride to track his movements. He pulled a knife from his boot and made for Rat.
Kala ‘tripped’ over her heels, flailed out, and punched the man hard in the side of the neck.
“What the hell?” Rat declared and shoved the man backward roughly. He crashed into a table, already stunned.
Kala fawned over Rat. “Are you okay, honey? Let’s get out of here.”
A guard rose from his seat at the door and Rat tossed his money purse to him. “For the table,” he said. The guard caught it, and Rat and Kala hustled past him while he was still figuring out what just happened.
Outside, they made haste to put some distance between themselves and the brothel.
“That was expensive,” Rat complained.
“But so much fun!” Kala countered.
Rat grumbled. “Thanks for that, back there. I owe you.”
“Good. Maybe you’ll stop hitting me then.”
“Maybe you should stop being so slow,” he replied, but smiled and offered her his arm. Kala took it, and they walked back to Baron’s mulling over the puzzle that was Tito’s lair.
19
Skye
Skye hustled the acolyte back between the stacks of books. She shushed him sternly, but he grinned, leaned in, and kissed her. She kissed him back eagerly. They spent a long time kissing, only stopping to peek out when they heard a passerby searching for a book.
She giggled as he led her back out to the table where they’d been sitting. They sat down, legs brushing, and tried to look less flushed. Skye held her hand beneath the table but did so hidden from view. The head librarian peeked out of her office, shook her head at them in disdain, and returned inside.
Skye had been flirting with Eden for days, ever since he’d overheard her talking to her girlfriends at an open-air market that served the best hot kai in town. Something she’d said had caught his attention.
He looked at her excitedly and whispered, “I’ve got something to show you, but you have to promise to keep it a secret.”
She was intrigued by his conspiratorial tone and nodded solemnly.
“My passion is maps,” he declared.
“Really? Mine too!”
He looked at her with feigned surprise and said, “Wow. No wonder I’ve been drawn to you. We have so much in common!” He thought he might be laying it on a bit thick, but she tightened her hold on his hand under the table.
He went on, “You’ll love this.” He reached over to his bag and pulled out his travel journal. He opened it to his work-in-progress map of the world. “I’ve been traveling…” He began but paused as her eyes went wide. “I’ve always wanted to see as much of the world as possible,” he lied.
<
br /> “That’s my dream,” she sighed, staring at his map wistfully.
“I’ve been making a map of where I’ve been. My goal is to create a map of the whole world.”
She dropped his hand so that she could use both of hers to spin his journal toward her. She examined it carefully and traced her fingers over it. “So, you’re from the far northwest.”
He looked at her, incredulously, “How could you possibly know that?”
“These mountains here,” she pointed and mused, “This looks about right.”
“You’ve been there?” he asked, shocked.
“Gods no, but I have a secret of my own.”
Skye looked around for eavesdroppers and leaned closer.
“I draw maps too,” she whispered.
“No way! Fantasy maps of made-up kingdoms?”
“No, silly. Real maps of real places.”
“There are no maps in here,” he gestured expansively to the library surrounding them. “Believe me – I’ve looked.”
“That because the Priestess doesn’t allow it. The Church never has.”
“But if you’re not a traveler like me, how would you know what lies outside the walls of this city?” It was a bit generous to call it a city, but it was bigger than all the other places Skye had seen before and guessed that it likely felt like a city to her.
“It’s my job,” she replied.
Skye looked confused.
“Ever since I was a little, I’ve loved art. I was much better at it than the other children at school. One day, a monk came to our school and made us all sit quietly while he inspected our drawings. Mine caught his eye, and he ordered me to go with him.”
Skye took up her hand again. “That must have been terrifying. The monks look so scary.”
“You get used to them, but yes, it was. He took me to the Temple and presented me to the Priestess. She told me that I was very talented, and I was flattered. She told me that she needed someone who could illustrate manuscripts that the Church took out every hundred years and recopied so that the knowledge wouldn’t be lost as the books and scrolls deteriorated.”
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