by G. T. Spoor
The street was a little more active now, what with three Merc vehicles parked on the sidewalk. Vir in light blue padded armor, which bore the insignia of blue tigers, were standing outside the alley. Emily ducked down as Tar drove past. She stayed there until he pulled up to the lift station.
“Thanks for everything, Tar,” Emily said as she climbed out of the jitney.
“Ya may wanna stay out of district seven for a couple of days. Just until things cool down a bit.”
“I’ll take that into consideration.”
“Take care of yourself, Emily.”
“You too, Tar.”
~~~***~~~
By the time Emily arrived back at the apartment, Sarah was already home. She was cooking something on the stove and was pleasantly surprised when Emily walked in through the front door. She came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Wasn’t sure you were coming back,” she said. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Since the only thing she had to eat all day, aside from the charcoal muffin that morning, were a couple of apples on the lift, she was starving. As Emily walked into the main room, she noticed the table was already set for two. Sarah may not have been sure she was coming back, but it was clear she was hoping.
“How did it go with the Mercs?” Sarah asked.
“Not too well,” Emily answered. “They won’t do anything.”
“I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.”
“I just don’t understand it. I thought you said they were appointed by the Bureau to help the citizens of New Doral, but the more I see, the more it looks as if they’re in it for themselves.”
Sarah removed two bowls from the cupboard and began to ladle out some type of stew.
“The only thing you need to understand about New Doral,” she said, “is fyn.”
“Who’s fyn?”
“Fyn is not a who, fyn is a what. It’s the local currency. If you have it, then you’re somebody. If you don’t, then you’re nobody.”
Emily sat down at the table as Sarah placed the bowl of stew in front of her. It smelled better than the charcoal muffins.
“I’m afraid that makes me less than nobody,” she said. “I don’t have any… fyn. I don’t even know how I can repay you for your kindness.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s kind of nice having someone to talk to for a change. I swear, the last date I was on, the man must have been half ogre, a real dull conversationalist. He couldn’t put two words together without drooling. I don’t know. Is it too much to ask for a respectable man who looks decent and has a lot of money?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Emily answered.
Sarah laughed. “Don’t tell me your tenets forbid that as well.”
“Actually…” She looked down at her bowl.
Sarah’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding?”
“It’s the third tenet.”
“Char. How do you do it?”
“It takes a lot of discipline to walk the path.”
“But still…”
“We must avoid distractions.”
“But, hon, being distracted is half the fun.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really… been interested.”
“Then you’re not doing it right.”
The thought of falling in love had entered her mind, but it never stayed for long. She knew she wasn’t cut out for it. She had a hard time opening up to people. Trust was difficult to come by. While she often wondered what it would be like to have someone in her life who she could share special moments with, she was too much of an outsider. The third tenet was just an excuse for being alone.
Emily let the conversation die as she concentrated on the stew. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, although it was a bit overseasoned.
“So, what happens now?” Sarah asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, where do you go from here?”
There it was. She had overstayed her welcome. The reality of her situation was finally hitting home. She had no money, no clothes, no place to stay. She was stranded in a strange city with a culture she hardly understood. Worst of all, she had lost the gríma and without it, she couldn’t fulfill her oath.
“I… I don’t know,” she answered in defeat.
“It’s only that you seemed so determined to find the people who abducted you, I thought—”
“Oh, that.”
“Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?”
“I… nothing… I mean, yeah. I knew what you meant. You caught me off guard.”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Then you’re still going after them?”
“Well, yeah, but there’re still a few things I have to take care of first.”
“Like what?”
Emily shrugged. “Lodging, for starters.”
“You can always… you know… stay here. If you want.” Sarah looked down at her bowl and slowly stirred the contents.
“I don’t want to put you out,” Emily said.
“It’s no trouble. There’s a spare room in the back. It’s not very big and there’s no bed, so… you should be right at home. Tenet number six, wasn’t it?”
“Seventh actually and thank you.”
Sarah smiled. “As I said, it’s kind of nice having someone around to talk to.”
“I want to contribute something, although, at the moment, I don’t have much.”
“If you need a place to work, there’s always the Bird.”
“The Bird?”
“The Bird and Bay. It’s a tavern over on Thirty-Sixth Street. Tom’s always looking for help. I can put a word in for you,” she said, and quickly added, “If you want.”
Working at a tavern wouldn’t have been her first choice, but at least it was a start. Emily saw too many expenses in her near future.
“I don’t want to cause you any problems. I mean, no more than I already have.”
“It’s no problem. Besides, it might be fun.”
While Emily finished her supper, Sarah filled her in on the history of the Bird and Bay. She learned it was an old establishment, but nobody knew how old it was. It’d been in Tom’s family for six generations. Tom inherited it from his father, Oric, nearly twenty years ago. It catered to a wide variety of clientele and for the most part, it was quite tame, but it could get a little rough at times. Beth worked the back. Tom worked the bar and Sarah worked the floor along with the other waitresses. Most of the time, it was either Gayle, Kate, Lisa or Deborah. It sounded like a nice place until Sarah let it slip that Tom wasn’t fond of what he referred to as the lesser races. While he tolerated the dowers, he refused to serve just about anyone else, which included orcs, goblins, and, surprisingly, the howne. Sarah didn’t seem at all bothered by this fact, and it almost sounded like she approved of it. Not wanting to start trouble, especially since the woman had given her a place to sleep, Emily let it slide.
When Sarah got up to clear the table, Emily removed the handkerchief from her pocket. Carefully unfolding it, she laid it out with the unidentified metal piece sitting in the center. She still had no idea what it was but didn’t wish to handle it any more than she had to. It was small, thin, and appeared to be hollow. There was a residue of some kind coating one end. Some of it had soaked into the handkerchief and left a dark green stain.
“What’s that?” Sarah asked when she returned from the kitchen.
“I found it in the alley where I was abducted,” Emily said.
“You went back there?”
“I wanted to see if I could find anything that might give me an idea of where to start looking.”
“So, what is it?”
“Not a clue. But I have a feeling if I can figure out what that liquid is, it might lead me to the men who tried to abduct me.”
Sarah sat down across from Emily and took a closer look at the small bit of metal. “You know,” she said. “I might know someone who can help you.”
�
��Who?”
“There’s this woman who comes to the Bird and Bay every so often. I think she’s an elf. They say she’s really knowledgeable about all this stuff, you know, like old magic and potions and things. She owns a bookstore not far from the Bird. It’s called the Occu something. Maybe she can take a look at it and tell you what it is. It couldn’t hurt to ask.”
Quickly folding the handkerchief, Emily jumped to her feet. “Great. Let’s go.”
“We can’t go now. It’s late. We can go tomorrow. After work.”
“Work. Right.”
Chapter 4
The Bird and Bay
The room Sarah gave her was indeed small. There wasn’t much space for a bed, even if Emily had one, but she didn’t mind. It was simple, it was quiet, and it felt safe. A single blanket on the floor was all she required. According to her teachings, luxury was a distraction, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted. Sarah, on the other hand, seemed to relish distractions. Her apartment was filled with useless luxuries, from her overstuffed couches to her soft fluffy blankets. Even her food was overseasoned. It was difficult to live a simple life when everything around you was designed for pleasure.
Emily sat in the center of her room, deep in meditation. It had been several days since she’d had the chance to realign herself with her path. It was something she used to do every morning back at the monastery, but here, in New Doral, she was finding it difficult to focus. It was too easy to get distracted or go astray… to forget about her teachings and embrace the chaos around her. Part of her meditation required her to reflect on everything she had done wrong the day before, to revisit those tenets she had broken or outright ignored. Since coming to the Chimney, that list had gotten longer, but it wasn’t only her sins she had to consider. She had to remember the reason she came to the city in the first place.
Right now, her only concern should be the recovery of the gríma, but to do that, she had to understand this new world and the people in it. There were rules and there were secrets; every place had them. This led her back to her conversation with Petrova. According to the Red Wolf, if she wanted to investigate her own abduction, she had to be licensed. It seemed ridiculous, but it was the law. That meant it would be in her best interest to take it seriously. Now, all she had to do was find out how one could obtain a Merc license. She could return to the Red Wolf Mercs and ask Petrova, but she doubted he would offer any practical suggestions. He made his thoughts quite clear on women becoming Mercs.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sarah said.
Her voice yanked Emily back to reality. Pulling the blanket over her shoulders, she turned around and saw Sarah standing in the doorway. The young woman seemed uneasy.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“It’s all right. I was just meditating.”
“It’s only that I have to be at work in an hour and well…”
“Yes, of course. Work.” Pulling the blanket tighter around her, Emily got to her feet. “I’ll only be a moment,” she said.
Sarah pulled the door closed.
Closing her eyes, Emily took a deep breath. She knew where their next conversation was heading. Tossing the blanket aside, she sorted through the pile of clothes. They had picked out an outfit the night before for her first meeting with Tom Adams, the proprietor of the Bird and Bay. It might not have been as modest as the one she wore yesterday, but Sarah’s taste in clothing didn’t lean in that direction. Clothes shopping was definitely an expense Emily was going to have to deal with much sooner than she expected.
The outfit consisted of a long-sleeved, white blouse—with frills. The neckline was lower than she would have liked, but Sarah believed it would help her get the job. The slacks were made of a soft tan material and she opted for the same pair of boots she’d worn the day before—they were the only shoes that fit her. After getting dressed, she slipped into the lavatory to wash her face and brush her hair before proceeding into the main room. Breakfast was already on the table: one of Sarah’s infamous charcoal muffins along with a glass of water. At least she was keeping it simple.
Sarah glanced up from the paper she was reading when Emily entered the room. She looked as if she wanted to say something but suddenly thought better of it.
Sitting down at the table, Emily cut her muffin in half. “It’s not a slave mark,” she said before taking a bite. The taste hadn’t improved. She tried washing it down with a mouthful of water.
“I’m sorry?”
“The mark on my back. It’s not a slave mark. I know you’ve been wanting to ask me about it.”
The look on Sarah’s face was somewhere between embarrassment and relief.
“I didn’t want to pry. I’ve never seen a slave mark before. I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never seen one.”
“You still haven’t because it’s not one.”
“Sorry.” Sarah laid the paper aside. “I didn’t mean to imply anything.”
“I understand. You don’t know me and I haven’t been very forthcoming with you. The truth is I don’t know much about the mark myself. I’ve had it all my life. I know it has something to do with my past and my people.”
“Your people?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know much about them—only that they’re all gone.”
“What happened to them?”
“I don’t know. I was very young when Master Konoe found us and took us in, my sister and me that is. I think we’re the only ones who survived whatever happened.”
“I’m sorry. It must be hard not knowing where you came from.”
“Sometimes it is.”
“Is that why you came to New Doral? To learn something about your past?”
Emily fell silent and studied the remaining half of the muffin on her plate before pushing it aside. “Something like that,” she said. “I never thought much about it. It’s hard to miss what you’ve never known, and Master Konoe has been like a father to me, so I never needed to know.”
“I guess things change when we get older.”
“I suppose.”
“I’ll clean up and then we can leave when you’re ready.” Sarah grabbed the plates and headed into the kitchen. Emily dropped her head on the table. So much for meditating on her sins. It wasn’t even noon and she’d already violated the fourth tenet. Abstain from false, hateful, or deceiving speech. She didn’t want to lie to Sarah, but she couldn’t tell her the real reason she came to New Doral because she didn’t understand it herself.
~~~***~~~
“This is our stop,” Sarah said before jumping off the tram.
Not wanting to continue the ride alone, Emily jumped off with her. She watched as the tram continued on its uninterrupted journey down the street. Another strange means of transportation in New Doral. The trams were bright red wagons that kept circling the blocks. They moved slowly enough for people to jump on and off when they needed to get somewhere but didn’t want to walk. Another product of Mana-Tech, no doubt. Emily watched it until it reached the intersection. Two more people got on before it disappeared around the corner.
“How does it know where it’s going?” she asked, but Sarah had already walked away. Emily ran to catch up to her. “Those tram things. How do they know where they’re going?”
Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“But there was nobody driving it.”
“It just knows, I guess.”
It amazed her, Sarah’s lack of curiosity. The woman lived her entire life in New Doral and didn’t seem to know or care how the city worked. Maybe growing up around such technology, she simply took it for granted. Streetlamps, driverless trams, mana-powered vehicles, there was nothing like this back home.
It was another two blocks before Sarah stopped in front of an otherwise nondescript building. The only things that set it apart from the rest of the street were the blue and white awnings fastened over the windows. It seemed odd having awnings since there was sunlight to shade the windows. A wooden sign tha
t read “-ird-n-ba-” swung from a set of rusty chains over the door. Behind the lettering was a splotch of blue, but Emily couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be a picture of a bird or a bay. Where the paint hadn’t peeled away, it had faded. Sarah did say the tavern had been passed down from generation to generation. It would appear nobody thought to update the sign.
The tavern itself was rather spacious. Several round tables stood in the center of the main room with booths along each side. The back was dominated by a large stone fireplace, which gave the place a rustic feel. The other side of the room was home to a long wooden bar. Behind it was a wall of bottles in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The rest of the place was decorated with a series of old weapons, including swords, shields, and the odd ax, although none of them looked battle ready. They were probably only for show. A collection of cheap props.
It wasn’t busy. In fact, there were only two people in the place. One was sitting at the bar while the other was standing behind it. Emily might not have recognized the vir sitting at the bar, but she knew the uniform: a thick leather breastplate with the image of a wolf’s head painted on the back in a deep red color. The Merc glanced up when they entered, looked them over once, and returned to his breakfast.
The vir behind the bar was a heavyset man with a thick gray mustache and hair to match. He wore a long green apron, which he was using to wipe the counter.
“You’re late,” he said without looking up.
“Sorry, Tom. I missed the tram cycle.”
He didn’t seem too concerned by Sarah’s tardiness and continued to wipe the counter. When he finished, he straightened out his apron and nodded toward Emily.
“Who’s this then?” he asked.
“This is a friend of mine,” Sarah said, pushing Emily forward. “Her name is Emily Doyle and she’s looking for a job.”
“Is she now?” Tom crossed his arms on the bar and leaned forward. He looked directly at Emily this time. His eyes narrowed as if studying her. “Ya ever wait tables before, love?”