The Book of Maladies Boxset

by D. K. Holmberg

  “I considered the request that was made of me.”

  There was a hint of defiance in his tone. Had Sam not been worried about what her brother was doing here, she would have allowed herself a flash of pride. Tray so rarely did anything to stand up for himself. That had always been difficult for him, and the reason that she had been forced to protect him. Someone had to keep him from getting into trouble. With his size, he was the kind of person that attracted trouble—and would only do so more as he got older. She had little trouble thinking of ways Bastan would use him and didn’t want him to end up like the men in the tavern.

  “Fine. What is it that brings you all the way here, Trayson?”

  Any doubt she had that it was her brother down there evaporated when the other person used his name. And his full name, at that. Even Sam used his nickname, rather than the full name, though partly that was because she hated it when others called her by her full name. It wasn’t so much that she minded the name Samara; it was that it was so… feminine. She preferred the anonymity of Sam.

  “There was a visitor recently.”

  “You have been advised to watch for visitors and to share what they are after.”

  “This wasn’t the kind of visitor I was asked to watch.”

  “No? And what kind was it?”

  “A friend of my sister’s. A healer named Alec.”

  Kyza! What had Alec been doing?

  “Why would a healer visit Marin?”

  “He said there was something he wanted to learn about to help keep my sister safe.”

  “Marin said to do whatever you could to keep Sam out of danger.” The voice had drifted closer.

  She was careful not to move, not wanting to shift and risk slipping from the roof and falling. She could easily imagine how badly she would be hurt if she were to fall from this height.

  “I did not think he posed any danger to her.”

  “So what did he want?”

  “I don’t know. Probably had something to do with the business that happened a few months ago.”

  “When you were in prison.”

  “Yes.”

  “And were released, I seem to recall.”

  “That was Marin. She used her connections to get me free.”

  “I’ve still wondered why—and how—Marin has the connections to get you free from prison. The Anders rarely free anyone once they’re captives.”

  “I hadn’t done anything, Davin.”

  “You were in the wrong section of the city. You carried weapons you should not have possessed.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  Sam swallowed. She hadn’t talked to Tray much about his capture. He hadn’t done anything. His capture had been entirely her fault. Had she not been working for Marin, trying to break into the damn highborn house, he wouldn’t have been captured.

  “I know that you didn’t, or else we wouldn’t have agreed to work with you. Is that all? A healer breaking into Marin’s home? I admit that’s odd, but considering the relationship your sister has with Marin, it’s not entirely unsurprising.”

  “I thought it interesting that he came in the middle of the night.”

  There was silence for a moment. “What did you say to him?”

  “I let him search for what he wanted. I thought that if there was anything he might find, you would be interested in knowing what it was.”

  Sam could practically imagine a smile on the man’s face. “What did you find?”

  “Nothing. He skimmed through dozens of books, always choosing older ones and those with strange titles. I don’t read all that well, so I’m not sure what to make of it.”

  Another pause. “Can you show me which books he looked through?”

  “Possibly.”

  “Why only possibly?”

  “It was dark, and I couldn’t get too close or he would have known that something was amiss. And he took several of the volumes with him.”

  She didn’t know that. What was Alec doing taking books from Marin? And what was he doing not telling her?

  But then, she had resisted telling him about the job Bastan had given her.

  It wasn’t that she was afraid to share with him, it was more that she didn’t want him to look at her in a different way. She liked the fact that Alec knew her not as a thief, but as a Kaver. There was a part of her that only wanted to be that Kaver, that person who had abilities, and who didn’t depend on thieving to make her way. For a brief period of time, she was able to believe that she was that person.

  “You did well in bringing this to me, Trayson.”

  “You’ll continue leaving her alone, then?”

  Shuffling from down the street caught her attention, and Sam craned her head, looking, but didn’t see anyone. As she did, she started to slip.

  She regained her purchase by gripping with her feet and was able to prevent herself from sliding down the roof.

  Kyza. She really needed to be more careful up here. This might not be a dangerous section of the city, but it was still dangerous enough. And without her augmentations, anything could put her in danger.

  “Don’t worry, Trayson. I have no reason to go after your sister.”

  They said something else, but she didn’t make it out. The two figures separated, and Tray went back out into the street, heading in the direction he’d come from.

  Sam watched him, debating whether to follow him—or to follow Davin—before finally settling on going after her brother. She needed to know what he’d gotten himself into.

  14

  Meeting with Marin

  Tray took a roundabout way back into Caster.

  Sam tracked him, staying far enough back that he wouldn’t notice she followed, but close enough that she could see which direction he was starting to take. It was helpful that she knew the streets around her as well as she did—and had been the one to teach Tray, so she knew which places he was likely to go, and where his path would likely take him.

  As he reached a bridge leading back to Caster, she jumped the canal, not worrying about being seen, at least not here. There were places where the buildings were dense enough that she could get across unnoticed—unless someone in one of the buildings happened to be looking out over the canals.

  As she soared over the water, she felt like she was flying, the sense of freedom that jumping always gave her. She didn’t have to rely on the bridges to move about. She didn’t have to worry about whether guards would allow her access. All she had to worry about was whether she could clear the water. And eels. There was always a fear of eels.

  When she appeared in the street again, she found Tray’s trail easily.

  It wasn’t as hard to do as it once had been. Had Tray remembered anything that she’d taught him, he would have realized that she followed, but he didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t seem to care. It had been a while since she’d spoken to him.

  Where was he going?

  She had thought that he only knew the ways through Caster that she’d shown him, but he veered off into a side alley, one that she didn’t know very well. It was near the edge of the section where the canals were narrow, and barges rarely came.

  Tray disappeared.

  Sam climbed onto the roof of one of the nearby buildings. It was a low, flat roof, so she didn’t have to move with as much caution as she would have on some of the higher buildings, or like the last one she’d been on.

  From here, she surveyed the alley, looking for where Tray might have gone.

  She didn’t see him.

  Kyza! Had he managed to slip away from her? She prided herself on her ability to follow others, and particularly her brother. He shouldn’t have been able to elude her—she had been the one to teach him!

  Boots scuffed the ground, and she shimmied to the other side of the roof.

  There. She saw his hair, tufts of it pressed above her line of sight, just high enough for her to make out.

  How had he gotten around her?

&nb
sp; As she peered over the edge, she realized that he was in a narrow courtyard, one that had only one way in or out. She could jump down to Tray, but she wondered if she would be able to get back up again.

  There had to be some way through there, otherwise, he wouldn’t have managed to get here, but she couldn’t see it from her vantage.

  What was Tray doing?

  He must be meeting with someone, but who? Who would require such privacy… and secrecy?

  “Tray.”

  Sam tensed, recognizing the voice. Why would Marin meet Tray here?

  “Were you followed?”

  The question was remarkably similar to what Davin had asked. Sam thought Davin might be working with Marin, but now began to wonder. If he was, why would Tray meet with each of them separately? Marin could have joined him when he was meeting with Davin.

  And how had Marin known to meet with him? Had it been prearranged or was there a mark of some sort? That might explain why Tray had been wandering the way he had.

  “Not followed, Marin. I’ve learned what you’ve taught me about moving carefully.”

  “You have learned. That’s part of why I continue to work with you. Why did you want to meet? You know that it’s a difficult time for me, especially with what we’re trying to accomplish.”

  “That’s why I wanted to meet,” Tray said.

  Sam expected him to share that Alec had broken into her home. How would Marin react to that news? Would she be angry that Alec had? Sam didn’t know how she felt about it. Alec shouldn’t have gone and shouldn’t have risked himself by entering Marin’s home, but then, she had done the same once before. And likely, he was trying to do something that would protect her.

  “I met with Davin,” Tray said.

  “You told him about Alec going to my home?”

  Marin already knew. That shouldn’t surprise her—not when it came to Marin. Maybe she’d been home when Alec went there, or maybe Tray had already shared the information with her.

  “I did. Not everything. I left it vague like you suggested. I told him that I can’t read.”

  Marin laughed. “As if I would let you remain ignorant like that,” she said.

  Sam remembered Tray saying that to Davin but hadn’t thought much about it. Had she paid more attention, she would have realized he wasn’t being entirely truthful with Davin, but why would that be? What was he trying to keep from Davin?

  “You did well. We need you to have access. They can’t know that you’re still meeting with me like this. If they discover us, it will prevent us from gaining what we need, and I begin to think it might be the only way…” She trailed off before Sam could hear more.

  “I don’t know why you need me for this. Why not send Sam? She would be better able to get into this than I would be.”

  “Sam has a tendency to be overly eager, but that is not the reason she isn’t a good fit for this.”

  “She only wants to do what’s right.”

  “I know, Trayson. I know. But your sister—there is much about her that I can’t share with you—or her—just yet. Doing so would place her in danger.”

  “I don’t understand why this has to be so secretive. If all you want is for me to steal something—”

  “That’s isn’t what I want, and even if I did, I doubt it would be anything so simple. What I seek is information. That is more valuable than anything else you might be able to take. They won’t give it to you if they think you’re working with me, but if they think you’re working against me, then they just might open up to you. That is what we need. For this reason, you need to use extreme caution, and we must limit our meetings.”

  “I understand. I just wanted you to know that I met with him. I think things are moving along well now. I suspect they will bring me along sooner than they were going to before.”

  “That’s all very good. Now you should return. Keep a close eye out. Do what you’ve been doing and pretend that you’re watching over my building. If you see anything—”

  “Like Alec breaking in?”

  “He should have attempted that long ago. I’m actually surprised it took him that long to think of it, though I suspect he was only trying to keep your sister safe.”

  “Is he… kind to her?”

  “He would do anything for her, much like you. She is lucky to have you. Sometimes, we have to watch over those who think they don’t need it.”

  “That sounds like something she would say.”

  “Does it? Your sister should not continue to display her new abilities. It would be dangerous to draw too much attention to her.”

  “You’ll watch her when I can’t?”

  “Of course, Trayson.”

  There was a soft thud, and Tray disappeared, likely through a door that was out of view.

  Sam started to back up, but then noticed a blur of movement, and Marin dropped onto the roof next to her. She wore a cloak similar to the one Sam preferred, and her dark hair was braided and tucked under the collar. Eyes that were nearly black considered Sam a moment.

  “You were listening?” Marin asked.

  “I wanted to see what Tray was doing,” she said.

  “And?”

  “And I saw that you’ve asked him to spy for you. Who is Davin?”

  “He’s someone of no importance to you.”

  “If you’re having Tray work with him, then he is of importance. Who is he?”

  “There are things certain types of people in the city can discover that I cannot.”

  Sam’s breath caught. “What types of people?”

  “The dangerous type.”

  Sam glared at Marin. “And what happens if they realize he’s part Theln? Don’t you risk him?”

  “Davin and his kind won’t realize that, but they might hear things that will give me enough of a warning about others who do.”

  There was something more that she’d overheard between Tray and Davin about leaving Sam alone. What did that have to do with anything? “That’s what you’re after? What do you think is too dangerous for me? Does it have to do with your bait?”

  Marin smiled. “You were listening.”

  “Of course I was listening. You’re using Tray. I’m going to listen to everything that you’re saying when it has to do with my brother.”

  “Your brother isn’t the one in danger, Samara.”

  “No. Apparently, that’s me.”

  Marin nodded. “More than you know.”

  “I’ve already proven that I can handle myself well enough.”

  “You’re a capable thief. I wouldn’t take that away from you. But there are things that you won’t understand, not without a proper introduction. And I can see things that you do not.”

  “You think I should trust you because of that? I think that means I should know better than to trust you. You’ve known things about me for a long time and kept them from me.”

  “Because there was little chance that you were going to need to know.”

  She grunted. “Until you sent me after the easar paper. Then I suddenly needed to know that I’m a Kaver. And I drew the attention of the Thelns who had come to the city because of the paper. Who brought the paper here?”

  “Someone who should have known better,” Marin said softly.

  “Why send me after the paper? Did you know about the Thelns?” If she had known about the Thelns, then why would she have asked Sam to risk herself? Why, when she claimed an interest in keeping both Sam and Tray safe?

  “Not at the time.”

  “You didn’t intend for me to be the one attacked?”

  “Without training? Why would I have wanted that?”

  “I don’t know.” Sam hesitated. “Why use Tray? Why not me? Don’t you trust me?” That troubled her, though it shouldn’t. Sam only wanted to make enough money to get out of Caster, not much more than that. Why should she care if Marin used her?

  Marin studied her a moment. “I have asked Tray to do something that poses some risk for him bu
t would have posed an even greater risk to you.”

  “I can sneak better than Tray.”

  “I know you can. That isn’t what I’m referring to.”

  “What then? What would you be after that Tray can get access to and I can’t?”

  “It’s not about getting you into some place. It’s about getting you to safety once you’re there.”

  Sam took a deep breath and looked around, letting her gaze drift around the rooftop. She had thought it a flat top, but it wasn’t—not really. There was a gradual slope so that rainwater would run off rather than collect. A bucket below would catch the rain, and they could use it for other purposes, such as providing water for the tenants in the building.

  “There was an attack on Bastan’s tavern,” Sam said.

  Marin’s demeanor changed. “Were you there?”

  “I was there.” It didn’t pay to lie to Marin. She would likely learn the truth either way.

  “What kind of attack?”

  “I don’t know. Men who wore the crest of the palace.”

  Marin frowned deeply. “The palace wouldn’t send men after Bastan… Ah. He still has the easar paper, doesn’t he?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Samara—”

  “I don’t know. When I first took it to him, I thought I’d managed to get most of it back.” She didn’t know what Bastan had done with the rest of the paper. She doubted that he’d sold it and didn’t think he would have trusted leaving it anywhere else, but she hadn’t seen any sign of the paper when she’d searched his office. It had to be somewhere in there, didn’t it?

  “If he still has the paper and is attempting to move it, he places himself in danger,” Marin said. “You need to convince him to remove it from the tavern.”

  “I think all Bastan sees is money.”

  “Bastan is cleverer than you give him credit for. He sees a different truth, but it’s not always the same one you and I see.” Marin watched her, amusement flittering across her dark eyes. “That’s why you went there? You thought you could find it and take it back?”

  “I thought I could find it.”

  “And?”

  “And Bastan has too many places in his office to hide things. I don’t know where he might have kept it, only that I didn’t find it.” And now that he knew she’d been there, he would likely move it and put it somewhere even less accessible, which meant that she and Alec would have to make do with the paper they had remaining.