Blade Singer

by Martha Wells

She ran her fingers through his hair, feeling around for a bump. "I don't feel anything."

  He pulled away, brushing his hair back over the spot. "Well, it hurts. My vision got blurry and everything. I think I've forgotten some things." He bit his lip. He had meant to sound much more convincing. Even he wouldn't have believed that one.

  She stood up and crossed her arms. "What sorts of things?"

  Manny glanced around, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know, all sorts of things, I guess."

  "Like what?" Now she really sounded like his mom.

  Manny met her gaze again. "Like... your name?"

  She stood perfectly still for a moment, just staring at him, then she burst out laughing. "What? My name? Oh, Remy, please tell me this is some sort of game."

  If only it was a game. He said miserably, "No, it's not. I fell and hit my head and now I can't remember anything."

  "Oh, so now it's anything? You can't remember anything?" She planted her hands on her hips. Uh oh, his mom used to do that when she was getting really angry.

  "Well, almost anything," he mumbled.

  "You really don't remember my name?"

  Manny shook his head, not daring to look her in the eyes.

  "It's Adriana, Remy. Adriana." She smacked her forehead. "Powers above, I can't believe this! What are you playing at, Remy?"

  "I'm not playing! I told you I hit my head and you treat it like a joke." He turned his back on her and crossed his arms. He hoped he was more convincing this time. It was depressing confirmation that no matter how much this woman looked and sounded like her, she wasn't really his mom. His mother's name was Raquel.

  Adriana stepped closer and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry." Manny suppressed a grimace of relief. He had been more convincing. "Let's finish my business and get some food. I'll have a better look at your head in the light. I can't see as well as you can in the dark."

  Manny turned back to her. "Okay, that sounds great."

  Adriana sprang lightly to the edge of the roof, glanced down, and then leapt over the edge. Manny darted to the roof's edge and looked down. Adriana had bounced off several canvas awnings and landed in a wagon full of hay. She waved at Manny to follow. Manny hesitated, then thought, yeah, I can do this. He followed Adriana's path, jumped and bounced and landed gracefully on his feet in the street next to the wagon.

  Adrianna looked surprised, and Manny grinned at her. Now that was smooth.

  ****

  Heinze turned out to be a type of Sidhe called a kobold. He couldn't have been more than two feet high, with skin as blue as a ripe blueberry, and rows of tiny, sharp teeth. He was dressed in brown woolen knickers and a baggy cream-colored shirt, over a blood-stained apron. He sat on a high stool, using a jeweler's glass to study a gold medallion inlaid with small gems. He grunted and hummed to himself as he turned the medallion in his grimy hands. The gems glittered in the candlelight. There were several other pieces of jewelry sitting on a gore-encrusted table that had been recently littered with fish heads.

  Manny glanced around at the various gutted sea creatures, most of them unrecognizable, that hung from several cords crisscrossing the room. He'd never heard of a fishmonger nor had he ever been in a fishmonger's shop, but if they were all like this he was very grateful for that. The smell was enough to knock the spots off a cheetah. Man, how can anyone stand this? Pinching his nose, he concentrated on breathing through his mouth.

  Adriana winced and rubbed the bridge of her nose, obviously not happy about having to spend time in this stinking place either. "So are you going to take all night, Heinze? I have places to be."

  Heinze dropped the medallion back on the table. He smacked his lips and considered it. "You're the finest cat burglar in all of Lutetia, my dear. Nay, all of Aquitania, surely. The Hands of Shadow are lucky to count you among their number." He held up his hand and wiggled his dirty fingers.

  Manny frowned. The Hands of Shadow? He glanced at Adriana, whose expression was grim.

  "Flattery bores me, Heinze," she said, crossing her arms.

  "Of course. Two hundred livres, then." His voice, despite sounding squeaky, had an odd gravelly quality to it, making it seem as if he were growling instead of speaking. Manny thought it made him sound like a Chihuahua his Tia Licha had once owned named Hercules.

  "Two hundred?" Adriana looked like someone had just spat in her mouth. "The workmanship alone is worth two hundred."

  "Only to the right buyer, my dear," Heinze said. "I'm sure you realize my position. I can't just traipse down to the market with this, now can I?" He made an expression like an exaggerated pout, shrugged his small shoulders and shook his head.

  Adriana glared, but Heinze only smiled, showing off his needle-sharp teeth. "Fine." She set her jaw, looking as if she would rather punch Heinze than take his money. "It seems I have no choice."

  Heinze reached under the table and produced a small box. He pulled a key from a chain he wore around his neck and unlocked it. He counted out several golden coins into a pouch, pulled the drawstrings tight, then tossed the pouch on the table.

  Adriana scooped it up and stuffed it into her vest. "How can you sleep at night, Heinze?" she asked.

  "Warm griffin milk," he replied. "I recommend it."

  Adriana stood up. Manny followed suit, happy to be leaving the house of stench. "I'll have more goods soon," Adriana said. "But I'll need to unload them quickly. If you're having trouble with buyers..."

  Heinze hopped off his stool and limped to the door. "Have I ever let you down, my dear? Besides, where else are you going to find someone with the courage to cross Morrigan?"

  "You mean the greed?" Adriana walked to the door, Manny in tow.

  "Your mistress' reputation is well known in my circles," Heinze continued. "The only thing worse than an Unseelie witch is a vengeful one. We're both aware she knows nothing of this side business and nothing of the money you've been keeping from her. We both also know what I'm risking by buying these stolen jewels, which should rightfully be hers. She would not take it well if she discovered it."

  "We both also know the profit you're making," said Adriana. "I don't come here for the pleasure of your company, Heinze. Just do your job." She pushed open the door and walked out into the cold night.

  Following her, Manny glanced back at the kobold, unable to repress a wince of disgust. Heinze smirked at him, and said, "Come back when you're a goblin, boy. Perhaps then I'll have some work for you." Then he slammed the door in Manny's face.

  Back out in the dark alley, Manny hurried after Adriana. Ramshackle stone and wood buildings loomed over them, blotting out the moon and starlight, and even with his improved night vision, he could barely see her. "Hey, what did he mean by that?" Manny asked. "'When I become a goblin.' I'm an elf, right?"

  Adriana stopped and turned to him. "Remy, you haven't forgotten that, as well?" She sounded startled.

  "Uh... I'm an elf," Manny managed, uncertain. The goblin thing was starting to freak him out. When they were up on the roof, he had told Adriana that someone had called him a goblin, and she had said it was more obvious every day. He had thought she just meant that he was acting like a goblin, by stealing things. He thought about the goblins in books and movies, with fangs and claws and bugged-out, scary eyes. He added in a little voice, "Can we say I've forgotten about that and you explain it to me?"

  Adriana hesitated, then shook her head. But she said, "If you're playing a game with me, Remy, I'll clout you so hard you will lose your memory."

  Manny swallowed hard. "I promise, no games. I really just can't remember. Please?"

  Adriana sighed. "Sidhe who are done ill, or who do ill by others, start to change, their appearance reflecting what's inside. Little elves like you become goblins." She squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. "But it's not your fault, Remy. It's this city, and the way your people are treated, and what we've both had to do to survive." She paused and looked away. "And it's Morrigan, her influence over both of us..." She shook her head, a
s if it was something she didn't want to think about. "Once I get us out of here, you'll go back to your old self, I promise."

  "Oh." Manny nodded numbly. "Right, I will, thanks." Adriana started back down the street again, and Manny followed her, his head reeling. All he could think was, Oh great, I'm turning into a monster.

  Chapter Eight

  Adriana led Manny through the dark streets, and he was glad neither she nor anyone else could see his face. He was pretty certain he looked confused and on the verge of freaking out, because that was how he felt. The idea that his body was changing made cold sweat break out all over his skin. He didn't want to be a goblin, he didn't. Whatever this Remy kid had done, Manny hadn't, and it just wasn't...

  Wait a minute. Manny stopped abruptly in the middle of a damp narrow street. Remy's the one turning into a goblin, not me. He let out his breath in relief. You're Manny, not Remy, just remember that.

  But he thought about Gregory's Sony Vita. Manny was a thief just like Remy. And he had been done ill by, and done ill to others, lying and making Tia Licha feel terrible. And you can do things like jump and climb like a ninja, that comes from Remy. Maybe Manny's bad things were combining with Remy's bad things... No, he told himself firmly. There was a big difference between jumping and climbing skills and wanting to eat people with your nasty pointy teeth.

  Adriana called softly, "Come on, Remy!" He hurried to catch up with her.

  Finally they reached the place that was apparently their home, a couple of rooms in a big, tumbledown tavern. The tavern was two stories tall, with a steep pitched roof, built around a courtyard for horses and carriages, though there weren't many in residence now. Most of it seemed divided into rooms for long-term occupants, like an old hotel turned into apartments. The main building across the court was lit up and noisy, with singing, occasional crashing noises, and some very scary drunks staggering out of it. Manny was glad that his and Adriana's place was at the far opposite end, reached by a small door in the stone wall just inside the gate to the courtyard.

  They had two small rooms, the first with a rickety table and chairs, and the second with a couple of low beds piled with mismatched blankets. It looked pretty bad, but it wasn't dirty, and it didn't smell. Adriana bolted the door behind them, then went to a battered cupboard, saying, "We'll eat, then we'll go see Morrigan and give her tonight's tribute." In a lower voice, she added, "And won't I be glad to get that over with!"

  "Okay." Manny's stomach grumbled and cramped, and he remembered how long it had been since he had eaten. The food Adriana piled onto the table was simple, just crusty brown bread, apples, and a hunk of cheese that he was relieved to discover tasted much better than it smelled. Using a belt knife Adriana handed him, Manny made a big cheese and sliced apple sandwich for each of them and sat down to eat.

  Chewing, Manny looked up to see Adriana watching him with a bemused expression. She had taken apart her sandwich to eat the pieces individually. He swallowed and said, "What?"

  She lifted a brow. "I've never seen you eat like that."

  "Really?" He chomped into the sandwich again and said around a mouthful, "I don't usually get hungry?"

  Adriana set down her cup with a thump. "Remy, just how bad is your memory?"

  "Uh..." Manny picked up his own cup and took a drink to wash the last of the bread down. It wasn't water, and he just managed to swallow before he had to cough. He coughed again and told Adriana, "That's wine!"

  "Of course it's wine! What's wrong with you?" Adriana sat back, staring at him in worry. "Oh, Remy. That must have been some knock on the head. I should take you to an apothecary..." She tapped her fingers on the table, distracted. "If I can find an honest one willing to look at you in your current state. And if I can, he's unlikely to open his shop to us at this hour. Not unless I pay for the privilege." She pulled Heinze's money pouch out of her jacket and weighed it thoughtfully. "I've barely enough for the tribute for both of us as it is."

  Manny slumped at the table and miserably ate another piece of cheese. He wasn't doing very well at pretending to be this Remy character. He couldn't even get through a normal meal without making all kinds of mistakes; how was he going to get through the next day of Adriana's complicated life?

  Suddenly he just didn't want to lie anymore, not to this woman who was so much like his mother, not to the only person who had been really nice to him since he fell into this crazy place. "Adriana," he said slowly. "This is going to sound strange... But I'm not really Remy."

  Adriana looked up from the money pouch. Brow furrowed with worry, she said, "Just try not to think about it right now. I'll find help—"

  "No, really, no, I lied about falling," Manny said urgently. In a rush, before he changed his mind, he said, "I didn't hit my head, but I didn't know how to tell you... I'm not an elf at all, I'm just a kid. My name is Manny Boreaux, and I'm from Austin. That's in America," he added, as it seemed unlikely that she would have heard of it before. "I got here by magic, or something, I don't know."

  Adriana pressed her lips together, angry, and said, "So this is a game, a bad joke on me. I told you, Remy, I've no time for that!" She swore under her breath, frustrated. "I suppose it's the goblin coming through, changing your nature, making you do these things—"

  "I'm not lying!" Manny shouted. He had started to pride himself on being such a good liar, on fooling his teachers, the principal, Tia Licha, Beto — well, maybe not Beto — and now here he was, unable to convince someone he was telling the truth, when it was really important. "I swear, I'll swear on anything, I'm telling the truth. There was a coin in an old book, it was really weird and glowing, and I tossed it in the air and it was like I went with it, and I came down here."

  Adriana was staring at him in shock. "Gods above. There is something wrong with you." She squeezed his hand. "It will be all right, do you understand? I'll think of a way to take care of everything."

  Manny just nodded. She didn't believe his crazy story, obviously, but maybe she had just gone back to believing that he had had a bad knock on the head. But it was hard to resist the lure of the words "everything will be all right."

  Adriana pushed her chair back and stood, still watching him with concern. "Remy, I have to take the tribute to Morrigan, I can't put it off any longer. You stay here; I can say you're injured. That would be true, she'll sense that. She would accept that excuse."

  Though Adriana was trying to seem confident, Manny got the feeling that his staying behind wasn't exactly a good idea. And all it sounded like they had to do was go to this Morrigan person and hand over some money. "No, it's okay." He got to his feet. "I'll go with you. You shouldn't go out alone in the dark, anyway."

  Adriana said, "Remy, whatever has happened to you, you're in no condition to face Morrigan. If she sees you in this confused state... there's no telling what she might do."

  "I'm not confused," Manny insisted. "I'll keep quiet, I promise. Please don't leave me here alone. I don't think I could take it right now." That wasn't quite true, but he really wanted to stay with Adriana. What if something happened to her and she never came back?

  Adriana paced a few times, biting her thumbnail and muttering to herself. Manny couldn't help but smile. His mom used to do the same thing when she was really worried about something.

  Adriana stopped pacing. "Very well." She knelt in front of him and squeezed his shoulders. "But you've got to promise you won't say a word, not a word." Manny nodded, hugged her tightly, and wished with all his heart that this was really his mom.

  ****

  Adriana led him away from the tavern, through the twisting alleys and narrow winding streets. They passed a looming stone building with lots of candlelit windows, and torches out in front of the wide doorway to welcome visitors. As they hurried past it Manny could hear snatches of music and laughter. The music sounded vaguely like some he had heard from the folk and bluegrass musicians at music festivals, as if it was played on old-timey instruments. It probably is, he reminded himself. Very old
timey.

  They reached an area where the buildings were mostly wood and dingy white plaster, where there were fewer people out and not so many lit windows. Manny could smell foul stagnant water and dead fish. Finally they came out of a narrow street onto a walkway that ran along the river's bank, the water a dark expanse glittering under the moonlight. They were heading toward a big stone bridge, lit with torches, going across to a place with stone towers and turrets. Manny saw shapes crossing it, people on foot and some on horseback, and a wagon or two. He thought that was their destination, but Adriana turned off before the bridge, climbing down a slippery set of uneven stairs until they were even closer to the water.

  They made their way along a stone wall, their feet slipping in the wet grass and cold mud, until they were deep into the shadows under the bridge. Adriana found a nearly invisible opening in the crumbling rock and dirt beside one of the arched supports, and slipped through it. Manny, who was beginning to wonder if this was such a great idea after all, stubbed his toes on the rocks as he hurried to keep up with her.

  The tunnel was dark, slimy, and smelled of dead things and pee, and it made Manny's skin itch. What little light there was from outside faded rapidly. Firelight glowed from some point ahead, and as they drew closer, Manny saw it was a smoky torch set into a rusty bracket. Adriana stopped beside it and crouched down to poke around in a pile of what Manny would have assumed was just garbage. She stood again, holding a piece of wood the size of a bat with something black on the end of it. She held it to the torch, and after a moment the black stuff lit up and they had a torch of their own.

  Oh, so that's how that works, Manny thought, following her again. He had always wondered why the fire didn't burn all the way down to your hand.

  The light made it easier to make their way down the tunnel, but seeing what was in there didn't do good things for Manny's stomach. The air was cold and damp, and the rocky walls were wet and sticky. He wished he wasn't barefoot. In fact, he wished he was wearing galoshes, or maybe a spacesuit.