The Confectioner Chronicles Box Set

by Claire Luana

  “Have you ever played I Spy?”

  Olivia wrinkled her nose. “In here? It’ll be a short game, won’t it? I spy with my little eye something brown.”

  Dash pretended to ponder. “Is it wood?”

  “How did you know?” Olivia slapped her knee in mock surprise. “You’re a master at this.”

  Dash laughed—the sound warm and deep. “I spy with my little eye...” He caught her eye and held it. “Something beautiful.”

  Olivia pulled in a sharp little breath.

  A key jangled at the lock and Olivia tore her gaze from Dash’s, grateful for the distraction.

  The door opened and a bare-footed sailor entered the room, bearing a tray with two dinner bowls. A thin figure was silhouetted in the hallway behind him. Wren.

  Olivia’s lip curled. Her former friend who had betrayed her, stolen her away from her home and city and Guild. Who still hadn’t told her why.

  Wren stepped into the room. Her face was wan, her auburn hair tangled as if from salty air.

  “How are you feeling?” Wren asked quietly.

  The sailor deposited the tray on the little corner shelf and went to stand by Wren, crossing his arms before him. Her bodyguard, it seemed. As if Wren needed protection from Olivia or Dash. She was the one who had attacked them!

  “A little cabin fever, but well enough,” Dash replied.

  Olivia ground her teeth. She’d already said her piece to Wren. No need to repeat it now.

  “Olivia,” Wren said carefully. “I know you’re very angry, but I was wondering if you might tell me what you think of Emperor Evander?”

  Olivia exchanged a look of disbelief with Dash. This again? “Why do you keep asking me that?”

  “It just... It matters to me,” Wren said. Typical Wren non-answer. Olivia was trying to recall if there was ever a time when Wren had been completely honest with her. She wasn’t sure she could think of one.

  She let out a frustrated hiss. “Emperor Evander is...” She paused. Her mind felt foggy and confused when it came to the subject of their new ruler. She’d felt so strongly before, but now... She put her hand to her temple. “I’m—I’m not sure.”

  A look of relief broke across Wren’s face, lighting her up like a sunbeam. “Good. That’s good.”

  Dash was frowning, watching her closely. “What’s going on?”

  Olivia shook her head, trying to clear it.

  “I’ll explain everything in another day. Tomorrow we’ll be arriving at Forgotten Bay, in Centu. Olivia, I think you’ll be able to come out of this awful cabin by the time we arrive.”

  Olivia wanted to get out of this cabin more than anything, but... She looked at Dash. “What about Dash?”

  Wren pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, Dash, but you’re still an Aprican legionnaire. We can’t risk releasing you.”

  He didn’t seem surprised.

  “That’s not fair,” Olivia protested. “I don’t want to be released until Dash is.”

  “Olivia, don’t be mad. You’re part of the Guild. He’s the enemy.”

  “He’s been a better friend to me than you as of late.” Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. She knew that was a tad bit melodramatic, but Wren still hadn’t apologized to her for what she’d done.

  “We’ll discuss this tomorrow. You might find you’ve had a change of heart,” Wren said. She nodded to the sailor. “Let’s go.”

  Dash stood, retrieving the two bowls and handing one to her before sitting down beside her.

  “You would really do that for me?” Dash asked softly. “Give up your freedom? Stay in this cell?”

  Olivia took a bite. The stew was watery, but it had a pleasant flavor of curry and cardamom. “They can’t hold you indefinitely. Maybe I can help them see that.”

  “That would be the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me,” he admitted. “But I won’t let you do it.”

  “Good thing you don’t have the power to let me do anything,” Olivia countered. “I make my own choices. I’m my own woman.”

  Dash nodded, his gaze intent upon her. “What if there was a way we could both be free?”

  Olivia’s spoon froze halfway to her mouth. She let it fall. “What do you mean?” she whispered.

  “If I could get us out of here when we get to Centu, would you come with me? We could find our own way back to Maradis. Get you home.”

  Her heart skittered in her chest. Dash was asking her to run. It was madness. She’d only known him for a few days. But she trusted him more than she trusted Wren and Callidus and even Thom right now. “Yes.” She found herself saying, a smile stretching its way across her face.

  Chapter 20

  Rizio called down to Wren, Thom, and Callidus when they caught sight of land. They emerged from their narrow berths, donning boots and cloaks before making their way into the frigid misty air above deck.

  Thom was moving slow—his face pallid and clammy. He had developed a ragged cough over the last day.

  Wren shoved down her worry. So long as they kept filling him with soup and tea, he’d get over whatever it was. He was young and strong.

  Wren’s first glimpse of the Centese archipelago was distinctly underwhelming. Desolate islands of slate stone thrust up from the glassy sea—their barren forms shrouded in mist. The hush of the morning was broken only by a call of a stray gull as the Black Jasmine glided silently towards land.

  The ship drew closer to the nearest island, heading directly towards the sheer rock face.

  Wren and Thom exchanged a look of concern. Why was Rizio heading directly for the island? Though the sea was calm, there were still bound to be rocks in the shallow water at the island’s edge. Wren’s pulse quickened the closer they got to the island until it was almost too much to bear. She looked back at Rizio standing calmly at the wheel, the collar of his wool jacket turned up against the cold. She needed to say something. He was going to kill them all!

  But then he spun the wheel and the ship turned, gliding into a narrow opening between the rock as the sailors scrambled to bring in the sails. The passageway was nearly invisible from afar. No wonder this place was called Forgotten Bay.

  The only thing more surprising than the hidden entrance to Forgotten Bay was what she saw once inside. The island cradled a sprawling metropolis of ships and humanity. A spiderweb of docks stretched across the water, creating a veritable floating city. Ships with their tall masts were nestled next to wooden outbuildings with colorful tile roofs and open squares where vendors in narrow boats hocked their wares.

  “What in the name of the Beekeeper is all this?” Thom marveled, leaning forward over the rail. He pulled a little pad of paper out of his pocket and began sketching with the nub of a charcoal pencil.

  Wren leaned her elbows down on the rail and took it all in as their ship glided past rows and streets of docks crowned with strings of colorful lanterns. Dark-haired Centese in bright red and green silks chatted on the edges of docks or haggled over goods, handing their wares from boat to boat. Wren found herself grinning. She’d never been anywhere but her hometown and Maradis before, had never thought of much beyond finding someplace safe to hunker down. But this—this was marvelous. This was why people traveled.

  The Black Jasmine sidled alongside an open stretch of dock and the crew sprang from the boat, clambering down onto the dock to secure the ship to her new berth. A moment of trepidation struck Wren. She hadn’t thought much beyond escaping Maradis. But now they had. And they were here. What were they to do if Pike didn’t help them? Would they...settle here? She shoved the thought aside. Pike would help them.

  Callidus strode towards Rizio, Wren and Thom hurrying in his wake. “We go see Pike, correct?” Callidus asked. “You know where he’s staying?”

  “I do,” Rizio said. “We’ll go now. The sooner I can get you off my ship, the better.”

  Thom and Wren moved to follow the two men, but Callidus turned on them. “No. Not you two. I’ll talk to Pike myself. The last thin
g I need is you two bumbling through things.”

  “We’re coming with you.” Wren protested. “This involves our lives too.”

  “No.” Callidus’s voice was hard. “It may shock you, but I am the Guildmaster of the Confectioner’s Guild and I do not need your assistance with everything I do.” He pointed his finger at both of them in turn. “Stay.”

  “We’re not a pair of terriers,” Thom said, crossing his arms before him.

  Wren’s frown followed Callidus and Rizio down the gangplank and out of sight.

  “What should we do while we wait?” Thom asked.

  “We’re not waiting.”

  “Wren—” Thom groaned, pulling his cloak tighter about him, rubbing his nose with his sleeve.

  Wren held up her hands. “I won’t follow Callidus and Rizio. But Rizio mentioned a jeweler who might be able to help us identify Lucas’s ring. Callidus can’t object to us being efficient with our time.”

  “I suspect Callidus could find an objection to just about anything we do. We don’t know where in the city this guy is, either.”

  “There can’t be too many jewelers named Hiryo in this city. How hard can it be?”

  Thom seemed to consider, but when his shoulders slumped, Wren knew she’d won.

  “Do I have to come with you?” he asked. His shoulders were drooping even more than normal; his face was sallow.

  Wren bit her lip. He did look like he should be back in bed, but she didn’t want to venture out alone in this totally new territory. She summoned her courage around her. She could do this alone. “No, you can stay. Rest up.”

  It seemed luck was with her, for when she asked one of the sailors for directions to Hiryo’s shop, he pointed to a building just one dock down.

  The door tinkled when she opened it. “Hello?” Wren called, taking in the glass cases filled with an assortment of glittering gems.

  A little man hurried out from the back wearing enormous glasses, his head as bald as a baby’s. He spoke rapidly in a strange language Wren could only imagine was Centese. Curses. She hadn’t thought about the language barrier. “Alesian?” she asked with an apologetic smile, stepping up to the front counter.

  “Some.” The man switched to Alesian, and Wren let out a sigh of relief.

  Wren pulled the chain over her head and pointed at the little leaf that Rizio had shown her on the inside of Lucas’s ring. “Do you know who made this ring?” She spoke slowly and apparently, a touch loudly.

  “Can hear fine,” the man said before clicking another layer of glass over his glasses, giving him a bug-eyed look. He examined it under what must be some sort of magnifying lens. He straightened, handing the ring back. “Master Ishiya.”

  Excitement bloomed within her. A lead. “Where can I find this Ishiya?”

  “Dead,” the jeweler said.

  Wren’s excitement fizzled within her. “You’re sure?”

  The man nodded, like she was an idiot. “Dead.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell me about the ring? Like the stone. What’s inside it?”

  The man frowned, examining it. “Nothing.” He proceeded to say something that sounded like he had a mouthful of rocks.

  “I’m sorry?” she asked.

  “Ru-til-at-ed quartz,” he said again, sounding out the syllables as if she were an imbecile. “Nothing in it. Grows like that.”

  Rutilated quartz. She’d never heard of it. Well, it was something. “Anything else?”

  “Only...”—he squinted, looking at the ceiling—“ten mines with this stone. Rare.”

  “Oh!” Maybe the location of the mines were a clue?

  “Can you make me a list of where these mines are located?”

  He held out a hand to her. She looked at it, confused. She put the ring back in it. “You want to see it again?”

  He scoffed, tossing the ring down on the glass counter. “Money.”

  “Ah.” Wren’s cheeks heated. Of course he wanted payment for his information. She reached inside her belt pouch and passed over a few copper crowns. “Good?” she asked.

  He nodded, sliding the coins off the counter and pulling out a notepad. He began scrawling out a list for her.

  Wren looked out the shop’s window as motion drew her eye. A man and woman racing down the dock, the woman’s blonde locks streaming behind her. Son of a spicer! It was Olivia and Dash.

  Wren launched into action, grabbing the ring and the list. “Thank you!” she cried to the jeweler as she plunged out the door into the gray morning. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she caught them…Dash was a blooming Aprican legionnaire. But she couldn’t just let Olivia disappear into Centu.

  Wren skidded around the wooden building. A few paces away, Dash and Marina were huddled together, examining the various routes. “Wait!” Wren called, cradling her aching lungs with an arm.

  The two whirled and, catching sight of Wren, launched into a run. Flame it!

  Dash glanced over his shoulder, and seeing her still on the trail, knocked over a cart full of strange black fruit as he passed, sending a herd of the balls rolling into her path.

  The little shopkeeper swore at her as she waded through, trying to avoid slipping or squishing any of the fruits.

  Olivia and Dash had rounded another corner, and now their merry little chase was headed straight towards a floating market—a U-shape of docks filled with hundreds of narrow vessels loaded with produce, fish, flowers, and spices. Dash and Olivia showed no signs of slowing and plunged straight into the market, leaping onto the first of the boats.

  Wren soldiered forward, following them onto the boat, where a startled oyster fisherman had just recovered from Olivia and Dash’s passage.

  Screams and cries lit the path she had to follow, and so without thinking of the madness of what she was doing, Wren scrambled from boat to boat, pushing off people and piles of goods, scraping her shins and tangling her skirt. Dash and Olivia were through the other end, and Wren redoubled her efforts, pulling her foot out of a crate that it had just gotten stuck in. She grabbed a cleat on the far dock and pulled herself up, scrambling to her feet, looking for her quarry. But all she saw was a banner of red sailing down towards her, enveloping her in yards of canvas.

  Wren flailed with her hands, finally ridding herself of the covering. It looked like the banner for the market. They’d cut it down! Dash and Olivia rounded a far corner down an alley and Wren took off after them.

  At the end of the market, people were gesturing angrily, shouting at four men who now stalked down the docks. They wore black trousers and white shirts and had red armbands tied around bulging muscles. Thick necks. Angry faces. Swords at their sides. A vendor pointed for the men. Directly at her. “Sweet caramel,” Wren swore. Some sort of police force.

  They entered the alley Olivia and Dash had disappeared down. It was a dead end. Dash and Olivia were scaling the side of one of the buildings—Dash was already up on top, reaching down his hand to help Olivia up.

  Wren sprinted forward and clambered up the boxes, grabbing Olivia’s ankle and pulling with all her might.

  Olivia looked down in shock as Wren pulled at her with a silent apology. Olivia’s hand slipped out of Dash’s grip and she tumbled backwards into Wren.

  They hit the hard boards of the dock like a ton of bricks. The force stunned Wren, driving the breath from her lungs, and exploding stars before her eyes. A groan escaped her lips.

  Through blurry vision, Wren saw Dash nimbly scale back down the building before leaping to Olivia’s side, checking her over gently. Wren felt a sudden pang of longing for Lucas as she rolled onto her side, pushing herself up to a seat gingerly.

  “Don’t run anymore,” Wren said. “Please. Olivia, I want to help you.”

  “You kidnapped me!” Olivia hissed.

  “Well...how do you feel about Emperor Evander?”

  “He could go hungry in hell for all I care.” Olivia was practically spitting. “And right now, I feel the same
about you, Wren.”

  Relief welled through Wren even as Olivia’s words stung her. The infusion had worn off.

  But then a thought struck her. If the infusion had worn off, why had Olivia tried to run?

  “Olivia, you were brainwashed,” Wren said. “I’ll explain everything back at the boat.” She pushed to unsteady feet.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” a menacing voice said from the mouth of the alley. Four huge men darkened the entrance, blotting out the light.

  And so they found themselves, hands bound before them, being walked through the docks of the Forgotten Bay at sword point.

  “It’s just a misunderstanding,” Wren said. “Callidus and Rizio will hear about it and come get us.” She hoped. “Olivia,” Wren said softly. “I’ll explain everything when we get back to the boat, I promise.”

  “I can’t imagine what you could say that would make this right,” Olivia sniffed, tilting her face away.

  Wren could understand that. But then again, the existence of magic wasn’t something one normally imagined.

  The men with swords funneled them into a little holding cell that was barely big enough for the three of them.

  A severe woman wearing the same uniform, with the exception of a brilliant red coat, sidled up to the bars. “Destruction of property,” she said in broken Alesian. “Disturbing peace. Wait here for judgment.”

  Judgment? Wren mouthed as the woman turned. “Wait!” she called, but the woman was already gone.

  She turned back to find Dash leaning against the wall, and Olivia leaning against Dash.

  “What are we going to do?” Olivia asked, her voice thick.

  Wren leaned against the bars and closed her eyes. Why did it seem like everyone always looked to her? She didn’t know what to do. “I guess when this judge person comes, we explain that the whole situation was a big misunderstanding and beg their forgiveness.”

  “Brilliant,” Olivia said, setting her jaw.

  Stony silence charged the air between them as the minutes ticked by.

  “Prisoners!” The woman in the red coat reappeared in the doorway. “Judgment. Stand against wall.”