Stone and Steel

by Eboni Dunbar

  “Nothing you got,” Aaliyah said. She was waiting for bigger prey.“I got everything. Everything a pretty thing like you could need.”

  Aaliyah snorted. She knew she wasn’t the boy’s type. She wore her hair in knots across her head, bound her chest flat and accentuated her muscle. Boys like him wanted a trophy to look pretty on their arm. Aaliyah was no one’s trophy.

  “I need Madame Mercy,” Aaliyah said. “Unless you’ve got access to her you can’t help me.”

  The boy stopped, let her get ahead of him and then followed. “Ain’t nobody got access to Madame Mercy except Big Blue, and Big Blue don’t give that shit up for nobody.”

  Aaliyah raised an eyebrow. “He still follows her like a puppy, huh?”

  The boy snickered. “Hell yeah.”

  “He feed y’all?” The boy stopped and Aaliyah did the same, letting him assess her. He spit into the dirt.

  “You guard?” Aaliyah sucked her teeth. “Used to sling too. Now I’m asking you about how well your boss keeps you in food and a roof. And you’re going to answer because you don’t want trouble with me.” He stepped up to her, bumping their chests together. “I ain’t saying shit. I don’t give a fuck about you.”

  She sighed. She’d hoped to avoid an altercation. Aaliyah pushed the boy back and he swung. Blue wasn’t teaching boys how to fight anymore, that was for sure. She blocked his punch and swung back, landing her blow perfectly against the bridge of his nose. He grunted as the force knocked him back.

  He spat again, this time with blood. “Feed me fine. Little brothers too. Ain’t never met no guard who slang before. Who the hell—”

  “You talk too much, boy,” a gruff voice said behind them. They turned to look at the speaker.

  Big Blue was as black as midnight on a moonless night. He was built like an ox and he used his bulk to intimidate just about everyone but the gutter cats of the neighborhood. One curled around his tree trunk of a leg, purring. His dark eyes took Aaliyah in quickly and he grunted.

  “Aaliyah.”

  “Blue.”

  “You ain’t supposed to be here without an invitation,” Blue said. “I go where I please,” she said.

  Blue shook his head. “Same old, Aaliyah. Always looking for a slight.”

  The boy looked at him. “Wait. Aaliyah? The Aaliyah? The one who—”

  “What I say about your mouth, boy?” The boy’s jaw snapped shut, his teeth clacking.

  Blue returned his attention to her. “Whachu want?”

  “I want to talk.”

  “You wanna start a war,” Blue said. “No, I don’t.”

  “Your sister know you’re here?” Aaliyah didn’t answer and he nodded. “Yeah, it’s a war you want, and Madame’s too eager to give it to her. Come on.”

  Blue turned, crouching down to pet the cat one more time, and shot the boy a commanding look. “Back to your corner and keep your mouth shut, will you?”

  “Yeah.” The boy smiled brightly at Aaliyah. “I’m gonna tell everyone I met you.”

  Aaliyah could see the child beneath the bravado, excited to meet a war hero. Blue led them through the tangle that was the ‘Ville. Once, Aaliyah could have pinpointed every drop house and brothel on the block, but now the places she’d known were run down or shuttered. She thought of asking Blue but said nothing for now. They reached a house that had once belonged to the Prince of Thieves, thick walled and tall for the area. The perfect vantage place to see his enemies.

  Aaliyah remembered fondly the older man’s great white smile, more like a blade then his actual knife. He’d taught Aaliyah dagger work, teaching her to strike his daughter into the dust, even as he taught Mercy to use bone magic to twist Aaliyah’s limbs. Mercy had never minded, and Aaliyah had enjoyed the feel of Mercy’s cool dry hands against her own. Enjoyed the feel of the bone magic as it stitched her back together. Their first kiss had been in the eaves of this house, their lips joining in the same way their hands did.

  Mercy must be getting sentimental if she was staying here again.

  Blue took her to the back entrance, through a kitchen where several young women sat trying to get warm by the fire. Aaliyah tried to ignore how young they were and focused instead on the fact that they looked fed and happy. They chatted to each other, whispering and laughing. Blue thundered up the back stairs and Aaliyah hurried to catch up with him.

  A long hallway brought them to the room that the Prince of Thieves had once used as his armory. Blue knocked and then they waited. Aaliyah’s heart quickened. Blue knocked a second time. The door opened and there she was.

  Mercedes barely reached Aaliyah’s chin in her bare feet, but today she wore tall black boots that put her at eye level. Her knee-length hair hung free in a sea of twists. She wore a dress of black leather that accentuated the blessed bounty of her breasts and backside. Her hands were covered in blood and behind her someone writhed on the floor in agony.

  Mercedes lips twisted into a smile.”Hey babe, I’m just finishing some business. You want to come in or wait out there?”

  Aaliyah looked from the man to Mercedes. “In.” Mercedes bit her lip. “I love it when you watch me.” Mercy stepped aside to let them into the room. She’d replaced the racks of spears, daggers and bows with a neat little office. A settee sat against the far wall in front of the hearth. A large desk sat against one wall with a chair behind it and across from it, The Prince of Thieves’ prize spear and dagger hung. Mercy was definitely getting sentimental. Aaliyah circled the pool of blood and sat on the settee against the far wall. Mercy returned her attention to the man on the floor, hauling him up by the collar of his shirt. He was clean shaven and looked too young to be having the life beaten out of him. His once white shirt looked expensive. Either Mercy paid him well, or he was stealing. Blood gurgled from his full lips.. Aaliyah clamped her teeth shut. This was Mercy’s place, her rules. She wouldn’t interfere.

  “Now see, I’ve spent too much time on you,” Mercy said, shaking an agonized cry out of the man. “What do you think babe? Kill him or just cut his dick off?”

  The man broke out into hysterical wailing and Mercy rolled her eyes. She let him slump back to the floor and sob into the wood. Mercy strode over to her desk, grabbing a cloth and wiping her hands.

  “What’s he done?” Aaliyah asked. “He’s a runner. A good runner. But he stole from me, beat one of my girls and refused to pay her. So really he stole from me twice.”

  “He’s a good earner?”

  Mercy shrugged. “Why not just take his hand and let him get back to work?” Mercy sauntered over to the settee. She settled herself in Aaliyah’s lap. Aaliyah’s eyes were drawn to her red lips. Mercy traced her hand down Aaliyah’s arm, until she looked Aaliyah in the eyes.

  “You’re such a softie. You think everyone is as honest as you. But love, if I let him go, he’s going to steal from me again. And stealing from me is stealing from my family.” Mercy’s eyes went from playful to stone. She lifted her hand and twisted, the grace of it undeniable. It shouldn’t have surprised her, Mercy’d learned to make the brutality of bone magic look elegant on Aaliyah’s own flesh. Aaliyah flinched at the sound of the man’s neck breaking. Mercy stopped smiling and stood. “Blue, clean that up. Aaliyah, tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my territory without permission.”

  Aaliyah preferred this Mercy, the tactical one. Yes, she was colder, but that meant Aaliyah didn’t have to deal with the feelings she’d harbored since they were teens. Blue lifted the body of the dead man and went out without so much as a second glance. “You may know I’ve just returned home.”

  Mercy snorted. “I may know that. What’s it got to do with me and mine?”

  “When I came into the city, I noticed a few children who looked...under cared for.”

  “Only a few, she did a great job with the round up,” Mercy muttered.

  “Just now on my way here
I saw a lot more than that. Hungry kids, sick folks. It looked worse than before I left. People looked worse.” Aaliyah sighed. “I need to know what’s been going on here. I need to know what she’s been doing and I trust you to tell me.”For a moment, Aaliyah was sure Mercy would send her packing. Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed to ward off angry tears. She’d worn the same expression the day Odessa had told Aaliyah to choose and Aaliyah had placed her hand, and her faith, in Odessa’s words. Mercy sat back on the edge of her desk.

  “Nothing has been going on here. She closed every kitchen open to the hungry, every workhouse. All gone. The orphanage where your mother left you? Shuttered. The children on the street. The hospital, abandoned. Your sister did the opposite of everything she said she would do,” Mercy said. “And this conversation is treason.”

  “What?”

  “Criticism of the Queen shall be considered treason and all those found to be committing treason shall be beheaded,” Mercy recited in a courtly tone. Aaliyah studied the floor. Why hadn’t she known about this? Suddenly Jalil’s warning made more sense. Be careful, he’d said. “I know you love her, babe, but she lied to us. People are scared and sick and hungry.”

  “Why would she do this?”

  “What?”

  “Any of it,” Aaliyah said. “Why lie? Why take from the people? Why?”

  “Power’s always been Odessa’s adu. You may not like it but she’s been begging you for hits over the years and becoming queen is like the biggest one she’d ever had—”

  “Enough,” Aaliyah said. She closed her eyes shut to keep from crying. Mercy’s shoes clacked on the floor as she made her way over. Aaliyah opened her eyes as Mercy moved her knees apart and knelt in between them.

  “This isn’t your fault,” Mercy said. “I made promises to people. That things would get better. She would be better,” Aaliyah said. “But it’s worse.”

  “Aali, that’s not your fault. She’s doing this. She’s spent more on gowns and trips than her people. She made those choices, not you. You always manage to see the good in people. Even when there is no good in them,” Mercy said.

  “I don’t want to have this argument with you,” Aaliyah said. “What argument?”

  “There is good in her, Mercedes. She may not know how to deal with people the way you do but she has goodness in her. And she loves me.” A cruel smile ghosted across Mercy’s face before she turned her head.

  “You’re right, we’re not having this argument.”

  “Where has she been going on trips?” Aaliyah said, tracking back.

  “She took one long trip last year east to Galavera. And this year she went west to Oxnar.”

  Aaliyah’s mind turned. Tactically, Galavera and Oxnar were the only countries with militaries strong enough to rival Titus, since Aaliyah herself had defeated every army to the south. Galavera and Oxnar made dangerous enemies but valuable potential allies. “For what?” Mercy considered her words and spoke carefully. “Both Kings are unmarried. Rumor has it she’s courting them.”

  Aaliyah blinked.”I told her she should try to make Galavera and Oxnar allies but...”

  “What better way than by making one of them her husband?” Mercy took her hands but Aaliyah pulled away, getting up so she could lean against the wall.

  Aaliyah loved Odessa more than anything. She had killed a king for her. Odessa had always promised that they would have each other. She’d alway said that nothing would change that.

  Aaliyah was so angry she couldn’t see straight. “Rumor has it one of them is interested.” Mercy wrapped her arms around Aaliyah’s waist. “There are some people who are considering a show of resistance. People who think the only true Queen is the one we all call champion.”

  Aaliyah spun around but Mercy didn’t release her, just held the other woman tight against her.

  “Who?” Aaliyah said. “You. You could be Queen.”

  “I’m a soldier.”

  “You’re a champion. A leader who will focus on the needs of your people.”

  “Mercy, this is treason.”

  “What’s one more charge?” Mercy’s brown eyes searched Aaliyah’s face. “You could do it. I know you could.”

  “Odessa is the Queen. I am her sword,” Aaliyah said. Mercy released her, stepping backward. Aaliyah saw the expression on her face go hard again. “Gods forbid you should be your own sword.”

  They stared at each other. Mercy was all heat, the anger and disappointment radiating off of her in waves. Aaliyah was cool, her breath coming with difficulty. She tried not to think of that moment when she’d walked away with Odessa. When the Prince of Thieves had taken his protection away after so many years. She was overwhelmed and Mercy knew it. If she hadn’t, she would have kept pushing. Like they were fifteen again and Mercy was pressing Aaliyah to think of someone other than Odessa. To put her own needs first. She’d pushed and pushed and Aaliyah had run off. Disappearing to the woods for two weeks. When she’d returned, Mercy hadn’t pushed her again, knew not to push Aaliyah harder than she could take.

  “I think we’re done for the day. You come back when you’re ready for more,” Mercy said, turning away.

  Aaliyah’s eyes caught the pool of blood that was still in the middle of Mercy’s floor. She could see her own reflection in it. Aaliyah had always accepted that she would bear the stain of the blood she’d shed for her sister, because Odessa would do what was right. Now she didn’t know if she could.

  Aaliyah was exhausted and hungry by the time she returned to the palace. She took Ko’s secret route, grateful not to have to answer questions when she reached the gate. She stopped for no one as she made her way to her chamber. She wanted nothing more than to crawl in her bed and think of nothing. There were stones strewn across the floor in front of her doorway, making Aaliyah pause. She felt like a child again, nervous about what Odessa might do. Her hand shook as she turned the door knob.

  She wasn’t surprised to find Odessa lying across her bed when she entered the room, but her stomach still lurched. Aaliyah went straight into her dressing room without acknowledging her.

  She washed herself and put on her bed clothes before returning to the chamber. Odessa hadn’t moved but Aaliyah could feel power sparking in the room. Her sister was angry too.

  “Good evening,” Aaliyah said. She crossed the room, blowing out candles as she went.

  “Good evening, General Aaliyah. So kind of you to join us,” Odessa said.

  “I’m not in the mood,” Aaliyah said. “Why? Didn’t your little girl in the ‘Ville make you feel good?” Odessa said.

  Aaliyah stopped. She looked at her sister, tried to read her intent. Odessa’s eyes were wide and frantic. Aaliyah stood up a little straighter. She was fishing.

  “I went for a walk. I didn’t like what I saw, but I’m willing to discuss it with you in a reasonable manner. Just not right now.”

  “As your Queen I have every right to know what you’ve been doing with your time.”

  Aaliyah nodded. “You’re right. I went to Samza Orphanage.” She watched Odessa’s face, looking for a reaction. It was the orphanage that Aaliyah’s mother had deposited them at before she’d wandered off to safety and her adu. Odessa raised a manicured eyebrow but there was nothing remorseful or guilty in her expression.

  “Why would you go to that place?” Aaliyah shrugged. “Wanted to see the old place. Did you know it closed?”

  Odessa laughed. “Enough of this bullshit about Samza. You hated that place and it was decrepit when we were there. You want me to believe you didn’t go see your whore?”

  “I don’t want you to believe anything. I want you to get out of my room. I want to go to sleep, so that tomorrow we can have a productive conversation,” Aaliyah said.

  “Don’t play games with me,” Odessa snapped. Aaliyah stood over the bed. “I’m not playing games. Good night, Odessa.”


  Odessa looked ready to burst with anger. The walls cracked and heaved with the tension of her power. Aaliyah waited, steeling herself. She wished she had her sword.

  Odessa climbed out of the bed, knocking into Aaliyah’s shoulder. She stomped across the room, her chest heaving with unexpressed anger. She opened the door and turned back. “One of these days, Aaliyah, you are going to regret forgetting where your loyalties lie. Good night, sister mine.” She slammed the door shut behind her.

  Aaliyah shook as she climbed into bed, the only light in the room the glow from the fireplace. Everything Mercy had said was true. Odessa was up to no good. There was nothing she could do except try to change that.

  Aaliyah’s sleep was restless. She dreamed of her mother, a woman she hadn’t seen since she was three years old. In the dream, her mother tried to keep Odessa away from her but Aaliyah just kept fighting and fighting and fighting to get to her sister. Eventually, her mother let her go and just disappeared. Always leaving them alone.

  Aaliyah made her way down to the barracks. She needed an update from Sherrod and Helima, but she also needed to get back to her routine. She was a general after all, and her people deserved her attention. She tried to smile and make small talk as she moved through the castle, but either her face showed more than she wanted or everyone was simply busy, but no one seemed to want to talk to her.

  It was so early that when she entered the barracks, most of the soldiers were still laying abed. The few awake waved to her and she waved back. Aaliyah checked first Helima’s and then Sherrod’s bunks. Both were empty.

  “She’s with Jalil,” a quiet voice said. Aaliyah found a young private staring down at her, her hair dusty red and her eyes a mystifying green against her brown skin. “Not sure where he is. Probably with one of the maids.”

  “Thanks. When you see either of them will you let them know

  I’m looking for ‘em?” Aaliyah said.

  The young woman nodded. “Get your rest, private.” Aaliyah walked out of the barracks into the training yard and stopped short. Two mages, of stone and air as indicated by their tunics, strode towards her with grim expressions. The air mage wore turquoise ceremonial robes that skimmed the ground. Feather earrings dangled against her cheek and her hair was pulled back into a poof on the top of her head. Her companion was a big man with an unsettling smirk. His jagged teeth looked razor sharp. Aaliyah took a half step back. The private came up beside her, looking at the mages as well.