Rae frowned. “What if they…?”
“I’ll be okay. Just stay out of sight.”
Ash eased himself to the mouth of the street and peered down both ways. The guards stood at the corner, one leaned against a stone wall while the other lit a long pipe.
Ash paused. If they had time to smoke they probably weren’t hunting him, unless it was some kind of trick… He crept up the side of the building, keeping behind stalls and strolling people until he could hide around the corner from the two men. He could just make out the blue elbow of the closest one’s shirt.
The pipe’s pungent smoke filled the air and tickled the back of Ash’s throat. He swallowed and blinked away the scratching feeling it left on his eyeballs. He tried to look casual, leaning against the side of the building, but most of his attention was on the shuffling guards and their muttered conversation.
“I heard you got in deep with Madam Scarlett. I warned you about her.”
“Bah!” The second man spat and it landed on the cobblestones a foot away from Ash’s boots. “That whore is deluded if she thinks I’m paying that much.”
“Not on our salary, am I right?”
“Too right about that.” A plume of smoke accompanied the words and wafted around the corner into Ash’s face.
He held his breath and swiped at his watering eyes.
“Of course, if we found those cursed twins it’d be a different story.”
The first guard chuckled and the elbow at the side of the building jostled up and down. “That’d be the day. Those Faceless Monks are cracked, the—”
“Shh! You can’t say that.”
They fell silent.
“Just saying what everyone’s thinking.”
“I’ll be keeping an eye out for two rats that look about the same age, I’ll tell you that much.”
The first guard snorted. “They all look the same age. It’s like a swarm.”
“These two have been living in the Upper Trading District. If they came down here, they’d stand out. That’s for sure.”
“I suppose you’re right about that. Lots of ‘ifs’ though. If they exist. If they came to Lower Trading. If you can recognize them and they’re not dead…”
“Yeah, I get your point. Come on; we should keep moving. The captain said that if he catches me smoking on the job again he’d put me in the clink.”
“Ha! I might just tell him you did it so I can watch.”
“Just try it.”
The two men pushed away from the wall and their shadows fell across the street in front of Ash. He held his breath and stared down at the pavement. They weren’t even sure he and Rae existed so there was no reason for them to notice him. Still, he didn’t breathe again until the guards had disappeared around a far corner, and then he hurried back to Rae’s side.
“They’re keeping an eye out for us, but they don’t know what we look like.” He repeated their conversation. “We need to be careful. How many urchins down here know about medicine? The two of us together stand out.”
“What do you suggest?”
Ash ran a hand over his face. “We can’t be together all the time; we’re too easy to notice.”
“What? Ash, no.”
“I don’t like it either, but I can’t think of anything else.”
“It’s not safe.”
“Neither is being together. We just have to be careful, and we’ll meet up at our new home in the evenings.”
Rae gripped their bag of supplies, knuckles white. “Okay, I’ll meet the people at the Crooked Scythe. What about you?”
“I’ll try to get more work. Either telling people to come here to meet you, or maybe lifting stuff at the docks. I’m sure they’re always looking for people.”
“But the docks can be rough…”
“So can I; we did grow up in Wichden remember.”
“I remember. Just be careful. And we’ll meet back at the forge before it gets dark.”
“Good luck.”
“And you.” Rae turned away and slipped out into the street.
Ash watched her until she went out of sight and then turned the other way. He didn’t know where exactly to go, so he let the flow of people carry him along. He was almost out in the open before he realized he was back at the temple district. People flowed past on either side, their heads bowed. Some carried flowers or other offerings, but most shuffled by empty-handed.
Ash ducked out of the flow of people and scanned the crowd in the hopes of seeing someone who was sick or injured. His eyes fell on the temple of The Faceless Monks. He gasped and ducked into the nearest shadow, heart racing. The exact people he was supposed to be avoiding and he’d managed to come within one building of their headquarters.
He waited until his heart returned to a normal rhythm and he could breathe again before he peered around the corner at the somber temple. Two Monks stood outside, their deep hoods hiding any hint of facial features. They didn’t talk to each other or any of the people passing by; they just stood, still as statues.
Rage burned in Ash’s chest. They were the monsters who had ruined his life from the day he and Rae were born. If it weren’t for them and their rule that all twins be destroyed, he and Rae could have lived a normal life. Maybe their mother would have loved them, their father wouldn’t have been a broken man, Sim would still be alive, and who knew how many other tragedies could have been avoided.
Ash’s hands clenched into fists. He wanted to run across the courtyard, strangle the Monks, and burn their temple to the ground, just like they’d burned Sim’s house. But he couldn’t. He’d be dead before he could even get to the first Monk.
He narrowed his eyes. Maybe if he watched them and how they worked, then he could find their weakness and a way to destroy them. He mulled it over in his mind. Everyone had a weakness, including the Faceless Monks; he just had to find out what it was.
He studied the buildings surrounding the temples. If he circled around he’d be able to get close enough to the Temple of The Faceless Monks that he could almost touch it.
Any thought of finding work at the docks fled his mind. He had a new mission. He weaved through the streets and circled the temples until he stood at the mouth of an alley. A few feet beyond, the sleek, black walls of the temple rose high above his head. He crept closer. He was behind the Monks now, so all he could see of them were their long, black robes.
He crouched in the shadows of the alley to wait and watch.
Ash stayed there for hours but didn’t notice the time passing. Every part of him focused on the Monks, waiting for any sign of movement or any spoken word, but nothing happened. They didn’t even shift their weight, despite standing in the same place for hours. Thoughts of revenge swirled through Ash’s head and chased away the cramps in his legs and the hunger building in his stomach.
The sun dropped to the horizon, and Ash considered going right up to the Monks to make sure they weren’t carvings, when they both straightened as if coming out of a trance. They turned, mirror images of each other, and marched back toward the temple. At the same time, two others appeared from inside the temple and took up positions outside.
Ash stared at the Monks as they strode back for the temple but he couldn’t see anything beyond the dark hoods. He cursed and kicked the wall beside him. Hours wasted and he hadn’t seen a single sign of weakness, hadn’t seen anything helpful at all. And there was no way he’d be able to learn anything in the dark.
The dark.
His stomach twisted. He was supposed to meet Rae back at the forge before dark. She’d think something had happened to him; she’d be panicked. Then a worse thought occurred to him… what if something had happened to her and he didn’t get there in time?
He pushed away from the wall and sprinted up the alley, away from the temple. He darted into the next street and had to jump over a mangy dog lying on the stones. His feet slapped against cold cobblestones and he skidded around the next corner. Terrible images of Rae injured and dyi
ng filled his mind and made his breath rasp in his throat.
Ash darted through the streets, but with only a faint hint of red lighting the darkness, he took two wrong turns before barreling onto the street with the forge and hurling himself at the roof. He scrambled up and the rough edge gouged deep grazes into his arms and legs.
He landed with a solid thump.
Rae wrapped her arms around him. “Ash! Thank Talon you’re okay. I was so worried!”
Ash engulfed her in his arms and let out a long breath. She was okay. The panic leaked out of his body, leaving his muscles sore and exhausted. His legs ached from where he’d been crouched all day and his stomach rumbled.
“How was your day?” Ash said. He did his best to hide his racing heart.
“Excellent!” Rae said. She opened her hand to reveal five silver Trites. “And I had enough to buy dinner.” She pointed to a small pile of food.
“You are amazing,” Ash said.
“What about you?”
Guilt turned Ash’s stomach sour and he had to look away. “Oh, I, uh… tried the docks but they didn’t need me. I’ll try again tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Rae said. “You’re back late…”
Ash shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “You know me, I got lost.”
Rae’s face cleared and she chuckled as she handed him a slice of meat. “That does sound like you.”
Ash took the food with a smile, even though a bad taste filled his mouth. Why had he lied to Rae? The one person he could trust in all the world… He shook his head and swallowed. He’d stay away from the temple. Today had been a mistake and he wouldn’t make it again. With that resolved, he managed to look Rae in the eye and eat.
25
Ash chuckled as he and Rae rounded the last corner before the forge. They’d had a good day, and in just a few more months they’d have enough saved to make it to the Institute. Ash’s heart fluttered. The more he imagined the place, the grander it became. A whole city of magicians, he could scarcely imagine it; he and Rae would go and learn magic, and they’d be the greatest the world had ever seen. A tiny shadow darkened his happiness—they’d have the power for revenge on The Faceless Monks.
“Just think, once we—”
A broad-shouldered figure stepped out of an alley and his heavy shadow fell across them, sucking the heat from the afternoon.
Ash’s heart clenched and adrenalin surged through his veins as he reached for the tiny surgical knife he kept at his belt.
How much money did they have on them? Five silver at least; too much to give up. He bit his lip and considered telling Rae to run with the money, but the scuffle of footsteps behind them warned that the brute had brought company.
The beefy man cracked his knuckles. “Boss wants to see you.”
Ash swallowed and his eyes slid sideways. Two more men blocked the street behind them. He moved closer to Rae so that their shoulders touched.
“We don’t want any trouble,” he said.
“Good, me neither.”
“Who are you?” Rae said.
“Name’s Sinder.”
“Hello, Sinder… my name is—”
“Rae… and your little friend is Ash. I know. Boss has taken quite an interest in you two.”
Ash cleared his throat but his voice still came out dry and rasping. “Who’s your boss?”
“I think I’ll let him introduce himself. But best not to keep him waiting. Come on.” Sinder gestured for them to follow.
Ash and Rae shared a panicked glance. They had no options, but to follow the thug to some unknown place sounded like suicide.
Sinder put his hands on his hips. “You two are supposed to be smart, but I’ll make it easy for you. Either you walk there by yourself, or my friends carry you. But before you choose, I should warn you that my friends aren’t known for their gentle hands. So what will it be?”
“We’ll walk,” Rae said.
“Good.”
Sinder strode away from the forge.
Ash fell into step beside Rae. How had they been found? And why was Sinder’s boss so interested in them?
He rubbed at his chilled arms and memorized their journey so he could find his way back.
Sinder strode ahead while his two companions followed behind Ash and Rae, just close enough to be heard. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a nondescript door. A man leaned against the wall beside it.
“Evening, Sinder,” the man said.
“Grover,” Sinder said. “Boss wants to see these two.”
“Go on through,” Grover said.
Sinder swung open the door and stepped inside.
The doorway led to a set of stairs that descended into darkness. Ash tried not to think about what might be at the end. At least Sinder went first so he had to assume there wasn’t some rabid beast waiting to eat him and Rae.
The stairs squeaked under his shoes and he had to duck to get under the low roof. Sinder opened a second door at the end of the stairs and a sudden wave of light and noise flooded over them, washing up the stairwell.
Ash squinted against the glare into the room beyond. Ten tables filled the space with men and women crowded around each, some played cards while others ate and drank. A roaring fireplace lit up each side of the room, but in the darker corners lurked smaller tables with just one or two people.
The lively music screeched to a halt and everyone stopped, eyes locked on Ash and Rae. A man at a nearby table wiped beer foam from his beard with the back of his hand.
Ash swallowed and heat crept up his cheeks. It felt like he’d dropped into a dream, only he had no way to wake up.
Sinder clapped a couple of men on their backs and strode toward the far end of the hall.
Ash’s gaze traced along the rows of tables to the far end where a long table looked out over the rest. An ornate chair rested behind the table and on it sat a man with a patch over his right eye and tufts of red hair.
Ash stumbled to a stop, mouth hanging open. The man’s legs didn’t reach the floor.
Rae stopped at his side. “A dwarf.”
They’d read about such anomalies in the medical book, but they’d never seen one in person. According to the book, they usually died before adulthood.
People nearby who heard Rae’s statement gasped and drew back, fixing their eyes on their tables. Sinder faltered but kept walking while the dwarf watched them from a single, emerald-green eye.
Someone shoved Ash in the back and he stumbled forward.
“Keep moving.”
Ash shuffled toward the end of the hall. The layout of the room made him feel like he was approaching a dais rather than a worn table.
Sinder stopped at the table and nodded to the dwarf. “The healers,” he said.
The dwarf peered at them over steepled fingers. “Ash, Rae, so nice of you to see me.”
Ash swallowed down a sharp retort about not being given much of a choice. “Who are you?”
“You can call me Aldrick, but I think what you really want to know is why you’re here.”
Ash and Rae nodded.
“Good. Please, join me up here and have some food.”
Ash and Rae approached the table and sat opposite Aldrick. A small boy laid a steaming plate of meat and vegetables in front of each of them. Ash hadn’t eaten so much food in one night since Sim was killed.
“Go ahead,” Aldrick said. “I can talk while you eat.”
Ash hesitated; he had no way of knowing what Aldrick and his friends had done to the food. He caught Rae’s eye and she gave the barest of shrugs.
“Don’t worry,” Aldrick said. “If I’d wanted to kill you I would have had Sinder do it back near your forge, not drag you all the way here.”
Ash nodded; it made sense and his rumbling stomach couldn’t be ignored. He grabbed a handful of warm chicken and shoved it in his mouth. He closed his eyes as the moist flavors ran over his tongue.
“Good,” Aldrick said. He pulled out two worn dice from his
jacket pocket and danced them across his fingers. “Now onto business. I’ll assume you don’t know where you are, seeing as you didn’t know my name?”
Ash and Rae shook their heads, mouths too full to speak.
“As I thought. You may be managing okay in the Lower Trading District, but you don’t really know anything. This is the headquarters of the Red Wave.”
Ash’s chewing slowed and he frowned. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d heard it before.
Beside him, Rae froze like a rabbit before the hunter’s knife. “Criminals.”
Memory dawned on Ash and the food in his mouth turned to dust. The Red Wave, the biggest, most dangerous criminal gang in Falconwall.
Aldrick chuckled. “There are some who call us that, yes; although I prefer to think of the Red Wave as an organization. We have many people here, with many different skills.”
“But that makes you…” Ash stuttered.
“Leader of this merry bunch, yes.”
At some point the music had returned and rowdy conversation filled the hall, but all of it sounded muffled to Ash’s ears. They had to get out. He and Rae were in enough trouble as it was, they couldn’t be found in the hideout of the worst criminal gang. They’d be killed for sure.
Aldrick held up his hand. “Before you try to scramble for the door like trapped rats, I should warn you; you’d never get out, you’d be dead before you made it ten feet from this table, on that you can be sure.”
Ash’s shoulders hunched and his eyes flicked about the room, they were surrounded, and while most people were laughing or drinking, he had no doubt that they’d be able to kill him without pausing for breath.
“Good,” Aldrick said. “Now, I’ve been watching you two for quite some time. I could have killed you for carrying out business on my territory without paying a fee, but I know you’re new and didn’t know the rules.”
Rae’s throat bobbed. “Rules?”
“Yes. Lower Trading is mine. No one does business in the slums without the Red Wave getting a cut.”
Ash shoved his empty plate away. “That’s ridiculous. We barely make enough to feed ourselves! Let alone pay you money.”
Shadow of a Slave (The Blood Mage Chronicles Book 1) Page 13