by C. M. Hayden
Taro searched the room for any sign of Nima but found none.
At the card table were seven serious-looking men. The one at the head of the table was portly, slightly balding, and had a cigar in his mouth. He had a clean-cut moustache that connected to a neatly trimmed beard, framing his face. There were rings on four of the five fingers of his left hand, each with a different colored gemstone. He looked up from the cards he was holding and took a long drag of his cigar.
“New faces,” he said pleasantly, then exhaled a wide smoke ring. He was clearly in charge, and Taro guessed he was Thaedos. “Fancy a game, I hear?”
“If you’ll have us,” Taro said politely.
“I’ve never turned away a player yet. Pull up a chair, friends.” He snapped his fingers in the air. “Bring them some drinks, ladies. What’ll you have?”
“Shian White,” Taro said, pulling up a seat.
“Cider,” Sikes said, doing the same.
“Smart lads,” Thaedos said, puffing his cigar again. “Don’t want your minds clouded too much.”
Taro sat and scooted in. “What are the stakes?”
“Two shekels is the minimum,” Thaedos said, but he lifted his hands in a calming motion. “Talking about money, already? We haven’t even had a chance to introduce ourselves. You are…?”
“Taro, son of Talthis.”
“It’s good to see another Endran,” Thaedos said, his bushy eyebrows arching curiously. “Mighty far from home, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. It’s my first time in Helia.”
Thaedos looked to Sikes expectantly.
“Conner Sikes, sir,” he said.
“Well,” Thaedos said, lacing his thick fingers together. “Welcome to my establishment. Skip all this ‘sir’ nonsense, though. We’re all friends here. Call me Thaed.”
The serving girl brought Sikes and Taro their drinks on a shiny silver tray, then set a frothy beer beside Thaedos. He thanked her, his gaze lingering on her backside as she walked away. “You’re looking lovely as ever, Juni.”
“Thank you, Mr. Mathan,” the girl said flutteringly.
Taro had been counting out his crowns onto the felt tabletop. When he heard the serving girl’s comment, he dropped them and they scattered in all directions.
“M…Mathan?” Sikes said. His voice was quiet and wispy, as if he’d just had the wind knocked out of him and was trying to talk through the pain.
“Thaedos Mathan, at your service, young master.” The man puffed on his cigar and tilted his head curiously. “Is something the matter?”
It had been bothering Taro since he’d entered the room. It gnawed at the back of his mind: he’d seen this man before. He thought back to Victor Mathan’s back-alley mansion, and remembered the family portraits adorning the walls. This man had been featured prominently on them.
“No,” Taro answered, seeing that Sikes was still shell-shocked. “I’ve worked with your brother, Victor.”
Thaedos’ eyes brightened. “You’ve seen Victor recently? How’s the old sinner? He wasn’t well last we spoke. Hasn’t been answering my letters ever since that business with his grandson.”
Sikes seemed to shrink in his chair, and he remained silent.
“I’m afraid I haven’t seen him in months.” Taro said quickly.
“Ah.” Thaedos mucked his cards and motioned for Taro and Sikes to be dealt into the game. “If you do see him again, be sure to mention me.”
“Of course,” Taro said.
Thaedos gathered up the cards to shuffle them. “The buy-in is ten shekels, minimum.”
Taro reeled a bit at this. “Then I’m afraid we may have to sit out. We’ve only got five crowns between us, so that would be a bit over seven shekels.” He stood.
“A shame,” Thaedos said. “Do come back though at your earliest convenience.”
Taro wanted to blurt out his questions about Nima, but he restrained himself. He thought a bit, then removed his gold-pressed aurom from his pocket and slid it across the felt toward Thaedos.
Thaedos’ eyes widened. He thumbed the medallion and turned it over in his hands. “The seal of the Sun King,” he said. “This tells quite a story.”
Thaedos didn’t seem to recognize it as a mark of the Magisterium.
“Could I use it as collateral?” Taro asked.
Thaedos tucked the aurom in his corner and slid a stack of his clay chips toward Taro and Sikes, each worth about fifty shekels. It was quite a bit of money, easily more than the aurom was worth. Taro could tell that Thaedos’ interest was piqued.
They played for an hour, chatting of small things. Each turn they’d pass the deck to the left and that person would deal. After an hour, Taro’s stack was about the same. Sikes was down significantly, which as worrying. Sikes always feigned loss for the first hour of a game when he was planning on cheating.
Taro hoped his fears were unfounded. If he was caught rigging the deck, a beating was the best they could hope for. Every time Sikes dealt the cards, Taro felt his heart thump in his chest.
“It’s a bit surprising to see another Endran visiting Helia, things being what they are,” Thaedos said, calling the four-shekel bet Taro had thrown out. “Are you on business with the Sun King’s entourage? I’d heard he was in town.”
“Kind of,” Taro said, “but we arrived separately.”
“And he didn’t provide you with any funds? Most peculiar.”
“We met some bandits on the road through the Wastelands,” Sikes said.
“Ah,” Thaedos said, nodding. “Two of my rice wine shipments from Sahaal were raided just last month. Still, at least you’re in one piece.” He increased the bet and took a long drag of his cigar again. “No doubt you saw the bodies outside the city?”
“Unfortunately,” Taro said. “I’d heard Helians were superstitious, but I hadn’t expected that.”
“It’s the reason so many Helians who practice the Old Ways fled to Endra. Those who could afford it, anyway. Still, it’s rather unusual. The Shahl hasn’t executed anyone for heresy in forty years. Ever since that dragon-fellow visited, things have gone downhill fast.”
“Dragon?”
“Aye, a big brute at that.” He raised his hand as far up as he could. “Nine feet tall, a voice like an ocean in storm. Attacked several guards on his way to the Grand Aculam.”
An aculam was a temple to the Old Gods, under the control of the Church of the Mast. They weren’t especially common in Endra. Faith was certainly important to Endrans, but it wasn’t typically practiced in the form of temple worship. The Old God’s existence was undeniable and put to practical use on a daily basis.
In Helia it was different. Magic wasn’t something to be used as a tool for the betterment of life; it was something to be feared and respected. And the Old Gods weren’t companions to aid one in life; they were lofty deities who few dared approach and whose artifices only the ‘chosen’ were worthy to use.
“What did it want?” Sikes asked.
“Ah.” Thaedos made a face and shrugged. “That’s the question, isn’t it? Centuries of silence broken, but for what? There are rumors that say it has something to do with the Arclight incident, but who really knows? I tell you, something’s going on. Something big.”
They played for another hour, and Sikes’ stack slowly began to grow. His cheating was subtle at first: he’d get three of a kind, while his opponent would receive a pair of aces. Then, it became more pronounced—to the point where Taro wanted to kick him under the table. Full houses. A four of a kind. A straight flush. Soon, Sikes had a mountain of chips worth an easy two hundred shekels.
Taro’s stack had dwindled to only a few chips, as he was much too nervous to concentrate on the game. He had to get the information he needed before something bad happened.
“In fact,” Taro began, throwing away yet another pair, “we’d heard that a girl named Nima was seen around here.”
Thaedos shook his head. “Never heard of her,” he said casually.
Taro wasn’t sure if he was acting, but he went on to describe her. “Endran, five foot three, light-brown hair.”
“If I’d seen an Endran girl, I’d remember,” Thaedos said. There was a mote of irritation in his voice, as he’d just had his straight cracked by Sikes for the second time.
“I see.” Taro glanced sideways at Sikes with a look that could melt steel. “Then maybe we should continue on.”
“Gods below,” Thaedos said, furrowing his brow. “Give me a chance to win some of my money back.”
Taro leaned back in his chair, and felt the air leave his lungs. He steadied his hands and passed the deck to Sikes. Sikes began to deal, and this time Taro saw Thaedos’ eyes fixed on Sikes’ fingers.
What happened next was so quick that when Taro looked down at his cards and back up, Thaedos had reached over and seized Sikes’ hand by the wrist. He clamped the deck of cards and yanked it out of Sikes’ grip. Taro’s first instinct was to bolt from the room, but when his eyes glanced toward the door he saw the guards preempting him and blocking it off with their bodies.
Thaedos turned the deck upside down and checked the last two cards. He then dealt, faceup, seeing what would’ve come. Four sevens for Sikes, three queens for Thaedos. The evidence was out there for everyone to see; Sikes fumbled from his chair and tried to run.
Two of the guards seized him by the elbows and pushed him to his knees. Thaedos stood, put his cigar out in a glass ashtray and approached him, kneeling to eye-level.
He examined Sikes like he was inspecting cattle, then looked up to his guards. “Kill him. Make sure the body’s not found.” He spoke as casually as if he were ordering lunch.
Taro looked like a cornered deer. He was trapped. Fighting was an option, but any brazen display of magic might land Taro beside the hanging dead outside the city.
The guard holding Sikes’ right arm produced a knife from his belt and pressed it to the boy’s bare neck. Sikes didn’t miss a beat. His templar flared and he twisted the guard’s wrist. The man’s knife fell to the ground, and Sikes elbowed him so hard that his ragged body smashed into a stalagmite halfway across the room. His colleagues went to check if he was alive, and Sikes took an aggressive stance, fists up, and stared at Thaedos. His chest heaved and sweat poured down his face.
Thaedos couldn’t have looked more pleased. “As I suspected.” He picked Taro’s aurom from the tabletop. “A couple of magisters in our midst.”
The guard charged toward Sikes again, but Thaedos motioned for them to stop. “Unless you want your skull caved in, I suggest you keep your distance.”
Taro cocked his head. “You knew?”
Thaedos tossed the aurom to Taro. “I’d be an idiot not to notice a commission aurom right in front of my face. I saw the little shit cheating right from the off.”
Taro’s eyes went from Vexis, to Sikes, and back to Thaedos. “Take the money, we’ll be on our way.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Thaedos said. “Not just yet.”
“You think you can stop us?” Taro said.
Thaedos shrugged and sat back into his chair. He sipped his beer, stretched, and propped his feet up on the table, spilling his chips out of their stacks. “You think your magic tricks give you power here? One message to the Inquisitors, and I guarantee you’ll be hung, decapitated, or burned alive before nightfall. Go ahead, try.”
Taro knew full-well that if he was going to find Nima, they couldn’t draw attention to themselves in such a way. He sat across from Thaedos and knelt his head slightly. “What do you want?”
“The truth,” Thaedos said. “What are you doing in Helia?”
Taro didn’t see much reason to lie anymore. “I’m looking for my sister, Nima. We’ve been able to…eh…divine that she’s somewhere nearby.”
“I told you she isn’t.”
“A colleague of your brother’s, a man named Halric, brought her here months ago,” Taro said.
“Halric...” Thaedos muttered. He looked genuinely surprised by the mention. “He brought a girl but nothing like the one you described. Blonde, tall, at least twenty years old, and Helian. He had a letter from Victor telling me to keep her safe.” He pointed to his forehead. “A bit cracked in the head, you see.”
“Kadia?” Taro said reflexively.
Thaedos went ridgid. “He never mentioned a name.”
“Kadia Andurin,” Taro said, shooting Vexis a furious look.
Thaedos’ eyes darkened. He glanced from one side of the room to the other and raised one hand. “Out,” he said to his guests. At this word, the serving girls, bartender, and gamblers shuffled out. Thaedos sat with his palms flat on the card table, practically shaking. A moment passed and when he saw people were still filing out, he shouted: “I SAID GET OUT.” He threw his ashtray at the girls, causing them to break into a flat run.
Tobacco ash rained down onto the dirt floor. “You three stay,” Thaedos added, just as Sikes was moving toward the door. He pressed his fingertips to his temples and rubbed them with his eyes closed.
“Why does Victor do these things to me,” he said wearily.
“What did he do?” Taro asked, though he’d already guessed the problem.
Thaedos gave him a faux-smile, but beneath it his skin had gone red and the artery on his neck was visibly beating. “I’ve got the Shahl’s crazy daughter locked in my gambling den, that’s what he did.” He smashed his hand into his clay chips. “I swear, I’ll kill that son of a bitch.” His voice went softer. “Kadia Andurin…gods below. If the Shahl finds out…”
Vexis pulled her scarf and hood down. “He’ll kill you.”
Thaedos sipped his drink, then dropped the glass cup onto the stone floor. “Oh, you can speak after all, can you?”
“I can do more than that.” She stepped toward the table. “Show me Kadia.”
Thaedos didn’t even look in her direction. “Keep your little sister quiet,” he said to Taro. “If that’s beyond her ability, she can wait outside.”
“Oh, she’s not my sister,” Taro said, blinking. “She’s Kadia’s.”
Thaedos’ eyes snapped in her direction, and Vexis ran her hand through her bright blonde hair with a wicked grin. “Would you like me to repeat myself, Thaed?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ways and Means
THAEDOS LED THEM INTO a dark area of the caves; these passageways were sectioned off with iron bars. There were no torches here, and the only light available came from the lantern Thaedos held in front of him. They walked along a set of wood and steel tracks, confirming that the cave had once been a mine of some sort. Such a large mine directly beneath a city was notably odd, but Taro had his mind on other things.
“You lied to me,” Taro said, following beside Vexis.
Vexis was wholly apathetic. “Just figured that out, did you?”
“You never had any intention of helping me find Nima, you lying sack of—”
Vexis raised one finger. “Not true. I just felt that Kadia was in more immediate danger.” She used the same finger to tap the side of her head. “Your sister’s got all her marbles. Kadia needs me.”
They walked through the dark in silence, until Vexis quietly mused aloud to herself. “This is where Halric took her to be safe. This prison. I swear, if you hadn’t killed him, I’d rip his scrawny wrinkled body apart.”
Thaedos stopped, and the flickering lamplight turned toward them. “You killed Dr. Halric?” he asked, bewildered. “How?”
“I pushed him into the fires of the Arclight,” Taro said, without remorse. “He burned up.”
Vexis didn’t look so sure. “The powers that bound Halric to this world are complex.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Taro said.
“Halric worked for my father. He lived here in Helia since before I was born. Father appointed him High Inquisitor, one of those ‘worthy’ to use the magic of the Old Gods.”
“And your father decides who’s worthy,” Taro sa
id.
“He claims the gods send him visions.” Vexis stared off into the darkness, as if remembering some long-off day. “Eventually, it was Kadia’s turn to receive the gift. The shadow magic crept into her mind and overwhelmed it. At first, she was fine. It didn’t last.”
They walked for a moment in silence, before Taro spoke again. “Kadia told me she could hear the voice of Nuruthil in her head.”
Vexis nodded.
“Can you?” Taro asked.
Vexis’ expression didn’t change, nor did she look away from the cavernous trail before them. “Taro, if there’s one thing I’ve learned since I left home, it’s this: the Old Gods don’t give a damn about us and they’re certainly not talking in anyone’s head. My father’s a kook. So’s my sister. But, despite what you might think, I am not.”
At the end of the tracks was an iron grate with a heavy padlock on the front. Water trickled from the base like it was a culvert, and there was the sound of some underwater stream pushing against the rocks. Thaedos produced a key from his vest and unlocked it. It was pitch-black inside and reeked of urine and feces.
“Can I get some light?” Vexis whispered.
Taro raised his hand and lit up the room. It appeared to be an ore storage area, little more than ten feet by ten feet. In the corner, beside a mass of hair and cloth, Kadia was sitting, rocking back and forth.
“Light swells, hope, darkness, the sun breaks and everything comes crashing down,” she said manically. “Why can’t we see? Dawn flees, darkness devours.” The light reflected in Kadia’s eyes, and she scurried from one corner to another like a cat trapped in a cage.
She lunged at them but stopped just short. Her eyes met Vexis’ and Kadia held out one trembling hand toward her sister.
“S…sis?” Kadia said softly. Her desperate voice barely made it above the sound of rushing water. “Dre…dream?”