Askaro of the Falcon

by Lady Li Andre

  Chapter 14 – The Sound of Music

  Askaro recognized the voice. It was the man who had been with Golarin on the dock. The man suddenly gasped with pain. His grip loosened and Askaro twisted out of his grasp. Blin pulled him away. “Come on!”

  Askaro glanced back at the man. He was doubled over. “What did you do?”

  “I kicked him. Where it counts.”

  Zane caught up with them and matched their stride. “What does Otho want with you?”

  Blin’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know him?”

  Zane dodged around a woman coming out of a shop. “He comes into the diner with Golarin a lot. He’s like his right hand man.”

  Blin glanced around. “The other trackers could be anywhere. We need to get to the hole.”

  Askaro saw a group of armored men pushing through the crowd down the next street. “There’s some of the trackers!”

  Blin groaned. “Great. We’ll have to go around. Maybe that will confuse them.”

  Zane tugged on Askaro’s arm. “I have a better idea. Follow me.”

  Blin looked uncertain but Askaro decided to trust the out-of-work cook. “Lead on.”

  They came to the crowded street where most of the shops were open. Zane dashed across the street and ducked through the gap where they had first seen him. They came out the other side and he turned back toward the street they’d been on. “Maybe they will think we’re headed the other way.” He turned several more corners and led them down a narrow walkway between buildings toward a door in a tall wall at the end.

  Blin tensed. “We’re trapped here!”

  Zane pulled open the door. “But we have a place to hide.”

  Askaro didn’t argue. Blin looked back toward the street. “I hope there’s another way out of here.”

  Zane closed the door and pulled a bolt across it. “There is. It’s a secret exit.”

  Blin moved slowly into the large room. “How did you know the door would be open?”

  “Because I sleep here.”

  Askaro let his eyes adjust to the dim light. There were rows of seats near the door. He could see part of a raised area but a stairway that led upward blocked his view of the rest of the room. “What is this place?”

  Zane leaned against the stone wall. “It’s an old theater. The Great Kunari used to perform here. But that was a long time ago.” He looked glum.

  Blin put a finger to his lips. “Listen.”

  Askaro could hear a soft twang. It changed slightly. “Sounds like it’s coming from the other end of the room.”

  Zane motioned to the stairs. “Let’s see who’s here.”

  They crept up the stairs. The second floor had more rows of seats but these were at different elevations with the ones in the back, being higher than those in front. He followed Zane toward the railing that stretched across the balcony.

  There was a series of twangy notes then a sigh. Zane peered over the edge. “Looks like we have a musician on stage.”

  Blin sat down on the floor and pulled out the bag. “They are still warm.”

  Zane turned around and looked at him. “What are?”

  Askaro motioned to Zane and sat next to Blin. “That’s what I was trying to tell you. We thought you might be hungry.”

  Zane accepted one of the pies from Blin. “These are the meat pies that the street vendor was selling by Bright Tower.”

  Askaro bit into his. He’d never tasted anything like it before. The juice dripped down his chin and he licked at it with his tongue. “It is good.”

  There was a sharp snap from below. The musician cursed. “Stupid strings!”

  Zane snickered. “Sounds like his lute is a little worse for wear.”

  The musician strummed his instrument, now down one string, and sighed. He played a few chords and hummed a tune, then began to sing. “I knew a lady on harbor street – claimed she was the belle of the town. When I went there this lady to meet, She wore an old sail for a gown. Said she’d hoist up her sail for me if I would lay down a few coins. We bounced up and down on the rolling sea and now I’ve a fire in me groins.”

  Zane got an odd look on his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  The music stopped. “If you’re going to criticize my work, the least you could do is throw food at me.”

  Askaro started to laugh and almost choked on a bit of meat pie. He looked over at Blin. “Do we have any left?”

  Blin looked in the bag. “A few. I was going to save these but they aren’t as good cold. We might as well.”

  Zane led the way down the stairs and went to the front of the theater. The musician sat on the edge of the stage, his feet dangling over, with an instrument in his lap. He smiled at them as they approached. “Greetings, my honored audience. I am Marlo the Magnificent.” He bowed slightly at the waist and waved his free hand with a flourish.

  Zane scratched his head. “That’s a fancy title.”

  Marlo slumped a little. “Well, I’m still working on that. I used to be part of the Ranulo Ramblers but Master Ranulo kicked me out.”

  Zane finished off his meat pie. “Why? You have a good voice.”

  Marlo set his instrument down and accepted a meat pie from Askaro. “The Master accused me of having my way with his daughter.”

  Blin gasped. “Did you?”

  Marlo swallowed his bite. “Of course not! That was her issue. She wanted me to but I refused. She was a horrid creature.”

  Zane laughed but Askaro saw the sad look that Marlo hid behind the pie. It must have been hard for him to loose his place in the musical group. “I don’t have a lot of experience with music but Zane thought your voice was good. Your song was a little crude but you should be able to find another place to sing.”

  Marlo looked down at his half eaten pie. “There are no jobs for musicians in this city.”

  Zane huffed. “There are no jobs of any kind. Too many people are out of work. Even if you manage to get a job, you don’t get paid enough. That’s why I sleep here.”

  Marlo finished off his pie and licked his fingers. “I’m sorry, my friend. I didn’t know I was intruding on your humble abode.”

  Zane looked down. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I own the place.”

  Marlo and Zane began talking about the different shops and pubs where they had been looking for work. Blin wandered off. Askaro looked up at the bars above the stage. There were ropes and pulleys strung between them. Long rolls of what looked like canvas sails hung suspended from some of the bars. He tapped Zane on the shoulder. “What is all that?”

  “Those are various backdrops that can be rolled down behind the actors on the stage.”

  “They remind me of riggings on a ship.”

  Marlo grinned. “You know something about ships! What’s your history?”

  “My grandfather is...”

  Blin came running down the center isle. “They found us!”

  Marlo looked confused. “Who did?”

  “The trackers!”

  Zane slid off the edge of the stage. “Where are they?”

  “Just outside the door.”

  Zane moved toward the stairs. “Follow me.”

  Askaro and Marlo started up the center isle but Blin didn’t move. Askaro looked back. “What’s wrong?”

  Blin looked up at the balcony. “What if we get trapped up there?”

  “I trust Zane. He knows this place. Stay down here if you want but I’m going to see what he wants to show us.” He jogged to catch up with the others.

  Zane went to the top of the balcony along the back wall and pulled aside a curtain. Light filtered in through a dirty broken window. He looked down. “It’s them all right.”

  A group of men in leather armor were clustered around their leader. His face was hidden in shadow from their vantage point but Askaro knew who it was. The man was faced off with another. “Are you sure it was the boy from the ship?”

  “Aye, it was. He was with another boy and a man.”


  Marlo came up beside him and looked out the window. He gasped. “It’s Golarin!”

  Zane looked at him. “You know him, too?”

  “Doesn’t everyone? He’s only the best slave tracker in the city. Who is he looking for?”

  Askaro backed away. “For me.”

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