“What about Pazia? Wasn’t she supposed—”
The headquarters’ door opened. Pazia stepped through and closed it behind her. “Supposed to meet you at the fountain?”
“Did you read my thoughts?” I demanded.
“I had to make sure there were no surprises in here. And no, I wasn’t planning on meeting you at the fountain. I know my way here. This isn’t the first time I’ve worked with Fisk on a mission for the Masters.”
Her dig touched the weak spot in my heart, being deemed unworthy to participate in important missions. But not anymore. I found a measure of comfort in my present situation, amazing given the circumstances.
“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” She sighed dramatically. “Bad enough I have to work with you. The least you could do is be ready on time.” Shrugging off her cloak, she flung it onto one of the desks. The material of Pazia’s clothes had been woven with an expensive linen-and-silk blended thread. Her tailor’s efforts enhanced her slim waist and petite stature. She pulled her long golden hair up and clamped it in place with a jeweled clip.
I headed toward the back room, but her next words stopped me in midstride.
“Fisk, are you sure we need her? I grew up in the mines. I can spot a fake ruby at twenty paces. She can’t be trusted.”
“I trust her. Besides, rubies are not diamonds. And it would be suspicious for you to be alone. Rich ladies always go shopping in pairs.”
I tuned out her irritated reply as I entered the back room. On a small cot lay a beautiful indigo-colored blouse and black skirt made from the same material as Pazia’s clothes. I fingered the lace trim on the skirt. Fisk had even provided a pair of high-heeled shoes and an assortment of jewelry and hair clips.
Dressing as fast as possible, I squeezed a sapphire ring onto my finger, and covered my wrists with a distracting array of ruby-encrusted bracelets. The other gemstones throbbed when I touched them, but nowhere near the intensity of the diamond. I left my hair down. Just wearing the luxurious clothes and gemstones helped me to assume my role as Pazia’s friend. Of course her sneer of contempt quickly drove those feelings away when I joined them in the main room.
She huffed and pointed to a seat. “Sit.”
When I hesitated, she said, “I’m a professional, unlike you. I won’t hurt you.”
I ignored her reference to the burning incident and sat. She combed my hair and twisted a section into a knot at the back of my head.
“Clip,” she ordered.
I handed her one and she secured the knot.
“We are going to meet a number of diamond merchants. Fisk will introduce us, but won’t come with us to negotiate. As a rule, the Helper’s Guild avoids the black market. Since I’m a very good customer, he’ll bend the rules for me.” She pulled the rest of my hair back. “Clip.” When she finished, she examined the rest of my clothing. “Move the ring to your right hand, third finger if possible, and all the bracelets go on your left arm.”
As I complied, she continued her lecture. “I’ll do all the talking. Your role is to let me know which diamonds are real by simply agreeing with me. I’ll ask your opinion on a certain stone and you’ll either like it or not. If you don’t like it, I’ll know it’s a fake. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Try not to do or say anything to jeopardize our mission. I’m not as resourceful as Liaison Yelena.”
Another jab. Instead of bracing for the rest of the insinuation Pazia made whenever Yelena’s name was mentioned and ignoring it, I decided to beat her to the comment. “You’re right. You aren’t as powerful or as smart as Yelena. I never would have betrayed you the way I did the Soulfinder. You would have been dead in a heartbeat.”
“Then you admit it!” Her eyes lit with triumph despite my insult.
I shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “Facts are facts, Pazia. And it’s no big deal. If Yelena had felt so deceived, it’s doubtful she would still be my friend.” I turned away from her, not bothering to note her reaction. As I retrieved my cloak from the back room, I marveled over my bold comments. Did I believe them? I knew the truth of my actions and what had led me to them, and realized my guilt lay not in what I had done, but why I had done it. A step in the right direction? I hoped.
“That ratty thing won’t do.” Pazia eyed my cloak, appearing to be unaffected by my outburst.
“It’s all I have.” Plus my sais were nestled inside the lining, within easy reach.
She removed a jeweled peacock brooch from her cloak. Sapphires and emeralds decorated the feathers of the bird. Pazia pinned it onto my garment. “There. If anyone notices what’s under that beauty, we’ll joke you wear the cloak for sentimental reasons. Blushing would help. And don’t cover your clothes.”
I followed Pazia and Fisk from the Guild headquarters to the market. The black market sellers weren’t so bold to have stands, but their agents roamed the area, seeking customers. Fisk approached one man. Dressed as a farmer and acting as if he was in town for a shopping trip, the man regarded Fisk with surprise.
He scanned Pazia and me with suspicion. She kept her look of bored impatience. Quite an accomplishment and, knowing I couldn’t match her, I settled for appearing nonthreatening.
Too low for me to hear, Fisk and the agent talked for a moment and the conversation ended with a defeated shrug from Fisk, as if giving in.
The man eventually agreed and led us to a thin building one street away from the market. The four-story structure was wedged between a warehouse and a shoe factory. He opened the door into a receiving room, introduced us to another man inside and left.
“What can I do for you?” the new man asked us. He wore a well-made linen tunic cinched with a gold mesh belt. His brown pants complemented the tunic’s light sand color. A large emerald ring on his pinkie finger glinted in the sunlight.
“I want to see your diamonds,” Pazia demanded, stepping forward. “The bigger the better.”
“Why?”
“Does it matter?” She jingled a bulging leather pouch.
He flashed his teeth in delight. “No. Follow me.”
Toward the back of the building was a showroom without windows. Lanterns blazed, illuminating the glass cases filled with jewelry. I scanned the items. Bracelets, rings and necklaces sparkled with every color stone from precious to semi-precious. No diamonds.
The seller draped a black velvet cloth over the cases, disappeared behind the counter and retrieved a silk bag. He shook out an array of large diamonds, then arranged them on the velvet with tweezers.
“These are the biggest I have right now. But if you need a particular size, I can always order more.” He picked up a thumb-sized round stone and turned it so the candlelight would reflect off the facets.
Pazia seemed dazzled by the gem. She reached for it, but the man drew it back.
“Ten golds. That’s two golds cheaper than what you’d pay in jewelers’ circle. I’ll even give you a companion stone—” he pointed to a pea-sized diamond “—for free.” He launched into a hard sell.
Pazia shook her head, but eventually just interrupted him. “I’m not buying anything unless I can look at it closer.”
He placed the stone on the cloth near her. When she touched it, he frowned.
“Pretty.” She held it up to the light then handed it to me.
The man scowled, but she ignored him.
“What do you think?” she asked me.
I hefted the stone. While it scattered the light in a pleasing way, it didn’t flash. Glass. I placed it back on the counter and touched the others. The same.
“Pretty but ordinary,” I said. “You need a diamond with more pizazz.”
“I can order anything you want,” the seller offered.
“No thank you. I was hoping to find something today.” Pazia was quick to leave despite the man’s insistence.
Out in the street, I drew in a breath of fresh air. “Now what?”
“We find Fisk and another seller.”
As the sun sank into the horizon, we entered the last shop. This time a man and woman teamed up to make the sale. The woman was effusive with her compliments to Pazia.
“Look how the diamond pendant lights up your gorgeous eyes,” the saleswoman said, holding a mirror for Pazia to see her reflection. “Why the green just comes alive doesn’t it?”
Pazia beamed, getting sucked in. The diamonds were all mounted in jewelry. The woman slid a huge marquise-cut stone onto Pazia’s right index finger.
“The ring will highlight your elegant hands. No one will be able to stop staring at you.”
Before the saleswoman could put any more jewelry on Pazia, I bent to examine the ring.
“I don’t like this setting,” I said. “Do you have any loose stones?”
The woman glanced at the man behind the counter. He withdrew a tray full of diamonds of various sizes and shapes. I touched each one with a finger, but again every one was beautifully cut and polished glass, which caused me to wonder who manufactured them. Without the magic flash, I would have been hard-pressed to call these fakes.
“I don’t like any of them,” I said.
Pazia pouted with disappointment.
The woman ramped up her sales pitch, disagreeing with me. “Look at her.” She pointed to me. “You probably picked out your friend’s clothes only to have her ruin your efforts with that tacky cloak. You, my dear, are a ray of sunlight who deserves to be glowing with diamonds. Don’t let her jealousy stop you. People will always be jealous of you. If you have it—flaunt it!”
The saleswoman was skilled. She had pegged Pazia’s personality and would soon have a sale.
“It’s getting late,” I said. “Your mentor at the Keep will be concerned. Why don’t you think it over and we can come back tomorrow.”
“Excellent idea,” the woman said. “I just hope you get here before Councillor Jewelrose’s wife tomorrow. She’s been eyeing that ring, and her birthday is today. The Councillor is so sweet. He always gives her gold to buy her own presents. She’s my most loyal customer.” She tsked, removing the ring from Pazia’s finger. “But I’m sure I’ll be able to find you something…”
A worried crease formed on Pazia’s forehead. I pulled on her arm, guiding her to the door. I waved with my other hand. “Thanks for the offer.”
The door opened before we reached it. Two men entered. They blocked our way. Swords hung from weapon belts. Apprehension slid down my spine, lumping in my guts.
“Your friend isn’t ready to leave,” the man on the left said with a slight lisp. His bottom lip had been cut. Blood-soaked threads from the stitches protruded from the wound.
“Yes, she is.” I nudged Pazia with an elbow. “Her mentor is waiting for her. You don’t want to make us late. Her mentor has powerful friends.” Come on, Pazia, I thought, say something, do something.
Bloody Lip stepped closer. “I’m sure her mentor will understand about the…delay. Our girl spent so much time helping you, I’m sure you don’t want to be rude by rushing off. In fact, we have a whole other room filled with…surprises. Bex, why don’t you show this lady—” he stabbed a finger in my direction “—the back room while her friend completes her purchase.”
Bex reached for me. I dropped all pretenses and yanked my sais from my cloak. Ramming the weapons’ knobs into the man’s solar plexus, I shouted, “Pazia, help me.”
The man gasped, but recovered fast. They both pulled their swords. The saleswoman brandished a knife. I remained close to the men, deflecting their blades toward the ground. Pazia stood immobile.
“Fire,” I yelled.
Finally she moved. Small flames erupted on the men’s shirts. The woman squealed. Chaos manifested into four pairs of flailing limbs, swatting at the growing fire on their clothes. The motion reminded me of the flesh-eating beetles Tricky had used to attack me. Suppressing a shudder, I grabbed Pazia’s hand and hauled her from the room.
I didn’t let go of her until we reached the market. We paused to catch our breath and I put my sais away.
Pazia’s flushed cheeks and the wild glint in her eyes meant either fear or excitement.
Fisk appeared at our side. “What happened?”
“They tried to use strong-arm tactics.” I tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ear.
“Not good. Did they have the required items?”
“No. Except for Bloody Lip and Bex, they were just like the rest.”
Fisk considered. “I’ll spread the word to my clients about the fake diamonds, but the seller who used the swordsmen will be out of business by tomorrow.”
“I thought you didn’t work with black market dealers.”
“I don’t. But I’ll make sure they know about Bloody Lip and Bex. The other dealers don’t want customers to be afraid to buy from the black market. It’s bad for business. I’ve no doubt when the others are aware of the situation, it will be taken care of in record time.”
I mulled over the implications and decided I wouldn’t be upset to know Bloody Lip and Bex were run out of town. My thoughts then turned to the lack of real diamonds.
“Do you think the rogue Moon Clan faction is funding their activities by selling these fake stones?” I asked Fisk.
“Must be. We’ve run out of dealers to contact.”
“They looked so real,” Pazia said. “I almost…” She sighed.
“Someone is manufacturing them. Should we try and trace them back to the source?” I wondered if I could produce such high-quality glass. It would be an interesting challenge.
“I can take you back to one of the dealers you met with today,” Fisk said. “Perhaps he’ll tell you his source.”
“Let’s talk to Zitora first. See if she has any ideas.” I pulled my cloak tighter as an icy wind blew through the market, causing the lanterns along the street to pulse. A hint of moisture clung to the air with the promise of rain.
We agreed to meet tomorrow afternoon.
“Keep the clothes for now,” Fisk said, gesturing to my disguise. “And walk straight back to the Keep. The gossip is that two student magicians are looking to buy diamonds to enhance their magic. Play it up, so when you start asking for a big quantity of large diamonds no one is surprised.”
Pazia and I headed toward the Keep. She had been subdued since we escaped from Bloody Lip. A few people walked along the quiet Citadel streets. I wondered how Ulrick’s day had gone.
About a block before the Keep’s entrance, two men stepped from the shadows and approached us.
20
PAZIA GASPED AS the men drew closer, but I reached for my sais, wrapping my hands around the hilts. The motion helped steady my frantic heartbeat.
“Magic, remember?” I whispered to Pazia. “You’re powerful.”
“I’ve heard you two are looking for sparkles,” the man on the left said. He wore the plain gray coverall of a factory worker. Tools hung from his belt. Any one of them could be used as a weapon. His companion also wore coveralls, although the larger man’s were covered with dark stains. Blood or grease, it was hard to discern in the lantern light.
I waited for Pazia to speak. When the silence lengthened to uncomfortable, I said, “We’re looking for real sparkles. If you don’t have anything good, we’re not interested in doing business.”
The man nodded. “Thought so. Watched you go to all those others. You’re looking for magical sparkles. Question is, can you afford it?”
“My family owns the Vasko mine,” Pazia said.
I tried not to show my surprise. After all, I was supposed to be her friend. But the Vasko mine was famous for the quantity and quality of rubies, making the owners the richest people in Sitia. And she just
took one hell of a risk, telling two strangers about her family connections.
“Care to see our wares then?” he asked, grinning.
Remembering our run-in with Bloody Lip, I asked, “Where?”
“Right here.” He glanced at the big man. “Egg?”
Egg removed a pouch from his pocket and handed it to his friend, who opened it and poured diamonds into his palm. The four diamonds caught the light and held it. About the size of a teaspoon, they were the largest stones we’d seen all day.
“May I?” I asked.
He nodded. I picked up one of the diamonds and almost dropped it. The stone flashed cold, stinging my mind with a vision of an icy plain. Cold burned through my fingers then settled into a steady vibration. I had the same reaction with the other three, and I hurried to return them to him.
The salesman had been watching me. There was frank interest in his light brown eyes.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“They’re adequate, but we’re going to need bigger stones. The larger the better.”
“Big?” he asked with an incredulous tone.
“If you can’t supply them, perhaps we could negotiate with your supplier?” When he just stared at me, I added, “We’ll pay you a finder’s fee, of course.”
“But, you’re students…”
“Come on, Pazia, he’s wasting our time.” I pulled on her arm, but the man hurried to block our path.
“Pazia Cloud Mist?” he asked as if afraid of the answer.
She gave him a cold stare. “I told you my family owned the Vasko mine.”
Color leaked from the man’s face.
She studied him with an intense alertness. Kidnapping and ransoming Pazia would bring in more money than selling a few diamonds, provided they could capture her. Curare would work, but it was near impossible to find.
“Can you help us or not? I have a riding lesson.” I gestured with impatience.
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