by T. A. White
“I’ve heard enough to say no.” Tate was holding to that. There was no way she was getting involved in any of their schemes. They played in waters too deep for her tastes.
“That would be a pity for your friend.” Lucius shot Tate a meaningful look.
Tate’s sigh was angry, knowing she shouldn’t bite but unable to help it. “What friend?”
“Your little sidekick.” His gaze went to Night. “Your other sidekick. The one you have a name for.”
“Dewdrop,” Blade murmured.
Lucius snapped his fingers. “That’s it.”
“What about Dewdrop?”
“He’s been doing jobs for your friend, the dragon.” Lucius made a chiding sound with his tongue. “Bad idea. Taking jobs on the side and what not.”
“What does it matter to you if he works for Ryu from time to time?”
“Nothing.” Lucius shrugged then looked back at Tate. “Except he never officially left my court.”
Right. Tate tapped her finger against her thigh as she studied the two men in front of her. They didn’t care about Dewdrop. If they did, they would have confronted her months ago. No, Dewdrop was the stick they were trying to beat her with to get her to do what they wanted.
“Heard you kicked him out after he lost you the key to the fulcrum.”
Or rather after Tate escaped and they assumed she had the key. Turns out she didn’t have the thing, not that they would believe her.
“That was really meant to be just a temporary thing until he could buy his way back into our good graces.”
Instead, he threw his lot in with Tate and Night and never went back. She could see how the Luciuses might be sore about losing a talented pickpocket, but to be honest, they never should have thrown him away. Their bad judgment was Tate’s fortune.
“Not our problem that you’ve rethought your stance. Maybe next time don’t be so quick to kick someone out of your court.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think,” Blade said, his words soft. “The Night Lords don’t act according to common people’s sensibilities. They believe they have a claim so they do.”
Lucius gave her a friendly smile that hid the cold-hearted bastard within.
Tate supposed it wouldn’t hurt to hear what they had to say. It seemed a small price to pay to safeguard Dewdrop. She didn’t have a lot of dealings with any of the Night Lords but they had power in the city. Granted, it was behind the scenes and of the sort that was highly illegal, but that wouldn’t stop a dagger from finding Dewdrop’s heart if they really wanted it to.
The only way to truly escape their influence would be to get Dewdrop out of the city. She doubted he would be willing to go along with that. He was definitely an Aurelian boy at heart.
“Let’s hear it then. What exactly are you expecting from us?”
“Nothing as bad as whatever you’ve got in your mind,” Lucius said. “It’s simple. We just need information.”
Ha. Simple. Only to an imbecile. Information, more than any other tool, had the power to upset empires; alter the course of history. The right piece of information could act like a domino—giving people the power to counteract and sabotage—knocking down the next domino until you’re standing next to a bonfire of regret. All because you gave up a seemingly innocent piece of restricted information.
Tate was curious about what they wanted to know. Sharing that knowledge would, no doubt, have consequences. The magnitude of them was the only thing in question. That, and whether it was an acceptable price to keep Dewdrop safe.
“This information won’t be used to harm anyone,” Lucius assured her, noting the skepticism on her face.
Maybe not today, but did she want to chance it in the future?
“Why do you want to know?”
“It doesn’t matter. You don’t need to know that.”
“Then, no deal.” Her refusal was only partially a bluff. She doubted Lucius or Blade would go to the trouble of having Dewdrop killed, but who knew when dealing with the power players of the underground.
“Are you sure you want that to be your answer?”
She gave a careless shrug. “I’m not giving you anything when it might mean nasty repercussions for me or those I care about in the future. Not without having a better idea of how this information will be used.”
“Let’s just say there is a business opportunity that I’m thinking of seizing but am afraid that the terms are a little too good to be true.”
Tate studied them. A business opportunity. Were they planning to steal something? That’s actually how she met Dewdrop. His friend had lifted a valuable item off an important someone and Tate had stolen it back.
That left her with the question. What was it they planned to steal?
She doubted they would tell her.
“What business opportunity?”
On the other hand, it never hurt to ask.
“That’s for me to know,” Lucius said with a coy smile.
That’s what she figured.
“Why do business with someone you think is going to stab you in the back before it’s over?”
He spread his hands. “The sort of people I work with are all just waiting for their moment to betray me. If I didn’t do business with the untrustworthy sort, I’d never make any money.”
Hm. True. She supposed there was a shortage of honorable people in the circles he ran in.
“Why come to me? There have to be easier marks.”
“It’s because you’re so trustworthy,” he threw out there with a grin.
Tate snorted. Not the adjective usually used to describe her.
“No, really. I know you’re not going to go out of your way to blab to anybody and everybody. Oh, I know you’re probably going to report this conversation in its entirety to your dragon friend, but he’s not who I’m concerned about.”
Funny he should say that. Tate had always assumed Ryu had one foot in the underworld. Though, if that were the case, why wouldn’t Lucius have gone straight to him to find out this information?
“You flatter me so,” Tate said in a dry voice. “What is it you’re looking to find out?”
He leaned forward, his eyes alight. “Who is involved in this little job of yours?”
“I suspect you know.”
He shrugged one thin shoulder. “I want to hear it confirmed.”
“The Silva, the Kairi and the humans.”
“The main players, if you please.” His look said he knew that she had understood his question.
She sighed. It wasn’t like he couldn’t confirm this pretty easily on his own, and if it got Dewdrop off his mind, then all the better.
She listed the top people involved and a few of the academics when he asked.
“Which way are things leaning? Who will retain control of the dig?” Blade asked.
She shrugged. “No clue. We’ve only had one dinner. There was a lot of campaigning but nothing concrete to make a decision one way or the other.”
“I would have thought Jost would place more emphasis on resolving this quickly given the current climate in the city.”
“What do you mean?” Tate asked.
Lucius studied her. “There’s been a lot of distrust stirred up by angry rhetoric from some of the humans—those in positions of power such as the Black Order—against any of the Creator’s little side projects. This issue lingering gives them something to rally behind.”
“The Kairi have been in mourning since the night of the dinner. They haven’t been willing to sit down to discuss politics and Jost thought it best to humor them for now,” Tate said.
Lucius’s gaze sharpened. “Oh? Who died?”
Tate’s mouth snapped shut. He hadn’t known that. Damn. Probably shouldn’t have shared. By the way he eyed her like a starving man at a buffet, she had a feeling she wasn’t getting out of this carriage without giving him something.
“A Kairi by the name of Ithor and a human named Ronald.” She kept the knowledge of how they died to herself.<
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He sat back and tapped his lips. Blade looked like he’d bit into something sour.
“You know one of them?” Tate asked Blade.
He and Lucius shared a glance before he answered. “Only by reputation.”
Now it was Tate’s turn to arch her eyebrows with interest.
“Don’t keep us in suspense,” Tate said.
Blade looked at Lucius for permission.
Lucius smiled. “It’s only proper to return a favor. She did answer our questions fairly promptly.”
Blade’s lips quirked before he said, “It’s not widely known, but Ithor has a reputation among select people in the Kairi upper class for solving problems in ways that won’t be traced back to the owner. He provides solutions of a very permanent nature.”
The guy was an assassin. Made sense when you factored in the stiletto.
Who was he working for though? The obvious answer was the Shodon, but Tate wasn’t willing to make that assumption quite yet. It could easily be someone else in the Kairi delegation. Someone looking to take advantage of the angry emotions of the participants to incite an incident. All it would take was one timely death of any of the leading members in any of the delegations to bring about what Jost and Ryu feared. A schism in Aurelia that would light a match to rebellion and riots.
While plausible, that theory was a bit of a stretch. The more likely possibility would be that he was working for someone with an agenda concerning the discovery. Hell, Tate didn’t know.
It did explain some of the shock and lack of emotion in the Kairi delegation when his death was announced. Who would expect an assassin to be taken out? And why? Did Ithor’s mark strike before he did?
“How did Jost not know about this?” Tate asked. His information was usually spot on. If he’d known, she couldn’t imagine he would have let Ithor remain at the dinner.
Blade shrugged. “Ithor’s side job isn’t widely known. I doubt many, if any, outside of the Kairi noble class know of him.”
That begged the question of how Blade got ahold of this little tidbit.
Seeing the question on her face, Blade pointed to his eyes. “The blue ring is a sign of noble blood. It doesn’t always breed true, but occasionally the trait pops up in a bastard. My upbringing gave me exposure to many secrets that the Kairi guard from outsiders.”
Tate was surprised at the additional explanation and the nonchalant way that Blade had revealed it. There was probably quite a story as to how a noble’s bastard came to be working for a Night Lord.
“Ah, here is our stop,” Lucius said before Tate could ask any further questions. He rapped on the roof and the carriage swayed to a stop. “I’d tell you to limit your involvement in this matter for your health and the health of your friends, but I suspect there is no extracting yourself at this point.”
He suspected right. She wouldn’t let this rest even if she had a choice in the matter.
The two men climbed out. Blade paused in the doorway. “Good luck. Try not to get yourself killed. It’d be considerably less amusing without you around.”
“I always try not to get killed,” Tate said, vaguely insulted. It’s like they thought she ran around jumping into the most dangerous situation available.
He flashed her one last grin before banging the door shut. The carriage jolted as it began moving again.
Night hopped down and onto the seat across from Tate, his tail swishing unhappily.
“I know. You don’t have to say anything,” she told him. “I’m no happier about their involvement than you are.”
*
Tate blinked groggily up at the ceiling. Something had woken her. Her eyes were sliding shut when another knock came at her door. That must have been what summoned her out of her coma-like sleep.
She glared at the door, not relishing the thought of dragging herself out of bed. Maybe whoever was knocking would be so kind as to go away.
They didn’t. The pounding just got louder. Even burying her head under the pillow didn’t provide any relief.
She exploded out of bed, yanking her door open and glaring at the culprit. Danny shoved in past her.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to force your way into another person’s room,” Tate said. She was still too tired to deal with whatever it was he wanted.
Dewdrop slipped through the door before she could finish closing it.
“No, please, come right in. It’s not like I have anything better to do,” she said in a sarcastic voice.
“You’ve been asleep for over twelve hours,” Dewdrop informed her.
Tate blinked. It hadn’t felt like that long. From the exhaustion still tugging at her, she knew she could have slept for a few more. Note to self, changing into a dragon pretty much kills the rest of any day. Good to know for the future.
“Get dressed. We need to go. We’re already late.” Danny tossed a pair of pants and a shirt at her from where he’d been digging in her bag of clothes.
Tate caught the pants but missed the shirt. It fell to her feet.
“Heard you got stuck in a change and almost didn’t make it back,” Dewdrop said, taking a bite of an apple. “How’d you managed to get poisoned, by the way? That’s got to be a record for you.”
“It was in the tea.” She stole the apple from him, batting him away when he tried to take it back. Munching on it, she said, “What’s going on? Where are we going? Not that I don’t like having you here, Danny.”
The burly man gave her a shy smile. “We’ve got to meet Jost on the other side of the city. We’re heading to the tunnels to see the discovery site.”
Tate finished the apple and tossed the core at Dewdrop. He caught it with a moue of distaste.
“Why there?”
Not that it didn’t make sense. It was a good idea to see the site where this whole mess originated.
“The academics are claiming their discovery has been robbed.”
“And the other two groups are claiming the academics did the robbing,” Tate guessed.
Danny dipped his chin in acknowledgement.
Tate ran her fingers through her hair. A lot had happened in the past twelve hours. She eyed her bed with longing. Looked like it was going to be awhile until she had a chance to get back in it.
“Alright, give me a few minutes and I’ll be right down.”
“Wear those clothes.” Danny pointed at what was in her hand and by her feet. “Don’t try to switch them for something else.”
“What are you saying?”
“Your fashion sense sucks,” Dewdrop supplied. Danny nodded in agreement.
Tate didn’t dignify that with a response, ushering the two out of her bedroom.
She held up the clothing, now seeing it was actually three pieces. She didn’t recognize the pants or the vest. Had Danny brought them with him? They were much better looking than anything she owned.
She shrugged. Might as well wear them. She just hoped he wasn’t expecting any sort of compensation.
*
The carriage jolted, catapulting Tate out of dreamland. She yawned and sat up from where she’d been leaning against the side of the carriage. She rotated her neck back and forth, trying to work out the crick from it.
Jost was reading a stack of papers next to her while Danny sat across from them staring outside. Dewdrop had elected to ride in front with the driver. Tate would have liked that option, not appreciating being cooped up for the five hour ride, but Jost and Danny had rejected that, stating that the witness needed to give the appearance of decorum even if she loathed the very idea of it.
“We almost there?” Tate asked.
“We just turned down the last road before we have to get out and walk,” Jost said without looking up.
“Walk?” Tate stared down at the nice pair of boots Danny had shoved at her, stating that the beat up things on her feet didn’t match the outfit, in skepticism. Nobody had said anything about walking and she wasn’t sure how the new footwear would hold up against distance.
“Yes, the Academy hasn’t wanted to spare the expense of creating easy access with the threat of having the discovery yanked from them. Unfortunately, there are no passable roads that will allow the carriages to travel on them.”
“It’s not far,” Danny said, reading her mind. “Just a little bumpier than this thing can handle. Your boots should be able to handle it without causing blisters. Their maker is known for his ability to create the most comfortable footwear.”
Tate shrugged. If she got a blister, he’d be the first to hear about it.
“What’s my role this time?”
“Observe and report back. Try not to touch or break anything. Also, try to keep everyone from killing each other,” Jost finished in a dry voice.
Everything sounded simple except that last part.
“You don’t ask for much, do you?” Tate said.
Jost smiled down at his papers. She glanced at them, trying to see what he was so focused on. She wasn’t used to seeing this side of him, though she supposed it made sense. He would have to be smart to plan the type of jobs he excelled at. The kind that left authorities scratching their collective heads after he pulled it off wondering just how he did it.
Tate was just used to seeing him always on the move, the force of his personality practically taking up space. Not quiet and focused.
“I ran into a friend of yours today.” Tate thought about it. “Well actually, yesterday.”
“Oh?”
“A Night Lord. One of the Luciuses in fact.”
Jost’s head shot up. “What did he want?”
“Information about your peace talks. Who is involved; what way you seem to be leaning. He was very interested to learn about the murder.” Tate decided to leave out the part where he’d hijacked the carriage. If she told Jost, he’d no doubt tell Ryu, and she just didn’t want to deal with the ‘I told you so’s’.
“It’s concerning that he’s taken an interest in this,” Danny said.
“We did suspect one of the Night Lords were involved.”
“Anything I need to know in case he puts himself in my vicinity again?” Tate asked.
“No. Answer any of his questions. I’d be interested to know what else he’s looking to find out.”
The conversation done, Jost turned back to his papers.