by Liv Daniels
“Governor Florenzo. Goodbye.”
Adjusting her stocked bag on her shoulder, Leina walked slowly along the uneven cobblestone streets toward the outskirts of Cavlin, and the fragrant lavender fields. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. She wasn’t afraid of Florenzo, but something in her knew that she wouldn’t come back. Coming here had long been only an excuse to put off more important things.
Leina didn’t even notice the little boy that had run up next to her until he gave a violent tug on her cloak. Startled out of her despondent reverie, she looked down at him.
“I’m supposed to give you this note,” the boy said, his features comically stiff as he tried to act important. Normally Leina would have found that funny, but today she only managed a half-hearted smile. She nodded and took the crumpled piece of paper that he extended to her. She flicked him the last few coins of her money reserve, and he ran off.
When Leina unfolded the paper, she was confronted with a message scrawled in silver ink.
We are watching you, Masked One. You are not safe here.
Chapter 13
The note was obviously from Dangerman, and it was predictable. The only two things that disturbed Leina were its use of “we” and the fact that it wasn’t signed. She had an incessant desire to get the thing out of her hands, and she let it flutter to the cobbled ground.
As Leina stood there with the note at her feet, one thing became clear. It was time to find out what Dangerman was up to before it was too late.
And so Leina turned one last time to look at the city of Cavlin, and then she was gone.
***
Two days later, at exactly midday, Leina stood at the center of a vast salt flat in the Desert. The land around her was vastly empty. The only sign of the existence of anything different was the rugged shape of a tumbled rock-field in the distance, obscured by a haze of smoke and fumes. Overhead, the sun beat unceasingly upon the wasteland of salt.
Impeccably on time, Dangerman’s small figure appeared in the heat-hazed distance. Leina raised an eyebrow at seeing him alone. She hadn’t expected him to honor that request. But all the better.
As he came closer, Leina could see the usual haughtiness was immediately evident in his countenance. He eyed her with calm disdain. She stared back steadily, but the mask over her eyes hid any kind of emotion on her face.
Dangerman stopped abruptly when he was a stone’s throw away from Leina.
She folded her arms. “I see that you got my note.”
“So it’s just you and me, Masked One,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for this. But I did not think you would be so foolish as to arrange it yourself. Perhaps I overestimated you.”
“Overestimated my cowardice, maybe. But then you’ve been letting your slaves do your dirty work for so long that I can’t blame you for not having much experience with courage.”
Dangerman’s eyes flashed with a piercing cold that almost deflected the powerful heat of the desert. He took a step toward Leina, and she instinctively moved back. They both kept moving, slowly circling, locked in a deliberate stare. Had an outsider seen them then, he might have laughed at the scene: two caped figures, children playing at warring spies and emperors of old. Maybe that’s all they were. But they were dead serious about it.
“Why are you here?” Dangerman said.
“Oh, yes, that.” Leina said calmly. “I was just thinking… we have a thing or two to settle, you and I. Someday it’s got to come to this. So why not now?”
“You’re kidding.”
Leina shook her head solemnly. “No.” She suddenly stopped and sat on the ground, legs crossed. Dangerman stopped moving, narrowed his eyes. Leina continued, “It’s obvious that neither of us is the fighting type. Not by nature. So why not settle this in the manner that we would both prefer?”
Dangerman lowered himself to the ground. “What do you propose?”
Leina’s mouth curved into a smile. “Simple. A question game. You ask me a question about your operation, yourself, whatever. If I can’t answer it, you get a point. Then I ask you a question. First one to three points wins.”
“And what happens to the loser?” he said with a wicked grin. Clearly the game was as much to his liking as it was to Leina’s.
Leina shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, I don’t know. I was thinking something predictable. I win, you’re my prisoner. You win, I’m yours. Fair?”
He narrowed his eyes keenly. “Very well.”
“Oh, one more thing. You have to tell the truth.”
He scoffed. “You actually expect me to do that?”
“No.” There probably wasn’t much wisdom in playing a game of truth with a professional liar. But Leina didn’t particularly care whether he acknowledged the truth in her answers. His weakness was his pride. He was proud of what he thought he knew, and he wouldn’t lie about that. She shrugged. “I’m going to tell the truth.”
“That could be a lie, for all I know.”
“Except you know that it’s not.”
He gave her a measuring look. “Are we going to play the game or not?”
“Absolutely. You first.”
“What’s my name?” he said without hesitation.
“Edward,” Leina replied, equally confident.
He raised his eyebrows, measuring her again.
“Don’t try to pretend that’s not true,” Leina said, and he didn’t argue. “Now, my turn. Where did I come from?”
“The woods, of course.”
“Yes, I came from the woods.” Perhaps that was a foolish question, since he had known that even when he first met her under another name. But it relieved her that he hadn’t mentioned the other place from whence she came. The eagle insignia she had found on his desk flashed incessantly in her mind. Maybe he didn’t know about the Agency after all.
“How old am I?” he asked.
Leina struggled not to laugh. At least he still didn’t recognize her. She instinctively pulled the hood of her cloak closer over her face. “Eighteen, as it were.”
“Wrong. I’m nineteen.”
Leina chided herself inwardly. Of course. He had awarded himself that ludicrous peace prize on his birthday, which meant that he had turned eighteen shortly after their fateful first meeting and was in fact only a few months younger than Leina. Now, over a year later, he would be nineteen indeed.
He drew a long score in the sand with his finger. “That’s one down, Masked One.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. Who am I?”
A shadow of doubt passed over his eyes, but he quickly recovered. “You are the Masked One.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s a valid answer to the question. A very vague question, I might add.” He smirked.
Leina couldn’t argue with that, and she didn’t have much reason to try. His hesitation gave her another wave of relief; clearly there were things that he didn’t know. But she still wasn’t sure. She would have to be much more direct if she had any hope of finding out what she wanted to know. “Your turn then,” she said.
“Where did I come from?”
Leina grimaced inwardly. She had spent the last year wondering exactly that. She tried to keep a confident countenance. She was glad for the mask, which hid most of her expression.
“From Estlebey,” she said. It was the biggest city in the area, so it was the most likely choice.
“Wrong,” said Dangerman, smiling maliciously. He drew a second score in the sand.
“Are you lying?”
“There’s no way for you to know. Your game—your rules.”
Leina took a deep breath and spoke. She feared that this was her last question, so she had to make it count; she only hoped that it did not reveal too much.
“Who was my employer at one time?” It was the only question that she really cared about, the real reason that she was here. But now that it came to it, she was afraid of the answer.
“Ah,” Dangerman said, pressing his fingertip
s together, a look of delighted malice on his face. He got up and circled her like a hungry vulture. “As it so happens, I know all about your precious employer.”
Leina was stunned. “You’re bluffing, you’re bluffing,” she found herself mumbling frantically.
“Oh?” he said, raising one eyebrow. “That’s what you think?” He chuckled, enjoying his moment of triumph all too much.
“If you’re so confident, then who is it?” Leina demanded.
He sunk leisurely back to the ground and looked Leina straight in the eye. She shrunk back.
“Your employer,” he said, “is the Agency of legend.”
Even with the mask on her face, Leina’s stricken bearing was obvious enough that Dangerman didn’t need a reply from her. He continued, his delight feeding on her terror.
“Oh, yes, I know. They think that they are safe, but they will soon learn otherwise. Soon indeed they will learn of Dangerman’s true power.” He paused, in the manner of a lion deliberating how to finish its helpless prey. Leina knew that after this victory there wasn’t a chance that he would play easy. He would find a way to win quickly while he was ahead. She thought faintly that in this mood he was more likely to reveal something important to her, but in her numb shock she hardly registered the possibility.
“What’s your question?” Leina demanded when he showed no sign of saying anything.
Despite her insistence, Dangerman was pointedly slow in answering. He said finally, “I’ll make this one easy for you.”—Which, of course, meant just the opposite—“Tell me anything about me that I don’t know you know.”
Leina tried to force herself to think. Winning the game would make everything a lot easier. But beneath that thought, she knew that there was no way Dangerman was going to let her win. The outcome of the game was entirely in his power. At this point, the only answer beneficial to her was one that would get her more information. Mostly in an effort to buy time, Leina said, “There’s no way I can win this, is there? No matter what I say, I’m going to lose.”
“How astute of you to notice,” he said, chuckling at his own sarcasm. “You lost this game before even it began. You knew that. What you thought you could gain by this, I can’t fathom, but I will win your little game and it won’t matter anyway. Now answer the question.”
Leina searched her memory for anything important that could be related to Dangerman, anything that it might benefit her to say. But she found only blankness, and his eyes staring at her wickedly only erased any slim chance that she had of thinking of a useful answer.
Her hand brushed across the bag slung across her shoulder, limp and almost empty. But she felt one sharp edge—belonging to the book that the shopkeeper in Cavlin had given her. The Sign of Que’ttal. She had tried to read it, but it had only disturbed her. Que’ttal was supposed to be some ancient league of evil intent on taking over the World. Leina kept trying to convince herself that it should be interesting, but she couldn’t stop feeling that there was something wrong with it. At last she had given it up entirely. But now she thought about the book again. She didn’t know what made her say it. It was probably a ridiculous idea.
“You’re connected with Que’ttal.”
There was a barely tangible disturbance in his eyes. But the next moment he was laughing. “Que’ttal doesn’t exist.”
Her steely expression was unchanged. “Neither does the Agency.”
“Even if Que’ttal did exist, it would have been gone long ago.” He drew a final line in the sand with his foot. “You’ve lost, Masked One.”
“On doubtful terms,” she said, even though she knew any such comments were futile.
Dangerman clicked his tongue. “Terms that were your own. And surely you haven’t forgotten the provision about what happens to the loser?”
“No, I have not.”
“You are naive, Masked One. You think that you can save the world just by being good. But good is not great.”
“And tearing down a wall from the foundation lacks sensitivity.”
At that, Dangerman looked truly confused. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
Leina remained silent, satisfied that at least she had halted the momentum of his last assertion. When he made no motion, she turned to the direction of his fortress and started walking as quickly as her legs would take her. She made sure that Dangerman was struggling to keep up the whole way. Probably she could have escaped if she wanted to. But she resolved not to stoop to Dangerman’s level, and to end the game on the terms with which it began. She judged that escape wouldn’t be too difficult. She could get out of the place in a couple of days at most.
If she had known what was to happen before she got the chance, she might have reconsidered.
Chapter 14
And so, once again, Leina found herself locked in a cell in Dangerman’s fortress. She suspected that it was the same one as last time, and she found some unpleasant memories hiding in the musty corners, shadowed from the dim red glow that pervaded the place.
But mostly Leina’s thoughts centered on the Agency. If Dangerman knew about the Agency, why had he kept it secret for so long? It didn't make sense. She thought of Ruby and Kip and Sasha and Max. She didn’t know what Dangerman had planned or when, but it made her more deeply afraid than she had ever been before. And yet even if Sasha and Max knew, would they do anything, or would they keep hiding? Was she still on her own?
Amidst that swirl of thoughts, Leina felt an odd sense of relief. Because for the moment, there was nothing that she could do about it. As soon as she was aware of the thought, she frantically repressed it. No way, Leina Skyvola. This isn’t what you want. You haven’t surrendered to anything or anyone. You’re not hiding. You’re going to escape first chance you get, and then there will be plenty that you can do.
Sam. Sam was here. Surely Sam would be able to help. That thought calmed Leina, but still she remained in a thought-plagued wakefulness all night. She studied the cell carefully, scanning it repeatedly for even the minutest signs of weakness. She felt a pang in her chest when she saw the lock on the barred door. It wasn’t the kind that had been here before. She couldn’t pick this one. But that was okay. She would find another way out. There was always a way out.
Leina did not know how many hours had passed when Dangerman appeared at the door to her cell. It must have been very late at night. He was haggard, his cape stained with sand. There was a long gash on his face that had a strange silver glint. He stared at her for quite some time with an expression that she did not understand, utterly unreadable. Then he was gone.
***
Leina was not surprised when the monsters came for her in the morning. She went with them willingly to Dangerman’s office, eager to escape from the pool of consciousness that bred in silence. She had known it much in life, but never had it oppressed her more.
Dangerman was pacing around his office. Immediately Leina noticed a change in him. He was different, no longer the proud Sultan she had known. His countenance was reserved. Afraid, even. As much as Leina abhorred him, seeing him like this made her uneasy. For the first time in a long time, she really remembered that he was hardly as old as herself. Did he even know the meaning of the destruction that he had wrought? That was when Leina started thinking of him as Edward. The persona of Dangerman was a fake—it always had been. Even as was the mask on her face. Perhaps even she had believed that he was more than he was.
“Leave us!” he commanded the monsters disagreeably. His eyes shifted around the room in discontent even as he spoke, as if he was searching for something. As soon as the monsters left, he turned his attention to her. “Who are you?” he demanded, his tone not softened in the least.
“I am the Masked One,” said Leina. “And that’s your own answer, so there’s no point in disputing it.”
Indeed there wasn’t. Whatever had happened to change him, his pride had survived the damage. He didn’t speak for a long time. Even the dust that floated through the air, vis
ible in the stab of light that shone through the center of the room, seemed to take on a presence in the silence. But Leina didn’t take her eyes off of Edward. She was increasingly afraid of what he might do. She couldn’t predict him; not today. To add to that, the fact that he knew that she knew of his knowledge of the Agency was bothering her. This wasn’t a game anymore. She was truly dangerous to him now.
Finally he spoke, unsteadily. “You said yesterday that we have a score to settle.”
“Yes, and it has been settled. Now please tell me what this is about.”
He let out a shuddering breath. “Maybe, but you’re in my power now.” His eyes set. Stopped moving. “I haven’t seen a good sport in a long time.”
“I never did like sports. They lack a point.”
“Perhaps you’d be more agreeable if it did have a point. Like—saving your life?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Not tired of games yet, are we?”
“What I had in mind was a little duel between you and one of my monsters.”
In her intense relief, Leina struggled not to laugh. She had to refrain herself from saying, “Oh, that’s all?” It certainly wasn’t the way that she would like to end her visit here, but at least she would have a fair chance. She could handle a situation like that. In fact, as long as she could survive, it would be an excellent chance to escape. In hope that Edward wouldn’t rescind his judgment, she tried to look frightened, but it was a poor effort. Nonetheless, he was too preoccupied in some other realm of thought to notice. Leina couldn’t fathom what was wrong with him today, but she wasn’t about to argue now that it was working in her favor.
Then Sam came.
“Sam!” Edward fumed. “Can’t you see that I’m busy?”
Sam, however, paid no attention. He stepped forward from the doorway where he had been listening, a calculating smile on his face. Leina stepped back, frightened. After one glance at his face she knew that her hope for his help had been ill-founded. He bore no sign of comfort for her, only the delighted malice that she was all too familiar with. Leina remembered now his vow to give Edward his full support if it ever came to this. His true loyalties didn’t matter. He was no longer her ally. From here, things could only get worse. Overcome with fear and fatigue, she sunk into a nearby chair. The one ray of light that shone into the room caught on her magnetic suit as she moved, and both Sam and Edward covered their eyes compulsively in the ensuing flash.