by Sarah Hawke
“I really hope the Skittering Spider isn’t the name of a brothel.”
“I hope it’s not a tavern or an inn, either,” Valuri commented. “If she works for the Black Mistress, maybe it’s a front business. The horrible name just means customers never stop by.”
“Maybe,” I murmured, examining the area more closely. Like most places in Highwind, the plaza was bustling with people from all walks of life, but since the girls had both draped cloaks over their shoulders they weren’t drawing nearly as much attention as normal. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched…
“That’s it,” Valuri said, gesturing across the street to a small building with a rickety placard outside. I could barely make out the engraved letters, though the spider painted on the side was easily recognizable.
“I do not see anyone inside,” Kaseya said. “The door may not even open.”
I pursed my lips in thought as we approached. “Well, we should probably—”
“Read your fortune, stranger?” a soft, familiar voice asked from behind me. “You look like a man who walks in destiny’s shadow.”
I turned and glanced behind us. There was an old woman selling knickknacks on the corner, and she was smiling at me from beneath a dark hood. I probably would have ignored her completely if the voice weren’t so familiar…
“That sounds like something an old witch would say, doesn’t it?” the woman asked. “I’m really trying to get this character down.”
I frowned, confused, until I stretched out through the Aether. I could feel magical currents enshrouding her like a second cloak, masking her true identity beneath a thick veil of illusion magic. The longer I looked at her face, the more its true form took shape. She wasn’t an old crone at all; she was a youthful, green-eyed half-elf with lustrous silver-white hair.
“I assume this is your contact,” Valuri said, her arms crossed. Thanks to her Senosi powers, she had probably seen through the illusion instantly.
“Yes,” I managed, tossing a furtive glance back over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching us. “Nice outfit.”
“Believe me, I prefer my other one, too. But in my line of work, I need to wear whatever face needs to be seen.” Silhouette turned towards Kaseya and grinned even wider. “Hey, lovely. Nice to see you again.”
The amazon nodded. “I am pleased you were not detained in the dungeon.”
“They couldn’t prove anything,” Silhouette said, waving her hand dismissively. “They never can.”
“This is little rendezvous is a little more public than I expected,” I said. “Maybe we should head inside a chat for a few minutes?”
“Oh, there’s no need for that. Not yet. Just come a bit closer and pull up a seat.”
I frowned at the lone wooden stool in front of her stand. “Uh, I really don’t think we want anyone else to hear what I have to say.”
“That’s why you’re not going to say it,” Silhouette said matter-of-factly. “Please, sit down.”
I shrugged and did as she asked. The girls stepped forward and formed a wall behind me just in case.
“The Mistress already knows all about Telanya’s little secrets,” Silhouette said, idly moving her little fortune tokens across the table between us. “And I know that high elf wouldn’t have risked her neck to let you out of the Citadel unless she wanted something in return.”
“Okay,” I murmured, my eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“You don’t need to tell me the details because I don’t want to know them. All that matters is that you’re going to have a choice soon. You can either side with the people who see our powers as a liability, or you can side with the ones who will embrace them.”
I grunted softly. “One of those sides happens to be offering quite a lot of coin. Is your mistress willing to make a deal?”
“Coin is good. Solidarity is better.”
“So that’s a no, then,” Valuri muttered.
Silhouette’s eyes flicked up to the Senosi. “A war is coming. You know that better than anyone, Huntress. You can take your coin and flee to Silver Falls or Falcon Ridge or even Nol Krovos, but it will still catch up to you eventually. The only question is who you want at your side when the fighting begins.”
“That’s not much of an answer,” I said.
“It’s the message I was told to deliver,” Silhouette replied coolly. “I’ll be here when you get back. Come and find me if you want to chat again.”
I stared at her for a long moment, desperately trying to read her intentions. But whatever else Silhouette might have been, she was obviously a professional. Her face was an unreadable wall.
“Now if you don’t mind, honey, I have other customers waiting,” she said, gesturing behind us. There was no one there, but I received the message loud and clear. I stood and bade the girls to follow.
The plaza was a quarter mile behind us before Valuri broke the silence.
“So what in the hell was that about?” she asked. “I’ve met monks that were less cryptic.”
“It’s a test,” I said. “The Black Mistress wants to know whether we’re in this for coin or the cause.”
“‘The cause’? You mean defeating the Inquisitrix?”
“I mean sorcerer solidarity, but obviously the war is also part of it.” I pursed my lips in thought. “I’m starting to realize the politics here are a lot more complicated than I thought.”
“What was your first clue?” Valuri asked with a snort. “Look, you know I want to beat the Inquisitrix more than anyone, but that doesn’t mean I want to sign up with a coven of underworld sorcerers, either.”
“You’d rather work with Telanya and the Archmage?”
“I’d rather get paid. And at least we know they have plenty of coin.”
“This is more important than gold,” Kaseya said. “I do not trust Telanya or her husband.”
Valuri cocked a black eyebrow. “But you trust a shadowy crime boss you’ve never met? That silver-haired whore must have licked your pussy good.”
“I do not trust Silhouette or her mistress, either,” Kaseya said. “None of these people possess any honor. Perhaps we would be better off going after my sister alone.”
“Your family problems are the least of my concerns, Red,” Valuri muttered. “This is about survival, and if we’re going to survive we need resources—that includes gold.”
Kaseya glared at the other woman for several seconds. “If all you want is to survive, there is no reason for you to stay here. You must want vengeance against my sister and the Inquisitrix.”
“Your sister can rot in the abyss. The Inquisitrix…” Valuri sighed. “Look, I grew up in Vorsalos. I’d like to see the city free as much as anyone. But I’m not interested in getting myself killed for anyone’s ‘cause.’ If we can’t find reliable allies here, we should move on.”
“You really don’t have any honor, do you?” Kaseya said.
“Oh, please. Pull your head out of Jorem’s trousers and—”
“Enough,” I said, grabbing both their shoulders in warning. “We can debate this later. Right now we need to get on the road and start heading south if we want to make the rendezvous.”
“So you still want to side with Telanya?” Valuri asked. “Please tell me it’s not because you fucked her, because if I remember correctly you fucked that little half-elf back there too.”
“This has nothing to do with sex,” I said, sighing and pinching my nose. “I need some time to think. But right now, Telanya’s offer is the best one we’ve got. Once the cargo is safe and back in Highwind…then we can decide what to do with it.”
Valuri shrugged. “I’d say you’re the boss, but that only applies to Red and her collar here.”
I sighed again. “Why do you always have to make things so difficult?”
“Because you wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said, leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek. “Now come on. We don’t want those stable boys telling Telanya we were
late.”
4
The stable hands had three fine Harusean mares ready and waiting for us when we arrived at the gate, and another set of Telanya’s house servants had already packed up the saddles with water and supplies. I wasn’t used to this kind of service; I almost felt like genuine nobility for the first time in my life. Kaseya was the best and most experienced rider between the three of us, and she quickly took point as we left the city and started down the southern road.
The fertile grasslands here were every bit as lush and rolling as the ones to the north. The entire region was pockmarked with farms and villages, many of whom were still scrambling to harvest their crops before winter. Windmills and grain silos were a common sight, as were patrols of Silver Fist Knights and Duskwatch Rangers. Highwind was the breadbasket of the whole region, after all, and protecting the farmlands was as vital as manning the city’s battlements. Even Vorsalos relied heavily on imported grain; the Inquisitrix was fortunate that her eastern neighbors were still willing to sell her food. If open hostilities ever did erupt between the two cities, the death toll from starvation alone would be unconscionable.
Vorsalos was far from the only threat, of course. Gnolls infested the Duskwood, and dozens of bloodthirsty orc tribes roamed the Shattered Peaks. Civilization only endured at the tip of the spear, the old saying went, and I was thankful for the knights and rangers even if most of them probably wanted to toss me in the dungeon.
“It’s strange seeing these people as allies after spending the last ten years learning how to kill them,” Valuri commented after we passed a Silver Fist patrol.
“I wouldn’t call them allies just yet,” I murmured. “From what I’ve heard, they’re not exactly fond of my kind…and they’re definitely not fond of yours.”
“The Inquisitrix has a scouting report on every single officer of consequence. Her spies believe the paladins are weak and complacent…not to mention randy as hell.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Randy? You’re serious?”
“You wouldn’t believe some of the stories I’ve heard. Secret orgies, weird rituals with priestesses of the love goddess…it’s almost unbelievable.”
I grunted. I had never understood why anyone with an ounce of sanity would join a knightly order. The likelihood of dying on some godforsaken battlefield was bad enough, but the vow of chastity might as well have been a suicide pact. Then again, the Ravenguard Knights back in Vorsalos weren’t exactly paragons of virtue, either—they had been some of the biggest whoremongers in the whole bloody city.
“The rangers are a different story,” Valuri went on. “Telanya was right about what she said at dinner—everything changed when the council appointed a new Ranger-General. Serrane drove the rest of the orc clans deep into the Shattered Peaks and practically exterminated the gnolls in the Duskwood.”
“Sounds like a fun woman,” I murmured.
“Apparently she’s another blonde-haired, blue-eyed elf, so I’m sure if the two of you met you’d be fucking within the hour.”
I sighed. “Look, last night was…I don’t even know what happened.”
“The same thing as always,” Valuri shrugged. “You followed your cock around like it’s a compass.”
“You’ve never been the jealous type before.”
She scoffed. “I’m not the one you need to worry about. Though I heard you tried to make it up to Red this morning. I’m sorry I missed it.”
I glanced over at Kaseya. She was far enough of ahead of us that she was probably out of earshot. “We’re…she’s…it’s complicated,” I managed.
“Uh huh,” Valuri said. “Look, you can play with your toys however you want, but I’ll tell you right now I’m going to be famished tonight. You had better be ready.”
With that, she trotted ahead. I glanced between my two partners, wondering if I should be terrified or eager for camp tonight. My stomach settled on the former; my cock chose the latter.
We followed the main road the rest of the day, mostly because I doubted the Senosi would risk an ambush on such a heavily-patrolled path. I didn’t expect the knights and rangers to thin out until we got closer to Lake Dunarthe, and when they did I planned to weave our way through the thick grass and empty fields. Some of the local farmers might get annoyed if we trampled their crops, but I didn’t want to make our enemies’ job any easier than I had to.
Ayrael and her Huntresses were out there somewhere. I could feel it.
We kept a leisurely pace until nightfall, at which point we made camp inside a cozy little copse of trees about a mile west of the road. The autumn air was getting cooler by the day, and I helped Kaseya gather wood for a fire. I ignited the logs with a burst of flame from my palm, then leaned back on my bedroll and imagined all the possible ways this scheme of Telanya’s could go horribly wrong.
“What are the odds that the caravan has already been ambushed by the time we arrive?” I mused, folding my hands behind my head and staring up at the stars. “The Inquisitrix has spies all across the region. She must know about the vatari mines near Falcon Ridge. She could have already sent a squad to intercept the mercenaries.”
“Maybe, but if so I didn’t hear anything about it,” Valuri said as she unholstered her crossbows and sat down next to me. “She has spies in Falcon Ridge, but not many…and she doesn’t usually risk sending the Senosi that far. Besides, ambushing the caravan early just means a longer jaunt back to Vorsalos, and a longer jaunt to Vorsalos means more chances for a third party to get involved. The Highvale Pass has been plagued by bandits for a long time, and so have the Grey Moors.”
“Still, if she waits too long she’ll have to deal with the Silver Fist and the Duskwatch,” I pointed out.
“My sister will not care who stands in her way,” Kaseya commented. She was still looming over the fire and eyeing the reflection of the flames on her sword. “Ayrael will wait until the challenge is greatest before she strikes.”
“That does sound like her,” Valuri conceded. “She may be a force of nature, but she’s not too bright.”
Kaseya turned. “Because she prefers to fight head-on?”
“That’s one reason.”
“I suppose you would prefer to shoot your enemies in their sleep.”
“It’s certainly a lot safer that way.”
Kaseya groaned in disgust. “I shouldn’t have expected anything less from an assassin.”
“Glory is all well and good, Red,” Valuri said, reclining her head back onto my chest and crossing her legs. “But winning is even better.”
“Victory is meaningless without—”
“I had a disturbing thought earlier,” I interjected, hoping to change the subject before they choked each other. “We still don’t know who the Black Mistress is, or even if she’s a single person. But what if it’s even worse—what if the Black Mistress is a Senosi operative?”
“I’ve been nursing that thought for a while,” Valuri said. “It’s definitely the Inquisitrix’s style—she did almost exactly the same thing a decade ago in Vorsalos. You remember the endless guild wars and the final purge.”
“Too well,” I murmured. I had only been twelve or thirteen at the time, but the battle for control over the city’s smuggling rings and lotus cartels had been bloody and brutal. Outcasts like myself had depended upon a certain stability in the underworld in order to survive, and originally I remembered welcoming the idea of someone consolidating power to stand against the corrupt nobles. But once everyone realized the Inquisitrix was the one taking over…well, the few other sorcerers I’d had known hadn’t lasted long. It was nothing short of a miracle that I’d managed to survive long enough to meet Valuri.
“I tried to pry some details out of Ayrael while we were sailing to Highwind, but she still didn’t trust me,” Valuri said. “I doubt she’s a very good liar, though, and it seems unlikely that the Inquisitrix would conceal such an important part of her plan from her new champion.”
I dragged my thoughts from the past
and placed my hand on Valuri’s shoulder. “So you don’t think the Inquisitrix is involved?”
“Oh, I’m sure she’s involved in way or another, but I don’t think she or any of the other Senosi are secretly the Black Mistress. I think it’s more likely that she’s just trying to manipulate the situation from the shadows.”
“That seems like a safe bet regardless,” I said, nibbling at my lip. “I had another thought today, too. It’s probably crazy, but what if we’ve already met the Black Mistress and don’t even know it. What if we’re working for her right now?”
Kaseya turned and eyed me warily. “You mean Telanya?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Now that’s an interesting thought,” Valuri said. “What’s your reasoning?”
“She arrived in the city less than a year before the current conflict started, so the timing is convenient,” I said. “But beyond that, it also seems to fit her general interests. Most of the city believes she married the Archmage purely to gain power. Ruling the underworld would be another step in the same direction.”
“She’s also lying to the Highwind Council and hoarding these vatari crystals,” Valuri added. “She clearly has her husband wrapped around her finger, too—that must give her access to all kinds of resources. The trouble is, she’s not a sorceress.”
“No, but she does have a much more sympathetic attitude towards them than the Archmage,” I pointed. “I, uh, learned that during our private conversation.”
Valuri grunted. “Maybe if you’d fucked her harder she would have screamed her secret identity into your ear.”
“She also has a much more tolerant attitude towards sorcerers, and her position in the Highwind Academy would give her direct access to young people with the gift,” I said, ignoring the jibe. “A lot of pieces fit, if you really start to think about it.”
“If you’re right, it would also explain some of Silhouette’s strange behavior,” Kaseya mused, her eyes flicking back in thought. “She didn’t want us to tell her the details of what happened during our meeting at the mansion, but if Telanya is her mistress then she already knows.”