by J. L. Smith
“So,” Aidan said, when the last introduction was over, “what’s this about Balen?”
As expected, it was Rayder who did the talking, not mincing words as he laid out what we wanted them to do for us. Naturally, he neglected to tell them exactly who we were, instead mentioning that we would be entering the fortress as the runners who had captured the notorious motorcycle gang harassing Balen.
“Let me get this straight,” Aidan said, once Rayder had finished talking. “You want us to pretend to be a bunch of bikers for a bunch of money. Why?”
“Let’s just say,” Rayder responded, leaning forward in his seat to place his elbows on his thighs, “we have a score to settle.”
“We’re going to need more than that,” Mabel said, piercing Rayder with her direct gaze.
“Agreed,” Aidan added. “We’d be at your mercy in there, trusting that you’d get us out of the fortress. Even if you manage to pull that off, we’d have to go underground afterwards. Assuming,” he paused, “Balen lives to tell the tale.” He fixed Rayder with an unnerving stare. When no one immediately spoke, he asked, “Again, why?”
Rayder looked from Aidan to Mabel and back again slowly, before saying, “Would thirty thousand keep you from asking more questions?”
Without hesitation, Aidan and Mabel responded at the same time, “No.”
“Tough crowd,” Susie mumbled.
No one seemed to take note, as Aidan continued, “How about I answer a few of my own questions for you?” Rayder shifted in his seat and I wondered if he was feeling the pressure. If this backfired, we could see ourselves on the receiving end of Balen’s wrath. Yet, his face remained a mask, his expression almost that of boredom. “I take it you’re the motorbike gang.” I chanced a glance at Rayder again, who seemed entirely unsurprised by Aidan’s deduction. “And you need a way to get close to Balen.”
“Preferably,” Mabel chipped in, examining her pink fingernails in a supercilious fashion, “to take him out.”
“Not just pretty faces,” Rayder commented wryly.
Mabel’s lips twitched, while Aidan only raised an eyebrow and said, “You knew we’d figure it out. What I want to know is why you think we’d help you. I mean, thirty thousand is one thing, but we could still say no and turn you in. Why risk it?”
Rayder smiled without humor, “You don’t remember me, do you?” Before Aidan could respond, he added, “But, I remember you. I saw your show, maybe two years ago.” The thought of Rayder sitting casually through a performance temporarily amused me, but I cast the unlikely image aside, as Rayder said, “Afterwards, you sat in a bar with a guy you didn’t know and got yourself motherless.”
“I’m already motherless,” Aidan said softly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Rayder continued as if he had not spoken, “You talked a lot that night about a cousin of yours.” Aidan’s expression visibly darkened and suddenly I became aware that he had to be dangerous, despite his outward charm. “A cousin who was like a brother.” I glanced at Mabel, who had stopped picking at her fingernails, her face pale, while her eyes remained fixed on Rayder. “A cousin who’d been dating someone called May.” He inclined his head ever so slightly in Mabel’s direction. “A cousin whose own father had sold him to Balen.” I put the pieces of the puzzle together, as Aidan exhaled sharply, while Mabel sat quite still. “I was that guy sitting at the bar with you.”
It struck me then that Rayder remembered details that some of us might overlook. He collected stories across the desert as Madame Sonyaba might, keeping them tucked away on the off-chance he might need them. I hoped that he did so sympathetically, not simply saving every story of Balen in his quest for revenge. Somehow, I thought it was a mix of both.
Aidan and Mabel were both looking at us all as if seeing us anew, or taking us seriously for the first time. Of course, the rest of us had known nothing of this cousin, but they did not know that.
“What did he say?” Mabel asked Rayder softly, before turning to Aidan, “You never talk about Bruno.”
“I don’t like to,” Aidan responded quietly and I saw that Mabel understood his sentiment, even while it hurt her.
“He said he was one of the best,” Rayder replied just as quietly. “Destined for great things, but gone too soon.”
She nodded as Rayder spoke and I watched her swallow the lump in her throat, as tears sprung to her eyes. “He was,” she said solemnly.
“You say death leaves behind magic for us,” Rayder continued, looking at Aidan. I could feel that he had very nearly won them over. It was written all over their faces. “I don’t believe in magic, but I do believe that the anger pumping in your blood feels the same as it does in mine. We’re going to kill Balen, with or without your help. And,” here Rayder smiled and it was a terrible smile, full of violence, “it’s going to feel a lot like magic.”
And, just like that, Rayder had them and our team had grown by two. Once again, he had surprised us, which I was sure would enrage Saffron. Rayder, as usual, had kept us in the dark about his trump card. I supposed it could all have amounted to nothing. The cousin could have escaped somehow. The story might have been just another tall tale told by an actor practicing a part for a night. Aidan and Mabel might have been cowards, afraid to avenge the boy who was sold. But, with a bit of luck, things had worked out our way. It was a lucky streak which I was hoping would continue, although I knew that, just like everything, luck eventually ran out.
Chapter 15
It was a strange night with the actors, which was entirely as we could have been predicted. They were a wild bunch: loud, a little obnoxious and always trying to outdo one another in a constant bid for attention. We spent the evening with just shy of a dozen of them, sharing a meal in the sand beside a roaring fire. I was used to eating fairly simply – beans from a can was a common enough dinner for us when money was tight, which was always. With the actors, however, we really indulged, tucking into delicious pastries filled with vegetables, cheeses and meat.
“How do you guys afford this?” Kieran asked between mouthfuls, oil dribbling down his chin, which he wiped cheerfully away.
“It’s all about who you know,” Aidan responded. “And Christal knows everyone! Don’t you, honey?” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Christal was evidently their cook and she took to the part, kitted out in a chef’s white hat and apron, underneath which she wore only red underwear and black fishnet tights. “What can I say?” she shrugged, tossing her bright red, shoulder-length hair, “I have a natural tendency to attract attention wherever I go. Part of my easy charm, I’m afraid.” She batted her eyelashes directly at Rayder and I felt the urge to rip off her silly hat. He seemed unmoved, however, not even bothering to smile at her.
“Yeah,” Mabel commented, rolling her eyes, “emphasis on easy. And anyone can attract attention, dear, if they don’t shy away from shameless flirting.”
“Shame’s overrated anyway,” Aidan replied laughingly. “Don’t you think, Sara?”
It took me a moment to realize that he was talking to me. I looked over in time to see him winking. “Depends,” I responded, trying to think of a witty comeback. I had nothing, as the attention of the group shifted to me, and so I merely shrugged.
“So, is that a yes or a no on the shameless flirting thing?” he asked, and I felt my face burn as the group again awaited my answer.
“Again,” I said, striving to remain cool, “it depends who’s doing the flirting.”
“How about I flirt with you and you decide if you like it?” Aidan replied, standing up from his position in the sand a few people over from me and blowing a kiss. “If you like it, we make out shamelessly. If you don’t, we make out shamelessly nonetheless. Deal?” He stuck out his hand dramatically, giving me a cocky smile.
“I’ll take that deal!” another actor, Ranic, a muscular young man with red curly hair and a crooked nose, shouted. He jumped up enthusiastically and staggered
over to shake Aidan’s hand exaggeratedly. “You old goat,” he winked at Aidan, “I thought you’d never ask!”
Laughing, Aidan responded quickly, “Not my type Ran old man!” He drew his hand away and added in a forced tone of regret, “I’ve told you, your beard tickles my toes!” He turned again to face me, “But, you, dear Sara, have no beard for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see! How about it? You game, my dame?”
“Um,” I stammered, starting to laugh, in spite of feeling rather mortified at the turn of the conversation. “I’ll get back to you on that one, okay?”
In response, Aidan clutched his heart, “I’m hit!” he cried. “The she-devil has a good aim!”
I laughed again, only rolling my eyes. On instinct, my gaze found Rayder, who was looking at Aidan, his expression entirely unreadable.
“She’s a looker, sure,” called another of the actors, a stocky girl named Jody, with purple braids and bright pink lips. I drew my gaze from Rayder, just as I felt his eyes fall on me. “But, it’s that one I’m after,” she added, cocking her head in Saffron’s direction. “Pure class, aren’t you lovey?”
“The last person who called me that ended up with a black eye,” Saffron replied tightly, glaring daggers at Jody.
“What, classy?” Jody asked, sucking on a piece of pastry in a rather revolting fashion.
“Lovey,” Saffon muttered.
“No lies,” Kieran added, “she decked him on the spot.”
“And then shot him for good measure,” Susie said smiling. “It was glorious.”
I could not decide whether she was joking and gave her a questioning look. The actors stole the conversation once more and Susie winked at me. “Kiss him,” she mouthed, inclining her head in Aidan’s direction.
Instead of a response, I simply shook my head, laughing a little self-consciously. Annoyingly, I sought out Rayder again, as if my eyes simply could not help themselves and acted of their own accord. He was staring at me, his dark gaze pinning me from across the bonfire. But, as I looked his way, he raised his mug in my direction, in something like a mock salute, before turning away. Sighing, I tried to ignore what he might have meant by the gesture, no doubt intended to irritate me. Was he jealous of Aidan, or was that just my own wishful thinking?
Rayder had said very little throughout the evening, looking bored, as was his style. I had a feeling he was sizing everyone up, deciding who was reliable, if there was anyone amongst them he could trust. Aidan had already chosen seven from his actors who would play us: himself, naturally, together with Mabel, Christal, Ranic and Jody, as well as two others whose names had slipped my mind. Earlier in the evening, we had discussed the plan with everyone, when Aidan had recruited those who would pretend to be us. Surprisingly, it had been an easy sell. Part of me thought it was because they clearly trusted him, while another part of me thought that they were all bored, half mad and eager for a new challenge. What better way to prove their worth as actors than to pull off the ultimate con? This had been a sentiment expressed by Mabel, who evidently knew a thing or two about an actor’s ego. The plan, for what it was worth, consisted of arriving at Balen’s fortress in time for the festival known to be taking place that weekend. With spring coming up, it was yet another opportunity for revelry, together with a heavy sprinkling of superstition.
From what Rayder and Neal had gathered from the mechanics fixing our vehicle earlier that day, the festival was going to be attended by just about everyone who affiliated themselves with Balen. He hosted festivals twice a year, before the spring and autumn seasons. It was a chance to show off his own grandeur, of course, letting his people feast and make merry, all the while remembering the hand that fed and fattened them. But, it was also a chance to sew loyalty, as Balen’s seers, those he had twisted to his own purposes, put on a show of their own, blessing the organ harvesting trade.
I had recalled Neal’s explanation on the matter weeks ago: if Balen wanted to secure absolute allegiance, he needed the seers on his side, or at least those he had managed to corrupt. They were his key to locking in the lower classes to do his bidding – bless them, threaten to curse them if they defected, and offer them a few coins to feed their starving children. Of course, there would be those within Balen’s circle who did not bother with the seers at all. Someone like Jim, I assumed, had only been in it for the money and whether a seer blessed or cursed him would not mean a thing. But, as Neal had said, the vast majority took a seer’s word as truth. Here lay the key to Balen’s destruction and the beginning of something like a plan for us. That, and bombs. Lots of bombs.
I mulled over these things as the evening wore on, the actors becoming increasingly rowdy as they drained their mugs of homebrewed beer. I tried to relax and simply enjoy it all, but I could not help the fluttering in my stomach as I thought about the way ahead. It would take a miracle for it all to go according to plan and I could not shake the feeling that we were on the brink of something, a change that would alter us all forever.
“You in, Sara?” Aidan’s lively voice interrupted my sense of nostalgia.
“Hmm?” I asked, shaking my head a little in an effort to concentrate on the conversation at hand.
“You, me, a few of these other clowns, playing a little game of striptease?” He smiled mischievously and I was fairly certain it was a legitimate request. “I can guarantee, I’m all man where it counts!”
“And that’s my cue,” Saffron interrupted. “I’m out.” She got up and gave a mock curtsey, “Thanks for a lovely, for want of a better word, evening.”
“You loved it, darling!” Aidan said, draining his mug of beer.
“Yeah, yeah,” she responded, somewhat amusedly. “Night.”
“I’m out, too,” Stef said, jumping up and shaking the sand from her skirt.
“Come on,” Kieran responded teasingly, “let’s striptease!”
Stef rolled her eyes, smiling, and bent down to whisper in his ear. In an instant, Kieran was standing beside her, a wide smile on his face.
“Two guesses what that was about!” Susie said loudly. “Aidan, would you do the honors?”
“Come on,” Stef implored her twin, blushing. “Please.”
“Hey,” Susie shrugged, “you asked for it!”
“Two guesses, you say?” Aidan called, rising to the challenge. “I’m thinking it involves a pet alligator named Raymond the Third, who has a slight limp in his back left paw. Paw?” he mused, putting his finger on his chin, as if deep in thought. “Do we call them paws, if they are attached to an alligator?”
“Night,” Stef called, as she dragged an amused Kieran away.
Aidan continued his one-man show and I tried to take the opportunity to sneak off, “Sara!” he shouted, drawing out the last syllable of my fake name. “I’m shocked to my very core. That you would even consider leaving at this point in time.” He winked, “I’m only just warming up.”
“Trust him on that one,” Jody added. “One could say this is the tip of Aidan’s iceberg.”
Laughing, I replied, “I have thoroughly enjoyed the warm up, but it’s time for me to go to bed.”
“Any chance I’m invited?” Aidan asked cheekily, doing a ridiculous jig.
“Nope,” I said, winking back at him. “Night, guys.”
“No fun!” Aidan called, as I started to walk off. “I’ll be having nightmares for weeks about your callous rejection of my advances.”
“You’ll survive,” Rayder said, surprising me. I turned to see him getting up to join me.
“How would you know, Damon?” Aidan asked, pretending serious offense. “I have a weak constitution. Sara’s rejection may just finish me off.”
“If only,” Rayder muttered, walking off a little ahead of me towards the tent which had been assigned to us.
The sounds of the actors faded and I spoke, half to Rayder, half to myself, “They’re all insane, aren’t they?”
Turning towards me in the darkness
, Rayder responded, his tone clipped, “Did you enjoy your little show?”
Exasperated with his tone and recalling his mocking salute earlier, I replied, “If you mean Aidan’s show, then yeah. He’s funny.” Almost as an afterthought, I added, hoping to irritate him, “Not broody and serious all the time.”
For a moment, he just looked at me, then, shaking his head, he strode off in the direction of our tent. I went to bed angry, but soon got over it as sleep took me away for the night.
“Mind if I join you?”
It was early the next morning and the camp was still largely asleep, the desert quiet and almost forgiving in the soft light of day. Unable to sleep in, I had snuck out of the large tent which I had shared with the others, my back aching from my uncomfortable makeshift bed of pillows on the floor. Taking a moment to enjoy some solitude, I had left the theater, sitting just outside the barbed wire fence to bask in the gentle sunshine.
Jerking my head in the direction of the voice, I was surprised to see that it was Saffron who had spoken. “Um, sure.” My own voice was not quite steady, as I tried to mask my astonishment.
She sat down beside me in the sand and for a moment we simply watched the morning, the eternal redness of the desert interrupted only by the calls of hungry birds hunting for breakfast.
“Sometimes it feels so small, doesn’t it?” she said quietly.
“How do you mean?” I asked, looking out at the foreverness of the desert.
She sighed, “Like it’s all the same and we’re stuck in this box of sand, the monotony driving us all mad.” I must have looked at her in surprise, for she shrugged and said quickly before I could respond, “Listen, Aria.” My heart started to thump at that and I waited, not knowing quite what to expect, but feeling as if I could guess the topic. “I’ll be frank. I’ve been a real bitch to you.” When I started to protest, perhaps half-heartedly, she added, “No, it’s true and you know it.” She held my gaze, “I’m sorry. The truth is, I’ve been jealous as hell of you. I’m sure you can guess why.”