by Dan Oakley
Draylan threw up his hands. “You really are gullible. Next, you’ll be telling me you believe in the Mage Queen.”
“The Mage Queen? Who’s that?” Kira asked.
“It’s nothing. Just a fairy story,” Bayliss said.
“Right now, we don’t have many options. If the resistance believes they can help, then I need to find them. We can’t help Trella on our own.” I looked sharply at Draylan, and then Bayliss, willing them to be on my side.
Bayliss shrugged, lifting his broad shoulders. “Tomas has a point. We can’t do anything alone, perhaps the only chance of helping Trella is to track down this man Tomas saw last night and his group of rebels.”
Draylan turned in his seat and glared at Bayliss. “You do realize even mentioning working with the rebels is high treason. We can all be sentenced to death for just discussing it.”
“And don’t you think that’s wrong?” Bayliss said carefully. “I’ve never personally known a mage who’s been taken by an inquisitor or locked up for being part of the rebellion before now. In the past, when I heard news reports like this, I assumed they’d done something to deserve it, but what if they haven’t, Draylan? What if they really are being persecuted, and we’re just sitting back doing nothing?”
Draylan snorted and turned away from Bayliss. “So now you’re turning into an activist? Great. That’s all we need.”
“No, I just don’t like inequality,” Bayliss said bluntly. “It’s not fair. I don’t think mages should be forced to serve the Kingdoms any more than you or I. What makes them different?”
Draylan rolled his eyes. “Possibly their magical powers and the fact they can be utilized as jump mages aboard starships.” The sarcasm dripped off his words. “Without them, the Kingdoms would grind to a halt.”
“I’m not saying they shouldn’t work for the Kingdoms, just that they shouldn’t be forced to. It should be optional, just like it is for you and me.”
“As fascinating as this philosophical discussion is, Bayliss, it’s not getting us any closer to finding or helping Trella,” Draylan snapped.
Bayliss gave a small nod.
I exhaled a long, frustrated breath. “I searched around the docks on this level last night, but I couldn’t find him. I don’t know what I was expecting. He was hardly likely to be hanging out on the corner of one of the docks. Our only way forward is to find either Toddo or the group he’s associated with. It’s possible Toddo got caught by the inquisitors. I thought I took them both out with the water container, but it’s possible there were more than two last night.”
“I’ve asked a few friends around the docks about the possibility of mage groups hanging out there,” Bayliss said. “But no one knew anything, or if they did, they weren’t talking.”
“Of course they weren’t talking, it’s madness even to mention the rebellion.” Draylan poured some coffee, took a sip, and then turned back to Bayliss. “You should be careful who you talk to. Any one of them could betray you.”
Bayliss frowned. “No, they’re good men.”
“People have been betrayed by good men in the past. Everyone has a price.” Draylan spoke with bitterness.
After a pause where Bayliss and Draylan glared at each other, I said, “Right, so we go back to the docks today; maybe we could separate and do the docks on each level. It will take us a while, but I can’t think of another way forward.”
Draylan shook his head again. “That’s not a good idea, Tomas. I’m afraid I have even worse news.”
Worse than Trella being aboard a prison ship called the Bloodhurst? “What is it you haven’t told us?”
“There is also a warrant out for your arrest. It’s in the name of Tomas Barrito and has your image associated with it.”
“Me?” I looked in horror at Draylan. I didn’t understand. I’d had nothing to do with the rebellion so it couldn’t be that. Had they somehow worked out that Trella and I had come to Marrachi together?
A creeping dread formed a lump in my throat. I didn’t even want to consider the possibility that she’d been tortured and had given up her friends.
“It’s probably to do with the altercation last night,” Bayliss said. “Maybe they found out who you were from the bar. The inquisitors have various ways of making people talk. Some of them pretty gruesome.”
I nodded slowly, digesting the news. “Well, that complicates things.”
Kira, who’d been quiet until now, spoke up. “It does. You’ll have to stay at the boardinghouse while we do the searching. It’s the only way, Tomas.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Bayliss interrupted. “If you don’t mind me putting forward an idea, I think the docks are the wrong place to look.”
“But Toddo said that’s where he was taking me; that’s where his friends were who could help Trella.”
Bayliss nodded slowly. “Yes, and they probably are at the docks. But we are not going to be able to find them if they don’t want to be found. I think Kira’s idea of staying at the boardinghouse is a good one. If Toddo’s been following you, he obviously knows where you’re staying and would be able to find you there.”
I was silent for a moment, watching the steam rise from the coffee pot. What Bayliss said made sense, but I hated the idea of just sitting in the boardinghouse, waiting for someone to come to me, when Trella was sitting in the Bloodhurst.
“I’m not sure I should suggest this because I agree with Bayliss and Kira. You’re better off stuck back at the boardinghouse shut in your room,” Draylan began, warming his hands around his coffee cup. “But if you really want to find them, and you’re determined not to hide out in the boardinghouse, then I suggest you ask questions in the mage district. They may not want to talk to you, but someone will know where the closest rebellion cell is located. If they don’t want to tell you where they are, they’ll probably agree to pass a message on once they know you’re a true mage. They’re unlikely to talk to me, Bayliss, or Kira. You’d have better luck with Finn.”
For the first time since I’d heard the news about Trella, I felt a glimmer of hope. Draylan was right. If we wanted to find out where the rebel mages were located, we should talk to other mages in the district. Someone in the local population would know where they were.
I could search with Finn, and if Kira stayed back at the boardinghouse, she would be there if Toddo came searching for me again.
I took the cup of coffee Bayliss pushed across the table to me and took a long swallow. Draylan might be difficult and curmudgeonly, but I had to admit he could be pretty smart at times.
I raised my coffee cup in his direction. “It’s a plan; it’s a good plan.” I sipped my coffee as Kira contacted Finn using her communications device, and Draylan grumbled about the whole plan being madness.
It was certainly risky, but the way I saw it, we didn’t have any choice. There was no way we could sit back and do nothing when Trella was stuck on the Bloodhurst.
Chapter 4
Kira and I returned to the boardinghouse in case Toddo turned up there looking for me.
Bayliss had to return to work. He had a job at the docks and promised to keep a look out for anything suspicious. Though the mage hideout would be well hidden and the odds of him discovering it weren’t good. They didn’t want to be found, especially by a non-mage like Bayliss.
Draylan headed back to the KSS Morellic; he was only allowed to leave the ship for a limited amount of time. The Morellic had been due to leave the Marrachi spacestation soon, but its departure date had been postponed until a new commander could be appointed. The arrest of Commander Taggart had taken the Kingdom’s leaders by surprise.
Finn met me in the market square of the mage district. We decided to split up so we could cover more ground. Although we were both mages, I wasn’t sure how much luck we would have in persuading people to talk to us. Finn might be more successful than me, as he had grown up on the space station. I suspected they would see me as an outsider and be even less inclined to talk.
I’d been entranced by the tales of the Kingdoms when I was a boy. I’d always wanted to work aboard one of the ships and take up an important role in the functioning of the Kingdoms, but slowly my eyes were opening to the corruption that had snaked its way through all the seven major planets and many of the smaller planets too. Mages were treated as equipment rather than people with feelings and plans for their future.
I could understand why the rebellion had begun. Their resistance had been born from frustration and exploitation. The thing I found most shocking was the way the Kingdoms outlawed any disagreement or discussion over their laws. It wasn’t the free speaking all-inclusive utopia I’d believed it to be.
After Finn and I split up, so we could cover more ground, I headed along a shop-lined route that had less foot traffic. Finn stuck to the main square. My theory was that people would be more likely to talk to me if there were less people around to overhear our conversation.
I’d known getting Marrachi mages to confide in me was going to be a hard task, but I’d underestimated just how hard it would be.
I was laughed out of the first shop, chased out with a broom in the second. The third shop I entered, the shopkeeper greeted me pleasantly enough but soon changed his attitude when he realized why I was there.
“Are you trying to get yourself arrested?” the shopkeeper hissed.
He had springy dark hair that bounced as he paced agitatedly back and forth behind the counter.
“A friend of mine is in trouble, and I believe the resistance can help her. Please, you must know how I can contact them…”
“The resistance will bring you nothing but trouble,” he said, looking at me fiercely and then shaking his head.
“They’re my last option. I have to do something.”
“I’d like to help, really, but I think you’re better off trying to put it all behind you. Forget your friend. She is lost to you now.” His mouth turned down at the corners as he spoke.
“I can’t do that. I won’t turn my back on her.”
He smiled then, a sad smile. “Oh, so it’s like that, is it? She’s your sweetheart, is she?”
I looked away, pretending to be very interested in the shelves of books beside my head. “Not exactly.”
“Many men have lost their lives over love,” he said, as he stopped pacing and looked down at his ledger book on the counter with a sigh. “Romance, or love of their country, or family.”
He lifted his gaze to look at me again.
“It’s not romance,” I said. “It’s loyalty, friendship.”
“Well, I’m a sentimental old fool. If I knew where to find them, I would tell you. Have you tried Dickens’ shop, three doors along? Dickens, the owner, is an old man; he certainly doesn’t look like someone in the resistance, but maybe he can help you.” His eyes grew guarded, and he peered down at the counter again.
I realized he wasn’t actually looking at his ledger, as I’d first assumed. There was a small electronic device hidden beneath it with a large viewing screen. The volume was down but headlines flashed up at the bottom in red. He was watching a news channel.
I looked up to meet his gaze. He flushed and shifted the ledger back to cover the screen. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to report you.”
“Are they showing my face on the news channel?” I felt beads of sweat break out on my forehead.
The man licked his lips nervously and nodded once. “Yes, but like I said, I’m not going to report you. In fact, that’s the only reason I told you about old Dickens. I figured you can’t be on the side of the inquisitors if you’re a wanted man.”
I nodded slowly. “Thank you. And I’m not sure why they want to talk to me or arrest me…” I trailed off.
I’d been about to say I hadn’t hurt anyone or done anything wrong, but then I remembered the condition we left the pirates in. Despite the fact they were evil and got what they deserved, in my opinion, I supposed, technically, what we’d done was against the law. And I’d injured those two inquisitors…
Maybe there was good cause for my arrest warrant, after all.
I thanked the man again and left the shop quickly, pulling my collar up as soon as I got outside. I wished I’d bought a hooded cloak so I could at least hide my face. How many people had seen the news bulletin that morning?
If I got arrested, I’d be no good to Trella. I tapped on my comms device to find out what I could about the Dickens shop, and then remembered the device was still broken.
I needed a new one. In our current situation, it was dangerous to be without a method of communication.
Instead of going straight to Dickens’ shop, I made my way to the store where we’d purchased Kira’s comms device when we’d arrived on Marrachi.
I held my breath as the shopkeeper greeted me, wondering if he’d been watching the news reports, but he kept his face carefully blank and there was no sign he recognized me as a criminal. He did recognize me as a customer though.
“Ah, I see you’re back. Hunting for another bargain today? I hope the unit you purchased is working well.”
“Yes, it is. I need your help. My own comms device is now useless.” I removed the device from my wrist and held it out so he could see.
He ran a finger along the crack on the screen and let out a low whistle. “That’s some damage. Impressive really. These units are built to withstand considerable stresses. How did you break it?”
I thought back to last night and tumbling off the roof, crashing onto the ground below.
“I dropped it out of a window,” I lied quickly.
His face crinkled in confusion, and he opened his mouth to speak. I was expecting him to ask me how I’d managed to do that, but then he shrugged and closed his mouth without comment.
“Are you looking for a new device? Or maybe a second-hand one? We have several on display.” He pointed to the glass cabinet beneath the counter.
I stepped forward to inspect them. There were quite a few, but none looked as good quality as the one I’d had on my wrist.
“If you have the time, there is a chance I could repair it for you?” He mused.
“Would that be cheaper?”
“Yes, quite a bit cheaper. I’d charge you just five international credits as you’re an existing customer. I’d need to reset the power unit and replace the screen. Luckily, I’m an expert in these devices. Not like the rest of the shop owners around here. They just buy them in and sell them on. They have no idea how they really work.” He clucked his tongue in disapproval.
“If you could fix it, I’d really appreciate it.”
From behind the counter, he removed an eyeglass and inserted it as a lens over his eye. He then brought out a box of fine implements and began to use one to lever off the screen.
I stayed inside the shop while the man worked. Though I wanted to get out there and ask questions, I figured it would be safer to wait until I had some kind of communications device in case I needed to get in touch with Kira. For all I knew, Kira could have already spotted and spoken to Toddo. The comms device was crucial.
I watched the busy shoppers pass by the window, wondering how many of them had watched the news reports this morning. The first time I’d visited the mage district, I believed the mullioned windows were fashioned from real glass, but close up I could see it was a projected pattern on a normal view screen made to look like a window. Everything on the spacestation was more than it appeared at first glance.
I looked closer at the window frame, running my fingers along what at first glance looked like real wood grain. That too was fake. Some man-made composite designed to fool the unobservant. I supposed it all made sense. Why would they use old-fashioned materials on a modern spacestation?
Fake windows, fake wood and fake sky. Nothing was what it seemed here.
As good as his word, the shopkeeper worked quickly. Within ten minutes, he proudly handed me back the comms device with a shiny new screen and a perfectly functioning power unit.
I strapped it to my wrist, thanked him, and prepared to leave.
I was at the door when he called out to me. “By the way, you might want to keep a low profile. Your face was plastered all over the news reports this morning.”
My hand froze on the door handle, and slowly I turned back to face him. Was he going to call the authorities as soon as I left the shop?
He continued, “Most of the mage folk around here are good people. Maybe they don’t work with the resistance, but that’s where their sympathies lie. Most people will turn the other way rather than report you, but there’s always one or two troublemakers who’d like an opportunity to ingratiate themselves with the authorities and the inquisitors. They’d speak against one of their own without a second thought, so be careful.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I haven’t purposely hurt anyone, but then I suppose that’s what they all say.”
He chuckled. “That’s true enough. Just keep your head down, lie low, or try to get away from Marrachi if you can.”
I couldn’t do that, not while Trella was still locked up, but I wasn’t going to get into that. I thanked the shopkeeper again and then slipped out onto the street, keeping my head down.
At the next clothing stall I passed, I purchased a hooded cloak. It was a mixture of brown and gray material and didn’t stand out much at all. Wearing it, would allow me to blend into the background, which was exactly what I wanted.
With the cloak wrapped around me and the hood pulled down low, I felt safer as I walked along the streets. It was possible for people to recognize me, but they would have to get very close to get a good look at my face.
I used the repaired comms device to check for messages. Nothing.
I headed back to the street where Dickens’s store was located. When I got close, I blinked in surprise. It seemed familiar. Suddenly, it came back to me. This was the shop where I had bought my book on runes and the focus tea. I’d already met the old man who owned the shop. Did that mean he’d be more inclined to trust me? I hoped so.