by NAK Baldron
"I'm okay," Blake said. "It's not that hard if you know what to look for. I was able to get an admin password by plugging a key-logger on a desktop. Humans are always the weakest point in computer security."
They all lifted their glasses together.
"To having a plan," Lance said.
Kandice only took a sip of her drink while Blake finished his—he'd have to stay the night. There was no way he could go back to Jackie's drunk as a skunk.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Sapphire Nation, Fencura
"Gin-Tanken will see you now." The servant bowed, allowing Shaya to enter.
Double steel doors were pushed opened just wide enough for Shaya to walk into the room unobstructed. An ocean-blue carpet spanned the ground beneath her feet. It changed in intensities of blues as it caught the light, giving the impression she walked on water. At the far end of the room sat a husband and wife on an elevated platform, placing them at eye level with Shaya as she stopped before them. She could see their walnut eyes, but the rest of their faces were obscured by plain silver masks, generally reserved for ceremonies in honor of Sueun. Identical long, black hair cupped their silver masks.
"Greetings, Kaito-Tanken," one of them said with an androgynous voice. "Please sit."
A servant rushed from behind the plum-colored curtains which lined the walls of the hall and placed a chair behind Shaya's knees. She lowered herself with all the grace her mother taught her, then shifted her face to stone. These two possessed weak faces. Otherwise, they'd never hide behind masks generally reserved for children. It was dishonorable, but Clan Gin had never been revered for the honor.
"Why do you grace us with your presence?" This voice was slightly higher than the first, making her Nori's wife, Eriko. The first had been Gin-Tanken Nori himself. Their appearances were too similar to tell apart via sight alone.
"Our business did not go as planned."
"Explain!" Nori's voice betrayed his emotions. Only children and the weak-willed raised their voices in formal settings.
He's no better than a street urchin.
"The merchant knew we were coming."
"We warned he'd be on guard and paranoid," Eriko said.
Were they playing at subterfuge, or were they as naive as they appeared? Either way, they were no longer to be trusted. Akio was off preparing their backup plans as Shaya sat there.
"He was, in fact, a she." Shaya switched eye contact between Nori and his wife, lingering long beyond what was considered polite. Looking for betrayal in their eyes. Any sign of proof to drop the charade.
"Excuse me?" Eriko asked.
"The merchant was a woman."
"Absurd," Nori spat.
His voice bounced off the stone pillars supporting the roof and curtains. From Shaya's position it sounded as if he were speaking to her from all around.
"Unexpected," Shaya spoke with a deliberately calm voice. "But true. You gave me the information to act upon."
"Are you making a threat?" Eriko asked. "I don't see Akio here to back up your bark."
Pleasantries were finished—time for brute force and coercion.
"We have the jewelry she carried. But I suspect you were only interested in the necklace she had tucked away in a secret compartment." Shaya balanced her hands like that of a scale. "Hidden jewels inside a hidden bag. Must be very important."
"Guards." Nori cried out.
Six men rushed the room, halberds pointed at Shaya. Tradition kept them from advancing on her completely. That or fear of Akio. Even these lowly guards knew who she was, and the penalties for touching her. Better to slice their own throats than face the wrath of Akio. Nori was enraged, but there was no way he'd be crazy enough to violate her person.
"Take h—"
His wife cut him off mid-sentence with a whisper, pulling the mask away to allow her better access to his ear. A flash of her face was visible from where Shaya sat. The woman was a soul-walker. The black tattoos around her chin betrayed her true nature.
That's the real reason for the masks. Is Nori a soul-walker too?
Even if he weren't, it would explain so much. Clan Gin was always first to take advantage of a disaster and was notorious for retrieving lost heirlooms. Able to transmute in their sleep into a spirit form, soul-walkers could visit anywhere on Fencura, making them ideal spies and interlopers. Some claim they could even cross over to Sueun's palace and speak with the dead. Who knew what information such a journey could net.
Rumor had it, Nori's father served the Emperor's father in a delicate matter. Obviously, it had never been proven. Otherwise, Clan Gin would have become salt of the sea. Had they been involved with soul-walkers this whole time?
"No." Nori's voice bounced off the far walls behind Shaya, and his face flushed.
Eriko continued whispering in his ear, ignoring the fact he'd just yelled. It reminded Shaya of the way she'd be scolded quietly in public by her own mother.
One of the guards dropped his halberd but managed to recover it before the steel of its spear-tip clinked against the stone floor. The guard next to him elbowed him in the gut. The first guard crumpled into a ball, placing one knee on the floor for balance—tears visible in his eyes as he heaved for breath.
"Leave us," Nori said with the wave of a hand.
Two guards dragged their comrade away by his shoulder, and the six of them were gone nearly as fast as they'd arrived. The curtains must hide several doors leading off into Nori's complex. With the Amethyst Lanterns casting their soft glow on the room, it was impossible to notice the passage of time.
"You will—"
"I will nothing." Shaya cut him off. "You forget yourself Gin-Tanken Nori. I am Kaito-Tanken Shaya, and you will remember your manners, or I shall have Akio instruct you in the ways of etiquette."
"Please." His wife waved her hand. "We are all of nobility. For honor's sake, allow civilized behavior to win out."
Shaya hadn't lost her temper. She meant what she'd promised. Clan Kaito was on the brink of destruction. She couldn't afford any level of disrespect to pass unchecked. The time of daggers was close at hand.
"I ask that you return the necklace to us," Nori said with a slight bow of his head.
"It can be arranged. But first, you'll tell me why you set me up to be caught."
"Impudence." Nori stood up. "You besmirch my honor, with your false accusations."
Shaya didn't rise to the bait. She kept her calm demeanor. "I demand answers, or there shall be no deal. Failure to answer will be taken as a declaration of hostile intent."
Her threat was clear. Akio would make quick work of Clan Gin if she ordered it, but she'd never risk his life over such a little matter. However, the threat had to be implied. Akio was what kept the other lords at bay.
"This meeting is over." Nori sat back down and slammed his fist on a side table. A small bell rang out, which shook atop the table.
The servant who let Shaya in opened the doors behind her.
"A name, Nori?" Shaya stood from her chair. "You've cost me one of my men, and I will have recompense."
The servant placed a single finger upon her shoulder, the most he was willing to risk in way of insistence on behalf of his master. Even the lowest of the low had something to lose.
She locked eyes with his wife. "This is your final chance. Cooperate, or face the consequences. This offer dies once I leave this room."
They found their faces of stone.