A Jewel Bright Sea

by Claire O'Dell

  ...the glimpse of a dark brown man offering him a flask. She recognized Koszenmarc’s face, his pale eyes narrowed with humor. A sense of trust and camaraderie washed over her, as the stranger tipped back his own flask and drank. “To us,” Koszenmarc said. “To a fine day and bright futures.”

  There was an argument about who deserved the next swallow, but Koszenmarc immediately produced a second flask. The leather was warm from the sun, the wine sweet and cool. It wasn’t until she took a second, longer drink that a sudden chill exploded in her stomach and dizziness gripped her. She knew, the guard knew, the wine had been drugged. Someone caught him, dragged him into the alley behind the stables. He struggled but his arms and legs wouldn’t obey.

  As the guard’s consciousness faded, Anna undid the bonds between them, like cutting stitches from a seam. One last glimpse of the past carried over, not of sight but sound. Koszenmarc’s laughter.

  She released a long, slow breath and murmured another spell to erase her signature. When she opened her eyes, she found both men watching her intently.

  “What did you see?” Raab demanded.

  “Exactly what we guessed. Koszenmarc drugged them, and those fools let him.”

  Raab grunted. “We ought to question them anyway. Maybe we can pick out a few details. Find out what Koszenmarc planned for us.”

  For me, Anna thought. But she did not correct him.

  The results were more depressing than surprising. These were more of the young men who frequented Iglazi’s markets, hiring themselves out as guards, laborers, anything to avoid bonded service. They’d heard about Lady Iljana’s adventure with the pirates and hoped for a bit of excitement. They hadn’t expected two hours of sword drill and another hour of Raab lecturing them about discipline. Raab had left them with orders to clean their gear and practice those drills until the lady required their service. But half the morning passed, and the lady still hadn’t sent for them. When a stranger offered to show them a few tricks with the sword, they were happy to agree, and when he suggested a drink—

  “You trusted him,” Maté interrupted. “A stranger who offers you drink while you’re on duty?”

  The oldest of the guards mumbled, “I didn’t think he’d—”

  “You didn’t think at all.” Maté made an exasperated noise. “Lady Vrou, we must hire new guards. Experienced ones. As for these young fools— We shall do our duty and pay for their healing, but we cannot keep them in your employ.”

  Anna pretended an attack of compassion. “Oh, but they are so young…”

  “Old enough to know better,” Raab said. One of the guards had rolled over and was gagging. The others groaned softly.

  She sighed. “Very well. I trust your judgment in these matters. But please, do take more care next time. I am weary of these constant interruptions.” She rose and yawned. “I believe I shall retire to my rooms. It has been a most exhausting day. Raab, please deal with our guards and the healer. I want Kovács to escort me.”

  Maté stood at once and offered his arm. Raab did not argue. Perhaps he had further questions he didn’t wish Anna or Maté to overhear. Good enough. She had observations she didn’t want to share with Raab.

  They wound their way through the stables into the shaded courtyard between the stables and the inn’s main building. There, she and Maté paused under a tree while Anna made a show of admiring the rows of pots with orchids and other flowers.

  “Their account matches what I saw in their past,” she said softly. “But that tells us nothing about Koszenmarc’s intentions. A pity he didn’t confess his plans in all their glorious detail.”

  Maté snorted. “If he had, I would mistrust it. What puzzles me is that he did the deed himself. He ought to know any skilled mage could do what you did and discover his part.”

  “Or he sees himself as beyond the law. But there’s more…”

  Anna went on to describe her encounter with Koszenmarc. “He said there was no profit in taking me hostage again,” she said. “He must guess I’m not Klos’s daughter. Do you think he might have sent those useless guards himself?”

  “As a double ruse?” Maté asked. “No, that seems a needless complication. Those young idiots are honest ones. We ought to thank Lir and Toc that Koszenmarc simply drugged them. He might have slit their throats to stop them from talking. No, he’s playing a complicated game—”

  He broke off and laid a hand on Anna’s arm. “Did you hear that?”

  Anna listened. “No. What is it?”

  If anyone had overheard them…

  Maté darted into a mass of bushes next to the orchid pots. There was a scuffle—noisy but brief—that ended with him dragging a boy into the courtyard. One of the inn’s stable boys, judging by his clothes and the scent of horse. “Who are you?” Maté demanded. “Why’re you following the Lady Vrou?”

  He gave the boy a shake that must have rattled his bones, because the boy stopped struggling. “I’m not—Vrou Iljana, I only wanted—it’s about Hêr Lord Toth.”

  Anna sucked in her breath. “What did you say?”

  The boy glanced from Anna to Maté. He was as nervous as a sparrow, she thought, a small brown sparrow with bright black eyes. “You were asking questions about Lord Toth. Iouliana told all of us how much money your men offered for any news. You gave her a silver denariie because she knew all the gossip and—”

  “And you thought you wanted a silver denariie yourself,” Maté said.

  He shook his head. “No. I mean, yes, I want the money. But I know a few somethings Iouliana doesn’t.”

  “Do you now?” Maté glanced at Anna, who nodded. “Well, then, would you like to come with us to the vrou’s parlor? We could talk more comfortably there.”

  But that only made the boy shake his head harder. “I’ve been gone from my post too long already.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the stables. He might have overheard Sarrész and the guards before they departed on that last fateful day. Anna felt a prickle of excitement.

  “Go back to your post with my man Kovács,” she told him. “He’ll make things right with the stable master.” To Maté, she said, “Ask him a few questions. Pay him, no matter what, but we might want to have that quiet chat later. I’ll go directly to my rooms. I should be safe enough inside the inn.”

  Her maids had already poured water for a bath. Anna dismissed them with orders to lay out a fresh costume while she indulged herself in an unhurried soak. Maté would tease out the boy’s story, she was certain of that. Raab would hire a fresh round of guards, ones who knew their trade. Anna herself would demand yet another interview with Hêr Commander Maszny to report this latest outrage to her person. Even Lord Brun, with his obsession for secrecy, would agree that a Lady Vrou could not overlook such insult.

  And perhaps with this interview, the commander would take her complaints seriously.

  She emerged from the bath and gave herself over to her maids’ attention. They dried her hair and dressed her. They applied scent to her skin, jewels and ribbons to her hair. Though her nerves hummed with excitement, she forced herself to play her role as the privileged and not very clever daughter of a wealthy noble.

  Maté had not yet returned, nor Raab, which puzzled her. Perhaps they had decided the matter of new guards trumped any secrets the stable boy had. She demanded writing paper and ink and applied herself to creating a suitable letter for Maszny.

  “Lady Vrou!”

  Maté burst through the door and fell to his knees.

  “Lady Vrou,” he said, “my apologies, but you must understand—”

  Anna rose to her feet. “There’s nothing I must do,” she replied sharply. “If you wish to speak with me, you may do so—respectfully. But first, I have a few words to share with you.”

  She gestured for her maids to withdraw. Their eyes were wide, their looks openly curious as they fled to the
outer rooms. Anna hardly waited for the door to shut before she rounded on Maté. “You were too precipitate, no matter what your concerns.”

  Her harangue continued for as long as Anna could invent new insults and scolds. Then she dropped to her knees as well and whispered, “What happened?”

  “The boy,” he said. “That gods-be-damned stable master said the boy played truant and he dared not encourage him, not without good reason. The hint was heavy enough. I paid him for the boy’s time and offered him a commission. That is what took me so long. Giannis will meet us by the front gates with horses for you, me, and Raab. And oh, yes, he has some very interesting news indeed.”

  Anna could hardly breathe. “He knows who kidnapped Sarrész, then.”

  “No, we’re not so lucky. But he was on duty two days before Sarrész vanished, when Lord Gerhart insisted on a ride through the city. He had a particular destination in mind, Giannis remembers. He asked the boy for directions and paid him three silver denariie for the favor.”

  “He paid far too much,” Anna murmured. “He made himself memorable.”

  “Agreed,” Maté said. “Our thief’s been cautious until now. I can only guess the city moneylenders expressed their impatience, and he needed to find a buyer quickly. Back to the boy. Like any worthy child, he was curious. He tracked our man to a tavern near the docks, one of the more reputable places. Two men and a woman waited for him outside. Sarrész went inside with the woman. Giannis didn’t wait to see what happened. He ran back to the inn and gave the stable master some excuse for his absence. But he does remember that Lord Gerhart did not return for several hours.”

  “Did he recognize the woman?”

  Maté shook his head. “No. But he might recognize her again. He was frightened of her, though.”

  A new clue, but what could it mean?

  “Can he guide us back to that tavern?” Anna asked.

  “Already arranged,” Maté said. “I told the stable master we wanted the boy as a guide in the city. Raab and I will be your escort. You can use your magic and see what happened yourself.”

  Good enough. Anna paused to inform her maids that she meant to go riding along the city walls, and they should not expect her back before supper. Then she hurried along the corridors toward the stables, with Maté trailing behind.

  A scowling Raab met them in the courtyard outside the stables. “The boy’s run off.”

  “What do you mean, run off?” Maté demanded.

  “He’s gone. I don’t know where or why. I was arranging for our horses with the stable master. There was also the matter of the healer, who wanted his payment for seeing to our idiot guards. I told him he could apply tomorrow but he wouldn’t take that for an answer. Kovács, you should have sent a messenger to our Lady Vrou—”

  “Enough,” Anna said. “When did you last see him?”

  “Not long after Kovács went to find you. Quarter of an hour. Maybe a bit more. There aren’t any bells in this gods-be-damned city.”

  “He can’t have gone far,” Maté said. “I’ll talk to the other servants.”

  “Good. I’ll make a circuit around the inn. He might have slipped out for a lark. You stay with our lady.”

  “That makes no sense,” Anna said quietly, once Raab had left them. “Lukas must have frightened him.”

  “Lukas frightens most people. Let’s see what the stable master has to say.”

  The stable master had nothing but apologies. “Lady Vrou, the boy is a flitter-wit. He’ll catch a whipping for playing the truant. I’ll find you another guide for your expedition today, if you like.”

  “Are you talking about Giannis?” One of the older girls approached. “He went to the back gates. He said the Lady Vrou sent a message to meet him there.”

  Anna and Maté exchanged glances.

  “He must have misunderstood,” Anna said. “Have the horses brought around to the front of the inn, please. You,” she said to the girl. “Which direction did Giannis go? That way? Thank you. Kovács, come with me and let us find our wayward guide.”

  She and Maté hurried through the passageway the girl had indicated. It brought them along the inn’s stables, through another passageway, clearly meant for servants, then finally to a paved courtyard.

  “This doesn’t seem right,” Anna said.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Maté replied.

  High walls surrounded them, covered in vines, with blooms the color of a new moon. Insects buzzed in the air, unnaturally loud in the glaring sun. To their left stood a pair of wooden doors, which undoubtedly led into the kitchens. The gate itself was very plain—nothing more than black iron bars. This would be where the kitchen took its deliveries. Right now the yard was empty.

  “Let’s see what’s outside,” Maté said.

  The gates opened onto a shaded lane that bordered the inn. It too was empty.

  “Strange,” Anna murmured. “Where did the boy go?”

  “Perhaps Lukas came across him. We’ll go back to the stables.” Maté ushered Anna back through the gate. “If he’s not there, we should—”

  He stopped short, and his hand tightened over Anna’s arm.

  “We must go to your rooms,” he whispered. “Now.”

  “Why? What did you—?”

  Then she too saw the bright splash of blood over the stones, off in a corner of the yard. Then the body, with more blood pooling underneath. A small body, like that of a small brown sparrow, forever stilled.

  CHAPTER 6

  Anna swallowed against the uprush of bile. “Dear gods. Giannis. Who—who did this?”

  She started toward the boy, but Maté’s fingers dug into her arm. “He’s dead, Anna.” And when she continued to struggle, he said, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do for him. Not when he’s lost that much blood.”

  “But who—”

  Maté glanced around the courtyard, his gaze strangely remote, as if he didn’t see their surroundings, only a stream of clues flickering past his mind’s eye. “I would say that someone has tracked our doings in the islands. Sarrész’s enemies, or possibly we’ve acquired enemies of our own. Let’s get back to your rooms before someone discovers us here.”

  He hurried her toward the passageway—too late. The outer gates swung open and a squadron of soldiers poured into the courtyard. More soldiers blocked the passageway into the inn, and the kitchen doors banged open to reveal another squad. Maté whipped his sword from its scabbard but checked himself with a muttered curse. Moving very deliberately, he laid his weapon on the ground and stood with his arms held loose at his sides. Anna had uttered the first few syllables of the magical invocation, but she swallowed the rest as Maszny shouldered his way past the soldiers to stand before them.

  “Vrou Iljana,” he said. “How unfortunate to find you here.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked faintly. “I had nothing to do with—”

  Oh, but she had. Someone had spied on her and her companions. They must have murdered Giannis while Raab was distracted and when Maté came to fetch her. He would be alive right now if not for her.

  But how did they get word to Maszny so quickly?

  Maszny was studying her coolly, all traces of the courtier gone from his manner. “We have witnesses who swear that you and your man spoke with the boy Giannis not two hours ago. You were quite agitated, they said, to discover the boy spying upon a private conversation. Now the boy is dead, and your other man’s fled. That leaves you and Kovács to answer my questions.”

  At his gesture, four soldiers seized Maté. Maté resisted only a moment before he surrendered with a sigh of resignation. Within moments, they had shackled him with irons hand and foot.

  Maszny nodded in approval. “My thanks for not making trouble. But in case you forget yourself...”

  He murmured a phrase in Erythandran, a call to the gods and to
magic. A sharp green scent exploded in the air. Maté slumped to the ground. Before Anna could take a step toward him, Maszny caught her by the wrist. “No rescues, my Lady Vrou. You two are hostage for each other. You understand?”

  His voice was cool and precise, implacable. Much like his magic signature. She nodded.

  The soldiers half dragged, half carried Maté through the gates. Another squad poured into the inn, while others swarmed around the boy Giannis’s body, taking great care as they eased him onto a blanket.

  As if any of them gave a gods-be-damned about that poor boy, Anna thought.

  Her eyes stung with tears.

  Maszny shifted his grip from her arm to her elbow. “We go now, Lady Vrou.”

  His fingers dug into her arm. She winced, in spite of herself. “No magic?”

  “Only if I must,” he said. “But I don’t believe it will be necessary. I’ve had you watched since you landed on Vyros. I know you won’t betray your friends.”

  Her throat went dry at the implications, and all her protests died away. “I’ll make no trouble. I promise.”

  “Thank you. I accept your parole.”

  Still holding fast to her elbow, he steered her through the gates and into the lane, where dozens of soldiers waited. Maté had been draped over a mule, bound and limp, with a dozen guards around him. More soldiers arrived in the meantime, equipped with pallets, blankets, and bottles stinking of magic. So many soldiers, such detailed preparations, unnerved her. There was much more than just a murder accusation at stake here.

  “I must frighten you,” she said harshly. “I and my friends.”

  Maszny shrugged. “I prefer caution over regrets. And I would know who did such an infamous deed.”

  At least he did not gloat. At least he pretended to care about the dead boy.

  A young man emerged from the crowd with two horses in tow. One was a tall grey gelding, the other a small dun-colored mare. Maszny swung onto his mount, his weapons rattling into place around him.

  “You ride, of course,” he said.

  “Of course,” Anna snapped.