Red Jack

by Alex Linwood

  Portia slid open the window and lowered herself to the floor within. Looking around, she saw she was in a tiny office with windows overlooking the warehouse area below. She untied the rope from around her waist and crab walked below the windows. She peered out but saw no one in the warehouse below. Unfortunately, there was nothing to tie a rope to in the office. They would have to leave this section tied to the chimney on the roof above. At least she knew it would hold Mark’s weight.

  She stuck her head outside and looked up. Mark looked down at her, concerned. Relief flooded her—she would not have to yell to get his attention. “Tie a good knot around the chimney and come down. Make sure to tie this end around yourself,” she whispered, pushing her end of the rope back out the window. Mark nodded and pulled the rope up.

  Her bag had one more section of rope. Good. She was not happy to have so little, but it was better than nothing. And hopefully they could get back up to the roof before the night was over and retrieve the larger piece now tied to the chimney. Strong, thin rope was expensive and hard to come by.

  Mark lowered himself to the window and scrambled inside, crouching down to join her. He untied the rope. Portia shut the window quickly. The rope still hung from the roof but there was nothing they could do about that now. Hopefully no one would look up from the street and see it hanging.

  “I don’t think anyone saw me,” Mark said. Portia nodded. “Are we going out that way?” Mark asked as he nodded at the office door.

  “Yes. Wait here.” Portia opened the door slowly and looked around. The office perched on a narrow catwalk that ran the length of the warehouse. The warehouse was a large open room except for the office on the catwalk. The huge space had a bare ceiling with exposed rafters. There were large doors on ground level on either end of the warehouse. Portia pulled her head back within the office and shut the door quietly. “We’re going higher. There are rafters above that overlook everything.”

  Mark groaned but nodded back.

  Portia once again opened the office door and exited, still crouched low. Mark followed. They scuttled to the end of the catwalk that was right below a rafter. Portia threw up the rope over the rafter and grabbed the end as it came over the far side. They quickly pulled themselves up to the rafter and withdrew the rope after themselves. Mark wobbled on his feet, sending Portia’s heart into her mouth. “Be careful,” she whispered.

  He gave her a dark look. “No, I’m trying to fall to my death,” he said sarcastically. Portia bit her tongue to not retort. He steadied himself and nodded back. He was ready to go.

  They shuffled carefully along the rafters towards the far end of the warehouse where most of the goods were clustered. Portia could see the opening in the middle that Mark had mentioned. As they got closer, they heard voices drifting up from below. Portia looked to see where the lights were in the warehouse, wanting to make sure they did not come between the lights and the people below, alerting them to the intruders. Luckily, they were above the lights. They could pass on the rafters with the glare of the lights helping to hide them if anyone looked up.

  They got close enough to where they could hear individual voices coming from within the opening in the goods. Portia did not want to go any further and risk being seen. Unfortunately, that meant not being able to see who was talking below. Portia motioned for Mark to stop and they crouched together, waiting for the voices to resolve into recognizable sentences.

  “… it’s good money,” an older voice said from below. “All we have to do is get rid of the Cats that show up at the meeting.” Portia thought the voice must be the leader of the Serpents. Any orphan who lived long enough to get old usually rose to leadership positions. “The Hares won’t touch us. They’re in on this,” the voice responded to an unheard protest. Her stomach clenched as she realized she was right: the meeting was a trap. She grimaced as she turned to Mark. His pale face told her that he had heard the same thing.

  “What Cats do they think will show up?” A different voice asked.

  “Deyelna—the leader—and probably some of her enforcers. And the ones we’re supposed to get rid of,” the leader responded. “ Don’t hurt Deyelna… she’s the one funding this.” Mark inhaled sharply. Portia turned and motioned for him to be quiet.

  A soft whistle came from someone below. A third voice spoke. “She’s paying to betray her own gang? That’s the most cold-blooded thing I’ve ever heard of.” There were mutters of agreement.

  “There is someone else… an anti-magicker. Our plant in the Hares said he’s been meeting with Deyelna. He’s been flashing gold around and promising things for the skins of certain magickers,” the leader said.

  Silence greeted this pronouncement. Portia sucked in her breath. The anti-magickers were a dangerous lot. They had burned a young girl alive in the city last fall—a girl they claimed was possessed by evil spirits. The city guard had driven them out, but apparently they were not all gone. What could Deyelna be doing with one of them? Deyelna was not anti-magic, at least not when it came to her own abilities.

  The volume of the voices went down, making it difficult to pick out any words. Portia leaned in, trying to hear anything, considering whether they should get closer.

  A rasping noise came from behind her. She spun in irritation to quiet Mark again when she saw one of his feet had slipped—he was hanging precariously by one knee and a hand and sliding quickly off. She clutched the rafter tightly with her legs and leaned forward, grabbing him with both arms. Mark’s weight almost pulled her off the beam, but she had a tight enough grip with her legs as to not tumble over. She stopped Mark’s motion. They clung to the beam, waiting a second before pulling Mark back up again. As they hung there, Portia felt something slip from one of her pockets. A caltrop fell to the boxes below, skittering and sliding until it went off the top of the boxes into the open space where the meeting was being held. Portia swore under her breath.

  Exclamations and yells came from the meeting spot .

  Two young men ran out into the path that led to the open spot through the boxes and looked up, spotting Mark and Portia. “Get them!” the leader yelled.

  Portia pulled Mark all the way up.

  They ran towards the far end of the warehouse, passing the mass of boxes below. Portia pulled out her rope and quickly tied it around the rafter, dropping it down. She shimmied down the rope. Mark followed. Luckily, the boxes acted as a barrier and a maze to the Serpents who were trying to reach them. They could hear their voices, but none were visible yet.

  Mark and Portia ran to the exterior warehouse door that was near them. Right before the door, Portia slowed to a walk, and motioned for Mark to do the same. She opened the door and walked out casually, nodding at the two Serpents stationed outside. They nodded back. Mark did the same.

  Portia’s heart was beating so loudly she was sure the Serpents could have heard it. She walked as quickly as she could while still acting casually. Instead of saying anything about Mark and Portia, the Serpent guards continued a discussion of the day’s race results. Apparently, Peter was not the only one who had lost money that day.

  A yell and a pounding on the exterior door stopped the guards’ chatter. Serpents burst from within the warehouse. They spied Mark and Portia halfway down the block, tearing after them.

  Mark and Portia ran.

  They cleared a corner, escaping the direct vision of the Serpents chasing them. “Get on the roof and go back to the den,” Portia said to Mark. “I’ll lead them away.” Mark protested, but Portia knew there was no other way. He was not as fast as she was. Besides, there was no point in both of them getting caught. She shoved him at a ladder as they passed it. “Go!”

  Mark scrambled up the ladder up onto the roof while Portia slowed her running slightly. Mark disappeared over the edge of the roof just as the Serpents came around the corner. Portia breathed a sigh of relief while she jogged in place, waiting for the Serpents to see her. When they yelled and pointed her way, she took off at top speed towards
the Lynx territory. She wanted the Serpents to think it was anyone but Black Cats spying on them. Even better, the Lynxes were bitter enemies of the Serpents. She hoped that would be enough to slow down their pursuit.

  She ran until she spied a dark alley coming up on her left. She quickly checked that the alley had an exit and turned into it. She grabbed her bag of caltrops, dumped them into her hand, and then threw them across the opening of the alley before running to the far end. Cries of pain echoed behind her as the pursuing Serpents found her present for them. She kept running. Footsteps came from behind her, but not as many as before.

  The warehouses gave way to the brick buildings of the smiths. She ran one block in, then slowed, doing her best to walk casually. She mentally plotted a route back to the Black Cat den. There were more people out than in the warehouse district. Portia wished she had the magic of invisibility. Looking down, her hand seemed to shimmer into nothing. She blinked, and when she looked again, the effect was gone. She thought it must be wishful thinking. Shaking her head with a grimace, she put all her concentration back on the problem of getting home.

  “Hey, Orphan,” a voice greeted her. Portia looked up to notice another orphan. This one had the orange Lynx tag on the right sleeve of his jacket. She quickly tucked in the collar of her jacket that had the Black Cat black patch, trying to pass the motion off as scratching her neck. He smiled at her. She couldn’t tell if he had noticed what she had done, but he was definitely friendlier than the gang chasing her.

  She walked over to him, considered what she might say, while also keeping an eye out for her pursuers. Before she had her thoughts together, the Lynx was already speaking. “What are you doing here? Are you lost?” he asked .

  “I’m trying to get away from some Serpents—”

  Portia jumped as the Serpents chasing her turned the corner into the Smithing district. The Lynx orphan turned to see what she was looking at. He gave the intruders a dark look. He grabbed Portia and pushed her towards the open door of the smithy.

  “Grab the horn on the doorframe and bring it here,” he yelled. Portia did as she was told, feeling a tingle from the smooth bone horn as she pulled it off the hook where it was hanging, then ran to bring it to the Lynx. She felt magic emanating from it.

  The Lynx orphan took the horn from her. He turned to face the oncoming Serpents, took a deep inhale, then blew into the horn. Curls of orange, yellow, and white-hot fire exploded out of the horn and shot down the street towards the Serpents. One Serpent yelped in pain as the fire engulfed his feet, but most of them ran around the sides towards Portia and the Lynx. Portia despaired that she would never lose them all.

  But the horn also had the effect of calling other nearby Lynx gang members.

  Lynx orphans came running from all directions around them. The pursuing Serpents and the gathering Lynx collided in a mass in front of the smithy. Portia watched wide-eyed as they started fist fighting, her presence apparently forgotten.

  Portia backed up slowly. She didn’t want to get involved in the fight; she didn’t know what magic the Serpents, or the Lynx, had. It might look like a simple scuffle, but there could be more involved that she couldn’t see. She felt her back touch the smithy wall.

  She slid to the right, keeping an eye on the brawling orphans, until she found the corner of the building. Then she passed around the corner and ran to the end of the next block and took a sharp left. She was trying to get as much distance as possible between her and the fighting gang members. She ran until her side hurt and then stopped, stooped over panting, and watched for pursuers.

  No one came after her.

  When she stood up, a motion caught her eye on the rooftop of the building across from her. She thought she saw a face. It had looked like Peter. She frowned. What was he doing here? Was he spying on her? Or was there some other reason for him to be in the Smithing district? Her heart constricted when she thought of the conspiracy against the Black Cats. Peter was Deyelna’s right-hand man. Did he know about it? Was he a part of it?

  Portia decided to find out the quickest way possible. She saw a fire escape on the building Peter was standing on top of halfway down the block. She jogged to it then climbed rapidly to the roof. She didn’t want Peter getting away.

  When she got to the roof, Peter was waiting with his arms crossed. He was not trying to hide his presence at all.

  “Are you following me?” she asked.

  Peter looked at her calmly. He raised his chin at her, acknowledging her question. “Yes.”

  Portia waited for more. Peter walked towards her. “I was following you. I saw you send Mark away. Deyelna’s orders were clear—you are both to go to the warehouse district.” Portia’s heart sank. He was here spying for Deyelna.

  “We did both go. We barely got away. I sent Mark away so that if someone got caught, it would just be me.” Portia said.

  “You had a task to accomplish there,” Peter said accusingly.

  “We accomplished it,” Portia said. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell Peter. Did he know everything?

  Peter eyed her skeptically. “You know I have to report that claim back to Deyelna, right?”

  Portia lifted her chin defiantly. Her heart was pounding in fear, but she didn’t want Peter to know that.

  Peter frowned. He hesitated, and then looked left and right. Not seeing anyone, he stepped in closer to Portia. “She’s planning on getting rid of both you and Mark. I never understood why.”

  Portia felt ill. It was just as she had suspected. Her resolve weakened; she lowered her head to stare at his feet. “I know why,” she said in a low voice. “It’s because her magic doesn’t work on me.” She looked to see if Peter knew what she was talking about. He nodded. “She can’t charm me into doing what she wants—and it infuriates her.”

  Peter sighed, exasperated. Before he could say anything, Portia pushed on. “It’s not just that. Deyelna is trying to get rid of some Black Cats. I don’t think it’s just me and Mark—”

  Peter held up a hand, stopping her from going further. “I know of her magic too. You didn’t really think I do what I do because she charmed me, did you? Nevermind, don’t answer that.” Peter paced around her. “I know about her plan. Don’t speak of it to me again.”

  Portia frowned. What was Peter’s endgame? Was he so sure that Deyelna wouldn’t betray him too? “Why are you still working with her then?” Portia asked.

  “That isn’t your business,” Peter said, and then he disappeared in a blink of light. Portia realized she had been talking to his duplicate, and he had not really been there at all. It took an extraordinary amount of energy to project himself so far from the den. She wondered why he had done so. Perhaps he wasn’t so sure of his safety from the Serpents and the Lynx after all. She shook her head. She couldn’t worry about that now. She had to get back to protect Mark.

  Chapter 4

  Portia made it back to the Black Cat den without running into any other orphans. When she got back, no one had been guarding the door. That was not a good sign. She quickly dashed through the halls to the room she and Mark shared. Mark lay on the bed bouncing a ball against the wall, waiting for her.

  “Are you okay?” Mark asked. He put the ball away. He only bounced it when he was anxious. Portia had previously asked him not to do that since it irritated the other Black Cats, but it was a compulsion he couldn’t always control.

  “I am. But we need to leave here quickly,” Portia said. She had not forgotten Deyelna’s plans for them. Glancing at Mark, she saw the sour look on his face and knew he hadn’t forgotten it either. It must have taken a lot of willpower to sit here waiting for her while his gang leader was plotting his demise.

  “Did you have any problems getting back?” Portia asked as she walked to her chest, throwing it open. She grabbed her bag of caltrops—there were only a few dozen left. She shoved the entire lot into her shoulder bag. There was a good chance they would not be in this room again, and weapons were hard to come
by. “Come on, we need to pack.” Portia said as she turned to Mark .

  Mark shook his head. “Guess who helped me get back to the den?” Mark said, waiting for Portia’s response. When she said nothing, he volunteered. “Peter.”

  Portia frowned. What game was Peter playing? He was spying for Deyelna, yet also telling Portia things she was pretty sure she was not supposed to know. Portia shook her head to clear her thoughts. She’d have to figure that out later. She motioned to Mark to pack up. She stopped when she saw Peter and two enforcers standing in the doorway watching them.

  Mark turned to see what Portia was looking at. Peter crossed his arms, looking down his nose at them. “Deyelna wants to see you two,” he said. The enforcers behind him jostled for a view, waiting to see if Mark and Portia resisted. Apparently, there was not enough excitement around there for them lately. “We’re going to the throne room. Now.”

  Portia considered whether she and Mark could make a break for it. She looked at the size of the enforcers and decided not—at least not with them blocking the door.

  “We can do this by force if need be,” Peter said, as he glanced at the two enforcers behind him, “or not. The choice is up to you.”

  Portia swallowed. Peter and the enforcers were more than enough to take on her and Mark—even if Peter didn’t use his duplicating magic. She needed to buy some time to come up with a plan. She willed her breathing to steady, then sighed for effect. “Fine,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. She made eye contact with Mark as they followed Peter out the door. Mark nodded subtly back at her.

  The halls of the house were strangely empty. Peter led them to the rear of the house where Deyelna’s throne room and den was located. The two enforcers with him trailed behind them, blocking their exit. Portia was sure they would welcome an escape attempt. She wondered what Deyelna had told them about her .

  When they reached Deyelna’s room, Peter opened the door, and Portia saw all the members of the Black Cat gang waiting inside. Deyelna was lounging on her throne. Everyone turned to face her and Mark as they entered the room. The loud talking died off until the room was silent. Deyelna motioned Portia and Mark to step forward. Peter pushed them forward towards Deyelna when they did not move fast enough.