Masters of Deception

by J C Kang

  Definitely De Lucca’s office.

  Unsurprisingly, the doors were locked; but unlike the child’s toy securing the door to the records room, this one was a complex, dwarf-made combination lock. Pressing her ear to the device, she turned a dial until she heard the soft whisper of a click. Thank the Heavens for elf ears! With a few more twists, the lock disengaged. The hinges whispered as the door slid smoothly open.

  Inside, she closed the door behind her. The interior gears whirred, and the lock clicked. It appeared as if a simple lever disengaged the lock from this side. She withdrew her light bauble.

  It was all she could do not to gasp.

  If the double doors had been flashy, De Lucca’s office could only be described as flamboyant. It took up the entire width of the building, with a mahogany sideboard along one side. Several glass tumblers sat on top. Two barred windows flanked a twelve-foot portrait of a thin, dark-haired man. If De Lucca had commissioned a painting of himself, then he was either incredibly handsome or harbored delusions of extreme grandeur.

  In front of the portrait stood a large desk and a chair that might’ve been a throne. She tiptoed over and, careful to brush off ash and soot, jumped up onto the soft cushion. It was so high off the ground that her feet dangled. At the front of the desk sat a spherical crystal almost the size of her head, its bottom surface a flat grey. It seemed to radiate cold, sending the small hairs on the back of her neck standing. Several letters were spread out in a haphazard manner around it.

  While she could passably speak Arkothi, reading came slowly, especially given the ugly penmanship. One letter appeared addressed to a Don Acerbi, and it looked to be an ultimatum to sell all his brothels and gooseweed dens, lest he meet the sting of a scorpion. Those eerie creatures didn’t live in this part of the world, but the Paladins had mentioned something about Madura’s Golden Scorpions.

  Another letter was addressed to a signore in the city-state of Lycium, thanking him for not paying for the protection of the pyramid. How strange. For someone who kept meticulous financial records, why would he not want to be paid?

  She froze. The same strange script as in the records room peeked out from beneath the letter to Don Acerbi. She lifted the top sheet and scanned the runes.

  Even if she didn’t understand it, it was clear from the patterns that De Lucca himself had written the large income records in the upstairs ledgers. She could always use Sameer’s money to bribe someone to translate it. She took a blank sheet and a quill and started copying the strange note as best she could.

  Then, the sound of doors opening in a swift creak blared from a metal funnel in the wall at the front of the room. Like the ear horns the Black Lotus used to listen through walls, the device would allow De Lucca to hear his visitors.

  Several voices erupted.

  “He said she’s in here.”

  Chapter 11:

  Confrontations and Revelations

  The most disconcerting part of Sameer’s journey to Signore Cassius’ villa had been trotting past the famed Iron Avatar in front of the pyramid. If he’d had his naga, and hadn’t been in such a hurry, he could’ve tested his blade like so many Paladins in the past. Then again, he’d shivered so violently as he’d approached that he’d lost all connections to the Vibrations. The beggars there stared at him, except for the one cowering beneath a heavy cloak.

  At Cassius Larusso’s villa, he’d recovered his energy just enough to drain it all again trying to get past the guards with a Bahaduur Command. Now what was left guttered from trying to channel the Vibrations to bend the villa steward to his will. If only Master Anish had been there, with his more formidable skill, or better, Elder Gitika, herself. Had she been here, this would’ve been easy.

  Just like she could’ve Commanded their assailants to flee earlier this afternoon, had Sameer not jumped into action. In the end, she was wounded. She wasn’t here now, and it was his fault.

  The steward sidestepped again, blocking his path out of the airy foyer. “I’m sorry, Sir Paladin. Master Larusso does not see clients after hours.”

  “I’m not here for a Divination. I want to see Signore De Lucca.” Sameer glared at the steward, even as thoughts of Elder Gitika stayed his hand. Paladin code restrained him from initiating hostilities with an unarmed person. If only the man would make an aggressive motion, Sameer’s combat reflexes would engage, albeit not as quickly given how heavy his limbs felt. Despite the fatigue, he should still be able to dash by.

  “Do you have an invitation?” The steward’s pursed lips said that he knew darn well Sameer didn’t. “I am sorry, but this reception is invitation-only.”

  Frowning, Sameer craned to get a look at a large hall, where men caroused with scantily-clad women. Rumor had it that much of the city-state’s policy was decided in gatherings like these, but it didn’t look like any business was being discussed here.

  At least, no legitimate business.

  At the far end, Signore Cassius appeared, a stunning Aksumi woman on either side of him. On more careful inspection, they were two of the three Mystics who’d appeared at the Diviner’s megalith earlier that day. The travelling robes they’d worn then made them look road-weary, but in their elegant gowns now, either might’ve been a maharaja’s queen.

  Perhaps they’d asked where the liveliest party in Tokahia was, or maybe the Diviner had hired them to entertain the men. No matter; the one in the breathtaking rose-gold mesh pulled Cassius through the party toward him. Her hostile glare sent the hair on the back of his neck prickling.

  Shaking off the feeling, Sameer beckoned, even though his arm weighed like lead. “Master Cassius, a word please.”

  Everything went into slow motion as the steward reached for him. Sameer twisted out of the grab, spun around his attacker, and ended up on the other side. Time lurched to normal, with Sameer several paces closer to the banquet hall. He lengthened his stride, outpacing the steward in his stiff suit.

  At the edge of the hall, Sameer skidded to a stop. Stars shone in the night sky above, clearly visible through the glass dome. He’d seen more glass in his afternoon in Tokahia than he had in his entire life back home, but the sheer size of this piece was bewildering. How was such a feat of architecture even possible?

  “Welcome, Sir Paladin.” Cassius dipped into a sweeping bow. When he straightened, he waved off the steward. “I have not had time to search for your friend, but will happily meet with you at my megalith tomorrow morning with more information.”

  Sameer pointed at the gathering. “I am looking for Signore De Lucca.”

  “Whatever f—” Cassius cast a sidelong glance at one of the dark beauties. “Of course you are.”

  Sameer studied the Diviner’s expression, which revealed nothing but genuine confusion. Though De Lucca was here, he was just one of many guests, so perhaps Cassius knew nothing about Sohini’s kidnapping. “My friend, Sohini, was seen at one of his brothels.” The word tasted bad on his lips.

  Cassius looked toward the gathering, his eyes locking on a short young man, flanked by two hulking Bovyans. Wine glass in hand, he was laughing with two men.

  Cassius turned back. “I was going to tell you as much. However, she is no longer in his employ.”

  “Where is she?”

  Cassius pointed up through the dome. “From Sohini’s star chart, the Hunter holds hands with the Sage.”

  The cryptic language made no sense. “What do you mean?”

  “She has gone on a journey to seek out answers to her questions.”

  Obviously, this man was a charlatan, coming up with ambiguous answers. “She was kidnapped!” He pushed past Cassius, who was not nearly as adept at blocking as his steward.

  Conversation died. All eyes fell on him.

  Sameer kept his focus locked on the thin young man. “Signore De Lucca!”

  In turn, the waif stared at him, eyes wide.

  “De Lucca!” Sameer jabbed a finger at him. “Tell me where Sohini is.”

  Two bodyguards
—Bovyans, like the brothel guards—interposed themselves between him and De Lucca. One held out a hand. “Stay back.”

  The brothel guard had been easy to dispatch, but that was before using multiple Commands had sapped Sameer’s strength. Not to mention there were two here, both armed with longswords.

  Sohini needed him. He stood on his tiptoes and tried to look past the imposing men. “Your brothel manager told me she was at that house.”

  Cassius came up behind him. “Sir Paladin, please desist.”

  “It’s okay, Signore Larusso.” De Lucca stood and pushed the Bovyans aside. He was tall and thin, his long black hair flowing to his shoulders. When he spoke, his voice grated like the whine of sitar strings. “Sir Paladin, I assure you, Sohini came to my respected establishment of her free will.”

  Respected, indeed. “Liar. These brutes of yours kidnapped her and forced her into…into…” the word stuck into his throat.

  If De Lucca’s laugh were any more grating, the dome above would shatter. “I wish. I could have made a small fortune with her.”

  Sameer’s stomach clenched tighter than his fists. Every nerve fiber screamed to punch this man, consequences be damned. “If she wasn’t doing…doing…that, why was she there?”

  “She was seeking refuge, and I hired her.”

  In two steps, Sameer’s face was up against De Lucca’s. He cocked his fist. “You bastard.”

  Time slowed a fraction as both Bovyans grabbed at him. Sameer seized their wrists, stepped back, and pulled them into each other. They collided and stumbled to the floor.

  Single syllables dragged out in a foul language. He turned, just in time to see the Aksumi woman in the rose-gold dress point at him. Sticky fibers squirted at him. His guttering energy slowed his Bahaduur reflexes so much that they allowed him to perceive the sorcery, but do nothing about it. The threads tangled him up, like a fly ensnared in a spider web. The more he struggled, the harder it became to move. Time slowed back to normal as he tumbled to the marble floor.

  The other Aksumi gaped, then turned to her companion and rattled off a litany of unfriendly-sounding words.

  Cassius turned to the first, shaking his head. “My lady, we do not treat our guests like this in the Estomar.”

  She gaped. When she spoke in Arkothi, her accent was thick. “Signore Cassius. Long ago, the Ayuri Empire sent Paladins as emissaries to my ancestors, bearing gifts of peace. Little did we know they were the vanguard of a brutal occupation. The matrons they didn’t slaughter, they held as hostage to force our clan against the other tribes. It all led up to the Hellstorm.”

  Blinking his eyes, Sameer tried to spit the cobwebs out of his mouth. This Mystic was holding a three-century-old grudge, and was clearly misinformed about the cause of the Hellstorm. Everyone in Ayuri lands knew it had been the last Arkothi Emperor unleashing a genocidal magic weapon, powered by demonic energy.

  The Aksumi beauty in the black dress laughed, the sound akin to a donkey’s bray. “Stop making excuses for your traitorous clan, Cousin. Admit they were too weak to repel the Ayuri. The other tribes were able to beat back the attack.”

  Cassius looked from one woman to the next, brow creased.

  With the last of the webbing out of his mouth, Sameer wormed his way into a seated position. “Honorable Mystics, I am deeply ashamed by the actions of the Bahaduur. Please know we aren’t like that anymore. After the Hellstorm, the Oracle of Ayudra established an order based on maintaining peace and protecting the weak. The Paladins are honorable and just.”

  The first Aksumi harrumphed. “It looks like you are more like your predecessors. You charged in, uninvited, and attacked Signore De Lucca.”

  Sameer’s shoulders drooped as much as they could in the web. She was right. He’d let his passions get the better of him, just like the ancient Bahaduur succumbing to the Ayuri Emperor’s rewards. Just like the Golden Scorpions who served Madura. Just like he’d done earlier today. His behavior would reflect poorly on Elder Gitika. He wriggled his hand into the mudra for regret. “I did. I have no excuse for my behavior.”

  The Aksumi’s lip curled. “What did you hope to accomplish?”

  “It is all right, my lady.” Cassius stepped between them.

  The Mystic’s eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to speak, only to close it.

  “Thank you for protecting me, Miss Brehane.” De Lucca dipped into a bow. “I hope you would consider employment with me.”

  The Mystic—Brehane, apparently— looked from him to Cassius before shaking her head. “Thank you for your kind offer, but I have an important mission.”

  “We have an important mission,” the other woman said.

  “Unfortunate for me.” De Lucca turned and knelt at Sameer’s side. “Sir Paladin, I hired your friend for the most noble of causes: to lead my guards in an attack on the dens of powerful crime families in Tokahia.”

  Cassius sucked in a sharp breath.

  “I don’t believe you.” Sameer shook his head. Master Anish had said nothing about attacking mob families, and Paladins would not normally engage in a power struggle in foreign countries. Still, fighting injustice did sound like a task that would appeal to Sohini. What if she’d tricked Master Anish and joined De Lucca? Then again, the Bovyan working for the Mafia claimed to have sold her into slavery.

  De Lucca shrugged. “Why would I lie? Our city—indeed, most of the Estomari city-states—suffer from an infestation of crime syndicates. It’s a fragile balance between the Signores’ security forces and the Mafias’ hired goons. Now, if I help you up, do you promise to behave?”

  All muscles aching from his struggle against the webbing, Sameer let his body relax. With a sigh, he nodded the best he could.

  “Can you free this noble Paladin?” De Lucca motioned toward the Mystics, never breaking eye contact.

  The two argued among themselves for a few seconds before Brehane coughed out several guttural words. The threads thinned to brittle wisps and blew away.

  De Lucca offered him a hand.

  Taking it, Sameer climbed to his feet, his limbs exhausted from channeling the Vibrations and the struggle against the webbing. His head hung of its own accord, though he formed the mudra of gratitude with his fingers. “Did she succeed? Is she all right?”

  “Yes, she succeeded, at first. Don Secca’s syndicate is ruined. Don Russo’s crime family is weakened beyond recovery.” De Lucca’s gaze turned severe. “However, she never returned from her third mission against Don Acerbi.”

  Never returned! Sameer’s stomach twisted.

  De Lucca patted him on the shoulder. “My surviving men said she was captured. I received a letter from the don, claiming that he was holding her somewhere outside the city. I’m sorry.”

  Could this be true? He turned to Cassius. “You said she was on a journey to seek out answers.”

  Cassius nodded. “So her star chart suggested. It appears she may have done so, in Signore De Lucca’s employ. I will be able to tell you when I actually Divine.”

  Sameer snorted. Hopefully, Jie had already scoured De Lucca’s office and found out more about Sohini’s dealings with him. However, if he was telling the truth, Sohini was in a different kind of trouble than first suspected. “Where can I find this Don Acerbi?”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Cassius looked from De Lucca to Sameer, his head spinning from all these revelations. The citizenry had attributed the recent downfall of the Russo and Secca crime families to internal conflicts and an untimely turf war with the Acerbi Mafia. Nothing in the stars suggested a Paladin had gotten involved; and at the behest of Signore De Lucca, of all people.

  No doubt, the self-serving flesh dealer was either tired of paying protection money for his brothels, or perhaps he was trying to acquire new ones for himself. Or, the way he looked at Sameer, maybe he was planning a pre-emptive strike on the crime families with a love-sick Paladin apprentice as the tip of the spear.

  Maybe that was a good idea. If the Paladins cou
ld be manipulated into destroying the Mafia, the pyramid would be safe from their machinations. Not to mention, Cassius’ own deal with the Bovyans through Phobos would be moot. He could still keep the Mystics here and win some other concession.

  Was it worth it? His gaze shifted to the two arguing women. Beautiful as they were, Makeda was annoying. The way Brehane had gazed at him after tasting his cooking, however… Julia had never cared about this passion; only cared that she could get him to Divine for her, and buy her nice things. Brehane might actually see beyond the wealth and magic.

  His heart fluttered, before he shook silly ideas out of his head. Philosophers waxed poetic about true love or undying love, but men like him knew such concepts were ways to make money off the foolish. Or sweet-talk naïve cousins into a threesome. No; given their mutual animosity, there was little chance for that.

  Of course, this was all assuming Sameer survived an encounter with the Acerbi family in the first place. Cassius stepped forward. “Sir Sameer, Don Acerbi heads the most powerful crime family in Tokahia, and rumor has it that he is allying with other families. If you go there with the same brashness as you came to my villa, you will not survive.”

  Sameer shook his head. “You underestimate the power of a Paladin.”

  “They can’t avoid spider webs,” Brehane muttered.

  Cassius flashed a glare at her before gesturing toward De Lucca’s bodyguards. “Even with the help of Bovyans, Sohini did not succeed. I urge caution. Where are your masters?”

  Sameer pointed at De Lucca’s bodyguards. “Bovyans attacked us earlier. Master Gitika was injured and Master Anish went to check her stitches and dressings.”

  Even the Divine Accountant wouldn’t be able to add all this up. Cassius turned to De Lucca. “Why would your men attack the Paladins?”

  Eyes wide, De Lucca shook his head and waved both hands. “I never…”

  Captain Robas, whom Sameer had earlier sent careening into his comrade, had since gained his feet. He now stepped forward and thumped his chest. “I can only speak for the men serving the Signores, but I assure you, no one under my command would attack Paladins. We have nothing but respect for their martial skill.”