Masters of Deception

by J C Kang

  She looked back in the direction she’d come. Sameer was still half a li away, just leaving one of the farms. If she went ahead, he’d undoubtedly follow once he saw the compound. Then again, even if she waited and told him not to follow, he still would, charging in with rapier flashing. If he was going to make a scene, it could be a diversion to take advantage of; better to coordinate with him so he made said diversion at the right time. And hope he followed the plan.

  Unlike last night, at De Lucca’s brothel.

  With a sigh, she studied the layout carefully, looking for innocuous insertion points and gauging the guard posts’ lines of sight. The Bovyans guided the women through the front gate and took them into a central two-story building made from concrete.

  Sameer’s footsteps, heavy despite his cloth shoes, came up behind her. When she signaled him to get down, he dropped to the ground and squirmed up to her side.

  She passed him the scope. “This is where they took your friend. I counted twenty-two Bovyans in total, and the forty-six women they brought in. The number of structures suggests there could be more of both. The compound could house a hundred or more people.”

  Sameer was already scrambling to his feet.

  Jie yanked him down. “Let me scout it out. If this Sohini is as good a fighter as you say, I can probably get her out.”

  His shoulders drooped. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

  Brehane wormed up beside them. Given how she’d frozen up in the melee of the Mafia den, she might not be reliable if a fight broke out.

  Jie gestured to the closest farm to the compound. “The two of you, get closer and wait for my signal. It will be the sharpest whistle you have ever heard. That’ll let you know I found Sohini.”

  “Then what?”

  “I need you to create a diversion so I can get her out.”

  Sameer frowned.

  Jie snorted. “Trust me, it will work better than you charging in, without your own weapon, and trying to take on at least twenty Bovyans.”

  “Wait,” Brehane said. “You ask him to trust you. What is your stake in this? Why are you helping? You are more than a pickpocket, aren’t you?”

  Jie blinked innocently. “You wouldn’t believe it’s for altruistic reasons?”

  “Now that I think about it,” Sameer said, “you appeared yesterday, right after the Mafia ambushed us in the alley. How do I know you don’t actually work for them, or the Bovyans, and have been trying to ingratiate yourself with us, only to lead us into a trap?”

  “I’m actually proud of you for thinking that.” Jie chuckled. Maybe the Paladin wasn’t as naïve as he looked. “You have no way of knowing, unless Brehane here can read minds.”

  Brehane clasped her necklace, frowning. Like Sameer, she didn’t know how to hide her thoughts, and she clearly couldn’t magic up a mind read.

  Which was good. The less they knew about Jie, the better. For now, a convincing half-truth would have to do. “You’re right, I am a spy; but I don’t work for your enemies. I’m investigating how your illusion bauble is tied to the Bovyans. Maybe even De Lucca, though I suspect they are just using him. If helping Sohini gives me a diversion where I can learn more about the Bovyans, then I’ll help Sohini.”

  “Fine, we’ll do it your way.” Sameer set his fingers into some mudra. Regret, perhaps.

  “Just don’t try to attack them, unless I give a second signal. That means I need you to help me. Most likely, I won’t have to use it.”

  Sameer just stared at her, gawking.

  Standing, Jie brushed the dust off her shirt and pants. The tailor she’d borrowed them from wouldn’t be getting them back clean. She trotted down the road, keeping eyes on the compound as it grew larger with her approach. At the closest farm, she ducked by a well. Looking back toward the crest of the hill, she beckoned and pointed at the ground in front of her. Sameer might be too dense to understand that it meant for them to come this far, but Brehane had proven to have a good head on her shoulders, even if she froze under pressure.

  Jie turned back to the compound. Besides the two Bovyans guarding the gate, there hadn’t been any other sentries; but if she were the one in charge and had a Nightblade as an asset, she’d hide him in a high vantage point, regularly scanning the perimeter. The main building’s rooftop, maybe, or the barracks.

  She worked her way around toward the back, keeping low beneath the roof’s line of sight. With a running jump, her hands reached the crest of the wall. Toes finding purchase between the rocks, she climbed up and peeked over the top.

  This position was closest to the stables, which blocked the view of her insertion point. She slid over the top of the wall and dropped down to the ground. When she made it to the stables, she squinted through a knot in the wood walls. Two horses munched on hay.

  Jie shuddered. Her last experience with horses had entailed riding back and forth between a port city and her homeland’s capital. Her butt hurt just thinking about it. She crept along the wall and looked around the corner.

  Several Bovyans came and went from the front of the central building, whose rear door faced her now. A stone-lined well stood between there and the stables. She waited until a soldier passed and then, staying low, dashed across the open area to the well.

  From this angle, only someone at the rear of the main hall, or looking from the stables, would see her. The windows, paned with real glass, were all curtained. She stood up—

  The rear door opened.

  Jie dropped.

  Footsteps approached, the swishing sound of a dress and the weight of the steps suggesting someone too light to be a Bovyan.

  She peeked around the edge.

  A young woman in a roughspun shift approached, one hand carrying a wooden bucket, the other cradling a heavy belly.

  Ducking back, Jie shuddered. Her guess had been right: this was a rape camp, like the many spread throughout the Teleri homeland. All these poor girls, subjected to such horror. How could the Signores allow this to happen in the Estomar?

  If only there were a way to free all these women, instead of just Sohini, and burn the place to the ground. Then again, the girls would probably just return to a life of sexual servitude at the hands of the Mafia.

  The pregnant woman retrieved water and waddled back to the central building. She had to be at least five months along. No matter how depressing their life must’ve been before the camp, at least they’d had a semblance of choice then.

  Checking the windows again, Jie stood and slunk to the building. Heavens, a night reconnaissance would be safer. This was about as foolish as the time she’d tried to infiltrate a rebel lord’s saltpeter mine.

  She went to a window close to the back door and peered between the crack of the curtains. It opened into a long central hall. The newly-arrived girls sat around long rectangular tables. Unfamiliar women in various stages of pregnancy, none more than five or six months, mingled with the newcomers.

  At one table, a blonde woman, perhaps in her early thirties and wearing a black dress, scribbled notes. Sitting beside her was one of the new arrivals—a plump brunette—nodding. After their brief exchange, muffled by the window, the brunette stood and went to another table with several stacks of paper.

  When she sat, a Bovyan across the table slid a sheet of paper in front of her. She nodded several times. She pressed her thumb into an inkstone, then made her mark at the bottom of the sheet.

  Oh, to hear what was being said. The Estomari-made glass muffled sound, even for her sensitive elf ears. Inside, however… Jie stared at the back door. It was probably too risky to actually go in. She looked back in the window.

  Sohini stood next in line at the first table. Up close, she was pretty, but not beautiful, with dark bronze skin and rounded features. Perhaps she and Sameer shared a relationship that went beyond skin deep, enough that he’d do anything to save her. Even give up his dreams of Paladinhood.

  It was time for that diversion. If Sameer and friends raised enough r
uckus in the front, she could slip in the back. Rescue Sohini, and maybe ask one of the pregnant ones if they knew where Nightblade Phobos stayed.

  She slunk along the side of the building. Making sure the coast was clear, she dashed to the well, then to the stone kitchens. She set two fingers on the side of her mouth and blew out an ear-splitting whistle. By the time she made it back to the window near the back door, the compound had roused to life. Shouts relayed orders throughout the camp.

  Jie peered between the curtains again. One of the Bovyans was pointing toward the front. Several of the soldiers now stood, weapons in hand. The women looked about, confused expressions on their faces. The black-haired girl sitting at the first table stood up, and Sohini took her chair. It looked like they were continuing with the registration process.

  Voices shouted in the yard. “It sounded like it came from the kitchens.”

  “Or somewhere nearby, on the east side of the compound.”

  “Start there, but sweep the entire grounds.”

  Jie would need to get inside before they came here, which meant Sameer had to start that diversion soon.

  “Check over there,” a deep voice called from the front of the building.

  Jie’s palms sweat. Over there could mean here…

  “Open up!” Sameer’s voice carried from the compound entrance.

  Jie looked back through the window. From the narrow space between the curtains, it looked like only one man guarded the front door, while the other was speaking with the black-haired girl.

  Footsteps came closer.

  Staying low, Jie opened the door and slipped in—

  Only to almost run into a Bovyan butt. The limited line of sight had kept him hidden, and of course they’d guard both the entrance and the exit.

  Using the Mockingbird’s Deception to imitate one of the voices from outside, she used a Ghost Echo to throw the sound through the crack in the door. “Help!”

  Without practice, the pitch came out just a little too high, but up to now the Bovyans had proven themselves poor at sorting sounds out.

  The man swung around, and Jie stayed low and slipped around to his back. When he pushed the door open and stormed out, she turned and took in the room.

  There were only tables and chairs, and no places to hide. Thankfully, the blonde woman at the first table and the Bovyan at the second had their backs to her, and she was below the line of sight of the front door sentry. Up to now, none of the young women showed signs of having spotted her. A flight of stairs near the back headed up.

  She crept up right behind the seated blonde woman and sank low. One table over, Sohini’s brown legs shone from beneath her sari.

  The Bovyan’s voice was gruff. “And you understand that, after you give birth, you will nurse many different babies for six months?”

  “Yes.” Sohini’s accent was thick, even with that one word.

  “You will never be harmed. Your room and board will be provided for, and at the end of your term, we will pay you five gold drakas. If you agree to this, sign here, or mark here with your thumb.”

  A contract? Jie rose just enough to peak over the blonde’s shoulder, to the other table. Squinting, she zeroed in on the sheet Sohini was pressing her thumb into.

  It was too far away, even for elf eyes, and written in Arkothi no less. Still, why wasn’t she signing with a quill? Certainly Paladins were taught how to read and write, and Sameer had been able to read. Which meant…

  The Ayuri woman probably wasn’t Sohini.

  The woman’s head bobbled as she pressed her palms together. If her accent could get any thicker than Sameer’s or Anish’s, it would be molasses. “Thank you. I will bear you a strong son and serve you faithfully.”

  Ducking down, Jie sucked on her lower lip. Maybe these women weren’t kidnapped. Perhaps they’d willingly come to the breeding ground. And why not? They were apparently prostitutes, and this new job provided stable housing. With five gold drakas at the end of it all, an enterprising woman could start her own business.

  In the meantime, for just five drakas and the cost of housing and feeding the women, the Bovyans got a future soldier. De Lucca’s deal, if it went through, already covered much of these costs, but what did he stand to gain from it? Was he breeding a personal army? Or were the Bovyans exploiting his ambitions so as to establish a foothold for their evil empire? Nightblade Phobos’ words from the night before suggested the latter.

  The Ayuri girl came to the blonde’s table and sat. She set some papers down.

  “I am Doctor Myra. I’m here to see to your medical needs.”

  A doctor. A female one, no less, working for the Bovyans. Jie shifted and studied the woman’s side profile.

  A couple fine lines radiated from the corner of her eye. She had a strong jawline and a high-bridged nose. Her olive complexion and brown eyes suggested she’d come from somewhere in the Arkothi North. She picked up the papers, revealing the brown tattooed outline of the Teleri Empire’s nine-pointed sun on her wrist. “I see your name is Laja. I’m going to ask some questions about your health.”

  It didn’t take a genius to know where this line of questioning would go. The girl wasn’t Sohini, and the fact that the Bovyans used female doctors was quite the revelation. Jie crept back toward the rear exit.

  A quick peek out the window revealed Bovyans patrolling in a search pattern. Leaving through the rear door would be much too risky. With the front door guarded and enemies swarming the rear, there was only one way out.

  She darted to the stairs and tiptoed up.

  Chapter 23:

  Ulterior Motives

  Cassius’ head jerked, rousing him from his nap. The steady whir of carriage wheels over the smooth pavestones had lulled him into sleep, but the vehicle now jolted to a stop.

  “Signore,” the driver said, his voice trembling. “We are surrounded.”

  Cassius took a quick look. A burly mobster was fighting with the driver over the reins. Two others, armed with rapiers, were climbing up to the door, their boots scraping on the running board.

  The exceedingly short nap had given him just enough clarity to realize his mistake. A signore, entering Mafia territory alone, was an inviting target.

  “Kill the signore!” the mobster at the right door yelled.

  Cassius twisted and kicked it open, sending the man flying. The open door revealed another goon. Cassius stood and drew his rapier and dagger. The higher vantage point gave him a good view.

  Five enemies total, only one standing on the right side as the other he’d kicked struggled to get up. With two quick steps, Cassius leaped and stabbed with the sword.

  The man raised his blade to block, only to leave an opening for Cassius’ dagger to thrust between his ribs. He staggered back, hand over the spurting blood.

  Before the other gained his feet, Cassius stabbed him in the thigh, the man’s scream piercing the air.

  Now, the green-clad one from the left side stood in the carriage, while the other, dressed in orange, rounded the back. Cassius strode to meet him, parrying a stab and riposting with a thrust of his own. The man was talented, responding with a flurry of thrusts and swipes.

  The flash of steel and garish orange cloth pushed Cassius back, back toward the one in green atop the carriage and their two wounded comrades. To be caught between them would mean certain death. Even now, the one in the carriage was jumping down.

  Cassius feigned an injured left arm and provided an opening.

  As planned, the mobster lunged for it.

  Cassius spun out of the way, while redirecting the man’s stab into the green-clothed goon’s gut, just as he landed on the ground.

  As the first stared at what he’d just done to his comrade, Cassius slammed the pommel of his dagger into his temple. He crumpled to the ground.

  Cassius paused to reevaluate. Four men, dead or incapacitated, and the other…

  “Drop your weapons, or your driver dies.”

  Cassius looked over.


  The loyal driver, bless his heart, had refused to let go of the reins, and the big mobster had yanked him close enough to set a dagger point at his throat.

  Cassius lowered his weapons. “Just let him go. We didn’t do anything to you.”

  The man growled. “You attacked Don Acerbi’s headquarters. This is war.”

  Cassius’ stomach knotted. The crime families usually fought among each other, but the dance of rogues in the skies always suggested they had an agreement in place for the unlikely event that the Signores tried to suppress any one family. An all-out war would devastate Tokahia, and leave the pyramid unprotected. That’s why he’d always insisted on moderation in dealing with the Mafia, and also why pinning it on rogue Bovyans had made sense.

  Now, Signore De Lucca had loosed the first volley. Whatever insanity drove him to risk ending a truce which made everyone rich, how he’d done it actually made sense. Cassius shook his head. “We are not your enemy. It’s the Bovyans. They are trying to weaken both our sides so they can take over.”

  The mobster’s brows furrowed. His dagger tip remained pressed into the driver’s neck, and the driver hadn’t thought to just let go of the reins and scuttle back out of reach.

  Really, Cassius could run away at any time, but good, loyal carriage drivers were hard to come by. He sheathed his weapons and took several steps closer with his hands raised. “It’s true. Our security forces weren’t involved, and even now, our fire brigades are putting out the fires. We need to work together, for our city’s sake.”

  The man’s expression tightened. He pointed his rapier at his fallen comrades. “Then why did you hurt them?”

  Cassius swatted the closest horse in its flank.

  With a whinny, it reared. The reins ripped out of the mobster’s hands.

  “Go, go!” Cassius yelled.

  The driver snapped the reins and the horses set off. They brushed the mobster to the side, sending him tumbling to the ground.