Shoreseeker

by Brandon M. Lindsay

  This new alliance between the Sentinels and the Naruvian, however …

  What did it mean?

  The Dome and Spire had several small rooms that could be reserved by Councilors for a variety of different functions, such as entertaining, making discreet deals, or making discreet, ahem, alliances, the kind where one tamps down the lights. One could also use the rooms to hide, which was exactly what Yarid intended to do. He sent one of his three servants scurrying, and within a handful of minutes, he had a private sitting room where he could be alone with his thoughts.

  He didn’t like it. Those thoughts rattled around in his head, raising a clamor. Distracted, he gestured at one of his servants. “Send for Tirfaun.” There was just too much for him to take in all on his own. Tirfaun's presence would let him think at his own pace.

  He sat down on the divan, floral in design, and waited while one of his servants poured him a goblet of light red wine and set it on the short bronze table in front of him. The other servant fluffed the cushions, changed the flowers, and turned down the wicks on the smoky oil lamps on either side of the small room to keep Yarid from getting a headache. Though he suspected it was already too late for that.

  Yarid closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes, definitely too late. Damn you, Tirfaun, for making me wait.

  A knocking on the door. Doubtless his third servant, back from his errand. But why knock? Before Yarid could summon a threat, the door swung inward. The other two servants looked up. Their eyes widened briefly, and they scurried out.

  Yarid’s back straightened as they fled the room. “Where do you think you are going?” One of them glanced back briefly, but neither slowed. They left him alone. What in the Abyss were they thinking? He would flay them!

  It wasn’t Tirfaun who stepped into the room and shut the door behind himself. It was his manservant, Jordin. “I don’t remember calling for you,” Yarid said, irritated. “Where is Tirfaun?”

  The balding older man didn’t respond, but rather made his way to the far corner and tugged up the knees of his gray trousers to crouch down. Apparently, he hadn’t taken himself shopping for new clothes yet. Jordin studied the wall intently for a moment, running his fingers across the intricately-scrolled molding where the wall met the floor. He walked his hand up with his fingers until he had measured two handwidths up and knocked gently.

  “Abyss take you,” Yarid snarled, “answer me! And what the hell are you doing?”

  Jordin finally looked over. There was darkness in his eyes, and none of the subservience Yarid had seen every time their gazes crossed. He almost couldn’t believe that this was the same man. Yarid wanted to leap up and scold him but ended up inching back on his couch.

  With grave purpose, Jordin crossed to the couch, but turned to the side at the last moment. He grabbed one of the cushions and held it up in front of Yarid. “Put this over your face,” he said improbably.

  “Are you mad, Jordin? Just what—” The next moment, he was eating cushion.

  Before he could even make sense of that, Jordin’s fist slammed into his stomach, blasting all the air out of him. The pain was at once sharp and dull, as if someone had dropped on axe on his gut while he had been sleeping.

  “Just so we’re clear on the true nature of our relationship,” said Jordin calmly, as if he did this every day. “And don’t bother calling for help. The men outside are mine and always have been.” He pulled the cushion away.

  Yarid lay on his side, wheezing. Every breath was agony. He glared up at Jordin, who was blurry in the dim light. And, Yarid was ashamed to realize, through his tears.

  Jordin’s gaze sharpened, like a hawk’s. “What, no questions? I was at least expecting a, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Or at least a, ‘What do you want?’”

  Yarid forced a grin. “You obviously haven’t been doing this very long. Or have you only heard about it in the stories?”

  “Yes, you are the master of intimidation. An amateur like me has no chance, does he?” Though Jordin himself didn’t look the least bit intimidated. “But that’s about all you’re good for, isn’t it? Certainly not for ensuring the gears of fate don’t grind to a halt.”

  Ah, Yarid thought. The Runeway. “Here’s a question for you,” he said. Each word was agony, but he forced himself back up into a sitting position. “Who are you working for?” Yarid cocked his head. “Come to think of it, you’ve never mentioned your family. Is there a reason for that? Does someone have them?”

  “I’ve never mentioned my family because you never asked.” The words were nearly spat out, clearly a sticky point. So Yarid had guessed right.

  “Well,” he said, leaning back now that he felt he had some control of the situation. “I see that we are both at the mercy of this mysterious party. Clearly, they have a message they want you to deliver, or else you wouldn’t have revealed yourself. What is it?”

  Jordin sighed. All of his years seemed to pile back up on him. “Salvage the Runeway situation. They know you called in your favors just to see what would happen with that duel. They’re not stupid, and it’s dangerous to assume you know half as much as they do. You’re as much to blame for this as either the Naruvian or that damned Sentinel.”

  “Shores, Jordin. You almost sound as if you care.”

  A knife appeared in Jordin’s hand. Its short curved edged glimmered in the lamplight. He held it steadily, not at all like a man who was afraid. Yarid knew then that perhaps the man really had been doing this kind of thing for some time.

  “All they said was that you had to remain alive.”

  Fear clenched in Yarid’s belly, but he strove to keep it from showing. He raised his hand in a gesture of peace. “All right,” he said, dropping his hand. His voice was steadier than it had any right to be. He shrugged. “But what do they expect me to do? It’s law now, as agreed upon by all the members of the Council.”

  Jordin narrowed his eyes. “The law has never stopped you before.”

  “Breaking the law is one thing. Forcing the entire Accord to break it is something else entirely.”

  Jordin grunted. “You’ll think of something, won’t you?” He lifted his blade and waggled it. “Or you die.”

  “And what happens to you if I die?”

  Jordin shrugged. “I don’t care what happens to me. And neither should you.” He put his knife away. “Think of something.”

  “How long do I have?”

  “The Governor is petitioning the Council later today, correct?”

  Yarid had a feeling the Governor wouldn’t be petitioning so much as demanding, but, “Yes. We reconvene in three hours.”

  Jordin nodded. “You have until then.”

  Chapter 47: A Flash of Yellow

  There.” From the small grassy hill where they stood, Chad pointed at the tall walls and the sprawling city beyond. “That’s the city. Garoshmir.”

  Nina nodded, though her head didn’t move as fast as she’d expected, making her feel dizzy. Truth was, she’d barely understood what Chad was talking about, she was so tired. But she trusted him, and simply decided to agree with whatever he was saying.

  Though it was getting to be late in the afternoon, the wall to the north shone like a bone under the high noon sun, dwarfing the walls surrounding the city. Andrin’s Wall, Nina knew. It was impossible to mistake it. Everyone knew Andrin’s Wall, even the people who’d never seen it before. Nina smiled, thinking how jealous Esta would be, but the muscles in her mouth felt … heavy. As if they, too, were too tired to move. Her eyelids fluttered.

  “Hey, Nina. Nina!”

  Chad caught her elbow as she fell to her knees. Why was she on her knees?

  Nina swiveled her head to inspect Chad as he lifted the edge of the bandage on her wrist. It was all soaked through with red. Her fingers were wet with red, too. Chad’s face paled.

  “This looks deep. Deeper than I thought.” He released the edge of the bandage and met her eyes. “We need to find a healer.”

  �
�But, my mother—”

  “Can wait,” Chad said, cutting her off. He helped her to her feet.

  “I’m steady,” she said. “I can walk.”

  He nodded skeptically but let her be. “There’s guards at the gate,” he said, turning towards the city. “They don’t look to be letting just anybody in there. We can get in faster and with less trouble my way.”

  Without waiting for a reply, he led her down the less inclined part of the hill, circling around to the hill’s shadowed side. When Chad pressed his fingers into the grass, the shadows darkened to pure blackness. He crawled in. Nina followed.

  They didn’t have to walk very far in the shadow world until they found an image that satisfied Chad, though to Nina it just looked a confused jumble of shifting shapes. They slipped out into a wide, crowded street, filled with more people and horses and carts than Naruvieth surely had. Each side of the street had stalls hawking everything, from woven rugs to glass bottles to grilled meat that made Nina remember just how hungry she was.

  Chad hooked Nina’s arm in his own and dragged her to the nearest stall. A short fat man with a black beard called out for passersby to sample his wares, which happened to be the most delicious-looking pink apples Nina had ever seen. The apple merchant pretended that the two of them didn’t exist when it was obvious to Nina he could see them. They were standing right in front of his stall when everyone else was ignoring him, after all.

  “Pardon me,” Nina said in her most polite voice. The man continued to ignore them.

  “Hey, mister!” Chad lifted Nina’s bloody hand up high. “We’re looking for a healer! Hate to bleed all over these fine-looking apples.”

  The man’s thick eyebrows bunched together in a menacing V as he finally regarded them. “The city guard will make you bleed a lot more if you ruin any of my goods.”

  Nina bowed her head. “Sorry for the bother.” She started to pull a protesting Chad away from the stall when the man sighed.

  “All right, all right. You look a mess, girl.” The man’s expression softened. “Head to the north end of the avenue and take a right. Healer’s at the top of the steps.”

  She bowed again, smiling this time. “Thank you.”

  The man shooed them away, not unkindly, after Chad awkwardly tried to mimic Nina’s bow. Once at the top of the stairs, Nina spotted a shop with a sign hanging near the door of a woman knitting, but what she was knitting was not a sock or a scarf but a person lying down. Chad nodded when he saw it too.

  “Wait here,” he said, leaving her leaning against the corner of the shop. She watched him glance both ways before disappearing into the alley right next to the healer’s shop. What in the world was he doing in there?

  When he finally came back, he gently shook her until she opened her eyes again and helped her in.

  Books, dried herbs, and various bottles and measuring instruments lined the shelves tucked in the back of the shop behind a counter. A plump gray-haired woman with a peaked white cap and an apron that had likely also been white once sat behind the counter, tapping the side of a spoon over a bowl. Little bits of yellow powder fell off the edge of the spoon with each tap. The woman paused, her face frozen in intense concentration, when the small bell hanging from the door rang, announcing Nina and Chad’s entrance. The woman took one look at Nina’s hand and waved them in.

  “Come on, then, into the back.” She ushered them through a narrow passageway that led into a room at the back of the building and sat Nina down on a low table, curtly gesturing Chad to a stool. Once he sat down, pulling his knees up against his chest, the woman studied the two of them. “You have any money?”

  Nina certainly didn’t, but much to her surprise, Chad pulled a silver coin out of his vest pocket. “It’s all I have, missus.” His eyes were wide, tears gathering at their edges. “Is this going to be enough?”

  Nina was shocked out of her stupor. What a liar he was! Those tears weren’t real at all! And where did he get that coin? As the woman reached to take it from him, he gave Nina a quick little wink.

  “That’ll do, boy. Now,” she said, pocketing the coin and turning to Nina with a smile that dimpled her round cheeks. Apparently, she had been fooled by Chad’s little act. “Let’s get you stitched up.”

  After it was all over, the healer made Nina lie down. The leather strap around her arm was really tight, making her fingers tingle, but at least they weren’t bloody anymore. “I want you to stay here for now. And drink this water,” the healer said, holding Nina’s head with one hand and tipping the cup up with the other. “All of it. There you go.”

  “Nina,” Chad said, standing next to the healer, “your mother said your family’s here, didn’t she? Who did she mean?”

  Nina wiped her mouth and frowned. “Well, she wasn’t really making sense. She said my father was here, but that can’t be right. I know Uncle Tharadis is here, talking to the council about the big road.” The healer started and gave Nina an appraising stare, but Nina ignored it. “He’s the only one that would’ve come.”

  “Hmm.” Chad folded his arms. “You aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but someone needs to tell him you’re here. If he finds out you’re here at all, he might think you’re still in Falconkeep.” The healer’s head spun to face Chad, eyes so wide they nearly bugged out of her head. “We really don’t want him to go there looking for you, right?” Chad asked.

  Nina shook her head vehemently, though in truth, she thought Lora Bale ought to be the one afraid of him.

  “All right, then.” Chad’s mouth spread wide in that grin of his. “While you’re healing up, I’ll find your uncle and bring him back here.”

  “You know what he looks like?” Nina asked.

  Chad gasped in mock betrayal. “Of course I do. He’s only the most famous man in Naruvieth. After me, that is.”

  Nina turned to the healer, whose mouth was gaping like a fish’s. “Can I sit out front near the window? I want to watch for my uncle.”

  “Of—of course, little one.” The woman smiled, though her face was so pale, Nina thought she might need a tourniquet, too. Nina followed her out to a narrow bench next to the window and sat down while the healer went back behind the counter. The window was fairly small, with little bubbles in the glass, but it was better than sitting in that back room with no way to watch the street.

  “Chad,” Nina said when the boy was halfway out the door. “Make sure you ask my uncle for some money. So you can pay back whoever you borrowed that coin from.”

  Chad grinned sheepishly, face reddening as he purposefully avoided looking in the healer’s direction, and dipped low in an extravagant bow that shamed the bow he had given the merchant. He ducked out the door and disappeared into the crowd, though Nina knew he would be looking for someplace secluded and full of shadows.

  Nina looked through the window, clutching the Raccoon Family. She wondered how Rogert, Noil, and Wenny were. Nina hoped they were all right. Thinking about them, how Nina had to leave them behind, made her want to cry, but at least Vidden and Alicie wouldn’t bother them anymore. At least she had done that much for them.

  In her mind Nina called out for her mother, but her mother didn’t answer. Maybe she was out looking for Uncle Tharadis, too. She sighed, about to give up and just lie down when she caught a fleeting glimpse of a familiar flash of yellow cloth in the crowd outside.

  She frowned. Was that Esta? And who was that bearded man she was with?

  At first, Nina thought it was impossible that Aunt Esta was here. But then she remembered what her mother had said: her family was waiting here. That meant Esta could be here, too.

  Ignoring the stern glance from the healer, Nina took off the tourniquet, leapt off her bench, and rushed outside to find her aunt.

  Chapter 48: The Search Ends

  Let’s take a right at the bottom of the stairs.”

  Esta nodded at Ander’s instructions as he pointed. The foot traffic in Garoshmir was still heavy at this hour, even though many
of the stalls packed along the market streets were beginning to pack up their wares for the day. Already, Esta could see candles lit through the windows of some shops. She supposed it was the rush of shopping that happened at the last moment before things closed down for the day. People often did the same thing in Naruvieth.

  With the tips of his fingers of his left hand, Ander kept a gentle pressure on the small of her back. It wasn’t a possessive touch, like Nedrick would’ve used, but rather a simple necessity due to the crowds. In truth, Esta didn’t mind the man’s touch. The whole episode with Meedith had made her realize just how vulnerable—and stupid—she’d been. Ander was no Shoresman, of course, but she was still glad for his reassuring presence as he guided her through the winding streets of Garoshmir.

  “Follow the curve and go left,” Ander said. “There’ll be a foot bridge. Keep sharp after that; it’s a bit of a rough neighborhood. But I know some people there. We should be able to find out where your brother is staying.” Under his breath, almost too quiet for Esta to hear, he added, “Damn fool for not staying at the Dome and Spire, if you ask me.”

  Esta smiled. The guards at the city gate had been just as flummoxed when they’d told her and Ander that Tharadis had asked directions for an inn, even though his written summons clearly stated an apartment was available for him in the same building as the Council Hall. It was just like Tharadis to refuse extravagance and insist on paying for his own lodging. Thinking of his mulish pride only made her realize how much she missed home, how much she wished she could just grab Tharadis and Nina by the hand and drag them back whether they liked it or not. Shores, she even found herself missing that fool Nedrick. She was glad Ander was walking behind her, unable to see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Foolish girl. She never should’ve let that woman take Nina.

  A few streets back, Esta had caught a glimpse of a girl through a shop window that reminded her so much of Nina. If only it were that easy. If only Nina weren’t trapped in that awful Falconkeep. If only she could just walk right into that shop, wrap Nina up in a hug, and take her home right now.