“Please tell me you didn’t mean you were going into the Warrens with him,” Katya said when they were alone. “You were just reassuring Crowe, yes?”
Starbride licked her lips, stalling as she thought of something diplomatic. “Katya—”
“No.”
“You didn’t let me say anything!”
“I can read your face. You’re not Crowe, Star.”
“I’m his replacement.”
“Not yet.”
Starbride stood and paced, hands landing on her hips only to swing free and then plant on her hips again. “Then when? When will I be trained to your satisfaction?”
“In a few years—”
Starbride snapped her fingers. “Wrong. The answer is never. You will never be comfortable with me taking on the dirtier parts of Crowe’s job.”
Katya’s mouth worked for a moment “And so?”
“Then be uncomfortable with it. I have accepted a responsibility, Katya. I can’t go staying home every time it gets hard.”
“No one’s suggesting you stay at home. You’re going, just—”
“Just under your watchful eye.” She tried to keep her rising temper from blowing off her head. “I will not be the only member of the team that must be protected.”
Katya touched her chest as if searching for the necklace she no longer had to wear. Starbride should have made her another of the damned things. She didn’t need it to keep a Fiend at bay, but maybe Starbride could make it flare from time to time and give Katya the heat she was looking for.
“We watch each other’s backs,” Katya said.
“You watch my back and my front and every side.” Starbride pointed a steady finger in Katya’s direction. “And if you leer at that statement, I will fling a chair at you.”
“I’m too angry to leer.” She dropped into a chair and drummed her fingers on the arms.
Starbride slid into a chair beside her and tried on her best reasonable face. “I will skulk, sneak, and stick to shadows and rooftops. I will do as Pennynail bids me.”
“Can you promise me you’ll be safe?”
“If you promise me the same.”
Katya kissed her hard, and Starbride slid her arms around Katya’s neck. When they broke apart, Katya pressed their foreheads together. “I want you in and out quickly.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t follow him into the building. Just stay nearby and let him go in alone.”
“Yes.”
“If he doesn’t come out, you head back for us instead of following him. I will come for you if you’re overdue.”
“Yes, yes, and yes again. I love you, my worrier. Now let me do the job which you recruited me for.”
“I’m never going to stop damning myself for dragging you into this.”
Starbride kissed the tip of her nose. “Then you’d better damn me too for going willingly.”
*
Starbride dressed in a black leather outfit she’d had specially made, just in case skulking was ever on her agenda again. As Dawnmother braided her hair into a bun above her neck, Starbride watched herself in the mirror.
“This will do very nicely. Katya will be pleasantly surprised.”
Dawnmother snorted. “Only because your outfit’s tight enough to be scandalous.”
When a knock came at the secret passageway, Starbride grinned. “Time to find out.” After Dawnmother made a discreet withdrawal, Starbride called, “Come in.”
She’d been about to sprawl seductively on the divan. When Pennynail walked through the door, Starbride stood so quickly she stumbled. “I didn’t expect you.”
After a quick glance around, he pushed his mask up on top of his head. “Had that made did you?” He pointed at her outfit and grinned like a loon.
Starbride fought the urge to cross her arms. The outfit wasn’t tight enough to warrant the look he gave her. “I thought it apropos.”
“Yeah, if the look you’re going for says, ‘I’m Captain Obvious of the Sneaky Squad.’”
“Look who’s talking!”
“Don’t tell me you had a hood made as well?”
She just stopped herself from saying, “It’s detachable.” She left it where it lay, dangling down her back. “Says the man in the mask.”
“Mine is functional. And brown, I might add, which blends in so much better than black.”
“And the buckles? How are they meant to blend in?”
He looked down at his outfit. “They’re so I can get out of it quickly. What did you think they were for? Striptease?”
Starbride felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “I have to tell Dawnmother I’m going. Since almost everything else I own is for court, this will have to do.”
“Don’t worry. Once I have my mask on, I won’t tease you at all.”
Starbride ignored him and opened Dawnmother’s door. “It’s Pennynail. I’m going.”
“Won’t you let me come with you?”
Starbride shook her head. She put the satchel Crowe had given her across her body and tightened the straps until it hugged her. Crowe had supplied her with pyramids she thought she’d find useful, mostly flash bombs, but a few fire pyramids as well, and one that could detect other pyramids in use. She even brought one for sorting through someone’s mind, if it came to that.
“I’ve been practicing climbing, Dawn. You’ve just been watching.”
“Because it’s silly.”
Starbride gave her a look. “I promise, when we go out gathering information in Marienne, you can come along.”
“I’ll hold you to that. And if you’re not back by morning, I’m coming looking for you.”
“You and everyone else,” Starbride mumbled, but she hugged her all the same. “I’ll be fine, Dawn.”
“Just keep in mind that if you’re not fine, your mother will hold me responsible.”
Starbride cringed. “I have to tell Katya she’s coming.”
“You haven’t told her yet?”
“See you later.” Starbride kissed Dawnmother’s cheek and then nearly ran back to Freddie. “Ready when you are.”
*
The smell of Dockland was almost a living thing, creeping through the darkened streets along with the fog and a general feeling of unease. The feeling and the smell seemed to coalesce the closer Starbride and the Order came to the Warrens.
They’d left the horses outside of Dockland. The animals would have made them too conspicuous and probably would have been stolen besides. They strode quickly through the city. By the time they reached the entrance to the poorest district, Starbride was tempted to pull her hood around and hook it over her nose and chin, just to keep out the stench.
They stopped in front of a darkened storefront. Katya’s lips brushed Starbride’s ear as she whispered, “We wait here. Remember what I said.”
Starbride shuddered both from the contact and the ominous tone. To Katya, though, she winked, feigned confidence, and did her best to disguise her excitement. Brutal and Katya stepped to the storefront where they would stay until Pennynail and Starbride came back.
Pennynail took her arm, and then they were off through the short alleyway that separated the Warrens from the rest of Dockland. The denizens had dealt with the poorest area of their city by forgetting it existed, building apartments up to the edge of it in an effort to wall it off.
At the exit to the alley, a dark shadow detached itself from an entire nest of them near the back of an apartment building. “Toll,” it said gruffly.
Pennynail slammed an open palm into the shadow’s face. It collapsed, cursing. There was a scuff of feet on stone, but Pennynail drew one of his long knives. Silence enveloped them again. No other shadows came forth. Pennynail took Starbride’s arm and hustled her into the small square that followed the alley, and then across into a side street.
It all happened so quickly. Starbride had just shaken off her stupor enough to slip a hand into her satchel. She let out a breath and wondered when in the exchan
ge she’d forgotten to breathe. Pennynail looked back and forth down the alley and then pushed his mask up over his head. He folded it as small as he could and stuffed it in the back of his leather outfit.
Starbride gaped at him in the gloom from the square’s only streetlamp. He moved close to her ear. “I don’t often use it when they’re not around,” he said, inclining his head in the direction of the Order. “Or here in Dockland where no one cares.”
Starbride shrugged. Whatever made them less noticeable, she supposed. They hurried through the streets and angled for the building that was supposedly holding Maia. No one else accosted them. Starbride guessed that the demand for a toll was only levied on those who weren’t known in the Warrens. Or maybe Freddie’s punch was some kind of code signifying that he had every right to be there.
Many shadowy figures flitted past them, going about whatever business suited them. Starbride found the place quieter than any city street she’d ever encountered. Maybe everyone in the Warrens had learned the value of silence.
Well, that was until one poor fellow careened down the street, half-dressed and raving about the Fiends who lived in his closet. When he turned a corner, his cries cut off in one harsh scream. With a shudder, Starbride hurried on. Even if she and Freddie managed to save the poor wretch from whatever had caught him, what would they do with him? The thought comforted her a little, even though she knew his cries would haunt her dreams.
Their target building was as dark as any of the others. The windows were shuttered, save for a few at the top whose shutters had broken off. Occasionally, the wink of a candle or lamp would appear through the smashed planks of wood, but they disappeared as quickly as they came.
Starbride drew a pyramid from her satchel, one that would detect other pyramids in use. She held it up for Freddie to see and then inclined her head at the building. He nodded. Any pyradistés would know she was there if she detected them, but this would tell them if Roland was using pyramids or if he had any guarding nearby.
Starbride focused and fell into the pyramid easily. Her vision lost all color, but sharpened into black and white, letting her see more clearly. She looked for the glow of an active pyramid on the outside of the building. When she saw none, she closed her eyes and reached with her pyradisté’s senses. She couldn’t sense the emanations of another pyramid anywhere in the vicinity. She put the pyramid back in her satchel and shook her head.
Freddie gestured to a small alcove, half hidden by a barrel, in a nearby street. After a quick look to make sure the hiding spot was unoccupied, they ducked behind it.
“I need to go in and have a look around,” he whispered.
Starbride’s insides curled at the idea of being alone, but she’d promised Katya she wouldn’t go inside. She dug a pyramid out of her satchel. “Take this. All you need to do is smash it, and it will create a flash bomb. Break it near the windows, and I’ll know you’re in trouble.”
“And then what? You’ll run for the others, or you’ll fly to my rescue?”
Starbride rolled her eyes. “I’ll start weaving your shroud.” She gave him a little push. He didn’t run toward the obvious door at the front, but became lost in the shadows on the side of the building. No doubt he’d climb to some forgotten window.
Starbride leaned back on her heels and tried to find some way to be comfortable without actually sitting down. How long would her missions be like this? How long until Katya trusted her to care for herself? Besides making sure the building was clear of active pyramids, what good was she actually doing?
She supposed clearing the pyramids might be enough. Maybe that was all Crowe had done, most of the time. Somehow, Starbride doubted that. He would have stuck to Freddie’s side.
Starbride was better at climbing and sneaking now. She had the damned leather outfit, no matter that Freddie had made fun of it. How long would she have to wait to feel like a full member of the team?
It wasn’t trust, she tried to tell herself. It was worry. Katya loved her and wanted to keep her safe. Starbride’s frown only deepened. She could keep herself safe. She and Freddie could watch each other’s backs like the other members of the team did.
As angry as she was, Starbride knew she’d have to tread carefully with Katya. So many things had happened to disrupt Katya’s life lately. Starbride was used to such disruptions, had been getting used to them ever since she’d learned she was coming to Farraday. Or, she told herself, maybe she was just better suited to dealing with hardship than Katya. Years of feasting did not teach one to suffer famine.
Starbride tried to force the smug thought away and focus on the building. She looked for any signs of trouble, any sign that Freddie needed help, or that Maia was actually within. After all, the best remedy to calm Katya’s nerves would be a series of successful missions, and this one was a wonderful place to start.
Time passed, slowly approaching the deadline. Starbride shifted again and again, fighting cramps and the urge to just plant her rear in the dirt. She yawned and rubbed her arms. As warm as the leather was, it couldn’t block out the chill. She switched knees for perhaps the tenth time, but the brief rest she gave each leg wasn’t helping anymore. No one had come or gone from the shuttered building, and she’d seen the same brief flickers of candlelight from the top stories. She’d watched each window carefully, and then the door and the sides of the building, waiting for Freddie’s return.
The idea that she might have to leave him made her stomach ache. She’d been so certain he would arrive on time. Worry made her forget about her cramping legs as she pulled them under her in a crouch. She’d have to leave Freddie to his fate while she sought help.
Or she could go in after him. No, that was pure folly. If a master of sneaking could get caught, she certainly would, and there was no telling whether a well-placed pyramid could get both of them out. She wanted to be trusted. Now she had to prove that.
Starbride scratched an arrow in the dirt, pointing back to the entrance of the Warrens. She’d retrace her steps quickly and keep a pyramid out. If she ran afoul of trouble, she’d detonate a fire pyramid. That would bring Katya running and surprise any attackers long enough to hold them off. She stood in the shadows and stretched, ready to run, when she caught a glimpse of light from an alley across the way, two figures moving around the other side of the building. The wan streetlight reflected from a long metal object in the larger one’s fist.
Starbride squinted and hoped it wasn’t what she thought it was: Brutal’s oversized mace. She nearly called out, certain of it as her mind played it over, as the two figures disappeared around the side of the building. Katya—reckless, lovesick fool that she was—had rewritten the plan and come in after them before they were overdue.
“Darkstrong take the woman,” Starbride muttered. They were going to have words over this one, Katya’s inability to cope be damned. Starbride gave one more quick glance at the dark streets around her and then crept toward where Katya and Brutal had gone, doing her best to stay in the shadows.
Chapter Seven: Katya
“We should have given them more time,” Brutal rumbled at Katya’s back.
Katya resisted the urge to snarl at him. She’d heard him the first hundred times. The fact remained that Pennynail and Starbride were almost overdue. She’d be damned before she’d leave Starbride in danger any longer than necessary. Starbride had obviously gone into the building with Pennynail, and they’d gotten in over their heads. Fiend or no Fiend, Katya was going to get them out.
Brutal pulled on her shoulder. “At least let me go in first,” he said before they reached the back door. “No sense in both of us getting our heads sliced off in a trap.”
She let him take the lead, though she wanted to dart around him and run through the building. Memories of Starbride tied to a table, the threat of having her fingers cut off, loomed in Katya’s mind. And Starbride had been captured twice, held as part of an elaborate trap concocted by Roland and his henchmen, Darren and Cassius. Only Roland ha
d protected Starbride from Darren, then. Katya doubted Roland would care to keep Starbride in one piece now.
Katya tried to shake the thoughts, but they kept rising, even as she and Brutal ducked through the door into blackness. If Roland hurt Starbride, Katya would burn the building down; she’d burn the Warrens, maybe all of Dockland.
No, a voice inside her said, without the Fiend, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
Katya did snarl then, but at this nagging lack of confidence she couldn’t seem to shake. Brutal lit a candle and held it high. A narrow staircase started up before them and turned sharply at a landing before continuing upward. A long, dark hallway sat beside it and continued into the building, into blackness, and another hallway struck off to the right. To their left was a door, shut and bolted as if to keep something inside rather than out.
Katya stooped. The floor was filthy and tracked by many feet. She lamented the fact that they’d left Averie just outside Dockland with their horses. Maybe she could make sense of the mess of footprints. Whoever said the building had been abandoned was much mistaken. Listening hard, Katya heard the sound of muted footsteps above them.
She pulled on Brutal’s arm until he lowered his ear. “We start at the top and work our way down.”
He moved toward the staircase. They stayed close to the wall and tried to avoid the creaks and groans that would plague the middle of the stairs, but they couldn’t escape them all. Anyone listening from above would know they were coming.
They passed the second floor, looked down it briefly, but saw no one. Halfway to the third floor, a flash of brilliant light came from above, a flash bomb. Katya rushed past Brutal and took the stairs two at a time. When she reached the top, she ran down the hallway, headed toward a spot of candlelight coming from one of the rooms.
Inside the room, a woman leaned out a window, looking outward as if tracking something’s fall. A cloak obscured her form, but the hood was down, and very pale hair cascaded down her back.
“Maia?” Katya breathed. She stepped forward.
For Want of a Fiend Page 6
