The Legend of the Red Specter (The Adventures of the Red Specter Book 1)

by M. A. Wisniewski

  "And in the meantime, we are having to fend off police and gangsters ourselves," said Mrs. Jakuba, and paused for a minute. "You don’t think they could find us here, do you?"

  "They know my first name and that I work at the Gazette,” said Joy. “I expect they’ll be able to get my address from my boss, by either threatening or tricking him, and if not, they might be able to find my address from that old crime report I filed against Quintus. I expect that to take them at least a day or two. But we should find someplace else to hide ASAP. Umm..."

  "We will go to Temple" said Mrs. Jakuba. "Reverend Hayashi is a great priest, very good man. I am seeing him every Sunday, and he always says, any problems you have, bring it to the Temple, so there we will go until the government sorts out these gangsters."

  "That... could work," said Joy. Actually, it was a great idea. The Prakasa Mandira was a huge structure with high walls, one of the oldest and largest of its kind in eastern Nokomis. Its seven spires dominated the western Dodona skyline. The city had many temples, but when locals talked about The Temple, everyone knew what they meant. Most holy places had a tradition of providing sanctuary, and it didn't matter how tough the City Guard or Benny the Shark thought they were—trying to strongarm the Temple was a bad move. The depth and breadth of the outrage that followed would make their lives very unpleasant. People would get so angry that they'd forget to be scared.

  But could they really trust Rev. Hayashi? Joy hadn't gone to Temple herself in ages, as the Prakasa Mandira was a Susanvada Kovidian temple, and she was Vienijanti. She’d gone in for a few services with Tishka, and found herself scratching her head at some of their ideas, and the answers the priests gave her didn’t help much, so she’d begged off after that. Sure, the Reverend did seem like a nice man, but her experience with the Mithras priests had taught her that it was easier to present an appearance of wisdom and holiness than to actually be wise or holy. They could be repeating her mistake with the Guard—trusting an authority only because they wanted a rescue so badly, only to be let down when that authority proved to be fallible.

  But it wasn't like she had a better idea. There wasn't any way they could get through this without help. They'd have to roll the dice and confide in somebody sometime. If everyone was corrupt, they’d be screwed no matter what they did.

  "Yes, we should all go there tonight," she said, and translated the plan to Hsiu Mei.

  "Tonight, after dinner—which you are letting get cold," said Mrs. Jakuba. "Maybe we should also feed this to Hsiu Mei. She certainly knows how to appreciate good cooking."

  Joy looked down and realized her bowl was still half-full, and Hsiu-Mei was indeed eyeing it hungrily. Between all the watching over Hsiu Mei and the explaining and the translating, she'd ended up ignoring her own bowl. "Sorry, Mrs. Jakuba," she said, and went on to fix that problem while Mrs. Jakuba refilled Hsiu Mei's bowl. Everyone was quiet for a bit as they tended to the business of eating, and it was Joy's first truly satisfying meal in ages, though Mrs. Jakuba's warning was correct. She'd allowed her stew to drop down to lukewarm, and it wasn't as good as when it was hot. Still, she got a little extra enjoyment tearing into the beef chunks, imagining it as revenge on the killer cow from the docks. Who's top of the food chain now, you bastard?

  She was showing Hsiu Mei how to mop up the stew remnants with a dinner-roll, and looking forward to maybe refilling her bowl with a nice hot one from the stewpot, when a comment from Mrs. Jakuba changed everything. She was reassuring Hsiu Mei through another bout of guilt over abandoning her younger sister, with Joy hovering over her shoulder translating.

  “You had no other choice, dear,” Tishka said. “If you hadn’t run, what would be happening now? Those rats would have the both of you, and how would that be any better? This way we can get help, and we get her back for sure.”

  “I hope so,” said Hsiu Mei. “But—but what if they move her? Those guards we were supposed to be sold to—they aren’t paying like they should. If this goes on much longer, the Triads will ship them elsewhere to be sold. And I’ll never see Lin Lin again.”

  “I’m sure that won’t happen,” said Joy. “Shipping all of you over here had to be expensive, and then shipping you elsewhere with no sale—they lose money that way. The Triads have waited this long, I’m sure they’ll wait a few days longer to try and settle with the Guards. Everything is going to be fine, you’ll see.”

  Hsiu Mei sighed. “If you say so, Big Sister. But I know they won’t wait forever. I heard the guards talking the night I escaped. They said Boss Fang is getting impatient. That he is thinking of cutting his losses, and that if those foreign devils do not pay up by midnight on the eve of Liber Day, they would ship us out first thing next morning. When is that, do you know?”

  Joy tried to keep her face neutral. Based on Hsiu Mei’s reaction, she probably failed at that.

  “You do know!” Hsiu Mei clutched at her and her voice rose an octave. “When is it? When do they ship her out?”

  “What is it?” demanded Mrs. Jakuba. “What is going on?”

  Joy ignored Hsiu Mei and translated into Kossar, mostly as a way to stall until she could gather her wits, which didn’t calm Hsiu Mei at all, and Tishka didn’t hide her reaction to the news well, either. Joy found herself caught between competing sets of demands in two different languages, with Mrs. Jakuba insisting that she track down someone from Kallistrate Intelligence tonight, explain that it was an emergency, and Hsiu Mei tugging at her shirt and demanding to know what was going on, none of which was helping her think.

  There was no point trying to be clever. Joy held Hsiu Mei by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Okay, Hsiu-Mei. I want you to listen to me, and I need you to stay calm. You have to understand that everything is going to be okay.”

  “When is it? When is Liber Day? Is it tomorrow? They’re not shipping her out next morning, are they?”

  Joy could not lie to this girl. “Yes, they are,” she said, “But don’t wo—“

  But Hsiu Mei wasn’t listening. She burst out in tears and buried her face in her hands.

  “What did you say?” said Mrs. Jakuba. “You didn’t tell her, did you? Oh, you did! What on earth are you thinking?” Mrs. Jakuba swatted her on the arm hard enough to sting, enfolded Hsiu Mei in her arms, and rocked her with shushing noises that needed no translation.

  Joy rubbed her arm and paced the room, trying to gather her thoughts. Maybe she could’ve handled that better, but maybe not. She really wasn’t a fan of lying to people for their own good. It seemed like it always ended up worse in the long run. But that wasn’t the important thing here. What in the Abyss was she going to do now? Joy could talk about her Intelligence background, but she’d just been a low-level translator. It was enough of a connection to get her in the door during business hours, but that was it. And even if she somehow managed to find the local KIB director’s home address and beat down their door, she doubted there was anything they’d be able to do on just a few hours’ notice.

  Intelligence was mostly about sifting through reports, analysis, and paperwork. It wasn’t like the local KIB had a commando team stationed in the basement. She didn’t see how they’d be able to deploy a rescue team in time. Who would they get—a squad of analysts, with maybe a half-dozen supplemental courses among them? Sheesh, she had more training than that. The sad truth was that she was the most qualified rescuer that anybody would be able to find before morning. And she wasn’t qualified for this. There was no way she could….

  The thought darted through her head like a mouse scurrying for cover. She grabbed it by the tail and dragged it back for a closer look, ignoring its desperate attempts to wriggle free. There was no way she could just go out and rescue the girls herself, now was there? Was there? Everything Joy had seen and heard throughout the day ran back through her mind—the docks, the maze of supplies, the exact position of the Joanne Spaulding, and more—the special swimming and snorkeling lessons from Warrant Officer Adachi. He’d explained to
her exactly how to sneak up on a boat from underwater, just like a real Navy frogman. And then what? Joy turned the budding plan over and over in her mind, prodding at it with contingencies and what if’s, trying to remember how long it took her to pick the really complicated locks….

  Another part of her grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, and told her she was crazy. This was not going to work and she was going to get herself killed. And what then? What would that do to her parents, to have their child die before them? Maybe she should think of that, what it would do to them to have her body just show up in the city morgue, or—worse still—disappear without a trace. The worry would kill both of them, eat away at them for years. It would be even worse than how she was behaving now, barely any contact with them at all for half a year. She couldn’t be that selfish.

  Joy looked over at Hsiu Mei, face still buried in Mrs. Jakuba’s bosom. Joy’s family was important. Her parents meant the world to her, even if she didn’t always show it. But their family wasn’t the only one in the world. There were other families out there, too, who’d lost a lot more than theirs’ had. There had been a war, and men and women had gone out to fight it. A lot of them hadn’t come back. They’d marched off into the teeth of terrible danger—rifles and cannon, vicious dragons on one side, and merciless steel titans on the other. There were families all over the world missing their sons and daughters. And then there were children like Hsiu Mei, who were missing their parents.

  Joy’s family had gotten off light. Everyone had come home at the end. Joy never had to worry them at all—she’d been working at a desk, far behind enemy lines, taking combat courses out of sheer curiosity. Of course, her work as an analyst had been important and saved lives. And it had been the best way for her to contribute to the war effort. Central Command had said so.

  But at the same time, she knew she was privileged, because she’d never had to look out across the battlefield and see a monster approaching. A monster that could kill them with barely a thought, and whether you lived or died that day depended on luck, on whether or not that monster happened to turn your way at the wrong time. Dean had faced it. He’d spent two years of his life sailing on a boat that was also a bomb, never knowing if a dragon would burst up from beneath the waves, to kill itself and everyone aboard in a fiery explosion.

  It was insane—yet people did it. Hundreds of thousands of them. She’d asked him once how he managed to do it—how did he convince himself to get on that boat so many times, knowing what he did about how it could kill him, and do it again and again. He’d stared at her a bit, shrugged, and said he did it because he felt like there was no other choice. Someone had to do it, to protect their home, their family, their country. And if someone had to, it might as well be him. He couldn’t fob it off on someone else. That wasn’t right.

  And now it was Joy’s turn. It might’ve been rash, but she’d made a promise to Hsiu Mei to protect her and to protect her family. She’d invited her to think of her as a sister. And this was where it all came down to brass tacks. Because this time it wasn’t a case of just stumbling into a huge mess by accident. This was deliberately marching off into a gangster’s den—killers who would not play nice with her if she got caught. And why would she do something so insane? Well, someone had to do it. And right now, she was the only one who could. That made it her responsibility, whether she liked it or not. So the only question was this: would she shoulder her burden, or shrug it off?

  Joy went back over to Hsiu Mei, whose crying fit was dying down under Mrs. Jakuba’s ministrations. She got her attention and told her she had a new plan, and her sister was going to be fine. In fact, if all went well, she could expect to see Lin Lin at the temple tomorrow morning. Hsiu Mei gave her a look like she wasn’t sure whether to believe her or not, but she had some hope back. Joy was sure of that. But to do that, Joy would need her help. She proceeded to quiz Hsiu Mei about everything she could remember from her time on the Joanne Spaulding. Where had she been kept on the ship, what had the room looked like, how were they guarded, etc.

  Unfortunately, Hsiu Mei had been so caught up in her own confusion and fear during her captivity that couldn’t give her much in the way of specific details, but at least Joy got a general picture of what was going on.

  The girls were all kept in a single cage somewhere in the cargo hold. They weren’t guarded directly, but a guard would pass by to check on them every half hour during the day, and once an hour at night, or at least that was her best guess. Being locked up in a cage with no access to direct sunlight made it hard to gauge time, with day and night blending into each other. Joy would have to take that estimate at face value.

  All the while they were speaking in Xiaish, Mrs. Jakuba watched them intently. Normally Joy would never be so rude as to exclude a non-Xiaish speaker like this, but she knew that if Mrs. Jakuba heard the types of questions she was asking, she might guess what Joy was planning. That would be another argument that she didn’t have time for. And partly, she was afraid that Tishka might win the argument. Joy didn’t have much faith that her courage could withstand a determined assault from Tishka. Joy was having enough trouble keeping it propped up against her own self-doubt. Joy wrapped up her interview, because she had run out of useful questions, and it was clear Hsiu Mei didn’t know any more.

  “All right, that’s it,” said Joy. “I’ve got to put my plan in motion. You stay here and finish your dinner, then Tishka will take you to the Temple of Kovidh, where you’ll both be safe.”

  “What is your plan, Big Sister?” said Hsiu Mei, eyes wide.

  “I’d tell you, but there’s not enough time,” said Joy. “I have to get everything done by tomorrow morning, remember? Just trust me. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise. I’m going to make it right.”

  Hsiu Mei gave her a nod, and even a bit of a hesitant smile. Joy looked in her eyes and saw someone desperate to believe in someone and something. Maybe someone who wouldn’t try to exploit her, or let her down, or vanish, for once in her life. No pressure, Joy.

  “So, are you going to tell me what is going on?” said Mrs. Jakuba.

  “I just told her that everything was going to be okay, and that I got a new idea to help her.”

  Mrs. Jakuba brows narrowed, and Joy was taken back to the few times she’d tried pulling one over on her mom. It had rarely worked. “That was long conversation for just that much.” She said.

  “Yes, but I’m summarizing because I’m in a hurry. Actually, I have to get some things from my room, and then I’ve got to go out.”

  “Go out? Go out and do what? What new idea is this?” asked Mrs. Jakuba. “You have thought of someone to help us, maybe.”

  “Yes, that’s it,” said Joy. “I remembered my instructor from my supplemental field training courses. You remember I told you about Officer Adachi, right?” Technically, nothing in that statement was a lie—she never said that Kodwo Adachi was here, only that she’d remembered him.

  “Yes! That is right person to help,” said Tishka. “See—I knew with a good meal you would start thinking clearly.”

  “There’s not a lot your cooking won’t improve,” said Joy. “But if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get some things from my room. I’ve got a lot to do tonight.”

  “I think it can wait maybe a few minutes,” countered Mrs. Jakuba. “If one bowl improves your thinking a little, two will work wonders. I have seen you lately, and I do not think you are eating enough. I know you are in a hurry, but this will not take so long, I think.”

  Joy paused mid-turn. Ordinarily, she’d never turn down an offer of food from her neighbor. The aroma coming off the simmering stew-pot was pure heaven, and for a moment she considered it, but just for a moment. While she’d love nothing more than to gorge herself until she was too full to move, tonight was not the night for that. She’d already eaten enough to get her strength back. And Mom had always warned her never to eat a lot right before going swimming.

  Chapter 39

&nb
sp; Typewriter Confessions

  Joy made her excuses and hustled up to her room. First, she needed to retrieve her equipment. Most of it had been packed away with her lock picks, so she’d already cleared a path to the box where she’d stored all her impulse Army Surplus purchases. The only other thing she needed was a swimsuit, but the Army had her covered there. Standard issue for the physical fitness standards, which you could get out of if you were an analyst and would be sitting behind a desk, but Joy found that passing the physical took way less paperwork than applying for the exemption. One-piece, dark blue-grey, with about as utilitarian a cut as possible, and good thing, too. Because her only other suit was white with bright red hearts and ruffles. That would not do for stealth at all.

  She stripped down, put the suit on, then put her regular clothes back on top of that. She gathered all her needed supplies: snorkel, mask, fins—those she could carry in her purse after she dumped out its current contents, though the heels of the fins ending up poking out of the top. And then there was her other treasure from the Surplus—a sleek little watertight pack, one that could be tightly secured to the small of her back. What would she put in that? Well, her lock-picks, obviously, and what else? She also had a heavy-duty waterproof flashlight. It was a bit bulky, but it fit in her satchel, and it could come in handy.

  Was that it? Well, her pencil and notepad fit in there too, but she didn’t see why she’d need them for this. But still—maybe she might run across some important info, something vital she needed to write down. It was a bit of a stretch, maybe just her reporter habits talking, but she didn’t feel right leaving her apartment without her notepad and something to write with. And they didn’t add much bulk or weight to the satchel, especially compared to the flashlight. Screw it, in they go. Now, was there anything else she needed? Was she good to go?

  Another stomach flip as the reality of what she was planning hit her. This was happening. She was seriously going to do this. What if she screwed up? What if something went wrong and she didn’t come back? She had to plan for all possibilities. The memory of all those explosives stashed in Hsiu Mei’s container crate flashed through her mind. She had no idea what these Sleywie Anden were up to, but whatever it was couldn’t be good. This was a threat to the entire city of Dodona—maybe even all of Kallistrate. The authorities needed to know, no matter what happened to her tonight.