by C S Vass
“This is a world that you walk through every day, you just don’t see it. This is a world that doesn’t depend on where it is, so much as when it is. The human brain has a unique conception of time, different from most any other living thing. This world, Kriech Lyollo, is right in front of you but you cannot comprehend it because your are always moving too quickly to truly be a part of it.”
“Then that’s it?” Fiona asked. “This is what the manjeko does? It allows me to see this new world, this Kreech Lollo?”
“Your pronunciation is as boorish as your manners. But it’s your lack of insight that truly offends me. The manjeko does much, much more than merely bring you to this world. Think of this as the first step on a long journey to understanding the power that I may choose to grant you.”
“May choose?” Fiona asked. “I did everything the sorceress asked. Why would you deny me?”
“That’s true,” the Beast conceded. “You did do everything that my servant asked of you. But you haven’t even heard what I have to ask of you, Fiona. You need to understand that at this point that’s all that matters. The rest of it was just…preliminary.”
“And if I do what you ask, what then? What can you tell me about the power of the manjeko? Why should I want this?”
“You speak like a philosopher, and I find that terribly boring. I’m not going to tell you why you should care, Fiona. That was a decision you should have made peace with long before you tried to summon me. Now that I’m here there’s no going back. I must say, so far I’m terribly unimpressed. Most likely if this was a normal circumstance then I would simply kill you as one obviously unworthy of wielding the awesome powers that I can offer.”
“Then why don’t you,” Fiona spat. She was growing more and more uneasy but despite that her temper was returning.
“These are most certainly not ordinary circumstances,” the Beast said. The way he stood, so still, so much so that with his grey form he might be mistaken for a statue, deeply disturbed her. “Suffice to say we will not proceed with the ritual as we normally would. Doing so would surely result in your death. We will try again later.”
“How is any of that my fault? I can’t be blamed if humans aren’t equipped to be in this bizarre place.”
“That’s not my problem,” the Beast said. “I’m not the one who contacted the sorceress Suomo. I didn’t go looking for you. So now that we’re here, heed my advice. You must learn to control your emotions. The turbulence swirls within you like a storm off the coast of Morrordraed. The normal world you exist in can cope with that turbulence. This world, the way it’s constructed so carefully, so precisely, is not. That is why you feel so sick. That is why a normal person feels more at ease the longer they stay here whereas you will probably die if I keep you here for ten more minutes.”
Fiona’s mind was racing. She knew her time with the Beast was limited and she didn’t want to waste it. “This is the only way?” she asked. “Coming here is the only way that I can gain the power of manjeko?”
The Beast smiled. “Oh yes. There are no shortcuts on the road that you have chosen to walk. Don’t worry Fiona. If you get those troublesome emotions under control you might not die when I bring you here next time.”
Slowly he approached her, and the sense of dread within her grew again. “No, wait! I still need to ask you something. I need more time.”
“We’ll talk again soon, Fiona. It truly was a pleasure to meet you.”
Two thick fingers shot towards her head as quickly as a striking snake. The Beast put them on the center of her forehead, and Fiona’s world turned black.
Chapter Nine
When she finally regained consciousness Fiona felt a lucid calmness. The mind-numbing terror that has dominated her body in the realm of the manjeko was gone, replaced by a sense of stability. She awoke right where she was when the dog had first found her. Color had returned to the world, and the sky above her was a tranquil blue.
Immediately she rushed over to a window to see her reflection. When forest green eyes stared back at her Fiona breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“Get away, unless you’re wanting me to break that nose!” a heavyset middle-aged woman from inside the house shouted. Fiona smiled and obeyed.
There was a lot to think about, but she was so happy to have returned to the ordinary world that she couldn’t quite bring herself to face any of the more complicated questions. For now, it was good enough to know that she was not going to receive any magical blessings from the manjeko overnight, and that if she wanted to find out anything more about Rodrick, she would have to continue on by herself.
Making the decision not to throw away the day she began walking in the direction of the guard barracks where she would find Martin. Upon arriving she moved up a narrow pathway that lead to the entrance and presented herself to two guards with tall pikes and worn leather armor.
“I need to speak with Captain Lightwing,” she told them.
The man with a thick black mustache twitched. “Shove off. Captain’s not here today.”
“What are you talking about? Where is he?”
“Maybe someone told him to shove off, and he listened instead of standing around asking questions.”
She glared at him. “Maybe I’ll shove you off this cliff and see if the next guard I talk to knows how to speak to a woman properly.”
The man scowled. “Mouthy little bitch, aren’t you?” Without hesitating she grabbed the pike from his hands and shoved the butt of it hard into his stomach. He crumpled over gasping for breath. Fiona looked to the next soldier.
“Good morning. I’m looking for Captain Lightwing. Can you please tell me where he might be today, sir?” she asked.
The soldier’s eyes grew wide, and he made a face somewhere between bewilderment and amusement. Finally he relented and told her not unkindly that Martin had simply not shown up for duty. As she walked away, she heard the first soldier mutter a curse and shove his partner.
Not wanting to waste any more time Fiona decided to go find Martin at home. Perhaps he was working on something important that had to do with the raid, or that related to Kevin Lovewood’s capture. Eventually, she made her way down through the winding roads of the Stone District until she got to the squat little place Martin called home.
She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Surprised, she saw that it was ajar, and so she simply decided to walk in.
“Martin!” she called, surprised. “What are you doing?”
Martin Lightwing was slumped in the corner of the room, bleary-eyed and singing softly to himself. It seemed to take him a few moments to realize that anyone was even there. “Fiona?” he said at last through a hiccup.
“You’re drunk,” she said, exasperated. “What the hell are you doing? You’re supposed to be on duty right now.”
“Who cares?” he said with a wave of his hand.
“Who cares?” she asked, stunned. “What is this? Are you trying to be the new Donyo? I hate to be the one to break it to you, but not everyone can pull that off.”
“What’s it to you?” he asked grumpily. “You don’t care if I go to work or not. You don’t care about this city. You don’t care about anyone but—hic—yourself.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to have that conversation with you when you’re rolling on your own floor drunk. Come here, let me help you up and get you some water.”
Slowly and clumsily she was able to guide Martin to his feet while he hiccuped and mumbled to himself. “Gods be dammed,” Fiona grumbled. “What the hell is going on with you?” She eased him gently onto a long couch and then went to fetch him a jug of water.
“Why should you care?” Martin shot back.
“I’d think you’d be happier to see an old friend,” Fiona said.
“Is that what we are?” Martin asked. “Old friends? That’s a funny way to think of someone who only shows up when she needs something from you. Someone who disappears for two years and doesn’t bot
her to even let anybody know where she’s going or when she’s going to come back, if at all.”
“Stop being a baby,” she complained. “I’m not on trial here. I had things I needed to take care of.” She handed him the water, which he promptly let fall out of his limp hand and spill across the floor.
“We all had things to take care of! We needed you here. We needed to stay together. Everything has gone to shit and you obviously couldn’t care less. So, why are you here now? No, wait, let me guess. You need something. Ha! I see it right on your—hic—face.”
“Why are you acting like this Martin? I’m your friend.”
“Gods, even now? Really? Is making things about yourself the only thing you know how to do?”
The words struck her like a slap in the face.
“You’re not the only one who has suffered these last two years, Fiona. It might do you some good to remember that.”
“I’m here now,” she told him. But he didn’t hear her. He was asleep.
It was a couple more hours before Martin awoke and when he did Fiona was waiting there with water. “Here,” she said, handing him a cup. His lips were dry and cracked and his curly brown hair was sticking out in odd directions.
“Thank you,” he said. He gulped the water eagerly and then rose to get more.
“So how often do they let the Captain of the Guard stay at home wasted before they dismiss you?” she asked.
Martin groaned. “I’ll tell them…something. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Fuck the city guard.”
“Well, that’s hardly an attitude fit for leadership.”
“It’s so damn corrupt,” Martin complained. “This whole city is bought and paid for—and don’t look at me like that. Just because you caught me in an embarrassing situation doesn’t mean that I forgive you. You abandoned us all, Fiona.”
“I’m here now, aren’t I?”
She searched her old friend’s face for some kind of reassurance, but he only looked angry and tired.
“Don’t give me that. We both know why you’re here. You want to know about Kevin Lovewood. I’m not stupid, okay, so don’t pretend that you’re here for some altruistic reason.”
“Why can’t it be both?” she asked angrily. “Yes Martin, I left. I made that decision for myself. Because I have someone in my life who hurt me so badly that nothing can ever be the same again for me. I’m still dedicated to finding Rodrick. Does that mean I’m not allowed to speak with anyone else from the city? Should I just go settle down in a life of exile in Laquath? What do you want for me?”
Martin shrugged. “You’ve gotten a lot better at playing the victim. If you were sincere about any of this you wouldn’t just be here with me now. You would have gone to see Sasha. Don’t try to lie, I know you haven’t.”
Fiona’s face flushed red. “That’s different! Sasha, she…I’m not going to talk with you about Sasha!” She folded her arms. Why did they all have to keep bringing up Sasha Rains after what she did two years ago? She owed the woman nothing, and would not let them make her feel guilty over it.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” Martin said. “But you’re wasting your time here, anyway. I don’t have Kevin Lovewood.” He gave her a broad, sad smile. “He escaped.”
“Escaped?” Fiona said, astounded. “He didn’t escape. He was in no condition to walk! How could he have escaped?”
“You seem to know an awful lot about it,” Martin said. “Maybe one of your friends in the Forgotten got him out. Maybe Lawrence Downcastle wields more magic than we know of these days. But if I were to guess, I’d say some Tellosian moneylender paid off one of my men to claim Kevin for himself. Happens all the time, rich bastards. They rub two coppers together and any sentiments of loyalty my men have just melts.”
“Oh, gods, this is bad.”
“This city is screwed,” Martin said. “It’s about time you understood that. It’s about time everyone understood that. It won’t be long until Sandra gets ousted from court herself. She can’t keep going on like this. She doesn’t stand a chance.”
Fiona wanted to scream. She came back to Haygarden hoping to find some friendly faces and, well, some more hope. But everywhere she looked her friends and allies were giving in to despair.
“If I were you I would just leave,” Martin said. “There’s no battle to fight. No enemy you can beat with those swords you wear. How can you fight money? How can you fight anyone when your own soldiers have their loyalty for sale?”
She wanted to tell him something, to get his act together, to not give up. But she couldn’t bring herself to. Nothing was going right anymore, and now she truly didn’t know where to turn.
“Goodbye Martin. I promise I’ll come see you again, and not because I need something.”
* * *
Later that evening Fiona was alone in her room contemplating her next move. Donyo had left to go gods knew where, and so she was by herself with her thoughts. If nothing else happened, it seemed as though the Beast would return and show her how to use the manjeko, but the thought of returning to that strange world frightened her so badly that she could hardly even contemplate it.
She had almost told Donyo about the horrific experience, but decided against mentioning it at the last minute. For whatever reason she couldn’t bring herself to discuss the situation. At least not yet. The whole affair was a nightmare She felt that if she talked about it, then somehow that would make the Beast real and then she would be doomed.
A loud knocking tore her from her thoughts. She cracked open the door and was greeted by a cold gust of wind and a pair of golden teeth smiling in the darkness. “Greetings, Fiona. It’s good to see you.”
Smiley abruptly shoved his way inside without waiting for her to react. “What the hell?” she shouted. “Do you always just barge into people’s homes uninvited?”
“You should be very, very careful right now,” Smiley said in his breathless voice. “My friends in the Tellosian government are not happy with you at all.”
“Am I supposed to care?”
“You should if you want that passport,” Smiley said. “We can get you on a boat to go anywhere in the world you so desire, Fiona. Or we could get you on a boat that sails right off a waterfall, perhaps a nice rocky one like in the Ryango Pass. Have you ever seen a ship dashed against those stones? The sight is truly incredible.”
“I don’t know what you expect from me!” she said. “I’m doing the best I can. What progress have you made? We’re supposed to be working together, after all, aren’t we?”
“Oh no, little girl, don’t get this twisted,” Smiley said. There wasn’t the smallest hint of the usual playfulness about his voice. “You work for us. We’ve been following you to see just how hard you’ve been working, and so far all you’ve managed to do is fuck around with some of your old acquaintances and fall in with some gangsters in the Forgotten.”
She tried not to let it show how unsettled she was that Smiley already knew about the Forgotten. “You’ve been following me, and now you expect me to want to keep working with you?”
“Listen. I think we need to clear the air about some things. I don’t know what plans you have with that drunk Donyo Brownwater, or that loser guard captain, but know this. If you’re in cahoots with anyone at court looking for ways to push the Empire out of the city, then you’re making the wrong damn deal. You’re here to find Rodrick, and that’s it. Anything else and you might find yourself at the wrong end of a long noose.”
“Am I supposed to be intimidated?” Fiona asked. “You do this often? Come find young helpless girls and try to shake things up to scare them?”
“Helpless!” he laughed. “You do yourself a disservice, Fiona. But I’m not interested in shaking things up or scaring you. I’m interested in bringing criminals to justice.”
“Don’t make me laugh,” Fiona took a step forward. She did not feel very brave, but this wouldn’t be the first time she had to fake a tough face. “How many of Haygarde
n’s laws have you broken since arriving here? Who have you bribed? Who have you killed? If you’re going to be a thug, then fine, but don’t pretend that you’re any better than the Forgotten. At least they know what they are.”
She expected to get a rise out of him, but Smiley simply closed his eyes. His weatherbeaten face looked so tired, and Fiona realized she had no idea if he was a young man aged past his years or simply old.
“Kyia Resoumo Aiyk Foewaerun.” There was a rhythmic quality to the words as Smiley spoke.
“I’m sorry, am I supposed to understand that?”
Smiley’s eyes opened, pale blue and lifeless. “Bring order through divine justice. That is roughly what it translates to. It is the oath that every Tellosian agent engraves upon his or her heart as we take up the cause of our Empire.”
“Fascinating.” Fiona crossed her arms. She was not in the mood for a lesson on Tellosian politics.
“Now take it back.” There was death in his voice.
“What?”
Abruptly he grabbed her chair with both hands and flung it into the wall with all his strength, shattering it into a thousand splinters of cheap wood. “Take it back!” he roared. “I am not a thug!” In an instant his hand was around her throat and he was driving her back into the wall. He was strong, impossibly strong. Fiona couldn’t move. Before she could react, there was a dagger pointed at her left eye.
“Alright, you’re not a thug. I take it back.”
Smiley did not relent. Instead he squeezed harder. Fiona’s eyes grew wide with fear. “This whole city is a criminal enterprise,” Smiley said. His eyes were unblinking. “Haygarden and the ingrates who run it have overturned centuries of peaceful order, defying the greatest society the world has ever known, and disrupting the rule of the Emperor, a man hand-picked by the gods themselves. Even worse, the warmongers who rebelled all those years ago inspired their counterparts in Laquath to do the same.”
Fiona wondered desperately if Smiley was on something. His eyes were shaking in his head.
