Red Seas Under Red Skies

He stepped out of the climbing closet, unsure if he was any more convinced by himself than Selendri was.

3

"Master Kosta! My mysterious new associate. What a busy man you" ve been."

Requin's office was as cluttered as it had been on Locke's last visit. Locke was gratified to see his decks of cards stacked haphazardly at various points on and near Requin's desk. The climbing closet opened out of a wall niche between two paintings, a niche Locke certainly hadn't noticed on his previous visit.

Requin was standing gazing out through the mesh screen that covered the door to his balcony, wearing a heavy maroon frock coat with black lapels. He scratched at his chin with one gloved hand and glanced sideways at Locke.

"Actually," said Locke, "Jerome and I have had a quiet few days. As I believe I promised you we would."

"I don't mean just these past few days. I" ve been making those inquiries into your past two years in Tal Verrar." "As I'd hoped. Enlightening?"

"Most educational. Let's be direct. Your associate tried to shake down Azura Gallardine for information concerning my vault. Something more than a year ago. You know who she is?"

Selendri was pacing the room to Locke's left, slowly, watching him over her right shoulder.

"Of course. One of the high muck-a-shits of the Artificers" Guild. I told Jerome where to find her."

"And how did you know that she'd had a hand in the design of my vault?"

"It's amazing how much you can learn by buying drinks in artificer bars and pretending that every story you hear is incredibly fascinating." "I see.",1.. "The old bitch didn't tell him anything, though."

"She wouldn't have. And she would have been content at that; she didn't even tell me about the inquiry he'd made. But I put out the question a few nights ago, and it turns out that a beer-seller on my list of reliable eyes once saw someone answering your associate's description fall out of the sky."

"Yes. Jerome said the guildmistress had a unique method of interrupting conversations."

"Well, Selendri had an uninterrupted conversation with her yesterday evening. She was enticed to remember everything she could about Jerome's visit." "Enticed?" "Financially, Master Kosta." "Ah."

"I have also come to understand that you made inquiries with some of my gangs over in the Silver Marina. Starting around the time Jerome visited Guildmistress Gallardine."

"Yes. I spoke to an older fellow named Drava, and a woman named… what was it…" "Armania Cantazzi."

"Yes, that was her. Thank you. Gorgeous woman; I tried to push past business and get a bit friendlier with her, but she didn't seem to appreciate my charms." "Armania wouldn't have; she prefers the company of other women." "Now there's a relief. I thought I was losing my touch."

"You were curious about shipping, the sort customs officials never get to hear about. You discussed a few terms with my people and never followed up. Why?"

"Jerome and I agreed, upon reflection, that securing shipping from outside Tal Verrar would be wisest. We could then simply hire a few small barges to move whatever we stole from you, and avoid the more complicated dealings involved in getting a lighter."

"If I were pla

"Of course. I conducted a few experiments with fire-oils and acids, on second-hand clockwork mechanisms. I thought it might save some tedious lockpicking." "Did these experiments bear fruit?'s "I'd share that information with an employer," said Locke, gri

"Mmmm. Leave that for now. But it does indeed appear that you" ve been up to something. So many disparate activities that do add up to support your story. There's just one thing more." "Which is?"

"I'm curious. How was old Maxilan doing when you saw him three nights ago?"

Locke was suddenly aware that Selendri was no longer pacing. She had placed herself just a few steps directly behind him, unmoving. Crooked Warden, give me a golden line of bullshit and the wisdom to know when to stop spi

"That's no secret. Any child on the street could tell me that. But you admit you were at the Mon Magisteria?"

"I was. I had a private audience with Stragos. Incidentally, he's under the impression that his agents among your gangs are undetected."

"As per my intentions. But you do get around, Leocanto. Just what would the Archon of Tal Verrar want with you and Jerome? In the middle of the night, no less? On the very night we had such an interesting conversation ourselves?"

Locke sighed to buy himself a few seconds to think. "I can tell you," he said when he'd hesitated as long as was prudent, "but I doubt you're going to like it." "Of course I won't like it. Let's have it anyway."

Locke sighed again. Headfirst into a lie, or headfirst out of the window.

"Stragos is the one who's been paying Jerome and myself. The fronts we've been dealing with are his agents. He's the man who's so keen to see your vault looking like a larder after a banquet. He thought it was time to crack the whip on us."

Faint lines appeared on Requin's face as he ground his teeth together, and he put his hands behind his back. "You heard that from his own mouth?" "Yes."

"What an astonishing regard he must feel for you, to give you a personal briefing on his affairs. And your proof?"

"Well, you know, I did ask for a signed affidavit concerning his intentions to rake you over the coals, and he was happy to provide me with one, but clumsy me… I lost it on my way over here tonight!" I Locke turned to his left and scowled. He could see that Selendri was watching him keenly, with her flesh hand resting on something under her jacket. "For fuck's sake, if you don't believe me I can jump out of the window right now and save us all a great deal of time."

"No… no need to paint the cobblestones with your brains just yet." Requin held up one hand. "It is, however, unusual for someone in Stragos's position to deal directly with agents that must be, ah, somewhat lowly placed within his hierarchy, and in his regard. No offence."

"None taken. If I might hazard a guess, I think Stragos is impatient for some reason. I suspect he wants faster results. And… I'm fairly sure that Jerome and myself are no longer intended to outlive any success we achieve on his behalf. It's the only reasonable presumption."

"And it would save him a fair bit of money, I'd guess. Stragos's sort are ever more parsimonious with gold than they are with lives." Requin cracked his knuckles beneath his thin leather gloves. "The damnable thing is, this all makes a great deal of sense. I have a rule of thumb — if you have a puzzle and the answers are elegant and simple, it means someone is trying to fuck you over."

"My only remaining question," said Selendri, "is why Stragos would deal with you personally, knowing full well you could now implicate him if put to… persuasion."

"There is one thing I hadn't thought to mention," said Locke, looking abashed. "It is… a matter of great embarrassment to Jerome and myself. Stragos gave us cider to drink during our audience. Not daring to be inhospitable, we drank quite a bit of it. He claims to have laced it with a poison, something subtle and latent. Something that will require Jerome and me to take an antidote from his hand at regular intervals, or else die unpleasantly. So now he has us by the hip, and if we want the antidote, we must be his good little creatures." "An old trick," said Requin. "Old and reliable."

"I said we were duly embarrassed. And so you see," said Locke, "he already has a means to dispose of us when we've served his purpose. I'm sure he feels very confident of our loyalty for the time being." "And yet you still wish to turn against him?"