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After I paid for my room, I asked the i
"Sarr?" he said, caught unawares.
I nodded.
"No, I don't --" His eyes flicked away from me. "I'm afraid I haven't heard of him, no."
I leanedcloseand drew out the shadows enough that they crawledover the counter.The i
"You shouldn't lie to me," I said.
"I ain't lying, honest -- I've heard the name, but I don't -- don'tknowhim. Don't want to know him." He tossed the key at me. I caught it,and the shadows retreated into the light.
"Where have you heard the name?"
"Here and there, you know. The girls don't like him." He jerked his head in the direction of the street. "I always give 'em a free meal if they bring their business here, and I've heard 'em whispering."
"That's it? You've only heard his name from the street girls?"
"Nah, you hear it from others sometimes too. But I don't know nothing about him, I swear. It's just a name."
"Thank you for your cooperation," I said. This had turned out more useful than I might have expected, and it made sense that an i
Doubtful.
In my room, I locked the door,took off my armor and turned down the sheets on my shabby, creaking bed. I stood in the window and looked out over the ocean glimmering beneath the stars. I was wasting time in every way I could think of. But I knew I couldn't put off contacting the Order forever.
When I finally decided to get it over with, sunlight was just begi
"This is taking longer than we expected, Naji."
Ifelt like I was a child again, being scolded for doing poorly in training.
"I encountered complications." My voice reverberated against my ears. My body was still in the i
"Complications?"
I chose my words carefully. "Yes. Someone hashelped him. He evaded my tracking spells."
Zahir said nothing.
"I'm confident I'll be able to track him."
"This was not meant to be an involved operation."
"And it won't be. It should be completed by tomorrow evening."
Zahir snorted into his glass. "Do you have any idea how many times 'tomorrow evening' becomes 'two months from now'?"
"I've already begun my investigation. I don't foresee it taking two months."
"Let's hope not." Zahir set his glass down and looked at me -- looked at my shade. He seemed bored, sleepy, irritated. Which was fair:he was an old man. I imagine he didn't appreciate staying up all night waiting for me to bring word. "I'll give you until tomorrow's sunrise. If ittakes any longer than that, expect punishment."
I shivered.
"Yes, of course. Thank you, Zahir."
He snorted again and waved me away. Five heartbeats later I was back in the i
Tomorrow's sunrise.
One full day.
I could find the most dangerous man in Lisirra in one full day.
#
I only allowed myself to sleep for four hours. When I woke up, the sunlight was a bright, sparkling mass choking out the air of my bedroom. It hurt my eyes. But I couldn't allow myself the luxury of sleep right now.
Before I left, I cast a tracking spell to double check. According to my magic, Sarr was still nestled safely in that house in the desert. I muttered a few profanities, directing them at Leila.
Then I set a ward on my room and went downstairs. The i
Without magic, I would have to track Sarr through the trails all people leave, through his co
However, uncovering street girls during the middle of the day proved more difficult than I thought. I wound up at a dancehall after half an hour of wandering. It had only just opened, strings of magic-cast lanterns blinking red and blue and gold, washed out in the sunlight.I went in. Most of the tables were empty and theair was thick with pipe smoke.Magic jangled in the background, emanating from an unenthusiasticband in the corner. A few women danced onstage, looking as bored as the band.
A woman came to ask if I wanted anything to drink. She wore a spangled dress that caught the light andthrewdots of color across the floor. Her eyes were made-up with same darkshadesthat Leila favored.
Like Leila, and unlike most people in the city, she didn't act frightened of me.
"I don't need anything to drink," I told her, making sure to smile, to put her at ease. "But I do need your help."
She looked at me warily.
"I'm looking for someone," I said. "Lisim Sarr."
Her eyes went wide when I said his name. She glanced over her shoulder, toward the door, then back to me. The music played on.
"Are you going to kill him?" she asked.
"What?"
"You're an assassin, aren't you? Is that why you're looking for him?" She slid into the chair next to me and put her hand on my arm, her touch feather-soft. I smiled at her again, and her eyes sparkled a little -- with excitement, I thought. Interest.
"I'm not allowed to tell you that," I said.
"Then why are you looking for him? Do you want to help him?"
I hesitated. I really didn't like tracking people this way. It was too nuanced, too dependent on understanding the network of human co
My being Jadorr'a, that didn't scare her. But the thought that I might be helping Sarr --
"No," I said. "I just need to talk to him."
"You won't be able to. He's mad." She pulled her hand away from me and slouched in herchair. Her hair fell across her face. The band finished their song anddesultoryapplause scattered across the room. The woman picked her headupa little. "That's what everyone says, anyway.And he’s wicked as well. Althoughisn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Killwicked men?"
Her words surprised me.I regarded her for a moment. There aren't many people in the Empire who understand thehistory of the Order, who understand that we were formed long ago to keep thepeople of thedesertlands safe fromkings would rather rage war with each other than rule.Most only know us as the killers for hire thatwe’ve become, and not for what we are supposed to be.