Blue Fire

Chapter Three

The alley market wasn’t one of my favourite places, and not just because I’d never had anything to sell before. Everyone there was a thief – buying stolen goods, selling stolen goods, looking for stolen goods. You had to watch your pockets as well as your tongue, and if you slipped up at all, someone would rob you of something.

We’d decided six of us would go. Me, Danello, Aylin, Tali, Soek and Jovan. More would likely draw attention, fewer wouldn’t be able to carry or sell enough to keep us afloat very long. We’d sell in pairs to watch each other’s backs.

“Everyone remember how much to try and get?” I said a block from the alley. Aylin had done a good job estimating what our bundles were worth. Odds were we wouldn’t get all of it, but the closer we got, the better.

“I remember.” Jovan already had on his bluffing face. He’d surprised us all last night when we tested each other to see who could lie the best. Tali wasn’t nearly as good, but she had an uncanny way of making you want to give her what she asked for anyway. She called it her hungry puppy face and said she’d gotten many an extra dessert at the League with it.

I could believe it. And I’d have to remember that next time she tried to talk me into or out of anything.

“We’ll go in separately. Don’t look at each other, and once you’ve sold your goods, meet back here.”

Aylin frowned and shook her head. “Not here. Anyone following after we sell might jump us.” She looked around and pointed to the bakery. “That works. Buy something and linger inside.”

“If you see soldiers,” I added, “get out, but walk, don’t run.”

“Got it. Let’s go,” said Soek. He and Tali would follow Danello and me, with Aylin and Jovan last.

Danello grabbed my hand and we walked the last block to the alley market, keeping an eye out for soldiers and thieves. The market changed locations, but you could always find it in the poorest parts of Geveg. It wasn’t that different from the regular market squares, except no one had their wares on display and everyone conducted business in whispers. Today it was just off the docks.

Our bag was full of silverware and metalwork, so we walked up to a stall with a hammer-and-forge sign hanging off it.

“And what can I do for you today?” the merchant asked. She smiled, but her gaze weighed the bag like she could guess its worth on sight.

“My aunt left me her silver and it’s all ugly.” I pulled out a few pieces. “Figured I’d sell it off and buy something nice for myself.”

The merchant picked up a candlestick and turned it this way and that, a slight frown on her face like it wasn’t the pure silver we knew it was. “It is ugly.”

“You should see the forks.”

“You have the whole set? I know a woman who wants to get her mother-by-marriage an ugly gift.”

I slid the Verlattian teak box out of the bag. Her eyes widened just a bit.

“The box isn’t bad.”

It was better than not bad. The wood gleamed, the grain patterns rich and dark.

Aylin and Jovan passed us and went to a jeweller. Aylin had amazed us all last night with her tale of woe, about her beloved who died in the ferry accident and left her alone, and now she had to sell off all his gifts. How her mistress had given her a few trinkets to help ease her through this tragedy. She seemed exactly like a maid who’d stolen from her mistress’s jewel case.

The merchant ran her fingers along the wooden lid and lifted it. Silver sparkled in neat rows. “I’ll give you two hundred for the set.”

“The candlesticks alone are worth that.”

The corners of her mouth tightened for a heartbeat. “I’d say more like one hundred, maybe.”

I shrugged, feigned indifference. Inside it was hard to stay calm. Two hundred oppas was more money than I’d ever seen at once.

“Does your boy there ever talk?”

“Only when someone’s trying to steal the fish from our net.” Danello folded his muscled arms and glared at her.

For a moment I thought I saw a smile. “Lucky girl, you. Let’s see, I can probably do…” She inspected the pieces slowly, no doubt trying to decide how much she could cheat us.

“But it’s goldstone!” yelled a familiar voice. “It has to be worth more than that.”

I glanced down a few stalls and tried not to suck in a breath. The rent collector was arguing with a vendor, waving one of the statuettes in his face. I forced my gaze away and hoped she was too busy to notice any of us.

“Three hundred,” the merchant finished.

“It’s worth at least six.”

She shrugged. “You can always sell to the silversmith.” She didn’t take her hands off the box though.

“Give that Baseeri rat my aunt’s silver?” I turned and spat. “I don’t think so.”

The rent collector glanced my way, then snapped around. She looked from me to the silver on the table, her eyes narrowing as if I were selling off her property.

Behind her, Tali and Soek left the art vendor. Tali started grinning as soon as her back was turned, so she must have done well. Aylin and Jovan were still at the jeweller’s, but the jewels were being wrapped up so they had to be close to a deal.

“How about five then?” I said.

“You’d be robbing me at that price.”

The rent collector stalked over. Danello intercepted, keeping her a stride’s length away.

“What are you doing?” she said, pointing at me. “What are you selling? Are your little friends here?” She spun around. “There’s one! Where are the others?”

The merchant frowned and pulled her hands off the silverware box. “Perhaps now isn’t the best time.”

“Now is fine,” I said quickly. “Nothing to worry about.” Danello had the rent collector by the arms, but she wouldn’t stay quiet. “I could have turned you in and I didn’t! You owe me!”

My guts twisted. “Shall we split the difference and say four?”

The merchant’s attention was on the rent collector now, her brow furrowed as if she were thinking hard. Then she looked at me.

Please, Saint Saea, don’t let her recognise me.

Aylin had fluffed my curls so my head looked bigger than the poster, and lined my eyes and cheeks with powders to make me look older.

“Do I know you?”

“No.”

“Those are mine.” The rent collector surged past Danello and grabbed at the silver.

“They are not!” I snatched them away just in time, but the merchant was backing off, worry on her plump face. A crowd had gathered, some watching in boredom, others probably waiting to see if we’d start fighting and drop something.

“Don’t try to cheat me, Shifter, or you’ll be sorry!”

I gulped. The merchant gasped.

“You’re the girl from the posters!”

“Deal’s off.” I threw the silverware box into the air as Danello shoved the rent collector into the crowd. She fell, knocking over a few people, and money and silver hit the street. Cries of alarm and joy rose, and no one seemed to care about me any more.

I headed for the bakery, walking fast but not running. Soldiers patrolled these streets, and while the vendors paid them to walk past the alley market, they had no trouble stopping anyone who came out of it at a run. “Anyone following?”

“Don’t think so. The merchant wouldn’t leave her stall unattended. I don’t think the others heard the rent collector call you Shifter.”

I could only hope.

We ducked on to a porch and crouched down behind the railing. The bakery was across the street, but I didn’t want to go inside if we were being followed.

“Wait, someone just left the alley,” Danello said. “A boy, nineteen, maybe twenty. I think he’s looking for something.”

I peeked above the railing. Danello was mostly right, but the boy wasn’t just looking for something, he was looking out for something as well.

Angry shouts came from the alley market. A patrol came down the street, their steps hesitant as if they weren’t yet sure if they wanted to get involved. The boy dropped and tied his sandals, even though he had no sandals to tie.

“He’s hiding from the soldiers,” I whispered. “If he was after me, he wouldn’t do that.”

“What’s he looking for then?”

I held my breath as the soldiers walked closer to the kneeling boy. I recognised that tenseness, that fear, that desperate praying that they wouldn’t notice you.

A woman screamed and the soldiers ran for the alley, passing the boy by a few feet. He stayed down for a second more, then jumped up. He stood in the street, turning slowly, his face pale.

“Shifter?” he whisper-yelled. “Are you out here? I need your help. Please, we’re in trouble.”

I started to rise and Danello pulled me down. “You can’t risk it.”

“What if he’s a Taker?”

“What if he’s a trap?”

I looked again. “He’s too scared to be a trap.”

“Let me approach him then. You stay here.” He didn’t wait for an answer, just hopped up and walked over. The boy started and stepped back, but he steadied himself like he expected Danello to attack him. They spoke for a minute, then Danello scanned the street.

“It’s OK,” he called.

I came out of hiding.

“You were right,” Danello said. “His sister is trapped at the docks. Trackers are after her.”

“You have to save her, please,” the boy said. “I was in the alley trying to buy a weapon so I could attack the trackers and I heard that woman call you Shifter. The Takers, the ones who are hiding with us, were all talking about you. Some say you can help us.”

I’d never faced a tracker before. Guards and soldiers were one thing, but trackers were trained to hunt down Takers. We’d been far too lucky avoiding avoided them so far. I should have known that luck wouldn’t last.

“Where is she?” I asked against all better judgement. But turning your back on trouble only let it sneak up on you.

“On berth three. By the traps.”

Rows of traps littered berth three: fish traps, crab traps, duck traps, probably some mouse and rat traps. The whole place was one stinky maze.

“Which traps?”

He pushed both hands through his brown hair. “I… uh… I’m not sure. When we saw them, we started running.”

Running? No wonder she caught their attention.

“I think there were at least four of them,” he said. “Maybe more.”

Four trackers? Saea be merciful. “We’ll need help to get her,” I said. Danello hadn’t spoken, but he didn’t look any happier about it than I did. “Follow us.”

I headed into the bakery. The others were all there, looking worried. Tali had mango cream filling all over her mouth but didn’t seem to be enjoying it. Aylin shot me her oh-Nya-what-did-youdo-now? face. “What happened?”

“The rent collecter saw me and caused a fuss, but we got away. This boy’s sister is trapped on the docks. Trackers are after her.”

“What’s the plan?” Aylin asked.

“She’s on berth three. We’ll split up and look for her,” I said.

“We’ll signal if we find her,” Danello said. “Three caws, then two, like we practised.”

“Got it.” Tali nodded.

“No,” I said. “You’re going to the town house with Soek and Jovan.” All three started arguing and I waved my hands to quiet them. “Listen, the rent collector is probably going to tell the soldiers about me, so the town house isn’t safe any more. You three need to get everyone ready and head right to Barnikoff’s.” He’d be surprised when they showed up, but we didn’t have a choice. “It’s go now or get caught.”

Tali folded her arms. “I’m not leaving you.” Her eyes teared up and she leaned in closer. “If they catch you, we’ll be separated again. I’d rather be caught with you than all alone.”

I pictured Tali on her own, trying to find food, avoid soldiers. Stay alive. “OK, but you do exactly as I say and stay close.”

“I will.”

I turned to the others. “Let’s go.”

We left the bakery and hurried to the docks, the sun already beating down on our heads. Aylin and I headed into the maze while Danello and the boy followed the outside paths. A few paces ahead a lake gull squawked and took flight, its white feathers stark against the brown and green of the crab traps rising like cliffs around us. Lake gulls usually spooked at things they thought might eat them – and these days that meant people as often as crocodiles. I dropped and Aylin and Tali dropped with me, taking cover behind a drying rack.

Footsteps shuffled about thirty feet behind us. Slow, steady, cautious. Too heavy for a scared girl, but not heavy enough for a dock worker. Then another set of footsteps. Maybe these trackers were working in pairs – one flushed the prey and the other caught it.

I gestured at Aylin to sneak around and try to see who the footsteps belonged to. She nodded and crept along the stacks.

Footsteps again, then—

Polished boots and dark trousers stepped into view. A tracker! I heard a scraping sound, like a weapon being drawn.

“Come out, come out – we know you’re here,” a woman called, her voice cold, yet teasing.

My heart raced. I looked for Aylin, but she was no longer in the tight walkway. Tali’s eyes were wide, but she stayed low and silent.

I peeked between the traps for a better look at the woman. She turned a slow circle, her hand out in front of her. I tiptoed away from the tracker until I reached the end of the row and ducked behind a dock shed. If the trackers kept moving forward, I could—

Sniff.

I turned towards the sound, my feet ready to bolt the other way. The boy’s sister! She was about my age, but small as Tali. She’d wedged herself under a cleaning table at the edge of the dock about fifty feet away.

Waves sighed against the canal walls and hissed through the reeds growing along the boat-launching ramps. The tracker stood by the closest ramp, a blue-black pynvium rod in her hand. Much better than a sword. As long as she didn’t use it on anyone but me.

I turned to Tali and pointed to a dinghy leaning against a post.

She nodded.

A fake gull cried out – three caws, close. Aylin was probably on the other side of the sister. I cawed back twice. The tracker turned away and I darted across the row, slipping under the dinghy. Tali slipped in behind me a breath later.

The tracker moved away from the launching ramp, narrowing the distance between her and the girl. Danello slipped behind the tracker, darting across the row. The brother had to be there, though I didn’t see him. I hoped he didn’t do anything reckless to help his sister.

The tracker stiffened and turned as if she’d heard us.

I left Tali and moved closer, testing each footstep before settling my weight down on the bleached planks of the dock.

Movement under the cleaning table caught my eye. The sister leaned forward as if about to run, terror on her face. I shook my head and she sat back.

Creak.

I froze. The tracker snapped around and raised her pynvium weapon. She glanced at the traps and pulled a knife from her boot as well.

Creak.

The tracker followed the sound, her head cocked, her weapons ready.

The sister gasped, soft as a splash. I held up my hands and mouthed, stay. She nodded.

The tracker was right on the other side of the traps from me. She took another cautious step in her shiny black boots and then stopped.

She narrowed her eyes. She cocked her head again and stepped closer to the wall of crab traps separating us.

Had she sensed me?

Jeatar had warned me about that before he’d left Geveg. “The Duke will hire the best trackers to go after you. The ones who can sense a Taker like a Taker senses pynvium. The good ones can sense a Taker just by walking by.”

If she’d sensed us from this distance, she was really good.

“Come out, come out, little girl,” she called louder.

I held my breath. Light drops of sweat dotted her brow and upper lip. Was she scared? If so, maybe I could catch her off guard, give the others time to move in and the sister time to move out.

“I know you’re here,” the tracker called. She held up one hand, inches away from the traps hiding me, as if she could feel me behind the wood. “Is that you, Shifter?”

I swallowed my gasp. She had to be guessing. She couldn’t possibly know it was me.

“I’ll leave the girl alone if you show yourself. You’re a much better prize for the Duke than she is.”