Chapter 59: The Pearl

Leo squinted at the Pearl’s wallpaper. At first glance the pattern had appeared abstract, but on closer inspection, the larger overall image was made up of individual tiny blossoms invisible from a distance.

Whoever was responsible for decorating the place must really like flowers, Leo thought. They were everywhere, from the vases to the wallpaper to the wreaths hanging over the two staircases. The one on the left was constructed of orchids and the one on the right of lilies.

He didn’t remember the one in Sindrey being so well decorated. He’d only glanced at it in passing, but the outside of the building had been almost entirely worn down. He wondered if Alnwick had its own slums with a less expensive brothel.

Probably. Traveling had taught him that cities were usually more similar than they were different.

The [Fragmentholder] squinted at the staircases. It hadn’t been that long since Spade had disappeared to talk to Lenore, but it felt like ages. He sighed. Allan shot him a knowing glance.

“She’ll probably be back soon,” he said. After pacing around the lobby, he’d taken a seat in the armchair across from Leo’s.

The [Healer] frowned, thinking. “She knows what she’s doing.” The words sounded vaguely begrudging, like a concession, though Leo wasn’t sure if he was imagining it.

After the tension of those first few days, Leo had assumed Allan and Spade had worked out whatever differences had caused said tension, or at least came to a mutual understanding. They’d seemed more comfortable around each other, but he supposed they still didn’t really get along.

“Yeah, I know.” Leo adjusted his position on the chair. The armchair was so soft that it was hard to get comfortable.

“So’re you three actually friends?”

Kai suddenly spoke up from the counter, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. Leo and Allan exchanged glances.

“Not really,” Allan said. “She was the executioner of our town. Our goals happened to align, so we ended up traveling together.” The man smoothly avoided mentioning the fragments, the prison break, or any of their other more illegal activities. Then again, considering what the Pearl was and its own status, Leo doubted Kai would care.

The [Receptionist] snorted. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

“What about you?” Leo found himself asking. Kai raised an eyebrow.

“You mean how I know Spade? Eh, it’s not that interesting.” He nodded at the curtained windows concealing Alnwick behind them. “A few years back, there was this pretty big case. Some noble getting executed. You know how it is.”

Kai shrugged. “Our local executioner didn’t want the job. Didn’t want the rest of the family on his ass, you know? You never really know with those upper class folk.”

That was true. Executioners were already quite unpopular, and they often garnered resentment from the families and friends of their victims. When said loved ones were also wealthy, it created an extra headache for them.

Not only did they have to worry about the usual vengeance seekers, but if someone thought they’d done a poor job or weren’t quick enough or caused too much pain or whatever, they could file a complaint.

Leo was pretty sympathetic to them. They were just doing their jobs, after all. He could see where Alnwick’s executioner must’ve been coming from.

“After that, they had to find someone new, but no one else wanted to either. Spade ended up being the only one. Once the execution was done, she stuck around Alnwick for a bit. Did some guard jobs, dropped by the Pearl a few times, that sort of thing.” The man waggled his eyebrows, to which Leo just gave him a flat stare.

Kai shrugged and continued. “She even had a guard stint at the Pearl, but not very long. She doesn’t like to stay in one place.”

That didn’t surprise him. “So you don’t know her very well either,” Leo confirmed.

“Nah, I don’t think anyone does. Maybe Lenore, but that’s still a longshot. You know how it is.” Kai shook his head. “Anyway, welcome to Alnwick I guess.”

“Thanks,” Leo said, albeit not particularly enthusiastically. Kai snorted.

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“Hey, it’s not that bad.”

“Too many guards,” Leo muttered. The [Receptionist] winced and scratched his hair.

“Ah, yeah, that’s kind of bad. But it’s a new thing, with all this going on.” He gestured vaguely. “Could be worse.”

Allan raised an eyebrow. “Could it?”

“Oh yeah.” Kai nodded vigorously. “It’s even worse at the capital.” He leaned over the counter, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “And I heard the Empire’s making fragment possession punishable by death. Well, for the regular peasant folk anyway.”

Leo exchanged looks with Allan. The [Healer] turned to Kai, brows furrowed.

“But,” he began slowly, “would people really comply with a law like that?”

“If the High General comes knocking on your door, would you say no?”

Leo couldn’t really argue with that point. He remembered the fragmentholder map and how the gradient of light had shifted, becoming more concentrated around Zelyra and the Empire’s capitals. He hadn’t been imagining it, then. Fragments were indeed being moved en masse.

To confirm, Leo asked, “Is it just the Empire doing it? What’ve other countries said about fragments?”

Kai shot him an odd look. “You really don’t keep up with the news, do you?”

“We’ve been on the road,” Allan replied smoothly. He furrowed his brows a little, face a perfect mask of sincerity. “Alnwick is the first place we’ve stopped in a while.”

“Huh, okay. I guess that makes sense.” Kai frowned. “You’re lucky you haven’t run into fragment hunters. Heard it’s been getting real nasty out there.”

Leo bit his lip to avoid reacting to the statement. Oh, we know, he thought.

The [Receptionist] shook his head. “To answer your question, Zelyra put in a pretty strict law too, but I don’t think they’ve had much issues with it.” His brows furrowed as he thought. “I think Ellis tried too, but it wasn’t very successful.”

That wasn’t too surprising. Zelyra was very isolated—the wall of light was proof of that—and very wealthy. Its citizens lived in luxury and comfort.

From what Leo knew, the people of Zelyra practically worshipped their royal family as gods. Most would probably have been happy to give up their fragments to the Sovereign.

Leo hummed in thought. He’d already been planning on avoiding the Empire and Zelyra anyway, so the fragment gathering didn’t affect him too much. Not right now, at least.

He silently pulled up the fragmentholder counter and carefully kept from reacting. 931,144. That was a significant drop, and he suspected it would keep decreasing as the Empire and Zelyra consolidated their fragments.

Hazel eyes narrowed slightly. I believe this is the highest the counter will reach, Sol had said. He must’ve known about this too.

That did make Leo wonder, though. If someone hadn’t absorbed a fragment, it could easily be given away, but what about [Fragmentholders]? Could they choose to give up the class and fragment? There had to be a way that didn’t involve death.

“Thank you for telling us,” Allan said politely. “You’re well informed.”

Kai shrugged, expression a bit smug. “Yeah, well, it’s part of my job. Gotta know what’s happening to stay safe and stuff. Lenore knows way more than me.”

As if on cue, the right staircase creaked.

Leo’s head snapped in its direction. A few seconds later, Spade descended down the stairs and stepped into the lobby. Leo stood.

“How’d it go?”

The [Executioner] raised a scarred eyebrow. “Fine. Lenore knows what’s going on.” She nodded her head at the staircase. “She wants to talk to you alone.”

Allan frowned at that.

“It’s for safety reasons,” Spade said, sounding amused. “Nothing to fret about.”

That did make sense, Leo supposed. He nodded. “I’ll be fine,” he assured the [Healer]. “I can make a deal on my own, you know.”

“Well,” Allan said, “you can, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be good.”

Leo snorted. “Gee, thanks.” He stepped forward towards the stairs. “Which room?”

“End of the hall. You can’t miss it.”

Leo nodded and stepped up the stairs. They creaked slightly beneath him, but were more solid than their appearance suggested. The walls on either side were quite narrow, heightening Leo’s unease, but he kept climbing.

The stairs soon transitioned into a long, dim hallway lit with flickering torches. The dancing lights casted the space in a hazy glow, and Leo could smell traces of incense slipping between the cracks of closed doors.

Glancing around, he made his way down the hallway. The doors were carved with ornate patterns, and draping curtains hung down from the ceiling. The combined decor gave the floor a mysterious, almost intangible atmosphere.

Up ahead, Leo approached the end of the hallway. His pace slowed.

As Spade had said, there was only one room, and it was separated with a double door unlike the rest.

The [Fragmentholder] stepped closer, inspecting the winding blossoms and vines carved into the dark wood. He pressed his ear to it, but he didn’t hear anything on the other side.

Leo raised his fist and knocked. A few seconds passed, then a muffled voice sounded from inside the room. “Come in,” the voice said.

Taking a deep breath, Leo grabbed the cool metal doorknob and pushed.