Tea seeds. Serib felt a little larger in her new lightning robes, proud and strong having picked them out of an unveiled wardrobe that invisible guards held open. Woid helped her pick a nice colour, and even found himself a fresher change more suited to the dim lights. The girl announced: “All I’ve been told is that Shay needs to see Lay’d Payn at Entroprison, in Wing Bardhfahl.”
“That’s all?” The Dam’e chuckled into a sigh. “We’ll just get Shay - a criminal of renown - a visit to the row of cells on death wing, to meet a former Lay’d of Courtdom due for execution. That’s all we have to do.”
Serib felt attacked or treated as stupid, in and by games larger than her. Shay rested her hand upon the girl’s shoulder and strength again was found to smile.
“A disguise is a simple matter, my Dam’e. We would just need a reason to be there in whichever guise. That seems to be one of Lay’d Payn’s plans.”
Faceless clock towers in the distant scape haunted her thoughts. The grandlock Woid returned to lean against seemed even taller.
∞
“You know what’s weirder?” The Dam’e did not appear to have heard or listened. “This Lay’d Payn, her last request was reaching out to me, asking that you and only you, steal that particular pack of tea seeds. The plan may well be hers, as you say. She wants a good drink before the fall, but I don’t like the feel of this scheme.”
The Dam’e paused.
“What is it?” Shay asked.
“I was to be her lieutenant of sorts, once. I suppose she still remembers me.”
Shay’s inkling was confirmed. Woid spoke:
“If it was By Decree, this last request - Shay delivering the seeds personally should not be too strange? Once we have them.”
“Once you have them.” The Dam’e reiterated. “The job was taken by a favourite of the Dorn Twins when you scuffed it.”
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There was much Shay wanted to defend herself with, but she kept silent and focused.
“Who’s the new target?” she asked behind her mask.
“Panzjrah.” The Dam’e replied.
Shay wouldn’t let her heart sink, though it did want to.
∞
“So, a direct approach is not advised.” Woid started having a good think, as opposed to a bad one.
“You could use me to distract them? I’m worth more than these stupid tea seeds, right?” Serib puffed up in her flashy lightning robes. “Whoever Panzjrah is might be more interested in me.”
“Now you’re learning.” Woid nodded, having concluded his thinking. “That would be my suggestion.”
“Indubitably…” The Dam’e agreed, leading into a harsh cough.
∞
Shay looked at Serib, weighing and measuring everything. With morality removed it was a good enough plan, though she did not want to risk Serib’s safety. If only she could remove her conscience from the equation all would go smoothly, but that was not her heart or story, grief always at the fore:
“That’ll be the plan we fall back on, if mine fails. I doubt Panzjrah is working solely for The Dorns now; given Need's overthrow he’ll have Greed in one ear or he’ll be playing both sides. I think we can exploit that nerve.”
∞
The Dam’e concluded: “If you can get those seeds back from Panzjrah, I can get you into the prison to deliver them personally. I doubt you’ll even have to sneak in.”
∞
“This Lay’d Pain covers her bases.” Woid was chewing another dig at Shay over in his mind, as our trio made their way back through the tunnels. “Maybe when you couldn’t steal the seeds, she thought you weren’t coming. Had to send Serib to fetch you.”
Serib meanwhile was watching her lightning robes whoosh and sparkle in the barely-light. “I know these from somewhere…”
Seeing his joke had failed, he turned more serious: “The seeds seem secondary to me. What are you up to?”
However, Shay was too pensive for a reply, her soft steps almost prowling through tunnels.
“What’s your silly plan, then?” Woid asked, slipping in and out of shadows.
Shay's mask hid her dark smirk. She couldn't speak until she knew they were alone.