“This isn’t going to cause any problems, is it?” Bill asked as they made their way down the crowded streets of Chanan Harbor. Once again, their destination was the Magistrates Manor. “Is there a chance you’ll be recognized?”
“No,” Aven said with a shake of his head. “I had a mask on the whole time.”
“Right,” Bill said, looking over his shoulder. “If they suspected us, we would have heard about it already. This is the first time I’ve ever gone back to a place I’ve robbed.”
“Really?” asked Aven. “I’ve gone back to old targets plenty of times.”
Bill pointed at himself. “In my profession, after you rob something it's either sunk or on fire.”
“Oh, right,” Aven said as the Magistrates Mansion came into view. “Looks like Saiyun beat us here.”
“Ezu Endin,” Saiyun said with a bow as they approached. He wore his navy blue inspectors robes as well as a hint of perfume. “Thank you again for inviting me along. I am honored that you think so highly of my opinion.”
“Went a little heavy on the perfume, don’t you think?” Bill asked, waving the air in front of his face. Anyone could see that Saiyun was anxious, but whether that was from the stress of meeting the Magistrate or from some hidden secret remained to be seen.
“When one goes to meet someone as senior as the Magistrate,” Saiyun said, holding his head high. “One dresses his best.”
Aven looked down at his shabby clothes. “First I’m hearing of it.”
“Now now,” Bill said as Saiyun shot Aven a dirty look. “We all have our role to play. Ours is to live close to the flow of nature. His is merely different.”
“Thank you, Ezu,” Saiyun said with another bow. “I hope one day to be as wise as you.” Sucking up to your superiors was truly the greatest skill of bureaucrats everywhere. Hopefully he wouldn’t be so busy praising him and the Magistrate that he’d forget to say anything useful.
“All things in time,” Bill said as the gate rattled open.
A servant stood on the other side of the gate. He bowed low and shuffled out of their way. “The Magistrate will see you now.”
“Ezu Endin!” the Magistrate called from the front steps of his manor as they crossed the courtyard. “I wish I could see you in happier times.”
Bill and the others bowed when they reached the base of the stairs. “Perhaps our meeting will make the times happier.”
“Of course of course,” the Magistrate said, clasping Bill’s hands. “Those of us who lead must chart the course. But I fear we have sailed into a sea of troubles.”
“There is no doubt that we have. But such things cannot be avoided, only endured. You remember my acolyte of course. But I don’t think you’ve had the pleasure of Saiyun Li Enaoshi,” Bill said, gesturing to the official.
Saiyun bowed as low as he could. “I am honored to be invited into your home, Magistrate,” he said reverently. “I am even more honored that you would call on the knowledge of someone of such low rank. I will do my best to earn your trust.”
The Magistrate reached out his hand for Saiyun to kiss. “Tailun spoke very highly of you. I would be foolish to ignore his advice. Come, let us retire to my chambers so we may talk.”
“Magistrate, if I may,” Aven said with a bow even lower than Saiyun’s. “Ezu Endin and I witnessed the same events, so I fear there is little I can add to this. I would ask your permission to go speak with one of your guests. She was present and I want to assure myself that she is well.”
The Magistrate nodded. “Of course, go right ahead. The poor girl has been on edge since she came back from Thetri. Perhaps you can bring back some cheer into her eyes.”
“I will do my best,” Aven said, breaking away and walking down a corridor.
The Magistrate lead them down a hallway to a small, private room overlooking the garden. Four mugs of steaming tea were already laid out on the table in front of four chairs. “Now then,” he said, taking a seat and picking up the mug. Tell me about what’s going on in Thetri.”
“To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure myself,” Bill said, picking up the tea and taking a sip. “But Saiyun here has given me some very useful insight.
-
Aven made his way upstairs, taking note of how much noise each step made. The more he knew about the interior, the better chance he’d make it out alive with his loot. A pair of guards walked the hallway and he did his best to observe while looking like he was ignoring them. When he reached Yazwa’s door he knocked loudly. “Excuse me, is this Yazwa’s room? I’m Atess, we met before in Thetri Village. I wanted to check to see how you’re doing, may I come in?”
Yazwa’s door cracked open and she seized him by the wrist, dragging him in. “Are you crazy?” she hissed, slamming the door closed. “There are guards right there, what if they hear you?”
“They were going to hear me anyway,” Aven said, adjusting his tunic. “It would have been a normal conversation, and they would have quickly forgotten it. But being yanked into your room is much more memorable than that.”
“Careful!” Yazwa said, pulling Aven back. “You’ll cut your feet open.” On the floor were a scattering of tiny black stones that reflected light like glass. “Let me clean up.”
“What are you doing?” Aven asked, watching her gather up all the little pieces off the floor, along with a short copper rod and rounded hammer.
Yazwa held up a piece of the black rock that looked like a spearhead. “It’s called knapping. If you hit some rocks right it makes them sharper than any steel blade. Especially if it’s obsidian like this,” she said, wrapping the spearhead in cloth and sticking it in the pocket of her dress. “I can’t go anywhere near a forge anymore, so I have to do something to keep my skills sharp.”
“How did checking out the basement go?” said Aven.
Yazwa sighed, standing up and looking out the window to make sure no one was listening in. “I got into the basement, I told them I wanted to store something down there where it was cool and dry. There’s one guard that watches the basement door and two more down by the vault.”
Aven groaned, grinding the heel of his palm into his forehead. “That’s about what I expected.” No slipping in and out unnoticed. Getting in, stealing the book and getting away would be a lot harder now. “Has anything else changed?”
“Just more guards patrolling around, that’s all I’ve noticed,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the open window. “I did what you wanted. Now it’s your turn.”
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“Right,” Aven nodded, pulling the little jar of charcoal out of his pack. He unscrewed the top and drew a broken triangle on his right palm.
“What are you going to do?” asked Yazwa breathlessly.
He held his palm up to her forehead, hovering over her skin. “Just sort of, feeling it out. Hold still,” he said, flexing his hand. Sensations bombarded his brain as power flowed into his arm. It wasn’t really touch, but Yazwa ‘felt’ rough, like running his hand over sandpaper. He waved his hand over his own face, feeling nothing but smooth resistance. “I can feel something,” Aven said, picking up the bottle of ash.
“What?” asked Yarin, eyes bright. “None of the Achali could ever see anything. Is it like something growing out of me? A lump, a spike?”
Aven traced four ash symbols on his arm, careful to make them properly. “No. You feel…rough. I’m going to try something. Hold still,” he said, touching two of his fingers to her forehead. Yazwa closed her eyes and held her breath. Aven frowned at the string of symbols. It was normally used for purging metal objects from the body. Maybe it could work here. He visualized the roughness falling away from her body, leaving nothing but smoothness behind. Power flowed into him, but Aven yelped when it piled up with nowhere to go, sending lances of pain down his arm. He broke contact with Yazwa and smudged the markings before his arm went completely numb.
“What happened, did it work?” she asked.
“No,” grunted Aven, flexing his arm until he could feel it again. “I don’t have the right string of symbols for it.”
“Well, try another one,” Yazwa insisted, leaning in.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Aven said, taking a step back. “The only thing I’ve practiced with is separating metal from other things. I just…don’t know how to do it.”
Yazwa stared at him, trying to blink away tears. She stepped back and sat back on the bed, covering her face with her hands.
“But there might be someone who can,” Aven blurted before he could stop himself.
“What?” Yazwa asked, voice cracking. “Who?”
“A passenger on our ship,” he said as the words came tumbling out. “He knows the Art of Purification, probably better than me. He might be able to do something.”
“What are we waiting for?” asked Yazwa, leaping to her feet and rubbing her eyes. “Bring me to him!”
“Not right now,” Aven whispered. “Bill and I have some things to take care of first.”
“You mean stealing from the Magistrate?” Yazwa asked.
“Among other things,” said Aven. “I promise I’ll set something up before we have to leave. But it can’t be now.”
“Then when?” demanded Yazwa.
“We don’t really have a schedule,” Aven hissed. “I didn’t even have to tell you about him, so if I wanted to dodge you, I could have. You have to trust me.”
Yazwa fumed, clenching her hands into fists. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“You made it when you decided to work with us,” Aven said with a shrug.
-
“I am inclined to Saiyun’s theory,” said the Magistrate, leaning back as his servant poured him more tea. “The work of a pack of deserters.”
“Could you explain why? I’m new to such things, so I don’t have your depth of knowledge,” said Bill, idly munching on a piece of cheese.
“It’s quite simple,” said the Magistrate. “All the men on this island capable of such things are all gentlemen. Stalwart servants of The Enduring True Emperor Haogon. What business would they have stealing a lockbox?”
“There’s more than one person capable in Chanan of such power?” asked Bill.
“Four,” grinned Tiyake. “Such is the might of our Emperor and his loyal subjects. The head of the local Shinan Academy could do such things. So could Captain Etshi from our naval forces and General Saoten. He’s comfortably retired in a house by the shore. The island's governor can too. I know them all, and all four men are loyal to the Throne. Not a bandit among them,” he laughed.
“Such a relief to hear,” said Saiyun, raising his cup.
“I suppose I will defer to your experience,” Bill said. “For someone who never learned to summon, you are quite knowledgeable. Do you read a lot on the subject?”
“I do,” nodded the Magistrate. “I have quite a collection of rare manuals on summons.”
Bill forced a smile away from his face. “Oh? I thought knowledge would be passed down directly from master to student. That is how we Ezu are trained after all.”
“No no, my friend,” said Tiyake with a wave of his hand. “The magic of the Vao is much more complicated for those who learn it. Having written manuals is a must. That way the knowledge and techniques can be preserved in case the worst happens.”
“What rare manuals do you have, sir?” asked Saiyun. Bill tried to not look gleeful.
“Oh the Lai Zeng Compendium, Akoli’s Primary and Lanzu’s Manual of Plant Summons. All from academies based in the west. I have a bidding war going on for all three,” Tiyake laughed. “Some of the local academies are desperate to have them.”
“How exciting,” said Bill. “But I must contest the idea that manuals are a better medium for preservation than direct teaching. Our skills are kept perfectly preserved in our minds, while paper is so easy to destroy.”
“That my friend,” grinned the Magistrate. “Is why they’re not preserved on paper. Cedar wood strip books last a lot longer than paper.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” said Bill with a smile.
-
“Here’s to fortune!” said Bill, raising a mug of rum to the ceiling and knocking it back. The bar wasn’t crowded in the early afternoon. Two people sat by the bar and a handful of others were scattered around circular tables. Aven and Bill sat as far away from the door as they could at their own little table. “I love it when marks mess up.”
“Not so loudly,” Aven said, eyes sweeping around the room. No one was paying them much attention, even the bartender was distracted when four men pushed in through the curtain-covered door. “You shouldn’t be drinking before we finish the job.”
Bill lifted the mug to his lips again and took another long drink. “Another!” he shouted to the bartender as he took the orders of the new men. “Aven, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, you have to make time for fun. We know what the book looks like now, we don’t even need a favor from that Vao now. Once we find out who he is, we can squeeze him for even more.”
“We should just get the book and get out,” said Aven, looking down.
“When opportunity knocks, you answer the door,” Bill laughed.
The bartender came over, holding a full mug in his hand. “No charge, complements of them,” he said, pointing at the full table near the door.
“Eternal Waters bless you!” Bill shouted, seizing the mug and taking a drink with a grimace. “Oh, this is the good stuff. I can’t lose today.”
Aven watched the bartender leave until he was out of earshot. “If you’re going to get drunk, do it on the ship.”
“What kind of example would I be setting as captain then? Relax, I’ll sober up before we go. Lighten up, we’re doing great!” Bill said, words slurring together.
“But we haven’t finished yet,” Aven said, a shiver running up his spine. Something was off. “We should go.”
Bill slammed back the rest of the mug, dripping some down his beard. “No,” he said, steadying himself and leaning towards Aven. “Look, we've still got time. We’ll work out a night to get the book and we’ll figure out who our rogue Vao is. There’s time for a drink or two in there. You should have one, on me.”
Aven waved him off. “I don’t drink.”
“Suit yourself. One more!” Bill bellowed to the bartender. “Bring me that good stuff you were hiding!” he said before turning back to Aven. “Hey. Been thinking. We could probably get Yazwa to help out with the heist if we offer to have Tsen take a look at her.”
“I already offered,” said Aven, not meeting Bill's eyes.
Bill was silent as the bartender brought over another mug and took his payment back to the bar. “Can’t even trust an Ezu,” he laughed, taking another drink. “Look, offering more help was the right thing to do, but we don’t have that luxury.”
“She’s not a pirate or a criminal. We don’t have to worry about running into her again. All she wants is to go home,” said Aven, staring at the table.
“You don’t know that,” Bill slurred, swaying on his seat. “If she wasn’t such a bad liar, I’d think she was playing some kind of long con.”
“But she is, and I already said I’d help her,” Aven snapped.
Bill took another drink, watching Aven over the rim of the mug, setting it down when it was drained. “That’s how you lose the Favor Game. I thought your mother would have taught you that.”
Aven leapt to his feet, just as someone strode into the room. It was a woman wearing no shoes and a simple brown cloth tunic. Her long black hair was done up in a bun and she had a thick tail swaying behind her with a tuft of black hair at the end. Aven froze when he recognized her as one of the monks from the temple of En Chitei. “Ezu!” she shouted, pointing at Bill. “I challenge you to a duel!”