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memento_mori_112012-05-07 04:15 pm
keaalu) wrote in memento_mori_112012-05-07 04:15 pm
Memento Mori, Chapter 26
In spite of a day of hard work in the Library garden, the resident ghost hadn’t slept well at all. Sarmis woke before it had even got light, and after tossing and turning for a while, unable to get back to sleep, he simply lay and stared at his ceiling until the pre-dawn twilight strengthened into a sunny morning. Muttering quiet invective to himself, he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to massage away a little of the discomfort around his eyes, wondering how it was that he’d managed to screw himself over yet again.
You’re brilliant at bad decisions, that’s how. And now you’re trapped between opposing tides, about to be torn in two directions. Whichever way you try and swim, you’re going to suffer for it. Odati had asked him to do something, and he wasn’t the sort of person to agree and then go back on the promise... But how could he condone trying to stop his friends, when they were the only two brave (or stupid) enough to deliberately go into enemy territory to try to help their friend?
If only he could convince himself that they weren’t just wasting their time. All rescuing Blink would actually achieve right now would be to make Tevak angry – it wasn’t like the poor fessine would actually be safe. If the giant could happily climb the fence and abduct her once, no power on the planet would persuade him not to just do it again, short of some complete freaking... paradigm shift, or something. Kettu forbid Tevak thought of it as a theft.
Sarmis sighed and made his way down the stairs, as silently as his nickname, so well practiced in hiding his soft footsteps that it came automatically, now. Hearing Halli’s voice, he hesitated just out of sight, staying a pace or two outside the kitchen door, listening quietly.
“I can’t stay cooped up in here all day.” Rae’s exhausted tones were easily picked out – the poor spur sounded like he’d been through the wringer, but he still seemed disinclined to actually let himself stop. “We arranged a meeting with that kid, if I don’t go...”
“Do you think you’ll even make it? Look at you. You’re still full of incubation sickness, you’ll fall down exhausted before you get halfway.” A sigh. “I’ll go. I’ll explain what’s happened, I’ll bring back any message he has for us.”
Sarmis perked an ear; that was unrealistic optimism on the part of the zaar. Shifting really took it out of you – although he himself had got the quick recovery down to a fine art, it took most people at least a full day’s rest and plenty of food to be back in good health afterwards, and Halli had only really slept overnight. Last he’d seen of her, though, she’d been packing in the carbohydrates, and the reluctant spy guessed she was trying to give her health a different sort of boost.
Rae elevated his voice briefly in protest. “I can’t let you go on your own-!”
“Why not? Are you forgetting I’ve lived here close to twenty years, and I know how our little society works?”
“No-o, I just don’t want you getting into trouble if you’re on your own, where I can’t help you.”
The fal snorted, dismissively. “I know you wretched spurs have some weird cultural issue that makes you think females are all weak and need protecting every hour of every day, but I don’t need an escort-”
“What? Skeida, Hal. Stop looking for things to be offended by, you know that wasn’t what I meant.”
“So what did you mean.”
“I mean, if Sett gives you bad news, can you promise me that you’ll come back here and tell me? You won’t go racing off to try be a hero and rescue her all on your own?”
Halli’s whispered voice dropped to a hiss. “Just what exactly are you suggesting?”
“I don’t know, maybe that neither of us seem to have any friggin’ sense of self-preservation right now? We both want to get her out, and sure, if I went alone? I wouldn’t trust me not to immediately go raring off to try rescue her, either. That’s why I wouldn’t go alone!”
Halli muttered something Sarmis didn’t catch, but didn’t obviously challenge the spur’s words.
“If we go together, we’ll police each other,” Rae went on. “One will make sure the other doesn’t try and do anything stupid, like sneak after the kid, attack Tevak, try and get Blink out when no-one’s looking.”
“...unless we both agree it’d be a good idea to go together.”
“Oh don’t even joke about it-!” Rae groaned. “It wouldn’t even be funny if it wasn’t so close to being true.” He shuddered a sigh of disappointment. “We still haven’t spoken to Odati like we promised, either. What are we gonna say to him about that? Thanks for putting your own safety at risk but y’know, we chickened out of speaking to Odati, because we know what the answer’s gonna be and she’ll only kick us out, too.”
“I know.” Halli sighed. “I’m not even sure how we’d broach the subject in a way that’d allow any shade of rational discussion. If we tell our overprotective den-mama that we’ve been talking to the enemy in any capacity, she’ll lock down completely. She’ll probably flat out refuse to listen to anything past us mentioning it in the first place.”
Sarmis decided that now was as good a time to announce his presence as any. He backed up a step or two, then ambled in through the door, making sure his footfalls in the corridor were audible. “Greets, people. Nice morning, eh?”
Halli fell silent midsentence, pursing her lips in a suspicious frown as she watched him walk in. Rae still looked unnaturally ashen, his head propped in both hands and his bloodshot eyes surrounded by big exhausted dark circles, but he at least managed to squeeze out a wan smile.
I guess not. Sarmis sighed, inwardly. “Feeling any better, Rae?”
Rae nodded, not bothering to lift his head out of his hands, then clarified; “Well, starting to.”
Halli watched the pale spur select a glass and tear open a long life carton of fruit juice. “So what were you doing hanging around outside the door, anyway?”
There was just the tiniest tremble in Sarmis’ steady hands as he filled the glass with pale red nectar – so subtle, only someone looking for it could have possible caught it. “Beg pardon?”
“Just now.” Halli’s eyes remained steely.
“I just came downstairs.” He slid into an unoccupied chair and put on his most affable smile. “It is breakfast time, you know?”
Halli’s expression didn’t relax. “You only play the ‘heavy footsteps’ game when you’re trying to make sure we know you’re there, because you’re up to something. What are you playing at?”
Sarmis weighed up his options. Tell the truth, and upset Odati? Or keep lying, and end up losing his friends’ trust instead? It wasn’t much of a decision to make; he didn’t like having to do Odati’s dirty work, and if his friends still trusted him, they may be more open with him and let him help out, anyway.
“I’m not ‘playing’ at anything. Odati asked me to keep an eye on you guys,” he admitted, quietly. “She’s not happy with where you said you were yesterday.”
“I don’t see how it’s any of her business.” Halli fixed him on a warning look. “And while you’re watching us, who’s going to be watching you?”
“What for?” To his credit, Sarmis’ expression didn’t even flicker.
“Oh don’t even try it. I saw you, Sam. Over the fence. When Rae got too sick to carry on, we camped out in the old Yanoi furniture store, last night, and I watched you sneak up the main precinct towards the Old Quarter while it was still foggy.”
“I didn’t see you,” he challenged, automatically, then realised the error and hastily tried to cover it the slip with bluster. “How could you have identified anyone, anyway, the fog was so thick you could barely see your hand in front of your face. That could have been anyone that you saw.”
“Well I wasn’t sure it was you,” Halli confessed, darkly. “Not a hundred percent, at least, especially not after seeing you in the garden yesterday. I couldn’t believe you recovered so fast afterwards. Until you just confirmed it for me.”
“What’s going on, Sam?” Rae’s heavy head and shoulders sagged even lower, until he was almost sprawled over the tabletop; he looked... crushed. “I thought you were our friend. Did you let me get bitten on purpose?”
“What?” The pale spur straightened, horrified. “Why would I-... How could you even think that?”
“Well you’re working for him. You know I know Blink best, you know I had nothing to lose by trying to rescue her. I’m the biggest threat. You want me out of the picture.”
“No-... no! That’s such a load of-... Come on, guys-” Sarmis groaned and braced his forehead against his hands. “I don’t believe this...”
“So what is it?” Halli leaned down into his line of sight. “Please? Give us something.”
What was the point in trying to think up a lie, now he’d been caught out? “I’ve been going over the fence for years,” Sarmis admitted, quietly, studying his fingers. “There’s a fessine over there I know, from back when I was in the force. She was only a kid, back then, worked as receptionist in a, uh, ‘health spa’. I’d sometimes bump into her when we did our periodic vice raids. We kept in contact since our civilisation self-destructed.”
“Is that it?” Halli sagged back in her chair. “You’ve been over there betraying us for a, a... pretty bit of flesh?”
Sarmis shot her a reproachful look. “I haven’t betrayed anyone, at all,” he corrected. “And we meet up to trade news, nothing more. Zhelma lets me know if Tevak’s up to anything, and I let her know if we have anything planned that we don’t want him to interrupt.” He spread his hands. “As soon as Blink vanished, I suspected they’d taken her. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d laid claim to a pretty fessine, right?”
“Why didn’t you say anything? We could have worked together.”
He offered a tired, patient sort of half-smile. “You two were already spoiling for a fight, I wasn’t going to give you that last nudge to take the fight to Tevak’s doorstep. I wanted to be absolutely sure of the facts before I told you anything.” He snorted and massaged his temples. “You two just moved onto their lands faster than I figured.”
“Please forgive us for not reading your mind and waiting for you,” Rae drawled, softly. “Maybe if you hadn’t taken so long about it...”
“I know, I know. Our system isn’t exactly cutting edge.” Sarmis shook his head. “We meet near the west border, where the fence has gone rusty and fallen off its supports. If one of us wants to meet, we put three little white stones on top of one of the fence-posts, and when the other person sees it, they put a pebble in the middle of the triangle, meaning they’ll be at the meeting point... the next... day.”
Sarmis’ words dribbled away to nothing, and he turned his head slowly to look at the hall. Halli and Rae followed suit... to find a certain old vulline framed in the doorway, her tailtip flicking slowly from side to side.
“Oh, don’t stop on my account.” Odati smiled a tight, angry smile. “I’m finding it all quite enlightening, how I can’t even trust my police officer.”
Sarmis pursed his lips, uneasily. “I never did anything to put anyone here at risk, Odati.”
“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you.” She limped her way into the kitchen, stickless – that must have been why no-one had heard her approach – and eased her brittle body into the last remaining empty chair. “Come on. Keep talking. You were explaining some little... incongruities.”
“Incon-... what? How? Nothing I’ve said has contradicted itself-”
“You’re trying to tell us it just so happens that she only got back to you the day these two decided to go snooping in Tevak’s land? And don’t insult my intelligence by trying to deny it, Halli, I know what you were doing.” Odati elevated her voice to be heard over the zaar’s protests. “You two are the only ones who think your little escapades are actually secret.”
“I never tried to say the system was perfect.” Sarmis spread his hands, defensively. “Unless you go near the message post, you don’t know they want to meet up.” Explaining how he was so casually flouting Library ‘law’ had made the ex-policeman blush furiously, but he carried stubbornly on, anyway, in spite of the anxious crowd gathering in the doorway. “But we’ve used it for years, and it’s worked well for the last couple. There’s nothing inconsistent there, it just took Zel a while to see my note.”
“So it’s nothing at all to do with you seeing these useless good-for-nothings sneaking away, and deciding to warn Tevak about it, hmm? And this, ah... ‘messaging post’ excuse... is just a good cover?”
Sarmis just sat with his mouth open for several seconds, blindsided. “...what?” he managed, at last.
“I’m sure he’ll reward you well, for telling him about these two flouting our rules.”
“You’re putting words in my mouth. The only person I spoke to was Zhelma.”
“Well you’re obviously getting something out of your little... arrangement.”
“Only information. To keep us safe!”
“Or the attention of a pretty fessine, when you want it? You help Tevak keep his prize safe, and he gives you access to his women, is that it?”
“No. No!” Sarmis pushed himself upright, his brows knitting in dismay. “You’ve known me since before the disease came, Odati, you know I’d never dream of-”
“I thought I knew,” Odati corrected, sharply. “Until I found out about all this... this... nonsense, going on right beneath my nose.” She gestured with a grand sweep of her arm. “Rae’s stupidity I can forgive, seeing as he’s only been here a few days and still thinks he’s a superhero who can do anything, but you, Sam? All these years where I’ve trusted you, told you my concerns about our society and safety in complete confidence, and you’ve... what? Run straight to Tevak and told him it all?”
“Are you even listening to yourself? You’ve sat here for barely even thirty seconds and you’ve convinced yourself of a whole great conspiracy that doesn’t even exist-!”
Odati put up both hands for silence, ignoring the spur’s protests. “I never thought I would ever hear myself say this.” She sighed, and shook her head, wearily. “Jak, would you escort Sarmis to his room, please? And confiscate his key.”
“What?!” Alarmed, Sarmis scooted himself backwards and away from the table. “No, wait. Come on! You can’t just, just... lock me up, just like that! And on nothing but a whim? I had nothing to do with any of this!”
“You’ve as good as admitted it, Sarmis. You’re the only one with any possible motive, and-”
“What motive?!” The pale spur bared his teeth and flattened his ears, looking... shocked. “Come on, tell me. If you’re gonna throw me behind bars like a, a criminal-”
“If the story these two brought back with them is correct, someone ‘sold’ Blink to Tevak, and you’re the only one here who wants anything from him. You handed her over, for unrestricted access to your... ‘friend’, or whatever we should be calling the little hussy.”
“You-you can’t do this to me! Odati, please. If we’re going to rescue Blink, you need my help!” Sarmis leaned forwards across the table, looking beseechingly at her. “I know the area inside out. I used to work there, remember? I can get us in, if she’s there I can find another way in that they’re not watching-”
“Or you can make sure we keep running around in circles, while they sneak her even further out of reach?” Odati shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sarmis. We just can’t risk it. Once Blink is safe, we’ll reconsider, but for now, I’m afraid you’ll have to stay in confinement.”
* * * * *
It was approaching midmorning when the delicate balance of Station life was finally upset. If anyone had still been trying to sleep in, Tevak’s roar of anger quickly put paid to that idea. His rage echoed through the corridors so loudly, it almost made the walls themselves tremble.
Successfully shamming sleep ever since he’d discovered the escape, Sett promptly startled back into life and fell off the armchair he’d been resting on. “Wh-what was that?!”
Breg glanced back at him, and snickered into his morning [coffee]. “Someone upset our glorious boss, if that ain’t obvious,” he drawled, elbows propped on the break-room table. “Sure he’ll come enlighten us in a few. Maybe the basement dweller hurt his poor feelings again.”
Sett swallowed the lump in his throat and grinned, anxiously. “Yeah. I’m sure. Fantastic.”
Only a minute or two had crawled past when the boss blew in like a scaly tornado, literally spitting with fury. Seeing his least favourite member of the group triggered another outburst. “You!” Tevak swung a massive arm and grabbed for him, looking like he fully intended to twist his head off.
Sett leaped for cover, avoiding the grab by a fraction of a hairsbreadth and cowering behind Breg. “Me?” His voice skittered away up the octaves, sounding more like the urgent yelping of a cub whose tail has been crushed beneath heavy boots. “Me what? What did I do, I didn’t do anything!”
That simpering, whimpering voice set all Tevak’s teeth on edge. His hands balled into fists so tight, his claws lacerated his own palms. “You let her go, you slippery, simpering little [fuck], now where is she or do I have to twist your arm off?” he spat, punctuating his anger with a punch to the tabletop, hard enough to leave the imprint of his knuckles in the old metal.
“I don’t know what-”
“Don’t you lie to me!” Tevak roared loudly enough that saliva sprayed from his wicked teeth. “Don’t you dare lie to me!” He lowered his voice to a hiss of threat, that somehow sounded angrier than all the yelling in the world. “I smelt you, you lying wretch. In the basement. It was fresh. How convenient I should smell you the same time I find she’s vanished, huh?”
“I-I-I didn’t do anything-! Please, I swear-”
Support came from an unexpected quarter; Breg lifted his head off his hand and grunted an affirmative. “Pathetic li’l stream of chilly water’s been ’ere all night, boss. Coupl’a three of us was playing for chips until the wee hours, and the kid was snorin’ all the way since moonrise. Doubt he’s had time to actually do anythin’.”
Tevak stood and silently digested the information for several heartbeats, shoulders heaving and nostrils flaring as he struggled to control his breathing. His lips trembled, but at last he managed to swallow the snarl that bared his teeth. “So explain your stink in the basement.”
Sett watched the giant’s fists flexing and relaxing impotently at his sides; the slightest wrong word, and those huge hands would fold around his head and squish his skull like a fruit. His ears twitched, awkwardly. “I-I went down to give her water,” he confirmed, at last, shakily. “Just after dawn. I couldn’t sleep. I, uh... I found out she was missing. I was scared you’d think it was me had done it, and I ran away.”
Tevak lifted his chin and studied the scrawny youngling. “And that’s it?”
“That’s it. I promise. I never even went through the doorway. I’m guilty of being a coward, but that’s all.” Sett laughed, nervously, and rubbed his arms. “D’you seriously think I’d grow enough backbone to let her go?”
At last, Tevak backed down, muttering displeasure under his breath. Sett openly breathed a sigh of relief when the giant turned and stomped away, no doubt to beat the furniture a little. Well, so long as he was too busy to see the vul sneaking out to meet his appointment, by the old goldsmiths near the border…
* * * * *
Thankfully, Tevak had bigger things on his mind than what the resident spineless little whelp was getting up to, and the biggest of them was working out where his prized possession had gone.
Gone! Disappeared into thin air. He couldn’t sit still, anger swirling around like hot acid in the pit of his stomach. How could a scrawny, sick, restrained fessine just… up and vanish, just like that? She’d had help, he had no doubt at all about that – but from who?
Consumed by pique, the angry giant paced the length of his office, his stride clipped and stiff, only just restraining the urge to go and find someone to punch. In the years since he’d taken over from Asnate, he’d not been denied a single thing, so it was hardly a surprise that his temper had flared up into such a tantrum. Whatever he wanted, he always ultimately got, whether it was given voluntarily, taken by force, or just plain stolen – and for that disrespectful little brat to mock him, so openly? In front of everyone else in his group? Tevak balled his hands into fists, relishing the sharp pain in his palms; it helped him focus his anger into a spot of solar heat in the centre of his brain. If she ever spoke in anything more than a respectful whisper ever again when he was finished with her, he’d be genuinely shocked.
Blink’s misguided sexuality he could (grudgingly) forgive – skred, it hardly came as a surprise in the first place, if her previous company was anything to go by, the scrawny slip of flesh had never known a real man. Soon as she’d warmed his bed (and certain other things) a few times? She’d figure it out. She’d probably never even look at another femme that way ever again.
But for her to mock him the way she had? To slide him those condescending glances, to laugh behind his back like that? Un-freaking-forgivable. You poor stupid deluded little boy, small and pathetic, why would I ever be interested in you? You, who could never attract a female worthy in status.
He snarled and delivered another piledriver punch to the wall, rattling the shelves and leaving a hole in the plaster. Blood welled instantly at his knuckles; he hissed in pain and flexed his fingers, watching as the hot crimson droplets oozed down between them.
Once his temper had cooled enough that he felt confident he wouldn’t immediately pummel the first person to talk to him, Tevak returned to the basement, armed this time with a bigger lantern and a toolbox. Reasoning that well, this was an old police station, right? So if he was careful, he could snout out some clues. Detective work couldn’t be too difficult, surely? He was plenty good at being nosey, after all, and that was all it was, really. Official snooping.
To his annoyance, Sett’s most recent scent-trail did stop in the doorway, just as he’d said. All the other lingering traces were days old, almost stale. The filthy fragments of cut ribbon smelled strongly of Blink, and no-one else.
Tevak pursed his lips, fingering the neatly sliced ribbon. It didn’t make sense. She couldn’t have cut herself free, could she? Unless someone had slipped her a knife, and she’d waited until now to use it. How would she have held it, though, in her mouth? The cut was far too clean for an exhausted, wobbly fessine holding a blunt knife in her teeth to have ever managed.
The second question – possibly the more important one – was how had she got out. The scent of her sickness lingered in the corridor, where it had drifted out like a toxic cloud, but her filthy toes and weeping skin didn’t seem to have ever crossed the threshhold. And it was the only damn door in the place! Had someone carried her?
He lowered his heavy head and snuffled his nose along, close to the floor. The pool of dirty scent spread away into the corner; he waved his lamp, and caught the glitter of something metallic, small and square and low to the floor. A vent, perhaps? How had he never noticed that before? Maybe he’d just never needed to notice. Wasn’t like this musty old cupboard had got a lot of use until now. He crouched next to it, noticing the wobbly bolts and loose cover, and jiggled it in place with a nudge from his knuckles. The cover promptly fell off, clattering dully on the floor.
Surely she hadn’t wiggled out of her prison down this? Tevak peered off into the chilly gloom. He wouldn’t ever have credited it with being big enough! Leaning down closer, his nostrils flared as he inhaled – a long, slow intake, trying to pass as much air through his nose as possible... but he needn’t have bothered. Blink’s rancid scent was so very intense across the floor, it might as well have been painted on in dayglo yellow.
The dust in the metal tube had all been smeared out, too, a stark line where a body had recently dragged through it. Had she been alive or dead at the time, though, that was the main question. He compressed his lips to a thin, suspicious line. The shaft was claustrophobically narrow. What if someone had been helping her and she’d, you know... got stuck in the tubes, somewhere?
Smoke her out.
Tevak paused, listening to the little voice in the back of his mind. How will that work?
If she’s hiding in there until the coast is clear, a good bit of smoke will force her out, his cunning explained. If nothing else, it’ll make her choke, and you can follow her coughs until you find her.
But what if she’s stuck?
If she’s crawled in there and died? Well, she’ll block the smoke, so you jus’ look for a vent that the smoke ain’t coming through. Either way, you’ll find her. And that’s if you don’t jus’ leave it a day or two extra, because she’ll soon start to stink when the rot sets in.
Tevak nodded slowly in agreement with himself. Back in the days before the disease had hit them, the former landscape gardener had been a bit of a mercenary for hire, and not only had the chemicals been readily available to him, he knew how to use them to make a good, rich smoke bomb.
He only hoped that someone else was with him when he found the treacherous runaway, because he wasn’t sure he’d see well enough through the angry haze to keep from killing her.
* * * * *
Learning of Sarmis’ betrayal knocked everyone in the library completely flat. The idea that the friendly, honest ex-cop could have such a nasty hidden side to him left everyone in a shocked daze, wondering what other unpalatable truths might be about to suddenly reveal themselves.
Depressed, Halli allowed the sleep she’d been fending off for so long to finally catch up with her; she lay with her arms folded against the table, and her head resting on them. Her eyelids would flutter, every now and then, as though she wasn’t quite all the way asleep.
Rae had taken to pacing, silently, his half-eaten breakfast laying ignored on the table, tussling with his thoughts. Every now and then he’d pause, as thought to ask something... then think better of it, and go right back to pacing.
...it was all beginning to get on Odati’s nerves. “Rae? You better go and see your friend,” she said, with a sigh. “See if he’s got any news for you.”
Rae could only stare at her, for a few moments. “...what?”
“This... contact you have in Tevak’s territory. Am I wrong, or do you not have a meeting with him?”
“Well, sure, I just-... you don’t mind me going over the fence, on purpose? I-I mean technically I guess I’m not going over the fence, but you know what I mean...”
“Rae-”
“And look, I know it’s not a great time to bring it up, but my contact only agreed to help us if you’d consider letting him back over here. He’s not a bad kid, I’m pretty sure-
“Rae, Rae...” Odati put up her hands for quiet, and he reluctantly complied. “Please. Don’t. Now is not the time. We’ll discuss it later, after you’ve rescued Blink and she’s safe. While you have a contact over there? It’d be stupid not to make use of the advantage it gives us.”
“Right.” Rae nodded, disappointed – but at the same time couldn’t help feeling a little relieved that she’d not shot the idea down completely. Maybe there was hope yet. “Hal?” He leaned closer and gave the sleeping zaar’s shoulder a shake. “Hey, Halli, come on. Wakey wakey. We’re going out.”
Halli grunted, softly, and blinked drowsily up at him. “What?” Her voice emerged as a strained croak.
“We’ve gotta go meet Sett, remember?”
Halli made a noise of agreement and pushed herself to her feet, and fell back down again almost immediately, almost ending up on the floor when her chair skated away from her. “Ngh.”
“Woo, steady.” Rae scooped her properly back onto the chair. “Are you all right?”
A small grey hand closed around his wrist; Rae glanced sidelong to meet Sadie’s cool blue eyes. “S’okay, hon. Leave her to sleep. I’ll go with you.”
* * * * *
Sett was already at their pre-arranged meeting spot, pacing stiffly a few steps back and forth in each direction, when the two Library residents approached, and he didn’t look happy, tail lashing involuntarily. “Typical! Should have known there’d be freakin’ nyen involved!” he snapped, in favour of a greeting.
Rae frowned, baffled. “What do you mean, ‘involved’? Involved in what?”
“Don’t act innocent, you know what I’m talking about,” the vul snapped, leaning into the fence. “Is that all your word means, huh? Just a bunch of meaningless noise to bribe stupid or naïve people to do what you tell them?”
Rae frowned, nonplussed. “We had an agreement, which I thought you didn’t object to,” he protested. “You should have said something earlier, if you thought you were going to, to... balk at it later.”
“I didn’t object, until you took advantage of me!” Sett threw up his hands. “You, you... followed me! You promised you wouldn’t, you said I could trust you, that you were too-... too sick to do anything. And you snuck after me anyway!” He resumed his pacing, stamping back and forth; Rae couldn’t help but think it was solely because there was a fence in the way that the infuriated dar hadn’t gone for his throat already. “What did you do, send in your sneak when my back was turned?” He stabbed a finger at Sadie in an aggressive point.
“No. No! Come on, Sadie wasn’t even with us. We did what you asked, we slept in a shop and snuck back to the Library the next morning. I spent a whole bunch of yesterday in bed.” Sensing his words were falling on deaf ears, Rae hastily added a half truth. “I even talked to Odati. She said she’d consider what you asked, once we’d rescued Bee.”
“Yeah, well, that’s gonna be difficult, seeing as someone’s already sprung her from the basement.”
Rae stared at him for a second. “D’you mind, ah... just running that one past me again?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know.”
“But how could I possibly-... What do you mean, has someone moved her? Has she escaped?” Rae couldn’t decide whether he felt more worried or optimistic. Had she actually escaped? What if someone had let the plan slip, and they were taking her somewhere even more inaccessible?
Obviously the dark spur looked shocked enough to convince Sett that maybe he was telling the truth, after all. “I don’t know. All I know is that I went to give her water, and she wasn’t there.” He spread his hands. “I don’t think it was planned by any of us, not if Tevak’s response was anything to go by.” After an instant of hesitation, he added, more quietly. “The guy’s furious. He already thinks I had something to do with it, and, uh... I’m not sure what else I can do.”
“What you mean is, now it’s getting hot, you want out,” Sadie intuited, softly.
Sett fidgeted, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. “This is still my home,” he reminded her. “I haven’t got anywhere else, and I can’t give him an excuse to kick me out. An-and it’s not like you need me to pass messages on any more...”
“You could keep us updated,” Rae suggested, optimistically. “I mean,
Sadie offered a guileless smile. “Never know. Y’could always hop into Sam’s shoes, now he’s slipped up.”
Sett’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Who?”
“You know. The Ghost.” Sadie lounged artfully against a fencepost. “Ex-cop, used to work where you guys live. Sneaks away from us with intel on what we’re doing, in exchange for... well, we ain’t sure yet. Tevak’s gonna want another sneak, after all. You could be just what he’s after.” She arched a brow. “What are you makin’ that face for? Don’t want to sneak for both of us?”
Sett shook his head, ears back. “I don’t really want to sneak for anyone. And I have no idea who this ‘Sam’ is.”
131523 ♥ 200000
You’re brilliant at bad decisions, that’s how. And now you’re trapped between opposing tides, about to be torn in two directions. Whichever way you try and swim, you’re going to suffer for it. Odati had asked him to do something, and he wasn’t the sort of person to agree and then go back on the promise... But how could he condone trying to stop his friends, when they were the only two brave (or stupid) enough to deliberately go into enemy territory to try to help their friend?
If only he could convince himself that they weren’t just wasting their time. All rescuing Blink would actually achieve right now would be to make Tevak angry – it wasn’t like the poor fessine would actually be safe. If the giant could happily climb the fence and abduct her once, no power on the planet would persuade him not to just do it again, short of some complete freaking... paradigm shift, or something. Kettu forbid Tevak thought of it as a theft.
Sarmis sighed and made his way down the stairs, as silently as his nickname, so well practiced in hiding his soft footsteps that it came automatically, now. Hearing Halli’s voice, he hesitated just out of sight, staying a pace or two outside the kitchen door, listening quietly.
“I can’t stay cooped up in here all day.” Rae’s exhausted tones were easily picked out – the poor spur sounded like he’d been through the wringer, but he still seemed disinclined to actually let himself stop. “We arranged a meeting with that kid, if I don’t go...”
“Do you think you’ll even make it? Look at you. You’re still full of incubation sickness, you’ll fall down exhausted before you get halfway.” A sigh. “I’ll go. I’ll explain what’s happened, I’ll bring back any message he has for us.”
Sarmis perked an ear; that was unrealistic optimism on the part of the zaar. Shifting really took it out of you – although he himself had got the quick recovery down to a fine art, it took most people at least a full day’s rest and plenty of food to be back in good health afterwards, and Halli had only really slept overnight. Last he’d seen of her, though, she’d been packing in the carbohydrates, and the reluctant spy guessed she was trying to give her health a different sort of boost.
Rae elevated his voice briefly in protest. “I can’t let you go on your own-!”
“Why not? Are you forgetting I’ve lived here close to twenty years, and I know how our little society works?”
“No-o, I just don’t want you getting into trouble if you’re on your own, where I can’t help you.”
The fal snorted, dismissively. “I know you wretched spurs have some weird cultural issue that makes you think females are all weak and need protecting every hour of every day, but I don’t need an escort-”
“What? Skeida, Hal. Stop looking for things to be offended by, you know that wasn’t what I meant.”
“So what did you mean.”
“I mean, if Sett gives you bad news, can you promise me that you’ll come back here and tell me? You won’t go racing off to try be a hero and rescue her all on your own?”
Halli’s whispered voice dropped to a hiss. “Just what exactly are you suggesting?”
“I don’t know, maybe that neither of us seem to have any friggin’ sense of self-preservation right now? We both want to get her out, and sure, if I went alone? I wouldn’t trust me not to immediately go raring off to try rescue her, either. That’s why I wouldn’t go alone!”
Halli muttered something Sarmis didn’t catch, but didn’t obviously challenge the spur’s words.
“If we go together, we’ll police each other,” Rae went on. “One will make sure the other doesn’t try and do anything stupid, like sneak after the kid, attack Tevak, try and get Blink out when no-one’s looking.”
“...unless we both agree it’d be a good idea to go together.”
“Oh don’t even joke about it-!” Rae groaned. “It wouldn’t even be funny if it wasn’t so close to being true.” He shuddered a sigh of disappointment. “We still haven’t spoken to Odati like we promised, either. What are we gonna say to him about that? Thanks for putting your own safety at risk but y’know, we chickened out of speaking to Odati, because we know what the answer’s gonna be and she’ll only kick us out, too.”
“I know.” Halli sighed. “I’m not even sure how we’d broach the subject in a way that’d allow any shade of rational discussion. If we tell our overprotective den-mama that we’ve been talking to the enemy in any capacity, she’ll lock down completely. She’ll probably flat out refuse to listen to anything past us mentioning it in the first place.”
Sarmis decided that now was as good a time to announce his presence as any. He backed up a step or two, then ambled in through the door, making sure his footfalls in the corridor were audible. “Greets, people. Nice morning, eh?”
Halli fell silent midsentence, pursing her lips in a suspicious frown as she watched him walk in. Rae still looked unnaturally ashen, his head propped in both hands and his bloodshot eyes surrounded by big exhausted dark circles, but he at least managed to squeeze out a wan smile.
I guess not. Sarmis sighed, inwardly. “Feeling any better, Rae?”
Rae nodded, not bothering to lift his head out of his hands, then clarified; “Well, starting to.”
Halli watched the pale spur select a glass and tear open a long life carton of fruit juice. “So what were you doing hanging around outside the door, anyway?”
There was just the tiniest tremble in Sarmis’ steady hands as he filled the glass with pale red nectar – so subtle, only someone looking for it could have possible caught it. “Beg pardon?”
“Just now.” Halli’s eyes remained steely.
“I just came downstairs.” He slid into an unoccupied chair and put on his most affable smile. “It is breakfast time, you know?”
Halli’s expression didn’t relax. “You only play the ‘heavy footsteps’ game when you’re trying to make sure we know you’re there, because you’re up to something. What are you playing at?”
Sarmis weighed up his options. Tell the truth, and upset Odati? Or keep lying, and end up losing his friends’ trust instead? It wasn’t much of a decision to make; he didn’t like having to do Odati’s dirty work, and if his friends still trusted him, they may be more open with him and let him help out, anyway.
“I’m not ‘playing’ at anything. Odati asked me to keep an eye on you guys,” he admitted, quietly. “She’s not happy with where you said you were yesterday.”
“I don’t see how it’s any of her business.” Halli fixed him on a warning look. “And while you’re watching us, who’s going to be watching you?”
“What for?” To his credit, Sarmis’ expression didn’t even flicker.
“Oh don’t even try it. I saw you, Sam. Over the fence. When Rae got too sick to carry on, we camped out in the old Yanoi furniture store, last night, and I watched you sneak up the main precinct towards the Old Quarter while it was still foggy.”
“I didn’t see you,” he challenged, automatically, then realised the error and hastily tried to cover it the slip with bluster. “How could you have identified anyone, anyway, the fog was so thick you could barely see your hand in front of your face. That could have been anyone that you saw.”
“Well I wasn’t sure it was you,” Halli confessed, darkly. “Not a hundred percent, at least, especially not after seeing you in the garden yesterday. I couldn’t believe you recovered so fast afterwards. Until you just confirmed it for me.”
“What’s going on, Sam?” Rae’s heavy head and shoulders sagged even lower, until he was almost sprawled over the tabletop; he looked... crushed. “I thought you were our friend. Did you let me get bitten on purpose?”
“What?” The pale spur straightened, horrified. “Why would I-... How could you even think that?”
“Well you’re working for him. You know I know Blink best, you know I had nothing to lose by trying to rescue her. I’m the biggest threat. You want me out of the picture.”
“No-... no! That’s such a load of-... Come on, guys-” Sarmis groaned and braced his forehead against his hands. “I don’t believe this...”
“So what is it?” Halli leaned down into his line of sight. “Please? Give us something.”
What was the point in trying to think up a lie, now he’d been caught out? “I’ve been going over the fence for years,” Sarmis admitted, quietly, studying his fingers. “There’s a fessine over there I know, from back when I was in the force. She was only a kid, back then, worked as receptionist in a, uh, ‘health spa’. I’d sometimes bump into her when we did our periodic vice raids. We kept in contact since our civilisation self-destructed.”
“Is that it?” Halli sagged back in her chair. “You’ve been over there betraying us for a, a... pretty bit of flesh?”
Sarmis shot her a reproachful look. “I haven’t betrayed anyone, at all,” he corrected. “And we meet up to trade news, nothing more. Zhelma lets me know if Tevak’s up to anything, and I let her know if we have anything planned that we don’t want him to interrupt.” He spread his hands. “As soon as Blink vanished, I suspected they’d taken her. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d laid claim to a pretty fessine, right?”
“Why didn’t you say anything? We could have worked together.”
He offered a tired, patient sort of half-smile. “You two were already spoiling for a fight, I wasn’t going to give you that last nudge to take the fight to Tevak’s doorstep. I wanted to be absolutely sure of the facts before I told you anything.” He snorted and massaged his temples. “You two just moved onto their lands faster than I figured.”
“Please forgive us for not reading your mind and waiting for you,” Rae drawled, softly. “Maybe if you hadn’t taken so long about it...”
“I know, I know. Our system isn’t exactly cutting edge.” Sarmis shook his head. “We meet near the west border, where the fence has gone rusty and fallen off its supports. If one of us wants to meet, we put three little white stones on top of one of the fence-posts, and when the other person sees it, they put a pebble in the middle of the triangle, meaning they’ll be at the meeting point... the next... day.”
Sarmis’ words dribbled away to nothing, and he turned his head slowly to look at the hall. Halli and Rae followed suit... to find a certain old vulline framed in the doorway, her tailtip flicking slowly from side to side.
“Oh, don’t stop on my account.” Odati smiled a tight, angry smile. “I’m finding it all quite enlightening, how I can’t even trust my police officer.”
Sarmis pursed his lips, uneasily. “I never did anything to put anyone here at risk, Odati.”
“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you.” She limped her way into the kitchen, stickless – that must have been why no-one had heard her approach – and eased her brittle body into the last remaining empty chair. “Come on. Keep talking. You were explaining some little... incongruities.”
“Incon-... what? How? Nothing I’ve said has contradicted itself-”
“You’re trying to tell us it just so happens that she only got back to you the day these two decided to go snooping in Tevak’s land? And don’t insult my intelligence by trying to deny it, Halli, I know what you were doing.” Odati elevated her voice to be heard over the zaar’s protests. “You two are the only ones who think your little escapades are actually secret.”
“I never tried to say the system was perfect.” Sarmis spread his hands, defensively. “Unless you go near the message post, you don’t know they want to meet up.” Explaining how he was so casually flouting Library ‘law’ had made the ex-policeman blush furiously, but he carried stubbornly on, anyway, in spite of the anxious crowd gathering in the doorway. “But we’ve used it for years, and it’s worked well for the last couple. There’s nothing inconsistent there, it just took Zel a while to see my note.”
“So it’s nothing at all to do with you seeing these useless good-for-nothings sneaking away, and deciding to warn Tevak about it, hmm? And this, ah... ‘messaging post’ excuse... is just a good cover?”
Sarmis just sat with his mouth open for several seconds, blindsided. “...what?” he managed, at last.
“I’m sure he’ll reward you well, for telling him about these two flouting our rules.”
“You’re putting words in my mouth. The only person I spoke to was Zhelma.”
“Well you’re obviously getting something out of your little... arrangement.”
“Only information. To keep us safe!”
“Or the attention of a pretty fessine, when you want it? You help Tevak keep his prize safe, and he gives you access to his women, is that it?”
“No. No!” Sarmis pushed himself upright, his brows knitting in dismay. “You’ve known me since before the disease came, Odati, you know I’d never dream of-”
“I thought I knew,” Odati corrected, sharply. “Until I found out about all this... this... nonsense, going on right beneath my nose.” She gestured with a grand sweep of her arm. “Rae’s stupidity I can forgive, seeing as he’s only been here a few days and still thinks he’s a superhero who can do anything, but you, Sam? All these years where I’ve trusted you, told you my concerns about our society and safety in complete confidence, and you’ve... what? Run straight to Tevak and told him it all?”
“Are you even listening to yourself? You’ve sat here for barely even thirty seconds and you’ve convinced yourself of a whole great conspiracy that doesn’t even exist-!”
Odati put up both hands for silence, ignoring the spur’s protests. “I never thought I would ever hear myself say this.” She sighed, and shook her head, wearily. “Jak, would you escort Sarmis to his room, please? And confiscate his key.”
“What?!” Alarmed, Sarmis scooted himself backwards and away from the table. “No, wait. Come on! You can’t just, just... lock me up, just like that! And on nothing but a whim? I had nothing to do with any of this!”
“You’ve as good as admitted it, Sarmis. You’re the only one with any possible motive, and-”
“What motive?!” The pale spur bared his teeth and flattened his ears, looking... shocked. “Come on, tell me. If you’re gonna throw me behind bars like a, a criminal-”
“If the story these two brought back with them is correct, someone ‘sold’ Blink to Tevak, and you’re the only one here who wants anything from him. You handed her over, for unrestricted access to your... ‘friend’, or whatever we should be calling the little hussy.”
“You-you can’t do this to me! Odati, please. If we’re going to rescue Blink, you need my help!” Sarmis leaned forwards across the table, looking beseechingly at her. “I know the area inside out. I used to work there, remember? I can get us in, if she’s there I can find another way in that they’re not watching-”
“Or you can make sure we keep running around in circles, while they sneak her even further out of reach?” Odati shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sarmis. We just can’t risk it. Once Blink is safe, we’ll reconsider, but for now, I’m afraid you’ll have to stay in confinement.”
It was approaching midmorning when the delicate balance of Station life was finally upset. If anyone had still been trying to sleep in, Tevak’s roar of anger quickly put paid to that idea. His rage echoed through the corridors so loudly, it almost made the walls themselves tremble.
Successfully shamming sleep ever since he’d discovered the escape, Sett promptly startled back into life and fell off the armchair he’d been resting on. “Wh-what was that?!”
Breg glanced back at him, and snickered into his morning [coffee]. “Someone upset our glorious boss, if that ain’t obvious,” he drawled, elbows propped on the break-room table. “Sure he’ll come enlighten us in a few. Maybe the basement dweller hurt his poor feelings again.”
Sett swallowed the lump in his throat and grinned, anxiously. “Yeah. I’m sure. Fantastic.”
Only a minute or two had crawled past when the boss blew in like a scaly tornado, literally spitting with fury. Seeing his least favourite member of the group triggered another outburst. “You!” Tevak swung a massive arm and grabbed for him, looking like he fully intended to twist his head off.
Sett leaped for cover, avoiding the grab by a fraction of a hairsbreadth and cowering behind Breg. “Me?” His voice skittered away up the octaves, sounding more like the urgent yelping of a cub whose tail has been crushed beneath heavy boots. “Me what? What did I do, I didn’t do anything!”
That simpering, whimpering voice set all Tevak’s teeth on edge. His hands balled into fists so tight, his claws lacerated his own palms. “You let her go, you slippery, simpering little [fuck], now where is she or do I have to twist your arm off?” he spat, punctuating his anger with a punch to the tabletop, hard enough to leave the imprint of his knuckles in the old metal.
“I don’t know what-”
“Don’t you lie to me!” Tevak roared loudly enough that saliva sprayed from his wicked teeth. “Don’t you dare lie to me!” He lowered his voice to a hiss of threat, that somehow sounded angrier than all the yelling in the world. “I smelt you, you lying wretch. In the basement. It was fresh. How convenient I should smell you the same time I find she’s vanished, huh?”
“I-I-I didn’t do anything-! Please, I swear-”
Support came from an unexpected quarter; Breg lifted his head off his hand and grunted an affirmative. “Pathetic li’l stream of chilly water’s been ’ere all night, boss. Coupl’a three of us was playing for chips until the wee hours, and the kid was snorin’ all the way since moonrise. Doubt he’s had time to actually do anythin’.”
Tevak stood and silently digested the information for several heartbeats, shoulders heaving and nostrils flaring as he struggled to control his breathing. His lips trembled, but at last he managed to swallow the snarl that bared his teeth. “So explain your stink in the basement.”
Sett watched the giant’s fists flexing and relaxing impotently at his sides; the slightest wrong word, and those huge hands would fold around his head and squish his skull like a fruit. His ears twitched, awkwardly. “I-I went down to give her water,” he confirmed, at last, shakily. “Just after dawn. I couldn’t sleep. I, uh... I found out she was missing. I was scared you’d think it was me had done it, and I ran away.”
Tevak lifted his chin and studied the scrawny youngling. “And that’s it?”
“That’s it. I promise. I never even went through the doorway. I’m guilty of being a coward, but that’s all.” Sett laughed, nervously, and rubbed his arms. “D’you seriously think I’d grow enough backbone to let her go?”
At last, Tevak backed down, muttering displeasure under his breath. Sett openly breathed a sigh of relief when the giant turned and stomped away, no doubt to beat the furniture a little. Well, so long as he was too busy to see the vul sneaking out to meet his appointment, by the old goldsmiths near the border…
Thankfully, Tevak had bigger things on his mind than what the resident spineless little whelp was getting up to, and the biggest of them was working out where his prized possession had gone.
Gone! Disappeared into thin air. He couldn’t sit still, anger swirling around like hot acid in the pit of his stomach. How could a scrawny, sick, restrained fessine just… up and vanish, just like that? She’d had help, he had no doubt at all about that – but from who?
Consumed by pique, the angry giant paced the length of his office, his stride clipped and stiff, only just restraining the urge to go and find someone to punch. In the years since he’d taken over from Asnate, he’d not been denied a single thing, so it was hardly a surprise that his temper had flared up into such a tantrum. Whatever he wanted, he always ultimately got, whether it was given voluntarily, taken by force, or just plain stolen – and for that disrespectful little brat to mock him, so openly? In front of everyone else in his group? Tevak balled his hands into fists, relishing the sharp pain in his palms; it helped him focus his anger into a spot of solar heat in the centre of his brain. If she ever spoke in anything more than a respectful whisper ever again when he was finished with her, he’d be genuinely shocked.
Blink’s misguided sexuality he could (grudgingly) forgive – skred, it hardly came as a surprise in the first place, if her previous company was anything to go by, the scrawny slip of flesh had never known a real man. Soon as she’d warmed his bed (and certain other things) a few times? She’d figure it out. She’d probably never even look at another femme that way ever again.
But for her to mock him the way she had? To slide him those condescending glances, to laugh behind his back like that? Un-freaking-forgivable. You poor stupid deluded little boy, small and pathetic, why would I ever be interested in you? You, who could never attract a female worthy in status.
He snarled and delivered another piledriver punch to the wall, rattling the shelves and leaving a hole in the plaster. Blood welled instantly at his knuckles; he hissed in pain and flexed his fingers, watching as the hot crimson droplets oozed down between them.
Once his temper had cooled enough that he felt confident he wouldn’t immediately pummel the first person to talk to him, Tevak returned to the basement, armed this time with a bigger lantern and a toolbox. Reasoning that well, this was an old police station, right? So if he was careful, he could snout out some clues. Detective work couldn’t be too difficult, surely? He was plenty good at being nosey, after all, and that was all it was, really. Official snooping.
To his annoyance, Sett’s most recent scent-trail did stop in the doorway, just as he’d said. All the other lingering traces were days old, almost stale. The filthy fragments of cut ribbon smelled strongly of Blink, and no-one else.
Tevak pursed his lips, fingering the neatly sliced ribbon. It didn’t make sense. She couldn’t have cut herself free, could she? Unless someone had slipped her a knife, and she’d waited until now to use it. How would she have held it, though, in her mouth? The cut was far too clean for an exhausted, wobbly fessine holding a blunt knife in her teeth to have ever managed.
The second question – possibly the more important one – was how had she got out. The scent of her sickness lingered in the corridor, where it had drifted out like a toxic cloud, but her filthy toes and weeping skin didn’t seem to have ever crossed the threshhold. And it was the only damn door in the place! Had someone carried her?
He lowered his heavy head and snuffled his nose along, close to the floor. The pool of dirty scent spread away into the corner; he waved his lamp, and caught the glitter of something metallic, small and square and low to the floor. A vent, perhaps? How had he never noticed that before? Maybe he’d just never needed to notice. Wasn’t like this musty old cupboard had got a lot of use until now. He crouched next to it, noticing the wobbly bolts and loose cover, and jiggled it in place with a nudge from his knuckles. The cover promptly fell off, clattering dully on the floor.
Surely she hadn’t wiggled out of her prison down this? Tevak peered off into the chilly gloom. He wouldn’t ever have credited it with being big enough! Leaning down closer, his nostrils flared as he inhaled – a long, slow intake, trying to pass as much air through his nose as possible... but he needn’t have bothered. Blink’s rancid scent was so very intense across the floor, it might as well have been painted on in dayglo yellow.
The dust in the metal tube had all been smeared out, too, a stark line where a body had recently dragged through it. Had she been alive or dead at the time, though, that was the main question. He compressed his lips to a thin, suspicious line. The shaft was claustrophobically narrow. What if someone had been helping her and she’d, you know... got stuck in the tubes, somewhere?
Smoke her out.
Tevak paused, listening to the little voice in the back of his mind. How will that work?
If she’s hiding in there until the coast is clear, a good bit of smoke will force her out, his cunning explained. If nothing else, it’ll make her choke, and you can follow her coughs until you find her.
But what if she’s stuck?
If she’s crawled in there and died? Well, she’ll block the smoke, so you jus’ look for a vent that the smoke ain’t coming through. Either way, you’ll find her. And that’s if you don’t jus’ leave it a day or two extra, because she’ll soon start to stink when the rot sets in.
Tevak nodded slowly in agreement with himself. Back in the days before the disease had hit them, the former landscape gardener had been a bit of a mercenary for hire, and not only had the chemicals been readily available to him, he knew how to use them to make a good, rich smoke bomb.
He only hoped that someone else was with him when he found the treacherous runaway, because he wasn’t sure he’d see well enough through the angry haze to keep from killing her.
Learning of Sarmis’ betrayal knocked everyone in the library completely flat. The idea that the friendly, honest ex-cop could have such a nasty hidden side to him left everyone in a shocked daze, wondering what other unpalatable truths might be about to suddenly reveal themselves.
Depressed, Halli allowed the sleep she’d been fending off for so long to finally catch up with her; she lay with her arms folded against the table, and her head resting on them. Her eyelids would flutter, every now and then, as though she wasn’t quite all the way asleep.
Rae had taken to pacing, silently, his half-eaten breakfast laying ignored on the table, tussling with his thoughts. Every now and then he’d pause, as thought to ask something... then think better of it, and go right back to pacing.
...it was all beginning to get on Odati’s nerves. “Rae? You better go and see your friend,” she said, with a sigh. “See if he’s got any news for you.”
Rae could only stare at her, for a few moments. “...what?”
“This... contact you have in Tevak’s territory. Am I wrong, or do you not have a meeting with him?”
“Well, sure, I just-... you don’t mind me going over the fence, on purpose? I-I mean technically I guess I’m not going over the fence, but you know what I mean...”
“Rae-”
“And look, I know it’s not a great time to bring it up, but my contact only agreed to help us if you’d consider letting him back over here. He’s not a bad kid, I’m pretty sure-
“Rae, Rae...” Odati put up her hands for quiet, and he reluctantly complied. “Please. Don’t. Now is not the time. We’ll discuss it later, after you’ve rescued Blink and she’s safe. While you have a contact over there? It’d be stupid not to make use of the advantage it gives us.”
“Right.” Rae nodded, disappointed – but at the same time couldn’t help feeling a little relieved that she’d not shot the idea down completely. Maybe there was hope yet. “Hal?” He leaned closer and gave the sleeping zaar’s shoulder a shake. “Hey, Halli, come on. Wakey wakey. We’re going out.”
Halli grunted, softly, and blinked drowsily up at him. “What?” Her voice emerged as a strained croak.
“We’ve gotta go meet Sett, remember?”
Halli made a noise of agreement and pushed herself to her feet, and fell back down again almost immediately, almost ending up on the floor when her chair skated away from her. “Ngh.”
“Woo, steady.” Rae scooped her properly back onto the chair. “Are you all right?”
A small grey hand closed around his wrist; Rae glanced sidelong to meet Sadie’s cool blue eyes. “S’okay, hon. Leave her to sleep. I’ll go with you.”
Sett was already at their pre-arranged meeting spot, pacing stiffly a few steps back and forth in each direction, when the two Library residents approached, and he didn’t look happy, tail lashing involuntarily. “Typical! Should have known there’d be freakin’ nyen involved!” he snapped, in favour of a greeting.
Rae frowned, baffled. “What do you mean, ‘involved’? Involved in what?”
“Don’t act innocent, you know what I’m talking about,” the vul snapped, leaning into the fence. “Is that all your word means, huh? Just a bunch of meaningless noise to bribe stupid or naïve people to do what you tell them?”
Rae frowned, nonplussed. “We had an agreement, which I thought you didn’t object to,” he protested. “You should have said something earlier, if you thought you were going to, to... balk at it later.”
“I didn’t object, until you took advantage of me!” Sett threw up his hands. “You, you... followed me! You promised you wouldn’t, you said I could trust you, that you were too-... too sick to do anything. And you snuck after me anyway!” He resumed his pacing, stamping back and forth; Rae couldn’t help but think it was solely because there was a fence in the way that the infuriated dar hadn’t gone for his throat already. “What did you do, send in your sneak when my back was turned?” He stabbed a finger at Sadie in an aggressive point.
“No. No! Come on, Sadie wasn’t even with us. We did what you asked, we slept in a shop and snuck back to the Library the next morning. I spent a whole bunch of yesterday in bed.” Sensing his words were falling on deaf ears, Rae hastily added a half truth. “I even talked to Odati. She said she’d consider what you asked, once we’d rescued Bee.”
“Yeah, well, that’s gonna be difficult, seeing as someone’s already sprung her from the basement.”
Rae stared at him for a second. “D’you mind, ah... just running that one past me again?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know.”
“But how could I possibly-... What do you mean, has someone moved her? Has she escaped?” Rae couldn’t decide whether he felt more worried or optimistic. Had she actually escaped? What if someone had let the plan slip, and they were taking her somewhere even more inaccessible?
Obviously the dark spur looked shocked enough to convince Sett that maybe he was telling the truth, after all. “I don’t know. All I know is that I went to give her water, and she wasn’t there.” He spread his hands. “I don’t think it was planned by any of us, not if Tevak’s response was anything to go by.” After an instant of hesitation, he added, more quietly. “The guy’s furious. He already thinks I had something to do with it, and, uh... I’m not sure what else I can do.”
“What you mean is, now it’s getting hot, you want out,” Sadie intuited, softly.
Sett fidgeted, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. “This is still my home,” he reminded her. “I haven’t got anywhere else, and I can’t give him an excuse to kick me out. An-and it’s not like you need me to pass messages on any more...”
“You could keep us updated,” Rae suggested, optimistically. “I mean,
Sadie offered a guileless smile. “Never know. Y’could always hop into Sam’s shoes, now he’s slipped up.”
Sett’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Who?”
“You know. The Ghost.” Sadie lounged artfully against a fencepost. “Ex-cop, used to work where you guys live. Sneaks away from us with intel on what we’re doing, in exchange for... well, we ain’t sure yet. Tevak’s gonna want another sneak, after all. You could be just what he’s after.” She arched a brow. “What are you makin’ that face for? Don’t want to sneak for both of us?”
Sett shook his head, ears back. “I don’t really want to sneak for anyone. And I have no idea who this ‘Sam’ is.”