The Fire Eye Refugee Read online

  Kay grimaced and forced herself to her feet. They backed away. “I’m okay,” Kay said. “Thanks. Just, did you see where the…where that street performer went?” She was met with blank looks. “The one…he was over there.” She gestured weakly. They shook their heads. Kay got to her feet. “Well, fuck it then.”

  They didn’t like that and quickly backed away and vanished into the crowd. The story they’d take back to their village would probably make them out to be heroes for not falling for some clever wetblood ploy to take their money. There were ebbs and flows to the public perceptions of racial purity among the Gol. Kay had weathered bad times before. The recent rise in hatred for non-Gol and mixed-blood had flared with the Farrow’s arrival, but it always had a home in the rural east of the Kingdom.

  Kay stared in the direction the Fire Creep had run, no idea why he’d relented on his attack. But knowing that she’d have to be more careful if he was capable of something like that.

  …

  Kay was still nursing a serious headache when she arrived at her office. She climbed the stairs, walked in to see Abi at the front desk.

  “You look awful,” Abi said. “Too much gin last night?”

  “Something like that,” Kay said. “Did the Farrow show up?” Abi shook her head. “No? What about Joah?” Shook her head again. Kay sighed and headed towards the back office.

  Kay looked longingly at the green sofa up against the far wall of her office but decided it would be a bad idea to stretch out this early in the day. She sank into the smooth wooden chair behind her desk instead. The walls of the office were lined with bookshelves, packed with histories and other texts. Maps were hung up as decorations. A bar cart was parked close to a seating area on the far end. The space was neat, the way Kay liked it. Her job required little paperwork, which let her keep her desk clear, a couple clever candle configurations the only clutter she allowed. When she was behind the desk, she was an equal distance from the door to the front office and the door to the back staircase. Windows lined the outer wall but the wooden blinds were mostly closed, only letting slim shafts of bright light into the room.

  There was a small, iron safe with a combination lock behind her legs. It usually held a couple purses full of gold, nothing like the wealth she’d fed to the flames last night. Sometimes she left the leather bracelet she used to track the children she’d been able to help in the safe. She’d grown attached to it, the way it made her feel. She wore it occasionally, liked its presence on her wrist. But she also liked the idea of it being hidden away, locked away safe. Her pride was tied to that bracelet, to the role she’d adopted since her arrival and subsequent healing. She was Celest’s premier fetch. And she’d just been handed a tough one to fetch. One who MUST STAY LOST.

  Kay sat with eyes closed, willing her headache to quiet. She was thinking about Leah Jordene, trying to imagine herself in that place. A part of the refugee camp, traveling with her mother. Twelve years old, probably fearful of strangers. No privacy in the camps. Too many bullies and thieves. Maybe a false name to escape one of those? Maybe Margaret had divorced and shed the name? Or Ban Terrel had given Kay an outdated maiden name?

  While she was pondering, Kay topped off her jars of pearl ash and demonlord pepper. She tightened the belt that held them and her baton tightly in place under her cloak. The Fire Creep knew where she worked. It didn’t seem his style to come at her in the day, but something told her he might be back at dark.

  The day was getting on but there was still no sign of the Farrow that Gillis had promised. Looked like he might be just as useless of a handler as Alban. And no Joah. She didn’t want to leave and miss either. Which left her stuck in her office, waiting. She sat again and put her head back, staring at the ceiling.

  “I had breakfast with Jan from the City.” Abi was leaning in the door, smile on her lips. Kay waved her in and Abi sat across the desk, hands folded in her lap.

  “Looks like your Farrow friends were right,” Abi said. “There’s a special council being formed on the refugee issue. Everyone’s scrambling to get the roster set. The City League will have a representative. So will the broader Kingdom. It’ll probably be about ten total. Two or three reps from the military. A couple trade groups are fighting for seats. An anti-immigration group called Red Canopy looks in. And then the Dynasty rep. Jan thinks it will be Tems.”

  Kay was trying to remember the lessons on the Dynasty that Abi had given her. Necessary in Celest to fit in. “He’s Yostre’s second son?” Yostre led the Dynasty.

  “That’s right.” Abi continued, “Jan says he’s a bit unpredictable on the councils. Some of the others are in lockstep with their pet interests. He’s a little more thoughtful. And he’s the only one who matters. Jan says how it works is that the council will spend its whole time presenting evidence, making the case for their position to try and sway Tems. Because on the last day the Dynasty’s advisor will show up.”

  “Jios Marin.” Otherwise known as the Dynasty’s Voice. The Dynasty used him to issue major edicts. His words carried tremendous weight with the populace. He sat atop the power structure of Celest, a tier the Dynasty shared with him alone.

  “Yep. Jan said no doubt about it, he’s the most powerful man in the Kingdom outside of the Dynasty. He’ll listen to maybe an hour of deliberation, tops, then force the group into presenting him with a couple options. Jan thinks there’s like a code between the Dynasty rep, something unspoken, some gesture, because it always seems to be the way he’s trending that the Dynasty ends up going. So Jios sort of solidifies his options, makes sure he’s phrasing them correctly. Then he walks down the hall to the Dynasty Chambers, where the Family will be sitting down to dinner. He walks in and walks out with an answer. It’s absolute. Everyone falls into line. You’ll never find the Dynasty contradicting itself or backtracking. Usually it’s Jios speaking for them, but whenever any of them weighs in on an issue, it’s locked in.”

  “For a group so interested in consistency and formal declarations, this council process seems pretty uncertain. They don’t normally do it like that, right?”

  “They hate it. All of them. But it’s kind of like their tiebreaker. When the regular councils can’t reach a compromise that wouldn’t end in bloodshed or someone at the table losing their place, which is the one thing they will never allow, they send issue to special council. And the Dynasty decides. And they know they have to follow it, because if one group runs against the Dynasty all the others will collectively turn and swallow them up. It’s happened before.”

  “So Jan’s with the City? What are they doing?” Kay asked, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling.

  “Well, right now they’re trying to influence the remaining seats. They want more service trades in. They’re setting themselves up to counter the military groups and the trade orgs that will vote in lockstep with them. Steel. Construction.”

  “Is the City pro-Farrow?”

  “Basically yes. Their infighting on the issue is over. They had to consolidate to a single position before this went to council. They’ve got a lot of reservations, but they want the gates open. I could tell Jan was testing out his messaging with me so I played up the typical Gol woman card. ‘Will those nasty Farrow follow our laws?’ ‘Will the streets be safe?’ He sort of pushed this vision of the Gol as this superior race whose influence will somehow seed culture in the Farrow. It was pretty sloppy. I think Jan’s climbed about as high in the ranks as he’ll get. The City is banking on the economic growth. They want that Farrow gold. They want the industry. Visions of highly trained Farrow working for scraps. And all that extra tax money fueling the police and other public services. A big expansion for all the public sector. His eyes practically turned into gold coins. I couldn’t ask him too much about the military without showing my hand but I think it’s pretty clear they are pushing hard the other way.”

  Kay nodded. “I’ve heard that. They think letting the Farrow in leads to a perpetual rebellion. Then they get called in t
o quell it. While they’re doing the police’s job, the Winden are solidifying their hold on the Farrow lands. Maybe start looking at Gol as their next target. The military would rather push the Farrow back to the border. Force them back into Winden clutches. Let the Winden worry about feeding or killing them. And keep the Winden too busy to think expansion.”

  Abi shuddered. “I try to keep an open mind, but the Winden seem scary.”

  “Oh, they are,” Kay said. “Ask a Farrow back from the wars. They’ll tell you some horror stories. That’s a big part of the reason they want legitimacy with the Gol so bad. Some of the soldier types would never say it, but they are terrified to face the Winden again with even less of an army than the last dance.”

  The women fell silent for a moment. Kay’s head was still hurting.

  Abi continued, “Jan says once the council is set, City will form what alliances it can and get a single message out for their best option. Then focus all their time with the council on influencing Tems.”

  “Does anyone know where he stands on this?”

  “No idea. The Dynasty could go either way. They may want to be viewed benevolently or they may want to look strong. But the Dynasty really exists for the Dynasty. They mostly want to keep the leadership in their place, just below the Dynasty. They probably don’t like these councils either. Sometimes they go an unexpected direction, Jan says, just to keep the rest of the leadership on its toes. Like an indicator of their displeasure. They don’t want the boat rocked. Why would they? They’re on the top deck eating fruit. They don’t want to hear about bad weather, let alone have to make a decision that makes half their crew unhappy.”

  Kay tried to hide a smile. “I like your boat analogy.”

  “Fuck you,” Abi said. “I thought it was pretty good.”

  “So this whole process concentrates the decision making. Tems, Jios Marin, and then the Dynasty themselves sitting around a dinner table.”

  “Yeah, but good luck reaching Jios or any members of the Dynasty other than the one they appoint to the council. Tems will descend from the top deck, listen for a week, then raise an eyebrow at the right time and send whatever signal to Jios, and that will be the fate of the Farrow.”

  Kay was looking out the window and thinking. After a few moments Abi stood to leave. “Thanks,” Kay said. “Good work.”

  “What else do you need?”

  “Are you sure you’re okay to work this week?”

  “Keara, darling, I’m not sitting on the sidelines for this one. In case you haven’t noticed, there are several people out there wanting to get you on a leash or in a noose. I’m working.” A short pause. “At double pay.”

  “Agreed. What you’ve given me will make for a good first report. Write it up. Once the council is solidified see if you can get a roster. That would at least make the Farrow happy for a while, even if they can’t do much with it.” They would immediately start thinking about who to bribe, but this would be a tricky group to sway. “The meeting schedule and decision date. But we also need to learn more about the Dynasty. Especially Tems and Jios.”

  “We’ll have to get in line. But I’ll see what I can do.”

  After Abi left, Kay sank down onto the sofa, her head aching. She looked up at the books lining the shelves in her office, wondering if any held the key.

  Chapter 9. A Little Cat and Mouse

  There were footsteps on the stairs. Fast. Joah was finally here, half the day gone. Kay threw aside the book about the Dynasty she’d been pretending to study. She listened as Joah had a quick exchange with Abi. He rarely passed her by without some new and creative way of hitting on her. It seemed he was in a bigger hurry than usual because the door opened after only moments. He leaned his head in, sharp eyes hunting around the room until he saw Kay near the bookshelves.

  “Did he stop by? Did I beat him?” Joah was young with a cocky grin. All flash. He had golden skin and carefully styled hair. He’d been in Kay’s employ for a few years, ever since she pulled him from that doctor’s clutches, an incident they’d never spoken of again. Kay had initially spurned his advances. She was uninterested in his relentless offers to help. He was from a rich family that he also never spoke of and Kay had assumed he was just infatuated with her and would take off the second things grew hard. Or worse, boring. But he’d found opportunity to showcase his skills and she’d learned to value them. Joah wielded charm like an axe. Those a few years older than him were quick to buy him a drink, take him into their confidence. His real value, however, was with youths. He could roll up on a set of teenagers and the boys and girls alike would be spilling their guts in minutes, seeking his approval. He played disinterested while somehow ferreting out all their secrets. He was Kay’s most valuable resource in tracking down both runaways and the taken. And so far she’d managed to keep him from getting himself killed.

  “Who?” she asked.

  “The rockthrower.”

  “Joah, I’m at a loss. You want to start making sense?”

  “The Farrow, the one who’s protecting you.”

  “I’m not getting any protection from the Farrow.” Kay moved over to her desk, took a seat.

  “Well, you definitely did this morning.”

  “Joah, sit.” She gestured to the other chair.

  He slouched into it. “Right, so Abi sends word you want to see me. I’m skeptical, figure she’s just trying to lure me into the office during your week off so she can get me naked…” Joah said with a grin. “But anyway, I’m headed in and remember Abi said something about the Fire Creep so I stop by to see where he’s at, and then you show up. And he gets all hostile, the Creep. He’s staring at you like you just stole his bank or something. And then you stagger and fall down. He’s still staring at you all hard. I can’t really tell what’s going on, no one can. Everyone’s just watching him and can’t see you, wondering what he’s doing and where’s the show gone. But I can see he’s doing something that’s hurting you and I start to move towards him, try to stop him and then this rock comes out of nowhere, cracks the Creep good in the head. Bloodies him serious. He’s reeling and clutching his head and I can see that it was a Farrow who threw the rock. Tough looking guy, bruised up face. The Creep can’t see who did it, he was looking at you. Creep takes off running, holding his head. And the Farrow’s tracking him. I check real quick and see you getting up, looking your normal, beautiful, if a little disoriented, self. Seem okay after the Creep got hit, so I follow the Farrow.”

  As he spoke, Joah pulled out the silver watch he relentlessly played with. He began swinging it by the chain, making it whir around his hands. Kay gave him a look and he shrugged and tucked it away. “The Farrow followed the bleeding Fire Creep across a quarter of the city. So now we know where the Creep sleeps. A weird joint near the Midlands neighborhood. Creep runs inside, blood all over his white robes. Then everything slows down a bit. I watch the Farrow watch the Creep’s place. Maybe an hour passes and I’m about ready to come back here, tell you what happened. Then a messenger shows up. Official looking. Knocks on the Creep’s door. Creep answers, brings him in. They talk maybe five minutes. Messenger comes out. I can see the Farrow is interested but he’s not leaving. He’s staying on the Creep. So I figure I’ll follow the messenger, see where he goes.

  “I’ll spare you the tales of my ever-growing tracking skills. But a little cat and mouse goes on, the mouse never being the wiser to his danger, and he leads me straight to a nobleman’s estate on High Street. I ask a couple servants floating around outside the nearby mansions and get more than one confirmation that we are looking at the House Renlan. Then I hustle back here to report my news and ask that for all my good work you tell Abi to get naked with me immediately.”

  “Request denied,” Kay said. She sat quietly, wondering why a High Street noble would be mixed up with the Fire Creep, when she heard more footsteps on the stairs. “That might be the Farrow. Maybe better he doesn’t see you. Can you head out the back?” Joah, never losing his gri
n, got up and headed towards the back door. “Wait,” Kay said. Abi would probably take her time before she brought word back to Kay that he was in. That left Kay a moment with Joah. “I need you to look into Ban Terrel. He asked me to find a mixed-blood out in the Farrow camps. Girl named Leah Jordene, mom named Maggie. Didn’t name the father. I need to find out more about his motivation. How’s Ban Terrel make his money? What’s his stance on the refugees? He the type to father an illegitimate mixed-blood with a Farrow woman? History of interests out there?”

  “Don’t ask much, do you?”

  “Thanks, Joah. If Ban Terrel’s men sniff you out, you can use my name and try to get to one named Yamar. If you get isolated with a soldier named Reagan, watch your throat. Check back with me tonight. If you see the Fire Creep, give him a wide berth.”

  “Will do.” Joah closed the back door behind him just as Abi knocked and leaned into the office.

  “I have an Amos Farr here to see you,” she said. Kay gave a wave and Abi brought Amos into the room.

  Amos walked past Abi, right up to Kay’s desk. Like he was reporting for duty, standing straight and still. He had a thin build with broad shoulders. His face was still battered from the other night’s fight, cut eye swollen.

  “Your face looks even worse than it did yesterday. Have a seat.”

  He grinned and sat. “Second day is the worst. It’ll start getting better tomorrow.”

  “I got the impression Gillis was sending someone else.”

  “He tried. They couldn’t get past the gate. They’re hardly letting any full-blood Farrow in the city. Gol are tricky. Hard to figure out who takes a bribe and who doesn’t. I’ve been around New Farrow a little longer than their first choice. Plus the guards recognized me from the fight. Probably the only reason I got in.” He was looking at her intently. “How’s your head?”