The Blood Debt Part 5

*Tell me something, Skender Van Haasteren. Tell me what your mother was looking for.'

*I don't know.'

*Oh, come on. You don't have to keep secrets from me.'

*No, really. I have no idea.'

*It must be something pretty important. Flying over the Divide is scary enough; going down into it takes a special kind of crazy.'

*She's not crazy,' he bristled.

*To most people, she'd have to be. You think the Wall is there for aesthetic reasons?'

The liquor was already making him feel dizzy. He could smell it over the stink of smoke and heavily spiced vegetables. It was coming out of the woodwork.

*Are you trying to get me drunk?' he asked.

*No. I'm trying to get me drunk.' The contents of a third gla.s.s disappeared down her impervious gullet. *And I'm curious about your mother. Surveyors come through Laure every now and again. They're a quiet lot, for the most part. They do their thing and we do ours. Some of us - not me, of course - call them Ruin Rats because they're always scrabbling around in the dirt.'

Skender's taste buds were sufficiently numb to make a third hit bearable. *That's not very nice.'

*You know what people are like.' Chu rested her elbows on the table and her chin in both palms. *Sc.u.mbags for the most part, and those who aren't are complete b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.'

*I'm sensing some negativity, here.'

She sighed. *Seagulls are rats of the sky. Isn't that what they say? Give someone a wing and that doesn't make them better.'

*And taking the wing off someone doesn't make them worse,' he said, hoping he was keeping up.

*Obviously,' she said. *I'll drink to that.' She poured them another round, spilling a substantial portion on the rough wooden tabletop. She didn't seem to notice. *Not everyone agrees.'

Her head tilted back, exposing a long, elegantly muscled throat. Skender caught himself staring, and covered it up by drinking from his own gla.s.s.

*Is your father a Surveyor?' she asked him.

*No. He's a teacher, like his father before him.'

*Well, good for them. A teacher and a Surveyor. Some people might think that odd. Some people might say that like should stick with like, or else you're asking for disaster.'

Skender thought of his parents and their separate lifestyles. *Some people might be right.'

*Some people are a.r.s.eholes, as well as sc.u.mbags and b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.' Chu's sudden vitriol made him blink. *You shouldn't try to defend him.'

*Who?'

*Don't play the innocent. He knew what he was doing. It became clear once I'd lost my wing that I wasn't good enough for him any more. And why is that? I was good enough before, wasn't I?' She sniffed. *He's just an idiot. A rat of the sky. I'm better off without him.'

For a second, Skender was hopelessly confused. Then the mental clouds parted. *Oh, I get it. "Some people" is someone specific.'

*And he could be very specific, when he wanted to be. Here I was thinking he helped me out because he liked me.' She blinked down into her empty gla.s.s. *G.o.d, I'm such an idiot.'

Skender stared at the crown of her head, at the whorls and flows of her rich dark hair and the paler skin beneath. He wanted to reach out and take her hand, or at least touch it, but the world was swaying alarmingly around him and he couldn't trust himself not to poke her in the eye by accident. He felt as dizzy as he had after his Blood t.i.the had been taken. *I don't think you're an idiot.'

*Yes, but you're drunk. You'd say anything right now.'

*That's not true!'

*Then you aren't drunk enough.'' She looked up and reached for the bottle. *Hey, this is almost empty. Let's get another one.'

She turned around to hail the waiter.

*I drink,' he protested, *that I've had enough to think.'

*Really?' Her laughter was pure and unrestrained.

*I mean -'

A hand came down onto his shoulder, startling him, and a rough voice spoke in his ear.

*The Magister will see you now, Mage.'

*I'm not -'

*Do as the man says, Skender.' Chu had turned back. Her expression was suddenly very serious. *Come on.'

She shrugged into her jacket and helped him to his feet. His legs were wobbling and he was grateful for her support.

*Where are we going?' he asked the man, a tall, triangular-faced yadachi with a beard that covered most of his face. His robe was as red as blood and he carried with him a heavy scent of cloves. Cold blue eyes regarded Skender with naked disdain.

*I've told you once,' was the only reply he got. *And I'm in a hurry.'

*Lead the way,' said Chu, gesturing to the door. *I a.s.sure you we'll keep up.'

The man turned his back on them and pressed through the crowd. The music continued unabated as they left the heat and stink of the tavern and entered the night.

Laure was a desert city, but one very different to the underground metropolises of the Interior. Its position right on the Divide left it technically part of the Interior but facing a raft of problems unique to such border towns. Skender hadn't had very long to research the history of the walled city before he left, but he did know that the yadachi weren't indigenous: they had originally been a roaming sect of Change-workers, struggling to survive in a world where neither sea nor stone were very strong and where most of the available reservoirs were already taken. Their particular solution to that problem had found fertile soil in Laure, so they thrived where both Mage and Warden would struggle.

Their yadachi guide took them at a brisk pace through winding streets, without once looking back. Skender and Chu walked one pace behind, catching each other when they stumbled. He was surprised to realise that she was exactly the same height as he. In the bar and on the rooftop, she had seemed much taller.

*He called me "Mage",' he hissed to her. *What was that about?'

*a.s.sumptions, remember?' she whispered back. *It doesn't hurt to encourage them, sometimes.'

*But I'm not -'

She put a hand to his mouth. *Don't argue. Being a Mage still means something here, and it's getting us to the Magister sooner rather than later. Every hour we save is one less your mother languishes in the Divide. Right?'

He couldn't argue with that, although he disliked her methods. Twisting his head to free his mouth, he glared at her and told himself to sober up, fast. It was all very well to be seeing the Magister, but it wouldn't do him much good if he couldn't string a coherent sentence together.

Being a Mage still means something here. He supposed that made sense. The rest of the Interior might ignore Laure's existence, for the most part, but the artefacts they sold had to be bought by someone.

Slowly, the architecture improved. Slumping walls and drifts of sand that had been allowed to build up in corners gave way to clear, bold lines and well maintained sidewalks. The city's tapering minarets strained for the stars in the crisp evening air. Frosted circular windows glowed with warmth and light. Voices filtered faintly through thick stone walls. By dawn it would be very cold. Skender hoped to be safe in his bed well before then.

Their guide pa.s.sed through a heart-shaped gate with a wide, sharp-tipped portcullis above their heads, and led them into a fortified building with no windows. Their footsteps echoed off ceramic tiles that gleamed by stone-light. Bra.s.s shields hung on thick chains from hooks all along the wide corridor they followed. It doglegged to the right and terminated in two broad white doors.

Their guide knocked twice, firmly. The doors opened. Skender and Chu were ushered into an antechamber larger than the tavern they had just left. Its walls were featureless, polished stone, except for the one facing the door, where hung a gleaming gla.s.s mural of restless blues and greens - colours rarely seen in the city's desert environment. Guards in yellow and black uniforms stood stiffly to attention in each corner. A single tall-backed chair rested between them on a square dais. Seated slightly askew in the chair was a striking woman with no hair at all and the biggest hooknose Skender had ever seen. Her eyes were a deep, potent green. She wore a black robe with red tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and rested gnarled white hands on the globe of an ebony walking stick. Her lips were broad and expressive, but only ever smiled on one side.

The incision on his left arm still itched but he refused to scratch it.

*It's late,' said Magister Considine. The room barely contained the rich harmonics of her voice, *and much demands my attention before I am allowed to retire. Be brief, I beg you.'

*Th- thank you for seeing us,' Skender stammered, affecting an awkward bow. *I'm not familiar with your customs here, so I hope I haven't offended -'

*Customs are for the lazy-minded.' She waved his apology away with one hand. Her fingernails were long and unpolished, like claws. They clicked against the k.n.o.b of her walking stick as she brought her hand back down. *I prefer to get right down to business. I will not ask again, young Van Haasteren.'

*You know who I am?'

*Of course. I know everything in this city.'

*Then you know I'm looking for my mother.'.

*I know she had business near Laure. All Surveyors declare their intentions when they encroach upon my territory. They learned the wisdom of doing so long ago, lest I mistake them for thieves.' Her eyes hardened. *The fate of your mother is no concern of mine. If the Divide has taken her, so be it.'

*I don't believe she's in the Divide,' he said. *She's in the Aad. If I can get there, maybe I can help her.'

*Maybe you can. I am not stopping you.'

*No, but I need more than your permission.' The liquor in his belly made him bold. *I need your help.'

*Is that so?' Magister Considine shifted her sharp stare to Chu. *And no wonder, with this one swinging from your robe.'

Chu looked indignant. *He doesn't know our ways, ma'am. Someone has to guide him.'

*You both stink of smoke and araq. In your eyes, perhaps, you are making satisfactory progress.'

*We've been waiting for you,' said Skender, not liking the way the Magister belittled Chu in front of him.

*Close your eyes,' the Magister ordered him.

He blinked, blindsided by the request. *I'm sorry?'

*You heard me.' The Magister crouched over her stick like a predatory insect. *Do as I say, or this conversation is over.'

He closed his eyes.

*Now, tell me how many rings I have on my fingers. You have five seconds before my guards throw you out of the city.'

Skender thought fast. He hadn't consciously noticed any rings, but the image of her hands was impressed on his memory as clearly as if he was seeing it for the first time. There were thick black bands on the two longest fingers and a silver coil on her left thumb.

*Three,' he said. *You have a matching bracelet on your right hand, in silver and black, and a pin at the throat of your robe in the shape of a crab. On the -'

*Enough. You are who you say you are, then.' She clicked her fingers and he opened his eyes. *Now, tell me exactly what you want.'

*A dirigible,' he said, *a heavy lifter so we can travel to and investigate the Aad.'

The Magister nodded. *I thought as much. Perhaps you aren't aware that this city labours under unusual circ.u.mstances. A growing stream of man'kin pours down from the east; rumours of unrest come to us from our furthest boundary riders. We must take advantage of the opportunities this presents, yes, but we must also be vigilant for threats. Were these more usual times, I might have had an aircraft available for you to commission. Presently I do not.'

*But it wouldn't take long.' He glanced at Chu for guidance, nervous of how far he could push the Magister. Her face was expressionless. *We could be there and back in no time at all.'

*Or you could be delayed, or shot down, or captured. These are risks I must contemplate for the good of the city. I cannot allow your natural desires - with which I completely sympathise, believe me - to jeopardise those in my care. Find another means to rescue your mother. Perhaps I will be able to a.s.sist you then.'

The Magister raised one hand to dismiss them.

*There is another way,' said Chu, stepping forward. *Renew my licence. Give me access to the armoury so I can fix my wing. I'll fly him over myself.'

A-ha, thought Skender, realising now how he fitted into her plans.

The Magister raised her left eyebrow. Her hand remained upraised. *The moment I give you your licence back, you will abandon this young man to his fate. Your intentions are transparent to me.'

*How can you say that? You don't know the first thing about me!'

*No?' The Magister clicked her fingers a second time and a robed lackey appeared from a subtly concealed panel. He handed his mistress a thick paper file then disappeared again. Taking it with the hand that had been about to dismiss them, the Magister opened the file and flicked through it, glancing from the pages within to Chu's reddening face.

*Improper use of safety equipment, wilful defiance of aerial regulations, felonious acquisition of material and labour, trafficking in illegally obtained artefacts ... You've been a busy girl these last two years. Do you sincerely expect me to believe that your momentum has been checked overnight by some young fellow and his mother's plight?'

Chu's lips were set in a tight line. *I expect nothing.'

*Good. That way you will never be disappointed.'

*It's just...'

*What?'

*So unfair.''

*There is no such thing as fair or unfair, girl.' The Magister's stare was intense. The folder lay closed in her lap, but clutched so tightly in one hand it almost bent in two. *The world owes you nothing - neither a father nor a friend nor an opportunity to redeem yourself. We dig our own pitfalls just as we make our own fortunes.'

Skender stared from one to the other. The two women, although separated by age, rank and experience, had almost identical expressions.

*You're not going to help us,' said Chu. *Is that what you're saying?'

*Not at all. I am going to give you one last chance, lest anyone call me unfeeling. You may use the armoury. I will instruct the quartermaster to lend you such a.s.sistance as you need, within reason.'

*And my licence?'

*That I will not restore. You have yet to earn my confidence in that regard.'