Blood and Betrayal (45 page)

“Hullo, boss,” Akstyr said.

Such a spring of emotion. Amaranthe walked over and gave him a hug anyway.

“Staying away from gangs and bounty hunters?” she asked him.

Meanwhile Sespian gave her back a wistful look. Yes, seeing someone like Akstyr get a hug over him had to hurt.

Maldynado peered between the cracks in the front window, admiring the close-up view of a copse of trees, their leaves turning the rich browns and reds of autumn. “So, who was responsible for docking the boat halfway up the mountain?”

Sespian flushed, glanced at Amaranthe, and then studied the floor assiduously.

“I assumed it was you,” Amaranthe told Maldynado, “until we encountered you on the way up to the wheelhouse.”

“
Me?
” Maldynado flattened a hand on his chest. “I was on the hurricane deck, risking all sorts of bodily harm to keep those enforcers from boarding. I’ll have you know that the men who
did
get on didn’t come up on
my
side of the boat.” Since Basilard wasn’t there, Maldynado decided it wouldn’t hurt to leave out the fact that Yara had been helping him, and Basilard had been forced to defend his side alone.

“So… the emperor crashed it?” Amaranthe’s eyes twinkled, though Maldynado wasn’t sure if Sespian noticed that. The kid’s flush had grown deeper. Even his ears were red.

“I lost tiller control,” Sespian said. “They were shooting at the paddlewheel and the engine room. They must have smashed the rudder as well.” He looked back and forth from Amaranth to Akstyr to Maldynado and added, “It wasn’t my fault.”

Maldynado laughed. “I’ve said that many times, and it hasn’t worked to shift the blame away from me yet.”

Sespian’s shoulders slumped. “This isn’t at all how I imagined this mission going.”

Emperor or not, Maldynado patted the kid on the shoulder. “I think this means you’re officially one of us now, Sire.”

Though he meant the pat to be reassuring, Sespian grew more glum and mumbled something that might have been, “Bloody bears.”

Amaranthe, at least, looked amused. “We better collect the others, tie these enforcers up somewhere, and see if we can find a way to get under the lake.”

“Under the lake?” Maldynado gazed out at the deep blue water.

“One of the Forge founders apparently owns the mineral rights to a chunk of land between this and a couple of other islands. We’re surmising that there are mines or tunnels or some sort beneath the lake bed. Though it doesn’t sound like the posh sort of place that I imagined wealthy business owners and bankers meeting up, it’s… my best guess after perusing the real estate records for the area.”

“You’ve been busy.” Sespian eyed Amaranthe, his gaze lingering on bandages around her wrists. Maldynado could tell he wanted to ask about what she’d endured. Rust, he was wondering, too, but if it was half as awful as he thought it might have been, she probably wouldn’t want to talk about it.

“I was all over the island as a boy, and I never came across any tunnels or secret entrances. Though I suppose now that we have our expert interrogator here—” Maldynado flicked a finger toward Sicarius, “—someone can get more precise answers out of Brynia.”

“Who’s Brynia?” Amaranthe asked.

“A woman who may have shot Mari, my sister-in-law, who was heading south to be a part of this Forge meeting,” Maldynado said. “I guess the emperor had been meaning to follow Mari down here all along.”

“Clandestinely,” Sespian said, his face still glum.

“They might not have heard us coming,” Maldynado told him.

Sespian gave him an incredulous look and waved at their “docking job.”

“Uh, right.” Maldynado lifted a hand to his mouth and side-whispered to Amaranthe, “How
far
under the lake are these tunnels?”

“We won’t know until we find the entrance. Where’s this woman? If she knows where the entrance is, it’d be handy. This is one of the larger islands out here.”

“Naturally.” Maldynado leaned against the back wall and smiled. “Whichever of my ancestors purchased it knew a prodigious piece of land would reflect the Marblecrest family attributes.”

“Big heads?” Akstyr asked.

Maldynado gave him a quelling look, though, as usual, Akstyr refused to appear quelled.

“She should be in the brig,” Sespian told Amaranthe.

“Let’s go for a stroll then, shall we?” Amaranthe said.

Smoke hazed the air toward the stern of the steamboat. Remembering Yara’s warning about the boilers, Maldynado said, “Yes, and we may want to stroll quickly.”

•  •  •

Down on the hurricane deck, the gate to the tiny cage—a sign above proclaimed it the brig—was open, creaking as it swayed in the breeze.

“I assume this means your prisoner is missing?” Amaranthe asked.

After the team had put out the fire in the engine room, Maldynado had led Amaranthe and Sespian to the brig. Sicarius had joined Books and Yara ashore to deal with the enforcers. Only three had arrived in the boat, but well over a dozen more had made their way to the beach after being thrown overboard. Amaranthe trusted Sicarius to keep them from making trouble.

“She must have figured out a way to escape during the attack.” Maldynado prodded the unsecured lock dangling from the wrought-iron door. “We were a tad distracted.”

Amaranthe grimaced. She didn’t know if this Brynia person could have given them any useful information, but she
did
know the woman could run straight to the Forge meeting and warn them of spies coming. Though maybe she was being delusional to believe Forge didn’t already know. The steamboat landing hadn’t exactly been quiet.

“It’s not my fault.” Maldynado must have noticed her frown. “Your old enforcer colleagues were so close on our rears, they could have braided our butt hair.”

Though Amaranthe promptly willed her mind to wipe that imagine away, she smiled and gave Maldynado a hug. She’d missed his irreverence.

“I’m confused,” Sespian said. “How does talk of… posterior hair warrant an embrace?”

“I have no idea,” Maldynado said over Amaranthe’s head, “but remember this, Sire, the next time you’re perplexed by a woman. It’s not anything wrong with you. It’s them. They’re unpredictable. And inconsistent. One time, they’re scowling at you for making a mess, and the next time, they’re finding your mess adorable.”

“Adorable isn’t
quite
the feeling.” Amaranthe stepped back. “I’ve just missed you all.”

“Ah,” Maldynado said.

Sespian wore a wistful expression, as if
he’d
wanted a hug, and Amaranthe had to hold back another grimace. Apparently her plan to make him fall in love with Yara hadn’t taken root in her absence. Well, she had more important things to worry about.

“It’s all right.” Amaranthe waved at the empty cage. “Now that we have the emperor, I have an idea about how we can more thoroughly search for this entrance. But, just in case there’s a way in from land, Maldynado, I want you to collect Yara, Books, and Akstyr and search the island. You can be their guide. Take them any place where there might be a hidden cave or a trapdoor in your house.”

“A trapdoor?” Maldynado scratched his head. “In a log cabin?”

“That
cabin
is bigger than Enforcer Headquarters back home,” Amaranthe said. “For all we know, there’s a warren of tunnels under it. If they’re there, I need you to find them.”

“You see, Sire,” Maldynado said, “her hugs aren’t all that desirable, as they’re typically a precursor for an assignment of work.”

Sespian acknowledged this with a wiggle of his fingers, then told Amaranthe, “What about me? Are we going somewhere?”

“Yes, I have an acquaintance in Markworth who may be willing to lend us his conveyance if he knows it’s at your behest.”

“You already have
acquaintances
in Markworth?” Maldynado asked. “How long have you and Sicarius been here?”

Amaranthe glanced at the sky. Though gray rain clouds hid the sun, she figured it was still early morning. “Almost a day.”

“Making friends even more quickly than usual,” Maldynado said.

“This friend tried to turn us over to the enforcers.”

Maldynado winked at Sespian. “Yes, that’s usually how things start.”

Sespian’s arched eyebrow suggested Maldynado hadn’t yet succeeded in inducting him into his League of Beset Upon Brethren, but Amaranthe no longer sensed the stony mistrust that Sespian had leveled at him before.

“Didn’t I assign you a task?” She waved Maldynado toward the shore.

“Sure, boss, whatever you say.” Maldynado started past Sespian, but paused to stage-whisper, “Just don’t let her make you drive this ‘conveyance.’ If you crash it, you’ll get blamed, even though you were simply following her directions. It’s usually her fault.”

“My fault?” Amaranthe propped her hands on her hips. “I wasn’t even onboard the steamboat when you two crashed it.”

“You
two
?” Maldynado had been on his way to the gangplank, but he halted and turned around so quickly he almost tripped. “How did I get included? I wasn’t anywhere near the wheelhouse when the emperor crashed us.”

“Wasn’t it your failure to defend the boat that resulted in the rudder being destroyed?” Amaranthe didn’t truly blame him for any of this, but she hadn’t had much amusement in her life of late, and it was fun seeing his flamboyant protests.

Maldynado spread his arms and faced Sespian, clearly expecting the emperor to defend him.

A glint of amusement entered Sespian’s eyes. “It
was
the loss of tiller control that resulted in running into the island.”

For a long moment, Maldynado gaped at him. Then, shaking his head, he slouched down the deck toward the gangplank. Basilard was climbing onto the steamboat, and, when they passed, Maldynado issued a warning.

“Don’t go over there, Bas. They’re hurling blame around like artillery rounds on a battlefield.”

Basilard gave Maldynado a weary pat and kept walking. Dripping water and wearing a number of new bruises, he appeared as beleaguered as Amaranthe had felt of late. She gave him a hug as soon as he came close.

Sespian also approached Basilard and gripped his shoulder. “Thank you for fighting so hard to defend the steamboat. I know this isn’t your battle, and I appreciate your willingness to risk yourself on our behalf.”

Fortunately, Maldynado had left the boat, or he would have had a fit over seeing Basilard praised when he’d simply been teased, but Amaranthe was glad Sespian made the effort for Basilard. As far as she knew, Sespian hadn’t made him any promises in exchange for his help, so Basilard could only be hoping that his actions would result in someone eventually looking into the slavers who were targeting his people.

“We’re paying a visit to the mainland,” Amaranthe told Basilard. “Do you want to come with us or stay here with Maldynado and the others? They’re going to look for secret entrances to underground tunnels.”

Basilard ran a hand over his scarred scalp. After that fight and that swim, he looked like a man who wanted nothing more than a nap.

“Or you could rest,” Amaranthe amended.

Perhaps
, Basilard signed,
I could make a hot meal.

“That’s an option too.” One that instantly appealed to Amaranthe after days on the road, relying upon Sicarius’s questionable culinary skills. At least they’d run out of those awful travel bars early on. “I imagine the log palace on the hill has a comprehensive kitchen.”

Basilard brightened.

“Ready to go, Sire?” Amaranthe asked.

“Just the two of us?”

“Not exactly.” Amaranthe looked toward the beach where Sicarius was tying up prisoners. “The enforcers are aware that he’s in the area, and this crash might not have gone unnoticed. I’m not at my fighting peak right now, and it may behoove you to have someone along who can protect you.” And maybe Sicarius and Sespian could have a chat while rowing across the lake.

“If they’re looking for him, that sounds like a good reason not to bring him,” Sespian said.

“I’m not positive he’d let me go off without him right now. Actually, I’m not positive he’d let you go off with only me to keep an eye on you.” That was saying more than she should, but, now that Forge knew about Sespian’s heritage, he’d learn why Sicarius cared one way or another soon anyway.

“Do you realize that he gave me that black dagger of his, and that Forge was able to track me because of it?” Sespian asked. “I was personally attacked twice because of it. They are determined to make their newspaper article a reality.”

Chagrin weighted down Amaranthe’s shoulders. If Sicarius had given Sespian his knife, he’d surely meant it as a gift, one that might prove useful. He’d be horrified, or as close to it as he came, to learn that it had endangered his son. “He didn’t know,” Amaranthe said. “He couldn’t have. How were they able to track you?”

Sespian dug in a pocket, fished out a black egg-shaped device, and handed it to her. “I haven’t been able to ascertain how it works. Brynia knew how to use it to locate other pieces of that ancient technology.”

Amaranthe turned the seamless tool over in her hands. “I met the woman who probably taught her how to use it. I wonder if it’s how they located the
Behemoth
in the first place.”

“The what?”

“Oh, I named their craft before I heard the real name.” Amaranthe returned the device. “At least, if we have it now, they can’t use it to track the knife anymore. You
do
still have that, don’t you?” A jolt of alarm ran through her at the thought of Sicarius’s faithful dagger lost forever on the bottom of the river hundreds of miles back.

“It’s in one of the cabins.” Sespian waved dismissively toward the upper decks.

Amaranthe felt stung on Sicarius’s behalf.
He
would probably be too practical to care, but it hurt her to think of Sicarius making a gift of his most valued belonging, only to have the recipient shun it.

“It’s a handy blade,” Amaranthe said. “If you’re not going to use it, I’m sure he’d like it back.”

“I’ll get it then.” It was only in Sespian’s eyes that he said “good riddance,” but the words hung in the air nonetheless. “I don’t know why you worry about him, Am—Corporal Lokdon. About what he thinks. If you knew half of what he’d done, you wouldn’t choose to spend time with him. He’s heartless and inhuman.”