“No,” Kara said. “Especially not around Warrior Guildsmen.”
“Don’t worry about the Warriors.”
“They didn’t look friendly.”
“They’re not,” Mika replied. “But they are professional. As long as it didn’t interfere with his contract or guild, you could stick a knife into someone sitting beside a Warrior, and he wouldn’t intervene. Their skills and talents are only used to honour their guild and contracts. Gyda, they’ll even hire out to unguilded, as long as there’s no need for them to break Guild Law.”
Kara was stunned. She’d never even considered that unguilded could hire Guildsmen. “With a Guild approved contract?”
“Aye. That way they can hire out to non-Tregellans.” Mika grinned. “Seyoyans like to hire Warriors.”
“They do?” Kara had read that the dark-skinned, light-haired people felt at home in Rillidi, with its islands and bridges and boat travel. It reminded them of their own land, a string of islands far to the south. Some of the rarest healing herbs came from Seyoya.
“I thought Seyoyans weren’t violent.”
“They’re not,” Mika said. “But they steal from each other. Think it’s a great joke. They hire Warriors to protect their goods from friends and family, but they are not allowed to kill. Any death nullifies the contract, and Warrior Guild does not get paid.”
“So no one dies.”
“Not for a very long time,” Mika said. “And the Seyoyans hire the best Warriors. I heard they even hire Assassins, though Warrior Guild never actually admits they exist.”
“Assassins who are hired not to kill,” Kara said. “It seems a strange thing to do.”
“Seyoyans I’ve met had an odd sense of humour,” Mika agreed. “But they’ll trade with unguilded, which is good for my business. Now, about Rillidi. The unguilded mostly keep to the original island, Old Rillidi.”
“The others aren’t safe?” Kara asked.
“Not as safe,” Mika replied. “The rest are controlled by the guild that owns the island. Some guilds are less welcoming to unguilded than others.” Mika smiled. “The Arts Guild is the friendliest and a lot more fun than other islands. But Old Rillidi Island, no one really knows who owns it.”
“I thought Mage Guild owned it,” Kara said. “At least that’s what I’ve read.”
“They’d like to own it,” Mika said. “But the truth is it’s owned by the descendants of the First Guildsman. They’ve been Mages for generations, but Old Rillidi is older than any guild, so ownership has remained with the family.”
“But Mage Guild knows who owns it?”
“I think someone in the guild does, yes,” Mika said. “Although it’s been kept secret for years. In the meantime, there’s no real authority on Old Rillidi.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“It can be. I’ll show you the places to stay away from. There’s a good many unguilded there living normal lives. Those are the folks I’ll introduce you to.”
ARABELLA LOOKED UP
from the report in front of her.
“You’re certain the girl was a Mage Guild runaway?” she asked the Mage who stood before the council table. A minor talent assigned to Villa Grana, the man had probably taken this news as an excuse to come to Rillidi. She might have done the same in his circumstances.
“Mason Guild believes she was,” the Mage replied. “But only one Mason saw her. The other one died.”
“Fell off the side of the mountain,” Arabella read from the scroll. It was a copy of Mason Guild’s report of the incident. They were certain enough of the facts to advise Mage Guild of the death of a runaway.
“But they are confident of the timing?”
“Yes, Master Mage,” the man replied.
“Thank you,” Arabella dismissed him. The man backed out of the council chamber, and Arabella set the Mason report down.
“You seemed very interested in one dead runaway,” Castio drawled from across the table. “Is there something you’d like to share?” He swept a hand out, indicating the full council—eight Mages who ringed three sides of the table.
“Please do share, Master Mage,” Inigo said.
Inigo was the one of the youngest council members, younger than Arabella, and she knew he only tolerated her because he was Valerio’s creature.
“I’m trying to be thorough,” Arabella said. “And it happened outside of Rillidi, so yes, I am very interested.”
“Ah yes,” Castio nodded. “Keeping an eye on all that transpires in the country—since you yourself are . . . country.”
“Yes,” Arabella said. She dropped her hands to her lap, hiding her clenched fists. It was an insult of course, but since she herself had claimed that being from outside of Rillidi gave her a different—and useful—perspective, she could not very well deny it.
Castio smiled blandly before turning to other council business.
Arabella stared at the date on the Mason report. It was not the day that Valerio told her his spell had been successful—the day she’d been elevated to council—the day she had conceived—but it was close. It was possible that the Mason had mistaken the date—or even changed it to suit himself.
The date must be wrong. The girl died from Valerio’s spell—she didn’t think he’d lied about that. This Mason must have tossed her body off the mountain, changed the date, and claimed she’d fallen. Arabella rolled up the scroll.
The girl had died—twice, so it seemed. She didn’t care about anything else, despite what she’d told Castio and the rest of the council. She had no more ties to the place of her birth, finally.
She placed a hand on her stomach. And her child—hers and Valerio’s—would be born here, on Mage Guild Island.
KARA GOT HER
first glimpse of the city of Rillidi three days after they’d left Terach’s farm. The Mountain Road wound down to a plain, and beyond was a huge expanse of glistening blue. Pontus Bay. The dark masses of the islands, nine in total, loomed in the distance.
“It’s a sight, isn’t it?” Mika came up beside her. “If you look hard enough, you can see Mage Guild Island, way off in the distance. It’s bigger than the rest and higher, of course.”
“Because it’s above the water,” Kara said. “Have you been?”
“Close enough to see the underbelly of it.” Mika paused, eyes wide. “That’s a wonder. Boats moored to docks that have steps that disappear up into the earth.” She shivered. “I didn’t go under—not with a whole island, a whole city, hovering overhead.”
“But it hasn’t dropped an inch since it was first created and elevated,” Kara said. “At least, according to what I’ve been taught,” she added. She had to remember that not everything the guild had taught her as fact was true.
“So they say,” Mika said. “But it’s not natural.”
“Of course not,” Kara said and laughed. “It’s magic, same as all the other islands, except the first one, Old Rillidi.” The island where she planned to make a home.
“But the other guild islands, they’re set into the water, not above it. They
seem
more natural.”
“But they aren’t,” Kara said. “Magic makes them possible, the same as Mage Guild Island.”
“You’re right,” Mika said. “It would be best to remember that, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes,” Kara said. Mage Guild wouldn’t forget, so neither should anyone else.
She gazed out at the shadow that was Mage Guild Island. Where her mother lived. Had Arabella Fonti heard about her death? More likely she’d barely spared a thought for the daughter she’d never wanted, the daughter who’d died by falling into Broken Burro Gorge.
Kara squared her shoulders. Her mother had wanted her dead—and now she was. It was time to make a new life.
THE ROAD THROUGH
the valley was wide enough to allow two carts to travel abreast of each other, and almost every hour they passed a group of people or wagon heading north from the bay.
Kara was excited, and despite Mika’s warning to keep her head down, her gaze was drawn to the strangers who passed them. One man had a pale yellow mist swirling about his head, while on another, deep green mist covered an arm that was strapped into a sling. They both wore guild crests, but not for Mage Guild. They’d bought spells, she decided, probably to help them heal.
The road took them straight to Rillidi Port. The small villa clung to the shore of the bay, offering access by ferry to some of the closer guild-owned islands. Wooden houses jammed up against each other, and the narrow roads were filled with mud and wagons and people. Kara took a deep breath. The salty tang in the air was almost overpowered by the smell of fish and burro dung.
Kara followed the cart as Mika slowly worked her way through the crowded streets. Eventually she led them down a quiet alley that ended at a wooden gate. Mika banged on a small door within the gate and exchanged words with someone Kara couldn’t see. A moment later, the main gate swung outward. She followed Mika and the cart into a small courtyard.
“Kara, this here is Wellert,” Mika said. “He owns this inn.”
Kara looked past the frowning Wellert. There was a ramshackle stable and a small two-level building that must be the inn. There were no signs to indicate you could get a meal or lodging there.
“Don’t never call it an inn,” Wellert said.
Kara brought her gaze back to him.
“Against Guild Law for me to run an inn.”
Wellert was the same height as Mika, but where Mika stood tall, Wellert seemed to hunch in on himself. Dark eyes were set deep into his pinched face. His black hair was limp and unwashed, and Kara wondered how clean the rooms he rented were.
“No, not an inn,” Mika said. “’Course not. Wellert, this is Kara. She’s planning to settle in Rillidi for a while. I’ll be making my usual visits and introducing her around at the same time.”
“Humph,” Wellert grunted. “Not a good time for new unguilded.”
“It never is,” Mika said.
“No, but this be worse. A month or so ago the Guilds started poking around, asking about newly arrived unguilded. Mage Guild was behind it, some said. Looking fer a runaway.” Wellert stared at Kara. “Heard the runaway was dead, but folk are still uneasy.”
“We’ll be careful,” Mika said. “Come along, Kara, let’s stable Zayeera and unpack the trade goods. We should be able to make the last afternoon ferry.”
KARA SHIFTED THE
large pack on her back, staggering slightly under its weight, before she followed Mika through the crowded streets. The noise and smells of Rillidi Port were overwhelming after the fresh mountain air.
Something plucked at the strap of her own small pack, which she’d slung over one shoulder.
“Hey!” She batted a hand away and glared up into a grinning face. He was dark-skinned, and his long, white hair fell across his shoulders in dozens of thin braids. She glared at him, and he laughed and said something she couldn’t understand before he faded into the crowd.
“Gyda-cursed Seyoyans,” Mika growled. “They know unguilded can’t do anything if we’re robbed. Come on, stay close.” Mika grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
Here the city smelled of fish, lamp oil, and fresh cut wood. And everywhere mage mist swirled. Every colour of the rainbow, it wrapped around everything—entire buildings, a woman’s ring, the wheel of a cart, the shoes a of wealthy man. People, animals, foodstuffs, trade wares, at times even the road itself—mage mist was everywhere.
Mika stopped, and Kara, overwhelmed by her surroundings, almost bumped into her.
“Here’s the ferry.” Mika turned to her. “I’ll arrange passage.”
Then she was gone, leaving Kara amongst a jumble of wagons and people loaded with packs and bags.
Idly Kara shifted her small pack, keeping an eye on the people around her. A group of Seyoyans stood off to her left, and she thought she recognized the one who’d tried to steal her pack. When one of his companions nudged him, he looked over and grinned. She glared at him, angry that he’d tried to steal from her, but then he bowed elaborately, his white braids trailing the ground, and she turned away, trying not to smile.
She was surprised at how poor the people around her seemed. Rough clothing was patched and worn, and many had only meager packs slung on their backs. Children clutched the hands of women who seemed far too young to be so worn and weary.
The guilds took care of their own—that was Guild Law. But despite the guild crests sewn onto tunics and packs, these Guildsmen seemed more underfed and dispirited than anyone in Larona had been.
Then she saw the Mage—a woman shrouded in pale yellow mist. The crowd melted away from her as she passed, but when someone else wrapped in mist didn’t retreat far enough, the Mage’s yellow seemed to shrink in on itself. Once the Mage had passed, the trail of yellow quickly faded. Kara looked up from the mist and met the Seyoyan’s surprised eyes. Quickly she turned away, wondering if he could see the mage mist too.
“We’ve passage on the ferry,” Mika said. “Let’s go.”
Kara was more than happy to leave the unsettling Seyoyan behind. She followed Mika to the ferry, nervous and excited. She was almost . . . not home, at least not yet, but she
would
make a place for herself on Old Rillidi. She had to—the only other option would be to take her mother’s suggestion and leave Tregella. And why would she take the advice of the woman who wanted her dead?