Lindsay Buroker: Beneath the Surface

Amaranthe feared that option might already be unavailable. The idea of hiding out didn’t appeal anyway, not if there was a chance to whittle down the enemy forces before they could all band together in the capital. Of course, she had no interest in Sicarius’s method of eliminating people. And she wanted to know what Someone knocked on the door, interrupting her thoughts.

After checking outside again, Sicarius let Yara in. She’d changed out of the maid uniform and back into unassuming brown trousers and a gray sweater.

“ There’s my lady.” Maldynado shifted his position to open up a spot for her and patted the bunk. His new position involved dangling his legs over the edge and into the face of the person sitting below him-Books. “I saved you a seat. You decided to eschew the maid’s uniform, eh? Probably just as well. Those uniforms are dreadfully monochromatic and the cut is all wrong for accenting… things that should be accented.”

“ What she’s wearing now doesn’t accent much either,” Akstyr muttered without lifting his gaze from his book.

Amaranthe thought about chastising him, but Yara climbed onto the top bunk, not-so-accidentally kicking him in the shoulder on her way up, and that seemed a more appropriate response. Yara had, Amaranthe recalled, been raised with a bunch of brothers.

Though Maldynado couldn’t have seen her foot strike, he must have heard Akstyr’s protesting grunt, for he smiled and winked. Yara glanced at Amaranthe, then offered a return wink. Huh. Maybe Amaranthe’s earlier words had made an impression.

Maldynado seemed to appreciate the small gesture for his smile widened, and he leaned against the wall, hands locking behind his head.

“ Did I miss anything?” Yara asked.

“ Oh, the usual,” Maldynado said. “The boss is trying to figure out the next step, Sicarius wants to go kill all the Forge people so we don’t have to worry about them anymore, and nobody’s listening to my suggestion that we simply stay in our rooms and out of trouble until we arrive in Stumps.”

“ Surprisingly prudent advice,” Books murmured. “Given the source.”

Maldynado let his legs swing back and forth a few times.

“ Ouch, watch what you’re doing, you odious troglodyte.”

Maldynado gave Yara another wink. “Books was obviously an only child. If he’d had any brothers, he would have learned that it’s never wise for the person on the bottom bunk to be lippy to the person on the top bunk.”

“ Let’s get back to our discussion, shall we?” Amaranthe asked.

Basilard waved his fingers for attention, then signed, Perhaps instead of killing the Forge women, we should throw them overboard. That would delay their return to the capital and give us time to arrive first.

“ That’s a possibility, but I’m wondering if there’s something more going on here than four Forge refugees finding passage home.” Amaranthe tapped the pages of the open book. “The Traveling Ice Show and Circus made a pricy purchase, one simply labeled as equipment and supplies, at Arstor Island in the Gulf before boarding the River Dancer.”

Akstyr straightened, clunking his head on the bunk above him. “Arstor Island? That’s known to be, uhm, in certain circles, the closest place to the empire where one can acquire artifacts, constructs, and various components that are of interest to… certain persons.”

Yara leaned closer to Maldynado. “He just said they sell magic stuff, right?”

“ Yup. One can’t be too careful with one’s phrasing of such things when one’s in the empire, you know. I’m surprised you’re open to the idea that magic exists.”

“ It’s called the Science,” Akstyr groused from below.

“ I’ve seen too many strange things in the last couple of weeks to doubt its existence,” Yara said.

“ The Traveling Ice Show and Circus does entertain in Kendor and on some of the Gulf islands at the southern end of their circuit,” Amaranthe said, “but they’re originally from the empire and wouldn’t incorporate magic-” she glanced at Akstyr, “-the Science into their acts, not when they spend eight months a year in Turgonia. At least I wouldn’t think so.”

“ You’re quite correct,” Books said. “In fact, there was a thorough investigation done of the outfit several years ago. I remember reading the newspaper accounting-and scoffing at the notion that magic existed. It was proved, at least in the minds of the investigating enforcers and journalists, that all of the troupe’s acrobatic feats were acts of mundane skill and that they used nothing more than black-powder fireworks to enhance their shows. It’s possible they simply stopped on Arstor Island for a performance.”

“ According to the ledger, they were only there for one day.” Amaranthe tapped her fingers on the table. “You’d think that an organization that’s been previously investigated would stay away from a place like that to avoid suspicion.”

“ If that ledger is the only place their stopover was recorded, not many people would know about it,” Books said.

“ Do we believe it likely this circus troupe will have anything to do with the coup in the capital?” Sicarius asked.

“ Are you implying that we’re wasting our time with this discussion?” Amaranthe asked him.

“ Our time may be better spent training for the inevitable confrontation with Forge and Ravido, rather than meddling with inconsequential affairs.”

Ah, Sicarius, always the blunt one. He was probably right, though Amaranthe wondered why he cared about Forge and Ravido and, for that matter, the fate of the empire. With Sespian no longer in Forge’s grasp, Sicarius no longer had a wrestler in the Games, not so far as Amaranthe knew. Unless he hoped to help his son get the throne back. Perhaps he felt that by doing so, he could gain Sespian’s trust?

All she said out loud was, “This might not be inconsequential.”

“ You have a hunch?” Books asked.

“ Why would the circus troupe be going to the capital now if they didn’t have some role to play in the events there? From everything we’ve been able to discern from the newspapers, Stumps is in upheaval with martial law on the horizon, if it isn’t in place already. As far as everyone there knows, the emperor is dead, and there’s going to be chaos until a successor is appointed. Stumps should be the last place the troupe wants to visit right now. Who’s going to worry about getting circus tickets at a time like this?”

“ Even in eras of economic woe, people will spend money to be entertained,” Books said.

“ This isn’t so much woe as chaos, or the potential for it,” Amaranthe said. “Would you go to the circus if there were soldiers marching up and down the streets, enforcing curfews and who knows what else?”

“ We don’t know that’s happening yet,” Books said. “We won’t know the exact scenario until we’re on the ground there and able to investigate for ourselves.”

Sespian waved toward the open ledger. “It could just be that they’ve made a commitment to perform and are financially obligated to do so. And the Forge woman that owns them… maybe she simply boarded the River Dancer because it was the fastest way to get back to the capital and reconnect with her Forge cronies. Maybe she didn’t even know the troupe was aboard. Maybe she’s sneaking about so they won’t spot her and question the fact that they’re being forced to travel to a city on the brink of war.”

“ In other words, you two both think we’re wasting our time?” Amaranthe looked back and forth from Sicarius and Sespian. Though she felt a tad ganged-up-on, she managed to find amusement in the situation. “Is this the first time you’ve been in agreement over something?”