Lindsay Buroker - Deadly Games

“How is that more fun?”

“It’d be more fun for you because youcould reminisce on past loves as well,” Maldynado said, “but sinceI know you’ve a dearth of experience in that area, I chose tomodify the game so you could play.”

“Real thoughtful of you.”

“I know. You’re welcome.”

Attempting to block out their chatter,Amaranthe pointed at the seven fountains circled on the map. “Theseare the closest to the miner’s flat,” she told Books. “Since theysaid they were meeting at the fountain instead of the Fourthand Loom Street Fountain or some such, that seems to imply it was anearby location they were all familiar with. What do youthink?”

“I think we may want to focus on the railtracks instead.” He tapped the hatched line on the map. “Thatlocomotive headed into town, but, given its clandestine purpose, Idoubt it ever made it to the station where its arrival would havebeen logged. There are a limited number of stubs it could haveturned up before then. A hideout might be located along one ofthose routes, as kidnappers wouldn’t want to carry famous athletesthrough the open city for far.”

“True, but they could have transferred theircargo to a steam carriage.”

“If they did, they might have left evidencebehind, or someone might have seen them,” Books said. “There areonly six possible stubs before the station and only two near thefountains you circled.”

Amaranthe would not get her hopes up, but shesaid, “It’s worth checking out.”

“Since these are residential neighborhoods,there are limited places where one could store a number ofkidnapped athletes,” Books went on. “I doubt anyone would choose aflat surrounded by nosy residents, so we can narrow our search toabandoned buildings or perhaps those with large basements withexterior entrances. If we split our team up, we could check thebuildings along both of these stubs tonight.”

“Agreed,” Amaranthe said, “though I hate theidea of splitting up when we’re already missing two people. I don’twant to lose anyone else.”

“I’m surprised nobody’s tried to kidnap me,”Maldynado said. “I’m at least as good of a find as Basilard andSicarius. It’s obvious these kidnappers aren’t basing their choiceson looks.”

“We believe they’re basing their acquisitionson athletic prowess,” Books said.

“I have that, too. I should have entered anevent, so I could get noticed.”

“Are you actually jealous that you weren’tkidnapped?” Amaranthe asked.

“Not jealous. I just think they’reshortsighted if they didn’t consider me.”

“Why would you care?” Akstyr asked. “They’reprobably getting tortured and forced to do unpleasant stuff.”

Amaranthe winced. She did not need to hearabout those possibilities, not for her men. Her friends .

“I would have entered if not for the bountyon my head,” Maldynado said.

“It’s not like anyone ever tries to collectyour bounty,” Akstyr said. “It’s not worth it.”

“That’s not true. Just the other day abounty-hunting miscreant tried to apprehend me. I was lucky toescape with my life.”

“Is that the child I saw chasing you throughthe boneyard with a slingshot?” Amaranthe asked.

“What? No! Er. You saw that?”

Amaranthe drew her pocket watch. “A quarterpast ten. If Lord Mancrest doesn’t show up in five minutes, we’regoing rail-carriage hunting.”

“It’s that late?” Maldynado asked. “That’snot like him.”

Amaranthe picked up her lantern and headedfor the gated entrance to the pyramid. It was set into a wallaround the corner from the steep stone stairs leading to theancient dais. The gate ought to be locked-the woman who owned theproperty ran tours during the day and presumably wanted to keep thetacky souvenir merchandise inside safe-but maybe someone had leftthe door open and Mancrest had gone in to wait. It seemed unlikely,but it did not hurt to check.

“What’s that?” Maldynado asked.

Amaranthe squinted at a shape on the groundunder the gate. She stepped closer, holding her lantern aloft. Atfirst she had no idea what the object might be because it wassquished beneath the metal frame. Then recognition jolted her.

“Mancrest’s hat,” she said.

Maldynado grabbed a metal handle, turned it,and swung the gate open with a soft creak. A stone tunnel led awayinto darkness.

“Think someone snatched him?” Akstyrasked.

“Our kidnappers?” Books scratched his jaw.“How would they know he was here? And why would they want him?Mancrest, with his cane and spectacles, doesn’t fit into the samecategory as the superb athletes they’ve abducted thus far.”

“He was a decent duelist before he got hurt,”Maldynado said.

“We going in after him?” Akstyr asked, histone suggesting the idea held no appeal for him.

“Amaranthe?” Books asked. “What do youthink?”

She was standing, head down, chin in her handas she considered the hat. “I think…if Sicarius were here, he’dsay this is a trap.”

“Set by Mancrest?” Books asked. “Or thekidnappers?”

“Do we believe there’s any connection betweenMancrest and the kidnappers?” Amaranthe did not. “He hasn’t coveredthem in the newspaper, other than to say some people are missing.I’m skeptical they’d be aware of him.”

Maldynado picked up the hat. “If that bastardtried to get me to set you up again, I’ll…” He squinted atsomething inside the hat, then held it close to Amaranthe’slantern. “That looks like blood.”

Amaranthe closed her eyes, trying to decidewhether she wanted to devote more time to Mancrest when hercomrades were missing. If he was in trouble, rescuing himmight endear him to her, but she found the location of the hatsuspicious. It couldn’t have been better placed if someone wantedher to find it.

“Books,” she said, moving away from the gate,“do you know another way in?”

“Hm, I believe so.” Books stroked his chin.“I researched the pyramid extensively when I wrote a paper on thecivilization that lived around the lake two thousand years ago.They were a fascinating people, primitive and cannibalistic, butsurprisingly advanced insofar as literacy and mathematics. Theyworshiped a-”

“Books,” Amaranthe said. “I’d like to havetime to look for Sicarius and Basilard tonight. The entrances?”

“Ah, of course. There’s an undergroundentrance coming up from the ancient tunnels beneath Stumps, but theinstallation of the city sewer system destroyed a lot of thosepassages. Oh, wait. I recall a reference to a trapdoor under thedais up top.”

Amaranthe nodded, remembering how Sicariushad appeared up there without using the stairs. She had wondered ifthere might be a door up there somewhere.

“And it connects with this tunnel?” Shepointed through the gate.

“I believe so. The passages do wind around inthere, and I can’t promise to be an unerring guide, but I have somememory of the layout from the maps in the texts I… Where are yougoing?”

Already heading for the stairs, Amaranthewaved toward the top of the pyramid. “Up. You can keep talking onthe way if you want.”

“But it’s not a requirement,” Maldynado said,jogging after her.

Books muttered something to Akstyr about hisknowledge not being fully appreciated. Akstyr responded with hisusual, “Whatever.”

When Amaranthe reached the top, she huntedaround for signs of the trapdoor. Sicarius, she remembered, hadappeared behind her when she had been near the stairs, lookingdown. She knelt and prodded around the base of the altar, whichstill sported the headless statue with its two wings, clawed feet,and furry torso.

“Did your studies tell you how to open thistrapdoor?” Amaranthe asked Books.