Брайан Макклеллан - Sins of Empire

“You’re joking.”

“Not in the slightest. The Dynize want the godstones. My people tell me that their agents here in the Depths are the ones stirring up the rioters. I’ve already dispatched everyone I could to try to deal with them, but you, Ka-poel, and I are going to have to do something about that stone.”

Michel drummed his fingers on the wall. “I’m not doing anything,” he said. “Half the Blackhats in the city will be looking for me by now. I’m staying right here until I can get Mother safely out of the city. If the Dynize are going to attack, I don’t want to be anywhere near this place.”

“I don’t think they are looking for you,” Taniel responded coolly. “Jes survived your little attack, I can tell you that. But with this possible invasion he’ll be rushing around trying to keep the Blackhats together. Besides, do you really think someone with his ego will have told anyone that a common spy got the drop on him? He’ll keep that close to his chest until he has the time to find you himself.”

Michel wasn’t convinced. “Either way, I’m not a fighter.”

“No,” Taniel agreed. “You’re not. But you’ve still got your Gold Rose, don’t you?”

Michel touched the medallion under his shirt. “I’m going to get rid of it as quickly as I can.”

“It might come in handy,” Taniel said.

“It also identifies me as a Blackhat to all those rioters out there.” Michel crossed to the corner of the room and folded his arms, trying to think. His primary worry was getting Mother out of the city. As far as he was concerned, Taniel was on his own from here on out. There was nothing more Michel could do to help, not now. He looked at Ka-poel, hoping for a little help. Both of them could be inscrutable at times, but Michel had always liked Ka-poel. She had a fantastic sense of humor.

Ka-poel fired off a rapid series of gestures at Taniel, and it took Michel a few moments to translate them in his head.

We need that stone, Ka-poel gestured.

“I know,” Taniel said glumly.

If the Dynize manage to get it, that might be worse than letting Lindet keep it.

“I don’t think we have a choice but to let them fight over it,” Taniel responded. “We weren’t ready for it to be that big.”

We have to figure out something.

“Sure. But what are we going to do with eighty feet of solid rock? We can’t just go down and steal it.”

Michel pushed himself away from the wall and went to his mother’s side, kneeling down beside the sofa. She was rocking back and forth gently, muttering to herself in Palo. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“All my books,” she said mournfully.

Michel almost laughed out loud. The city was burning down around them, their whole world going to shit, and Mother could only think of the books she’d left behind at her house. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead. “I’ll get you out of the city, and then I’ll buy you more. I promise.”

“Can we even get out of here?” she asked. “Is it safe to get out through the riots and the Blackhats?”

Probably not, he said silently to himself. “We may have to hold tight for a while and risk the smoke. But I’ll get you out.” He bit one knuckle, scowling at himself, trying to think of something. If he risked a Blackhat contact, on the assumption that Taniel was right and Jes had not spread word of his betrayal, he might be able to smuggle them both out of the city before nightfall. But that was not a risk he was willing to take.

“Wait,” he said, looking up at Taniel and Ka-poel. “What did you just say?”

“We’re just trying to agree on a plan,” Taniel responded.

“No. A moment ago,” Michel said. “You said you couldn’t just go down there and steal the godstone.”

Ka-poel cocked her head.

“What if” – Michel held up a finger for their patience – “what if we could just go steal it?”

“I don’t follow.”

“How hard would it be to arrange a couple of barges to meet us upriver?” Michel asked. “Say, a mile north of Landfall? We’d want armed guards, barges, tow cables; the lot.” He thought furiously, remembering what Professor Cressel had told him – that they’d be ready to move the obelisk within days.

Taniel exchanged a glance with Ka-poel. “It would be tight, but I think I could manage.”

Michel took Taniel by the arm and nudged him toward the door. They stepped out into the hall, where the smoke was somehow even worse. Michel thought he heard a scream in the distance. “Could you get my mother out of the city? Immediately?”

“Certainly,” Taniel said slowly.

Michel bit his lip. He had an idea. It was wild, insane, and more than a little bit stupid. But it just might work. “Okay,” he said. “Get Mother out of the city and have your people ready with barges upriver. Do that, and we might just be able to steal the stone after all. Is that a deal?”

“So you’re with me?”

“I’ll have to be,” Michel said. And it didn’t make him happy at all. He stepped back inside. “We’re going to get you out, Mother,” he announced. “But you’ve got to go now.”

“Michel,” his mother said, a worried note in her voice, “aren’t you coming with me?”

Michel gave his mother a hug. “Not yet. But we’ll send you out with friends, and once this whole thing is over I’ll come find you.” He stifled her protests with another hug, then pulled her out into the hallway with him, linking her arm forcefully with Taniel’s, while Taniel gave him a bemused look. “Time to go,” he said to his mother. “I’ll come find you, I promise.” Over his mother’s head he mouthed the words, Get her out of here and meet me outside.

Fifteen minutes later Taniel arrived in the street just outside of Michel’s safe house tenement. Ka-poel stood on her tiptoes, eyes fixed on the end of the street. There was definitely screaming in the distance, and the smoke was so thick that a fire had to have caught several nearby tenements. It was going to spread fast, and he worried about everyone trying to get out of the Depths at once.

“All right,” Taniel said. “Your mother’s on her way. Now, what’s your plan?”

“My plan,” Michel responded, hoping he sounded more optimistic than he felt, “is to hope that Professor Cressel is ready to move the godstone. If he is, we’re going to commandeer the damn thing.”

Olem caught up to her by the time Vlora’s escort had plowed through the afternoon press and returned her to the capitol building. He rode up, catching her by the sleeve as she prepared to dismount.

“Let go,” Vlora said, tugging off her riding gloves. “Norrine, Davd. Take vantages on the north and south points of the plaza.” She watched the two powder mages dismount, rifles in hand, and disappear into the crowd.

Olem leaned over to her and in a low voice said, “I saw Taniel. You weren’t kidding about the Red Hand. He said you were about to do something stupid. What’s going on?”

“I’m about to do something necessary,” Vlora responded, jerking her sleeve out of his grip and dismounting, handing the reins to a private. Olem was beside her in a moment, matching her pace as she strode up the capitol building stairs. People in the street stopped and stared, no doubt whispering over why an entire company of Riflejacks had just arrived on Lindet’s doorstep. Vlora didn’t care what people thought was happening.

“Vlora…” Olem said in warning as they neared the doors. Blackhats on the top of the steps eyed her and her men nervously.