Janice Hardy - Blue Fire

“How about five then?” I said.

“You’d be robbing me at that price.”

The rent collector stalked over. Danello intercepted, keeping her a stride’s length away.

“What are you doing?” she said, pointing at me. “What are you selling? Are your little friends here?” She spun around. “There’s one! Where are the others?”

The merchant frowned and pulled her hands off the silverware box. “Perhaps now isn’t the best time.”

“Now is fine,” I said quickly. “Nothing to worry about.” Danello had the rent collector by the arms, but she wouldn’t stay quiet. “I could have turned you in and I didn’t! You owe me!”

My guts twisted. “Shall we split the difference and say four?”

The merchant’s attention was on the rent collector now, her brow furrowed as if she were thinking hard. Then she looked at me.

Please, Saint Saea, don’t let her recognise me.

Aylin had fluffed my curls so my head looked bigger than the poster, and lined my eyes and cheeks with powders to make me look older.

“Do I know you?”

“No.”

“Those are mine.” The rent collector surged past Danello and grabbed at the silver.

“They are not!” I snatched them away just in time, but the merchant was backing off, worry on her plump face. A crowd had gathered, some watching in boredom, others probably waiting to see if we’d start fighting and drop something.

“Don’t try to cheat me, Shifter, or you’ll be sorry!”

I gulped. The merchant gasped.

“You’re the girl from the posters!”

“Deal’s off.” I threw the silverware box into the air as Danello shoved the rent collector into the crowd. She fell, knocking over a few people, and money and silver hit the street. Cries of alarm and joy rose, and no one seemed to care about me any more.

I headed for the bakery, walking fast but not running. Soldiers patrolled these streets, and while the vendors paid them to walk past the alley market, they had no trouble stopping anyone who came out of it at a run. “Anyone following?”

“Don’t think so. The merchant wouldn’t leave her stall unattended. I don’t think the others heard the rent collector call you Shifter.”

I could only hope.

We ducked on to a porch and crouched down behind the railing. The bakery was across the street, but I didn’t want to go inside if we were being followed.

“Wait, someone just left the alley,” Danello said. “A boy, nineteen, maybe twenty. I think he’s looking for something.”

I peeked above the railing. Danello was mostly right, but the boy wasn’t just looking for something, he was looking out for something as well.

Angry shouts came from the alley market. A patrol came down the street, their steps hesitant as if they weren’t yet sure if they wanted to get involved. The boy dropped and tied his sandals, even though he had no sandals to tie.

“He’s hiding from the soldiers,” I whispered. “If he was after me, he wouldn’t do that.”

“What’s he looking for then?”

I held my breath as the soldiers walked closer to the kneeling boy. I recognised that tenseness, that fear, that desperate praying that they wouldn’t notice you.

A woman screamed and the soldiers ran for the alley, passing the boy by a few feet. He stayed down for a second more, then jumped up. He stood in the street, turning slowly, his face pale.

“Shifter?” he whisper-yelled. “Are you out here? I need your help. Please, we’re in trouble.”

I started to rise and Danello pulled me down. “You can’t risk it.”

“What if he’s a Taker?”

“What if he’s a trap?”

I looked again. “He’s too scared to be a trap.”

“Let me approach him then. You stay here.” He didn’t wait for an answer, just hopped up and walked over. The boy started and stepped back, but he steadied himself like he expected Danello to attack him. They spoke for a minute, then Danello scanned the street.

“It’s OK,” he called.

I came out of hiding.

“You were right,” Danello said. “His sister is trapped at the docks. Trackers are after her.”

“You have to save her, please,” the boy said. “I was in the alley trying to buy a weapon so I could attack the trackers and I heard that woman call you Shifter. The Takers, the ones who are hiding with us, were all talking about you. Some say you can help us.”

I’d never faced a tracker before. Guards and soldiers were one thing, but trackers were trained to hunt down Takers. We’d been far too lucky avoiding avoided them so far. I should have known that luck wouldn’t last.

“Where is she?” I asked against all better judgement. But turning your back on trouble only let it sneak up on you.

“On berth three. By the traps.”

Rows of traps littered berth three: fish traps, crab traps, duck traps, probably some mouse and rat traps. The whole place was one stinky maze.

“Which traps?”

He pushed both hands through his brown hair. “I… uh… I’m not sure. When we saw them, we started running.”

Running? No wonder she caught their attention.

“I think there were at least four of them,” he said. “Maybe more.”

Four trackers? Saea be merciful. “We’ll need help to get her,” I said. Danello hadn’t spoken, but he didn’t look any happier about it than I did. “Follow us.”

I headed into the bakery. The others were all there, looking worried. Tali had mango cream filling all over her mouth but didn’t seem to be enjoying it. Aylin shot me her oh-Nya-what-did-youdo-now? face. “What happened?”

“The rent collecter saw me and caused a fuss, but we got away. This boy’s sister is trapped on the docks. Trackers are after her.”

“What’s the plan?” Aylin asked.

“She’s on berth three. We’ll split up and look for her,” I said.

“We’ll signal if we find her,” Danello said. “Three caws, then two, like we practised.”

“Got it.” Tali nodded.

“No,” I said. “You’re going to the town house with Soek and Jovan.” All three started arguing and I waved my hands to quiet them. “Listen, the rent collector is probably going to tell the soldiers about me, so the town house isn’t safe any more. You three need to get everyone ready and head right to Barnikoff’s.” He’d be surprised when they showed up, but we didn’t have a choice. “It’s go now or get caught.”

Tali folded her arms. “I’m not leaving you.” Her eyes teared up and she leaned in closer. “If they catch you, we’ll be separated again. I’d rather be caught with you than all alone.”

I pictured Tali on her own, trying to find food, avoid soldiers. Stay alive. “OK, but you do exactly as I say and stay close.”

“I will.”

I turned to the others. “Let’s go.”

We left the bakery and hurried to the docks, the sun already beating down on our heads. Aylin and I headed into the maze while Danello and the boy followed the outside paths. A few paces ahead a lake gull squawked and took flight, its white feathers stark against the brown and green of the crab traps rising like cliffs around us. Lake gulls usually spooked at things they thought might eat them – and these days that meant people as often as crocodiles. I dropped and Aylin and Tali dropped with me, taking cover behind a drying rack.

Footsteps shuffled about thirty feet behind us. Slow, steady, cautious. Too heavy for a scared girl, but not heavy enough for a dock worker. Then another set of footsteps. Maybe these trackers were working in pairs – one flushed the prey and the other caught it.

I gestured at Aylin to sneak around and try to see who the footsteps belonged to. She nodded and crept along the stacks.