Deadly Games

longer had any right to wearit.

When she reached the flat and lifted her handto knock, the door stood ajar. Strange. She would have thoughtPella would lock everything up and put the children to bed afterthe incident.

Amaranthe pushed the door open. Darknessshrouded the room, but she sensed what she would find even beforeshe brought in a lantern and searched. Pella and the children weregone.

CHAPTER 7

Basilard urged his legs to greater speed,though the darkness made the footing treacherous. He snorted. Evenby day, the footing was treacherous.

He reached the end of the swinging platforms,leaped onto the last wall, pulled himself over, and dropped theground. He sprinted the last ten meters to the finish line.

A soft clack sounded as Akstyr stopped thewatch. He held it up to one of the few gas lamps still burning.“Just over two minutes. Nice. You’re going to be a real competitor.Imagine how speedy you’ll be when it’s light enough to see.”

It will be easier to avoid the swingingaxes, Basilard signed with a nod toward the dark, deadlyshadows swaying back and forth.

Akstyr squinted, and Basilard could tell hestruggled to read the hand signals in the dim lighting. When Akstyrhad told Maldynado to take the night off, that he would work withBasilard on his “training,” Basilard had assumed the young manwanted to speak about Sicarius-perhaps he had some idea? — but thusfar Akstyr had not mentioned him. Basilard should bring it up. Thiswas his quest after all.

As if sensing his intent, Akstyr whispered,“I was thinking about that powder. If it’s what I think it is….Am’ranthe tell you the details?”

Basilard drew closer to the light, so hishand signs would be visible. Yes.

“If we could get some…”

A creak sounded behind them, and Akstyrjumped a foot, spinning in the air to face the sound. Themaintenance fellow who manned the obstacle course’s furnace strodefrom a doorway in the stone wall below the first tier ofseating.

Akstyr chuckled nervously. Basilard touchedhis arm and nodded, indicating they should walk. The man would bepowering down the engine for the night anyway, so training wasover.

You suggest finding the kidnappers andcolluding with them? To get some of the powder? The thought didnot sit well with Basilard. Though he had no reason to love theathletes attending the Imperial Games, he had no reason to wishthem ill either, and he did not care for the idea of workingagainst Amaranthe.

“No, I wasn’t thinking about that.” Akstyrsaid, keeping his voice low as they walked. “Am’ranthe wants me togo investigate apothecaries tomorrow, to see if we can find out ifa local sells the stuff and if someone suspicious has been buyingit up. If I get a chance, I’ll buy some while I’m there. Then wejust have to figure out how to use it on Sicarius, and you can…”He sliced a finger across his throat.

Basilard swallowed. Even if he was no longerthe model Mangdorian, he shrank from the idea of killing anunconscious man. But at the same time, he could not foresee downingSicarius in a fair fight. He had never even drawn blood when theysparred. Basilard had a measure of talent when it came to knives,but Sicarius had… erkt mahlay. That was the Kendorian termfor it, and one his people used as well. Literarily, snake blood.Figuratively, the ability to strike, not just with the speed of aviper, but with a snake’s utter lack of hesitation and remorse.Even knowing what he knew about the man’s crimes, Basilard wouldhesitate. He knew he would. Sicarius would not.

Basilard massaged the bridge of his nose withhis thumb and forefinger.

“You’re not backing out, are you?” Akstyrasked.

No. I’ll do it.

“Good.”

* * * * *

Amaranthe stood on top of the rail car, herback to the rising sun. A thousand metallic objects in the boneyardreflected its rays, and her eyes already ached from staring acrossthe expanse.

Clanks sounded below her-one of the menclimbing up. The others spoke in low tones around the fire pitbelow. Basilard was cooking eggs, and the appealing scent waftingup should have pleased Amaranthe, but she was busy worrying.

Books’s head poked over the top of theladder. “Breakfast is almost ready. A particularly fine one. Themen are in a celebratory mood because they got to sleep in andnobody dragged us off to exercise before dawn.”

Great. Sicarius was missing, and that causeda celebratory mood. Maybe Amaranthe should have led an exercisesession, despite his absence.

Books clambered up beside her. “No sign ofhim yet?” He nodded toward the metal-filled vista.

Amaranthe shook her head once.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Books said. “He’salways disappearing to do…whatever it is he does when hedisappears.”

“Not when he’s on an assignment for theteam.” Amaranthe sat down on one of the crates Maldynado haddragged up while claiming that a person could stand watch just aswell sitting down as he could fully upright.

“He’s probably trying to fulfill hisassignment then. Perhaps he’s chanced onto something good and needsto observe it before reporting back.”

“Perhaps.” Amaranthe rubbed her eyes. She hadlain awake most of the night, waiting for Sicarius’s return, and,as the hours had dwindled on, she had begun to question herself forsending him after the miners. They had seemed innocuous enough, butthat was before she read the note with his name on it. And beforethe family had disappeared, leaving her with no link to the miners.“I should have let him do it his way, Books.”

“Would that be a way that involved killing,torturing, or otherwise maiming people?”

“I bet he could have gotten the answers weneeded by applying force that didn’t do permanent damage.” Shepoked at a splinter of wood sticking out of the crate. “Instead Igot sanctimonious and said it would be better to fool the minersinto talking to us by dressing up as enforcers. If we’d done it hisway, we’d probably have been finished in ten minutes, and we’d knowwho we were up against by now.”

“I’d be uncomfortable working for you if youchose his way very often,” Books said.

“Well, my way isn’t getting the swordpolished.”

“Why do you say that? We’ve accomplishednoteworthy tasks under your leadership.”

“Because we’ve been lucky. No becausehe’s gotten me out of trouble. My crazy ideas have almostgotten me killed a half a dozen times now, and I’ve landed thewhole group in dire situations more than once. My schemes seem sotantalizing and shiny when they first come to mind, and then I jumpoff the dock without checking to see if the lake’s gone dry. Ishould stop and get Sicarius’s opinion first-and listen to it andthink about it. I should get all of your opinions. What goodis a group if you don’t utilize everyone to his fullest?”

Books grunted and sat on a crate oppositefrom hers.

She eyed him. “This would be the appropriatetime for you to say something like, ‘Amaranthe, you’re being toohard on yourself….’”

“Oh? I thought we’d had a conversation likethis before, and you told me the woman wants to rant while the mannods and grunts in agreement.”

“That was a little different.” She tried tosmile for him, but could not, not when she remembered the eventsthat had led up to that conversation with him on a frozen dockoutside of a cannery. That night, Sicarius had helped her byslaying a squad of enforcers and her old partner. “You’re rightthough. Sicarius’s ways of doing things are too macabre for thegroup and our goals. But mine are…” She propped her chin