Deadly Games

“Actually, I took him here,” Amaranthesaid. “And got him kidnapped. I’m not a very good date.”

They reached the front door, and Maldynadoheld it open for her.

“Fortunately, Deret likes an adventure,” hesaid.

“Is there some reason you’re intent onmatching us up?” she asked as they headed up the stairs.

“He’s a good man, mostly, and you’re a goodwoman, mostly. And he’s in a position to help us reach our goals,so that doesn’t hurt. Maybe he’s not in love with you yet, but I’llwager you could talk just about any man over to your side, giventime. I mean, emperor’s warts, you’ve got Sicarius workingfor you.”

Her lips twisted into a dry smirk. “Gettingpeople to go along with my schemes and getting men to fall in lovewith me aren’t the same.”

“Sure, they are,” Maldynado said as theystepped out onto the third floor. “You just make the former yourpriority. If you tried as hard to woo a man into bed as you did towoo me into joining your mission, you’d never sleep alone.”

Amaranthe speculated on the idea of puttingeffort into “wooing” Sicarius, but shook the notion from her head.She had more important things to focus on. She hoped Pella hadreturned home, so she could question her.

Two doors away from the flat, Amaranthehalted and stretched her arm across the hallway to stop Maldynadoas well. An uneasy feeling raised the hairs on the back of herneck.

The door to the family’s flat stood open.Gouges marred the wood of the jamb near the lock, and splinterslittered the floor beneath.

“Think Sicarius is in there?” Maldynadowhispered.

A thump sounded inside, like a drawerclosing.

“You think Sicarius would leaveevidence of entering or make noises once inside?” she whisperedback as she slipped her short sword from its scabbard.

“Er, no.”

She would like to think it was he, thatperhaps he’d spent the night tracking the miner, lost him, and comeback to question the wife, but Amaranthe doubted it. She easedforward, sword in hand, stepping lightly on the hall’s threadbarerunner.

A faint rasp of steel sounded as Maldynadodrew his rapier and followed her.

Before she could peep around the doorjamb,footsteps came from within. Heavy footsteps. A scruffy young manstrode out, carrying a canvas tote stuffed so full the contentsthreatened to burst through the material. When he saw Amaranthe andMaldynado, he threw the tote at them and bolted down the hallway inthe opposite direction.

Amaranthe turned her shoulder, but Maldynadolunged and caught the bag before it hit her.

“Get him,” she said. “Bring him back.”

Amazingly, he dropped the bag and sprinteddown the hall without stopping to make comments about how hard sheworked him for so little pay.

Another thump came from inside. Amaranthepeeked past the door, did not see anyone, and eased into the room,her back pressed against the wall. Several of the purposelyarranged clutter-piles-turned-into-walls had been tipped over. Foodcans, cooking utensils, and clothing scattered the floor. All thecabinet doors were open on the credenza where Raydevk had storedhis applejack. One dangled from a single hinge. No bottles ofalcohol sat inside the cabinets now.

Footsteps came from the corner of the roomnear the window, but one of the partitions hid the area. A curtainhanging from a rod marked the “doorway.” Amaranthe eased closer andpeered around it.

A man knelt before a dresser, shovelingclothing and knickknacks into an apple crate on the floor. His backfaced Amaranthe. The hilt of a dagger poked up from his belt, butshe did not see any greater weapons on him. No thoughtfulconsideration went into the items chosen for the crate, and shesuspected they had stumbled across a mere burglary.

She crept forward and pressed the point ofher sword against the back of the man’s neck. “Aren’t thievessupposed to ply their trade at night?”

The man froze for a heartbeat, then doveforward into a roll. He twisted and came to his feet, facingAmaranthe. His hand went to the dagger, only to find it missing.Bewilderment widened his eyes.

Amaranthe held up the blade and raised hereyebrows. “Mind if we skip further attempts at complicating my day?If you tell me how you found out this place was vacant, I imagine Ican look the other way over this robbery.”

“Velks!” the man shouted.

“I see, you wish to complicate my day.”

“Velks!” he cried again.

A grunt sounded in the living area. The mangave Amaranthe a you’re-in-trouble-now look, to which she shook herhead sadly. This fellow, barely older than a boy, judging by thethinness of the goatee he aspired to grow, did not seem toobright.

When his comrade, Velks presumably, came tostand beside Amaranthe, his arms were twisted behind his back,courtesy of Maldynado who loomed behind him. Velks appeared littleolder than the first young man, and they shared a squareness offace. Brothers?

“Got him, boss,” Maldynado said.

“Tie them up, please,” Amaranthe said.

“Gently or roughly?”

“Neither!” Velks blurted with a heroicattempt to twist free.

Maldynado yawned, unperturbed by the slenderman’s efforts.

“Yes, neither.” The younger man eyedAmaranthe’s sword, but with Maldynado blocking the exit, he did notattempt anything physical.

“That depends,” Amaranthe said. “Are youworking for someone I shouldn’t annoy, or are youindependent… entrepreneurs?”

The old enforcer in her hated the idea ofturning her back on a crime because the criminals were working fora gang leader or another influential underworld figure, but she hadspent the last few months trying to establish connections with afew of those types, and she would look the other way if it meantkeeping contacts happy. If they were independent thieves, she sawnothing wrong with trussing them up and sending a tip to EnforcerHeadquarters so they could be collected.

“We’re working for Sicarius,” Velks said.

For half a second, Amaranthe thought he mightbe telling the truth, that Sicarius had sent them back to hunt forclues or some such, but she caught herself. That was wishfulthinking, a hope that Sicarius was about and on the mission. Evenif this man’s eyes had not darted up and to the left when hespoke-according to Sicarius, that was a tell for many folks whenthey were lying-the story was implausible. Before he met her,Sicarius had always worked alone. He would not use errand boys.

“Yes, that’s right,” the younger brothersaid. “We know him real well, and he’ll assassinate you if youbother us.”

“Assassinate you for certain,” Velks said.“He owes us a favor on account of us taking him out for drinks lastnight.”

“You lads aren’t very good at this,”Maldynado said. “So, boss, gentle or rough for the tying?”

“Actually…” Amaranthe eyed the clothingstrewn about the floor. “I believe they’d like to clean up theirmess first. Take their weapons and help them find a broom.”

“Clean?” The thieves exchanged incredulouslooks.

“Yes,” Amaranthe said. “It’s a type of work.Like stabbing people with knives, but with less bloodinvolved.”

Maldynado shrugged and patted down the firstman for weapons. “As long as I’m not the one waylaying the dustballs, I don’t care.”

While he monitored them, Amaranthe searchedthe room. One of the thieves tried to flee for the door whenMaldynado thrust a feather duster into his hands. Maldynado poundedan unapologetic fist into the man’s nose,