Deadly Games

Was it possible he had not arranged this, andhe was actually imprisoned? No, soldiers would not tie up someonefrom the warrior caste without permission.

“We have comrades to rescue,” Amaranthe said.She found a rough corner on one of the stones on the opposite walland hung the key ring on it. “I imagine you can find a couple ofclothes hangers, twine them together, and fetch that on your ownwith a little patience, assuming your binds aren’t particularlytight and you can free your hands. I wouldn’t count on the soldiersrescuing you. They’re incapacitated at the moment.”

“Especially the one without pants,” Maldynadosaid.

“Will you stop bringing that up?”Books asked.

“Probably not,” Maldynado said.

“Let’s go, gentlemen,” Amaranthe said. “Wehave work to do.”

Mancrest’s shoulders heaved and his facescrewed up as he wriggled his hands behind his back. His bonds fellfree, and he yanked the gag out of his mouth.

“Wait!” He tore away the ropes at his ankles,leaped to his feet, and sprang to the gate.

Books jumped back. Amaranthe watchedMancrest’s hands to make sure he did not reach for a pistol ordagger beneath his shirt. Maldynado leaned against the oppositewall and yawned.

Mancrest grabbed the bars of the gate. Hetried to open it, failed, and gaped at her. “You locked me in?”

“You were planning to ambush us,” Amaranthesaid, not surprised but chagrinned to realize Sicarius had beenright, that Mancrest could not be trusted to do anything exceptturn her over to the enforcers. “I think my response is quitegenerous.”

He curled his lip and opened his mouth, as ifto argue, but closed it again and took a deep breath. “What aboutmy men. Are they…unharmed?”

“I think so. We used what the kidnappers havebeen using to knock people out, and I locked them in.”

“Who’s going to let us out?” Mancrestasked.

“Surely someone else is privy to your planand will come look for you eventually.”

“My brother. After he gets off worktomorrow.”

“Long time without a latrine nearby,”Maldynado said, still leaning against the wall, arms crossed. “Butyou deserve to marinate in your own pee overnight.”

Mancrest ignored him. Hands gripping thebars, he told Amaranthe, “It’s my duty and obligation to capturecriminals if I have a chance.”

“Our duty sometimes lands us in unpleasantcircumstances.” A fact she knew well, since following duty was whathad set her on the path that resulted in her becoming an outlaw.She nodded toward the key ring. “I can make it easier for you tounlock yourself, if you tell me what you know about Sicarius’scapture and the kidnappers in general.”

Mancrest’s shoulders drooped, and he leanedhis forehead against a bar. He chuckled ruefully. “When I imaginedhow tonight would end, it involved me questioning you about whatyou knew, not the other way around.”

“He should have come up with a more cleverploy then,” Books said out of the corner of his mouth toMaldynado.

“For once, we agree,” Maldynado saidback.

“Was this interrogation you imaginedhappening here or at Enforcer Headquarters?” Amaranthe asked.

“Fort Urgot,” Mancrest said.

“I’ve been questioned there before. I don’tcare to arrange another visit. Are you going to provide theinformation I requested, or not?”

“What will you do with the information?”

“Rescue my men and stop the kidnappers fromwhatever it is they’re doing,” Amaranthe said. “Given the nefariousnature of the disappearances, I doubt it’s wholesome.”

“Why are you bothering?” Mancrest asked. “Iunderstand your comrades are missing, but you were involved in thisbefore that, were you not?”

“I want exoneration, so I help the empirewhen I can. Now, speak.” She gave him her best icy-cold- Sicariusstare. Given the hours she had wasted coming to Pyramid Park, itwas not difficult to muster.

Still leaning his forehead against the bars,Mancrest considered her. His eyes flicked downward, taking in hernewly acquired rifle. “I suppose I should be grateful you haven’tkilled me for my attempts at trapping you.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Amaranthe said.

“I might,” Maldynado said. “Since youkeep using me to get at her. Street licker.”

“No,” Mancrest said, holding Amaranthe’sgaze. “I’m beginning to see that. I don’t know who has Sicarius,only that an anonymous message came into Enforcer Headquarters,informing them he’d been captured and would be delivered dead bythe week’s end.”

Amaranthe’s breath caught. A steam tramperstomped all over her theory that these kidnappers were collectingsuperior athletes to turn them into soldiers. If they intended tokill Sicarius in a few days…

She closed her eyes. Then she had a few daysto find him. That was what she needed to focus on.

“Also…” Mancrest slipped a hand into apocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “One of the rookiesbrought me this advertisement for approval. Someone mailed it inwith scrip from a mining outfit.”

Amaranthe’s ears perked. Mining outfit?

“I disapproved it. The Gazette doesn’taccept ads for just any business, certainly not anythingthat sounds like a spiel from a pitchman’s oiled tongue, and wedon’t take scrip for payment either. Later I realized it came in acouple of days before the first abduction. It could be unrelated,but…” He spread a hand, palm up. “Perhaps not.”

Curiosity piqued, Amaranthe took the paperfrom him. Before it had been folded, it had been crinkled, as if ithad spent time in a wastebasket. Books peered over her shoulder atit.

Foreman got you down? Do you deserve more? Ahome on the Ridge? A say in the government? It’s all possible.Invest in your future now. Enquire at the Imperial Tea House.

“Interesting,” Books said. “Perhaps arecruiting letter that was intended to gather more miners?”

“Raydevk didn’t seem too bright,” Amaranthesaid. “I could see him trying to recruit people for criminalactivities in a newspaper.”

Mancrest’s grip tightened on the gate bars.“Raydevk? That’s the name I got when I checked at the tea house.Is this tied in with the missing people?”

“It’s possible.” Amaranthe handed the note toBooks to study further. For all she knew, he could do somehandwriting analysis to identify likely culprits. “We had a run-inwith some miners. What else did you learn at the tea house?”

“Little,” Mancrest said. “Despite the loftyname, it’s run by the same people that own half of the mines in themountains, and it’s something of a slum establishment for lowlyworkers who can only pay in company scrip.”

“I know it,” Amaranthe said, her tone cool.“My father used to go there when he was in town.”

“Oh.”

“Smooth tongue there, Mancrest,” Maldynadosaid.

“Yes, uhm, they picked me out aswarrior-caste right away,” Mancrest said, “and nobody answered myquestions. I was trying to find out where the fellow lived and whathe was selling.”

“Perhaps we’ll check it out later,” Amaranthesaid. “We have another mission tonight.”

“If you find out anything,” Mancrest said,“and you need any help…”

“Oh, sure,” Maldynado said. “You’ve onlytried to lure us into traps twice. Let’s arrange another meeting.Maybe the third time, you’ll figure out how to get us.”

“I understand why you might not be quick totrust me,” Mancrest said.

Amaranthe snorted.

“But-” he lifted a finger, “-if you seekexoneration, then you’ll want me there to witness your magnificentcapture of the perpetrators. As a man from the warrior-caste, Iwould also be obligated to report the truth as I saw it.”

She watched his face, trying to decide if hewas eager for a story or if he simply wanted another chance