“Let go of me, you mother-forsaken street eaters!” Akstyr roared and flung his arms wide.
He escaped his escort and stumbled forward, crashing into Amaranthe and Sicarius, seemingly by accident. The bouncers were not thrown for long. One lunged, wrapping an arm around his waist. Akstyr pressed something into Amaranthe’s hand before the thug tore him away. The bouncer threw Akstyr over his shoulder and stomped toward the front door.
Patrons moved out of the way. Amaranthe closed her fist, hiding whatever Akstyr had given her. Cool and metallic, it felt like a key.
Sicarius continued onward without comment. Amaranthe kept herself from looking back to check on Akstyr. He obviously thought they should pretend not to know each other, and that she should investigate…whatever the key led to.
The crowd thinned in the back where two bouncers framed the entrance to a hallway. Amaranthe hustled to slip in front of Sicarius. No doubt he could get past them with force, but she wanted to try honey first.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” she said, feeling short as she craned her neck back to look each man in the eye. They even towered over Sicarius, though his six feet did not make him tall by imperial standards.
“Employees only,” came the response.
“Yes, I guessed that from your forbidding presence here.” She smiled. “How would we make arrangements to see the boss?”
“Come during the day, and look important.”
“Do I not look important?” Amaranthe asked Sicarius.
“Moderately,” he said without taking his gaze from the bouncers.
“I’ll have to work on increasing my importance aura.” She considered the men again. “What’d that young fellow who was just dragged out of here do?”
“Lady, we’re not here to chat with you.”
“No, but it’s got to be more interesting than standing here like mute statues.”
One grunted in what may have been agreement. The other frowned at Sicarius. Gears whirred behind his eyes, and his face screwed up in concentration. Trying to place Sicarius’s face, Amaranthe guessed.
“He cheated, that’s what they said,” she said. “Is that common?”
“People try it all the time,” the more amenable bouncer said.
“Do you have to inform your employer when it happens?”
“Our employer trusts us to handle such situations ourselves.”
“Yes, I suppose your boss is only interested in fiscal issues that aren’t so easily resolved,” Amaranthe said, an idea percolating through her mind.
Sicarius was watching her, probably wondering if this chat had a purpose.
“Yes, and we’re not paid to talk to girls,” the surlier of the two bouncers said.
“Unfortunately,” the other muttered.
“Of course,” Amaranthe said. “I understand. Thank you for speaking to me.”
As she moved away, the quieter man leaned close to his comrade, whispering something and pointing at Sicarius. Apparently the hooded jacket was not enough of a disguise.
“Looks like you might get some practice defending your head tonight,” Amaranthe told him, veering toward the shell-game table.
“They are not the first here to recognize me,” Sicarius said. “What now? It would be a simple matter to force our way past those men.”
“There are a lot of bouncers on the floor. If those two were knocked out, it wouldn’t go unnoticed for long. I’d like to have a nice conversation with the owner, and given what happened to the fellow we tried to question at that factory, I’d prefer not to do it at knife point.”
He gave her a sharp look. “You think that incident is tied in with this place?”
“I don’t know.” She pointed at a key fob dangling from a man’s pocket watch chain. “But there’s suddenly a lot of magic use popping up in the city.”
“More foreigners.”
“More foreigners who should all be smart enough not to use magic in a city where it’s forbidden.” Amaranthe waved a hand. “We’ll talk to the owner about it.”
“How?”
“I have a hunch we’ll be invited in to chat soon.”
“You have a plan. Should it concern me?”
“Only if your cockiness is unfounded.”
They approached the table.
Sicarius stopped her with a hand on her arm. “You want me to play?”
“I want you to play and win. A lot.”
Seconds ticked past before he released her arm. “Very well, but it’ll take concentration. I’ll need you to watch my back.”
Sicarius had never asked that of her before. Though he watched her back all the time, he had never needed the favor returned, and she did not miss the admission of trust in the request. It meant he was willing to put himself at risk for one of her crazy schemes. The bouncers knew he was here, and who knew who else might have noted his passing and started scheming to collect the bounty?
Amaranthe nodded once. “I understand.”
Sicarius stepped up to the table, cutting in front of a man who had been in line.
“I’m next.” The fellow puffed out his chest and curled a lip.
Sicarius responded with silence and an icy stare. The man stared back, but was the first to lower his eyes.
He licked his lips and backed from the table. “Never mind. I’m still sorting my money.”
Sicarius placed a coin on the table. “Begin.”
The three table masters smiled and nodded to each other.
Amaranthe leaned her back against the edge. As much as she wanted to watch Sicarius play, she meant to take her task seriously. Still, she could not help but glance at the action from time to time.
The shell men were spaced far enough apart that one could not observe each directly. Sicarius studied the middle table master and presumably watched the other two with his peripheral vision. As soon as the shuffling ended, he promptly pointed to each of the shells holding the tokens. The first time, the table masters shrugged and congratulated him. As he continued to win, the congratulatory comments grew less frequent. He never said a word, simply pointing to the correct shells. His one coin turned into a stack, and then several stacks of coins and ranmya bills, both of which he kept tidy and even.
A buzz grew amongst the onlookers. More people drifted over, blocking Amaranthe’s view of the surrounding area. She wished she were taller. With so many bodies pressing close, it would be hard to pick out onlookers with malignant intent.
Maldynado ambled by with a woman on his arm. He asked the lady if she might be inclined to fetch a couple of drinks, then strolled close enough to speak to Amaranthe.
“How come I’m working and he’s playing games?” Maldynado tilted his chin toward Sicarius, who remained focused on the table.
“Is that what you were doing with that woman?” Amaranthe asked, continuing to watch the crowd. “Working?”
“Of course. She’s my cover. It’d be unnatural for such a fine looking fellow as myself to be here without a woman.”
“Uh huh. Find anyone who recognizes that man yet?”
“Nope, but those fobs are everywhere,” he said.
“I noticed. Keep asking about the man, please.”
Maldynado shrugged and ambled off to accept a drink from his lady. They disappeared into the crowd.
A gorgeous woman in a low-cut dress slithered up to Sicarius’s other side. “You’re doing well, aren’t you?” she purred, leaning against him.
“Oh, please,” Amaranthe muttered.
Sicarius, eyes focused on the game, did not acknowledge the woman. Amaranthe wondered if she worked
