“I’m back,” came Sespian’s voice from a couple of scrap piles away.
He eased into sight, a hand lifted, as if he expected overly vigilant mercenaries to accidentally shoot him. As if Maldynado would shoot anyone wearing such a handsome azure tunic and stylish gray breeches, both with the perfect touch of golden accent embroidery. The wig, beard, and mustache, all dark black and bushy, were a new addition. Maldynado decided not to tell Sespian that he looked far too young to have that much facial hair. Maybe people wouldn’t look too closely.
“I’ve retrieved the agreed upon reward money.” Sespian pulled a heavy strongbox out of a satchel, gave it to Books, and clasped his hands behind his back. “I thank you for your assistance thus far, and, in particular for removing that device in my neck.” A shudder ran through him. He nodded to Books. “I also thank you for the information you gave me. I will be continuing on my own now.”
“Wait, Sire. I… ” Maldynado glanced at Books. “I have information for you. About my family.”
Sespian’s eyebrows twitched upward. “And you are offering it in trade for…?”
Maldynado opened his mouth, wanting to say that he’d share everything if Sespian would agree to keep the team onboard and let them help, but Books spoke first. “Nothing, Sire,” he said. “He- we — want you to have every advantage going forward.”
“I see,” Sespian said, and Maldynado wasn’t sure if he believed the line.
Maldynado only shrugged. “I found out yesterday that Mari, Ravido’s wife is on her way downriver on the Glacial Empress and will be staying on Rabbit Island. She’ll arrive tomorrow night.”
“Rabbit Island?” Sespian asked.
“Yes.” Though they couldn’t see the river from this side of the city, Maldynado waved to the northeast, indicating that the island was upstream. Maybe Sespian wasn’t familiar with the area. “It seems she’s been collecting strange black artifacts. She has an entrepreneurial streak as well, so it’s possible she’s behind Ravido’s interest in dealing with Forge. She may even be the one driving him toward this coup attempt. Rust, it might be my father too. As I said before, I don’t know Ravido well, but I don’t think this is a scheme that would have come to him without outside urging.”
“I see,” Sespian said again, doing an annoyingly good job of hiding his thoughts.
“I just thought you should know.” Maldynado lifted a hand, palm up. “She’d be worth talking to if you’re looking for information on the family, especially Ravido.”
Sespian listened to everything, then turned and, hands still clasped behind his back, started walking. At first, Maldynado thought he was fed up with them and meant to walk away from the team forever. But the emperor chose a circular route. He wasn’t walking away; he was pacing.
Maldynado shared a hopeful shrug with Books.
“You say you just learned this information?” Sespian asked, a suspicious note in his tone.
Ugh, couldn’t Maldynado find respite? Why did things keep happening in a way that made him look disreputable?
“We ran into his cousin on the waterfront shopping street yesterday, Sire.” Yara stepped out from behind the lorry, her short hair sticking out in half a dozen directions. “I believe the meeting was unplanned. Maldynado appeared to be getting the information for the first time.”
Maldynado crossed his arms over his chest and kept himself from saying, “Good watchdog, good girl.” Barely.
“Thank you, Sergeant.” Sespian gave Yara a single nod, which she returned.
Hm. Maybe it was good that Maldynado had kept the snide comment to himself. This wasn’t the first time Sespian had shown that he valued Yara’s council. Amaranthe had said they’d met before, hadn’t she? She must have planned this, for Yara to act as a neutral third party, one that Sespian knew he could trust to be impartial, or perhaps even more loyal to him than to the team. It was helping Maldynado now, so he sent a silent thank-you to Amaranthe, wherever she was at the moment.
Several long moments passed with Sespian standing still, his chin on his fist as he gazed at the dirt. “Mari Marblecrest is whom I seek,” he finally said.
Maldynado blinked.
“Do you mean that, all along, you planned to speak to Mari Marblecrest, Sire?” Books asked.
“Spy on, not speak to, but yes.”
“Truly? You think my sister-in-law is important somehow?” Maldynado almost choked on the word important, given that he was applying it to a salacious, self-absorbed woman who had, at more than one family get-together, chased him around the kitchen island and through the servants’ quarters, trying to tear off his clothes.
“Her importance in the organization is questionable,” Sespian said, “but I’ve learned that, of all the Forge members traveling downstream to their meeting spot, she’s the only one unlikely to hide her passing.”
Maldynado snorted. “If by that you mean that she travels with ten servants and twenty suitcases, then I agree.”
“That, and I understand she’s stopping to shop on the way.” Sespian raised his eyebrows.
Maldynado thought of the black sphere. Shopping indeed.
“Is this secret meeting where they’ll be discussing their plans for the fiscal future of the empire?” Books asked.
Fiscal, what? Oh, right, the emperor had volunteered for a lecture on economics.
“I believe so, yes,” Sespian said. “This may also be the first opportunity to spy on the leaders all together. Heretofore they’ve been clandestine with their correspondences.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Books said. “I’ve been trying to get the names of everyone, or at least the key people, in the organization for months. Despite my considerable research skill, I’ve been unable to pinpoint the founders.”
“Considerable research skill,” Maldynado said. “Nice modesty, Booksie.”
“I know you aren’t disparaging me on a lack of humility. When was the last time you managed to get through a conversation without stroking your chest and touting your physical attributes?”
“Are they always like this?” Sespian asked.
At first, Maldynado didn’t know whom he’d addressed, but Basilard had hopped out of the lorry. Only Akstyr remained inside, snores reverberating through the junkyard.
Basilard nodded firmly in response to the emperor’s question. Amaranthe keeps them from killing each other.
Maldynado translated for the emperor.
Sespian frowned and repeated one of the gestures. “That’s your symbol for Corporal Lokdon? Someone sweeping? Why? Because she’s a woman and you think that’s woman’s work?”
No, Basilard signed, because she… He must have realized the emperor couldn’t understand him, because he started doing an imitation of Amaranthe, first sweeping, then straightening Yara’s sweater and brushing away lint, and finally taking out a knife and tidying the stubble on Books’s jaw-too bad he didn’t actually scrape some of the grunge away.
The acting show made Yara smirk, but Sespian didn’t seem appeased.
“She tends to clean, organize, and tidy when she’s concocting a scheme,” Maldynado said. “Or worrying about a scheme that she’s set into motion.”
“Hm,” Sespian said.
“She likes to do those things. We don’t make her do them.”
“You simply reap the benefits of her voluntary labor?” Sespian asked.
“Yes. I mean, er… ” Arms spread wide, Maldynado beseeched Books for help. How in the empire had he ended up defending himself when Basilard was the one who’d made up the sign?
“You said the secret meeting was downstream, is that correct, Sire?” Books said. “But you don’t know the final destination yet? You’re hoping to find out where from this Mari? Or one of her servants?”
Relieved to have the topic changed, Maldynado threw Books a grateful nod.
“I’m hoping not to be seen by her or her servants,” Sespian said. “I want to follow her to the destination without Mari or anyone from Forge finding out. They’ll speak freely if they have no reason to believe anyone outside of the organization is listening. I wasn’t sure how I’d manage to get close when I had that tracking device in my neck, but now… Ah, actually, I’m still not sure how I’m going to get close.” He shrugged sheepishly.
Maldynado relaxed an iota. He liked Sespian better when he appeared uncertain. Given his age, that was
