Page 24 of The Ragpicker King
“I would have bled out,” said Kel, “rather dramatically, on a rooftop. An unpleasant surprise for the homeowners.”
“Nonsense,” said Jerrod. “You’d never have made it up to the roof in your weakened state.”
Ji-An ignored their banter. “Someone who could follow us like that person did, without us noticing, is very good at what they do. I don’t like it.” She tapped her nails against her teeth, looking thoughtful.
Lin, having told Kel to hold very still and not talk, had taken out a salve from her bag and was brushing it along the cut on his neck with her fingertips. It stung like the contents of a wasp nest.
“It won’t hurt for long,” Lin said. “And look—the cut’s already closing. By the time you get back to the Palace, it’ll just look like a scratch.” She was leaning in close to him, smelling pleasantly of soap and crushed leaves. Kel was sure he stank like rain gutters and sweat. He closed his eyes to let the sting fade as the others filled Lin in on the evening’s activities.
“Montfaucon wanted his lover to fight a boxer who was dressed like a bear?” she said at one point. “Why?”
Nobody seemed to have an answer for that, and the conversation moved on. After Lin had screwed the lid back onto her salve jar and put it away, she said, “I’m sorry to hear of that man’s death.”
“Raimon? I would not weep for him,” said Jerrod. “He almost certainly knew more than he was admitting about the Gallery attack.”
“I don’t know if he did,” said Kel. “He sounded genuinely bitter against those he felt had tricked him and his friends. Which leaves us to ask: Who hired them?”
Ji-An pushed her empty bowl away. “Let us consider what we do know. Raimon was paid to hire a group of criminals he’d met in the Tully years ago. Most had been released, but under order of exile, which is why nobody has noticed they were missing. They were already in hiding. The criminals believed they were supposed to frighten the Sarthian Princess, not kill her.”
“So he claimed,” muttered Merren. “That poor girl.”
“I thought you hated royals.” Jerrod looked bewildered.
“I don’t want themmurdered,” protested Merren.
Jerrod shook his head. “I really don’t understand your politics.”
“Stop.” Ji-An made a shushing motion in their direction. “These criminals, his Tully band, didn’t believe they were on a suicide mission. They thought they were going to escape.”
“Right,” said Kel. “Which means they had no real passion forpunishing Sarthe; they did this for money, at the behest of a group whose motivations we do not yet know. Old Gremont was part of this group, but regretted it before his death. The mercenaries were not so much the guilty parties themselves as tools in the hands of the guilty parties.”
“Well, we got a name, if only a first one,” said Merren. He had finished his dumplings and regarded his empty plate sadly. “Magali.”
“There is a Magali who works for the Alleynes,” said Lin. “I remember taking note of her name. It’s unusual.”
“Not that unusual,” Kel said sharply. “There’s no reason it need be Antonetta’s housemaid.”
Lin raised an eyebrow at his vehemence.
“And yet,” said Jerrod, his dark eyes thoughtful, “there is—was—a Magali who used to frequent the Maze in order to borrow money from some of the less scrupulous lenders. She had a gambling habit. More of a problem than a habit. Bets on the games in the Arena. Didn’t care who was fighting—crocodiles, humans, giraffes—she’d place a wager on it.”
“There are giraffe fights in the Arena?” said Merren, eyes wide. “I love giraffes. They always look surprised to be up so high.”
“Shut up, Merren,” said Ji-An, turning to Jerrod. “Why didn’t you mention this before?”
Jerrod shrugged. “Like Kel said, there’s more than one Magali in the city. I hadn’t thought about her for a long time, but what Lin said reminded me, as this Magali bragged about having a job up on the Hill. I never quite credited it, but it sounds like she was telling the truth.”
“If it’s the same Magali at all,” said Kel tightly.
“Does this mean the Alleynes are our malefactors?” said Ji-An. “Since Magali is their servant?”
“It’s quite early to decide that,” said Lin. “I doubt the Alleynes have much idea what Magali gets up to in her spare time. Antonetta certainly doesn’t.”
She smiled reassuringly at Kel, in a way that made him glance away quickly.
“I didn’t realize we were all such admirers of the Alleynes,” said Ji-An. “One of us is going to have to talk to this Magali person—”
“I need to speak to the Legate first,” said Kel, and everyone looked at him in surprise. They all knew of Jolivet’s role in their investigation, but Kel rarely mentioned him and had certainly never invoked him before as a reason for delay.
