Page 78 of The Fury She Holds
Tal groaned and stood with effort. “Let’s talk by the river. I need air.” She ignored Faron’s chuckle and stormed out of the tunnel.
“Oona’s been feeding me information from the brothel. Two of the girls went missing the night of the… uh… Communal,” Egan began. He rubbed a hand behind his neck nervously.
Tal swore. “It’s been over two weeks! Why are we learning this now?”
“I’m sorry. I was on duty that night with Syb. Badger and Gully kept to their usual routine. Nothing strange at all, I swear. Oona thought the girls escaped. It’s why she never mentioned it. They had already been planning it. But she overheard the headmistress last night threaten someone about stealing her girls without compensation.”
“Who?” Faron snapped.
“She couldn’t tell. A client called for her before they stepped into the hall.”
The three of them sat at the tunnel opening. Nearly two months ago and almost every day since, Tal practiced her newly discovered talent of breathing fire. She thought back to that night and the hope they had felt. So much and nothing at allhad changed since then, but she could feel a crossroads on the horizon, and she didn’t feel ready for it.
“There’s more,” Egan continued. “One of our little problems has developed a bit of an addiction.” Egan’s main source of information came from the brothel. The women there favored him. He claimed they preferred his kindness to their usual patrons. Tal wondered if he simply enjoyed a change from the tunnels.
“Was he there when the women went missing?” Tal’s eyes shot daggers at Egan.
“No, that meeting was in the morning. He only goes at night. He’s been using his newly earned coin to visit Nemina almost every night this week, and he talks. He has been summoned to the palace for a meeting with his associates, as he calls them.”
Both Tal and Faron stiffened. “The palace?” they asked in unison.
“With the king?” Tal asked.
“With who?” Faron said at the same time.
Egan shook his head. “Someone important, that’s all he implied. He was very proud of himself.”
Faron frowned while Tal swore. “And what of his coin? Did you get a chance to look at it?”
Egan nodded. “Gold coin with the king’s seal. Just like Pochette’s.”
“The king’s seal? You’re sure?” Faron’s voice twisted with worry.
Tal pulled out the coin she kept in her pocket and handed it to him. “The apparition gave this to Pochette. We’ve tracked several other coins, just like this one, around the docks.”
Faron inspected it and shook his head. “This is not the king’s seal. It’s a good attempt, but it’s fake.” He handed it back to Tal.
“Can you prove it?” Egan asked.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Tal crossed her arms. “I’m still not convinced the king isn’t involved. Everything has been pointing at him this whole time.”
Faron’s eyes widened at her. “Tal, think about what you’re saying. Why would the king ally with the mages? Do you know what that would mean for the kingdom? For him?”
“Yeah, power.” Tal already ran through the reasons in her head. Meladair suffered from violence, unbalanced classes, and a significant amount of poverty among other things. They were constantly in danger of being overtaken by any of the foreign powers, even from those within. A partnership with the mages could provide the protection the king didn’t have access to locally.
Egan tilted his head, thinking. “If power is what they’re after, why wouldn’t they just overthrow the king? What would he have to offer that they couldn’t easily take on their own? I mean, Rain and Syb lived in a village full of warriors, and they didn’t stand a chance. We need their take on this one.”
Tal stood. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s offering the throne without a fight. Or the secrets of our enemies. Think. Syb’s vision has to do with that room inhispalace. The two servants were tortured underneath it in a secret dungeon. And then we found the girl inhisown private residence, guarded by mages. And now, this urchin is going to the same godsdamned palace. There is no way the king doesn’t know about it.” She headed off to her room. She had a bounty she needed to fulfill before the others returned.
Faron caught up to her. “Tal, don’t jump to any conclusions here. We don’t have all the information.”
She stopped and faced him. “Look, Faron, I know he’s your friend. But can you really look at all the facts, and tell me you don’t suspect he’s behind this? Can you honestly say he would never do whatever it takes to keep power?”
Faron shook his head. “You don’t know him.”
She turned and started walking again. “Well, maybe you don’t either.”
