The plants on the wall opened their ranks as soon as Muredin arrived with Sentinella. The scent of her garden alone already cleared the air for her. She was still coughing up blood and couldnt stand up straight without help. One flask from that shelf, a piece of cloth from the cupboard, a seed or two from a little plant near the window, and of course: tea. Sentinella meddled about, almost blindly. The headache was cluttering her vision, but in her own House of Scents she knew where everything was by heart. Muredin helped her where he could, but as far as all the meddling with herbs and flowers went, he stuck to putting the kettle with water on. Sentinella lied down on the sofa only after putting the tea in the pot. She held up that flask and tried pouring a few small drops of it in her cup. Things didnt go smooth yet, but at least it wasnt getting worse anymore. With a faint gesture she motioned Muredin to sit down as well, and maybe have a cup of tea and a biscuit.
Where are Shaandra and Leki? I could use their help at the moment, I think.
Muredin stood up and took a paper from the table. He handed it to Sentinella who tried reading it as good as her headache allowed. The small drops she had put in her cup of tea were showing their beneficial effect already. Things were clearing up somewhat in her mind.
Well Ill be darned, if you dont mind the expression.
Muredin nodded ever so politely, agreeing on the use of such a word for the occasion.
Have you read it? Oh, of course you have, how else you would know where to come look for me
Indeed, the mentioning of you going to get Kyell back from that gang in the sewers at the bridge side, sort of gave me a hint.
Thank you for that by the way. It would have taken an eternity to get that blabbering idiot down.
To be perfectly honest here, he did have you nearly dead with sickness and all.
I still had a trick or two up my sleeves. Sentinella inspected those mentioned sleeves, they were filthy from all the blood she coughed up, as well as the constant nose bleeding.
Im sure you did, but I figured I would speed things up. Sorry if I interfered where I shouldnt have.
You did fine. She smiled at the robust dwarf holding the porcelain cup. He chuckled, sipping from the tea.
The paper Muredin handed to Sentinella was a letter from Leki. After Sentinella had set out to find Kyell, Shaandra too had left the house. It seemed Shaandra miraculously recovered from her poisoning rather fast, once Sentinella was gone. Leki didnt say it in so many words but she clearly found this suspicious enough not to stay behind herself.
Muredin was going over a lot of things in his mind, most of which neither he nor Sentinella had an answer to. One thing he did ask though: May I inquire how that little girl managed to get past your plants on the outer wall? I would imagine them letting Shaandra pass, but clearly they should have stopped Leki from leaving on her own.
That girl probably just asked them or something. She has a way with living things I have not often seen.
Funny enough Laynah mentioned something likewise, but in fact she said that Leki felt things but could not control them.
Hmm, could be right. Than indeed its a mystery how the plants have let her pass.
Shaandra can enter and leave the shop at will?
Yes, but only the shop.
The letter was pinned to the backdoor of the shop, at the side of the hall.
Are you saying she followed Shaandra out through the shop? That is very unlikely my dear rescuing friend. This could not be done without Shaandra being aware of this.
Exactly my point.
You mean that Shaandra knew Leki was about to follow her, and she deliberately let her?
Muredin finished his tea and stood up.
This cant be true. Why would Shaandra do this? What does she have to gain by having Leki run after her? She might as well have taken her with her than, whatever her motives were for having Leki out with her.
First question is: where is Shaandra now. Only than we can get an idea of where Leki could be.
Sentinella coughed again, as she tried to get up.
I think you should stay and recover. Ill go looking for them alone.
Oh well, I only tend to blow things up anyhow. Not my style to do discrete investigating.
Muredin nodded again, very understanding.
If I would have control over this city, I would clear out those sewers entirely.
Than you would have clean sewers and other places filled with hiding criminals And are you planning to run for mayor next elections than? Muredin chuckled at the idea.
You know, I might. Who has been controlling the most powerful resource this city has, for all these years? Sentinella referred to the well at her courtyard. This was where the true magic of her plants and flowers came from. The well was the point where the living veins of this city came together. The water in those veins made everything living flourish. Its power was so great, that Sentinella had dedicated her life to guarding it.
Well, good luck on the campaign and say hi to the Nuncio from me when he establishes your post. That last part he said with a sneer. Any mayor of the city, or any official at all for that matter, had to be acknowledged and approved by the Nuncio.
Sentinella didnt want to start an argument about the Nuncio versus the Queen. There would always be someone in power, and they would always have something powerful to force their will upon others with. The Queen was gone for years now. Maybe it was time if people accepted the fact power had shifted, for better or for worse. Simply living in the past did not help anyone.
Sentinella kept her thoughts to herself though. She knew Muredin was of Kildurs clan, and that old dwarf clung to the Queen till his last breath. Sentinella was more practical in these things: she cared about the day to day life of people, and what they needed was stability, not an ongoing subversive war. Not that she liked the Nuncio one bit, but in the end they had to accept the fact that the Queen was gone.
One more thing, the thing that Q said: did you know that Scaramance had put a price on Kyells head?
No I didnt Muredin. And I never could stand that Scaramance fellow. There is no telling what dirty business he is involved in. Not that I know him personally. But isnt that the whole point: no one seems to know him
Muredin kept silent.
It seems that Kexon and that girl of his have Kyell, two vagabond nobodies. The children had met them in the park earlier. Q mentioned the boy being snatched away by a pair of lovebirds.
Never heard of those two. But if they were brave enough to take Kyell away in the midst of an action by Qs pack of muttons, they sure got some nerve.
I dont like the fact that Scaramance would be after the boy Muredin, if Q was indeed right about that whole bounty thing.
Do you think he was lying?
He wasnt lying, Im sure. But he could be misinformed. Who says for sure that Scaramance wants the boy alive?
Sentinella, we both know that when it comes to bounties, the gangs in the sewers are never misinformed
Sentinella didnt answer to that last part. She closed her eyes and tried to rest.
Muredin went out through the shop, first he had to pick up Shaandras trail, than find Leki. As for the boy: if Scaramance wanted him alive, he could at least be sure no one in his right mind would risk hurting but a hair on the boys head. Kyell seemed safe for now, wherever he was. Muredin spit on the ground when he got outside: ever since Kildur had assigned him with guarding the children, he had done nothing but lose track of them.
Leki had followed Shaandra. From the shop all the way to the narrow streets at the market. She had felt Shaandra was up to something. With Sentinella looking for Kyell, she saw no other option than going after Shaandra herself. Her only regret was that she didnt dare to take Petta with her, but a big horse like that surely wasnt fitted to follow someone discretely in the city.
Many people were about in the streets, especially as they approached the market place. Not many were selling things there since it wasnt a Sunday, but the shops were open and the atmosphere in that part of the city was lively. Leki had a hard time trying to stay far enough behind not to be seen, yet close enough not to lose track of Shaandra. The priest seemed in a hurry, but she tried to walk at normal speed to not draw attention. Why was she going this way, Leki wondered. She remembered the way they took to the bridge where they were attacked and Kyell was snatched away. Now they went a different way altogether. Odd, since Shaandra had urged Leki she went out to look for Sentinella.
The narrow streets were a maze. Leki had to rush each turn to be just in time to see which way Shaandra turned. They entered that maze further each of those turns. It felt like she was getting caught in a spiders web. Leki could feel the hostility of the people she crossed, their cautiousness, and their fear even. Several times she had to go down stone steps, or under little bridges. Those moments were the hardest to remain out of hearing range of Shaandra. At the first of several small tunnels, she hesitated. Either way: it was too late to turn back now. These had to be the Sewers, or almost. It seems Shaandra took an older route to the sewers, entering from where they first originated, in the old part of the city. Leki clenched the rope in her fist, but than relaxed her grip as she entered the shadows. Meme Uzuela had stressed it often enough: no rope can fly if you grab it too tight.
At first it was easy enough to follow the sound of Shaandras footsteps through the water echoing on the stone. A lot harder was it to not make those same sounds herself. Leki stayed clear of the water and took of her shoes. She had been hopping around barefoot her whole life anyhow. Shaandra turned up the pace. She went from one tunnel to another and sometimes even changed direction just like that. Did she know Leki was trying to follow her, or was she unsure where to go herself? Whichever it was, Leki couldnt keep up without revealing herself. In the end she lost Shaandra. The tunnels were grimmer than before, and more desolate it seemed. Things were getting pitch dark, wherever this was, not many others had been there before
Leki never noticed anything of the fight going on between Sentinella and Qs gang, even though it was closer than she would have believed. Nor did she find Shaandra again, who had found her way to Qs throne room by than.
Leki was lost in the dark, wandering the tunnels for what seemed hours on end. Aware of every drop of water that fell or every piece of stone that scratched. Doing her best to sense whatever living things were in there with her. For the most part she could feel none, but fear surely cluttered her perception of things. After a long time, she felt nothing anymore. She saw nothing and she heard nothing. Nothing except for the small drops of water from the ceiling. Trickling down, always one, never stopping, until they made the loudest noise in the universe.
