A Sea of Purple Ink (4 page)

6

The noise of the hotel’s coffee room droned in the background, the usual babble of merchants discussing the latest off-shore prices and inner city gossip. Reese ran her finger along the edge of her white cup. The constant noise pushed at her, sparking wave after wave of painful reminders. She took a long sip of hot coffee, her gaze on the street.

Ten years ago, who would have thought she’d be back here? She swirled the dark liquid in her cup. Back with a price on her head, surrounded by nobles and merchants who believed with all their heart that the police kept them safe from the dangerous and unpredictable outlaws. Reese buried her face in the mug to hide a smile.
The last thing they’d expect would be to find one sitting in their restaurant.

Reese set down the cup, gave her glove a firm tug to keep it in place, and thrust the noises away again. Through the window, she could see the target theater across the street. It stood on the edge of the bustling road, its high, wooden walls painted a sickly green. Reese watched the well-dressed nobility crossing and re-crossing the street, going about their unchanging daily business. Another wave of familiarity washed over her.
Did nothing change here at all?
As far as she could see, only the absence of horse-drawn carriages marked the passage of time. Since the island borders were closed off, no one could afford to keep a horse in the capital city.

Reese glanced at the clock on the wall, a dingy, rusted timepiece the nobility thought quaint. If she and Keller were up against a trap, there hadn’t been any outward signs of it. She looked back at the sprawling poster on the theater’s wall.
Time to go get this magician out.
She dropped a tiny ring of rhydium beside her half-empty cup and stood. Keller would see her from his corner and follow. Nobody appeared to be watching the theater.
This might be more possible than I thought.
She worked her way between the tables and out the open door, leaving the noise of the coffee room behind.

As she crossed the highway, Reese debated the best way to approach her target. Would this clever shifter be clever enough to see the danger without it being explained, or would he need things spelled out? Either way, she’d have to be careful. She ducked into the alley beside the building and strode to the stage door. She waited a moment for Keller to catch up, then pulled the door open.

A dim oil lamp lit the narrow hallway, and the distant sound of voices and chair scrapings drifted out on the heavy air. Reese stepped inside. A floorboard squeaked beneath her foot, and the voices stopped. Reese halted.
They’re nervous.
She motioned for Keller to wait by the door, then glided forward, carefully avoiding boards that looked loose.

The hallway turned a corner and widened. A short flight of steps led upward to the right, towards a curtained opening. Reese leaned forward for a glimpse through the gap and saw rows of empty, brown upholstered seats.
This must be the stage entrance.

A tiny gasp came from the direction of Reese’s elbow. She turned to see a small, dark haired girl staring at her with wide eyes.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” the girl stammered. “Not backstage.” She fled up the stage stairs in a billow of blue costume. “Papa, Papa, there’s a lady here.”

Reese started up the stairs, amused by the little one’s reaction.
Well
, she thought,
maybe that will break the ice.

The stage was littered with paraphernalia from the magician’s show. A large mirror, ornamented boxes, a table, and crates of every description stood here and there beneath exotic flowers. And in the middle of these stood the little girl, tugging at the arm of a tall, well-muscled man in embroidered robes of black silk. His worried gaze lifted when he saw Reese and melted into an expression of practiced placidity. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, his voice as soft as his robes. He ran a hand along his narrow beard. “The show won’t start for another ten minutes, and you’ll have to purchase tickets out front.”

Reese stepped out onto the smooth, brown planks of the wooden stage. “I’m not here to see the show,” she said, glancing over the empty cavern of the building. The room was full of plush chairs and rich color. Deep folds of red velvet curtains concealed the doors.
Is anyone hiding out there?
She moved closer, her fingers brushing the top of the polished table. “I’m more concerned about the show that might take place afterwards.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?” He looked down at the little girl, who was still tugging at his sleeve. “Not now, Lise.”

“But Papa,” the girl whispered.

Reese looked from one to the other.
She doesn’t look much like him.
She took another step forward and lowered her own voice. “Listen, I don’t know your name, or how long you hoped you could keep it up, but—” the man’s blue eyes met hers as she continued, “—they’re coming to arrest you.”

Fear flickered through the man’s eyes—fear, and something else. Reese felt a new line of calculations flare up, but the little girl distracted them with a question.

“Who’s she talking about, Papa?” she asked, gazing up at the man, a dark sprig of curls tumbling down her neck.

He laid a hand on her head. “Nothing to worry about,” he said, but his voice sounded strained. “You go check on the doves while I talk to this lady.” He waited while she ran across the stage and vanished into the opposite opening.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t frighten my daughter,” he said with his back towards Reese. He lifted a small box to the table and clicked it open, revealing a jumble of colored cloth.

Reese studied his tense shoulders.
He looks strong enough to try anything, but is he the murderer?
The rows of empty, staring seats were making her jittery. “I doubt she’s your daughter,” she said quietly. “And you know who I mean. They had a skill reader in the audience.”

The man whirled around, his face a taut mask. “Get out of my theater.”

Reese bristled.
Fine. So much for hinting.
“You’re not going to be able to get out of this.” Determination was written in every line of the man’s stance. “Believe me, you’re not. Not without help.”

“Get out.” The man’s voice had lost its softness. The hoarse whisper rasped across the stage.

“And if you get taken?” Reese demanded. “What about Lise?”

The man folded his arms. “We can take care of ourselves.” His silk robe trembled.

Reese opened her mouth to reply. A metallic creak sounded from the front of the theater.
The front door.
Escape plans shot through Reese’s mind.
Enough is enough.
She backed towards the stage exit, keeping one eye on the entrance. “I hope you can take care of yourself,” she replied. As the front doors opened, she ducked back into the side passage.
I sincerely hope you can.

Keller looked up as she approached. “Something wrong?” He pushed the stage door open and held it, waiting.

Reese nodded and stepped out into the alleyway. More than one thing was wrong. Something was bothering her about the whole situation, but she didn’t know what. Ideas churned in the deep place of her mind, but they refused to surface. That wasn’t good.
Maybe I overused myself dodging that reader.

The door clicked shut behind them, and Keller moved to her side. “Are we leaving?”

Reese slowly shook her head. “No.” Her gaze traveled up the wall of the next building and landed on a shadowed nook in the roof. “We’re going to wait and see what happens.” She nodded at the hiding place. “Fly us up there for now. Then take a rest. You might need it later.”

---

Nearly an hour later, the show inside the theater was in full swing. Reese leaned against an ornamental chimney on the roof of the next building and listened to the applause drifting from the stage door. She smiled grimly.
He must be pretty good to garner that much applause.
Beside her, in the deeper shadows, Keller sighed and gave a little snore.

The audience inside roared with laughter.

Then a shadow—made sharper by the late afternoon light—flitted past the side street.

Reese tensed.
That man was in uniform.
Another policeman followed the first. Then two more. Reese sat up straight.
Here it comes.
She adjusted her gloves.
And I’m not going to stand around and let it happen.
She dug an elbow into Keller’s ribs. He came awake in an instant, gaze fixed on her.

“Wait here,” Reese whispered. “I’m going in.” She peered around the edge of the chimney. Another man passed, then nothing. Seizing the moment, Reese swung herself over the roof edge in a rustle of dark coat and dropped to a crouch. Another shadow moved into view and she whipped backwards into a hollow of the wall.
Wait for it, wait for it… There!
Another opening.

Reese leapt across the alley, wrenched the stage door open, and darted inside, leaving the door ajar. The sound of applause echoed down the hallway. Reese hurried down the warm passage, formulating an escape plan with each step.

The magician’s smooth voice slid through a lull in the applause. “And this next trick, ladies and gentlemen, requires a good deal of skill and magical ability. I was taught by the great one, Alanir himself…” The crowd burst into gasps of admiration.

Reese halted at the foot of the stage steps. In the fiery blaze of the footlights, the magician stood in the center of the stage, arms lifted. And above him, gracefully lying on her side, floated Lise in a cloud of filmy blue fabric.

The rumors were right
, Reese thought, staring.
He’s good. I haven’t seen shifting like that in—

The magician gazed out at the crowd, beaming. Then a strange expression crossed his face, and the floating girl slipped lower.

That’s why they didn’t spring the trap earlier,
Reese thought.
They were waiting for him to tire.
Reese felt a strange sense of satisfaction as she watched his face move from smug to half frightened.
Those are the people I was talking about, my friend.
The crowd began to murmur and buzz.

“You there,” a commanding voice barked out. “I arrest you in the name of the king for violating the safety of the realm.”

The audience gasped. The magician, face white, glanced at the far exit.

Over here.
Reese willed the man’s attention.
Over here.

The magician’s gaze flicked her way and locked on Reese’s face. Reese nodded.

The fear changed to determination. The man lowered his arms and Lise floated to the ground, landing on her feet with a bump.

“Stay where you are,” the voice continued over the murmur of the audience. “Or—”

In one quick bound, the man seized his sham daughter and raced towards the stage door. Reese jumped out of the way, one hand on her gun.

Shouts and cries of “Stop!” broke out in the theater. The magician covered the stairs in one leap, landing just in front of Reese. “Now what?” he hissed.

“The door,” Reese ordered. They raced down the passage and out into the alleyway as the commotion grew louder.

Reese kicked the door closed behind them.
They’ll have someone posted out front. Only a few seconds.

Keller dropped to the ground beside them, all attention. “What now?”

The theater’s front doors banged open.

Reese grabbed the little girl’s hand. “Get him to the back of the library.” She pulled Lise after her toward a broken place in the alley wall. “Papa!” the girl cried.

Reese scooped her up into her arms. “It’s all right,” she said, squeezing through the gap. “We’ll go find him.” The girl’s flowing skirt snagged on the crumbling stonework, jerking Reese to a halt.

A shout came from the alleyway. “Stop, or we’ll shoot!”

Data flooded in like a lightning flash.
Not good.
Reese wrapped her arms tighter around the little girl and threw herself into a forward flip.

Bang.

The bullet whizzed past Reese’s shoulder as the ornate skirt tore free.
Adjust for the added weight—
With a quick twist, Reese landed on her feet and took off down the street, the frightened child clinging to her neck.

Across the street, through a fence, and down another alleyway. All of Reese’s mental alarms were going off. Lise was too heavy to carry much farther, and they were running out of options.

A dark gap between a building and its back wall caught Reese’s eye. She darted across the alley, kicking old boxes out of the way, and slid into the tiny alcove. A high shed door blocked further passage. Panting for breath, Reese set the little girl down and tested the knob.
Locked.
She faced the alley again. Their pursuers couldn’t be very far behind.

A wheel-lock dangled from the iron handle. Reese bent low and gave the wheel a spin. Her heart pounded in her ears from running, but she still caught the faint click as a tumbler slid into place.
Please be a short combination.

Lise whimpered.

Reese looked down at the little girl. “Stay quiet,” she whispered. If she had to knock some heads together and run a distraction, she would. She gave the wheel another turn.
Click
.

A shout sounded a few streets away.

The lock released.

Reese jerked the door open and whipped into the shed, pulling the little girl in behind her. The musty air hit her in the face, reeking of stale mist and earth. Reese eased the door shut and tightened her grip on the inner latch.
Please don’t notice there isn’t a lock out there.
She began threading the metal loop through the fasteners.

A heavy hand rattled the knob. Reese tightened her grip and held the door shut.

“Nothing down here,” a voice said just outside the shed.

Footsteps thumped along the ground. “You’re sure?” a hoarse voice replied. “If we don’t find them before the readers do, we’ll never hear the end of it.”

Lise’s tiny arms wrapped around Reese’s waist, fear in every muscle.