Dragon-Ridden (16 page)

Tempest’s lips quirked, as if he
could hear the questions rustling around in her brain. “We knew there was a
high possibility that we would have to venture to the underground for our
mission. Several of the people who work for my lady’s family keep an eye and
ear on the catacombs and agreed to give us directions as long as we didn’t
reveal where we’d gotten the information.”

Tate chewed her lip in thought and
followed Tempest’s back as he turned down another corridor. It differed from
the others in that it had glow lights every few feet marking the way. It was
the first sign of people they’d come across since they started their descent.
By now the three had been walking for half an hour and despite Tate’s best
attempts to remember the way, she was thoroughly lost. Only her little marks
might help her find the way out. It was no wonder the night market thrived
despite the law’s best attempts to locate and eliminate it. Even if they knew
it was underground the poor bastards would probably just end up lost and
starving to death.

“We’re getting close,” Umi
cautioned Tate.

Her face was tense with nerves and
both Tempest and Kadien looked ready for battle. Tate licked her lips
responding to the others tension. This wouldn’t do, not at all. Not if they
wanted to portray Umi as a master criminal.

If they couldn’t do relaxed
authority perhaps it would be better to be crazy and dangerous.

“Umi, how are you with knives?”

Umi and Kadien traded looks before
Umi said, “I am proficient.”

From Tempest’s startled and
slightly disbelieving look, Tate downgraded proficient to awful. Still, as long
as the other three played their part maybe they’d be lucky and none would want
to try their luck against them.

Once Umi had been outfitted with
several knives, one tucked into her belt, another on each wrist and one in her
boot, Tate explained how she wanted each of them to act.

“We won’t let you down,” Umi said,
reaching out to grab Tate’s hands. Her earnest gaze held Tate’s as she made her
promise.

Tate shuffled her feet. She was the
one who was supposed to act as reassurance not the other way around.

She nodded and stepped back. Tate
closed her eyes and let the tension and nerves flow down her body and out
through her arms and legs. When she opened her eyes again she was the cocky,
smooth talking thief she’d been while on the Marauder.

Turning on her heel she sauntered
through the low hanging opening and into the underground with the other three
at her back. At her first view of the market, she fought to keep the awe from
her face.

Instead of the small furtive
gathering of criminals she’d been expecting, the underground was every bit as
busy as the day market she’d visited. The group’s entrance had led them onto a
ledge slightly above the maze of stalls below. This gave them a bird’s eye view
of the proceedings.

“I guess nothing in Aurelia is done
on a small scale,” Tate murmured slightly shocked.

They were in a cavern that could
house at least four ships of the Marauders size. The cavern was made from the
same black rock as the tunnels and cliffs. The walls of it curved gently
creating a dome type feeling, while the roof itself was actually one perfectly
level piece of rock. Terraces like the one Tate’s party stood on dotted the
walls, each with their own precise staircases leading down to the maze of
booths and stalls.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,”
Tate whispered.

“I could do without the den of
iniquity and vice,” Tempest said.

“I take it you disapprove?”

“I think criminals should be hunted
down and strung up by their necks on their first offence. None of this three
strikes bleeding heart nonsense.”

“Hmm.” Tate’s voice was
noncommittal as she looked around.

“You don’t?” Tempest’s face was
stony when he looked back at her. “That’s right. I forgot. You’re one of them.”

Tate stilled at the hate that
rolled through his words. A lot of his actions made sense now. The man had a
hard on for thieves and the like and probably judged all of them as having come
from the same tattered cloth. No wonder he’d been so unpleasant to be around
since they’d met. His attitude wasn’t wrong exactly. Thieves took what others
had and profited from it. But she’d seen enough of the world to know it wasn’t
always so black and white. There were shades of grey everywhere. She didn’t
blame him for his views, but his attitude would make working together
difficult.

“That’s right. I am.” She smiled
toothily and stepped closer. “And you need me because you’ve kept yourselves so
damn pure that you can’t even walk amongst common folk.”

He fell back a step, disgust
filling his face. “We have no need to fit in with these bottom feeders.”

“Look around,” she gestured down at
the people. “The reason they have an underground is to fence their merchandise
to law-abiding citizens such as yourselves. So which is the criminal— the
person who sells it or the person who buys it?” She poked him in the chest.
“What’s worse is you guys couldn’t even pose as a genuine buyer with that
holier than thou attitude.”

Tempest sneered as he stubbornly
held Tate’s gaze, closing his mouth tight against the words he obviously wanted
to say. Tate touched her head and closed her eyes, her posture one of weary
acceptance. Talking to him was about as useful as talking to the wall. He
didn’t get it. How could he? In his black and white world grey didn’t exist.

It was sad, really. With such a
strict view on the world he missed a lot of the subtle nuances that deepened
ones appreciation for the genuinely good things it had to offer.

There was plenty of black in the
underground. Of that Tate had no doubt. She’d seen enough of it traveling with
Jost’s crew, but she’d also seen the other side of the coin. The side where
desperate children sold themselves for a chance to put bread in their bellies
or stole what they needed at the expense of others. Despite what Tempest thought,
nothing in this world fit neatly into the boxes of white or black. But he’d
have to learn that for himself, as Tate had, even if she couldn’t quite
remember where she’d learned it.

“Alright,” Tate said in a chipper
voice, clapping her hands. “Does everybody remember the plan? Umi, you’re now a
low level thug so walk like you own this place. If something happens don’t
cower behind the other two. Meet whatever it is face on. People down here
respect strength even if it’s only an illusion. Tempest and Kadien try not to
make it too obvious you’d die for her. People in this place rarely inspire that
kind of loyalty. Whatever you do, don’t show weakness. These people are like
sharks. Any blood in the water will lead to a feeding frenzy.”

Tate tilted her head and observed
the trio. Umi still stood too tall and the boys hovered around her like they
were afraid she’d break. It’d take a bloody miracle to make it out of here
without one or all of them being kidnapped, maimed or killed.

Muttering under her breath about
arrogant men and their damn favors, Tate stalked down the nearest set of
stairs. The others followed her into the stormy mass of the thieves’ den.

Had there been time and her
companions had not insisted on tagging along, Tate would have enjoyed watching
the movement and interactions of the market. Watching how others acted gave her
clues on how to push when she needed to and fold when appropriate.

She learned early that every port’s
underbelly differed from the other. There were always similarities but also
differences that helped separate the outsiders from the rest. Those who
couldn’t walk the walk and talk the talk were usually targeted and easily taken
advantage of.

The Night Market differed from the
Day in the fact that instead of pushy hawkers, the stall owners down here sat
and watched their potential patrons with a sly assessment letting the customer
come to them rather than tempting them to lighten their purses. Instead of
open-air stalls showcasing their wares to the public, the underground had
closed stalls not letting casual passerby’s see what’s inside.

This place relied more on word of
mouth. People didn’t come here not knowing what they wanted. Those desperate
enough to seek the underground usually knew what they wanted and got out as soon
as possible. Only fools tempted the denizens of the market by lingering.

Tate took everything in with an
assessing gaze. The terraces she’d originally judged to be empty had people
sitting with their legs hanging over the edge and watching the proceedings with
careful eyes. They were like birds of prey watching the people below in hopes
of snagging a juicy snake.

Noticing where her eyes had been
drawn, Kadien said in a quiet voice, “The market is divided into several
levels. Yellow, the most basic where the lighter criminal elements such as
pickpockets and common thieves fence their goods. That’s where we are now. Red,
which is where the higher priced items are traded. The last is Black where only
the masters in their craft can be found and the Night Lords hold court. I’m
told Jost, your old friend, has a seat reserved there for anytime he’s in
port.”

Tate stilled at the mention of Jost
and fought to keep the surprise off her face. Of course he’d be in the Black.
He was infamous in most waters for taking extremely high paying and difficult
jobs. She hadn’t thought her companions would know that much about him though.
Perhaps his bounty had gone up again.

Kadien smiled slightly. “You didn’t
think we’d have let you come on this journey without us checking you out
beforehand.”

Well, as a matter of fact, she kind
of had. She hadn’t thought he’d known about her before meeting her at Ryu’s. No
need for him to know that, though. She kept a slightly amused expression on her
face while her mind filed the piece of information away.

It wasn’t a complete surprise to
know that he had a seat at the highest level of the city’s underbelly. The man
seemed to have his fingers in every pie. Despite Kadien’s insinuation of Jost’s
lack of moral character, Tate knew that wasn’t entirely true. Oh she knew he
was a criminal and a damned good one at that. He’d slit your throat without a
second thought and then dump your ass overboard. She’d seen it happen. However,
she also knew he had his own moral compass, it might not make sense to regular
people, but it made perfect sense to him.

Kadien’s comment required an answer
so Tate smiled flirtatiously up at him. “I’d expect nothing else of suspicious
sorts such as yourselves. Now, since you took the time to explain the different
circles to me, I have a feeling you’re going to tell me we have to go up to one
of those.”

“Yes. The,” Umi paused while she
searched for the right word, “item isn’t something a regular thief would be
able to obtain. The planning would have taken months. The men who took it would
have to be part of the Red Circle at the very least.”

“If they’re Black?” Tate asked.
“Ryu said not to take them on by ourselves.”

The three got very quiet and shared
a look.

“Let’s hope they’re Red,” Umi said
quietly. “It would take certain connections to even meet with any of the Black,
let alone the ones we need to speak to.”

“Well, Ryu said I was supposed to
help you get into the Red. But I have no idea how to get there.” Tate placed
her hands on her hips and gave a crazy-eyed stare to one of the cutpurses who
had ventured too close. He spooked when he noticed her staring at him and
backed off right away.

“We’ll get you there. We have a
contact waiting to guide us. You just have to get us in. We were supposed to
meet him last night but were unable to find him before encountering problems.”

Tate nodded thoughtfully falling
into step with Umi while Kadien and Tempest wound their way to a group of
tables in the middle of the hubbub. It was a meeting place, and judging by the
smell of food and the presence of beer, a type of pub. Tate’s stomach rumbled.
It’d been awhile since those meat turnovers. She could do with a little
sustenance.

There was a sense of something
forgotten niggling at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t quite remember
what it was. She mentally shrugged. Whatever she’d forgotten would come back to
her, or else it just wasn’t important.

Umi sat herself at a table and Tate
joined her. Kadien and Tempest arranged themselves around the two looking
exactly as what they were. Guards.

Tate threw her arm over her seat
and rested her head on it. She batted her eyes at Tempest and said, “Since
you’re still up, why don’t you two see about getting us some drinks and food.
I’ll take two meat pies and whatever bread they have.”

Tempest balked and Tate could tell
he wanted to say something nasty. Kadien bumped him with his shoulder and
gestured with his head to follow him. Tate rested her chin on her arm as she
watched them stalk off.

“Slouch, Umi,” Tate whispered.

In any other situation Umi’s
attempts at slouching would have been comical. There was none of the grace that
normally characterized her movements. Tate’s lips quivered as she watched Umi
try to get comfortable in her seat. Finally she burst out laughing and slung an
arm around Umi’s shoulders.

“So which one of the boys do you
like?” Tate asked while observing the people around them.

“What?”

“Oh, come on,” Tate teased. “You
must like one. How about Tempest? He’s young but it’s so fun to mess with him
and watch him snarl. Or maybe Kadien, he’s just so proper and manly.”

“I’m not sure that this is an
appropriate topic of discussion,” Umi said primly.

Tate turned so that Umi’s hair
shielded her mouth from anybody who happened to be watching them.

“Play along,” Tate whispered.
“We’re being watched. And, lady, I have to say your attempt at slouching is not
going to convince a blind man.”