Gilded Latten Bones

32

A tree fell in the wilderness inside my head. Lucky me, I was there to hear the thud. "You've been thinking about this since you saw that stuffed bear."

She admitted, "Your ratgirl friend made me think you were more involved than you said."

"Singe was working for Belinda Contague. She's an independent operator. I don't live here anymore. Which you know. Because you checked up."

She nodded.

"Then you know my real part in everything."

"You're really babysitting your friend."

I nodded.

"Don't you want to know who did it?"

I nodded again. "But I've gotten patient in my old age. I won't do anything till Morley is ready. If the Guard or the Syndicate haven't dealt with it by then we'll see what we can do. It seems odd for you to be pushing revenge when you're afraid your daughter might be involved."

"I don't know what I'm doing. I'm scared and out of my depth. You're the only one I know who does what you do."

I believed her. Including that she would hire me when I might head straight for the kid she wanted to protect. She had been sheltered her whole life.

"So you figure on defying the Prince-for Kevans' sake, even though the best thing now would be to let everything take its course."

"I don't know what I'm doing! I never learned how. All I've ever had to do is be the Windwalker, Furious Tide of Light. I can do that. I can scatter an enemy regiment. I can bring down a castle. But I never learned how to raise a daughter. I never dealt with the quotidian world. Barate handled that so I could focus on being a prodigy."

I wanted to ask about her father but suspected that he would be an unwelcome subject.

"Let's back up to when you got the idea that Kevans-or the Faction-might be involved." I would be covering ground already trodden but she seemed inclined to lurk in the shadow of the truth, now.

"In that warehouse. In that room. That stuffed animal belonged to Kevans. Though I haven't seen it for years."

"You're sure?" I reminded myself that the simplest and most obvious explanation is usually the right one.

"There were other things that reminded me of the Faction. Rupert got the same feeling." So she had seen the Prince at her party.

"You need to talk to Kevans. Straight up, woman to woman, no drama. Then see Rupert again. Be square with him. He'll be square with you if he's really a friend. You might even talk it over with Barate. You're operating on emotion right now. Mostly on fear. You need good information. And you need to decide where you stand on the crime itself, personalities aside."

"I hoped you could gather the information."

She wasn't hearing me. "Don't take the dark side in this. It will just destroy you."

Her jaw tightened. She was going to get stubborn.

"Talk to those people. You have to realize that they'll go hard after whoever created that lab. The Hill is probably a turned-up ants' nest. Nasty people are going to start poking haystacks and turning over rocks."

Her expression told me that she hadn't really considered the reaction of her own class. Those people take a dim and lethal view of rogue sorcery.

"You're sure you won't help me?"

"I can't. Not how you want. Not however much I would like to. I have to stay here, with my friend. That goes to the bedrock of who I am. I'm here even though it could mean the end of my relationship with a woman who. ."

She cut me off. She didn't need to hear that. "All right. I won't put you in harm's way. I'll do the digging and use you as a sounding board. You just tell me what to do and how to do it."

Startled, I realized that we were not alone. I'd caught the ghost of a sense of amusement from down below.

"I've told you the first thing. The most important thing. Talk to people. An honest exchange could save us all a ton of trouble."

She didn't like that idea.

"If this is going to happen you have to put aside your quirks. You have to gut it up and go face-to-face. Promise me you'll see Rupert, Barate, and Kevans if you can, tomorrow."

I felt a ghostly touch of approval.

This would be interesting. I could play Dead Man in the web, directing the hoof work while I crocheted doilies.

"All right. I can't go out but I can help. You ready to put money into this?"

"As much as it takes."

"Curb the emotion. Emotion won't solve anything. Besides seeing the Prince, Barate, and Kevans, here's what I need you to do."

The intensity with which she listened was embarrassing.