Darotha’s eyes shone. She looked like a shark coming for you through shadowy water. “That narrows it down a bit.”
Even for Darotha, who had her crooked fingers in many underworld pies, fifteen nomas was significant money.
“She is about my age, average height, bright red hair. She keeps to herself, doesn’t really beg, but mutters under her breath. Other beggars leave her alone, because her mumbling is disturbing, and if they try to touch her, painful magic stings them. There is no need to apprehend her. I just need to know where she is. She must be alive and uninjured, and I need to find her fast.”
“The city is large, and the beggars are many,” Darotha said. “It may take some time. I will send one of my kids to your new place when we know something.”
We smiled at each other.
“One more thing. If you keep telling people about me, we cannot do business.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
I turned around and walked out without another word.
Outside the air stank of salt and fish, and after that choking incense, it tasted like the pristine atmosphere of a flower-filled alpine meadow. We took a street running east, away from the wharf and back toward the city.
“How do you know Darotha?” Solentine asked.
“The same way I know everything else.”
“Are you going to explain why we need that woman?”
“No, because you won’t like it.”
If he and Everard realized what I was planning, they would lock me up inside the house and throw the key into this damn harbor.
He laughed softly. “Refreshing honesty. Will this work?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “A month ago I would’ve thought this was a brilliant idea, but I’ve been burned too many times. I hope to the Aspects it works, because I don’t have anything else, and I don’t know what else I can do to turn things around.”
I sounded so tired and bitter. Everything was riding on finding Isadau in time, and then I had to jump the hurdle of bringing her around. Even if I managed that somehow, there was no guarantee she would help me. And if I screwed this up, the Sun Margrave would die, and the future would resume its grim march toward a cliff. I didn’t have the energy to pretend to not worry about it.
“My people are looking for Cai,” Solentine said. “I can’t promise we’ll find him, but I will do everything I can.”
“Taking out Cai alone won’t be enough. We must remove Hreban at the same time, in one blow. We have to make such a huge hole in the timeline that it can’t reassemble itself.”
“You speak of it as if the future were a living thing.”
“Sometimes it feels that way. I’ve become . . . disturbed by it. It’s this kingdom, Solentine. This city. It messes with my mind. It has changed me, and there’s no going back.”
“Perhaps it simply showed you who you truly were.”
“That is a terrifying thought.”
We kept walking. I needed to get back home and go to work. Here was hoping my perfect recall of the books held, because if I made a mistake with this, it could kill me. Possibly permanently.
“Speaking of things I know, Krasta had younger brothers.”
“I’m aware,” he said.
“He’d left the city and traveled back home shortly before you and he had that fight. He let his brothers in on his plans. You did kill him, right?”
“I did.”
“That means his three brothers will be back in Kair Toren by the second of Redberry looking for you.”
“I will make sure they’ll find me.”
