“Are you sure that’s wise?”
“Where else will she find the Book Man?”
Evidently Mieka had told Zlata my story. I supposed it was to be expected. I envied their closeness—their near-telepathy. Of course, I had Baldbeak, but that was different. It must be nice, I thought, to have a partner that you could trust so implicitly.
Later, Zlata cornered me, her beautiful eyes blazing. “I hope you haven’t brought trouble to our door.”
“I didn’t mean …”
“Mieka seems very invested in helping you,” she said. “She has sympathy for … strays. I don’t want her taking any risks for your sake. If she wants to take you to the Undermarket, that’s her business, but be sure not to drag her into anything dangerous.”
I blinked. “I won’t.”
“She doesn’t give her friendship easily, but when she does, she is the loyalest friend in Virelith. And she has taken a liking to you. So do not take advantage of that, or you will have me to answer to.”
“I understand,” I murmured. Zlata gave me one final, scathing glance and then swept away.
When the work for the day was done, Mieka and I walked briskly through the gray streets. Mieka had lent me a pair offingerless gloves and a caped coat that had probably belonged to a large man once. Baldbeak hunkered down on my shoulder, chewing at an end of the Hair whenever an unfortunate strand came within his grasp and continuing his assault on the woolen cap when he couldn’t get hold of the Hair.
“So where is this Undermarket?” I asked.
“Have you heard of the Corpse Roads?”
“Yes.”
“It’s on one of the old roads that survived, under Quell. Here.”
The area of Quell we walked through now seemed industrial—warehouses and workshops rather than private dwellings or shops. We stopped beside a staircase that led down from the street into what looked like the basement of an old house. Mieka seemed nervous.
“I don’t go down there often,” she said.
“Is it dangerous?”
“No … and yes. It is safe from the Temple, at least. Surrounded by wards and well hidden.”
“Then there are mages involved in the black market, too?”
“What? Oh, you mean to cast the wards? No, those aren’t made by official mages, as far as I know. It makes the whole place rather … unpredictable. But there are some mages who dabble in the black market, I’m sure.”
Baldbeak seemed agitated, flapping towards me with claws extended and then wheeling away without landing.
“What’s wrong?”
Too dark. Too under.
“You can stay out here and wait for me. You don’t have to come.”
No. Have to.
“You don’t,” I said, exasperated. “I’ll find out more about the book and then I’ll come out. You’ll be fine out here.”
He clacked his beak and gave an agitatedraark.
“What’s the matter?” asked Mieka.
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t want to go underground, and he doesn’t want to leave me, either.”
Have to come, said Baldbeak again.
