Page 61 of Sanctuary of the Shadow
“That so,” Malaikah said again, though her attempt at being casual was considerably less convincing.
“Yeah. But you see, I don’t allow flesh traders in my city, especially not when it’s Elementals being sold. So I caught up with the sellers. Dealt with them. And with a little motivation, they were happy to tell me who the purchaser of their item was. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was the Fiend Collector. Apparently, he raced here all the way from Beirstad to claim his prize. But strangely, he was also the one who tipped me off to the traders’ presence in the first place.”
“Funny.”
“Yeah, he’s a real funny guy. Helps me clean up the rubbish, but only after making use of their services. Seems a little hypocritical, don’t you think?” The snake cocked a brow. “But I’ve heard the great Salizar will do pretty much anything to get his hands on more curiosities for his collection.”
Mal gritted her teeth. Other Elementals didn’t exactly view the circus workers in the best of lights. A lot of them considered performing for humans’ entertainment akin to prostitution. Salizar wasn’t well-liked in the Elemental communities, nor was he fully accepted in the human ones.
He was an enigma, living between two worlds, making his way with his chin up and a staff in his hand that could zap you straight to the Shades if you messed with him. Mal had to admit she respected him for it, especially after recent revelations. She felt protective of him, even.
“Don’t suppose you heard anything about that, have you?”
“Can’t say I have.”
The snake gave her a look like he knew she was lying, but strangely, he didn’t seem fussed about it. “The story gets weirder. You see, just last night, I get wind that Salizar’s new acquisition has escaped. With his fortune teller, of all people. A fortune teller who’s been making quite an impression on the city in the last few weeks. People are saying she changed their entire life with just a few words of advice. An amazing feat for a phony Seer, don’t you think?”
Malaikah inwardly cursed.Goddess damn it, Harrow, did you have to do your job so bloody well?
“So the fiend and the fortune teller vanish in the night together, and now Salizar’s turning the city upside down looking for them.”
“That’s a pretty wild story.”
The snake nodded. “All true, too. Just ask one of the horse sellers in the main market. He’s telling everybody how Salizar showed up the next day to interrogate him about a horse he sold. Apparently, the fortune teller arranged to pick it up at night, all ready for the long road ahead.”
Salizar had already found the horse seller? Damn, he worked fast.
“Only get this. The horse never even left the city.”
“W-what?”
Sweet Mother Goddess, they were doomed.
“Yep. Salizar had the bright idea to take the horse seller to the stables to look for the animal, and sure enough, it was there, just waiting in a stall. Which means…” The snake paused for dramatic effect. “The fiend and the fortune teller never left Allegra.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Malaikah stuffed her hands in her cloak pockets to hide their sudden trembling. She’d visited that damn horsetonight. Anyone could have seen her. For all she knew, Salizar had been squatting in the stall next to hers, using a damned enchantment so she wouldn’t sense him. He never used them against the circus folk, but she couldn’t be sure he’d stick to that principle now. Could he have somehow followed her here?
Change of plan. No visiting Harrow tonight. She was going straight back to the fairgrounds.
The snake was studying her closely. How much did he see? When it came to her survival, Malaikah could lie, cheat, and steal with the best of them. It was the only reason she’d made it out of Kambu alive.
But this guy lied, cheated, and stole for a living. He was quite possibly the boss of all the liars, cheats, and thieves in the city.
“So what does all this have to do with me?” she asked innocently.
“I’m looking for the fiend and the fortune teller.” He chuckled. “Sounds like a fairy tale, no? The Fiend and the Fortune Teller. It’s a romance, I think.”
Malaikah stared at him.How much does this bastard know?His poker face was inscrutable. “Why are you looking for them?”
“Good question, kitty cat. You see, there’s someone special in this city. She lives in my district, and she’s under my protection. In exchange, she protects us too. We call her the Oracle.”
“Uh, right.”
“The Oracle wants to meet the fairy-tale couple badly enough that she asked me to find them and bring them to her. So I’m out here, doing just that.”
And he’d found Salizar’s star performer sneaking around his territory.
