32 Got a home and a job

Encouraged by a chorus of voices, I straightened up, stood on the big table, filled my lungs with air and bellowed:

I let out a howl that took over the whole room and continued to sing, accompanied by laughter, thunderous voices, and the bark of a dog chasing a cat between the tables.

We were in the Great Refectory, an underground hall, in the middle of the kingdom of Frashluc. The place was crowded with people, all of them fellow sufferers, who, since the invasion of the flies in the Cat Quarter, spent the day fending off intruders or running away from them as best they could. Thanks to my reputation at The Drawer, in only three days I had become the professional troubadour of all this motley crew. They all agreed that I didn’t sing well, but that I bawled well, which seemed to be the same thing because they listened and laughed just as much.

My new company did not really satisfy me. Some of them were friendly and taught you tactics on how to hold a dagger, and one of them even taught me an insult in Owram so that I would become more knowledgeable, but others were abusive—with great naturalness, I must admit—and, as if doing you a favour, sent you to clean the floor and wash the dishes, to shine the shoes and change the candles, and all this with the tacit consent of the others, who joked, lazed about, and watched you pass by like one watches just another hairy cat. All in all, during those three days, I wished more than once that Braggart had broken my leg so I wouldn’t have to work so hard. But, well, I was in good shape and I endured my martyrdom like a man.

It bothered me more to remember that Farigo, the little spinner of Carnation, had been released that same Kindday and that I had not been able to go and wait for him outside the prison as I had promised myself. Yet another gwak lost. As the Priest said, gwaks lost their way, found it, lost it again, and who knows what their fate really was.

I finished the song with an interminable shriek of voice which drew laughter. As soon as I was silent, I jumped down from the table and accepted the chicken leg which was handed to me by a dark-haired caitian, a man named Fishka, who was as paunchy as a nail-pincher. And so I wandered between the tables, accepting donations here and there and answering puns as the focus shifted. When I reached the back of the living room, I leaned close to Manras and Dil and distributed the food.

“Dig in, shyurs. Are you hungry, Little Wolf? Well, here, here you go. What’s the matter? Don’t you like boiled carrots? Oh, is it the peas? No? No way. You doing the nail-pincher now? Don’t be a nail-pincher or I’ll wring your ears off, and not just a little, eh? Demorjed. You’ll eat every last carrot, I’m telling you. Come on! Don’t be picky, I almost lost my voice to get it. Hurry up and dig in, or it’ll get cold.”

Little Wolf looked disgusted, but as I held out the bowl to encourage him, he began to obey and chew. My cronies, Little Wolf, and I were still eating in the midst of the tumult of the living room, when Rogan appeared through a doorway, and with my mouth full, I exclaimed:

“Priest, comrade! I invite you.”

My friend sat down and put his hat on the floor with a theatrical gesture.

“Well, since you’re offering it to me like that, I can’t refuse.” He grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite before adding, “Your partner is waiting for you outside. He asked me to tell you: hurry up, Four-Hundred.”

I opened my eyes wide. Damn. Le Bor had completely ignored me for the past three days. He had just told me that the meeting at Fal Bridge had been cancelled, that he was very busy and that I shouldn’t bother him. Well, how could he expect me to bother him if he wasn’t even there?

I smiled and stood up.

“Well, I’m going… Hey, Little Wolf, I saw you, swallow this carrot! Pick it up. Right now.”

The little one shook his head. Manras and Dil burst out laughing. They loved it when Little Wolf made fun of me. Bah… I huffed and held out a threatening index finger at Little Wolf.

“You’re gonna regret it…”

“Sharpy,” Rogan scoffed. “He said, hurry up, Four-Hundred.”

I sighed and lost interest in Little Wolf.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll go. Ayo.”

As I passed, I picked up the hat from the floor, put it on my head, Rogan took it off me, and laughing, I ran off towards the tunnel that led outside while the Priest muttered, amused:

“That clown’s a lost cause.”

I slipped through the door, trotted over to the part of the house that wasn’t buried in the rock. I finally came out into an alley. The sky was still overcast, but the cold had returned, the ash was already less dense, and the sun’s rays were seeping in to illuminate the town with a strange golden light.

I walked to the end of the alley. I spun round, met the mocking gaze of a Cat standing on a threshold, and then heard behind me a deep, deep cry:

“Boo.”

I rolled my eyes and turned around with lightning speed, crying out sharply:

“Boo, your mother!”

I laughed as I saw Le Bor jump. I heard him grumble something before he grabbed me by the neck without regard and pushed me towards the other street.

“One more remark about my mother and I’ll kick your ass. Let’s go. Someone wants to see you.”

This intrigued me.

“Who wants to see me?”

Le Bor gave me a smack on the back of the neck.

“Someone.”

“No kidding!” I teased. Another smack. “Ouch. All right, I’ll shut up.” Two seconds later, I asked, “Where have you been?”

Le Bor gave me an owlish look as we sped down the street.

“Are you my mother or something, Four-Hundred?”

“Uh… Um… No,” I admitted. “But you said you’d come to see me. You promised. And you didn’t come.”

“I came today, what more do you want? That I adopt you?” the ruffian scoffed.

I made a thoughtful pout.

“Hey, well, that wouldn’t be a bad idea… Ouch,” I complained, bringing my hand to my head. “Why are you hitting me?”

“Because you’re getting on my nerves,” Le Bor replied. “Hurry up.”

I sighed, and we continued on our way in silence. At one point, we avoided a street that was being searched by the police and finally exited the Labyrinth. We were not far from The Joyful Spirit when I inquired:

“What exactly are the flies looking for?”

I’d already asked more than one person, but not Le Bor. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Evidence.”

“Against Frashluc?”

“That’s one thing,” Le Bor confirmed. “They mainly want to expose scandals, discredit the district. You haven’t read the papers, have you? Well, whether you understand it or not, Parliament intends to ratify a decree that will allow them to destroy more than half of the Labyrinth, they’ll send the homeless inhabitants to Menshaldra, and they’ll make Menshaldra an official district of Estergat. I see you’re catching on,” he observed with a smirk at my horrified expression.

“Destroy half the Labyrinth?” I cried. “But… nobody told me that. Why would they destroy half of the Labyrinth? There are a lot of people living there…”

Le Bor turned a corner and nodded.

“Precisely: they live crowded. The present Parliament is full of progressives. They want to make great changes, to give every soul a dignified life… That’s why, in practice, they want to leave half the Labyrinth roofless. Progress is such a great thing, kid. One good thing is that, now that word is spreading, Frashluc is getting support from all sides. If they really want to bring in their destructive machines using force, there’s going to be a war, Four-Hundred.”

I bit my cheek, thoughtful and worried. So thoughtful and worried that I found myself several steps behind, and realizing this, I hurried to catch up with Le Bor, who was already climbing the stairs.

“This is horrible,” I muttered. “This story about the dead-agree…”

“The decree,” Le Bor corrected.

“That.” I hesitated and swallowed. “A master I had said that wars were sajit slugboneries.”

Le Bor smiled.

“Wise words. But, when it comes to defending your home, the perspective changes, don’t you think?”

I pondered, and as Le Bor brought his scarf up to his nose, I imitated him and followed him like a shadow.

We were reaching Grey Square when I broke the silence again:

“Sir.”

“What?”

I smiled and shrugged.

“Nothing. You’re just very quiet, that’s all.”

“Mmph. And what do you want me to talk about? The weather?” Le Bor replied. I didn’t answer, and after a pause, he gave me a curious look, slowed his pace, and inquired: “How is Little Wolf?”

I straightened up.

“Well, fine… Can you believe he doesn’t like carrots? He’s a demorjed,” I said.

Le Bor huffed, as if laughing, and stopped in front of a building.

“The Yellow Dragon,” he declared. And, at my questioning look, he added, “Have you been in there yet?” I shook my head. “Well, today you’re going in.” He examined me with an appraising eye and frowned. “Aren’t you cold with your bare feet?”

I arched my eyebrows, looked down at my feet as if I were seeing them for the first time, and made a puzzled pout.

“Well, no, not much. My ears are colder.”

A mocking glint passed into Le Bor’s eyes.

“Well, now, you better shut up and do everything I tell you, or I’ll heat those ears up for you, believe me. Come on in.”

He pushed open the door, and I went inside. The place was full of people eating, chatting loudly and lazing around. I had always thought that The Yellow Dragon was an inn and not a tavern. Apparently, it was both. And the atmosphere seemed just as nice as that of The Wind Rose.

Our entrance drew very few blatant glances and mostly knowing glances as if… as if they already knew Le Bor; or at least that’s the impression I got. Once in front of the counter, my tall companion said:

“A glass of radrasia, my dear.”

He didn’t invite me. Well, rather than being treated to a glass of celestial radrasia as a joke, it was better not be invited at all. That would have certainly made my ears hot. I heard Le Bor ask the time. It was half past two. As he raised the glass to his lips, I leaned against the large counter as a backrest and watched the regulars. More than one face was familiar, but one was even more so, and when I realized why, my heart sank with panic. Fortunately I had not taken off the scarf, otherwise… I grabbed Le Bor by the sleeve and murmured:

“Hey, sir. Sir! I saw a fly. The dark elf, there. He’s a fly. Last week, he took fifteen nails and gave me a good thrashing. I’d recognize him anywhere. Do you hear me?” I insisted, seeing that Le Bor was not looking at me.

“Will you shut up?” he replied through his teeth. “Do as I say.”

He made a discreet gesture. I frowned. Suddenly, a customer at the other end of the tavern slammed the table and thundered:

“You liar!”

“Liar, your mother!” his partner snarled indignantly.

“Leave my mother in peace, isturbag!”

They stood up, the argument began, and Le Bor put the empty glass on the counter.

“Come with me,” he urged me.

I didn’t understand the trick until we disappeared through a back door of the tavern: the fly’s attention had inevitably focused on the commotion, and he certainly wouldn’t remember anything but the altercation. I laughed softly as we walked up the stairs.

“So those two were your friends!”

“Not exactly,” Le Bor replied.

I was disconcerted by his answer, and when we reached the upstairs corridor, a strange fear began to come over me. I continued to put one foot in front of the other, but with increasing anxiety. Finally, when Le Bor came to some big guys guarding a door and showed them some object, a shiver of fear went through me.

“Four-Hundred,” Le Bor impatiently asked.

He came back to grab my arm, and I, with my eyes fixed on the barbed guards, said in a whisper:

“You’re taking me to Frashluc, right? But I didn’t talk to Lowen. I didn’t do anything wrong. You have to believe me!” I exclaimed as Le Bor pushed me forward. “Don’t make me go in there. I don’t want to go in there!”

I resisted. Eventually, Le Bor got fed up. He grabbed me by both wrists, slammed me against the wall of the hallway, and snarled in my face:

“What the hell is wrong with you, Four-Hundred?”

“I don’t want to die!” I replied.

Le Bor blinked in surprise. He pulled the scarf down over my face, released my wrists, and sighed.

“Frashluc is not going to kill you if you do what he asks. Is that clear?”

I shook my head and tried to escape. Le Bor caught me, slapped me, and glared at me.

“I’m the one who’s going to get pissed off and kill you if you don’t do what I tell you. Is that clear this time?”

I looked him in the eye and deep down I understood that Le Bor was just saying that so that I would listen to him, because for some reason, it was very important to him. I nodded. Le Bor frowned.

“Will you do what I say?”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

Le Bor stared at me and concluded:

“So you’re going to do what Frashluc tells you or I’ll wring your neck with my own hands. Don’t forget that, kid. Keep quiet unless they ask you a question.” I nodded, and he gave a dark pout. “Good boy. Let’s go.”

He let go of me, and I followed him to those two big guys who were watching us intently. They searched us. They took away my knife, but they left me with the smograss and the nuts. Finally, one of the hefty guys opened the door, took a lantern, and asked us to wait a moment. We waited. When he returned, a good while had passed. He said:

“Come in.”

He led us through a dark, rocky tunnel. We were going into the Rock itself. Like the Great Refectory of the Labyrinth, but deeper. Hadn’t Yabir said that the Rock was full of secret passages? Well, obviously, this was one of them. And, presumably, it belonged to the Frashluc Guild.

As the big guy continued to move forward, I glanced at Le Bor several times. Would he be able to do it or not? I kept on asking myself that. Would he be able to lead me to my death? I trusted him… I could not have been mistaken. Le Bor liked me, I knew it. We’d shared the same cell for almost two moons. We weren’t comrades because he was… well, he was Le Bor, but to me, he was… like the father I never had. And a good father didn’t send his children to their death, did he?

We passed two crossings, passed through two doors, and finally came to a large room. For a moment, the wonderment made me completely forget my situation. This place looked like a very ancient temple. The room was lined with huge, elaborate columns, steps encircled the centre, and at the back stood an altar and a large empty chair.

“The meeting has just ended,” the lantern-wielding hefty guide informed. “Frashluc will be here in a few moments.”

And having said that, he turned and went back through the same tunnel from which he had come. As Le Bor came forward and walked about the room with an air of admiration for a place he had seen more than once before, I wondered if he had really told me the truth when he said that he was not working for Frashluc, that he was working only for himself. For himself, my foot.

Too intimidated by the grandeur of the place, I sat down against a column and counted Le Bor’s footsteps, which sounded like lashes in the cave. One, two… ten… sixty… two hundred and three… Fun fact: it was precisely at this number, the number of Le Bor at Carnation, that Frashluc appeared through the same tunnel, protected by three bodyguards—among them the Albino—and… accompanied by Korther and Aberyl.

When I saw the Black Dagger kap appear, the blood rushed to my head, I jumped to my feet… then my reason told me that to run would have been a stupidity, and I stayed still without knowing what to do.

The sound of boots echoed through the temple. Frashluc stopped just before he came down the steps. His paunch was even more remarkable when he was standing, I observed. And his eyes even more deadly.

“Good morning, Mr. Asaveo,” he greeted. “Thank you for bringing the boy. Come closer,” he said.

His voice was dry, authoritative. I did not trust him. I approached him anyway, keeping my head low and praying inwardly to all my ancestors. It was the only thing I could do. Frashluc turned to Korther.

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Korther looking at me with a not very expressive face. He nodded. Me, with my hands in my pockets, I clutched my nuts as if I wanted to burst them. Frashluc cleared his throat.

“Right. And… do you really think he’s capable of entering the Palace?”

“In theory, yes. In practice, I don’t know,” Korther admitted. “He’s a sokwata. And that will make it harder for him to be detected by the Solance. If I prepare him well, he may succeed.”

“And if he doesn’t succeed, the loss won’t be tragic for anyone, will it?” Frashluc scoffed.

Korther pouted. Frashluc smiled, amused. And they both looked at me. I remained as silent as a tree. The great kap of the Cats broke the silence again.

“As I was telling you, Korther, I have been experimenting with one of the Black Hawk’s sokwatas. The energy barrier that protects them is very thin. Any offensive spell that is even slightly powerful will disintegrate it. The Solance’s perceptive spells may not work as well with them, but offensive traps affect them just as much. How do you think you’re going to get this boy through? Is he that well trained?”

Korther rolled his eyes.

“He’s not. I’m not going to lie to you: this kid has barely been trained. But, as incredible as it may seem, he’s the only one likely to succeed in stealing the Solance.”

Here Le Bor snorted loudly. I did not know that he was right behind me, and I jumped—I was tense as a squirrel surrounded by wolves. Le Bor repeated with a gasp:

“Steal the Solance? You want… the boy to steal the Solance? But… isn’t that the Palace relic? I mean… the Jewel of Estergat, the… Mmph. Excuse me for interrupting but… does this have anything to do with the demolition decree or… does it have nothing to do with it?”

Frashluc shook his head.

“It has to do with that. Obviously, entering the most protected area in all of the Rock and stealing the most powerful perceptive relic in all of Prospaterra has to do with our intimidation strategy, and a lot. Let the Parliament send the entire security force into the Cat Quarter… whatever. Before they know it, we will have raided the Palace vaults. But, in order to do that, first, we must disable the Solance.” The old man’s eyes glowed with excitement, he placed a hand on his paunch and gave me a small smile without really looking at me as he resumed, “They say this relic is a simple piece of metal. A trinket with enormous ancestral power that protects the Palace from intruders… In reality, as Korther explained to me well, all the traps in the place are linked to the Solance and that’s why, in practice, it’s impossible to enter without an alarm going off… But not so impossible,” he smiled, looking at Le Bor. “That’s why I decided to hire the boy. As you know, he’s a sokwata. And he has received some training from the Black Daggers as well. Two good reasons to choose him as the best candidate to carry out the task, and Korther agrees with me on that. Of course, the brotherhood will receive a generous share of the loot, the boy as well, and… you, Mr. Asaveo, I entrust you with the task of acting as the boy’s guardian to ensure that no harm comes to him in the meantime and that he goes to his lessons with his… mentor?” He gave Korther a questioning look, and as Korther shrugged, he did the same and added for Le Bor, “You can refuse, of course. But I don’t recommend it. If you accept, the eight hundred and forty siatos the boy earns will be entirely at your disposal.”

There was a silence, and I guessed that Le Bor was nodding in silent assent. Frashluc looked satisfied and turned to me.

“You got that, kid?”

I nodded. Blasthell, yes, I understood. And, at the same time, I was horribly confused.

“Well, then explain,” Frashluc insisted.

I swallowed and stammered:

“I-I have to… I have to steal a relic.”

“In the Palace,” Aberyl helped me.

“In the Palace,” I repeated. “Bestial clear. Really.”

Frashluc gave me a skeptical look. Korther, on the other hand, seemed to have decided to look at me as little as possible. However, it was he who set me straight by saying:

“In short, lad: Frashluc hires you to go steal a relic, you deactivate it, you open the way, and we, the real thieves, go into the Palace to rob the vaults. Is it ‘bestial clear’ now?”

“Yes, sir,” I said quickly.

To be perfectly honest, although I understood it, I still hadn’t fully assimilated it, because I had other things on my mind. I couldn’t believe that Korther was going to give me lessons to help me steal this Solance. I was already imagining that I would be alone with him, that he would turn into a demon, start growling like Rolg, and pop me off with his teeth…

“I’ll see you tomorrow at ten o’clock at the Hostel,” Korther concluded. “Don’t be late.”

He didn’t even look at me when he came out of there with Aberyl. He probably hated me to death. After all, I had entered his office to rob him… So why had he agreed to give me lessons? For the loot? I had better not fail this time…

“Well,” Frashluc said when the footsteps of the two Black Daggers had died down. “Just a last detail, kid. As soon as you get out with the Solance, you give it to the Albino. If he comes back without it, if you give it to anyone else, I’ll kill your ‘comrades’.” I stared at him for a second, horrified, and looked down again, clenching my fists full of hazelnuts. Yeah, I had better not fail this time, I told myself fervently. Frashluc added, “The same goes for you, Bor. You better not lose the boy, or you’re dead.”

“Don’t worry about that, sir,” Le Bor replied.

He took me by the arm and pulled. With a frozen heart, I followed him into the tunnel. That Frashluc popped me off, well, I could understand that, but why my comrades? I was petrified with horror.

I retrieved my knife from the door, and we exited The Yellow Dragon. We walked through the Grey Square towards the Labyrinth. Le Bor looked as if in a funeral. The ash kept falling. The area was surprisingly quiet. People didn’t dare to go out anymore because of the tense atmosphere. We had already left the place behind when, in my frustration, I couldn’t stand it any longer and broke the silence.

“Sir! Are you mad?”

We were in a deserted alley. He stopped dead in his tracks, and when he looked at me with a frown, I said:

“I did everything I was told to do. Just like you told me to.”

I saw him calm down, and I added:

“Besides, you said we had to defend our home. This job… it’s to defend it, right? Because of the degree.”

Le Bor sighed, looked around and shook his head.

“I’m not mad at you, what an idea. You did everything right. It’s just that… my lady and I were thinking of leaving the Rock soon. And Frashluc just blew our plan. Taka’s gonna wring my neck.”

I looked at him in amazement. Le Bor turned his eyes to the sky, then down, and frowned.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Four-Hundred?”

I shrugged.

“It’s because you promised Coldpalm to help Little Wolf. And to help me. Do you remember?”

Le Bor grimaced.

“Yes, yes. Of course I remember. I thought I’d leave you some money. Anyway, we thought we’d come back. It was… uh… only temporary.”

I don’t know if I quite believed him, but I made an understanding pout.

“It’s because of what’s going on right now in the neighborhood, right?”

“Um… well, partly, yes. Bah,” he exasperated. “Mind your own business, Four-Hundred. Anyway, for now I’m going to stay with you.”

I opened my eyes wide.

“You’ll stay… with me? In the Great Refectory of—?”

“No. In another house. You will come with Little Wolf. And my lady will take care of him while you get ready for this crazy—”

“I’m going to live with you!” I exclaimed in disbelief. And a thought came to spoil my enthusiasm. I refused: “I can’t.”

Le Bor glared at me.

“Of course you can.”

“I can,” I admitted. “But my cronies… I don’t know if you know them. And the Priest. They’re mates of mine, they’re like brothers,” I asserted, thumping my chest, and as I saw Le Bor grow darker, I added, “I need to see them. And I’m going to need them like hell to steal that Sol—”

Le Bor suddenly covered my mouth.

“Idiot.” He muttered something through his teeth and sighed, “Bah. They can just come. Anyway, the house is big, and Taka will probably be thrilled. She loves kids. Maybe, this way, she’ll swallow the idea of staying better, hopefully…”

He rubbed his eyes as I jumped up and down and thanked him.

“Silence,” he thundered.

I fell silent. He gave a tired pout and started walking again. I followed him. This time he broke the silence.

“Tell me, honestly, Four-Hundred. Do you think you’re capable of doing something like that? The Palace thing,” he clarified in a whisper as I looked at him uncomprehendingly.

Oh. A sudden thought made me smile in disbelief.

“Are you worried?”

“Eh? You wish. I’m just asking if you think you can do it,” Le Bor replied dryly.

I smiled with all my teeth and nodded.

“Well, natural. Guess what, I’ve already nabbed things at the Conservatory. And at the Stock Exchange. So the Pal…” I received a slap on the head and finished: “It’ll be as simple as ayo.”

“Mmph. Well, Korther better get you well prepared because I can already see you going back to Carnation before Cuckoo comes out,” Le Bor commented.

I grimaced. Ugh… I wouldn’t like meeting Cuckoo again. My face darkened even more when I thought that it was still better to untie hemp ropes than to rot underground, which would undoubtedly happen to my comrades if I ever messed up with the Solance. I dismissed my fears, bit my cheek and, after a while, jumped down a flight of stairs and said:

“Hey, sir.”

Le Bor was absorbed in his thoughts, but then he frowned and huffed.

“Will you please be careful when you walk down the stairs? Do you know how many Cats die from stupid falls, every year?” I shook my head. “Well, I don’t either. But quite a few,” he assured. He paused and sighed impatiently. “What’s the matter?”

I hesitated, looked at him warily, and said at last:

“Before… you said you were going to pop me off if I didn’t do what Frash… ouch… what that devil was asking of me. Well, I mean, would you really have done it? Would you have pop me off? Because… I thought we were friends. The other day, I told you that I liked you, but you didn’t say anything in return. So maybe you’re doing all this… because Frashluc asked you to and… because I helped you at Carnation. But, actually, you don’t like me, do you? I know sometimes I’m a pain in the ass. Rogan says it to me sometimes: a pain, you’re a pain. But I tell him that too, when he’s been bugging me too much with his prayers, and we’re still good buddies. So, that can’t be what’s bothering you. And it can’t be because I steal, because you stole from the dead, and that’s being a thief too, right? Then it must be because I’m a gwak. That’s why, right? Because, if it’s that, I understand. Well, not quite, but…”

I was about to continue, but the incredulous gasp of Le Bor interrupted me. The ruffian was staring at me, dumbfounded. He cleared his throat. He shook his head. And finally he said:

“You’re not a pain in the ass, Four-Hundred. You’re worse than that.”

He smiled and ruffled my hair.

“But I like you. Of course I like you. But don’t tell anyone, because as a rule, a guardian should mistreat, ignore and swindle his wards. As a general rule.”

I smiled broadly, incredulous, euphoric, amazed. Le Bor liked me! I knew it already, deep down, but… he liked me! Le Bor raised a hand.

“Hey, hey, I see you coming, no hugs…”

I hugged him anyway, briefly, so that he would not have time to get angry. And I said:

“I’m gonna get my cronies!”

I took off running, but Le Bor caught me by the collar of my coat and cut off my momentum.

“We’re going together. If I lose you and something happens to you, I risk my life. So, no adventures until the fateful day.”

I laughed at the idea that Le Bor was afraid to leave me alone and nodded, obediently.

“It runs, sir!”

A few hours later, I found myself lying on a makeshift straw mattress beside Manras and Dil, the Priest and Little Wolf. The faint light of a candle was streaming through the slits in the door to the room of Le Bor and the lady. There were whispers, breaths, clearing of throats…

“Mum. Mum.”

It was Dil. Sometimes he talked in dreams. He had nightmares. We all had them from time to time, but the little Prince had them almost every night. He dreamed of his mother: he always found her lying in bed, smiling. The shadows would come—horrible, terrible shadows, from what he said—and she would die. And then his father’s servant would appear, and bind his hands, and carry him in a cart, and throw him into the river, and Dil, the little devil, the cursed little nobleman, would drown… and he would wake up suffocating. Fortunately, in reality, Little Prince had not drowned: the servant had only threatened him and told him not to set foot in his father’s house again on pain of death. And the threat, obviously, continued to torment him almost two years later.

With a sigh, I put a consoling hand on a sleeping Dil, but it was no use, he woke up choking, and I gave him small slaps on the cheek.

“Oi, oi, Little Prince, go back to sleep, there’s no river here,” I whispered to him.

Half asleep, the gwak seemed to settle down. He went back to sleep, and soon the candle in the room was blown out, and the murmurs died with it. I sighed, turned, leaned back against the Priest, and looked at the wooden ceiling, the table, the two chairs, and the large window which opened on to the balcony. The shutters were closed, and a warm draught was coming in through the slits. In the distance, I could hear the voices of neighbors, people passing in the alley below, dogs barking, cats fighting.

After turning around once more, worried, I got up and walked on all fours to the shutters of the balcony. Like many of the Cats’ apartments, there was no glass in the windows. The apartment of Le Bor and his lady was on the third floor of a building halfway between the Bone Street and Gray Square. There was nothing special about it, it was an ordinary Cat home, and blasthell, to me, it was wonderful. Round, the welcome hadn’t been perfect: Taka had gotten angry at dear Shyuli because of the change of plans. But Le Bor knew her well: after seeing Little Wolf, Manras and Dil, the card queen had mellowed. She had washed their ears, asked me about my long-closed foot wound and, well, she had accepted us. This would probably only last as long as my training with Korther and the theft of the Solance… but still, I was glad that my companions finally knew Le Bor and his lady. Rogan said Le Bor looked like a fly, Manras said like a kingpin, but we all agreed that his lady was beautiful. Beautiful and full of character. The only condition she had imposed on all of us to stay had been this: blind obedience. The formula had frightened us, but, as I had no other solution than to stay, I had persuaded my companions not to leave me alone… It will be like having parents, I had told them. They’re rich, they’re almost like a bunch of nail-pinchers, and, damn, they’re the nicest people you’ll ever meet…! I had convinced my cronies very quickly. But Rogan… that was a different story. I’m not sure if it was because of my arguments, or because he owed me more than one, or simply because we were friends… in any case, he had stayed, that was what really mattered.

I brushed the old wood of the shutter and leaned my forehead to peek through a crack. Beyond the little balcony was the light of a candle in the window opposite. I changed the slit and finally saw what I was looking for. The sky. I was surprised when I saw that the ash cloud was gone, replaced by an ocean of stars. With great discretion, I cast a silence spell, opened the shutter and went out onto the balcony with a blanket. The night was warm, even though it was the middle of winter. I closed the door behind me, curled up and, lulled by the breeze and distant voices, looked up at the starry sky. My thoughts went back and forth and would not let me rest. I thought of Elassar—of both the undead and my cousin—and of the Solance, of my companions, of the hobbits, of the Blue One, and of Kakzail… But most of all, I remembered the words my nakrus master had spoken to me before we parted. ‘I taught you to look after yourself and see the reality as it is,’ he had said. And the more I repeated these words to myself, the more I grew dark, and then, after a long time, I finally stood up, leaned against the wooden railing, and muttered:

“Today something terrible happened to me, Elassar. I know you can’t hear me, but… I must tell someone.” I moistened my dry lips and whispered, “A sajit threatened to kill my comrades if I mess up. I want to do everything right. Really. I don’t want anything bad to happen to my comrades, or Le Bor, or the lady. I know it’s wrong, but I’m not doing it for the Cats. The earth can swallow the Rock, you know? I don’t care. I’m not doing it for the Cats,” I repeated. “I’m doing it because I’m afraid.”

I swallowed and added:

“I’m not a coward. See, you chased me away and I went to see the world. I did it for real. But I’m a long way from going to get you a ferilompard bone. Maybe I’ll never find it. Maybe that’s what you wanted. For me to not come back and stay with the sajits. Okay, fine. But I don’t know if you know that some of them are horrible. Now, what I’d like is for all the sajits that murder people to pop off. All of them. I’m not going to tell you any names, but you don’t know how much I’d like them to pop off. Because they scare me, Elassar. And I can’t sleep because of them.”

I wrapped my blanket around me nervously and curled up again, still looking at the stars. I didn’t want to close my eyes. I didn’t want to sleep and have nightmares like Dil. In the distance, the temple bells struck midnight.