“Choosing the targets,” Clarissa said, “means I can meet more than one objective at a time.”
“Our deal didn’t include any additional objectives you may have,” Sophie said. “So you can sort them out yourself. You aren’t staking us out as bait for some other reason, are you?”
“Of course not,” Clarissa said.
“Then we choose the targets and we choose the timing.”
“Fine,” Clarissa conceded. “Just make sure I’m notified beforehand.”
“No, we’ll keep you out of it,” Sophie said. “We wouldn’t want people moving attention from Silva to you, after all. We plan and execute the robberies alone, and we fence the goods through Silva's people. We have connections enough for that.”
Clarissa’s mouth was smiling, but her eyes were spraying venom.
“Very well,” she said. “But I want jobs done quickly and repeatedly. If not, then you aren’t holding up your end, and there won’t be a place in this city you can hide from me. As for escaping it… if you could leave this city alive, then you wouldn’t have come to me in the first place.”
Sophie gave a curt nod, then strode away. Belinda followed in her wake, Clarissa’s bodyguard trailing them until they were out of the compound. They walked through the darkened streets of Old City at a rapid stride.
“What was that?” Belinda angrily demanded once she was sure they had cleared Clarissa’s eyes and ears. “That whole thing makes no sense. Everything hinges on people figuring out that we’re the thieves. And stirring up trouble with the Island people? They'll send adventurers after us. Is she trying to bring all that down on her own head?”
“You're right,” Sophie said. “It doesn't make sense if this is still about provoking Silva. Something's changed, and somehow Island politics are involved. Ventress wouldn't risk provoking the Island unless she has some kind of backing to shield her.”
“This whole plan is madness,” Belinda said.
“Yes,” Sophie agreed.
“Then why go along with it? She has to know how transparent she’s being.”
“You know how Ventress is about her reputation. She wants us to break the deal, even if everyone knows she pushed us into it.”
“Why bother?” Belinda asked. “We aren’t any use to her except as a stick to poke Silva with.”
“I don’t know,” Sophie said. “Maybe she’s looking for an excuse to hand us over to him. Whatever she’s into now, we’ve somehow become leverage. But she can’t be seen breaking the deal.”
“Her vaunted reputation.”
“If we break the deal, she can openly do whatever she wants with us.”
“So you bought us as much time and freedom as you could,” Belinda realised.
“We need to figure out our next move. Ventress is no longer our way out of the city.”
“Dorgan?” Belinda suggested. The third member of the Big Three had been quiet since the death of Old Man Silva.
“We don’t have anything to trade for protection.”
“Then what?” Belinda asked. “Try and make our own way out?”
The reason they had gone to Clarissa in the first place was that escaping the city unnoticed by the Big Three was as good as impossible. They had an iron grip of the shipping trade, and there was very little overland travel.
“We may have to try the overland route,” Sophie said.
Escaping the Greenstone region overland meant one of two routes. The first was to go upriver to the Mistrun Oasis, then keep going through the desert to the central veldt. From there, south, to the more fertile lands and a port where the Big Three still had interests enough that they could easily be dragged back to Greenstone. The other way was to make for the northern territories, which means crossing the dead sands, braving monsters and nomadic bandit tribes.
“We ruled that out for a reason,” Belinda said. “Our experience and expertise end at the city wall. If we try the wilderness, it’s a pure gamble.”
“A gamble may be all we have,” Sophie said. “For now, we do enough to keep Ventress mollified while we figure it out.”
Belinda hung her head.
“Things just keep getting worse,” she said softly.
“I know.”
54
Field Assessment
The layout of the Adventure Society campus reminded Jason of a university. One of the nice ones, with expanses of lawn, gardens and tiled pathways leading through impressive stone arches. The marshalling yard was like a small town square for larger expeditions to assemble. When Humphrey and Jason arrived together, a dozen people were already waiting. An entitled, walking cliché broke out of the group to sneer at Humphrey.
“Here he is,” the young man said. “The pride of the Geller family. But that out-of-town prick failed you, just like the rest of us.”
Like everyone other than Jason himself, the person approaching them was somewhere in his mid to late teens. This made the assemblage of would-be adventurers young men and women, but Jason could only think of the sneering idiot as a boy.
“We all have areas in which we can improve,” Humphrey said. “There’s no shame in admitting that.”
“Shouldn’t your hair be more oily?” Jason asked.
“What?” the boy asked, turning from Humphrey to Jason as if surprised to see him there.
“Your hair,” Jason said, pointing. “When the sneering idiot who will inevitably be humiliated comes out to do his sneering, his hair should be properly greased back. Clearly, you've overdone it with whatever goo you put in there, but I really feel like you could have slathered in some more.”
“Who are you?” the boy asked. He was looking at Jason with the same expression he’d give to furniture that unexpectedly started talking.
“I’m no one important,” Jason said.
“Clearly,” the boy said. “Do you have any idea who my father is?”
“Does anyone?” Jason asked. “Your mother’s a friendly woman.”
Humphrey winced, while the onlookers all looked shocked, none more so than the boy himself.
“Are you looking to die?” the boy asked.
“Is your father going to kill me?” Jason asked. “You don’t strike me as someone who fights his own battles.”
“Uh, Jason,” Humphrey interjected. “That’s Thadwick Mercer. His father actually might kill you.”
“You’re Thadwick Mercer?”
“That’s right. Feel like apologising, now?”
“I do, actually,” Jason said. “I shouldn’t have said that about your mother. I have neither the knowledge nor the right to criticise how she conducts her personal affairs and I apologise unreservedly. I only met her briefly, but she struck me as a woman of style and intelligence. Now I’ve met you, I can see why people wonder how you turned out this way.”
“What?” Thadwick asked.
“It was actually the first thing I heard about you,” Jason said. “What was it Rufus said, Humphrey? The most incompetent person he’d ever seen attempt to join the Adventure Society? And Rufus grew up in a school, so he’s seen the bottom-end of a lot of classes.”
“I’m going to destroy you, you no-name little prick,” Thadwick spat. “I’m going to scrape you off my shoe.”
“Is that a challenge?” Jason asked. “Like a duel, or something? How do you want to do it—dance-off, or yo-mama fight? I'd prefer a dance-off because I actually like your mother. Also, I’ve got the moves.”
“What?”
“You say that a lot,” Jason said, “and you always look kind of confused. You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?”
Thadwick raised a hand at Jason, electricity crackling over it.
“THAT’S ENOUGH,” a voice bellowed.
Everyone turned to see a man wearing an Adventure Society pin approaching the group. Jason had never seen Vincent Trenslow before, although Rufus had described his glorious moustache. As promised, it extended past either side of his head. Behind Vincent was another official that Jason did recognise, as did Humphrey. It was Guy, the official present at their Adventure Society intake.