“Ok, what do you like the most?” Kovos was flirting with the waitress. He loved Emma, but Legon knew that he just couldn’t help himself. That was just how Kovos was. The woman placed her hand on his shoulder and turned herself just a little, subtly indicating that she was talking only to him. Her low-cut blouse and the way she tilted herself just a bit to Kovos wasn’t lost on any of them. This woman was a pro, and Kovos her sucker for today. This was going to cost them.
“Well, I like the ginger tea.” She was playing with his shirt. This always happened. This lady was going to get Kovos to buy the most expensive thing on the menu and then he was going to leave her a huge tip. Sasha was rolling her eyes, looking disgusted.
“Yeah, we’ll all have a cup.” Kovos handed her way more money than any tea was worth and the woman walked off. It was a good thing they had stiffed Bear on the horses. The waitress wasn’t even that good looking.
Kovos turned back to them with a stupid look on his face. “What are you all looking at me like that for?”
“Give me the money,” Sasha said, holding out her hand.
“What? Why?”
“Because you are a moron, that’s why. Ginger tea? Are you for real?”
“She said she liked it.”
“She liked your money,” spat Sasha. Then added harshly, “Our money.”
“Like you would know. I bet it’s great.”
“And if it’s not?”
“Fine, you can have the bag, but if the tea is good, I get it back,” Kovos said as he held out his hand with the money bag. Sasha promptly took it.
The tea came out and was terrible. Legon liked ginger but not like this. Sasha was forcing down a sip when she stood up and clapped her hands to her mouth.
“Oh, it’s not that bad. I kind of like it…” Kovos started, but she was out the door.
Legon turned to see her running out in the street and letting a blonde woman inside. As she entered he took a look at the newcomer. Her hair was long, blonde and she was thin with green eyes and a…
“Sara!” he said, getting up and crossing the room. He wrapped his arms around her. “I can’t believe you’re here. Come sit down with us, how are you?”
“Um, well, I…,” she began, looking totally dazed and shocked.
“Sit down, sit down. Oh, I am so happy to see you,” Sasha said, planting Sara next to Legon. Sara took a moment to rearrange the red dress, hiking up its low-cut neckline, and then checked to make sure she hadn’t lost any jewelry. He was surprised by all of the makeup and jewelry. When he had known her she wasn’t a flashy person at all and was a little on the chubby side. Now she was thin and looked good, but there was something off about her.
“I thought you were in the Queen’s care?” Keither asked. Sara’s face darkened and she looked down.
“Yes, I am.”
“Well you look like you’re doing great. Looks like the Queen’s care isn’t so bad after all.” Keither looked at them all smugly.
“No, it’s…” Legon could see tears in her eyes now. The low-cut dress. The makeup. The jewelry. It all suddenly clicked. She was a slave and slaves didn’t have that stuff.
She looked like she couldn’t talk, as if she was ashamed. Like she wanted to go and hide under a rock. With her eyes diverted away from them she said, “Keither, I’m a slave and was sold to an Iumenta that owns a brothel.”
Her voice was etched with the same shame and sadness that adorned her face. Legon was surprised that pain and sadness, not anger, boiled up in him. There was a warm sensation in the back of his head. He tried to ignore it and shifted away from the window, closer to Sara and out of the warm sun. Keither looked dumbstruck and embarrassed. Sasha and Kovos were looking down as an uncomfortable silence grew.
“Can you get away?” Legon asked.
“No, they mark us with magic. Here, look,” she said, turning to them and lifting her hair. It felt like ice water was being poured down his whole body. On the back of her neck was a black tattoo with two circles inside each other. At the center was a six-pointed star. The symbol itself was not the part that unnerved him, but more how it was put there.
“If I leave town and anyone see this tattoo, I will be taken back to my owner, and then…”
Arkin turned the corner into an alley in between two large buildings, looking for the man he was supposed to meet. This part of town wasn’t where you would expect to find an informant. Most of the time you had to go to the bad part of town-the part where the snitches were. Not Monson, though. He wasn’t what you would expect, either.
A figure walked out from behind a carton and waved to Arkin. As he approached, Arkin saw the young man, really a boy around fourteen. His father had been the original informant, but not anymore. Monson’s family was from one of the old human houses, one that had been in charge before the Iumenta swine took over, the House of Grey to be precise. The family was an example of how the queen was able to destroy human nobility. The taxes and penalties that were imposed made it impossible for a family like theirs to exist. Subsequently, all of the noble lines had dissolved, and humanity lost more and more sway in the government. The person in front of him was the last of a line-a line that the Iumenta were keen to destroy.
“What are you doing here?” Monson asked.
“Not happy to see me?”
“It’s not that, but from what I’ve heard, your charge is a wanted man.”
“He is. We took out ten royal guards and are on the run headed south. What can you tell me? How did they find out?”
“Ten royal guards? They really are pathetic, aren’t they?”
Arkin smiled. This is why he liked Monson. He was his dad from his mannerisms down to his attitude. Long black hair obscured much of Monson’s scarred face, a permanent reminder of the fire six years ago. The same fire had killed his father. It was amazing the young boy still lived. Arkin didn’t know much about what had happened, but from all accounts there had been foul play. Monson’s mother had taken it hard and dedicated herself to fighting the Iumenta. As soon as he was old enough, her son joined her. Monson was great at gathering information; because he was so young, people didn’t suspect him.
Monson continued on. “Well, from what I can tell this is being kept quiet. The Queen’s Senashow is in charge. It looks like he just sent out a wide sweep for his first attempt at locating you. But that doesn’t mean that he was planning on his pawns bringing your boy in.”
“What do you mean? And the boy’s name is Legon.”
“Well, here’s the way I see it: They have to know that your charge has some sort of protection, and the royal guard is great at beating things out.”
Arkin gave Monson a wry smile. “I thought you said they were pathetic.”
“Ha! I did and they are, but the Senashow is not. Look at what his planning accomplished. You were flushed right out into the open and now you’re scampering around the Cona Empire without a plan.”
He was probably right. They would need to move fast. By now the empire would have figured out that they were missing soldiers. He kicked himself. It had been dumb to come to Salez, but he needed to figure out how much the Iumenta knew.
“Ok, what else do you know?”
“Nothing. Do you think you’re the first to ask? The Iumenta seem to actually care this time. You need to get south, but be careful. The army has been shipping supplies down that way for a while now.”
“What do you mean? They can’t have everything blocked off.”
“No, but I don’t know what they’re up to. It’s platoons of the main army, so it’s not the Senashow’s doing. But if you’re on a wanted list you’d still better avoid the area.”
Monson turned at a sound down the dark ally. He looked at the end where light was making an attempt to penetrate the dark space. Monson turned back to him. “We need to leave. Just get your people out. Take the long way back to avoid large cities and rivers. If I find out more I will send word.”
And with that Monson Grey walked to the other side of the alley and disappeared. Arkin hurried back to the inn and found his four companions sitting in the tavern with… Sara?