Page 72 of Fortress of Ambrose
“Inside, please.”
“Shouldn’t we assemble an engineering team first for the new vessel?”
“Constructing the Sphere took my ancestor nearly a year. First, I need to have you thoroughly examined by an expert Retentor and Cultivator to ensure wecanget the magic out of you without damaging it.”
My heart thuds, the cold inside my bones pricking me like needles urging me to run.
“I assure you there’s nothing to fear. I am not a man of brute magical strength.Youcould level this entire building in seconds. If anything, bringing you here is more of a risk to me than to you. I’m just a Healer who takes advantage of opportunities as he comes across them.”
I note the nearest exits, Zecky’s relaxed posture, his steady breath.
He gestures again for me to go inside.
With clenched fists, I do.
“I’ll need to pull Erla and Ube for this. They’re my best brains. And then there’s the matter of the vessel. We’ll have to find the right thing. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He closes the door, bolting it shut with a clang, and the sound ricochets in my chest.
I imagine Quell’s face when I bring her this temporary vessel, the strength I’ll feel having this chaosoutof me. Maybe Zecky could come for another visit and explain how it works to her. Maybe he has ideas about how to free families like his and Willam’s while stopping the carnage of Darkbearers.
Zecky returns with a spindly fellow in a blue tunic and leather slacks. His petite shoulders and small frame make him look younger than he is. White stubble covers his jaw on his otherwise bald head. A slick black mask slopes across the top half of his face, fading into his tanned skin as he enters. He slips on glasses. Behind him is a woman who looks a lot like him. Her blond hair is cut in a low fade. She wears deep green pants and a jacket to match. A gold diadem sits on her head, and jeweled earrings in the same hue dangle from her ears.
She holds a gold diadem with colorful stones in her hands.
A diademnotconnected to anyone’s head.
An icy feeling—that is not magic—seizes in my bones.
“Erla and Ube are siblings,” he says. “And this—”
A wide-hipped, dark-haired woman in red robes boasting a magnificent silver, jeweled diadem enters the room. “Is Runetta Bell,” Zecky goes on. “She was dropping off a few things, heard you were here, and says you know each other?”
She gives me a hard look. I’ve never seen this woman before.
“Yes, we have been friends a long time.” She hugs me as Zecky is pulled into a whispered argument between Ube and Erla. “Auspicious meeting you here,” she says under her breath. “I’d heard you were looking for a lady a few weeks ago.”
“I don’t think that was me.”
“Oh, it was you, Dragunheart. In the Sixth Ward.”
“Lady Ruby?”The Trader I was looking for.
“In the flesh.”
The world teeters on its edge. How vastly my circle has changed in months. A fugitive, partnering with the most sought-after names in the Order. I’m not sure if I should be honored or disgusted.
“The girl in the alley.”
“There wasn’t enough of her left to bury.” Lady Ruby’s mouth thins. “I overheard your exchange. When Darkbearers attacked, I had to flee. The cargo I carry is precious.” She gestures to the diadem.
“You brought them that?”
“Some safe houses paywellfor magical artifacts.” Her fingers circle her chin. “You know, I tried tracking you once I realized the rumors about you are true, to offer my help. You’re incredibly hard to find. And I find things for a living.”
“I think we’ve sorted out their confusion,” Zecky says, forcing his way between us. “We can get started.”
Lady Ruby smiles. But worry deadens her eyes.
“If you’ll excuse us, Runetta,” Zecky says. “I assume you’ve said your hellos.” She is practically forced out the door by Ube. Erla wipes a cloth over the multicolored stones in the diadem at a back counter with shaky hands. I’m sure working on magic under these circumstances is an intimidating task, but her nerves set mine on edge.
