I washed up from a basin as Degan told me what he had been able to find out about Iron, which was little enough. Iron Degan hadn’t taken a new Oath in a long time-at least several years; this suggested he had been working for his Gray Prince for a while now. Nor had Degan been able to find out which Prince Iron was working for, but that wasn’t surprising. Tracking a Gray Prince was like trying to catch a bird’s shadow.
During the last few years, though, Degan said, Iron had repeatedly been in and out of Ten Ways. He had also traveled across the empire three separate times. Each time had been to one of the most ancient cities of the empire-former seats of either Stephen Dorminikos, or one of his incarnations shortly after he began his cycle of resurrections. That was when the emperor had still gone on progress, surveying his nobles and lands, sometimes for years at a time-back before the walling off of the Imperial cordon and the first rumors of his rising paranoia.
“Sounds like Iron’s been looking for something,” I said as I pulled on a change of clothes. There were a few small spots of blood in the laundry in my hamper from Tamas’s attack, but nothing so bad I couldn’t wear it. “Something old, too, given where he’s been hunting. Tyrogennes, Lonpo, Crosswinds and Ten Ways-all of them predate the empire.”
“Something old,” said Degan, “or something that talks about something old. At least two of those cities have respectable libraries.”
“And libraries have books,” I said. I buckled on my sword belt and put my knives back in place. “And who do we know who has a book, I wonder.”
“Larrios,” said Degan.
Which meant Ten Ways-again.
I stopped by Eppyris’s shop on the way out. The apothecary didn’t have more than four words for me, even when I told him about Task’s body-minus the glimmer. He simply handed me a fresh supply of ahrami, closed his shop’s door, and headed over to his apartments. I heard his and Cosima’s voices raised in argument when I left with Degan.
Given what had happened with Task, I hoped Eppyris would persuade Cosima to leave. In fact, I decided, if he didn’t, I’d make arrangements to get them both out when I returned. Cosima wouldn’t like it, but it was getting to the point where I needed to cut back on my distractions and worries, and they definitely fit under both headings now.
It wasn’t hard to tell that Ten Ways was on edge when we arrived. As if sensing the coming war, the city guard had put almost four dozen Rags outside the main entrance to Ten Ways. They were gathered around campaign lanterns-large iron cages on tripods, filled with fuel that could burn all night when lit-checking their weapons and eyeing the cordon nervously. Several of them watched Degan and me as we went into the cordon, but none moved to stop us. I suspected it would be a different story when we tried to come out.
It was still twilight, but already the streets in Ten Ways were emptying of Lighters. Nicco’s men were in full sight, walking in groups, gold-and-green war cords openly displayed on their arms. A few gave me a small nod, but most kept it to a cool eye. Rambles would have told them about me. I wasn’t wearing a cord; I wouldn’t have even if I weren’t working for Kells-a Nose did his best work unseen, or at least unmarked. Putting on a cord would have made me an instant target outside Nicco’s territory.
There were other Cutters on the street, too-back alley toughs who had either been bought, or who were using the war for their own ends. This was their time-a time of killing and rape, when atrocities could be blamed on the war, and retribution from local bosses was less likely. The Upright Men’s soldiers and their allies would be too busy watching out for one another-they wouldn’t bother with minor talent as long as it didn’t get in their way.
“So, what’s the plan?” said Degan.
“We wander and wait,” I said as two men came rolling out of a doorway in front of us, cursing and biting and hitting each other. We stepped around them.
“Until?”
“Until the person I need to talk to finds us.”
“Until he finds us?” said Degan.
“Yes.”
A woman’s voice joined the fray behind us. I heard the solid thunk of something large and heavy hitting something soft and breakable. One of the men screamed.
“I would have thought,” said Degan, “what with your being a Nose and all, you might go looking for him. Maybe ask around.”
“I’m going to,” I said, “but I doubt I’ll have much luck-I don’t know his name.”
“No name,” said Degan. A dog started barking back at the fight. “Do you know anything else about him?”
“He wears a big dark cloak.”
Degan clicked his tongue. “And this unnamed man in a big dark cloak is your best lead on Larrios?”
“At the moment, yes.”
“And here I was worried you didn’t have a plan,” said Degan.
In truth, we did more than wander. Since I didn’t have a network in Ten Ways, I had to resort to the basics: eavesdropping, rumormongering, and whisper buying. We roamed the streets, loitered at corners, and crawled in and out of more basement taverns and smoke holes than I could count.
I didn’t find my man right away, but I did hear any number of rumors about what was happening in the cordon. Most were more fantasy than fact, but, after a while, I was able to discern a common thread running through all of them: Everyone-in terms of local gangs and organizations-was getting hit, and most of them were blaming either Nicco or Kells. Even if there wasn’t any proof of their involvement, the common wisdom on the street was that the two Upright Men were positioning themselves for a takeover of the cordon itself. And that wasn’t sitting well with the local Kin.
It was exactly what Degan and I had feared, and it had the Gray Prince’s fingers all over it. Not only was the Prince going to get Nicco and Kells to go to war with each other, but she was also prepping the local gangs to fight the Upright Men for her. I doubted she’d be able to call all the shots once the fighting began, but I was certain she was ready to step in and come off as the hero in the end. And, if we were right, this was only the beginning.
My one chance of preventing all this was the book. Whatever it was, she clearly wanted it. If I could find Larrios and get my hands on it, I could use the book as leverage to negotiate with the Prince. I doubted I’d be able to save Ten Ways, but maybe I could ransom the rest of the Underworld from her; or at least keep Kells and his-my-organization in one piece.
It was two hours past midnight when we came out of yet another dive. This one had smelled primarily of sweat and vomit-definitely a step up from the previous two.
“I think I’ll just burn the whole damn cordon down and be done with it,” I said to Degan as we took a deep breath of the night air. “Easier for everyone that way.”
Degan laughed. “There’ll always be a Ten Ways,” he said. We started walking. “Burn it down tonight, and tomorrow morning someone will be building on the ashes.”
“And that would only be a cover so they could dig for melted hawks,” I said.
“My, but you’re a pessimistic one,” said a voice off to our right.
Degan had his blade out and pointed at a deep doorway in an instant. I put a restraining hand on his shoulder but otherwise didn’t move. I’d recognized the voice.
“I find that pessimism keeps me from being disappointed,” I said.
A piece of shadow moved within the doorway and stepped out. Tall, cloaked, hooded-he could have been anyone, except for the voice.
“Prudent,” said the cloaked Kin. Once again, the cowl was so far forward, and the shadows so dark, I couldn’t see his face. The hood turned to face Degan and held out his hands, palms up. “Your friend and I have an arrangement,” he said.
“Do you now?” said Degan.
“We do,” I said. “He’s the one who’s going to lead us to Larrios.” I turned to the Kin. “Assuming he’s managed to find Larrios, that is.”
He bowed slightly from the waist. “I can show you where he was staying as of sunset.”