Between the Lines, page 15
“Did someone clean up the area?” Fiona said, running a finger around the edge. There was nothing remotely dusty about the space.
“No, no one may enter this chamber besides myself. I have on occasion had others help me move a few things, but this is my private sanctum.”
“I see,” Fiona said, nodding. How could she dive into the lies and untangle the truth from the Ashborn? She knew they were scared. Of not retrieving the Blackstone, of failing perhaps. But of what else? She decided to start slow. “Where did you obtain this relic?”
“How is that relevant to its disappearance?” the Ashborn said, pacing across the room toward the statue.
“If I know where it came from, I may be able to understand how it left and where it is,” she said, giving them an avenue for honesty.
“I’ve always had it,” they said, staring at the statue.
“Always?”
“Since my third rebirth, yes.” They flapped their wings a bit.
“And before that?” Fiona pressed.
“And before that it was here. It’s always been here.”
“I see.” Fiona walked to the brazier, giving the Ashborn a moment. “Had you ever tried to remove it?”
“Absolutely not,” they practically shouted.
The temperature in the room grew warm enough for Fiona to notice even with her protection, and she was again grateful for it.
“Why call it a relic if you’ve never touched it, don’t know what it does, and didn’t make it in the first place? Why care about it at all?” She said quietly, “You hired me to find it, but I can’t without the truth.”
The heat in the room shifted from warm to scorching in a moment. The phoenix seemed to take in a deep breath, their chest expanding as they lifted into the air. It was hot, much hotter than before. It almost burned, and she knew the Ashborn had the power to make her protections useless. She licked her lips, gazing up at the brilliant white-hot creature before her. This was what the sculptor had seen: the phoenix barely contained. Softly, she said, “I know you’re scared. Whatever you’ve done or not done, Your Eminence, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is how you move forward to correct it. To save Blaze.”
The Ashborn, in their eternal beauty, dimmed. Fiona waited, pressing down the urge to flee before she crumbled into ashes. They flew down and landed in front of her, shrinking back to their size and returning to their burnt orange hue.
“How did you come upon this information?”
Fiona smiled. “No one cares about a stone that much unless they’re a gnome. It must’ve been more than that. Tell me, what happened?”
“It is my fault, my arrogance that brought us here. I am the leader who is intended to bring calm in the fire. Instead I have let everyone down.” The Ashborn pulled their wings across their body, folding into themself. “I had kept watch over the Blackstone since I stumbled upon it. I was getting ready to transport the relic to its new location here. I thought something so majestic should sit with other singular majestic things. I likened it to myself. Only the one. In that foolish vein I sought a way to have it removed. I attempted it once myself, but I immediately immolated. I knew then I couldn’t touch it.”
So the ash in the chamber had been from them. Fiona rubbed her jaw. “No fire being can touch it?”
“I have never attempted it with anyone else, but I would suppose not. I requested a barrier for this space be constructed from a reputable alchemist in the Court of Copper. But once it was completed, I went to retrieve the artifact, and it was gone.”
“And this person didn’t remove it?”
“No, no, they wouldn’t have known about it. I requested the basics and skimmed on any particular details. I trust them.”
“Did they create the gate in Obsidian’s Tooth?” Fiona said, laying out her cards.
They glanced quickly at Fiona, a flush of scarlet waving through their features. “How did you know to go there?”
She smiled. “It is sort of my job to figure things out.”
They nodded. “Yes, they did. I didn’t want other fire natives to be able to interact with the relic. They assured me it would dissuade any who touched it.”
“That it does indeed.” She didn’t feel like rehashing the battle, so she quickly moved on. “Who took it then? You seemed to not be as worried about that part. You know, don’t you?”
“I can’t be sure but the only ones who may have known of its location were the salamanders. In my mindless youth, before I separated from the others, I told that fool Aredin about the stone. It was, and still is, the only thing I have ever seen in the fire that was more in tune with the flames than I was. Hotter than I was. It glowed brighter than anything I had ever seen.” Their voice grew heavy.
They must feel so alone all the time, being the only of their kind. No wonder they tried to keep it to themselves. Fiona understood the sentiment. “And so you deemed it important.”
“Oh yes.” They sighed and moved slowly back to the statue. “It wasn’t until it was gone and the page started dying that I realized how important it actually was. The spires used to be filled with unbridled flames. An unquenchable fire. It was a beautiful sight.”
Fiona ached a little for the phoenix’s loss. She loved Spine and couldn’t imagine what it would be like if it was slowly being ripped from her, especially if it may have been her fault. “This information. It helps immensely. I can focus on finding it with the right direction now.”
The Ashborn nodded. “And now all will realize that I am not the protector I believed I could be. The Guild will certainly take over.”
She frowned. “What does any of this have to do with the Travel Guild?”
“I have been delaying and stalling them against having another outpost in the page for quite some time. The last century at least. Blaze belongs to us. If we want to allow skimmers to tour here or travel to flow in, we should lead the charge.” They reclaimed the proud tone Fiona had become used to.
Fiona rubbed her face, pacing the room. This was bad. Very bad. “If Blaze cools, they could push their way in?”
“There won’t be many of us left to defend against it. I am able to withstand the shift, but not many are. We were invincible with our fire. Now, we are not.”
How in the world was she going to figure out who was responsible for this? There were so many people in the Guild, even Gilded leaders, it would take time to find out exactly who was pulling the strings. Time Blaze didn’t have. Regardless, she wanted to assure the Ashborn of one thing. “I’m not here to report on you, Ashborn. I will find the Blackstone. That’s all that matters.”
The phoenix cleared their throat. Fiona couldn’t tell, but she thought for a second she saw their features shift back into the face of the statue. “You were well recommended, and I see why now. I am in your debt, Fiona Thorne.”
Fiona stopped pacing. “Recommended by who?” Who even knew of her well enough to tell the Ashborn she could help?
“I was worried about taking this to the Guild, but I had nowhere else to turn. I spoke with one of their jackets, a smilodon. Only the parts I told you as well, mind you. They seemed to think on it for a moment before denying my request. They said the Guild was too preoccupied with other matters to chase after some lost rock, but they did recommend me to you. Said that you were well versed in deducing what others found trivial.”
Tears pricked at Fiona’s eyes, but they evaporated as soon as they appeared. “That’s good to know.” It had to have been Dodger. Dodger, who knew her well, who was cleverer than she was by a mile, and who knew what kind of connection having the Ashborn as a client would make for her.
The phoenix stared unabashedly. “If you’d like to turn the page from here, you may. Naturally it won’t get you directly to Spine, but I believe traveling through Rise may be a bit more comfortable for you.”
Fiona laughed, all seriousness gone at the absurdity of the large phoenix appearing in the human page’s sky. “You travel through Rise?”
“Mistral may be secure for you, but Rise is undoubtedly safer for me. Pesky windstorms,” the Ashborn muttered.
Bowing to hide her amusement, Fiona said, “I’ll take my leave of you then, Your Eminence.”
The Ashborn bowed in return. “Fare you well, Fiona Thorne.”
Knowing a new spot in Rise that made a safe pagemark to the Blaze was valuable information but Fiona didn’t want to risk testing the spot out by herself. What a phoenix could survive was not the same as a human. She made a mental note to canvas the pagemark at a later date.
The view didn’t shift much from Blaze as Fiona made her way back to Spine. The city was dark—close to midnight, she reckoned. She filled out the obligatory paperwork at the turner booth before making her way back home with Soots.
Fiona decided to walk with so much on her mind. That the salamanders had taken the Blackstone she was more uncertain of than the Ashborn. Yes, the salamanders had threatened her, but she got the sense they threatened a bunch of people. They had known about Obsidian’s Tooth as the location. Their motives could’ve been a range of things, from trying to kill off the elementals to just taking whatever power they thought it might bring for themselves. But how had they carried it through the gate, and where did they smuggle it to?
The elementals had known nothing about the Blackstone, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have a hand in its disappearance. They were awfully against the salamanders and each other. But that amount of power would help them, not hinder them, right?
She walked slowly, chewing on her thoughts as Soots flew beside her, guiding her back home. All signs pointed to the Guild, or someone working at the Guild. It benefited them to not have it replaced, and if they kept hold of it, they could press their advantage to get the Ashborn on their side and in their pocket. And if not, once Blaze cooled down enough, they could go and come as they pleased in the wasteland. If the Guild was also behind the smuggling, it would make even more sense. They could take more and more creatures, and no one would be the wiser. It all fit hand in hand very neatly. But then where was it?
Fiona bit her lip thinking about Dodger. He worked for and believed in the Guild. If they really were behind this, it was unlikely that people like him even had an inkling about it. He believed in her abilities to help the Ashborn, but did he know what he was signing her up for?
She rubbed her face, tired, but she needed to rule something out so she could get somewhere with all this. “I put it off yesterday, but I think we should make a stop at the temple,” she called to Soots. Fali had stolen the smuggling ledger. She needed to understand why. If Gilded leaders were behind the smuggling and the Followers knew something, then she should know it too. Maybe it would pinpoint what the Guild was doing with the stolen creatures and give her a location for the Blackstone at the same time. It was a thin connection but safer than accusing the Guild outright with no proof.
They changed directions and made their way to the temple district. Where her district was a hodgepodge of homes and dwellings from cultures all over the Book, the temple district was singular in its looks and color. It was beautiful and quiet, carpeted by lush green grass. Foot traffic was routed around it unless one was specifically coming to pay their respects or work within the holy place at its center or the shrine nearest the market.
Her feet hit the grass, the fragrance of wet earth rising up with each muffled step. Other pages held temples to Larrakane cobbled from the deities they’d worshiped before her appearance; each was unique and slightly apologetic for praising false gods when they discovered there was one true one. But the temple on Spine had no such history. It was crafted solely for Larrakane. It had always belonged to her and would remain hers. It was three stories tall and as large as a manor house, though round in shape. Central open archways dotted every few feet of its wall framed by thick forest-green vines of ivy. They flowed up over the sides of the building to create a knotted and twisting roof, shielding the interior from light and water that sprinkled down from the aqueducts.
Fiona stepped into an archway and found herself in a darkened room, soft amber candlelight flowing from several tall tables in the center. Benches surrounded the tables, some wooden, some flat stone, others padded with soft cushions of dark-gray fabric, and there was room in the middle for a few people or one large creature, like an elephas or ursidon, to stand. A couple of worshippers sat on the benches, none looking up as she entered.
“Stay low and near me,” Fiona whispered to Soots. It hadn’t occurred to her to be too worried about them being in here with their suit on and all. But a little niggle of caution was working its way to the forefront of her mind. “Why don’t you sit on my shoulder, hmm?”
Soots followed her suggestion promptly. :One.:
“You do know how to say the most with the barest of words, little one.”
She walked quietly around the benches, incense drifting from all around, as she scanned the seats for Fali’s familiar face. Not seeing him, she made her way toward the stairs that led to the temple keepers’ offices. Taking the carpeted steps, the thread worn down and smooth wood peeking through, she got to the second floor and the open window on the side wall.
An older woman, human with an olive complexion and sable hair, grinned at her. She was dressed in much the same way Fali had been with a large black circle emblem on her flowing cream robes over a broad lavender dress of human make. Her hair was loose and swayed silkily with her minute movements. Setting down the hot cup of coffee in her clasped hands, she asked, “May I help you?”
Fiona straightened up a bit, smoothing out her doublet and scarf. She should’ve made herself more presentable before barging into the temple. “I’m looking for Fali of Spine. I believe he resides here.” She gave a somewhat apologetic smile.
The woman tilted her head, letting her dark, shiny hair fall across her face. “Yes. One moment while I see if he is available.” The woman departed, disappearing through a door Fiona hadn’t noticed. She had only been to this floor a few times before, and always on a case. In her own worship of Larrakane that, she grimaced, was few and far between these days, she stayed to the main floor or the green outside. The thing about Larrakane, Fiona assumed, was that it didn’t matter where you praised her; she’d take the reverence anywhere in the Book. It was all hers after all.
The olive-skinned woman came back, barely making a sound as she picked her cup back up. “On the green at the market entrance,” she said simply.
“Thank you,” Fiona said quietly. The way the woman moved, the way she talked, something about her was comforting to Fiona. Warm even. She wondered who she was but pushed the curiosity aside. She had other things to worry about now, and she was practically dead on her feet. She left with Soots in tow and made her way to stand in the cool air of the open night.
Fiona wasn’t acquainted with Fali well enough to know exactly how to approach him about the ledger. She figured her best bet was to ask why he’d visited yesterday, letting him know he had been spotted. She could read him from there and direct the conversation accordingly until she got what she needed.
Soots hovered in the air above Fiona but seemed listless, not bobbing or moving with any of their usual speed. Perhaps they were tired as well? “Why don’t you take a rest in that oil lamp?” Fiona pointed to the lantern by the archway. “When it’s time to go, I won’t forget you.”
:Tired,: Soots said before moving over to the lamp and settling within.
Fali came out of the archway striding to Fiona with a wide smile and leather gray trunk waving. For a thief he seemed pretty happy to see her.
“Well met, Ms. Thorne,” he said with his booming voice. “The Priestess said you wanted to speak with me?”
So that had been the Priestess, leader of the entire temple. Larrakane be blessed. She had assumed the woman was nothing more than a clerk. She threw away her embarrassment of having looked so ramshackle in front of one of Spine’s most respected leaders and focused on Fali. He seemed in good spirits, which froze her thoughts for a brief second.
“That is right, yes? Or did your neighbor let you know I came calling yesterday?”
“You spoke to Mistress Didia?” Fiona said, out of sorts. Blast, she didn’t mean to give him information. She was off on the wrong foot. She tried to pivot. “Yes, why did you come to see me yesterday?”
Fali glanced around and moved closer to Fiona. “I heard from a good source that you helped tackle a few issues earlier this week. Of the elemental kind.”
Fiona narrowed her eyes. “I suppose that depends on why that might interest you.”
The elephas moved his trunk from side to side, sniffing the air. For a brief moment it looked as if he was going to say something else, but then he reconsidered. “Can we have this conversation elsewhere? I’m getting a whiff not entirely familiar to me.” He switched to her native language. “Prying eyes and ears, I think.”
Fiona glanced around the empty area but didn’t see anyone in the dark space. An elephas’s nose was not to be mistrusted, but this could be a trap. She adjusted her scarf nonchalantly to give her better access to her whip. “Sure. Perhaps we can go into the shrine?”
Fali nodded, and they made their way farther from the temple into the small shrine on the edge of the green. One could enter its smooth gray marble walls and sit in silent, solitary prayer with Larrakane. Angled windows cascaded light in a spectrum of colors across the floor and walls. No candles lit its interiors, and no more than three or four people could fit at a time.
With Fiona and Fali inside, there was barely room to do more than stand, turn around, or leave again. This wasn’t the best place to take out her weapon should she need it. But then again she had a better chance of getting out of the small space quicker than the large elephas.
Fali stuck his trunk outside the opening, sniffing the air. “Better. Nothing unfamiliar here.”
