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Authors: Bailey Cunningham
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“You most certainly are.”
The sky was beginning to darken by the time they left Domina Pendelia’s. Had they really spent the whole day there, eating and comparing shadows? Time didn’t always flow smoothly in Anfractus. It had the habit of escaping from you, like a cat, leaping swiftly through the open space of an unguarded door. Babieca had matched the domina cup for cup, but she had a surprisingly high tolerance for her own wine. Now he was a bit unsteady. He put his arm around Roldan, leaning on him for support. His breath smelled of cloves and raspberries.
“I’m at the Arx of Violets tomorrow,” Morgan said. “I won’t be able to meet you until it’s time to visit the Subura. Will you be able to stay out of trouble in the meantime?”
“Roldan’s going to keep me safe,” Babieca said. “He’s got a knife, remember? And if we run into trouble, I can either sing or get naked. Both have the element of surprise.”
“Yes. Play to your strengths.” She turned to Roldan. “You heard what the domina said—we won’t have much time once we reach the basia. We can’t just wave a knife around, asking if anyone’s seen its owner.”
“Maybe the guard will recognize it. Failing that—do you think there’s some secret room full of labeled masks? That would be our best bet.”
“This is going to go so well.”
“You had faith in the idea when you were sober.”
“I’m still sober. I mixed my wine with water, remember?”
“That’s because you’re sharp as a t—” Babieca’s tonguestumbled over the word. “—sharp as a sharp thing, with lovely barbs and hooks.”
“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.”
“We should go,” Roldan said. “It’s nearly time.”
They made their way back to the clepsydra, joining the crowd that was also leaving the city. Roldan studied his fellow noncitizens in the waning light, the people who, like him, divided their time between worlds. Domina Pendelia had slept easier when she was one of them. He barely slept at all. Sleep had always been his enemy, the monster prowling the edges of his thought, waiting for him to blink first. Sometimes he wanted to give in, but his wheels kept turning, powering the infernal machine that refused to gather rust. Staying awake was a talent that helped him in that other life, where reading seemed so dreadfully important. The closer they got to the alleys, the more he was able to think of his twin, the one on the opposite shore.
Words are his shield. He thinks he can read the whole world.
Once the sun dropped, the silenoi would appear. They used to hunt beyond the city walls, but now they roamed the streets in packs.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He smelled something, like a mixture of iron and rain-soaked ground. His alley was close. A part of him always resisted this moment. It wasn’t that he hated change. It was that he feared it. He wanted the alley forever, the blind corners of Anfractus, the smoke, power, and din that made him Roldan. It would all unravel. He couldn’t hold it together.
Just as they were about to part, Babieca squeezed his hand. “
Tack
,” he said, grinning.
4
T HE SALAMANDER WAS SITTING ON HIS CHEST . He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. Also, its breath was smoke, which meant that his bed appeared to be on fire. He tried to meet its gaze but couldn’t quite tell where to look. He felt its claws kneading him.
“You don’t exist on this side of the park.”
This one thinks it knows everything.
The kneading grew more enthusiastic. Andrew grimaced. Drops of blood appeared on his bare chest. He felt the lizard shift position.
What do you desire?
“I’d need to make a list. Can I get up? My notepad is on the dresser.”
No. What is the one thing?
“It isn’t just one thing.”
It is.
He closed his eyes. “There is something.”
We can give it to you.
“Really?”
Yes. Would you like to make a deal?
“What do I have to give in
The sky was beginning to darken by the time they left Domina Pendelia’s. Had they really spent the whole day there, eating and comparing shadows? Time didn’t always flow smoothly in Anfractus. It had the habit of escaping from you, like a cat, leaping swiftly through the open space of an unguarded door. Babieca had matched the domina cup for cup, but she had a surprisingly high tolerance for her own wine. Now he was a bit unsteady. He put his arm around Roldan, leaning on him for support. His breath smelled of cloves and raspberries.
“I’m at the Arx of Violets tomorrow,” Morgan said. “I won’t be able to meet you until it’s time to visit the Subura. Will you be able to stay out of trouble in the meantime?”
“Roldan’s going to keep me safe,” Babieca said. “He’s got a knife, remember? And if we run into trouble, I can either sing or get naked. Both have the element of surprise.”
“Yes. Play to your strengths.” She turned to Roldan. “You heard what the domina said—we won’t have much time once we reach the basia. We can’t just wave a knife around, asking if anyone’s seen its owner.”
“Maybe the guard will recognize it. Failing that—do you think there’s some secret room full of labeled masks? That would be our best bet.”
“This is going to go so well.”
“You had faith in the idea when you were sober.”
“I’m still sober. I mixed my wine with water, remember?”
“That’s because you’re sharp as a t—” Babieca’s tonguestumbled over the word. “—sharp as a sharp thing, with lovely barbs and hooks.”
“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.”
“We should go,” Roldan said. “It’s nearly time.”
They made their way back to the clepsydra, joining the crowd that was also leaving the city. Roldan studied his fellow noncitizens in the waning light, the people who, like him, divided their time between worlds. Domina Pendelia had slept easier when she was one of them. He barely slept at all. Sleep had always been his enemy, the monster prowling the edges of his thought, waiting for him to blink first. Sometimes he wanted to give in, but his wheels kept turning, powering the infernal machine that refused to gather rust. Staying awake was a talent that helped him in that other life, where reading seemed so dreadfully important. The closer they got to the alleys, the more he was able to think of his twin, the one on the opposite shore.
Words are his shield. He thinks he can read the whole world.
Once the sun dropped, the silenoi would appear. They used to hunt beyond the city walls, but now they roamed the streets in packs.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He smelled something, like a mixture of iron and rain-soaked ground. His alley was close. A part of him always resisted this moment. It wasn’t that he hated change. It was that he feared it. He wanted the alley forever, the blind corners of Anfractus, the smoke, power, and din that made him Roldan. It would all unravel. He couldn’t hold it together.
Just as they were about to part, Babieca squeezed his hand. “
Tack
,” he said, grinning.
4
T HE SALAMANDER WAS SITTING ON HIS CHEST . He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. Also, its breath was smoke, which meant that his bed appeared to be on fire. He tried to meet its gaze but couldn’t quite tell where to look. He felt its claws kneading him.
“You don’t exist on this side of the park.”
This one thinks it knows everything.
The kneading grew more enthusiastic. Andrew grimaced. Drops of blood appeared on his bare chest. He felt the lizard shift position.
What do you desire?
“I’d need to make a list. Can I get up? My notepad is on the dresser.”
No. What is the one thing?
“It isn’t just one thing.”
It is.
He closed his eyes. “There is something.”
We can give it to you.
“Really?”
Yes. Would you like to make a deal?
“What do I have to give in
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