Chapter 26
I stared through the ring of the crossbows sight, keeping the pin trained at the center of the mess, waiting for the slightest movement, the smallest shift of paper. In the back of my head, I wondered if there was a chance Kinsley had intentionally misdirected me to the corner, so the source of the ambush could come at me from another point of attack. I dismissed the thought. Its easy to be a good liar, incredibly difficult to convincingly act like a bad one.
Talk to me, Kinsley, I said, still watching her out of the corner of my eye. Not going to hurt you, but I need to know what kind of shit youve gotten us into.
I heard a sniffle that devolved into a series of hiccuping sobs. Her hair covered her face. Theres no one in the corner its the vent.
Immediately I looked up. There was a standard vent covering high up on the ceiling, five horizontal slats with the usual closing slide. It was on the smaller side for a duct, the air passage likely too tiny for anything but a squirrel to be hiding in.
Or a bug?
I hefted the fallen shelf out of the way. Carefully, tested my weight on the still-standing shelf before clambering up to get a look inside the vent while Kinsley seemed to settle herself, tears running silently.
It was empty.
Do you hear anything? Kinsley called over, as if she were afraid to hear the answer.
No. I was thoroughly confused. There was nothing to find, and no room for anyone to slip by me. But she had looked so damn guilty. It was clear as day. Not even circulating air. Kinsley, you wanna just tell me whats going on here instead of making me guess? You almost gave me a heart attack.
Yeah, okay, I scared you. Its not your problem, you wont care. Kinsley said.
She was wrong. Especially now, with the city on the verge of eating itself, anything that compromised her was most assuredly my problem.
Well, Im here, and no one else is. Might as well give it a shot.
I was almost relieved when Kinsley glared at me. The fire in her eyes faded, and she resumed her intense study of the floor. Ive been hearing noises coming through the vent.
What kind of noises?
Impacts. Grunts of pain. Someone being hit, over and over again. Her voice grew quieter with every passing word. I know theyre not real.
Finally, the high-alert in my mind seemed to relax. I walked over to where she still sat on the dusty computer chair. Her whole body tensed. Then I crouched and pointed two fingers to my eyes. Look here.
She did. Her brownish eyes were sunken into her head some, giving her a gaunt appearance. Uh-oh. Bending down to my level. Please dont say something nauseating and encouraging. The joke fell flat.
Im checking to see if you have a concussion.
Oh.
Id done this for Iris and Ellison several times over the last few years whenever theyd taken a nasty spill. It was just one of the things you picked up when going to the hospital was a last resort. Follow the tip of my finger. I held up a finger and moved it from side to side, making sure her eyes tracked it properly.
I was less concerned about the hearing things now that I knew her history. It was probably a simple combination of trauma and stress. This type of environment would be stressful for any child, let alone one that had been through what Kinsley had. Id overestimated her, but only slightly. She was clearly resourceful, managed to escape, arm herself, stay hidden even though people were looking for her. She had all the earmarks of a survivor. The only difference, aside from her age, was that Kinsley hadnt been doing this as long as I had.
And it was always hardest in the beginning.
What do you want to do? I asked, baiting her slightly. You take that perk and youre golden. Credit me another week with the dungeon key, and Ill even scout places for you, find somewhere isolated where you wont be found.
I cant be alone. Kinsleys expression grew dark. And I dont want to hide forever. I want to find out what happened to my Dad. And I want to find a way to hurt them. Even if Im not suited to it.
Kinsley wouldnt last if I left her here. I couldnt directly help with a place to go. Our apartment was cramped enough as it was, housing someone who could effectively out me as a User was a terrible idea.
But that just meant I had to be creative.
Alright, lock in that perk and pack your shit. Put everything you can in your inventory, so we dont look like a target out there. I put my items back in mine as I mentioned it.
What? Kinsley asked, shocked out of her funk.
Also, well need some extra food if this is going to work. I considered. Preferably casseroles. The general goods tab have any casseroles?
No. Why would you needNever-mind. Why are you helping me? Wait, no, how much are you charging me? Kinsley asked, looking completely flabbergasted, trailing me around the table as I dismantled her computer.
Im not. Charging you. I shrugged. More banking on acquiring an ally who, if everything goes right, will be one of the most wealthy, powerful people in this fucked up new ecosystem. Itll pay dividends later.
What? Me? Kinsley squawked. How?
That was the question. A lot of it depended on variables that were anything but predictable. But wed just gone from a setting where only a percentage of the population needed merchants, to a situation where everyone did.
Im still working on it. For now, we need to get you out of here, so you can stop playing middle-school Lady Macbeth.
I understood that reference and youre a dick. Not to mention the most transactional person Ive ever met, Kinsley grumbled, finally kicking into gear and starting to throw her things into a backpack. Feels like dealing with Rumplestiltskin.
Says the girl-scout selling cookies at the end of the universe. I was doing my best to distract her, keep her in the moment. Come on. Were on a timetable.
The notification pinged in my vision.
Quest: The Cradle of Civilization
Primary Objective Form the Foundation of the Merchants Guild.
