Vessa thought she'd fallen asleep again, but she must have only drowsed because when she opened her eyes, the same purple evening light still filled the windows. She felt much more refreshed, however, so she went around the room gathering the various bits of her armor and clothing that she had tossed aside the night before. Buckling on her brigandine of hardened black leather, she checked the secret pocket where she had slipped the pouch with her share of the jewels Sahm had traded them for the Eye. She emptied the small bag into her hand, mesmerized by the glittering colors. This was her big score. This was what would finally let her hang up her swords. She felt giddy as she sifted through the stones with her finger, trying to guess how much each was worth – but also, surprisingly, a little sad, because she knew that a part of her life which had come to define her was now finished forever.
That feeling proved fleeting, however, as by the time she had made her way downstairs and entered the common room, she was again excited by the possibilities her newfound wealth afforded her. It was a quiet evening at the Grot: only a handful of tables were occupied, and the conversation seemed subdued. Vessa looked for Carine but she wasn't there – instead the inn's owner, Kell, loomed behind the bar, furiously polishing a set of dented metal tankards, his face twisted into a scowl. When he noticed her descending the stairs, his expression darkened further, if that was possible, and he angrily tossed away the rag he'd been using.
"Vessa!" he barked, motioning for her to approach.
"Kell," she said, wondering if he was upset over Carine's absence. Well, if so, she'd calm him down by showing him her pretty new jewels. Kell was an ornery bastard, but she'd seen him crack a smile once or twice when rich patrons had started throwing money around the Grot – and finally she was in a position to do just that.
"What in the black balls of Garazon is this?" he snarled, holding up something small pinched between two fingers.
"I don't –" she began, but then it caught the lamplight and flashed green.
Oh no.
"You don't know? You mean you settled your very sizable debt with me – and added to it significantly last night – with a jewel you never bothered to have appraised?"
"It . . . I . . ."
"It's worthless!" Kell bellowed, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room. "A bit of colored glass! The only reason I don't have the guard in here right now dragging you off to an oubliette is because you must have thought it was real or you wouldn't have slept away the entire morning upstairs!"
"Did someone summon the guard?" said a new voice.
Her head whirling, Vessa turned from the fuming innkeep just as a cowled man in a dark cloak stood unsteadily from the table in the corner where he'd been sitting alone. Gods above and below, what's going on?
She knew who it was before he even pulled back his hood – the limp was so recognizable she wondered why he even bothered to go about Malakesh in disguise.
"Vigilant," said Kell, ducking his head, the white-hot fire of his rage snuffed out instantly.
"Innkeep," Malz said, nodding in greeting. "May I have a word alone with Vessa?"
"Of course," Kell muttered obsequiously, then scurried like a chastised dog through the door behind the bar that led to the kitchens.
"I hope you don't mind me interrupting," the Vigilant said, flashing her one of his lopsided smiles.
Vessa struggled to make sense of what was happening. The jewels are fake? Malz wants to speak with me? Where is Del? "Not . . . not at all."
"You're probably wondering why I'm here, and not in my uniform."
"Um, yes." Though I have a few more pressing things on my mind.
Malz sighed and leaned against the bar. "It's been an eventful morning, Vessa."
Morning. That penetrated the fog in her mind.
"You mean day, Vigilant. It's evening outside."
"No, I mean morning. By my reckoning it's barely past midday."
"Look at the light," she said slowly, as if speaking to a child, gesturing at the few small windows in the darkened common room.
"Yes, look at that light. It's all the city's seen for nearly half a day."
"What?"
A line of spittle escaped from the slack corner of his mouth, but Malz didn't seem to notice. "The sun, Vessa. The sun is gone. Instead, we have only twilight."
"The sun is gone?" she repeated, stunned.
"Gone. Why? Well, there are a number of theories being bandied about. But the one I give the most credence to comes from the high priest of Aradeth the Golden, the Great Effulgence himself. I mentioned Aradeth the last time we spoke – I'm sure you remember. He's one of the more popular sun gods in Malakesh these days."
"I remember," Vessa whispered.
"That's good. Anyway, the high priest has told the duke that the sun was taken away by his divine lord."
Numbness spread through Vessa as the Vigilant spoke. She had a strong suspicion where this was leading. "And why would Aradeth take away the sun?" she heard herself say from far away.
"Apparently the god is enraged! Last night thieves broke into a manse in the Bright Quarter that his faithful servants use as a residence and stole his most precious artifact."
"Oh."
"Yes! And not just any thieves, as the house was protected by very powerful wards. No, someone extremely skilled at untangling complex sorcery was part of this robbery. I wanted to ask your partner about this, since he's the best I ever encountered at such things. Now, I know it wasn't him, as you told me yourself that you two are only doing honest work these days, but I thought he might know who else was capable of such a dastardly act. So, do you know where Del Amoth is?"
"No."
"I see. Well, when he does turn up – or crawls out of whatever gutter he's fallen into this time – please come at once to Stonespear." The Vigilant blew out his one good cheek, gesturing towards the windows and the bruise-colored sky beyond. "The duke certainly wants to resolve this mess as quickly as possible."
Malz made to turn away, but Vessa laid a hand on his arm. "Wait, Vigilant. You never told me why you're out of uniform. What happened this morning?"
"Oh. Please excuse me, my mind is elsewhere. I'm here" – he leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially – "in disguise to get the pulse of the Rat Quarter after the riots this morning."
"Riots?"
"Yes. Six dead and three dozen more wounded, including a few guardsmen. The priests of Aradeth badly misplayed their cards – when the sun refused to rise, they started preaching loudly to the good citizens of Malakesh that it was their god who had stolen it away, and that it would not appear again unless this artifact that had been taken the night before was returned."
"Oh, no."
"Yes, you know the Rat as well as I do. The denizens of this quarter do not take kindly to being threatened. The response was predictable – by claiming responsibility for the missing sun, they made themselves into a very convenient target for mob violence. And if my guardsmen had not been in the area trying to keep the tensions between the Day and Night zealots from boiling over, I think all of Aradeth's faithful might have been torn to pieces. Xeno and his followers haven't escaped the city's wrath, either, as they are seen by most as simply being the reverse side of the same foreign coin – remember, both sects are very new to the city. Right now the priests of both gods are barricaded in their temples, afraid to even walk the streets."
"This all occurred today?"
"It's been a busy morning. And there's something else."
Vessa pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to steel herself for whatever surprise was coming next. "Yes?"
"The priests of Aradeth aren't talking . My whispers tell me that the high priest has contracted with one of the shadow societies to get back the stolen artifact."
A wave of coldness washed over Vessa, and she had to stifle a small moan. She and Del had striven very hard to avoid their attention over the years, turning down any job that they suspected might brush up against their interests. The societies were tight-knit organizations that controlled the darker trade that coursed beneath the surface of Malakesh. Every illegal vice in the city could be traced back to them – dreamsmoke, slaves, poisons, outlawed thaumaturgies, assassinations. They were one of the pillars that held up the city, along with the merchants, the nobles, and the duke himself. Some would argue the most powerful of the four . . . and now they were looking for her and Del.
"Do you know which society?" she managed to get out, hoping her face hadn't gone completely ashen.
"The Lost Men."
Bad. Very bad. She needed to find Del, immediately, before they did. Or she'd be fishing pieces of her partner out of the Bloat. Luckily there was only one place her partner would have gotten off to with a purse full of gemstones – despite his many promises to stay away.
"Vigilant, I don't mean to be rude, but I suddenly remembered a very pressing appointment I have elsewhere."
He flashed her another of his gruesome smiles as she pushed past him, hurrying for the door. "I thought you might. Godspeed, Vessa."