The Curse of the Winged Scorpion
LePortail

“Oi,”Yvette yelled at them from the far end of the shaft, holding her lantern aloftso that the rainbow light bathed her in burnished shades. “Are you two comingor what?”

Rashariturned to head down the shaft after Yvette. Fantel caught his arm before hecould finish a step. “LePortail plans to kill us?”

“Orblackmail me for information, or some other trade.” Rashari shrugged as ifwalking into a potential death trap was an everyday occurrence for him, whichit might well be, given what she had learned about this peculiar human so far.“Death is always a risk when dealing with the Old Man.” Rashari explained. “ButI think it’s unlikely that’s what he’s planning.”

“Unlikely,”Fantel repeated flatly. “And why is it that you neglected to mention thisbefore we set out for the meeting?” Truly she was beginning to wonder how hehad survived so long on his own. It seemed everyone in his acquaintance mightpotentially wish to kill him. Surely sooner or later one of them would actuallydo it.

Rasharigrimaced. “I didn’t think it was even a possibility until I saw these tunnels.I wouldn’t have brought you with me if I’d suspected ahead of time. I swear.”

“Hmm,”Fantel sighed. She did not believe him for a moment. It wasn’t that she thoughthe was wilfully or maliciously attempting to throw her into harm’s way. It wasjust that he seemed to have a skewed perspective when it came to acceptablerisk factors and it must be said, a serious lack of forethought when it came toeverything else. Fantel sighed. Shesupposed she should be grateful at least that she knew ahead of time that theymight be walking into a lethal ambush. She really didn’t want anymore surprises.

Yvetteled them through the tunnels in silence during which time Fantel paid closerattention to her surroundings. The tunnel they traversed had many similaritiesto the stair-tunnel they had taken down to the fifth circle. She could wellbelieve they were part of the same system. She wondered how deep theseunderground shafts went, and if the humans of Aramantine had dug down as manylevels under the hill as they had built on top of it. Rashari had said thesetunnels were part of the city’s defences in time of attack. Where did theylead? Not out onto the Steppes that was for certain. Did the tunnels run likehollow concrete roots under the ground all the way to the Tabrian border, orperhaps the skyport? Were the humans really so afraid non-humans would overruntheir city they had built an elaborate tunnel network as an escape route? Itbegged the question why they had bothered to found the city at all if they werereally so afraid of the people of Battlan.

Aftera short time she became aware of an odd noise; a rhythmic shush-thump that beatthrough the tunnel, almost like the echo of a faint heartbeat. There was also areek of chemicals in the air. Fantel couldn’t quite place the scent but shefelt like she should know it. She wrinkled her noise and tried to work out whatshe was hearing and smelling.

“Industrialprinting press,” Rashari murmured under his breath. “I was right. He’s printingsomething.” There was a door off to the side. Rashari ducked inside beforeYvette noticed and Fantel ducked in after him.

Theroom beyond was dominated by a large mechanised printing press, and piled boxesof paper. There were wire racks bolted to the walls with printed papers dryingupon them. Stacks of dried prints had been laid neatly upon a side table. Agoblin wearing bright yellow overalls stood on a step ladder in front of theactive press watching the printed papers come out along a rolling conveyorbelt. The goblin wasn’t wearing a mask and bared a mouthful of needle sharpteeth when he saw them.

Rashariheld up his hands. “Don’t worry we won’t touch anything.” The goblint turnedback to the press, ignoring them. Rashari walked over to the side table wherethe finished prints had been stacked. Fantel drifted after him, still not sureexactly what they had stumbled on, or why it was relevant. She looked down atthe different stacks of brightly coloured papers. They looked like certificatesof some sort. Each had a border around the outer edge in a different patternand a different shade of ink. One pile of green bordered papers appeared tohave Dushkui writing, another with a yellow border and a watermark in the formof the Tabrian royal crest proclaimed the unnamed bearer of the certificate afully licensed practitioner in the art of animancy as accredited by His MajestyIfan Cirrosi of Tabris.

“Lookat that,” Rashari whistled through his teeth pointing out a blue borderedcertificate with not one, but three different crests, and an intricatecross-hatch sketch of Valkieres grand fountain plaza. “They’ve managed to forgethe watermarks of the Delunde Institute, the Anima Academy of Valvois and theOrlenaux crest.” Rashari shook his head, clearly impressed. He turned to Fanteleyes bright with excitement. “This is incredible. The Statute hasn’t evenpassed yet and LePortail’s ready to go. At this rate Banaborra won’t need towait for the animancy act to be ratified. They can start selling before then;people will buy rather than be caught short, and the other sects won’t have ahope of catching up. Banaborra will have the market on false licences stitchedup tight before the first legitimate licence makes its way off a governmentpress.”

“Soglad you approve, Rashari boy,” a new strangely sibilant voice spoke up fromthe doorway. Fantel was taken aback when at first she saw only an empty doorwaybefore her gaze panned down to the upturned mask of a somewhat grizzled oldgoblin wearing a perfectly tailored three piece suit including cream waistcoatand sky blue tail coat. The goblin clasped a tiny cane in one hand. Unlike mostgoblin masks Fantel had seen the new arrival’s mask was not painted with afacsimile of a human smile, but instead was painted as a perfect replica of agoblin’s true face, complete with lipless razor smile and furred, wrinkled skin.

“LePortail,”Rashari bowed to the goblin, clicking his heels in the Adran fashion. “Thankyou for agreeing to meet with us – and thank you also for the fascinating tourof your new facilities.”

LePortailsnickered, a strange hissing sound, partly muffled by his mask, “NervousRashari? No need to be boy. I’ll not kill you or your companion.” The maskswung to face Fantel and she saw dark liquid eyes glittering through the eyeholes, “Greetings daughter of the Chimeri, once guardian of the Echo and theold ways. You are far from Aashorum, but I cannot fault your taste incompanion. Rashari is nothing if not entertaining.”

Fantelnodded, a little taken aback by the elaborate and surprisingly respectfuladdress, “Greetings to you as well LePortail of Banaborra and Aramantine.”

Oncemore the hissing snicker escaped the confines of LePortail’s mask. “You’ve beentelling her our secrets, Rashari. Shall I assume Madame Chimera will soon bejoining our ranks?”

Rasharicast a lightning quick, almost guilty, look her way before addressingLePortail. “I have told Madame Chimera only what was pertinent. She’s been atremendous help to me and has found herself involved in raider business quiteby accident. I trust her to keep what she learns a secret.”

LePortail’ssmall form rippled with mirth and he dropped his mask to clasp his gut withboth hands as a huge belly laugh shook his entire frame. His face, now revealed,was a mottled mass of discoloured grey fur and ridged scar tissue. The leftside was almost bold, the skin pulled wrongly over the bones of his skull. Hewas also missing many of his teeth. The right side of his face was lessobviously disfigured. His fur was thick and full if silvered by age, yet thatside of his face still showed signs of some old and hideous injury. Fantelrealised that this was why he wore a mask bearing the visage of a goblin. Hedid not fear how humans would react to his face instead he feared how othergoblins would react to his disfigurement. Fantel felt a pang of sympathy forLePortail, wondering what it would be like to be doubly shunned for how onelooked. LePortail however did not behave like one cowed or shamed by hisdisfigurement. He laughed long and he laughed hard. Finally the hissing echoesof his laughter died away, drowned out by the rumbling of the printing press.

“Verynervous,” LePortail said speaking clearly despite a tendency to lisp throughhis remaining teeth. “You’re always most polite when you are nervous,Rashari-boy. A tell you’d do well to rid yourself of.”

“I’vehad a trying few days,” Rashari replied his tone bone dry and just short ofstung. “That may have affected my manners. I shall endeavour to be disgustinglyrude to you in future to make up for it.”

“‘Trying’ he says,” LePortail grinned, theexpression did not sit well on his half-crushed face. “Come then, let’s leavePhillippe to do his printing in peace. I’ve set Yvette to brewing the tea. AndI have cream buns.” LePortail shuffled out of the room, his tiny cane clickingon the concrete floor. With one last wistful glance at the fake magic licencesRashari followed him out of the room, and, as was swiftly becoming habit,Fantel found herself following him in turn.

Inshort order they were situated in a cosy room filled with over-stuffedarmchairs, over-burdened bookcases, delicate stain-glassed lamps and thick mossgreen carpeting. There was a brown glazed tea pot sitting on a tray alongside aplate of cream filled cakes on a low table in the middle of the room. Yvettewas curled into one of the armchairs munching on a cream cake and spillingsugar all over the gold tasselled cushions mounded in her lap.

LePortailpoured the tea. Fantel perched on the edge of a blue armchair, back ramrodstraight. Rashari let himself sink into a brown leather chair, pulling fluffycushions out from under him as the soft leather endeavoured to swallow himwhole. He took his tea with milk and sugar. Fantel declined both tea and cake.Rashari eyed a slice of walnut cake thoughtfully. LePortail helped himself to ascone filled with clotted cream and berry preserve and then proceeded to reducethe scone to crumbs in a matter of seconds with his sharp edged teeth. It was asight Fantel hoped never to see again.

“Tobusiness then,” LePortail said finally after he’d finished and Yvette hadwandered off somewhere with a second cream cake. He set his tea cup down on thetable and Rashari followed suit, sitting forward in his chair. Yet neither oneof them spoke, instead they stared at each other in silence. Fantel lookedbetween them, eyebrow arched, as the silence stretched. They seemed to bewaiting for the other to speak first, watching each other like hawks. Fanteltapped her claws against the armrest, her patience waning. They had come allthis way to talk to LePortail and now Rashari was wasting the moment.

“Remusis dead.” Rashari said after a long, long moment more of silence. His fingersmassaged the chair-arms hard enough to dimple the leather.

“Iknow.” LePortail nodded. “Congratulations, lad; I didn’t think you had in you.”

“Ididn’t plan it,” Rashari snapped, fingers whitening as he clawed the chairarms.

“Now,Rashari-boy, that’s not true. You’ve dreamed of being rid of Remus from themoment he impressed you into service. What you mean is you didn’t think youcould go through with it.” LePortail smiled. “There are many different sorts ofkiller in this world. Some kill for duty. Some kill for money; some for glory;some for pleasure. Others kill when necessary. And then there are those who aresimply good at it.”

Rasharisaid nothing. He had grown completely still. He watched LePortail withoutblinking, his face expressionless, bleached of all animation and emotion. Hisfingers lay flat and stiff against the armrests. He didn’t even seem to bebreathing. “I didn’t plan to kill him.” He insisted. “I didn’t choose to kill him.”

LePortailsnickered, delicately placing his hand in front of his mouth. “Then why is hedead?”

“Heshot me first.” The only indication Rashari gave that the words pained him wasa tightening around his mouth. “He’d already killed Bashi.”

“AluhahnBashi.” LePortail nodded and pressed his long fingers together in a spindlysteeple. “His death has made waves Rashari-boy. The ripples have spread far.”

“Howfar?” Rashari demanded.

LePortailsmiled widely. “First answer me this: do you have it?”

“Youexpect me to believe you don’t know?” Incredulity dripped from Rashari’s words.“Garrick must have told you about our deal. Why else would you be expectingme.”

“Bah,I hear many things.” LePortail waved a hand in dismissive fashion. “I hear wordthat Bashi held a scion stone. I hear he was experimenting with phantasma inhis mines. I hear that the Suluman sold him the stone, only to regret it dearly.I hear whispers that Bashi entertained Imperial scientists from the DeLundeInstitute. I hear…”

“Waitstop,” Rashari interrupted sitting forward even further and almost launchinghimself from the chair. “Bashi was working with the DeLunde Institute? Doingwhat?”

“Ahh,”LePortail hummed satisfied. “The rumours are true then. Good.” He nodded, bigblack eyes glittering with secret amusement, “It’s good you came. Garrickthought you’d double-crossed us.”

Rasharilooked like he’d swallowed an entire lemon whole. His face was pinched. Hestared at LePortail, who gazed placidely back at him. “Funny. I wondered if itwas you double crossing me.”

“Andyou still came here?” LePortail laughed, “Brave boy; foolish, but brave.”

“Morelike impatient.” Rashari snapped. “I prefer my betrayals to be quick and to thepoint. Plus I have the stone. Kill me and you’ll never replace it.”

“Notcompletely foolish then,” LePortail replied drily. The old goblin licked brightred jam from his needle point teeth. “Rumour has it the stone has not beenrecovered. The ripples are becoming a swell.” He waggled his three long fingersas if to imitate the bobbing of ocean waves. “You’ve made quite a mess. Remusis dead, you are running. The Suluman does not have his stone. He’s not happyand neither is Garrick.”

“I’mnot thrilled with the situation either.” Rashari snapped. “Remus killed Bashiin the enclave. Then he tried to kill me. Someone has to have told him, someonewho knew about the deal we made. Now the Dha-hali are after me. I’m suresomeone planned that I’d be in this mess. I just can’t work out who, or why.”

“You’vebecome ensnared in a larger scheme.” LePortail seemed highly amused by thisobservation. “Someone has out played you at your own game. Whoever has donethis is clever. They have turned your tactics against you. Veridree know youkilled one of their own. Nylous and Einar have struck a deal. They both wantyou dead and are working together to achieve it.”

“Pitdamn it,” Rashari turned his face away quickly, staring at the far wall untilhe could control his reactions. “I don’t understand this.” Frustration hissedthrough his teeth as he spoke. He fixed dark eyes on LePortail. “You said Bashiwas working with DeLunde –tell me what you know about that.”

LePortailstudied Rashari for a few seconds, tapping his long fingers together. “Thesewhispers are soft, distorted, and they do not come from Bhuvam.”

Rasharifrowned. He was sitting awkwardly in his chair, hands braced against the chairarms, elbows at sharp right angles as if he was poised to burst up and out ofhis seat. “What are you talking about?”

“Therehave been a number of DeLunde scientists passing through the city in recentmonths. They have made several expeditions out to the Steppes – to an abandonedresearch facility on the Adaline Fault.” LePortail watched Rashari soberly ashe spoke. “My sources cannot tell me what they do out there but I have heard aname: Pandora.”

Rasharistilled so abruptly and so quickly Fantel could almost believe he had beenturned to stone. This time she was sure that he really did forget to breathe.Then, slowly, very slowly, he eased back into his chair, clasping his handstogether under his nose. He stared into space for several heartbeats. Thefrantic jump of his eyelids the only movement he allowed himself.

“Rashari?”Fantel caught herself on the verge of reaching out to him. She did not knowwhat was going on, but she could almost feel his distress. He held himselfcompletely still, not stiffly or awkwardly, just motionless. He seemed a millionmiles outside of his own body. After an age he roused himself and looked atLePortail.

“Whatis it you want?”

“Want,Rashari-boy?” The goblin continued to regard him with amused affection. “Whatcould I want, I wonder?”

“You’veput on quite a show Old Man. Letting me see all this,” he gestured around themto the small cosy room inside the underground complex. “Handing overinformation without bartering any in return; you are not an altruist. You mustwant something.”

“Sometimes,m’boy, one does not tell secrets in exchange for more secrets,” LePortailshuffled forward so he could pour himself more tea. “Sometimes one passes oninformation to those who need it so that they can use it.”

“Meaning?”Rashari was frowning suspiciously, but at least he seemed more alive now.

“Doyou know why Banaborra deals with you, , even though you are indentured toVeridree?” LePortail asked.

Rashariquirked an eyebrow, “I assumed it was because I am indentured and you hoped to use me against your rivals. That isthe purpose of double agents, after all.” He added dryly.

“Youare not a double agent. You have never been one to fly any colours but your own.No, lad, you are only part right. Y’see I am an old man, but I have learned to listen and to learn. Things arechanging, a dark tide is drawing in; these ripples we speak of will grow untilthey spread across all Aldlis. This I know. This I prepare for. But right now,these ripples are centred on you. That makes you more than a mere weapon. Thatmakes you a threat.” LePortail bared his half-mouthful of teeth in a fiercegrin. “Do you know what I do with threats, Rashari-boy?”

Fanteltensed imperceptibly, shooting a glance over to Rashari. He had not reacted toLePortail’s announcement as if threatened, instead the tiniest of smilesquirked his lips.

Henodded quietly. “You enforce them.” Rashari sat forward in seat once more. “Soyou’re telling me all this because you think I can turn things around? Youreally think I can take on the combined forces of Veridree and the Dha-hali? Idon’t know whether to be flattered, incredulous, or suspect a trap. Under thecircumstances I’m leaning toward the latter.”

“Aman must be judged by the calibre of the forces ranged against him, m’boy. Idon’t know where you came from, but I know that you’ve set yourself up for afight with someone – you are a bullet in a gun, boy, and you own your owntrigger. Whoever you’re aiming for, perhaps you’ll take out Einar and Nylousalong the way, eh? That would help me and mine.” LePortail shrugged whiledelicately holding his teacup and saucer in two hands.

“And,”Rashari added sardonically, “if I die, you have lost nothing but a handful ofsecrets a dead man can’t tell anyway.” He nodded finally rising from the chair.“And I suppose Garrick will just have to deal with the Suluman’s displeasure onhis own. Y’know considering you are supposed to work together, you don’t seemtoo concerned about retrieving the stone.” He locked eyes with LePortail. “Idon’t like being a catspaw, old man. You’d do well to remember that.”

“Thosewho would play against fate risk being played m’boy.” LePortail replied easily,taking a dainty sip of tea. “Youshould remember that.”