CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

"Were it my choice?" Jin asked.

Sitting across the aisle from her, Gillwyn and Cana nodded emphatically.

Jin held her chin in her fingers as she passed her keen eye for detail over the pair. "And, you truly have no preference?"

They shook their heads.

"I see. You claim no preconceptions, but I've found that you are always surprised by opinions you were unaware of. There will always be something of Moorhaven in your choices. We need only discover what those influences shall prove to be, then we will either challenge them or foster them as the case may be."

Maya walked between them as she paced the length of the aisle. "You should listen," she advised the girls. "This is Jin's arena more than any other."

"We will," Cana promised.

"S'why we asked, and all," Gillwyn added.

Expectant, they gave their attention back to Jin. Both were fully engaged and hanging on her every word.

The other passengers had by then evacuated the train car by ones and by twos until only the royal party remained. The last had been an elderly goodman who'd somehow managed to remain asleep throughout the commotion. He awoke to find himself alone with black hounds, a pink woman, an apparent royal guardsman a foot shorter than average, and a rural village girl brandishing a clockwork longbow. The old man promptly knuckled his forehead before excusing himself.

It was a humble coach passenger car with simple, cushioned benches along either side of an aisle down the center. It was built to efficiently accommodate as many people as it could without making the passengers feel as if they'd been sealed into a tin can. The success of the design in that regard was marginal. To make matters more uncomfortable, the hole Jin made in the roof caused a howling racket as the train sped through the elevated rail lines, and the temperature became just shy of frigid. Jin had obliged Maya's request to ward the opening, thereby silencing the din and returning the interior to temperatures within mortal comfort.

For several moments, Jin observed the two girls with pursed lips. Giving a nod, she came to her decision. "Gillwyn."

Her back went rigid. "Yes?"

"For you, I would suggest violet. With the gold in your eyes, the contrast would be striking, and cooler colors marry well to black hair. For your body type, a Gaulatian-style corset would be beyond flattering, however Melcian skirts would better accentuate your hips. The two are diametrically opposed in style, so you may find difficulty in striking a proper balance." Jin hummed as an idea came to her. "Rookish gowns... Yes, that may be your answer. You may have difficulty adjusting to them, unfortunately. The more traditional pieces from Rook make use of... I would call them hip windows."

"Hip... windows?" Gillwyn asked, like those were words she'd never heard before. At least, not strung together.

Maya laughed from where her pacing had taken her at the front of the car. "It means holes are cut in the sides so half your arse is in the open."

Gillwyn turned red and rubbed at her backside as if worrying one such window had already appeared.

"A quarter of your arse," Jin said. "At most. Hip windows give the illusion of showcasing more than you actually are and allow the viewer's imagination to fill in what is not revealed. The cut of a Rookish gown also gives the appearance of a more hourglass figure." She cast an envious glare towards Maya. "Not all of us are so naturally blessed."

"As if I wouldn't kill a thousand for those shoulders," Maya grumbled. "And no one pulls off two-piece gowns like you can."

Jin grimaced. She hadn't worn a two-piece in over a year. Her mauling scars left her terribly self-conscious about allowing any amount of midsection uncovered.

"T-t-two-piece?" Cana stammered. "Come to think of it, I've seen a lot of girls around here with their navels showing. Is that... I mean..."

"That has long been the fashion for young women in the city," Jin explained. "The mists here can make more modest outfits stifling. Few city goodwomen wear dresses. Vests over blouses are preferred, and trousers or leggings are more common than skirts."

"It's summer, Jin," Maya interjected.

"Ah, yes," Jin murmured. "Of course."

"What?" Gillwyn asked. "That makes a difference?"

"When the weather gets hotter, many women forgo a blouse and wear only the vest."

Her response was a pair of slack jaws.

"It sounds more unseemly than it is," Jin said.

"Winds," Gillwyn murmured. "Point it out for me if you see an outfit like that, will you?"

Cana gave Gillwyn a smack on the shoulder. "What about shawls?" she asked. "You and your sister don't wear them."

"Nobility rarely covers their hair," Jin explained. "I could not say why, but it has not been in fashion since our father was a young man."

Maya snorted.

Jin shot her a look. Alright, she knew precisely why noblewomen no longer covered their hair for modesty's sake, but it was a lengthy anecdote. Jin was eager to return to the subject of gowns.

"I'm pretty sure I saw shawls at the station," Gillwyn said.

"Goodfolk in the city cover their hair as in the villages," Jin said. "However, women are as likely to wear hats as shawls."

"Womens' hats," Maya added. "That's a mistake you only make once. Go out in a fedora, and you'll cause a moral panic."

"As she says," Jin confirmed. "Women in mens' hats are seen as little better than ruffers."

"What's a ruffer?" Gillwyn asked.

Maya chuckled. "Scoundrels. They like to go about in high-class outfits but not until they have a few rips and worn edges. Ruffers put on airs and harass folk on street corners, maybe a mugging or two under their belts. There's entire gangs of them in Fellowton."

"A rough bunch," Jin said. "Hence the name."

Gillwyn and Cana exchanged anxious looks. The princesses weren't giving them a lot of confidence regarding their destination. Which, was why Jin thought it best to distract them with talk of more pleasant things.

"As for your gown, Cana," Jin said.

The girl nearly hopped out of her seat with how violently she sat up straight. "Yes?"

"You are what the mistresses of Northrun would call a 'canvas'. It is less about finding a gown to suit you. The difficulty is finding one equal to the rest of you."

Cana blushed so hard she nearly put her helmet back on to hide herself.

"Aye, my girl's a looker," Gillwyn said with a grin. "You should put her in something with some slink to it."

Jin hummed. That could be a worthy way to go for Cana's gown. "Perhaps something airy? A long skirt and train, gossamer sleeves, even sleeveless... I think that would do nicely."

Cana bit her lip and kept her eyes lowered. "I'm not sure if..."

"You will marvel at the sensation of a long train billowing behind you," Jin promised. "There is nothing like it in the world. It's empowering." Her eyes lit up. "Yes, I can see it now. An ephemeral aesthetic. Sheer silk, to present your silhouette in a way that promises much but grants little, inspiring ravenous desire. A pure color. White for brilliance, black for temptation, or red for passion."

"I've..." Cana cleared her throat before speaking up hopefully. "I've always been partial to yellows and greens."

"Then yellow or green it shall be," Jin said, smiling. "When all is said and done, your choice of gown is to say something of you, not of the woman dressing you. Fashion is an artform of personal expression, much more than maintaining a visual balance between yourself and your surroundings."

Cana leaned forward. "Meaning, you still want to look good next to whoever and whatever's around you?"

Jin nodded. "Of course."

She wrung her hands in her lap. "Would white look better next to-" She glanced to her side. "-next to violet?"

It was difficult for Jin to stop her smile from broadening. "Beautifully, Cana. Beautifully."

Jin could read the pair like an open book from their first meeting in Marwin. Gillwyn and Cana were hopelessly smitten with one another, and it warmed Jin's heart to be privileged to witness the first steps of their young courtship. It became necessary for Jin to pull herself out of an oncoming reverie, or before she knew it, she'd be deciding on the floral arrangements for their wedding.

Which would take the other's name? Jin wondered. I don't know how it is in Moorhaven, but Millers are generally afforded more prestige than Foresters, aren't they? Their hometown is in a dense woodland, so perhaps it's the opposite there.

Idle thoughts and coming too soon by a broad stretch. They were barely of age. Cana might not have even turned fifteen yet. Jin thought it something to ask about before much longer. They were good and stout-hearted girls, and Jin intended to do right by them now that they'd come into her service. It'd be inappropriate to push their relationship further if they weren't yet ready.

"Coming close," Maya said. She'd stopped her pacing near to a window and peered out into the mist. "Train's slowing. We should settle on where in Eastrun we're going."

Jin took in a breath as she reassumed the assassin's stoic facade. Rather, it was more accurate to say she set aside the mask of a princess. Her true self, the Jin Algara she needed to be, came forth. Standing, Jin faced Maya. "If Komali and Kai were bound for Fellowton, I take it as corroboration of the information I received."

Maya gave her a look from the corner of her eye. "From the Cabal, you said?"

Lying was distasteful, but so was breaking her word. Jin gave a slight nod.

"As you say," Maya replied from under an arched eyebrow. Skeptical, but accepting. "Fellowton narrows things down, but the neighborhood encompasses a dozen levels across ten spires. We could spend a week combing the area and find nothing."

"We've advantages," Jin said. "We can assume Algol's base of operation will not be in a heavily populated area. Otherwise, we would have received some reports of it before now. I would also guess the creation of fiends requires ample space for the biomantic process as well as housing the results."

A thoughtful frown pulled at Maya's lips. "A warehouse, then. Fellowton must have several, being underneath the markets of the upper levels." Her frown deepened. "Even that doesn't narrow things down much more."

Zanda cleared her throat. "If I may, love?"

Maya gave a slight flick of her wrist as leave.

"Your sister mentioned fiend sightings in the lower levels," Zanda said. "If Algol's creations found their way into the slums, there must be access between the ground level and Fellowton."

"There'd have to be," Maya agreed quietly. "Fiends leave the Spired City then return, without getting noticed by the Home Legion."

"The waterways," Jin said. "The Spired City was built over wetlands. Those waters were redirected into an artificial river underneath the foundations. The fiends must be using those underground tunnels to pass the gates undetected."

"Must be," Maya muttered, "but there should be interdictions in place over the entrances outside the walls to prevent that exact thing. They're supposed to be theurallurgic, permanent even after the death of the one who placed them."

Jin grimaced. "Perhaps that supposed permanence became a weakness the demons exploited. If we had no reason to believe the interdictions could ever fail, we had no cause to check on them."

"Aren't interdictions supposed to be too powerful to break?" Gillwyn asked.

"Normally, yes," Zanda answered. "However, even the strongest wards can be overpowered given enough time and energy."

Maya shook her head. "Anything that could break an interdiction would cause apotheosis. It wouldn't go unnoticed."

"Therefore, they must pass through another way," Zanda said.

"All interdictions require a circumvention," Jin agreed. She turned to the girls to explain herself. "A loophole, of sorts. To be as strong as they are without fundamentally destabilizing all magic and physical laws around them, an interdiction must have a flaw introduced into their perfection. I would believe the wards could be circumvented by allowing liquids to pass through."

"Fiends couldn't melt across the ward," Maya said. "Must be something else. The waterways include the city's sewers. If the interdictions only let out liquids, the lower levels would be flooded in shite before the month was out."

It was rare Jin wished to have spent more time listening to her tutors as a girl. She was positive she recalled being schooled in the spellcraft and engineering behind the city's infrastructure. Unfortunately, she couldn't recall details of the wards guarding the waterway entrances outside the walls.

Jin disliked tutors. Always had. There was nothing personal about it. She just didn't have the patience for her academics. Jin was a fighter and certainly not a scholar. She could barely stand to read more than a few passages before going crosseyed. However, she knew enough to make use of others who could.

"We can learn how they've managed it during our investigation," Jin said. She held onto a bench as the train began to slow on approach to its next stop. "We are looking for a warehouse removed from heavy foot traffic, one with ground level access near to waterway tunnels. This is to be reconnaissance, not an assault. We must not confront Algol or his fiends without the full force of the royal assassins behind us."

Maya eased her blade in the scabbard. "As you say, and we need to be quick about it. The doppler knows we're in the area and won't be far behind us."

Jin nodded. "We should begin with Arcrest Tower. Krayson encountered Algol there in the past. The fiend factory was likely nearby."

After the train pulled into the station, Maya took Zanda while Jin had Gillwyn and Cana. Stepping off of the train, they split up to merge into the crowds with each group going a different direction.

Jin walked in front of the girls and led them through the press of goodfolk. The crowd parted before her at the sight of her eyes and armor.

Fellowton felt dimmer than other neighborhoods. The lampposts were more sparse, all seeming to draw people underneath them as nighttime insects to a porch light. The summer mists were thick, and each pool of gaslight felt separated from the others by a sea of fog. Nonetheless, it sounded no different from the rest of the city. People called out to one another as they did everywhere else, merchants hawked their wares, and the ramble of hundreds of voices hung all around. Jin could also smell the scents coming from the legion of food vendors on nearly every walkway. It was enough to remind her she'd missed breakfast that morning.

Come to think of it, the village girls hadn't eaten. Not if they'd come to Jin's chambers first thing.

"Are you hungry?" Jin asked over her shoulder.

Cana startled inside her armor. "Can you read minds?"

"She just heard your stomach growling," Gillwyn teased.

Jin smiled. "Come. There are few pleasures quite like a walkway brunch. What is your preference?"

Gillwyn gaped with fascination at an Altieri woman spooning raw fish, rice, and soy into bowls for her customers. She masked a shudder before moving her stare to a Shotoese vendor frying balls of dough with meat rolled inside. Then to fried noodles, pork and chicken skewers, fire-roasted vegetables, and smoked poultry legs.

"Winds," Gillwyn murmured. "Is there a festival going on, or is this just how it is everyday?"

"This is how most in the city get their meals," Jin said. Her brow knit together in worry. "For now. We've not yet implemented rationing, but famine is on the horizon after the attack in Westrun. War will only make things worse."

Jin made the rounds to a number of stalls to procure a wide selection. She was especially sure to visit the Altieri vendor. She'd grown partial to raw fish in Ecclesia, and she'd resolved to eat yeda whenever the opportunity arose. Dried fruit wrapped in roast seaweed was one of the more delicious, if strange, foods she'd learned to appreciate over the last year.

The Altieri woman running the stall tried to refuse Jin's payment. Foolishness. To make a point, Jin left an extra three gold marks on her counter over the cost of the food. She had gathered her acquired bowls and wrapped parcels into an armload to make her return to the girls when a pair of hands clamped over her eyes from behind.

Jin stopped short and held her defensive instincts in check. She couldn't blindly fend off her assailant without dropping the food, and that was simply unacceptable. With no other option, Jin sighed heavily and bore the indignity. "Devi..."

"I hadn't even said 'guess who' yet. How'd you know it was me?"

"No one else I know of would make themselves known in such a manner." Once Devara's hands were removed from her eyes, Jin turned in place to face her elder cousin. "I see you've returned. Maya will be pleased."

Jin had always been somewhat jealous of Devara Algara. Her natural curls were doubtless the most lovely head of hair in the house. Furthermore, dark skin had long been believed to be the standard of beauty in the Five Kingdoms, so Devara's northern bloodline was all the more striking among the rest of their pale-skinned family.

Devara plucked a few food items from Jin's arms to assist her. "Arrived last night, not long after the rest of you. There was no need to worry. Winds, is all this for you?"

Jin gave her a rueful look. "I'm not alone. Come, join us, Devi. We could use your assistance."

Devara followed Jin towards where she left Gillwyn and Cana. "I would, but I'm on business of my own."

"Of what sort?"

Devara winked. "Coterie business for Heron. You know I can't say specifics."

"On your own?"

Devara had a searching look in her eyes. For a moment, she seemed compelled to speak. "No, but not with my coterie. Outside contractors."

Jin furrowed her brow. "Would I be off the mark to ask if it has anything to do with a black star?"

The question stopped Devara in her tracks. "Why are you here, Jin?"

"Independent reconnaissance of a potential threat in the lower levels. We've already faced the shifter impersonating Dashar and his accomplices. Maya and I are combing the area." Jin hefted the bowls of fried noodles and meat skewers she still carried. "My companions required a brief sabbatical."

Devara gaped at her in shock but promptly hid it. She chuckled. "Here I thought you'd slow down after being laid up the last few days. Should've known better." Devara gestured with her armful. "Go on. Lead the way. Maybe we can help each other."

Jin took Devara to a sheltered balcony beneath a canvas awning. Tables and chairs were set up in a loose and seemingly disordered collection. It was a quiet seating area where goodfolk could rest as they ate their meals in relative privacy away from the walkway crowds. Jin found Gillwyn and Cana easily enough. The balcony was largely deserted, as few would choose to eat in the vicinity of an apparent royal guardsman. Aside from the village girls, there was only one other group on the balcony. As Jin and Devara got closer, Jin saw that the girls had their attention claimed by an unusual display of gluttony.

Two tables away from the village girls, a young man in a red half-robe and a muscular Altieri girl in armor seemed to be competing to find which of them could stuff the most food in their mouths.

Jin stopped at the balcony entry. "Devi, you didn't," she whispered.

"Look at that," Devara sighed. "Seems I found my group, too. Thought they'd be a couple stories down by now."

Joshuan Krayson ravenously tore into a smoked turkey leg while his female companion wolfed down Shotoese meatballs by the handful. Bones and bowls were discarded before each started into the next items on their list. Krayson was practically double-fisting beef skewers into his mouth before his red eyes fell on Jin and Devara's awed expressions.

The daft fool nearly choked on his skewer.

Krayson shot to his feet and forced himself to swallow. "Your Highness!"

Jin looked at Devara but only received a shrug as an explanation. Flummoxed, Jin approached Krayson's table. She set the food down, making sure to leave it outside of this glutton's reach. "Brother Joshuan. I did not expect to see you."

"Nor I you." Shockingly, Krayson beamed. "I'm pleased, nonetheless."

"As am I," Jin replied, and she didn't spare a thought for how the sentiment was genuine. It was good to see him.

"Where are the others?" Devara asked.

Krayson must've gotten something lodged in his esophagus and pounded on his chest with a fist. "Coming back. She..."

"Waves!" Pacifica cried out from behind Jin's back. She must've arrived on the balcony right after her and Devara. There was hardly enough time for Jin to turn around before she was barreled into. Pacifica hugged Jin tight and was on the verge of tears. "I never got the chance to see you since the wine house. Are you alright? You were recovering for days, Jin. For days! And then..."

Jin looked on in horror as Pacifica lost her composure. Terrifying. Jin had never done well around pretty girls crying. She looked around for anyone to assist her. Gillwyn and Cana approached hesitantly, and Adar had come onto the balcony with Pacifica along with a disreputable looking Althandi man with scars and a large crossbow.

"I'm so sorry," Pacifica sobbed and buried her face in Jin's shoulder. "For Sandharbor, for Enfri. For everything."

Jin's tension eased, and she patted Pacifica on the back. "There is no need for you to be sorry, my friend." She gave Devara a demanding look. "Why are you all here?"

"Classified," Devara said with a contrite tilt of her head.

"Devi, you can't just show up with half my friends— friends, who, I might add, are high officials of a hostile state— and say you don't have to tell me why."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Devara sighed.

Pacifica pulled away and dried her eyes with a sleeve. "We've... well... I suppose you could say we've defected."

"Defected?" Jin exclaimed. "You've all left Shan Alee?"

Pacifica nodded. "Reyn and Starra, too. They've gone ahead to meet with the Cabal."

Introductions were made where it was needed over the next few minutes. Krayson introduced Jin to his eating companion, Irsa of Makurov, and her mentor, Rex Hunter. Jin reciprocated by introducing Gillwyn and Cana, as well as filling the girls in on who the new crowd of people were. While the girls were awestruck by Pacifica, Adar, and even Irsa, the apprentice fiend hunter seemed oddly relieved to meet new people who didn't hold any sort of title.

Jin gave Gillwyn and Cana their food before taking a seat across from Krayson. She set a privacy ward over the balcony so they could speak more securely. "Algol."

Krayson nodded. "Despite whatever else you may think of me, Highness, my only concern is stopping the old masters. That must always be my highest priority, even over loyalty to the empress."

"What of the others?" Jin asked. "Ban and Moon?"

"Ban won't ever leave Enfri's side," Pacifica said, settling in between Irsa and Jin. "I didn't get much of a chance to talk with him before I left, but-" She swallowed nervously. "-I didn't want to risk him trying to stop us. He must be worried about the path Enfri's taking, but I can't imagine him ever leaving her. Not even over this."

Jin agreed with that assessment. She was grateful for Ban's love and loyalty to Enfri, but that didn't stop it from hurting, now that it placed them on opposite sides of a war. There was a schism forming in Shan Alee, between those who maintained faith in their empress and those who refused to bow to demons. It was painful to admit, but Jin wished that one side could've been much larger than the other.

"Once we are done here," Jin said, "it would be best if you came to the Palace of Towers. All of you. My father will not turn away any and all aid he can get."

"Reyn and Starra are already looking into that," Pacifica said. "I don't know how much your father can trust me, a former Dragon Lord, but I mean to help Althandor as much as I can."

Jin smiled and took Pacifica's hand. "Thank you, but what of your brother? What is Ecclesia doing now? Shan Alee was their closest ally."

Pacifica looked momentarily nauseas. "He's... Sasha had no choice. If Enfri pulled the dragons stationed there out, Ecclesia would get ransacked by the Valdars and the rest of the Lords' Alliance before autumn. He has to maintain ties to Enfri, and that means he..."

Jin felt her stomach sink. "Sasha's sworn fealty to the Alliance."

"To Kadmus the Valdar, specifically," Pacifica murmured sourly. "The uncle of the man who practically tore Altier Nashal apart, and the rat bastard's proclaimed his right to the Sea Throne at every opportunity since Rodrik's Rebellion."

"What will happen?" Jin asked quietly.

"Sasha is going to meet with the rest of the heads of house in Kadmus' alliance," Pacifica said. "I'm worried he'll be told to give levies to their army. I think the Alliance will come to attack the Spired City along with the Jade Empire. We know Vega is behind Kadmus. Vega might even be Kadmus, for all we know."

Jin needed to breathe. Less than six months ago, the Altieri Legions had nearly moved against the Spired City under cover of Rodrik's Rebellion. It would've been devastating back then, because few armed forces on the Continent could match hundreds of Altieri paladins in open field. Now, alongside the Horde, the Jade Empire, Arcane Knights, the Courtesans, the old masters, and fiends, it would be just the final stack of firewood laid out on Althandor's pyre. Seven nations worth of legions were arrayed against the Spired City, and Jin knew in her deepest heart that they wouldn't come one at a time. A battle was coming, the likes of which the world had never seen before.

It was tempting to despair, but Jin wouldn't allow it. In darkest hours, that was when the bold needed to rise.

Althandor is the shining sun, she told herself. We will hold back the darkness for as long as we have the will to fight.

For the moment, Jin could deny the demons one of their armies. If she was especially fortunate, she and the others might succeed in reducing the number of old masters from six to five.

"I've known Sasha almost all my life," Jin said quietly. "He was raised to be a king, so he knows more than most that the crown makes one faceless. Even so, I will not believe he would serve the old masters."

Pacifica had a tiny smile. "I think so, too. I know it. He'll find a way to undermine the Alliance. We just need to look for it."

Devara looked between Jin and Pacifica. "There's no better place to hurt the enemy than from the inside. There's also nowhere more dangerous. I don't know how much help we can give King Sasha without giving him away."

"The best help we can give," Jin said, "is treating him as an enemy until he makes his move. After-" Jin patted Pacifica's hand to give comfort. "-I'll see to it personally that Althandor has an annual week of festival in his honor. Provided he can make himself available to attend, of course."

Pacifica looked down at the table and smiled. "Does that mean you feel the same about..."

"Krayson," Jin said, pretending she hadn't heard, "can I count on your help in locating Algol?"

If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought Krayson was about to tear up. He let out a small breath of relief and nodded. "You have me, Highness. From now until the doom's beaten, I'm your blood runner."

Jin couldn't deny the warmth in her heart. Nor did she want to. She picked up a bowl of rice and fish; Altieri food was best eaten as freshly as it could be managed. "Be aware, Krayson, this makes us friends."

He blushed, but he smiled regardless. "As you say, Fifth."

Jin pursed her lips but felt that, for a friend, she could let things like that slide. "Aye, Third. As you say."