DoT: Aftermath, Part Two

"Boss!" 

 Vallista Greycloak looked up from her desk, where she was going over her father's accounts. They'd been working together for years, as he'd been grooming her to take his place; there was very little here that she wasn't already familiar with. 

She wasn't sure if that made it hurt less, or more. 

She looked coldly at the doorway, dread gathering in her chest. First that idiot furniture-carver, then a month later her father's death, and now, days after... some new disaster? She would be turning thirty-three tomorrow... if she lived that long. "What is it?" she asked, keeping her voice calm by an effort of will. 

"Beggars, boss. Mother Lardner herself, right out in the streets." The boy was human, just entering adulthood, but he wore the colors; he was a full member of the gang.

"How many?" asked Vallista, rising immediately and reaching to buckle on her swordbelt. 

"That's the thing!" The kid looked baffled. "It's just her. Derlina put the word out to hang back, let her walk, and sent me to tell you." 

Vallista narrowed her eyes, and the kid swallowed. Derlina wasn't overstepping, exactly; but she was the newest of the gang's lieutenants. On the other hand, she was solid and loyal, and if she'd been the first one present... She made the right call, Vallista decided. The more established lieutenants and their crews were going to hate that; they were all circling each other like sharks right now, angling to be the one who became her Second. Derlina wasn't nearly experienced enough to compete with them for that, but this was the kind of opportunity they'd all been looking for. 

She found her purse, tossed the messenger a Silver. "Good work," she said. "Take me there."

He nodded immediately, maybe a little too fast. "This way, boss."

"What's the word?" asked Gazin, She was one of the island's few lizard-folk, and sometimes got mistaken for a dragonborn. She had a desk with a custom-built chair in the front office, where she functioned as both secretary and bodyguard. Normally she didn't advertise her skill at combat, preferring that any unwanted visitors be surprised; but these weren't normal times. 

"Have everybody stay put," Vallista said. "Mother Lardner comes alone, I meet her alone. And Derlina already has eyes on her."

"You sure, boss?" asked Gazin. She grinned a toothy grin. "Don't want to lose my meal ticket, here."

Vallista hesitated, then nodded. "I'm sure. The beggars aren't going to hit us, and if they were they sure as the hells wouldn't hit us in broad daylight. Not unless the balance of power has changed beyond any hope of recovery." She turned back to the messenger. "Lead on, Kid."

He nodded and led her out the door.

DoT: Job's done

"Job's done, brother," said the voice, and the man who called himself Daystar straightened at his desk. "Gave your tools a bit of a shock, though."

"That's more easily done than it should be," Daystar grumbled. 

His sister shrugged. "If you want professionals, hire professionals. For amateurs, they weren't doing too badly: they spotted all three of Greycloak's guards and had the ones in the main room distracted. Hells, they might have managed to take him out if I hadn't already. But you're still covered: word will be that Greycloak was hit by a team, not a single assassin, and they took both the bags and Greycloak's sword."

"Ah, now there's a bonus," Daystar allowed himself a small smile. "They might be worth the investment after all."

"Then you'll appreciate this as well," added his sister. "They were dressed as Greycloaks and Panthers."

"Oh?' Daystar was honestly a little surprised. He'd been worried that his pawns were too obvious, not cautious enough, and he might need to sacrifice them earlier than he'd planned. If they were going to actively assist in creating the chaos he wanted, though... well, he might need to keep them on the board longer than expected.  He'd have to question Grot on their performance...

...Was he making a mistake leaving them in the half-orc's hands? No, it was better to keep them away from him, especially now that they seemed to be learning. And Grot was a good coachman and an excellent bodyguard, and best of all he had very few secrets to keep. Even if he lost his mind and told the pawns who he really worked for, they'd done too much damage to too many gangs to turn themselves over now. 

Still, it wouldn't hurt to remind Grot of that... and if they turned on the half-orc, well, that would be his signal to eliminate them.

Challenge: Needs a Sequal

Prompt: Books that need a sequel

I really had to think about this one, but I did come up with an answer.

I don't know that it needs a sequel -- it does fine as a stand-alone -- but I'd love to read a sequel, or even a follow-up Novella, to Martha Wells' fantasy book Wheel of the Infinite. The story features an older woman, the priestess Maskelle, as the protagonist, though the occasional bits from the perspective of the foreign swordsman Rian are are also delightful, and... it's not that I need continuation or closure, it's just that I'd like to revisit those characters again. 

The one that does really need a sequel, though, is Lilith Saintcrow's Coyote Run. It's pure fun: fast-paced, fascist-punching, shape-shifting action. I want more stories about punching fascists!

(This post is part of the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. You can find links to other writers' answers over at Long and Short Reviews.) 

StV: I Want Them All, part one

"There are five of them, not four," said Huntsman over the headset. 

Mongrel grunted from where he was sitting inside the van. "So either our source lied, or someone joined them at the last minute."

"Another girl. Looks like she knows the others pretty well. Probably last minute, but be careful."

"The team's better-prepared this time," Mongrel replied. "And we're not just pretending to chase someone."

Huntsman didn't answer that. Instead he said, "It's only one of the official targets, though. And they have the informant with them."

"I don't care. I want him and the girl both -- and the informant can spot Anomalies. I want her in the program too, even if she can't pass for human."

"Orders, Mongrel."

He sighed. "Fine. We'll let 'em walk. But if we get a chance to take the girl along with the designated targets, I'm taking it."

DoT: Aftermath, part one

Vallista Greycloak sat in the upper-city shop, sipping at her tea. She had security in the area, some from the gang that was now hers and some freelancers who would be harder to recognize. She watched as Lynna Catseyes approached, two of her obvious security detail with her. One of the Tabaxi leaned and spoke to the half-elf, but she shook her head. 

The two of them peeled off and took seats at a nearby table as Lynna approached the table where Vallista sat. Vallista kept her arms on top of the table, one hand curled around her tea cup and the other palm down: this was a meeting, not a murder.

Lynna pulled back her chair, seated herself, and put her arms atop the table as well. To most appearances, she was a half-elf, but her eyes were feline: green, with vertically-slit pupils. That was what had given her her name. "Vallista," she said. 

"Lynna," Vallista acknowledged. 

"It wasn't one of mine," Catseyes said directly. "Or if it was, I will find them and hand them over to you. None of my people should ever have been involved in something like this."

Vallista waited a moment before she spoke. "I believe you," she said. "My father trusted you. And it doesn't make sense for you to move on our territory, not unless you think you can take over the whole mid-city... and even if you could, why push this way? It makes no sense."

Lynna nodded. "I'm relieved to hear that." She hesitated. "Gareth will be, too. I... I think this is more of what we've seen with the lower-city gangs. Someone is trying to set us against each other."

Vallista nodded back. "Yes. Which is why we're going to attack you."

Catseyes tilted her head. "Draw them out? Get them to show their hand?"

Vallista nodded. "A small band of disgruntled Greycloaks, with nothing more than clubs and knives, in... three days time. I can shake loose some of my troublemakers that way, and it looks like we're really at war even though that's ridiculous."

"All right," Lynna smiled. "I'm game. I'll set a small group of my own troublemakers to patrol for anyone looking to move in on our territory." She grinned. "And I'll let Gareth know, so he doesn't panic too much."

"Thank you. It's still going to create some bad blood," Vallista admitted. "I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, we'll end up being called before the Voice before this is over, but if we keep the fights small I think we can weather it." Lynna  was still smiling. "And it will buy us time to figure out what's actually going on."

"I've got somebody working on that," Vallista admitted. "I haven't heard back yet, but if this isn't all of a piece with the robbery at that furniture-carver, the rumored hit on Telk's place, and the trouble between the Redblades and the Mist Eyes, then I'm a ship's deckhand."

Lynna nodded thoughtfully. "Yes... Yes, that does seem likely. Upstairs will see it too, I bet."

Vallista hesitated, then said, "One more thing... would you be willing to surrender Gareth to the Greycloaks? Not as a prisoner. I'm thinking that when we 'reconcile' we'll need a marriage to seal the peace."

"Oh?" Lynna grinned. "Oh. Oh, that's brilliant. I'd been wondering how you two were going to manage..." She laughed, an unexpected peal of sound that perked the ears of the two Tabaxi guards. "Yes, absolutely. You have my blessing. I'll... let Gareth know as soon as it's safe for him to know."

"Thank you," said Vallista. "Deeply. Thank you."

"Your father and I spent a lot of time trying to show each other up -- from swordfights to pinching each other's noses with little crimes in each other's territories, to striving to run our gangs better than the other one could. Neither of us would ever break ranks with our gang, or even admit that we might be more than enemies and rivals. So believe me when I say I think he'd be proud of how you're handling this." She leaned in. "And when the time comes, somebody is going to burn for your father's death."

Vallista nodded. "They damned sure are."

StV: A Friendly Sparring Session, Part Four

Nightfall was utterly unfamiliar with guantlet swords, but she took to using a pair of them like a duck to water; Jade, who'd been impressed already, found herself wondering how her own team was going to keep up. That was a thought for later, though. 

The smaller girl was a gymnast, but she was also a dancer and had been studying martial arts since she'd first arrived at the school a year ago. A few basic instructions on how to make use of those blades, and she was handy enough to make Jade glad of her armor. Her balance was perfect, her stance and stepping impeccable, and she had sweep-and-stab down to an art within minutes. She still had trouble getting around Jade's shield, but the gauntlet swords covered her forearms and gave her some additional protection -- enough to block Jade's blade when it got past her own. 

Jade was still the better fighter -- more reach, more practice, and the ability to use sword and shield simultaneously -- but she could already see that she was going to have to push herself in training to keep up. She was also painfully aware that Nightfall could do things that she simply couldn't: blind her, for example. The shield wouldn't be much help if Nightfall took them fully into the dark. At that point, she'd be relying entirely on her armor. 

Nightfall caught an overhead strike between crossed blades, then stepped back. "Hold."

Jade backed off and lowered her blade. 

"Okay," said Nightfall. "My turn to try to help you. When we were trying to capture your brick, you knocked down Tempest and very nearly took her out of the fight. Can you try that again, or something like it?"

Jade frowned, but the expression was puzzled rather than irritated. "All right." She stepped back, and shook out her hands, letting sword and shield dissolve back into her. She kept her armor, though. Then she let her power spill out of her again, not unlike a gauntlet sword, but longer -- and flexible.

"Begin," called Ms. Brigham from the control room, and Jade lashed out with a long whip of green-white energy, which Nightfall brushed aside with her shadowy blades. "Yes, that!" she said, moving in as Jade retreated, lashing at her again and again as Nightfall parried and advanced. "It's good -- it's great! -- but you're using it like a tool. Grab me with it."

Jade hesitated and almost let the whip dissolve. Then she brought it around for another lash, and at the last moment pulled it short and had it reach out to wrap around Nightfall's legs.

Nightfall let her gauntlet blades evaporate as she toppled over. "There you go," she said. "Okay, now I have another question -- for me, too. Our powers are pretty similar in some ways. You can pull these shapes out of your body, right? Can you let go of them?"

"No," Jade admitted. "They're pretty well rooted in me."

Nightfall nodded. "...But they can be flexible, and you can control how they move if you think about it."

"...I guess I can," Jade admitted. This was new to her, though Lyceus had pointed it out as well. 

Nightfall grinned. "Can you make wings?"

StV: A Friendly Sparring Session, part three

Jade caught Nightfall's blade on her shield and stepped in past it, pulling her blow at the last minute. "Hold," she said, and then stepped back, thinking hard. "Can you create more than one item at a time?"

"Like a shield?" asked Nightfall. She frowned slightly, and more darkness spilled out of her, forming an oval buckler across the back of her left arm. It held for maybe two heartbeats before the sword suddenly wavered and vanished. "Maybe, with a lot more practice." 

Jade was still thinking. Are you really supposed to be coaching the competition? asked a traitorous voice in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. Same school, same team, She reminded herself. Competition was one thing, but when it really came down to it they were all on the same side. "Okay, so that blurring effect of yours really does make it hard to keep track of your movements and your exact position. Problem is, against an experienced fighter it's only so much help. The moment I make contact with your blade I have a pretty good idea of where you are."

"Oh," said Nightfall, looking momentarily frustrated. 

Jade continued: "That'll change as you get better with a blade, but right now I'd feel better if you had some defense. If you let go of the blurring, can you form a weapon and a shield?"

"Worth a try," said Nightfall, and let the blurring, smoky darkness around her fade away. She was still holding the general aura of darkness that kept the room dim so she could use these other abilities, though; Jade was thoroughly impressed. This time she manage to hold a sword and shield, each dull black, for a full three breaths before the shield shimmered and became a second sword. "Damn it," she said, looking over at Jade. "All right, a lot more practice."

Jade shook her head. "Don't sell yourself short. This is amazing growth. I had no idea you could do any of this."

"Neither did I," admitted Nightfall, then abruptly closed her mouth. 

"Okay," said Jade slowly, "so what led to the breakthrough?"

"Promise you won't be angry?"

"I can't promise that until I know what happened," Jade pointed out. "I promise I'll try to be reasonable about it, though."

"Yeah. Okay. Um... I asked Lyceus to help me. The faculty has been treating my ability like it's an area effect, so that's what I've been using it for. I told Lyceus about something I'd done with it a long time ago, and he said maybe it was more like sorcery, and had me try some things."

That son of a-- Jade sighed to herself. Lyceus hadn't been doing anything that she wasn't doing right now, and Jade had always had a low tolerance for hypocrisy, especially her own. No, she'd need to talk to Lyceus -- Harbinger -- but mostly to tell him it was all right to help out fellow students on other teams. She shook aside the momentary distraction. "Okay. For the moment, you can't hold a sword in one hand and a shield in the other." She paused, realizing that both swords were still in evidence. "...But you can apparently hold two identical swords. Huh. Okay, I'm going to share a suggestion that Mr. Hendrickson shared with me when I was still trying to figure out how best to use my power." She looked up at the control room. "Ms. Brigham? Can you pull up an image of a gauntlet sword, and project it on the wall down here?"