Red Seas Under Red Skies: The Gentleman Bastard Sequence, Book Two (Gentleman Bastards 2)

‘We’re heartily sorry to see you go,’ said the chief steward as Locke scratched Leocanto Kosta’s signature onto a last few scraps of parchment. ‘You’ve been superb guests; we hope that you’ll consider us again the next time you visit Tal Verrar.’

Locke had no doubt the inn had been glad of their business; at five silvers a day for a year and a half, plus the price of additional services, he and Jean had left behind a pile of solari large enough to purchase a decent-sized house of their own, and hire capable staff.

‘Pressing matters compel our presence elsewhere,’ muttered Locke coldly. He rebuked himself in his thoughts a moment later - it wasn’t the steward’s fault they were being chased from comfort by Stragos, Bondsmagi and bloody mysterious assassins. ‘Here,’ he said, fishing three solari out of his coat and setting them down on the desk. ‘See that this is split evenly and passed out to everyone on staff.’ He turned his palm up and with a minor bit of legerdemain conjured another gold coin. ‘And this for yourself, to express our compliments for your hospitality.’

‘Return any time,’ said the steward, bowing deeply.

‘We shall,’ said Locke. ‘Before we go, I’d like to arrange to have some of our wardrobe stored indefinitely. You can be certain we’ll be back to claim it.’

While the steward happily scrawled the necessary orders on a parchment, Locke borrowed a square of the Villa Candessa’s pale-blue formal stationery. On this he wrote: I depart immediately by the means previously discussed. Rely upon my return. I remain deeply grateful for the forbearance you have shown me.

Locke watched the steward seal it with the house’s black wax and said: ‘See that this is delivered without fail to the Master of the Sinspire. If not personally, then only to his major-domo, Selendri. They will want it immediately.’

Locke suppressed a smile at the slight widening of the steward’s eyes. The suggestion that Requin had a vested personal interest in the contents of the note would do much to speed it safely on its way. Nonetheless, Locke still planned to send another copy later through one of Stragos’s agents. No sense in taking chances.

‘So much for those fine beds,’ said Jean as he carried their two trunks of remaining possessions out to the waiting carriages. They had kept only their implements of thieving - lockpicks, weapons, alchemical dyes, disguise items - plus a few hundred solari in cold metal and a few sets of tunics and breeches to take to sea. ‘So much for Jerome de Ferra’s money.’

‘So much for Durenna and Corvaleur,’ said Locke with a tight smile. ‘So much for looking over our shoulders everywhere we go. Because, in truth, we’re stepping into a cage. But just for a few days.’

‘No,’ said Jean thoughtfully as he stepped up into a carriage door held open by a bodyguard. ‘No, the cage goes on much farther than that. It goes wherever we go.’