A House Divided

Chapter 4

A mere four days passed before Kila was called to action. His new uniforms had arrived just that morning, and the cut of the high collar was different, chafing him. He might have looked the part of a Cearovan Enforcer, but he certainly didn't feel it. He forced himself not to pry his strangling collar away from his throat as he hurried to answer the Chief's summons.

"Have a seat," she said in a brisk voice, and he hastened to obey. She closed the door behind him before perching herself on her chair. Her rigid posture and tense face told him that something serious was happening.

"How are you settling in?" she asked.

"Well enough," he said, nonplussed by the direction of the conversation.

"Have you surveyed the lay of the land?"

"I have," he said, the purpose of the conversation beginning to dawn on him.

Flim hadn't assigned him a partner yet, instead instructing him to study their current open cases. He had also taken the opportunity to study his fellow Enforcement officers. Some showed such obvious signs of favoring the Houses that he was able to quickly pinpoint them. Others were cagey enough that he knew he'd best be wary around them. Each House had a formal Enforcement liaison, and it was a given that these men and women would be in the Houses' pockets, or as good as. Even if they hadn't begun their posts with the intent of acquiescing to the House's every whim, it was a fair bet that the Houses had found a variety of ways to purchase their loyalty. For all he knew, it was entirely possible that some of them were of unimpeachable character, but for the time being he felt it more prudent to outright eliminate them as possible allies.

The pensive look on his face made her nod. "Yes, I had a feeling that spending some time observing would prove very educational for you."

"I've come to some conclusions," he said carefully. "But it might be more efficient if you were to give me some guidance."

Shaking her head with a sigh, she pinched the space between her brows, deepening the furrow there. "Trust me when I say it's best at this point if you don't know."

"Because you don't trust me? Don't take that as a criticism. You'd be wise not to trust me."

Giving him a crooked smile, she said, "That may be a factor, but it's not the entire reason. The less you know the less anyone can extract from you, either by covert or overt means."

It made sense, but he didn't like the idea of not having at least one ally in whom he could place his trust. He and the chief shared the same sense of urgency when it came to maintaining a deliberate distance between Enforcement and the Houses, but he couldn't be seen in the chief's office with any regularity. A close relationship between the two of them would raise eyebrows, and neither of them could afford that.

"Very well," he said, settling back in his chair with a frown.

"I'm asking you to take a lot on faith," she acknowledged. "This is a delicate dance we're doing. I'll help you as much as I'm able, but I'm afraid I'll have to throw you into the middle of things with very little information. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the city over the next couple of days. I'll tell you some spots where you and I can meet if necessary, and also secure locations where you can leave messages for me."

"Answer this for me at least: is someone fomenting rebellion against the Houses?"

She looked disturbed but not shocked. "Not as such," she said, choosy with her words. "In fact, I'm rather hoping it won't come to that."

Scrutinizing her, he decided he'd pushed her far enough for the time being. He had spent years away from the city and still had a great deal to learn about the changes time had wrought. Asking someone to try to explain to him the complex organism that was Cearova wouldn't get him very far. He would simply have to immerse himself in the city and learn as much as he could on his own.