The Sultan's Spy

Chapter 2: Rooftops

Eliska's thin leather slippers made barely any noise as she dropped down onto the terracotta tiles that made up the roof of the Grand Bazaar. The night air was cool, and with only a thin sliver of moon in the sky, her form was practically invisible against the star speckled sky. Her suit of mottled dark greys helped her blend in, the thin inner bodysuit covered by a looser overrobe of the same, and under normal circumstances, Eliska would have been glad for the extra weight against the evening's chill.

But she had far more important things to worry about than her own comfort.

This late at night and in the city proper rather than the palace, Eliska could only hope that Yasmia remembered enough of what she'd been taught not to get into serious trouble before she could find her. Again she cursed herself. She should have gone straight to Lizina when Ajani had told her about Yasmia's attempts to get into the city. Her eldest sister could have put a watch on her, could have confined her to her rooms, could have done something to keep Yasmia from ending up in the city alone. But Eliska hadn't wanted to get her into trouble.

And now it was far worse for both of them. Yasmia would be punished, if she hadn't already brought her own punishment down on herself with any trouble she found herself in. Eliska's hands tensed as she continued her run across the roofs. She had enough knives on herself to be able to handle most trouble, but if there were too many...

She could call upon their people in the city if it came to it, but each one was important, busy gathering, refining, and passing along information to Lizina who in turn passed it onto their brother, Kasimer. As Sultan, he needed every advantage he could get to keep their lands safe and at peace. It was the family's job to support him in that in any way they could.

Eliska knew she could rely on a few of her spells, she had more than one that was suited to combat, but the possible repercussions, both for her and for anyone who saw her were high. Most of the populace wasn't comfortable with magic, those few mages who made themselves known often forced to keep their identities hidden to avoid later persecution. Even if you told people any of them could learn the magic with enough dedication didn't dispel their fear. Not when you could do something they couldn't, especially since few had the patience and discipline to complete the correct rituals.

The air that rushed past her brought her the faint sounds and scents of the night, distant shouts and snatches of music, the sharp smell of smoke and the heavier scent of baked earth. Eliska kept herself alert to everything, ears especially tuned to any sound that could come from Yasmia. She couldn't imagine any other girl her age would be out at this time a night. And if there were any slavers out, those stupid enough to enslave their people...

Her eyes roved the street beside her, the occasional torch briefly destroying her night vision even as it threw the surrounding area into sharp relief. She was off the Grand Bazaar and running down the narrow wooden roof of one of the neighbouring buildings when she saw a small figure and a large one in one of those pools of light.

She stopped, eyes widening as she took in the sight of the strange man putting his hands onto her niece's shoulders, the girl's face scrunched up and wet with tears. Eliska leapt down from the roof she was on to one of the lower ones that overhung a window, down to the one that was over the door, and finally from there to the ground.

Eliska landed lightly in a crouch before she threw herself forward. She closed the distance between her and the pair in seconds, aiming herself at the space between them. Her thin shoes made nearly no noise against the cobbled road so that the man didn't notice her until she was on them.

He barely had a chance to turn towards her when she lashed out with an upwards kick at his arms, breaking his hold on her niece. She dropped the foot and turned with her other hand, one that had already grabbed a knife, and held it tight to his throat. Her free hand gripped a throwing knife which she held aimed at one of his eyes.

She glared at him, only her face visible under her cotton suit. "Make any noise and I'll be quieting you permanently." He said nothing, his dark eyes locked onto her, his body rigid in the position he'd frozen himself into when her knife had first kissed his neck.

Eliska didn't take her eyes off of him as she said, "Yaz, are you alright?"

Sniffling was her only answer for a moment. "Yes," she finally said, swiping at her face before she looked up. Yasmia's eyes went round for a moment as she stared at the scene in front of her. "Aunt Lissy! What are you doing?"

Eliska frowned, not liking how close the girl had come to giving away her real name. "You need to move back, let me handle this man, and then we'll both head home."

Her niece shook her head frantically. "No, you don't understand. He helped me."

She risked a glance at the girl, noting the earnest expression on Yasmia's face, then looked back at the man she had the knife to. She studied him, noting the straight nose, square jaw, and the scar that ran across his chin. His clothes looked to be of good quality, if in rather plain colours with little embroidery. He didn't wear much in the way of jewellery either, though she did note the knives he wore and the outlines in his clothing that told her he secreted back-ups on him much as she did.

Still, he didn't dress like a slaver, didn't smell of alcohol or drugs, and really, didn't give her the impression of anyone who would wish her niece harm. Not that she trusted those feelings completely, but if Yasmia was saying he'd saved her...

Eliska pulled the knife away from the man and took a step back, keeping herself between him and her niece. Without looking away from the stranger, she asked, "What happened, Yaz?"

She couldn't see the way the girl hung her head and hunched her shoulders. "Yala is leaving in the morning and she always said she wanted to be married with one of the gold ribbons from the Bazaar and the peddler hasn't come for a long time so I wanted to get her one before she was gone but no one would let me go by myself so I snuck out. But then some strange men grabbed me and I tried to fight like I was taught, but there were too many. But then this man came and he made them let me go and then chased them off but then I was crying and he was trying to get me to tell him where I lived so he could take me home and then you came."

Eliska glanced over at her niece again and sighed. She took another step back and reached over so she could squeeze the girl's shoulder gently. Eliska looked up at the man who was still watching her carefully, body tense. She offered him an apologetic smile. "I'm very sorry for that. I thought you were attacking my niece and reacted without thinking. I cannot thank you enough for saving her either. If something had happened to her..."

The man slowly crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "It's nothing," he said, voice low. "I don't much like slavers, especially those who deal in children."

"You've done more than you know," Eliska replied, already reaching into one of the pouches that hung off her belt and drawing out two of the coins in there.

She tossed them to the man who caught them both, his eyes widening as he took a look at the large gold coins. Eliska nodded her thanks again, noting the startled expression on the stranger's face. She wasn't surprised. She had given him more than he likely saw in a few months if he was the merchant he appeared to be.

Eliska gently pushed Yasmia towards the side street that led back towards the Grand Bazaar. They'd have to double back a bit before they could both get up to the roofs. And with Yasmia having already had to weather one attack, Eliska didn't want to put her at risk for any others.

They slipped back into the shadows, Eliska with the hope that her niece wasn't punished too harshly for this. By the time the stranger looked up from the coins in his hand, they were gone.