The Charlatan

26. The Half Of It

Clara stood beside Priyanka as the two young women waited in line at the central cafeteria. Breakfast was being served. Clara pulled out her gold pieces in anticipation, and wondered about what Priyanka had just spoken to her about on the way down. "We want to help you," she had said. "Safiya and I have nowhere to go, and no guarantee that our previous contacts will not turn us in after hearing about our arrests, even if we are innocent and pardoned. We need to find a safe haven, but we also must inform others of Velt's aggression against us. We must have an audience with your ruler, as well, – a fair and legal one – about restitution when this is all over." Clara had not forgotten the fires of Dehi, nor the air vehicle that had swooped in to fell its beautiful and colourful capital. However, she had certainly buried them deep in her memory so that she did not have to cope with them. She couldn't imagine how Priyanka and Safiya felt, and she admired the sisters' sense of responsibility for their country. Safiya's anger for and distrust of everyone began to make more sense, and Clara's own decisions to flee from responsibility many moons ago seemed less and less honourable.

008 A small black screen set up in front of Clara lit up in white with the number of gold pieces Clara owed the till. She handed them to the till tender and admired the technology a tick before taking her tray to a small table. Priyanka joined her soon after and the pair chatted more of next steps. To see the King, they would have to skirt around fully-raging battles between Velt and Genesis, or wait for them to subside, and not be caught by the guard, militia, or constabulary. Furthermore, once they saw the King, Clara would have to decide whether to give Air up for the Citadel to hang.

Later. Clara put the thoughts out of her mind for the time being and finished her breakfast.

Honey joined Clara and Priyanka as they made to stop by Charlie's room at the hostel. Honey informed the women that she was on her way there as well. She seemed agitated. Clara hoped that she and Charlie weren't planning some conspiracy to berate (or batter) Air. Although Honey had been very amiable, Clara knew firsthand what she was capable of. She always treaded carefully around her. And Charlie was Charlie. She did not take chances.

It did not take long to reach Charlie's room. Clara immediately knew something was amiss. The door was cracked open. Charlie was never this careless in a foreign public space, no matter how personable she was. As Clara pushed the door open, she called out for her friend. There was no answer. Clara stepped into the room and was met with knocked over and broken vases, as well as shattered glass, littering the floor by the room's water basin. Her heart sank.

"He was right," Honey said, disbelief in her voice as she too examined the empty room. Clara shot the Seer-bandit an urgent and confused look, but Honey missed it as she immediately marched back out of the room. Priyanka stood in the doorway and let Honey by, looking between her and Clara uncertainly.

"It seems that Honey and Rime know something about this," Clara relayed in Dehic as she grabbed the taller woman's arm, "We need to follow."

Priyanka made no objections to being looped into whatever was happening, and she silently trotted alongside the nervous courier. Clara's head was spinning with What Ifs again, but she focused on the light ponytail waving from side to side in front of her. Just follow, she told herself. They reached what was presumably Honey's and Rime's quarters, as Honey firmly pushed its door open and immediately rounded on Rime. Rime eyed her, unalarmed.

"She's gone," Honey said. Rime nodded casually, as though he had already known this.

"So she is," he said.

"Excuse me, but what is going on here? What happened to Charlie?" Clara's voice wavered as she addressed her Seer companions.

"She seems to have been called," Rime said.