The laughing God's Gambit

CHAPTER 7: come on! Is the gilded locked

The scout's whistle wasn't just a sound; it felt like a trap slamming shut.

Lyria reacted instantly, even before the whistle cut through the kitchen noise. Instead of running for the exit, she charged toward the big stockpot simmering on the stove.

Ferris internally yelled the wrong way!, but the bond had him following her, scrambling after her.

The scout's whistle blew again, sharp and loud.

Lyria reached the pot, didn't grab it, but kicked its iron leg with all her force.

The pot tipped, sending a wave of hot, greasy broth across the floor, right into the path of the cooks and the scout who were closing in.

Ow! Hot! HOT!

My boots!

Total chaos. Slippery, screaming, steaming mess.

Now! Lyria yelled, finally making a run for the exit, Ferris right behind.

They burst from the kitchen into a long, wet corridor filled with barrels and laundry sacks. The air stank of chemicals and wet wool. Shouts echoed from the kitchen.

They'll seal the building, Ferris panted, running. The bond felt like a crazy drumbeat of panic. Finn will sell us out to save himself!

Then let's not be here when they do. Lyria stopped short at a split in the path. Left or right? No signs. Your thief thing, Quick, which way?

Since when do you trust my gut?

Since it found food! she snapped back, breathless. Pick one!

He listened. The left had the clash of pans and angry voices. Right had the deep thump of the boiler they'd just left, and a faint sound of running water.

Right. Let's follow the water. Sewers.

They ran, reaching a heavy iron door bolted on their side. Ferris threw the bolt. Behind them, the shouts were getting closer.

He shoved the door open, and a wave of gross air hit them. Not the street. Just a ledge, and below it, a wide, dark channel of slowly moving water lit by glowing fungus. The sewer. Finn's escape route.

The ledge was narrow, slimy, and dropped into black water six feet down.

You have got to be kidding, Ferris muttered.

Down, Lyria said, already climbing over.

It's a sewer!

It's an escape! Move it!

The door shook as someone slammed against it. The bolt wouldn't hold for long.

Ferris cursed and climbed after her. They stood on the gross ledge, backs to the wet brick. The door burst open. A guard appeared, peering into the darkness.

Check down there!

Lyria didn't wait. She grabbed Ferris's arm and jumped, pulling them both into the nasty water.

The shock took their breath away. The water was freezing and thick, pulling at their clothes. Ferris kicked, panicking. He felt Lyria's grip on his arm, yanking him up. They surfaced, gasping and spitting.

Above, a guard leaned out with a lantern. The light passed over their heads as the current pulled them around a bend into darkness.

They floated in the gross flow, the sounds of pursuit fading. The only light came from the glowing fungus. The tunnel was low and dripped. They swam and paddled, trying to reach the side.

Finally, they found a crumbling platform—some old maintenance thing. They hauled themselves onto it, collapsing in a heap of wet, shivering misery.

For a while, they just breathed hard and listened to the sewer. The bond buzzed with exhaustion, cold, and disgust.

Ferris spat again. I've had better nights.

Lyria wrung water from her hair, looking totally offended. Her armor was soaked and her cloak was heavy. This is awful.

It's under the city. That's why. He shivered hard. The cold was getting to him. He felt her chill too, a shared ache. We can't stay here. We'll freeze or get some weird disease.

The current goes to the sea, she said, trying to stay calm. If we follow it, we'll find a way out, and be outside the city.

Then what? We're two drowned rats with glowing faces and a magic leash. We'll stick out.

She looked at him, her eyes catching the fungus light. We need the wedge, or a real unbinding. We can't keep going like this.

A clear thought hit him. Maevis.

The archivist?

She said she ‘fell through a bookshelf.’ She's from a world without magic, so maybe she sees it differently. Like a puzzle, not a curse. She might know how to fix this without explosions or soul stuff. He stood up. We need to find her. She was with Finn, and he'll have hidden her if the Watch showed up.

Going back to Finn is crazy.

We're not going back to the bathhouse. He smiled. We're going where he won't think we're dumb enough to go. Where he keeps his secrets.

She understood, the bond showing worry. His vault.

Right. If he's hiding Maevis, she'll be there, along with money, clothes, and a map that doesn't smell like...this. He pointed at the sewer.

You know where it is?

Yeah I heard about it. Never been dumb enough to try it. But I know the area. The Gilded Lock. It's a 'storage place' for criminals. Finn has a box there. The biggest.

And how are we getting into a criminal vault, soaking wet, with the Watch after us?

Ferris reached into his wet coat and pulled out something small and hard from a hidden pocket.

It was the Tear of the Moon.

The little galaxy inside swirled, casting light on their faces.

Lyria stared. You kept it? How?

They searched the easy spots at Skyhaven, not the hidden one. It's a habit. He grinned. It's not just a rock, it's a key.

A key?

To magic locks. That's what I was doing in the vault. This thing buzzes around magic. Open wards. The Gilded Lock uses stolen magic wards. This thing, he held up the gem, should mess with it long enough for us to get in.

You want to use a thing we're supposed to die for to do another crime.

I want to use the only thing we've got to find the only person who can help us not be wanted criminals. He looked at her. Got a better plan?

She looked from him to the gem, to the sewer. She was a knight, in filth, stuck with a thief, planning a heist.

Everything she believed in said no.

But the bond tugged on her wrist. And the world had given her no good choices.

Where, she said, giving in, is The Gilded Lock?