The laughing God's Gambit

Chapter 3: working on it.

They turned the corner and almost crashed into a couple of City Watch guys.

Not Skyhaven just regular city cops. One cop had a glowing paper, and Ferris caught a glimpse of his own face staring back from a wanted poster. Lyria’s was right next to his.

The Spymaster didn’t waste a second.

Ferris grabbed Lyria and yanked her into a doorway. The handle didn’t budge. Locked. Nowhere to go.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

“Shut up and act like you’re into me,” he breathed, mouth close to her ear. He spun them around, pressing her back to the door, his body blocking her face from view. Armor dug into his ribs. She was pissed he could feel it. He pulled her closer anyway. “They’re searching for two people, not a couple. Just play along.”

The cops came closer.

Ferris went with the only idea he had left. He ducked his head and buried his face in her neck. She smelled like metal, ozone, and something sweet. She went stiff as a board.

“Evening, lovebirds,” one of the cops said, smirking. “Get a room.”

“Working on it,” Ferris slurred, trying to sound drunk. “Door’s stuck.”

The second cop snorted. Ferris spotted the glowing paper, heart thumping. Lyria’s hand slid up his back, fingers digging in. A warning mess this up and she’d make him regret it.

The wanted poster didn’t react. No magic alarm.

“Move along, then. Don’t block the alley.”

They walked off.

Ferris stayed still, shaking. He could feel Lyria’s pulse against his lips, his own blood pounding in his ears.

“They’re gone,” she muttered, sharp as a slap.

He stepped back. She looked furious.

“You touched me,” she snapped.

“It was for cover!”

“It was disgusting.”

“It worked, didn’t it? Look, we’re even. I got a handful of armor, you got my mouth on your neck. Let’s just drop it and focus on not dying.”

He could still taste her metal, electricity, and something he couldn’t name. Under the anger, he felt a flicker of something else. Confusion, maybe. Embarrassment.

This bond was the worst.

“This businessman how far?” she asked, all stiff and formal now.

“Ten minutes, if we’re lucky.”

“Fine. Touch me again without a good reason and I’ll break your fingers.”

“Got it.”

They ducked through the alleys, silent. The bond gnawed at him. He felt her scanning every shadow, every rooftop. She felt his tired legs dragging. It was like being haunted, but the ghost was right beside you.

The Steam-Weary Soul sat wedged between a junk shop and a pawnshop. The sign showed a ghost lounging in a bathtub.

Ferris pushed through the door, and heat slapped him in the face. The place stank of old soap and weird chemicals. A bored guy with a droopy mustache barely looked up.

“We’re full,” he grunted.

“Is Finn here?” Ferris tried a smile, which probably looked more nervous than friendly.

The guy eyed him. “Don’t know any Finn.”

“Just tell him Ferris is here. And I brought a... friend.” He jerked his head at Lyria, who looked ready to put someone through a wall.

Mustache Guy glanced at her armor, sighed, and disappeared behind a curtain.

Lyria leaned in. “This is a Guild front.”

“Sort of. Finn’s not Guild. Not exactly.”

“Not exactly?”

“He’s clever.”

The curtain rustled. The guy was back. “Basement. He’s not happy.”

The basement looked like a junkyard threw up tools everywhere, glowing mushrooms in jars, piles of stuff with no name. A goblin sat at a workbench, sparks flying.

She was tiny, with wild purple hair and one glowing eye. She didn’t look up.

“Boom?” Ferris said, hope and dread fighting it out inside him.

She jumped, dropped her tool, and it clattered onto something.

Beep.

She finally looked, then grinned wide. “Fox! You’re alive! Everyone said you were dead!”

“They were wrong. Mostly.” He waved at Lyria. “This is Lyria.”

Boom’s grin got wider. “The knight who caught you! Nice! You two working together now?”

“We’re stuck together,” Ferris said. “We need a place to lay low. And somebody who knows about” He showed her his wrist.

Boom hopped down, grabbed his arm, then Lyria’s. Lyria tensed but let her. Boom poked at the marks, her eye whirring. “Whoa. Soul-stitch. That’s wild. Real messy.” She let go, eyes bright. “Your magic’s tangled. If you pull too hard, it just knots up worse. Kills your magic. Or something nastier.”

“Nastier?” Lyria said.

“You could merge. One person, two bodies. Screaming, lots of mess.” Boom looked delighted. “So! What’s the plan?”

Before Ferris could answer, another voice cut in from the stairs. “The plan is to tell me why you dragged the cops here, Ferris.”

Finn stood there, big and older, face kind but eyes like winter. He held a crossbow, not aimed, but not relaxed, either.

“Finn. We’ve got a situation,” Ferris said.

“Skyhaven wants both of you. Dead or alive. Top of the list.” Finn’s gaze landed on Lyria. “They took all your money. You’re broke and wanted. That makes you my problem.”

Fear crawled up Ferris’s spine. He felt Lyria’s shock her whole life, her family’s fortune, just gone.

“We only need a few days,” Ferris insisted. “To fix this magic mess. Then we’re gone. Out of your hair.”

Finn sighed. “I like you, Fox. You’re funny. But this?” He pointed at them both. “This is dangerous. Guild’s nervous. Skyhaven’s waving a lot of coin.”

Nobody said anything.

Boom piped up, way too cheerful. “I could use some test subjects.”

Everyone turned to stare.

She shrugged, grinning. “For the magic! I can’t fix it. But I might be able to… make it better. Give you some privacy. Maybe stop you from feeling each other's sickness.”

“What will it cost?” Lyria asked, suspicious.

“Small chance of a magic explosion!” Boom said, like it was a good thing. “But a small chance! Maybe thirty percent!”

Ferris and Lyria looked at each other. They both looked terrified.

Finn lowered his crossbow. “You do Boom’s test. You stay here, one night. In the morning, you leave. And you owe me. Not money. A favor. Later.”

It was a way out. A bad one.

Ferris looked at Lyria. She nodded.

“Deal,” Ferris said.

“Great!” Boom clapped, making sparks fly. “First, I need some blood. Some hair. And… Do you have a small curse you don’t want? I need stuff for my experiment.”

Lyria closed her eyes. Ferris felt her regret.

They were screwed.