Chapter 34: Curfew

“Ain’t seen nothing, ain’t heard nothing, ain’t know nothing.”

-Tumbani saying

Yin was bored.

Bored, bored, bored.

The captain was off to track down the Barandi Crew to bargain for the last map pieces. In the meantime, she had ordered the crew to stay on the Tits Up as long as they had bounties on their heads.

The only problem being, nothing interesting happened on the ship. It had been less than a day, and Yin already had an urge to claw her skin off. She lay on her bed, staring into the bland metal ceiling.

Taira was no fun—always reading, while her new bug friends doted on her like servants. Kazzul was locked away in the cockpit, whispering to himself. Kurko was, well, Kurko. He meditated, wrote, listened to music. On a schedule calculated down to the minute, Yin assumed.

She’d been able to kill some time with Torch—playing a few harmless pranks on the first mate that involved filling his pants with firecrackers. But he got touchy over the smallest things, and they weren’t on speaking terms at the moment.

She would have hung out with Stephan—he was always nice, and cooking helped numb her brain—but he was spending more and more time with Taira lately, giggling and reading together.

It was enough to make anyone sick to their stomach.

Yin felt a strange twinge in her heart when she thought about him.

Not that I need him around. He’s just some shitty cook.

But she did miss that smile he gave her sometimes. Like he was proud of her. It made her feel warm. Safe. No one had ever smiled at her like that.

She fumbled for the amulet around her neck, the one he’d given her. Touching it between helped calm her down sometimes.

It wasn’t there.

Yin rooted around her shirt, found nothing. She looked in the bed, upturned her room. Nothing.

“Where the fuck is it?” she hissed. She searched every mote of dust in the cabin with her keen eyes. “Did Torch take it?”

She stormed over to his cabin and banged on the door until he opened up.

“What?” he asked.

“Where’s my fucking amulet?”

He frowned. “What amulet? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Torch, I swear, if this is some kind of prank, give it back now or I will gut you.”

He shook his head. “I told you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Leave me alone.”

He slammed the door in her face.

Yin sank down on her haunches next to it, head in her hands. “Where is it? Where did I put it?” She searched her mind, retraced her steps. She never took it off, so where could it possibly be?

She looked up, letting her hands drop.

The fighting, she realized. It must have come off. I have to go get it. But the captain’s orders…

“This is more important,” she whispered to herself. “I’ll just be quick about it.”

*****

Yin soared over the rooftops, pushing her top speed. At this pace, any bounty hunters would be hard-pressed to spot her. After some backtracking, she found the scene of the previous day’s battle and leapt onto the dusty street.

The bodies of the bounty hunters had been stripped to their underwear and rolled into an alley, stacked up like logs. A brief look around the street and the inside of the building smattered with bullet holes revealed no sign of the amulet.

Yin despaired. The looters must have taken that, too.

A sharp whistle drew her attention. She looked up and saw a boy sitting on one of the slanted rooftops, legs dangling over the side. The golden-haired boy she’d seen with Rand, before.

“Looking for this?” he asked, holding out his hand. Yin’s amulet dangled from his index finger, gleaming dully in the sun.

“Give that back, thief, or I’ll cut you in half!” Yin cried, reaching for her swords.

The boy shook his head and held up his hands, palms first. “Hey, none of that! I’m no thief. I kept it for you. Figured you’d be back.”

“How did you know it was mine?” she asked, squinting.

The boy flipped the metal disc around, pointed to the name ‘Yin’ scratched into the back. “I’ve heard the stories of the Aqithi assassin on Wenezian’s crew.”

Yin blushed. “Fine. Give it back, then.” She held out her hand.

The boy snatched up the necklace and stowed it in the pocket of his soiled jacket. “Not yet. Let’s trade for it.”

“Trade? That’s my amulet!”

“I think I’m owed a finder’s fee. If not for me, the looters would’ve got to it.”

Yin sighed. “Whatever. What do you want?”

“I’ve got a problem with some older kids. Beat me up, stole my stuff.” He brushed aside some of his unruly hair to reveal a blackened welt on his forehead. “I want you to help me deal with them.”

“What makes you think I can help?”

“Like I said, I’ve heard the stories.”

“And why didn’t you go crying to Rand?”

“My old man won’t let me. Says it’s my problem, I should deal with it like a man. He’ll beat me up worse than those other kids if he learns I went to Rand.”

Yin considered the proposal. “I’d just need to scare them? Smack them around a bit?”

The boy nodded.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

He cracked a big smile and jumped down from the roof, landing in a crouch. He dusted off his ripped pants and stood, extending a skinny hand. “It’s a deal.”

“On one condition,” Yin said.

“Being?”

“You give me the amulet now.”

The boy let his hand drop, smile slipping. “Sorry, but I’m no idiot. You’ll get your trinket once you’ve done your bit.”

“I could rip your arm off its socket,” Yin said dully. “If I wasn’t interested in making a deal, you wouldn’t be standing right now. Besides, how will you trust me in a fight if I’m only around because you’ve got something of mine?”

He bit his lip and rubbed his arm. “Uh… Good point, I suppose.” He tossed her the amulet. “There, happy?”

Yin pulled the amulet over her head and thumbed the metal piece. She let slip a sigh of relief. The boy eyed her like a wounded deer watched a wolf, wide-eyed and unblinking. He inched back.

“So?” Yin asked. “Are you going to lead the way, or?”

The boy blinked. “You’re, uh, actually going to help?”

“I said I would.”

“That doesn’t mean much around here.”

“Then why’d you give me the amulet?”

The boy chuckled nervously. “Mostly because you said you’d rip my arm off.”

Yin rolled her eyes. “I said I could, not that I would. It was an observation, not a threat.”

“Sounded like a threat to me.”

She walked up to the boy and reached out her hand. “I’ll help you, alright? Shake on it.”

The boy took her hand. His grip was sinewy and firm. She yanked his hand, hard enough to drag him off balance with a yelp. She laughed, and his face went bright red.

“Not funny,” he said.

“A little bit funny,” she corrected. “I’m Yin, but you already know that. What’s your name?”

“Willam,” the boy said.

“What kinda name is that?”

“What kinda name is Yin?”

“Fair enough. I’ll call you Wil.”

Wil led her down circuitous back streets, cutting straight into the rougher end of town. The buildings were old and ill-maintained, some having collapsed entirely. Many were abandoned, junkies and beggars lingering outside. The air had a sour tinge that made Yin’s sensitive nostrils crinkle.

“Not much further,” Wil said. “I know exactly where those bumblefucks took my stuff.”

“That’s a big word for you,” Yin said. “Learn that all on your own?”

“Shut up.”

They stopped at a run-down building with a facade of greying wood in the Sunken District. Yin looked over the building from the outside, hands on hips, and caught some movement in the darkened windows.

“This is it, huh?” she asked.

“This is it.”

“Before we go in, there’s something important I need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“How long were you waiting for me to show up and get that amulet?”

Wil cleared his throat. “I’d rather not say.”

“I insist.”

“Four hours. My leg fell asleep halfway through. I was so bored. I really regret hiding on the roof for a dramatic entrance.”

Yin let out a snorting laugh. “Yeah, that sounds right.” She headed towards the broken-down front door of the building with confident strides. “You must really like me, nerd.”

“I don’t like you!” Wil called after, hurrying to catch up. “And I’m not a nerd!”

“Sounds like what a lovesick nerd would say.” She went inside the building and found a boy in the hall, maybe fifteen or sixteen, who had come to investigate the noise. He was dirty and dressed in soiled, faded clothing, lips split in a gap-toothed grin.

“Well, well, what do we have—” he started.

She slammed his head against the wall, putting a round dent in the rotted wood, and he sank to the floor. He whimpered in equal pain and confusion, clutching his head. She stepped over him, and Wil came after.

More youths came to check on their friend. Four of them. It took less than a minute to work through them. She held back, making sure that she didn’t seriously injure anyone, but put enough force behind her blows to bruise more than their pride.

They went into another room and found a boy and a girl holding each other on a couch. They surrendered without a fight, having seen what Yin had just done to their friends.

Wil found what he was looking for, pulling a worn backpack from a pile of assorted trinkets in a corner of the room. He slung it over his shoulder and gave Yin a grateful nod.

Before they left, he looked through the youths’ pockets and came up with a handful of colored paper bills. They went outside. Yin was relieved to be rid of the musty air.

“That went way better than expected,” Wil said with a grin. He counted up half the money and handed it to her. “Here. Reckon that should be yours.”

Yin took it with a shrug. It was maybe a hundred standards, probably less. Loose change to her, but Wil looked at it like it was treasure.

“What’s in the bag?” Yin asked, nodding towards Wil’s backpack.

“Nothing special,” he said. “Not to anyone but me, anyhow.” There was a long pause. “I… wanted to thank you. It’s not often that someone sticks to their word in Tumba.”

“Don’t mention it,” Yin said. “I’ve got my amulet, you’ve got your… whatever you’ve got. I’ll be on my way.” She coiled up, made to leap onto a nearby rooftop.

“Wait!” Wil called. “Why don’t you stick around for a bit? We could grab some food—I know a good place nearby. My treat.”

Yin straightened out and looked the boy over. “Why?”

Wil shrugged and went red. “I-I dunno. I had a good time with you, is all. Figured it doesn’t have to end so soon.”

Yin snorted. “You really like me, huh?”

“If you’d rather head back, I get it. No pressure.”

Quintilla’s orders buzzed in the back of her head. Every minute she spent off the ship was a risk.

But Wil wasn’t too bad. He had an earnestness that she appreciated.

Don’t trust him, she reminded herself. Don’t trust anyone. They’ll only let you down.

“I’ll come,” she said. “Lead the way.”