Slave to Sapphire

Seven days earlier

Iris’ body hummed with anticipation as she secured the dagger to her hip. Her dagger was nothing special, the handle was made of wood wrapped in faded black leather with a blade of fine steel. There were many knicks and scrapes on the blade, but Iris made sure to keep it well-oiled and sharpened. To Iris the dagger was a tool that could be used to instill fear, exact retribution or open a jammed drawer.

Iris wore a black blouse with a brown vest and trousers, her hair hung in a braid down her back. She tied her handkerchief over the cuff on her left arm and threw her heavy black cloak over her shoulders. Iris scanned her room a final time before leaving. Her room had a small window that let in the ocean breeze, a cot on the floor with a threadbare blanket, a waste pot, a piece of reflective metal on the wall, and a small wooden desk and dresser. The desk had a lock on the drawer that contained all her meticulous bookkeeping. Iris kept a careful record of all the purchases and sales of azure that she oversaw. She did all her accounting and planning using a code that only she could decipher. She didn’t necessarily have to worry about someone snooping. Her room was in the Exodus headquarters above the tavern and gambling hall that Lucious owned and named The Den. Lucious had the establishment constantly guarded and watched by its members. The only people that would have a chance to break into her room were members of Exodus. Lucious did not tolerate any members that he could not trust; to lose Lucious’ trust was to lose your life. Iris reasoned that loyalty to Lucious didn’t guarantee loyalty to her.

Iris moved to the door, hearing a thud that indicated Samson had just jumped through the window into her room. She exited her room, Samson darting through the door before she closed it behind her. She made her way down the creaking wood stairs into the tavern with Samson at her heels. Iris was practiced at descending the stairs without tripping over Samson.

She took a seat on a stool at the worn bar of The Den. The barkeep gave her a grim nod when he saw her and filled her a mug of warm bitter ale. He slid the mug towards her, causing some of it to slosh onto the already sticky bar. Iris grimaced when she took a swig of the ale in an attempt to calm her nerves. Tonight was the culmination of two years of planning. If everything went smoothly, she would secure the largest shipment of azure to have ever gone through Scarlet Town and Exodus gang. Once the sale went through with the Crimson Gang, Exodus would have maneuvered themselves to be the largest supplier of azure in Orinth. Her portion of the profits would be sufficient to secure her with enough coin to purchase ten years of life. With the possibility of a future that extended beyond one year, Iris could plan for a future that didn’t involve the illegal running of azure. Iris tried to not dwell on the fact that her exit plan involved further entwining herself with the criminal workings of Scarlet Town.

A heavy hand slapped her on her back and she nearly jumped out of her chair, her hand going to her dagger.

“A little on edge tonight, are we?” Maddox laughed; his chocolate eyes filled with amusement.

Iris eased her hand from her dagger.

“You know better than to startle me Maddox, I almost used my dagger to relieve you of your manhood.”

Maddox shook his head, his expression turning serious, “Lucious wants to talk to you before we head out. I will wait outside for you with Cora.”

Iris nodded to Maddox, slid off her stool and stalked to the back of the tavern where Lucious held court. Lucious sat alone at a table in the back corner of the tavern where he could observe the comings and goings of the place. His eyes flicking over his solitary card game. Iris pulled out the chair across from him with a loud scrape and plopped down. Lucious raised an eyebrow as his long pale fingers dealt out a card for the game he was playing. He leaned back in his chair and met Iris’ glare. Lucious was the only other person Iris knew to also have amarath eyes like her own. While Iris’ eyes were alluring, Lucious’ were sinister. His dark eyes were devoid of emotion; it was as if they had consumed the color from his pale skin and ashy blonde hair. She tried to still her racing heart. Despite her bravado she couldn’t stop the crushing fear that hit her whenever Lucious’ gaze was upon her. The images of her family dying crept into her mind when she was in his presence. It didn’t help that Lucious’ ageless face had remained unchanged since that fateful day.

His voice was a harsh whisper, but her dread kept her from leaning in to hear him better, “So tonight is a big night for you, Iris.”

She cleared her throat trying to keep the waiver out of her voice, “It’s a big night for Exodus, if everything goes well, we may be able to rival Crimson.”

“I wanted to remind you of the importance of everything going as planned tonight, I am trusting you with this venture. Do not lose my trust Iris,” Lucious returned his attention to his card game, signaling to Iris that the conversation was over.

Iris kept her head down as she got up from her chair and turned to leave, making her way to exit The Den. Anger bloomed in her chest. Iris had made this deal happen through her own planning. She had saved the profits from previous deals in order to have enough coin to make this purchase of azure. It was through her contacts and hard-earned respect that she had secured the shipment of azure and the sale of half of it to Crimson Gang. Lucious had only to gain from her meticulous planning and Iris had everything to lose. If anything went wrong, Iris would be out of coin and the chance to buy even one more year of life.

When she exited The Den she was met with the salty smell of the ocean mixed with the smell of garbage and human refuse. It was the smell of Scarlet Town where the poor and the criminals of Orinth existed. Iris noted Maddox and Cora waiting for her on the porch, but she did not stop for them to follow as she made her way down the muddy streets. Cora’s tall gangly body bounded over puddles to catch up.

“Is everything in place Iris?” Cora asked excitedly, the wind blowing a piece of tangled blonde hair across her mouth. Cora had shown up at the Den almost a year ago. She had just had her cuff placed and was looking for work. Iris had been sitting at the bar that day attempting to drink a mug of stale ale when Cora appeared. Iris was ruminating on how to best deal with a low-level azure dealer who had been pocketing some of her profits. The sight of Cora drew her thoughts to her sister Anna. Iris was still haunted by nightmares of the day her family had been murdered and she would often see Anna’s face in young women that were the same age as Anna when she had died. Cora’s appearance did not resemble Anna but Iris had felt compelled to call her over. When Cora approached, Iris saw she was nothing like Anna, there was a fierceness in her eyes that reminded her of herself. Iris made the decision to take Cora in and ensure she didn’t run out of life source. Cora had worked closely with Iris over the past year, yet she never opened up to Iris about her past. No one knew where Cora came from and what had become of her family.

Iris grunted and continued to walk.

“Don’t bother Iris right now, she is cranky and she might swat at you like her cantankerous cat Samson. And of course, everything is in place; knowing Iris she double checked everything before checking again.”

Samson hissed and Iris whirled on Maddox, “for the hundredth time Samson is not a cat; he is a tarvin from the Anemom Mountains.” It was then that Iris saw the glint in Maddox’s eyes. Maddox knew the gravity of the situation, but he also knew Iris’s anxious energy wouldn’t help. Iris took a calming breath and rolled her eyes at Maddox.

“Come on you two, this is serious. If everything goes well tonight our cut will be enough to buy us a future. The plan is to make our way to the docks, where backup from Exodus will be waiting. Once we rendezvous with them, we will head to the ship to collect the barrels of ale.”

“Iris, we know. You have told us at least a hundred times,” Maddox chuckled and playfully elbowed Iris in the side.

They continued through the sodden streets and narrow alleyways of Scarlet Town. The night sky was mostly blocked by the roofs of wooden shacks that leaned against one another, the buildings as depressed as their inhabitants. The air was damp with the marine layer that rolled in from the ocean almost every night. A man in tattered rags bumped into Maddox causing him to stumble and step into a cesspool of a puddle. Maddox turned on the man and grabbed what remained of his shirt, almost lifting him off the ground.

“Pay attention to where you are going!” Maddox growled. The man was a shell of a human staring back with a vacant expression and dilated pupils.

“Just leave him Maddox. He is high on azure, let him enjoy his escape while it lasts,” Iris glanced at the man and continued to walk. Maddox set the man down and the three kept walking. There was no denying the devastating effects azure had on the poor. People who used it were desperate for a distraction from their constant struggle for survival. Once someone started taking azure their desperation for survival was blunted and consumed by their need for the drug. Iris vowed to never use the drug herself. Azure was technically illegal. About once a year, the Inspectors would make a sweep through Scarlet Town arresting inhabitants that they found small amounts of azure on, sending them to the mines for punishment. The rest of the time the Grand Ruler turned a blind eye to its usage, especially in Scarlet Town. While the laws against the illegal usage of azure were not consistently enforced, the Grand Ruler’s Inspectors made a grand show of punishing those who sold and trafficked the drug. The punishment being public execution. Iris avoided thinking about it as much as possible; without the selling of azure she wouldn’t have had the means to purchase the past nine years of her life. The trafficking of azure had allowed her to purchase each year one at a time. Every year when she went to the Repository to buy another year of life, she felt regret for the lives that had been ruined by her selling azure. Iris battled her guilt by reasoning that the azure would be sold with or without her. For her the buying and selling of azure was means to purchase a future for herself and her friends.

As they made their way to the Lavender District the smell of waste dissipated, and the muddy streets turned to cobblestone. Iris shuddered when they passed under the imposing shadow cast by the sprawling Palace of the Grand Ruler. A weight lifted from her chest when the Palace was behind them, and they entered Lavender District. The homes in the Lavender district were made of stone and brick, each with a small garden in front. They were inhabited by wealthy merchants and guild members. Iris continued on until they reached the port of Orinth. The port was the center of trade for the City. It was late by the time they reached the docks and night was quiet. The creaking of the docks and the lapping of the ocean water against the boats were the only sounds. There were five men waiting for them when they arrived at the meeting point. At the sight of the men, Samson flicked his tail and scampered off. Lucious had agreed to send five of Exodus gang’s enforcers as back up, along with a wooden wagon which they would load the azure on. Iris did not trust them with any valuable information so she had told them to meet her at a central place at the docks, together they would head to the ship that was making the delivery. The men hadn’t even been told what Iris planned to purchase tonight. Iris met their stares with a grim nod and they fell behind her as she led the way to where the Green Dragon was docked.

Trade at the ports was strictly regulated. Orinth’s only trading partner was Volos. Volos was separated by the Anemon Mountain Range and the Yellow Sands Desert. Trade between the two cities was done by ship. Ships from Volos would sail south down the coast to Orinth. All the trade was done at the Orinth Port, and merchants from Volos were not allowed to disembark from their ships when exchanging goods. Volos was also the only supplier of azure to Orinth. A guard that Iris had handsomely paid to look the other direction stood at the dock and did not question them as the group passed. Iris approached the ship known as the Green Dragon, she blew three sharp whistles and was answered with two. A darkly clothed willowy man appeared on the deck of the boat and climbed down the ladder landing on the dock with a thump. The man had a ropey scar encircling his neck.

“Lovely night for a stroll through the dark city of Orinth,” he rasped. Whatever had left the scar on his neck had damaged his vocal cords.

“Lovely night for a sail on the dark waters of Orinth,” Iris responded.

Having heard the code said correctly the man nodded and knocked on the side of the boat in a rapid succession of knocks. Two members of the ship’s crew materialized and lowered a barrel of ale. The barrel of ale hit the dock with a sloshing noise. Iris moved to the barrel; she looked to the man with the scar and he gestured for her to open it. She used her dagger to pry open the lid to see the barrel filled with ale. The man with the scar smiled and approached the barrel, he then pulled up a fine fishing line that had been secured to the edge of the barrel. He continued pulling on the line until a sealed wooden box breached the surface of the ale. He opened the lid of the box. In the faint moonlight Iris could make out the bright blue crystals of azure. Iris nodded her head and the man closed the box making sure it was sealed and then lowered it back into the barrel. On closer inspection Iris could see that there were a total of four fishing lines secured to the edge of the barrel. The man closed the lid of the barrel, his eyes finding Iris again.

“Do you have the coin?” his voice sounded like it was being dragged over broken shards of glass.

Iris turned to Maddox who reached into his vest to remove a pouch heavy with coin.

The man’s eyes gleamed with greed as he took the pouch from Maddox and turned to Iris.

“You are not who I expected to be delivering my biggest shipment of azure to, but it’s been a pleasure miss. I hope that we can continue to benefit each other as your business grows.” The man gave her a small bow and climbed the ladder back onto the Green Dragon. The two crew members lowered the remaining nine barrels to the dock and Lucious’ men stacked them onto the wagon. Once loaded, they secured the barrels, covering them with a heavy piece of canvas.

The men pulled the cart through the cobblestone streets back towards Scarlet town. When they entered Lavender District it was deep into the night, the street lanterns had gone dark and the moonlight was weak through the dense fog. Iris gritted her teeth at the loud noise the cart made as it clattered over the cobble stones. Her heart was pounding and she could feel sweat dripping down her back despite the cold night. The acquisition of the azure had gone smoothly and once they made it back to the safe house in Scarlet Town, Iris would be able to relax. She continuously scanned the streets for any movement and focused her ears to listen for any noises over the clattering of the cart. Iris stilled at the distinct sound of steel being drawn from a scabbard. She put up a hand signaling the group to slow.

“In the name of the Grand Ruler, Stop,” a man’s voice carried through the dense fog and his form took shape.

Iris’s heart stuttered, her hand immediately going to her dagger.

She cleared her throat forcing a calmness into her voice, “Is there a problem Sir?” Iris studied the man; he must have come from one of the side streets. He stood with his sword drawn and wore the dark navy uniform with silver trim of the Grand Ruler’s Inspectors. Three more men in matching uniforms appeared from the fog. Iris saw a flicker of movement on the nearest rooftop.

“Your party is being arrested for the purchase and distribution of azure”

Iris assessed the situation; with the help of Lucious’ enforcers they could potentially defeat the Inspectors but it would be bloody and not without losses. She signaled for the men to form a protective circle around the azure, Maddox moved to stand in front of Iris. Iris pulled her dagger, bracing herself for a fight. She motioned for Cora to stand beside her. Iris would not succeed in a direct fight against an Inspector’s sword but she would fight to protect the azure shipment as long as there was a chance of keeping it. There was a twang of a crossbow followed by a cry of pain from Maddox, he twisted with the force of the arrow that sunk into his shoulder. Maddox took a single step back, forcing Iris to step to the side. His knees weakened, a cry left his lips wrenched in pain and he toppled forward, arms limp at his sides.

Iris’ heightened senses sharpened further; time moved in a series of distinct motions. Droplets of condensation streamed along the steel of a sword as it sliced through the fog in an arc towards Iris’ neck. Iris crouched low to the ground, the Inspector’s sword gliding along her shoulder blade, cutting through her cloak and blouse, neatly parting the edges of her skin. Her left palm braced against the slick cobblestone; her right hand tightened its grip on her dagger. With a backhanded motion she carved her dagger along the thick tendon of the Inspector’s ankle. Red sprayed across the gray cobblestone and the Inspector howled and crumpled to the ground.

Another arrow flew through the air, hitting one of the barrels, and ale seeped from the puncture. The sour smell of ale mixed with the rusted odor of blood. From the direction of the second arrow, Iris calculated there to be at least two archers on the rooftops with crossbows. Iris could fight, but she was not skilled, everything she knew was self-taught from the past thirteen years surviving on the streets. With Maddox down and two archers on the roof tops they were not going to fight their way out of this. She needed to get Cora away from the fighting. Iris sprung to her feet and spun to find Cora standing behind her wide eyed. Iris grabbed her arm and pulled them both down to the ground as another arrow whizzed through the fog. There was a sharp cry when the arrow struck true in one of Lucious’ men. The other four enforcers engaged the remaining three Inspectors in combat.

Iris scrambled to her feet pulling Cora with her. Cora’s feet slipped beneath her; Iris tightened her grip on Cora’s arm pulling her forward. She didn’t wait for Cora to gain her balance, instead continuing to tow her along. Cora used Iris’s forward momentum to get her feet beneath her. They sprinted past the Inspectors, past the wet gurgle of a throat being slit followed by the thud of another one of Lucious’ men falling to the ground. Their daggers were no match for the Inspectors’ swords. Cora and Iris raced through the streets of Lavender district towards Scarlet Town.

When they reached the narrow streets of Scarlet Town, Iris stopped to face Cora, both of their chests rising and falling from the exertion of their run and the shock of their narrow escape. Iris’ thoughts were frantic. What had happened? How had everything gone so wrong? In a blink of an eye Iris had lost the azure shipment that she had spent years planning to get! Maddox was dead! She grabbed Cora’s shoulders.

In between ragged breaths, she spoke, “Cora, you have to head to the safe house, take the long route and make sure no one is following you.” Cora nodded; her light brown eyes shining with fear.

Cora’s fear threatened to break Iris so she told Cora what she needed to hear, “Everything will be fine; I will send Sabine to meet you in the morning. I just need to figure a few things out. Don’t worry there is enough coin set aside for you and me to buy another year of life.”

Iris released Cora and stepped back. Tears were welling in Cora’s eyes as she fought to maintain her composure. Cora took Iris’s forearm in a firm grip and Iris gripped Cora’s forearm in return. “Be safe Iris, I will be waiting for you.”

Iris dropped her hold and backed further away. Cora called, “I will be waiting for you Iris.”

Iris nodded, “I will see you soon.”

Iris took to a sprint down the street, not looking back to make sure Cora went as she was told. Iris felt guilty for involving Cora in her trade of azure at the age of fifteen, but Iris had only been thirteen when she had been forced to work for Lucious selling small amounts of azure. Iris’ sister Anna had been fifteen when her life had been taken.

Iris took a circuitous route through sodden streets to Violet House where Sabine worked. When she reached the Brothel, she was gulping breaths of the misty night and her clothes were caked in malodorous mud. She approached the Brothel from the back; Violet House was owned by Exodus Gang and she didn’t want to be seen. Lucious would soon be learning of her failure. The flickering light of a candle could be seen through the thin curtains of Sabine’s window on the second floor. Iris scaled the side of the building, the gash on her shoulder blade stinging as she climbed. She was still able to use the full strength of her arm as she climbed, the cut must not have damaged the muscle. She pulled herself onto the window’s ledge and stood with her back against the building. Iris reached her hand behind her back and grazed her fingers along the cut, the ooze of blood was already starting to slow. She was lucky the wound was superficial and if she kept it clean it would heal with time. A strangled laugh left her lips at the thought of being lucky. The wound would never heal because time was not something she had. Iris wiped the blood from her fingers onto her cloak and pressed her ear to the wall. She listened to make sure that she wasn’t interrupting Sabine with a customer. Hearing nothing, Iris rapped on the windowpane. She heard Sabine’s muted curse and hurried foot-steps to the window. Sabine slid open the window and stepped back so Iris could enter.

Sabine’s room was bigger than Iris’. It contained a large bed with an obscene number of pillows, a comfortable chair, and an armoire made out of fine oak. The décor of the room was Scarlet Town’s best attempt at luxury. Sabine stood in the center of the room; she was wearing a cream-colored robe, her brilliant red hair tied behind her. Sabine’s face was lined with worry as she looked at Iris.

“Iris what happened? Are you hurt? Where is Cora?”

“Sabine, everything went wrong, I don’t know what happened. Cora’s fine. But Maddox…, I don’t know, I don’t know...” Iris sobbed out.

“Iris just breathe, in, out, in, out, in out,” Sabine commanded in a firm but gentle voice.

Iris took several calming breaths and regained some of her composure.

“You will figure something out Iris, you always have a plan, you always land on your feet.”

“That was the plan!” Iris’ voice was pained.

“Okay, Okay, tell me what happened.”

Iris took another deep breath and relayed to Sabine the events of the night. Iris tried to detach herself as she spoke. Sabine was reeling from the information and she struggled to contain her emotions when Iris told her that Maddox was likely dead. Iris and Sabine had been forced into Exodus Gang the same year. Sabine was only one year older than Iris and they had become allies since they first met. Sabine was skeptical of Maddox when he started working for Iris but they had formed a friendship and he was one of the only men that Sabine had learned to trust. Things would never be the same after tonight. Maddox was dead and Iris would be following him shortly.

Iris reached forward and took hold of one of Sabine’s hands. “You need to meet Cora in the morning, I told her to head to the safe house, she will have to stay with you the next couple of days. I need to keep hidden from Lucious until I can figure something out.”

“Whatever you need Iris, just be careful,” Sabine squeezed Iris’ hand and stepped back.

Iris nodded and slipped out of her window into the night.

Iris wound her way through the cramped alleyways until she found an alcove that was hidden from view by a pile of garbage. She fitted herself into the nook, the heap of trash obscuring her from passersby. The sun would rise in a couple hours and she needed to get some rest. Iris pulled her cloak tightly around her as she sat on the saturated ground, her back against the wooden building. Samson emerged from the fog and curled up next to her, giving her some of his warmth. She buried a hand in his soft coat and tears slid down her cheeks. She was still trying to comprehend how her chance at a future had been lost. Who had betrayed her? Was it Horatio, or maybe Crimson’s Gang’s leader Samuel? Did it even matter who had betrayed her? The end result was the same. At the age of thirteen she had vowed that she would never be as foolish as her father to lose her life and those of whom she cared for on a gamble. She had thought that all of her careful planning and hard work had kept risk to a minimum, but she had gambled and lost. She would not let Cora meet the same fate as her sister. Iris closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall but sleep never came.