“You haven’t heard, have you?” the stranger said, his voice thick with the brogue of the Dustworks of Penance. “No ships or trains leaving here till this business with the king blows over. Though the Stones of Sin would be quicker to sway in the wind.”

“The king?” asked Farris, letting a slight look of confusion cross his face. “What happened?”

“War, friend.” His voice was grave. “He’s getting ready to invade Penance. A dozen battalions of mages landed here earlier today. Fifty or so ’mancers in each. Hundreds of soldiers, and they’re all marching out tomorrow. Where, I don’t know. But we’d be in trouble if they choose to head towards Penance.”

Farris considered the stranger for a moment, choosing his next words wisely.

“Surely the Silverback would be a prime candidate to stop them,” he said. “Not to mention the Triad.”

“Ha!” laughed the Simian, pulling his cigar out to let a smile stretch across his face. “The Silverback has less control of the city than a sailor has over the sea. And all the Triad have done is put an embargo on the city, shutting down this port and plunging Penance into chaos in one blundering move.”

“An embargo?” Farris almost spat the words. “I need to get there by the morning. Is there no other way there?”

“Not unless you’re up for a swim.” The Simian grinned. He was enjoying this far too much.

Farris pressed a hand against his forehead as a familiar pressure built up in his skull, as though his brain was threatening to break through. A single pang of terror shot down his spine, slowly spreading out into his limbs. A breath caught in his throat.

I could walk. Take the railway line around the Glenn and under the Steel mountains… but if I’m caught in a tunnel when a train comes….

Another wave of anxiety gripped Farris, and it took every ounce of strength for him not to fall to the ground. If his bones could scream, they’d surely be doing so now.

Farris threw his gaze up to the sky and was almost tempted to say a prayer to make the madness end, when a smile spread across his face instead.

A moonless night, without a single star to spoil it.

The other Simian was staring now, the whites of his eyes shining out in the dark.

“Are you okay, friend?” he said, a little more concerned than before.

“You’re a sailor, right?” said Farris, regarding the Simian’s attire once more. “Are you familiar with the waterfront?”

“No and yes. I’m a fisherman, but I know the ports as well as the sea knows them Herself.”

“I’m looking for a… sailor,” said Farris, almost tripping over his words. “Goes by the name of Jacob the Blind.”

“Ah, the smuggler!” The Simian smiled again, but this time it seemed as if he meant it. “Only the Silverback’s men call him that. Why didn’t you just tell me you were part of the Movement?”

***

Farris didn’t need to travel far to find the residence of Jacob the Blind. He lived in one of the wattle-and-daub hovels facing the sea, all crowded along the pier with their backs against the cliffs. Fortunately, the Simian fisherman had been able to give Farris exactly the directions he needed.

Farris knocked on the door as per his instructions: three quick taps, a brief pause, then four more. The door swung open almost immediately, revealing a rather large Simian in its frame.

“As the tower still stands!” he bellowed, thrusting his giant arms around Farris. “The Silvertongue has returned!”

“I knew there was never anything wrong with your vision,” said Farris, patting a hand against one of Jacob’s massive shoulders. “We have lots of catching up to do, friend, but plenty of time to do it. I need you to take me to Penance.”

Jacob paused, taking a step back as if to consider Farris once again. “I was sure you heard. Penance is closed. Not a soul can go in or out.”

“I know about the situation. That’s why I’ve come to you. Have you got your sails ready for a job?”

“Tonight?” stammered Jacob. “It’s been a long time since I’ve worked, but tonight’s not a good night.”

“Of course it is! Look at how dark the sky is. ‘A moonless night, without a single star to spoil it,’ isn’t that what you used to say?”

“Goes to show how much you know about smuggling. There’s cloud coverage, sure, but the crescent moon of Macha is as bright as they come, and she’s almost blowing a gale tonight. With wind like that, the clouds could pass at a moment’s notice.”

Farris smiled. “Right you may be, Jacob, but you’d be shocked to hear how much I learned about smuggling during my work with the Crown’s intelligence network. Are you familiar with the Black Sail of Cruachan?”

“Familiar? Ha! The bastards only put me out business once they took the crystal trade. What do you know about them?”

“For the past three years, I was investigating their operations between Dromán and Cruachan under the king’s orders. I have information on their suppliers, their routes, and their figures.”

Jacob looked as if his jaw might have fallen to the floor if it hadn’t been so tightly attached to his face.

“Well, that kind of information could very well put me back in the game. I’d be eternally grateful if you’d share even a fraction of it.”

Farris patted Jacob on the shoulder. “Better than that. I’ll tell you all about them on the way to Penance.”

Chapter 4:

The Stones of Sin

As the blood filled his lungs, Fionn woke with fright. The details of the dream faded from his memory, but the fear still remained. In darkness, he waited once more, unable to move.

Gods, what is this place?! roared a voice from inside his head. Why have you forsaken me?!

The words alone may have been enough to frighten the mage, but there was something more unsettling about the voice: it was not his own.

***

“Ruadh’s wind!” cursed Farris, holding a hand up to his eyes. “It’s darker than pitch out here. How can you see?”

Jacob howled with laughter behind him. The smuggler tended to the great black sail of the tiny skiff; his movements surprisingly deft in the darkness.

“You’ll get used to it,” he said. “And someday your eyes will see better in the dark than they can in the light. Then maybe they’ll start calling you blind!”

“Smuggling may suit me,” Farris said. “I’ve learned enough from the Black Sail to start my own venture.”

Jacob howled with laughter again. “Sure, but if all you’ve told me is true, you’d be looking at the wrong crew to learn the ropes. Why is it that they haven’t been caught yet?”

“Corruption,” said Farris. “The captain of Cruachan’s City Guard is being paid to turn a blind eye.”

“That’s Padraig Tuathil, isn’t it? Wasn’t he the one who tried to topple the Guild?”

“Aye, it’s the same fool, alright. He wouldn’t have gotten as close as he did if we hadn’t been stringing him along. It was all carefully planned and perfectly executed by Argyll.”

“Ah now, Farris,” said Jacob. “You’re far too modest for a liar as talented as yourself. Way I heard it, that was mainly your doing. The false informants, the setups… and what was that about scapegoats?”