The Dead God's Destiny -- Prologue

Jack’s leather shoes slipped continuously on the smooth safety railing of the bridge, but he did his best to keep his movements flowing and graceful. An impressed applicant made for a compliant employee, after all. A very attractive compliant employee in this case, thought Jack.

“Do you have to walk up there?” Avasa asked from the safety of the bridge. Jack stopped abruptly and turned, letting his heels hang out over Jengao, toes and the balls of his feet supporting all of his weight. Avasa closed her eyes and her face went nearly as green as the buildings. Jack thought it went well with her short locks and dark skin.

“No, I don’t have to,” said Jack.

“Well,” said Avasa, eyes still closed, “wouldn’t it be less conspicuous? We are stealing, right?”

Jack jumped down to the bridge and back up to the rail. Avasa opened her eyes, saw what he had done, and shut her eyes again. Jack smiled.

“Well, stealing back,” he said.

Avasa’s eyes popped open. “Stealing back?”

Jack continued walking along the rail, and Avasa hurried to keep up. He glanced down and saw at least a dozen balconies, flagpoles, and laundry lines. Most people didn’t realize it, but it would be very hard to fall to your death in a city as tall and layered as Jengao. As long as you kept your head.

“Technically, we’re stealing back,” he said. “An old lady hired me to steal back an heirloom that was stolen from her by another thief.”

Avasa shook her head. “But isn’t that contrary to the dead god’s destiny?”

Jack stopped again, letting his heels dangle. This time Avasa kept her eyes open and met his gaze. “Why is it contrary?” he asked. “The dead god’s destiny says that thieves help Jengao by redistributing the wealth, right? Well, we’ll just be re-redistributing.”

“I don’t think it works that way, Jack.”

“Why not? Where’s your pioneering spirit?”Avasa seemed to think about it, gave up, and then reached a pretty hand towards him. “Please come down.”

Jack took her hand and hopped down to the bridge. He knew she only offered the hand because she wanted him to come down, but he only took it because he wanted to sleep with her. He figured it evened out.

“Think of it this way,” Jack said, continuing to the end of the bridge and keeping Avasa’s hand. “If one thief steals and another steals back, that increases inter-guild competition, right?”

“Exactly,” Avasa said, as if he had just exposed the flaw in his position.

“And competition is healthy, right?”

“Yes.”

“So. Healthier guild, healthier city. Happy dead god, happy Jack.”

“I see,” said Avasa.

The moon hung yellow and nearly full beyond the jagged city skyline. Jack realized Phillipé, his partner, would still need another minute or two.

“Avasa, may I speak frankly?” She gave him a look that said what have you been doing if not speaking frankly? Courteously, Jack ignored it. “You want to work for me because I make a lot of money, right?” She nodded. “You want to sleep with me because I make a lot of money, right?” She withdrew her hand.

“Oh,” said Jack. “Don’t want to sleep with the boss. I understand. We’ll have to suppress our lust.”

“Jack!” Avasa hit him on the shoulder. He smiled. That was the moment he knew he would hire her.

They continued to a balcony near one of Jengao’s tallest towers, and sat on the bench there. Jack rubbed an appreciative finger along the grain of the wood, wondering what it might taste like.

“Do you know why I make a lot of money?” he asked.

“Why?”

“Because I know how to think outside the box.”

Avasa giggled, caught herself, and pressed a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just got an image of a Jack-in-the-box.” She studied him and laughed again. “You look so funny with your head waving on a spring.”

Somehow he had failed to impress her, and had endeared himself instead. Oh well. A fond applicant made an accommodating employee.

He stood up and took a breath. “Let’s go,” he said.

“Go where?” she asked, also standing.

“Let’s get the heirloom.”

Jack watched Avasa’s eyes move from the bridge they had just crossed, to the bridges that ran to their left and right, and then to the tower. Its top reached toward the night sky, its base lost in the clutter of buildings below. Various scents wafted from the lower levels -- spicy food from street vendors and balcony roasts -- and Jack’s stomach growled.

“You’re going to rob someone in the tower?” asked Avasa.

“We’re going to,” said Jack. “Why don’t you show me what you can do with a grappling hook?"

Avasa smiled, and her brown eyes twinkled.

###

Tangible -- mined in the Anarchy, and mixed only in Jengao -- allowed for the construction of very tall buildings. Too tall, for many people’s tastes. Jack glanced back and saw Avasa making her way steadily up the rope. She appeared at ease.

Jack slipped through the open window and found a small, empty room, just like the old lady had promised. He heard a sound, returned to the window, and helped Avasa climb through. Once safely inside, she looked back out and down.

“That’s quite a drop,” she said. Jack made a dismissive sound, and Avasa turned a raised eyebrow on him. “How did you know this room would be empty?”

“The old lady told me. She used to be Ozo’s lover.”

A chair stood near a desk, and Jack sat in it while he waited for the information to sink in. A ledger on the desk logged transactions, and kept track of money laundering. He flipped through it, memorizing.

“What?” Avasa asked after a moment. “Tell me this isn’t...”

“Ozo’s?”

“Tell me this isn’t Ozo’s.”

Jack closed the book. “This is Ozo’s.”

Avasa went green again. “Jack,” she said. “You don’t knock off one of the Five Families. Do you have any idea what they could do to you?” She shook her head and headed back to the window.

“Don’t worry,” Jack said. “I have a plan.”

“Jack. I’m sorry. I know you try to be original, but the only way you could pull this off would be to kill Ozo.”

Jack let his silence speak for him. Avasa gave him a pitying look. “You’re a good thief, Jack, but you could never take Ozo. I doubt if you could even get near him. Let’s get out of here. While we still can.”

Jack moved to the window and gazed up at the moon. “My partner should be finishing him off right about now.”

Avasa swung a leg out the window. “Even the sneakiest thief couldn’t get Ozo. You know this.”

“My partner is an assassin,” said Jack. Avasa flashed him an incredulous look, probably because the dead god’s destiny forbade inter-guild alliances.

“Jack. Goodbye.” She slid her other leg out, and grabbed hold of the rope.

“Have you ever heard of the Platypus?”

Avasa’s eyes went wide. She climbed back inside. Jack wished his own name inspired such confidence.

“Your partner is the Platypus?”

“Well, I am one of the top thieves in Jengao. Why shouldn’t he be my partner?”Avasa unhooked the grapple and hauled up the rope, then walked over and kissed Jack’s cheek. “We’re going to be so rich...”