The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) (32 page)

The members of the various guilds answered to the head of their respective guild. The guild heads, in turn, sat in council with Magistrate Jaren and basically ran the whole city. It was difficult to even function in the city without being a member of some guild. You would be constantly grilled as to which guild you belonged to, because people seemed to be very suspicious of those not affiliated with any guild.

There were so many guilds that there was even an ice harvester’s guild, where ships would travel far to the north and cut blocks of ice from the mountains to bring back for the fishermen. This way, the fishermen could pack their fish or whatever they caught, in ice for transport to other cities to sell, without the fish spoiling.

Of course, the dockworkers and fisherman’s guild were the two largest and most powerful guilds in Yilavo City. Actually, the fisherman’s guild was so large it was divided into two factions.

Allysix was beginning to think she had picked the wrong place to try and revive her power. She did best when things were chaotic and unorganized, and she thrived on the confusion and turmoil that resulted from it. Yilavo City was much too organized and structured with all the guilds. But then again, there were always people of weak character willing to sell their souls, Allysix just needed to find them.

As it turned out, the two factions within the fisherman’s guild were somewhat at odds with each other over a matter of territory or some such petty trifle. Allysix didn’t know for sure the details of it, and didn’t really care either. It was the unrest and potential for conflict that interested her. She needed some way to infiltrate the guild, and plant seeds to make the dissension between the two factions grow.

Surprisingly enough, there were tensions between many of the guilds, as well as between some guilds and the magistrate. All they needed were some well placed nudges to get the beehive buzzing.

The city itself was nice enough, Allysix supposed, but even it was uniform and structured, laid out in a precise grid of cobblestone streets. The street sweeper’s guild made sure the streets were clean and tidy, which was a refreshing change from many cities she remembered. Carts and vendors were not allowed to setup on streets or corners. In order to sell any goods in Yilavo City, a person must have a shop and belong to the appropriate guild.

The City Watch patrolled the streets regularly and kept strict order. The only exception was the area southwest of the Sanchi River. Once you crossed the river and entered the Carp District it was almost like a different city. The seedier less reputable people lived here. It was a maze of alley’s and warrens with little or no semblance of order or uniformity. Even the City Watch didn’t cross the river, but left the denizens to fend for themselves. The Carp District is where Allysix had found Maggas, and of course, it was also where the thief’s guild did its business.

Allysix had to revise her earlier estimate of the size of the city. It actually sprawled several leagues northeast along the coast. With that, and the Carp District, she supposed Yilavo City was three or four times bigger than she originally thought it to be.

Now that she had established a seat of power of sorts among the Black Brotherhood in the Carp District, and gotten them in line with her plans, Allysix decided it was time to pay a visit to a seamstress. She was tired of the plain garb she had been forced to put up with. She deserved something a little more befitting her power and station.

Allysix had queried around seeking the best seamstress, but because of the guilds influence, it seemed that everyone was equally as good as another. It was somewhat infuriating. No one would come out and commit to an opinion as to who was best, or even better than someone else. After countless inquiries, and eventually resorting to some small
persuasions
, Allysix was finally able to get a few people to concur that Mistress Issanya was a little better than the others.

Mistress Issanya’s shop was tidy and well kept, with bolts of fabric lining the walls in neat rows. There were tables to each side with fabric laid across them in what seemed at first to be a haphazard way, and out of countenance with the orderliness of her shop. However, on second look, you could see they had been placed with care and precision to complement each other with their colors and patterns, and even the way they draped across one another. There was a partial wall towards the rear of the building where Allysix knew from experience, the pinning and fitting would take place once the fabrics were chosen.

The seamstress was a stern-faced, motherly looking woman of middle years. The perpetual expression she wore seamed to say, she would brook no nonsense. Her light brown hair, which was tinged with just a touch of grey, was pinned in a tight bun at the back of her head. She was of average build and stature, not slender, but just bordering on portly. Everything about her was precise and meticulous, from the straight seams in her dress, to the fact that not a single wisp of hair escaped her bun.

Mistress Issanya was indeed proficient in her craft, and had been more than helpful in choosing fabrics that would not only work well with each other, but would favor Allysix’s complexion, as well as her frame.

Once the fabrics were chosen, they moved behind the partition wall where Allysix would stand on a small pedestal while Mistress Issanya pinned the dress for proper fitting. Allysix attempted several times to strike up a conversation with the woman, but it seemed that the seamstress was not especially talkative.

After several failed attempts at small talk, Allysix changed her approach to be a little more direct. Perhaps this woman preferred straight talk, but Allysix would still need to be cautious with her words.

“Have you heard any interesting news lately?” Allysix asked the woman casually.

“News? What news? Just the same old gossip that there always is. Nothing much changes her in Yilavo City,” Issanya said a little impatiently, not taking her eyes from her work.

After a several moments of silence, Allysix was surprised when the seamstress spoke again. “You aren’t from around here, are you?” Issanya asked, glancing up at Allysix from the corner of her eye as she continued pinning.

“As a matter of fact, I’m not. I arrived here only a short time ago, having traveled down from the north,” Allysix answered without really thinking. She was just happy the woman had actually asked
her
a question.

“North? There isn’t much north of here but a few villages. I would not have taken you for a village folk. You have the look and manner of a city dweller. Perhaps even a rich merchant’s daughter.” The seamstress said with a tight lipped smile.

“Ah yes,” Allysix replied with satisfaction. This woman was more clever than Allysix supposed. It was good not to be mistaken for one of the country fools. “I am actually from the west, and I just wanted to travel a bit. I meant, I had traveled most recently from the north. You are right, it was disappointing, there isn’t anything worth seeing there.”

The other woman gave her a disbelieving smile; after all, Allysix did look quite young to be out traveling about on her own. However, some of
her
was beginning to surface, and now Allysix did look slightly older than the girl Brigette whose body she inhabited. She appeared to be at least in her late teens.

“Has there been news of any……trouble….in the city as of late?” Allysix asked after a moment.

The seamstress stopped what she was doing and looked at Allysix, with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. “What do you mean by that?” she asked sternly, “you aren’t trying to stir up trouble are you?”

“Oh no, no… I would never,” Allysix said, batting her eyelids and wearing a look of feigned innocence.

Allysix supposed this woman was not the one she wanted to be asking these types of questions. She was finally going to get proper attire after all this time. The last thing she wanted was to anger the seamstress to the point that she intentionally did shoddy work, or even worse, send her away with nothing. If that happened, Allysix would have to find some other seamstress, and she did not want the hassle of that right now. She decided to remain silent for the rest of the fitting, except for an occasional compliment for the woman. After all, everyone liked to be praised for their work.

Finally, the pinning and fitting was finished and Allysix paid the woman the deposit for her to get started on the dresses. Mistress Issanya told her it would be a week or two before the first ones would be ready, and asked where she could send the finished product.

“I will just check back in a couple of weeks to pick them up myself,” Allysix told the seamstress. The scandalized look on the woman’s face, told Allysix that she had obviously done something wrong again. It most likely had something to do with these blasted guilds and their rules.

“I’m staying at the Lady of the Sea Inn currently, but I may be changing to a different inn, you see. So it might be better if I just come by when the dresses are finished.” Allysix said as demurely as she could manage.

The woman’s eyes glared with suspicion, and still tinged with scandal. “Well……yes, then, you check back and let me know where you will be staying, and I will have the delivery boys bring the dresses to you there,” her tone left no room for negotiation.

After agreeing to notify the seamstress of her accommodations, Allysix left the shop irritated and short tempered. What a bother, Allysix thought, now she would have to get a room at an Inn just to be able to get her dresses from the seamstress. She didn’t think the woman would like it one bit if she told her that she had taken up residence in Maggas’ former accommodations. In any case, Allysix was sure these delivery boys would not bring the dresses to her in the Carp District.

Allysix stalked down the street in the direction of the river, still perturbed at the inconvenience. It was evening, and many of the shops were preparing to close, or had already closed, with the owners having gone home for the night. The streets were fairly quiet, with only a few other people who seemed intent on just getting to where they were going without dawdling.

Another thing that irked Allysix was the lack of carts or wagons in the city, not that they would enter the Carp District if there had been. But they could have at least taken her to the river. It seemed the street sweeper’s guild had petitioned the Magistrate to ban carts and wagons from the streets. Apparently, the street sweepers didn’t like cleaning up the mess the horses made.
Who had ever heard of that?
There were only a few streets in the whole city where horses and wagons were allowed. Of course, they all ran to and from the docks, and not in the direction she needed to go.

As Allysix continued down the street past many shops, with her anger rising with each street she passed, suddenly she felt hands grab her from behind, pulling her through a doorway and inside a building. At the same instant, a black hood was pulled over her head obscuring her vision. Allysix was angry enough that she was about to strike out and teach these street thugs a lesson, when she heard a woman’s voice, “Keep quite and do as we say and you might not get hurt.” That alone was enough to pique Allysix’s interest and stay her hand.

Allysix felt ropes being wound around her wrists to bind them behind her back. “Make sure you tie them good and tight,” a different woman’s voice said.

This was interesting,
Allysix thought to herself. She had never heard of women thugs, but she realized she was still in the city proper, and the City Watch would not stand for that type of activity here.
So what did these women want with her?
It fed her curiosity and she decided to go along with them to find out.

From the smell that wafted through the black hood that had placed over her head, it was evident that Allysix had to be in a baker’s shop. The aroma of baked bread and pastries was strong in the air. The women led Allysix to the back of the shop where she heard the creek of a door opening. She supposed they were taking her out to a back alley, possibly to a different building.

“Watch your step,” the first woman said impatiently, “there are stairs ahead.”

Stairs?
Apparently the women were not leading her out back to an ally after all. Instead, they led her down a flight of stairs, presumably to a basement underneath the Baker’s shop. The basement smelled dank and musty, and reminded Allysix of the cave where she had been imprisoned. Whatever it was these women planned, they needed to get to it. Allysix didn’t like it here, and was quickly loosing her patience.

After they reached the bottom of the stairs, they continued a short ways forwards before Allysix heard another door open and was forced roughly through it. A few more paces through the door, and she was forced to stop. The first woman said, “Wait here.”

Wait here?
Allysix thought.
Wait for what?
Her patience was wearing thin now, and she was just about to end this whole charade.

“Go get the others,” the woman who spoke this time sounded familiar, and Allysix racked her brain to put a face to the voice. It finally occurred to her,
could it be?

Allysix heard two sets of footsteps climbing back up the stairs. Both of the women that had brought her here had left. The hood was suddenly removed roughly from Allysix’s head to reveal the source of the familiar voice.