The Players Assemble

Riki had visited Landfall twice as a child, staying with an aunt who lived on the south side of the city. The memories of playing in the street with her cousins and visiting the great temple were clear in her mind. A small square had been nearby, with a statue of a mounted rider. With this to work on, Riki was sure she could find her aunt's home again, although she had no idea whether her relatives still lived there, and she had other, safer leads to pursue first.

Her route, down a wide street lined with shops, took her toward the center of the city. The midday sounds, sights, and smells of Landfall washed over her like an avalanche, the vibrant anarchy that she remembered. Riki loved the wilderness, the beauty of mountains and forests, yet the city had a mad energy, a sense that anything was possible, that at any moment, some new opportunity might open before her. Riki was sure it would get tiring after a while and she would long for solitude and silence, but for the moment, she was enjoying the buzz that made her feel in some way more alive than normal.

As soon as she reached the Homelands, Riki had acquired some nondescript clothing while the owners were not looking. Once dressed so as not to draw attention, she had sold the two horses and bought an old pony. She had covered the distance to Landfall at a steady rate, staying at the cheapest lodgings. The money from the horses was holding out well and would last her to Highview and beyond. However, she did not want to go all the way to the far side of the Homelands, only to find out that her gene mother no longer lived there.

Jan, her oldest sister, had moved to Landfall with her partner several years before Riki and her birth mother fled. She had been a member of the Merchants' Guild and worked as a clerk at their guildhall. Even though Jan might also have moved on, as a Guild member, her whereabouts would be known, and a matter of public record. All Riki had to do was ask, and the guildhall was certainly easy to find.

Riki halted her pony outside the ornate façade and tied its reins. A broad flight of polished steps led up to an entrance with the words Merchants' Guildhall engraved above. Deep stone mullioned windows on either side were glazed with expensive clear white glass, rather than common green. A row of carved gargoyles looked down from the rooftop. The Merchants' Guild was wealthy and wanted to make sure everyone knew it.

Riki stopped just inside the doorway and looked around for somebody who could give directions. Several candidates were in sight. Riki was working out who best to approach, but it was not necessary. Her uncertainty attracted notice and a woman bustled over—a scribe, Riki guessed from her ink-stained fingers.

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so. I'm passing through Landfall and I thought I'd look up my cousin who used to work here some years back. Her name's Jan Diaz. I don't know if she's still here."

The scribe smiled. "Yes, she is. She'll be working, but I'm sure she can spare a few moments. Who shall I say it is?"

"Tina. Tina Diaz."

Riki gave the name of a cousin. Her own was not wise to toss around casually. Most likely, the clerk would not recognize it and would know nothing of the sister who had joined the heretics, but there was no point taking the risk. Jan might be confused, especially if Tina was still living in Landfall, but she would put it down to a garbled message. Regardless, she was unlikely to refuse to see Tina—unless they'd had some major falling-out while Riki had been in the Wildlands.

The scribe returned in a few minutes. "She can see you. I'll show you to her office."

"Has she got her own office now?"

"Oh yes. She got promoted to head of archives two years ago."

Riki smiled. A private meeting would make things easier. The scribe led her down a short flight of stairs and rapped helpfully on a door. She then smiled again at Riki and left.

"Enter," a voice called out.

Riki pushed the door open and stepped inside. Jan was alone, sitting at a desk by the window. She was older than Riki remembered, and heavier, although that was only to be expected for someone now in her mid-thirties. Her face held a look of mild confusion that changed to surprise.

"I'm sorry. I thought Liz said you were my cousin Tina."

"That's what I told her to say."

"But you're not... Who are you?"

Riki moved closer. "Don't you recognize me?"

"No. I don't think I..." Jan's voice died. "By the Goddess! Riki?"

Riki nodded.

"What are you doing here?"

"Coming home."

"But you...you haven't told anyone who you are, have you? If the Guards—"

"No. That's why I told your clerk I was Tina."

Jan sank back in her chair and smiled weakly. "Right."

Suddenly Jan's face split in a huge grin. She launched herself from her chair and flung her arms around Riki. "Oh, little sis. It's good to see you. I've been wondering and worrying about you and Mama Kav."

"I've missed you. I've missed all of you." Riki laughed and returned the hug, slapping Jan's back. She felt tears welling in her eyes. "And I want to hear all the news. Have you made me an auntie again? How about Sue and Bron?"

"Six times over, between us." Jan stepped back, holding Riki at arm's length. Her expression shifted from joy to astonishment and back. "How long can you stay in Landfall?"

"As long as you'll have me."

Jan took a deep breath. "Great. We've a lot of catching up to do. But not here. If I give you my address, do you think you can find it?"

"If you throw in a few directions as well."

Jan swung around and stretched across her desk, taking a pen from its stand and pulling a scrap of paper toward her. She dipped the pen in an inkwell.

"Okay. Here you go. Fia's birth mother lives with us. She'll be there and will let you in if you show her this and tell her..." Jan paused, biting her lip. "She's met Tina, so we can't use her. Um...tell her you're my cousin's daughter, Vanda Sadiq. You remember her?"

"She not around?"

"Haven't heard from her in years. It should be safe."

Riki took the note and nodded. "Fine. I'll see you there tonight." Jan reached out and rubbed Riki's head, a familiar gesture from

their childhood. Riki felt her throat constricting and tears again in her eyes.

"Sure thing, little sis. I'll try to get home early. I'm so pleased to see you. I want all the news."

 

Jan and her partner, Fia, lived in a modest three-story townhouse in a quiet area of the city, with their three daughters and Fia's elderly mother. The home was snug, noisy, and affectionate. Only Fia was let in on the secret of Riki's true identity. The children were too young to trust their discretion, and the old woman was a little too devout in her beliefs to confide in. Even so, she was unlikely to have informed to the Guards—not with her own daughter implicated—but it would have placed an unnecessary strain on her conscience, and she was a sweet, soppy old soul who nobody wanted to upset.

The children were happy to bounce over any new relative. Riki played with them until their bedtime. The grandmother went next, followed shortly by Fia, who worked in the market and would be making an early start in the morning.

With the house at peace, the two sisters sat at the kitchen table, sharing a pot of tea. The walls around them were lined with overflowing shelves. Light from the candle on the table reflected on copper pans hanging over the stove. The long summer's day was over and the window shutters were closed. Sounds from the city outside were muted. Now they could talk without inhibition.

Jan leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "So why have you returned? Weren't you happy with the heretics?"

"Not really." Riki wrinkled her nose. "And then I got blamed for something I hadn't done. But I couldn't prove it. So I legged it."

"You've left Mama Kav alone?"

Riki shrugged. "I didn't have a choice. But she's not totally alone."

Jan smiled. "She's found a new partner?"

"Sort of."

"And she knows you're innocent?"

"I don't know. We didn't get a chance to talk. I hope so, but..." Riki shrugged and stared into her tea.

She had not been thinking about her mother, but that was to block out uncomfortable images. How had her mother taken the news? Had she been upset? Riki pursed her lips. Stupid question. Of course her mother had been distraught, grief-struck, and frantic. Riki knew how many times she had deliberately tried to hurt her mother. She now regretted it and wished she could have the chance to say she was sorry. But most of all, she would like her mother to know that this time she was innocent and had not been trying to cause trouble. Her mother might be the only one in the Wildlands who would believe Riki when she denied betraying Tanya. Too late to wish she had given a better return on her mother's unconditional love.

"I'm pleased she's found someone new." Jan's voice recalled her to the kitchen.

Riki took a sip of tea. She did not want to talk about Westernfort any more than she could help—certainly not with so many other topics she would rather discuss. "How about Mama Eli? Has she found someone?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

The harsh tone caught Riki by surprise. "You're not in contact with her?"

"No."

"How about Sue and Bron?"

"They won't have anything to do with her either."

"Why?"

Jan sighed and leaned back. "You were too young to get involved back then. You were shielded from most of what went on, but I guess you're old enough now. So, the short answer. Mama Eli was an evil, two-timing bitch."

"But…she was..." Riki was bewildered.

"I got most of the story secondhand from Bron. Fia and I were here in Landfall for the last few years, and Sue had just moved in with Penny. But Bron was still living at home and she kept us both up to date with what was going on." Jan pursed her lips. "Did you know about Mama Eli and her string of tarts?"

"No."

"I found out when I was fourteen. I was skipping school with some friends. We snuck back home, and I saw Mama Eli with another woman. They were"—Jan grimaced—"I'll spare you the details. Let's say they weren't just having a quiet chat."

"Did Mama Kav know?"

"I think she must have, deep down, though mostly she acted like she didn't. But I'm sure she had suspicions. Sometimes, you'd see the hurt on her face. And once I knew what to look for, it wasn't hard to spot when Mama Eli was on to a new woman. I told Sue about it, but Bron worked it out for herself."

"No one told me."

"You were too young. And you and Mama Eli were really close. I mean, I'm her birth daughter and I never had the sort of bond with her that you did. She always showed you her best side and behaved when you were around."

Riki put her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands. The revelations were the last thing she had expected, and impossible to reconcile with the home she remembered. She had been twelve when the family had split up. Had she really been that immature back then, for the truth to be so completely hidden from her?

Riki lifted her head. "Did Mama Kav ever find out?"

"Yes. Because Mama Eli told her all about it. A couple of months before you had to run, Mama Eli started a new affair, but this one got way more serious that the rest. Mama Eli totally lost her head. The week before you fled, she finally got it out in the open and told Mama Kav she was going to leave her and go off with this new tart."

"I don't remember this."

"You wouldn't. You were the baby of the family, and everyone was protecting you. Mama Eli waited until you were staying overnight with Sue, so she and Mama Kav could scream the house down without upsetting you. But Bron was there and heard it all."

"So Mama Kav took me and left? Was the heretic thing just an excuse?"

The grimace on Jan's face got even more sour. "The Guards were coming, sure enough." Jan met Riki's eyes. "You were the problem. I think maybe you were why Mama Eli stuck around so long to start with. She was fine about leaving Mama Kav, but she wouldn't leave you. But with this new woman, she was torn, because if our mothers split up, you'd go with your birth mother, not her."

Anticipating what would come next, Riki felt a cold hand squeeze her stomach.

Jan continued. "Mama Eli knew about Mama Kav tinkering with the heretics. I don't think she gave a flying fuck about the beliefs. What she saw was a way to hang on to you. She was the one who informed on Mama Kav. She told the Guards. Luckily Bron found out and was able to warn Mama Kav and give her the chance to escape before the Guards arrived."

Riki slumped back and stared at the ceiling. She felt as if her past had been stolen from her, that her memories had been smashed and poisoned. She was shocked, horrified, but was she surprised? Riki remembered Mama Eli guiding her through the undergrowth, playing football with her, tickling her, telling her stories. She had loved Mama Eli with a child's unquestioning trust. But considering her with a critical adult eye? Mama Eli had been devious, a rule breaker, unreliable, and if something was not fun then she was not interested in it. Riki swallowed. In fact, Mama Eli was a lot like her.

Riki's thoughts returned to Jan's story. "Did Bron tell Mama Kav who had turned her in?"

"No. She kept the details from her. To be honest, there wasn't time for big explanations. And she thought that Mama Kav had enough to deal with, without knowing that her partner of thirty years was trying to murder her."

"Murder?"

"That's the way we see it. Just because her murder weapon was the Guards and the law doesn't make it any better than if she'd tried to stick a knife in her. That's why we've had nothing to do with her since the day you went. Bron moved in with Sue and Penny that very night. She went back once to pick up her things, but that's been it. Mama Eli wrote to me twice. I burned the letters, unopened. She wanted Mama Kav dead so she'd get custody of you."

Riki stared down at the tabletop, struggling to come to terms with a new wave of guilt. Tears blurred her vision. "I didn't...it's not..."

Jan reached across and grabbed her hand. She rubbed her thumb over Riki's knuckles. "You mustn't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. You were just a kid."

 

Riki sat curled in a window seat on the top floor of her sister's house, staring down on the street below with unfocused eyes. The day had been spent thinking about Jan's disclosures of the previous night, and none of the places her thoughts had taken her had been good.

Jan had said she was not to blame for the family breakup, but how much guilt should she carry for everything that had followed? Riki thought about the mother she had worshipped and the mother she had blamed. How could she have been so stupid as to get them round the wrong way? And what could she do about it now?

Riki's eyes turned to the west. She wanted to see her birth mother again, to say she was sorry for everything she had done, and to say that, through it all, no matter how it might have seemed, she had loved her. Riki wiped her eyes on her sleeve again. Crying was something else she had done a lot of that day.

What could she do? If she returned to Westernfort she would be arrested, tried, and hanged. In her current frame of mind, this did not seem too much of an issue, but it would not do Mama Kav any good. Maybe Jan and the others could collect up letters for Riki to take with her. Surely she would be allowed to hand them over. Would Mama Kav feel that getting childish notes and drawings from the granddaughters she had never seen was enough of a repayment for the grief Riki had caused her over the years?

Of course, the letter Riki really wanted was one from Tanya Coppelli, saying something like, Rikako Sadiq is innocent. It was all that frigging bitch Lokelani Stevenson. Riki's gaze shifted to the temple. The huge dome loomed over the rooftops. Was Tanya also currently in Landfall, imprisoned in the Guards' compound beside the temple? Not that it made any difference. The Intelligence Corps would hardly be allowing visitors.

Riki's thoughts drifted on. Tanya was somebody else who she would like to talk with and see if they could improve their relationship. They were due some bonding over mutual hatred of Loke Stevenson. Unless it turned into another competition over who hated the bitch more, in which case Riki would concede. Loke's schemes would have killed them both, but in her case they had failed, and it was a clean death in a hangman's noose. Riki's expression hardened. There was no hope of them meeting again, and thinking of the Corps' reputation, Riki hoped, for Tanya's sake, that she was already dead.

The sound of the street door opening below was followed by delighted squeals from her nieces. Jan must be home from work. Riki sighed. She really should go down and be sociable. Yet she was not in the mood for anything much other than brooding.

Footsteps on the stairs made her look back. Jan strolled into the room, a smile of greeting on her face.

"Hi. How's your day been?"

"Okay." This was not strictly true. Riki shrugged. "I've had a lot on my mind." She shifted around on the seat to allow more space for her sister to slip onto.

Jan examined her red eyes for a few seconds, then reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "I guess you have. I've had a long time to get used to the idea that one of my mothers is a frigging heap of shit."

"Yup." Riki did not want to say more. She turned her face back to the window.

Jan watched in silence for a while. "The guildhall's been buzzing with rumors today."

"Really? What about?" Riki asked listlessly.

"One of your heretics. Is there someone in Westernfort named Coppelli? Been there about twenty-five years?"

"Captain Coppelli? The commander of the Rangers?"

"Could be her. Is she Old Lady Coppelli's daughter?"

"Who's Old Lady Coppelli?"

Jan laughed. "Oh, you are out of touch with the way of things in Landfall. The Coppellis are the richest, most important, powerful bunch of rogues in the city. They run the Merchants' Guild, and just about everything else. They've got hooks in every game in town. And the old lady, Isabel Coppelli, is at the center of it all."

Riki faced Jan, her interest kindled. "So what's the rumor?"

"Well, there's long been stories about one of Isabel's daughters. How she disappeared and became a heretic. The stories now are that she'd been captured by the Guards and brought back to Landfall."

"The captain? I doubt it. She was safe in Westernfort when I left. I think your sources have got it wrong. The captain's daughter, Tanya, was the one captured." Riki pulled a wry pout. "She might be this Isabel's granddaughter. I told you I was blamed for something I didn't do. It was about Tanya's capture. Someone framed me as the one who'd handed her over to the Guards."

"But it wasn't you, was it?"

"Of course not."

"That's a relief. It's one thing being a heretic and upsetting the Sisters and the Guards, but you don't fuck around with the Coppellis." Jan was smiling as she spoke, but Riki got the feeling that she was not entirely joking.

"So, is there any news about what's happened to Tanya?"

"Yes, that's what I was coming to. It's what the rumors have been about. Apparently, the old lady marched in and got the Chief Consultant to order the Intelligence Corps to release her daughter, or granddaughter, from their prison and had her locked up in the temple instead."

"But could she do that? Can anybody make the Sisterhood do what she tells them to?"

"If anyone can, it's Isabel Coppelli."

 

The Coppelli mansion made the Merchants' Guildhall look shoddy. Riki stood in the street staring up at the four-story edifice. A high iron railing and gateway sealed off the gravel forecourt from the street. Twin ramps swept around and up from there to the colonnaded front door.

Riki pushed on the gate. To her surprise it was unlocked, although on more thought, who would dare to enter, uninvited? She paused, looking left and right, while wondering whether it might be better to hunt for a tradesman's entrance. But she wanted to see Isabel Coppelli. This was the quickest way to find someone qualified to deal with her request.

The main door was carved from dark wood, and so highly polished that Riki could see her reflection in it. The knocker was a huge brass affair. Dismissing any doubts, Riki rapped it twice sharply. Within seconds the door was opened by a heavily built woman with large fists. Her eyes ran over Riki, sizing her up.

"Can I help you?" She delivered the words with surprising courtesy. From the woman's looks, she would be better suited to spitting out threats.

"I'd like to speak to Madam Isabel Coppelli, if I may."

The doorman again subjected Riki to a once-over and then stood back. "Come inside to wait. Who shall I say you are?"

Riki slipped into the entrance hall. "She won't know my name. But can you tell her that it's about her granddaughter, Tanya Coppelli? I'm, er...a friend of hers."

The doorman nodded as she closed the door. "I'll see she gets the message." She padded away to another doorway and then spoke quietly to someone inside.

Riki looked around. The entrance hall alone was bigger than the entire ground floor of Jan's house. The overall impression was of light and good taste. An ornate stairway led up to a second-floor balcony. A round stained glass window above the door cast blurs of pastel color across the floor tiles. Paintings hung on paneled walls and porcelain statues stood in alcoves.

Riki was surprised that a stranger, dressed like herself, would so readily be granted admission. Yet something in the doorman's attitude made her think maybe people of disreputable appearance were not infrequent guests of the Coppellis and that it was unwise to give such people offense until you knew more about them.

A new figure appeared at the top of the staircase. This was an older, smaller woman, with the air of a personal attendant. She trotted to Riki's side.

"You were the person seeking to speak with Madam Coppelli, on the matter of her granddaughter?"

"Yes."

"Please, follow me."

Riki was led through the house to a small upstairs study. Books lined the walls and a solid wooden desk stood in the middle of the room. An elderly woman was seated there. Papers lay on the desk, although she showed no sign of having been reading. At a wave of dismissal, the attendant bowed out of the room, shutting the door as she went.

The seated woman's face held an expression of shrewd calculation. Riki met her gaze as steadily as she could. She sensed that she was being weighed up by someone who had no difficulty spotting a fool or a fraudster, and no qualms about dealing ruthlessly with either.

"You wished to see me."

"Yes, if you're Madam Isabel Coppelli."

The woman nodded in acknowledgment. "I am."

"I'm Rikako Sadiq. I know my name means nothing to you, but it will to your granddaughter."

"Ah yes, my granddaughter." Isabel Coppelli steepled her fingers, thoughtfully. "I know rumors are flying around certain sections of Landfall at the moment. But as far as I'm aware, none of these rumors contain the name you gave to my doorman. And I'm wondering how you came to hear it."

Riki licked her lips. This was the crucial point. Was Isabel Coppelli truly interested in her granddaughter's well-being, or was it just a political game?

"I know because I'm Private Rikako Sadiq of the Westernfort Rangers, and Tanya Coppelli is my patrol corporal. I was under her command when she was captured."

"Ah. I did wonder. But how do I know you're really who you claim to be, rather than an Intelligence Corps agent, here to stir up trouble?"

"Have you spoken with Tanya yet?"

"I have."

"Tanya's gene mother is Katryn Nagata. She has three sisters: Amy, Del, and Kay. Her twenty-third birthday was on March 26. We celebrated it while out on patrol. She doesn't have a steady partner or children. Kay's the oldest after Tanya, and she's a baker. Amy's the youngest and says she wants to be a Ranger as well when she grows up. Del's at that age where she doesn't know what she wants to do, and wouldn't tell anyone if she did." Riki paused. "I doubt the Corps interrogators have even asked for any of this, but I suspect a grandmother wouldn't have talked about much else, once you got past the opening formalities."

Isabel Coppelli leaned forward chuckling. "Oh, my dear. I don't know how long it is since someone last second-guessed me so well. Although maybe it isn't such a hard call." She raised her eyes again to Riki. "So. Why are you here?"

"I want to help Tanya escape and get her back to Westernfort. I'm hoping you share my aim."

"Supposing I did. Do you have any idea how difficult it would be?"

"I'm new to Landfall, so probably not. But I know you've got her out of the Corps dungeon and into the temple. It's a start."

"And an end too. I have a degree of influence with the Chief Consultant. But I've already pushed it to its limit."

"I think you could do just about anything you set your mind to."

"The Coppellis are a wealthy, powerful family, but if we blatantly break the law, the Sisterhood will crush us. We cannot defy them."

Despite what the words said, Riki sensed undercurrents. The old matriarch was thinking, scheming, and calculating. She would not give up, and there was no more imaginative or capable force in Landfall.

Riki paused while she considered what she knew and what conjectures she could draw. "So we need to get the Sisterhood to set Tanya free, without them knowing what they've done."

Isabel Coppelli did not bat an eyelid. "Do you have any idea how to do that?"

"No. But I suspect you do. Maybe not the full plan, but you're working on it. I'm here to offer my services, for whatever help I can give."