Seventh Street ten minutes. You canât have known him.â
âHe was going to be my apprentice,â I said.
He pointed at me, nodding solemnly, as if this explained everything.
âWas he sad to go?â I asked.
âNot so far as you could tell,â said Deveril. âKept himself to himself, you know? Didnât really, as it were, socialize with the rest of the chaps. But no, didnât seem sad.â
âHow long had he been here?â
âEight months. Maybe nine.â
âAnd he came straight from the Drowning?â
âThatâs right. His grandmother set it up when his mother died. Tough old bird, she was. Wanted a five-shilling finderâs fee for bringing him, if you can believe that. Never even looked at him while she haggled. I gave her two, and she left without another word to him. Just walked out and never looked back.â He gave a hard, knowing smile. âNo one much cared about Berrit,â he said. âTill you. Whatâs that all about?â
âWas anyone else involved in the Morlak trade?â I asked, ignoring his question.
âLike who?â
I shrugged. âBerrit told people he thought he was moving up.â
Deveril gave me a shrewd look. âAnd you reckon that, Mr. Morlak not being everyoneâs cup of tea, there must have been someone else involved to make little Berrit feel good about the move. Not that I know of, no. Though he said he had friends in high places.â
âWhen did he say that?â
âLast time I saw him. After Morlak had agreed to the trade, Berrit came back for his few bits and bobs. I had a little sit-down with him, make sure he was all right, you know?â
âAnd he was?â
âBetter than,â said Deveril. âQuite content, flashing around his advance wages.â
âAdvance wages?â I parroted. That did not sound like Morlak at all.
âMy thoughts exactly,â said Deveril. âThatâs when he said it. I asked him where that had come from, and he gave me this look. Sort of sly, pleased with himself, you know? And he said, âFriends in high places, Mr. Deveril.â Always very respectful was young Berrit. I appreciated that.â
âDid his advance wages include this?â I asked, producing the sun-disk pendant.
Deveril peered at it and grinned. âNah,â he said. âHad that when he first came. It was his motherâs, he said. Only time I saw him really angryâand I mean serious, animal angryâwas when one of the bigger kids took it from him. Boy went off like a cannon. They left him alone after that, I can tell you.â
âAnd thatâs all he said. âFriends in high placesâ?â
âNot a word more, like it was his little secret,â said Deveril. âLike he wanted me to know he was moving up, even if he couldnât say how. Ironical, really, ainât it?â he added.
âWhat is?â
âWell, he did go up in the world, didnât he?â said Deveril with a bleak smile. âJust came down again right quick.â
For a second I just looked at him, then managed to say, âYou have his grandmotherâs name written down somewhere?â
âWritten down?â he scoffed. âNah. Writing is for the slow and clumsy. Me, I like to stay agile.â
âMeaning you canât read,â I said.
He grinned. âWriting makes people sloppy,â he said. âMe, I keep all I need up here.â He tapped the side of his jaunty top hat.
âIncluding the name of Berritâs grandmother?â I prompted.
âMinel,â he said proudly. âMinel Samar. Didnât think Iâd know that, did ya?â
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
AS I MADE MY way to the Drowning, I considered what I would say to Florihn and Rahvey. I could not take the child now. That was clear, blood oath or no blood oath. Things had changed in ways I could not have foreseen, and
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