Undercity by Catherine Asaro

be next.”
    I stared out the window at the outskirts of Cries passing below us, long stretches of stone terraces that went on and on, aesthetic and empty. I said only, “I know.”
    “That name, Caul Waver, it sounds like an alias.”
    “Apparently.” I shook myself mentally and said, “Max, any luck in finding either the name Caul Wayer or Caul Waver on the passenger manifest of any ship?”
    “Sorry, nothing.” His voice came out of my gauntlet comm. “The port mesh system is well-protected.”
    “I can have Royal check,” Jak said.
    I squinted at him. “Who?”
    “Royal Flush.”
    “Oh. Yah.” I’d forgotten. He had named his gauntlet EI after the legendary poker hand that earned Jak the money to start the Black Mark. He’d been training that EI for decades. It was famous. Or maybe infamous was a better word. Jak never offered its services for free. “What price?” I asked.
    His gaze darkened. “That you don’t get yourself killed.”
    I managed a smile. “Deal.”
    While he spoke into his comm, telling Royal what we wanted, I watched, intrigued. Jak had one of the best networks in the undercity. Rumor claimed his system was even more extensive—and more shadowy—than the Cries military network. I didn’t try to see what pass codes he entered. Honor among thieves and all. I no longer stole from anyone, and I hadn’t since I entered the army, but I never forgot the code.
    Jak glanced at me. “Can you give me the ashes of the woman Scorch killed? If Royal can ID them, it might help his search.”
    I handed over the disk. “Max got a partial analysis. The DNA doesn’t correspond to anyone he recognized.”
    Jak clicked the disk into his gauntlet. “You believe this Caul Waver is Prince Dayjarind?”
    “Possibly.” I thought back to Scorch’s meeting with the drifter. “They said the name was on some manifest. It could be a ruse. Scorch killed that drifter so she wouldn’t talk. I’ll bet the drifter killed Krestone.” Thinking about the case helped me regain my equilibrium. “I want to know what that pin on Krestone’s body recorded.”
    “Whatever Lavinda Majda talked about in the car.” Jak frowned at me. “You think Colonel Majda helped Dayj escape?”
    “I suppose anything is possible.” It seemed about as likely, though, as me sprouting a new head. I thought about the other people in the flycar. “If I had to guess, I’d bet Scorch was spying on Krestone rather than Lavinda Majda. I can’t imagine one of the sisters betraying the family.”
    Jak snorted. “Freeing a demoralized young man is hardly a betrayal.”
    “I know. But they don’t see it that way.” I pushed back my dusty hair. “They have a point, Jak, however much we don’t like it. No way could Dayj deal in the undercity. Scorch would make byte fodder out of him.”
    “You think she sold him?”
    “I’m hoping I’m wrong.”
    Max suddenly spoke. “I have new data on Oxil. Incoming.”
    “Oxil?” Jak peered at me. “What is that?”
    “Not what. Who. Just a second.” I closed my eyes as my node translated Max’s feed into images I could see. A forest of drooping trees and wild flowers formed. Oxil was walking a few paces ahead as she spoke into her gauntlet comm. The beetle-bot hummed in closer so I could hear.
    “. . . nothing more,” Oxil said. “Her dinner date gave her a damn alibi.” A pause. “They may arrest her anyway. The source of her alibi isn’t at all reliable.”
    I smiled, my eyes closed. “Majda police don’t like you, Jak.”
    “Feeling is mutual,” he muttered.
    Oxil leaned against the mossy trunk of a tree. I missed her next words, but then the beetle hummed in closer.
    “—best if I don’t talk with you from here,” Oxil was saying. “The risk of detection is too high.” She paused. “All right. The cavern. One hour.” She lowered her arm, and the view receded as my bot flew away before Oxil noticed it hovering about.
    I was about to withdraw when the beetle