Darkvision - Bruce R. Cordell [42]
Ususi had a few notions, but before she could formulate a response, a woman caught her eyes. The woman stood upon a slender white bridge above their path. The skin on her face and bare arms was partially replaced with a thin veneer of Celestial Nadir crystal!
"Iahn, look!" She pointed up at the woman, but Iahn already had her in his sights. With a fluid motion, he caught Ususi's pointing hand and guided it down to her side. He clasped her other hand in his grip and drew her close as if sharing a friendly embrace.
He whispered, "Best not to draw the attention of any who wear the crystal. Something dark looked out from behind the eyes of those who hunted you. The woman on the bridge… and there to the left, that man in the rich robes-see his eyes? If their flesh is infected with the Celestial Nadir crystal, could not the darkness behind the world see out through their eyes, too?"
Ususi gave a slow nod. "Perhaps."
She studied the woman, on the bridge as they drew closer. The woman was speaking to an exotic fabric merchant. Nothing could be more natural. Except for her encrustations of crystal.
"No question about it," Ususi whispered. "Someone in Vaelan has found an entry into the Celestial Nadir!"
"You were right," said Iahn, not grudgingly. "We must locate that access. We cannot afford to approach one of these compromised citizens directly. But…"
Iahn paused near a confection vendor and motioned Ususi over. The smell of sugary cakes made her mouth water.
"Hungry?" Iahn grunted. He motioned for the vendor's attention. Ususi shrugged. If Iahn wanted to sample the local cuisine, she would be right behind him. Those little cakes smelled good.
Iahn caught the notice of a thin, middle-aged man with curly brown hair streaked with gray. The man's smock was streaked with flour, and he was flanked on all sides by racks of his delicious-looking bakery.
The vengeance taker scanned the merchandise, then pointed. "Two of those," he said in the common trade tongue.
The man nodded curtly. "That'll be one pari, or equivalent in silver, if you please."
Iahn made a show of getting out his pouch and counting out his foreign currency. As he did so, he asked the vendor, "I'm new to Vaelan. A fabulous city. And so strange. Why, my wife and I"-Ususi frowned at Iahn-"my wife and I just saw the oddest thing. A woman on the bridge back there was covered with purple crystal!"
The man's face stretched into what was probably supposed to be a smile as he watched Iahn painstakingly fumble through his coins. The vengeance taker was putting on a show with a faked lack of dexterity.
The vendor said, "Yes, yes-a plangent."
"A what?" demanded Ususi, moving forward.
"Plangent. Anyone who gets an implant at the Body Shop is called a plangent. If you had the coin to spare"-the man looked critically at the paltry heap of coins in Iahn's hand- "then you could do the same."
The vengeance taker handed the vendor three pieces of silver. As the man weighed them in his hand, Iahn asked, "Why would one want to replace his flesh with inanimate crystal?"
The baker shrugged. "They say plangents are smarter, faster, and stronger than regular folk. I've heard that plangents live longer. Not a bad deal. But it's too expensive for people like you and me." The vendor turned his head and fixed his eyes on new customers standing behind Ususi and Iahn. The vendor was finished with them.
Wizard and faker moved back from the stand, munching on their cakes. They were at least as good as they looked and smelled, Ususi decided.
"All right, then. Let's go find the Body Shop," said Ususi.
"First, allow me to fashion a disguise," replied Iahn.
* * * * *
No placard proclaimed the shop's name. Such advertising was not needed. The structure revealed its nature with a startlingly tall and slender sculpture that thrust up from the building's center, reaching some seventy or eighty feet. The sculpture depicted a smoothly flowing human form with one hand reaching skyward in supplication. Portions of the gray stone sculpture had been seamlessly replaced with violet-tinged crystal-one