The two traded a glance, totally opaque on the one side and worried on the other.
"We're looking for a wyre who escaped from the facility last night."
I wasn't ready for that, but I opened my eyes wide in response. "Escaped? Wyre can't be restrained..."
"They can," the grim one said. "And it's our job to make sure our citizens," he nodded to her, "and tourists are safe. Did you see a cat last night?"
It took me a moment to figure out that they'd said "cat" and not "rat." Their accents didn't help. "I saw several, but I wasn't really paying attention. Wouldn't a wyre cat look different?"
The two traded an amused glance. "If they looked different, they'd be easy to track down," Izates said. Was that a first name or last?
Something about this conversation was off. "I did see several cats, but I can't remember a specific one."
The two men rose. Izates nodded to me. "Thank you for your time."
The other said nothing, didn't even look at me.
They closed the door gently behind them.
Escaped wyre.
As if unconcerned I walked to the balcony and leaned over it until I saw them leave. The young one, Izates, looked up at me and waved.
I waved back, the stinking coat still draped over the faux stone. I made sure to smile until they were out of sight.
The solution was simple. My mission was done, I could leave this place as a tourist and they'd never know the difference.
Escaped wyre. The people here didn't trust us, and in the first few years every wyre identified had either escaped, died or...disappeared.
Part 8
If you want to start at the beginning: Wyre-Rat episode 1
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