Chapter 23

When Diya returned to the ninth floor, the hub was just as lively as before. The first lights of dawn painted the sky red and pink, but the locals showed no signs of slowing down. Traffic appeared to be heading out of the settlement instead of staying within its walls, though. Much to his alarm, there were more De Lawney men on the streets. Diya couldn’t tell whether it was because the crowds had thinned or someone had spotted Gwyneth and spread the news.

Diya’s heart rate picked up. Heidi might’ve provided Gwyneth with an escort, but there were no guarantees regarding their effectiveness. Diya pictured the worst. The more he imagined a De Lawney party cornering Gwyneth and her entourage, the faster his heartbeat.

“Calm the hell down,” Diya whispered to himself. He hoped she was still with the council or secure somewhere with the FTF guards.

None of the De Lawney Climbers were looking at Diya directly, but he still pulled his hood up. Edgar would have filled them in on his identity. Thanks to the British colony ships that first settled around Gaia’s Ark, Indian Climbers were in abundance. Hopefully, the news of him joining the FTF hadn’t gotten out yet.

“Oss.” Finding him would hopefully get him answers. Diya hurried towards their planned meeting spot. They weren’t due to rendezvous for another twenty-four hours. However, the likelihood of Oss holing up in view of the binding stone was high. So, he made a beeline for the area while intently scanning his surroundings. Diya told himself that he was overthinking it. Just because there appeared to be more DeLawneys around than before didn’t mean the house had located or captured Gwyneth. They could be gathering for a local expedition or preparing for an assault on the tenth floor.

A familiar helplessness took over Diya. The feeling reminded him of when Baba told him about Alexander—not getting to see him had left Diya feeling worse. He didn’t want the same to happen to Gwyneth. Diya was starting to curse himself for agreeing to separate when he spotted Lydia. She was walking briskly down the street towards the square, surrounded by FTF guards.

“Lydia!” Diya called out even though she appeared to be locked in conversation with one of her companions. The escort closed around her as he rushed towards them, and hands shot to sheathed swords. Diya skidded to a stop six feet from them.

“It’s alright,” Lydia said, placing a hand on the closest escort’s shoulder. “He’s one of us.” She stepped out of the huddle, approaching Diya. “What’s wrong? You look miserable.”

“Gwyneth,” Diya said, breathing heavily. “We split up for a bit, and there are De Lawneys all over the place. Heidi lent her a couple of guards, but I’m worried—”

“Breathe.” Lydia chuckled, placing her hands on Diya’s shoulders and looking into his eyes. “I’m aware you’ve suffered trauma concerning your close friends before, but you can’t jump to such conclusions when apart from your companions. Everything is alright.”

“Do you know where Gwyneth or Oss is?”

“I’m right here, love,” Gwyneth said, pushing through the huddle of FTF guards. Diya’s shoulders relaxed straight away, and his heart rate slowed, but the look on everyone’s face left him feeling pathetic.

“I’m sorry,” Diya said, pushing away the temptation to embrace her. “With all the De Lawneys around, I assumed the worst. They could’ve jumped you while you were passing through the gate or returning to the tower.”

“I didn’t leave at all.” Gwyneth smiled, taking Diya’s place. She gave him a reassuring hug. “I’m touched you were so concerned. Heidi and I were talking after you left, and she suggested I meet with Lydia.”

Diya raised an eyebrow, looking between the two women. He still wasn’t sure what was going on. “Heidi recommended Gwyneth for a consultant position with us,” Lydia explained. “The FTF can make good use of her knowledge.”

“If I publicly join the organization, the De Lawneys will think twice about coming after us too,” Gwyneth said. “If they attack us or capture me, they’ll instantly make enemies out of the Free Trade Federation.”

“That’s great,” Diya mumbled, eyes widening. “Are you sure about this, though? That goes for both of you. You’re attracting drama with this, Lydia. The De Lawneys won’t accept this laying down.” He took Gwyneth's side and lowered his voice. “Are you sure you want them hoarding your research?”

“That’s the thing, Diya!” Gwyneth exclaimed. “The contract Lydia offered me won’t involve hoarding of any kind. They’ll have priority over it, of course, but I’ll get to publish, share and collaborate on everything I learn!”

“Only the nobles and East India Company are interested in monopolies,” Lydia said. “The FTF is all for equality. We believe in sharing knowledge for the betterment and survival of our people. We heard good things about Gwyneth from an independent business owner on the sixth floor, and the De Lawneys have been making a big fuss over her. I’d like to believe she’s a worthy investment.”

Lydia looked past Diya at the street corner. A small party of De Lawneys had gathered and was watching them. Gwyneth had her hood down, and the lantern floating next to her made her extra identifiable.

“I wanted to do this in the square in the public eye, but we’ve got enough of an audience for this to work.” Lydia pulled the signature compass out of her coat pocket and held it out in front of her. “As the Free Trade Federation’s operation manager between floors one to ten, I officially welcome you into the organization, Gwyneth Frie.” Lydia raised her volume as she continued. The huddle of FTF guards spread out, ensuring everyone in the area had a clear view. Then she handed the compass to Lydia. “Your research is valuable to the organization, and we’re happy to invest in your security.”

The theatrics felt unnecessary to Diya, but he understood the importance of sending a message to the onlookers. He wasn’t sure whether Lydia was going above and beyond for his sake, or Gwyneth had truly done something extraordinary in his absence. Diya refused to believe any organization would go to such extents for an unproven unknown. They likely wanted something in return, and the extent of their wants concerned Diya.

Gwyneth had already signed the FTF’s contract, and Lydia had promised to get the De Lawneys off her back. Diya couldn’t help but feel disappointed that the deal involved not pursuing legal action against the crooked noble house. As an FTF employee, Gwyneth would benefit from their protection. At the same time, acting against the FTF’s interests would void the deal. Even though the organization didn’t directly deal with the De Lawneys, they stayed out of one another’s way. Pissing them off further would result in problems not just in the tower but also in New Calcutta. Gwyneth and Diya could protect themselves, of course, but going to the council to expose the De Lawneys was a big no.

When Diya tried to voice his suspicions and concerns, Gwyneth shook her head. She likely understood the complications that accompanied the new allegiance but had plans of her own. Besides, he didn’t know the minutia of their deal, so he held his tongue.

Lydia updated Diya regarding how things were progressing on the first floor. The farming operation was more or less settled now, and its focus would be feeding and defending the Ice Spiders. The resident zoologist advised only harvesting once a quarter so the spiders would continue to feed, reproduce and live almost normal lives. It would encourage their eyes’ growth. As a result, Diya would receive his percentage of the profits from a quarter at the end of the next. He didn’t mind as much since he had more money than he needed at the moment. However, Diya stated that now he had a better understanding of dealings within the tower, he’d want to negotiate contracts for future discoveries based on the product's potential market value. Lydia didn’t seem to like the idea, but she didn’t argue.

While bidding Lydia goodbye, she surprised him. Since they were in a hurry to get through the interval and the party’s spirits were sufficiently upgraded, Lydia had arranged passage for them to a nearby door. A caravan would soon be leaving the hub for a nearby FTF settlement, and she offered them seats on the vessel. Diya wanted to get away from Lydia and talk to Gwyneth in person, so he accepted the offer before leaving to find Oss.