Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

like one too. He wore a brocaded black jacket with a stiff collar and his patent leather shoes shone. Wet, sweaty and dishevelled, Frey was unimpressive by comparison.
    ‘I’m glad you made it,’ said Quail. ‘Another day and I’d have offered my proposition elsewhere. Time is a factor.’
    ‘I just came to hear what you have to say,’ said Frey. ‘Make your pitch.’
    ‘I have a job for you.’
    ‘I know your rates,’ Frey said. ‘I don’t have that kind of money.’
    ‘I’m not selling the information. This one’s for free.’
    Frey sipped his wine and studied the other man.
    ‘I thought whispermongers always stayed neutral,’ Frey said.
    ‘Those are the rules,’ said Quail. He looked down at his mechanical hand and flexed the fingers thoughtfully. ‘You don’t get involved, you don’t take sides, you never reveal your sources or your clients. Just hard information, bought and sold. You trade secrets but you never take advantage of them.’
    ‘And you certainly don’t offer jobs.’
    ‘With what we know, you think we’re never tempted? We’re only human, after all.’ Quail smiled. ‘That’s why we’re very particular about who we use. It wouldn’t be good for our profession if it were known that we occasionally indulge in a little self-interest.’
    ‘I’m listening.’
    ‘There’s a barque out of Samarla, heading for Thesk. The Ace of Skulls. Minimum escort, no firepower. They want to keep things low-key, like it’s just another freight run. They don’t want attention. From pirates or the Navy.’
    The Ace of Skulls. As a keen player of the game of Rake, Frey didn’t miss its significance. The Ace of Skulls was the most important card in the game. ‘What are they carrying?’
    ‘Among other things, a chest of gems. Uncut gems, bound for a Jeweller’s Guild consortium in the capital. They cut a deal with a mining company across the border, and they’re flying them back in secret to avoid the Coalition taxes. The profit margin would be huge.’
    ‘If they got there.’
    ‘If they got there. But they won’t. Because you’ll bring those gems to me.’
    ‘Why trust me? Why wouldn’t I head for the hills with my new-found riches?’
    ‘Because you’d be a fool to try it. I know about you, Frey. You don’t have the contacts or the experience to fence them. You’ve no idea how dangerous that kind of wealth can be. Even if you didn’t get your throat slit trying to sell them, you’d be ripped off.’
    ‘So what do you propose as payment?’
    ‘Fifty thousand ducats. Flat fee, non-negotiable, paid upon delivery of the gems to me.’
    Frey’s throat went dry. Fifty thousand. He couldn’t possibly have heard that right.
    ‘You did just say fifty thousand ducats, didn’t you?’
    ‘It’s a better offer than you’ll get trying to sell them yourself, and the deal will be straightforward and safe. I’m rather hoping it will help you avoid temptation.’
    ‘How much is the chest worth?’
    ‘Considerably more, once the gems are cut. But that doesn’t concern you.’
    ‘Let me get this straight. You said fifty thousand ducats?’
    ‘On delivery.’
    Frey drained his wine in a gulp.
    ‘More wine?’ Quail offered politely.
    ‘Please,’ Frey rasped, holding out his glass.
    Fifty thousand ducats. It was a colossal amount of money. More than enough riches to live in luxury for the rest of his days, even after he’d cut the others their share. If he cut them a share, he corrected himself.
    No, don’t think about that yet. You just need to decide if this really is too good to be true.
    His heart pounded in his chest, and his skin felt cold. The opportunity of a lifetime. He wasn’t stupid enough to think it came without a catch. He just couldn’t see it yet.
    Ever since he became a freebooter he’d stuck to one hazy and ill-defined rule. Keep it small-time. Ambition got people killed. They reached too far and got their hands bitten off. He’d seen it happen time and