Diamond Eyes - 3. Chapter 3

Vanus was still wide awake when Mr. Fritz came to fetch him that morning. He'd been standing on the curb when a horse-drawn carriage came to a stop. Mr. Fritz wasted no time rushing him into the cabin, stating they had much to go over. "Legal mumbo jumbo," was how the lawyer put it. "One of the first tasks on the list is getting you some proper clothing," Mr. Fritz said. He waggled a fat finger disapprovingly at the orphan.

Vanus scowled. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"I'm sure your state of dress is fairly standard in the Maeville District, but in the Imperium District they'd think you've gone mad with the Mauler plague. Lord Charlie Kaufman would roll over in his grave if he knew you’d been raised in these conditions."

Van had to bite his lip to keep from laughing caustically. I doubt anyone in the Imperium District has yet to see a mauler, he thought. He had no choice but to listen to Mr. Fritz rattle on about various things: helping Vanus put together a new wardrobe, hiring a tutor who could help him acquire a proper education. As far as Vanus was concerned, they would get to all that when they got to where they were going. Having spent the entirety of his childhood in an orphanage that was more overcrowded than not, Van had two philosophies. The first: better opportunities presented themselves to those who waited. Secondly: Whether by circumstance or fate, events often went the way people least expected, so why make promises? Life is far more exciting when it’s spontaneous.

Slowly he began to feel more comfortable with Mr. Fritz. Yes, the man was overly dramatic, maybe even a bit histrionic, but so far, his company had proven to be quite pleasant. Glancing down at those ridiculous rings on those tiny fingers, Vanus felt guilty for having thought about hocking them to a pawn shop.

“Are you a’right, m’dear boy?” Mr. Fritz cocked a bushy eyebrow at the orphan; each jolt of the carriage made his curls bounce and sway. “You’ve hardly said a word since we set off. I’m sure this is all rather nerve-wracking on such short notice, but I can assure you, you are in the best of hands.”

“Sister Alysious and Jill are always telling me I need to work on my social skills,” Van explained. “Make friends, that sort of thing.”

“Do you think you need more friends?”

Vanus blinked. He was not used to having adults ask him questions so directly. He glanced out at the barred window, at the passing skyscrapers, pulleys, and construction workers. They were closing in on the Scarnia Overpass, a bridge that separated the Maeville District from the Grand District. “I’ve always had trouble making them. I suppose my appearance is rather off putting.”

“Perhaps in the Maeville District, where superstition and religion supersede common sense and education,” Mr. Fritz with a dismissive wave of his hands. “In the Imperium District diamond eyes are much more common.”

Van frowned. “Diamond eyes?”

“That’s what we call those with your condition. It is more common among the wealthy families in the district, including the Kaufmans.”

Van thoughts raced. He’d always known there were others like him, people with strange hair and strange eyes, but had yet to encounter them. In his corner of the city, it was easy to forget he wasn’t alone. More questions presented themselves, but he didn’t have the will to ask them, so he contented himself with watching the scenery. One could learn quite a bit about their environment simply by paying attention to their surroundings.

Unlike the crumbling facade of the Mieville District, the Imperium’s spires appeared far more archaic but well preserved. Mr. Fritz explained they were made of limestone, a material that lasted longer than the common wooden structures in the Mieville District. Vanus looked up in amazement at the ornate crystal glass windows of a shrine. With a pang he thought of Jill and wished she were here with him. What would she have thought of all this?

After an hour of riding the carriage came to a stop. Vanus climbed gratefully out of the cabin, grateful to finally be able to stretch his legs. He looked around at the unfamiliar street, taking everything in. For a dizzying moment he thought he was in a completely different city. Here in the Imperium District, the buildings were spaced further apart, and the streets were wider; the cobblestones did not have clotted puddles of mud oozing up between the cracks and the streets did not smell of dung. City folk could walk without bumping into one another. He looked down at his clothes, feeling exposed and dirty in the scratchy material; he could only imagine what the state of his hair must look like. He had never seen so many people dressed in such fine silks and materials, wearing their jewelry out in the open. This place would be a treasure trove for a thief, he thought. He reminded himself soon he would never have to steal again.

And, he noted with a flash of joy, there wasn’t a mauler in sight.

He hunched his shoulders, trying to make himself small. He expected to feel eyes staring at him from all directions, to have curses and slurs thrown in his direction, but no one said anything or even looked at him. He felt invisible—and it felt wonderful. Van was so lost in thought, he didn't realize Mr. Fritz had stopped until he almost collided into the plump little man. They stood outside a number of shops with windows that were free from dust and grime. One window displayed newly manufactured instruments: a flute, a tiny hand-sized harp, and a violin. Not old and worn, abandoned in the finger-smudged showcases of antique stores.

Mr. Fritz looked longingly at the entrance of a cafe. His moustache twitched in temptation. "I am getting rather famished, aren't you, Vanus?"

Now that he had time to think about it, the orphan was indeed famished. Unable to bring himself to choke down another lukewarm bowl of lumpy porridge.

"We simply can't dine in with you looking like that," said Mr. Fitz. Nora's is right across the street, finest clothing store for blocks. Let's see if we can find you more appropriate attire and then we'll eat."

Vanus grinned mischievously. "Using the money my uncle left me?"

"I'm afraid not." The lawyer shot the orphan a crafty wink. "You will not have access to your inheritance until the clock strikes the first minute of your birthday. Consider this an early birthday gift from a family friend."

Inside Nora’s, Mr. Fritz introduced Vanus to the woman whom the store was named after. She appeared statuesque in a black tafetta day dress, edged with rose and white silk. She wore her hair, dark with streaks of iron grey, in a severe bun. Her brisk yet refined manner reminded Vanus of a more aristocratic version of Sister Alynous. Once the introductions had been made, Nora fixed Van with a scathing look and said, "What catastrophe have you brought me this time, Conrad?"

“Someone in dire need of a makeover.”

“What street did you scrape him off of?”

"We shall not speak of where I found him," Mr. Fritz whispered conspiratorially. He cast a flighty glance around the shop.

“We’ll start with a bath.”

Mr. Fritz grimaced. “I don’t have that kind of time today. I have to get him registered with the Imperium. Can you just clean him up a bit?”

Nora scoffed. “I’m not a magician. I’m not capable of magic.” She shot Vanus another disdainful look. “At least let me fetch some water and a rag so he can scrub his face.” With the water drawn, she steered the disgruntled orphan in front of the pale and thrust a bar of lye soap into his hands. “Scrub! Get your face and hands real good!”

Vanus obeyed, eyeing her suspiciously. She didn’t have anything in her hands to swat him with, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous. Whatever her capabilities were, he wasn’t interested in testing them. Once he’d scrubbed his hands and face to her satisfaction, Nora directed him to a stool. She circled Vanus, the scissors flashing dangerously in her hand. He moved to get off the stove only to have Nora point the scissors threateningly at him. Snip, snip, snip. "Do not move from that stool, or else a haircut isn't the only thing you'll be getting."

Van obeyed, eyeing the scissors anxiously. She's worse than Sister Alysious. He had no doubt this woman would make good on her threats. For the next hour Nora, a thin-boned aristocratic looking woman, weaved circles around him, muttering under her breath. "I want to know which noble family you belong to so I can give them a good thump on the head, letting you run like a mangy dog! Especially when you have such beautiful hair…"

"Now not too short, Nora. Leave some length…"

"Don't tell me what to do in my own store, Conrad!" Snip, snip, snip. "I bloody know what I'm doing!" Snip, snip, snip. "There, that's better."

Vanus could only watch as clumps of his silver hair fell to the floor. He sat with his shoulders hunched, hating them both.

"Stop looking like a beaten pup," Nora scolded. "You'll thank me when I'm done!"

At last, when she turned the stool around, Vanus gawked at the person in the mirror. She'd shortened his hair so that it stopped just above and swept his bangs from his forehead. Her reflection smiled at his stunned expression. "Don't look so impressed just yet. We're just getting started."

For the next hour he stood in front of a room, trying on clothes. The experience was like trying on new skins. He slid into white silk shirts with pleated fronts and high collars and tight-fitting trousers that hugged his narrow hips without hanging off and dress shoes with a heel. Vanus stubbornly refused to try on the hats and fobs Mr. Fritz pushed at him. In the end Nora and Mr. Fritz agreed he looked best in a crimson with a ruffled front beneath a black frock.

Nora stepped back. “Now there’s a lord,” she said approvingly.

“I now feel reassured enough to introduce you to the late Charlie Kaufman’s long last nephew.”

“You jest!” Nora rolled her eyes doubtfully. “You’ve always been quite the storyteller, Conrad. I’m sure you’re a big hit at the parties.”

“I swear on my loyalty to the Imperium I do not! Get a good look at him. The eyes the hair, the forehead, the cheekbones. Who does he put you in the mind of?”

Van took a step back. He felt like a bug under a microscope. Who were they talking about? Why did they keep talking about him as if he wasn’t here?

Nora’s jaw dropped in recognition. “I see what you mean now. I didn’t at first with all the dirt and how thin he is, but he looks just like the twins, Vanessa and Julian! He has their high cheekbones and forehead…”

“Vanessa always told me she was barren. I was under the impression it was never possible for her to have children. Does Henry know about the sudden arrival of his nephew? Does he know about his brother?”

Mr. Fritz shook his head sadly. “I dunno. You know Charlie and Julian never got along. I know nothing of Henry’s whereabouts. What does it matter? His brother excommunicated him from the Imperium after that big fall out they had. Vanus here is about to inherit the Kaufmann dynasty.”

It was Nora’s head to shake her head in pity. “The only thing the boy’s inheriting is a houseful of ghosts.”