The Executioner's Apprentice (The Executioner's Song Book 2)

by D. K. Holmberg

  There was something about the way that Master Meyer spoke about arson that left Finn questioning whether he believed something more.

  “And if this man didn’t do it?”

  “If this man didn’t do it, then it is incumbent upon us to learn who did. We must work quickly, Finn. That is the expectation of us as lead investigators within the city. I trust you recognize the danger?”

  There hadn’t been too many fires during Finn’s time in the city. Most of them were confined to a single house. Having the river flowing through the city allowed the fire brigade to put most fires out before they spread too far. This one had been different. Finn had been there.

  He nodded to Master Meyer. They moved forward and Master Meyer unlocked the door, swinging it open and waiting for Finn to step inside.

  There was always a moment of adjustment after entering Declan Prison. It took his mind a moment to clear, but it also took his nostrils a moment to adjust to the air. It was still, humid, and the stench within the prison lingered far more than Finn thought natural.

  Meyer closed the door, locking it. There were times where Finn felt like he became a prisoner again, despite being able to move freely, and despite the fact that he didn’t have to fear the prison guards; the iron masters.

  Meyer watched him. “It hasn’t gotten better?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “There is no shame in acknowledging that you struggle with what you encountered.”

  “I’m not trying to get your pity.”

  “And you won’t have it. I’m simply telling you that there is no shame in acknowledging the feelings you have coming here. This place changed you. It changed the course of your life. Either you embrace it and recognize that it is more than just what you experienced when captured here, or you will continue to struggle each time you come. This is an essential responsibility as my apprentice. We supervise the prison system, including Declan, and that involves supervising the wardens and all of the iron masters here.”

  Finn nodded. “I am fine.”

  “As you should be. You’re my apprentice now, so you have every right to be here. More than most.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “We supervise the prisons, Finn. Yes, even you. Eventually, you’re going to have to build those relationships.”

  “With the warden?”

  “Wardens. Yes. All the prisons in the city are under our supervision. The wardens might as well get used to your presence and the fact that you’re acting on my behalf.” He glanced along the hallway. “Eventually, you’ll take on greater responsibilities, and it won’t seem quite as—”

  “Strange?”

  “I would have said uncomfortable, but perhaps you find it strange. That might be the case for you. Regardless, your duty is to serve.”

  Finn nodded. He didn’t need a reminder of his duty, though it seemed to him Meyer felt like he needed it. Maybe he worried Finn would abandon his duty in order to get vengeance.

  “What about the iron masters?” Finn asked.

  “They serve under the warden. You need to get them to respect you to be able to work with them. They can be allies, or they can make your job much more difficult.”

  “How do I make them allies?”

  “That will be up to you. They’re not so different than the man you had been before taking up your apprenticeship. Once you understand that, you might find it easier to know how to interact with them.” Meyer watched him for another moment before nodding. He strode off along the hall, heading toward the stair at the end. “Gather the prisoner. I will meet you in the chapel.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “David Sweth. One of the iron masters can lead you to him.”

  Finn had enough experience within Declan to know that the iron masters would and could lead him to the prisoner. Perhaps it was simply his unsettled nature that had made this more difficult today than it usually was. When he’d questioned other prisoners, Finn hadn’t struggled as much, though he had done so under Meyer’s supervision. From the way Meyer had spoken last night, Finn would be the one responsible for looking into this case. That involved serving as the primary questioner.

  He headed down the stairs into the depths of the prison. When he reached the first set of iron masters standing guard, he nodded to them. “Meyer would like to question the prisoner Sweth.”

  The dark-haired man turned to Finn. He had a hooked nose and a prominent forehead. “That bastard needs to pay for what he did. You make sure the hangman knows.”

  “He is the hangman, Gord,” the other iron master said.

  “He’s just the ’prentice. I’m talking about the old one.” Gord looked at Finn. “I got family in the Jorend section. Lost half their house because of Sweth. If I get a chance to be alone with him…”

  Finn needed to assert control. “He will face questioning and sentencing if he’s guilty.”

  “If?” Gord practically spat it at Finn.

  “All men are questioned before they’re brought to the magister for sentencing.”

  “We know he’s guilty. He’s in here, ain’t he?”

  The other iron master started to chuckle. “He’s got you there, Jags.”

  Finn frowned at the iron master. “Jags?”

  The iron master shrugged. He was solid enough that Finn doubted he had trouble with too many of the prisoners. “We got to have a name for you. Figured that was a good one. Better than what they called you in the street.”

  “What was that?” Gord asked.

  “Aw, we don’t want to mess with Jags, now, Gord. Don’t need to remind him how they called him Shuffles.”

  Finn clenched his jaw. He’d been careful to try to keep his old life from the new one, but he had been a prisoner there, so it wasn’t terribly surprising that the iron masters would learn about him.

  “Finn is fine. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like the prisoner brought to the chapel so I can question him to determine his guilt.” He turned to Gord. “I expect him to be intact. If he’s guilty”—Finn said it more harshly than he intended, but then again, given that the iron masters had decided to bring up his past, he figured they deserved it—“he must be unharmed going into his sentencing. The gods demand that of us.”

  Gord glared at Finn but stomped down the stairs while pulling out a keyring and jingling it.

  “Time to bring the heat! The fires will surge. The gods look to eat! It’s our lives they purge.” A long-haired, thin man cackled from one of the cells while pressing his face up against the bars.

  “Shut it, Hector!” Gord shouted, slamming the keys against one of the cells.

  Finn smiled to himself. More than anything, having Hector in the prison left things with a sense of normalcy.

  He didn’t have to wait long before Gord returned, dragging a shackled man with him. He was young, with bright eyes and short hair. He was clean-shaven and could have passed as a merchant. Certainly not someone Finn would have expected to come out of Jorend—or to be responsible for starting fires in the section. One lesson that Finn had learned from Meyer was that he couldn’t assume anything about prisoners. Men who looked like filthy men from the streets could be the most honest workers, while others who looked to be the most upstanding citizens would often be guiltier than any others.

  Finn stood to the side while Gord dragged Sweth to the stairs and then up.

  “Gotta get you up to the chapel, Sweth. Looks like Shuffles needs to have a chat with you.”

  “Who’s Shuffles?” Sweth asked, his voice catching with the question.

  Gord glanced over his shoulder, casting a wide grin at Finn before dragging him up the steps and away. Finn didn’t get the chance to hear what he answered.

  “Don’t mind him,” the other iron master said. “We got to take the piss out of you a little. Brings you down to our level.”

  Finn turned to him. “What level is that?”

  The iron master held Finn’s gaze for a moment before shaking his hea
d. “Didn’t mean nothin’ by it.”

  Finn suppressed a sigh. This was the sort of thing that Meyer had wanted him to work on. He needed for Finn to find a way to work with the iron masters. Not only so that he could learn what they might know about the prisoners but also because he would have to work with them on a regular basis.

  “I don’t really like the nickname Shuffles,” he said. The iron master looked up at him. “The man who gave it to me tried to get me killed. You’ve probably heard the story.” A hint of a smile spread on the iron master’s mouth. “So, I’d rather it be anything but Shuffles, if you know what I mean.”

  The man nodded slowly. “I got you. My older brother used to call me Shits. Never cared for that name either. Took me the better part of my youth to get past it. Still get called it when I go back around home.”

  Finn grinned. “I’d say that’s worse, but I got Shuffles when I joined my crew.”

  “You really were in a crew?”

  Finn nodded. “Most have heard the stories. Got pinched breaking into the viscount’s manor. Ended up here. Sentenced to hang. You could ask Hector, if you doubt it. I suspect he’ll remember me.”

  The iron master whistled. “I’ve heard the stories, but you never really know, you know? Not the kind of thing most men would talk about.”

  It wasn’t something Finn wanted to talk about, either, but maybe Meyer was right that he somehow had to get through to the iron masters. And it wasn’t like Finn had an assortment of friends. These days, he didn’t even know if he could count Oscar as his friend. He had his family, Meyer, and… that was about it.

  “It’s not a bad story,” Finn said, “as stories go.”

  The iron master chuckled. “Maybe you want to join me for ale some night and share it. That’s got to be a drinking story.”

  “I’d like that.” He looked up the stairs where Gord had taken Sweth. “Time to get to work.”

  “See you next time, Jags.” When Finn arched a brow at him, he shrugged. “Don’t like that one? We can find you something better in time.”

  “What about you? What do they call you these days?”

  “Around here they call me Shiner.”

  “Do I want to know why?”

  Shiner grinned, and Finn realized he was missing a tooth. “Nah. Probably best you don’t, Jags. Can’t tell you until I know if you’re going to run off and share with the warden. I’m too new here, you know. Gotta wait until I get my feet settled before you hear the good stuff.”

  Finn laughed as he made his way up the stairs. When he reached the next level, the amusement faded while he headed toward the chapel. He came often enough that he no longer felt uncomfortable in the chapel, but there was still something about it that left him unsettled. This was where he would question the prisoners and where he’d use the various techniques Meyer had to gather information.

  Now this was where he would have to take the lead.

  Finn took a deep breath and entered.

  Light streamed down into the inside of the chapel from a stained glass window high overhead, leaving the room awash in different colors, swirls of yellow and red and a hint of orange. It caught his attention, and more than that, it was enough that he didn’t need a lantern in there while working.

  Gord crouched in front of Sweth, securing him into the chair. When he stood, Finn nodded to him, noticing Meyer standing in the doorway. “We’ve got the prisoner. When we’re done, we’ll bring him down to you and Shiner.”

  Gord tipped his head slightly as he regarded Finn. “You sure about that, Shu… I mean Jags?”

  “I’m sure about it. We’re just going to ask him a few questions. You secured him?”

  Gord nodded. “Got him plenty bound up for you. The bastard isn’t going nowhere.”

  He headed out of the chapel and closed the door behind him. He didn’t lock it. Sweth couldn’t go anywhere.

  He looked over to Meyer, meeting his gaze for a moment. Meyer took a position on the far side of the room, leaning back against the wall.

  This was going to be Finn’s time to question.

  Which meant he had to prove himself.

  Finn took a moment, barely more than that, and stepped in front of the prisoner. “What’s your name?” he asked softly.

  The man looked up at him. “You’re Shuffles?”

  Finn clenched his jaw. This was what Meyer meant about the iron masters making his life harder than it needed to be. That was the very thing that he wanted to avoid if at all possible.

  “I’m Finn Jagger, apprentice executioner.” He let the words settle for a moment. “What’s your name?”

  “Sweth. David Sweth. Listen—I didn’t do what they’re claiming I did. I didn’t light no fires. I was just in the wrong place and I—”

  “We’ll get to that,” Finn said.

  He grabbed the stool from the far side of the room near the bench holding the instruments of questioning. He didn’t think he needed any of them just yet. Maybe this was all part of the test with Meyer, to see if Finn had the stomach to use them on a stranger. It was one thing using them on a bastard like Rock, but another using them on a man like Sweth who had already started to babble.

  Pulling the stool over to sit in front of Sweth, Finn made certain he was close enough to catch small changes in his expressions but not so close that Sweth could reach him. There was a bit of a balance in doing it. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?” Finn said.

  “Will that help?” Sweth tried to look behind himself, as if he knew Meyer was still there.

  He probably did. Meyer would have been there when Sweth had been dragged in by Gord. If he recognized Meyer, it might change how he reacted. That might be another part of Meyer’s test. As far as Finn knew, this was all some sort of evaluation for him.

  “I’m here to find as much about you as I can. The more you’re willing to share, the easier this will be for both of us.”

  Sweth looked up, holding Finn’s gaze. For a moment, there was a hint of anger that flashed in his eyes, but then it passed, leaving him with the same beaten expression that Finn had seen from him when he’d first been dragged out of the cell.

  “I’m not the man you’re looking for.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what kind of man you are?”

  He ignored the look he got from Meyer. This wasn’t the way that Meyer would run an interrogation, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t work.

  “I’ve been working as a scribe under Master Johan. It’s good work, but now…”

  A scribe required training and a level of literacy that he wouldn’t have expected from a criminal. “Where is Master Johan’s shop?”

  “He’s in the Grindle section.”

  “Not Jorend?”

  “That’s where I live. Lived. My home burned during the last fire. I tried to go in and get some of my belongings, along with the paper and inks Johan lent me, but couldn’t get in there before the fires claimed everything. Now it’s all lost.”

  Finn regarded Sweth, looking for any of the telltale signs that he might be lying to him. There wasn’t anything. As far as Finn could tell, the man told the truth. That didn’t mean he did. Finn knew he wasn’t going to be the same judge of character as Meyer, but he’d started getting a feel for people. In this case, when he looked at Sweth, he had a sense that the man was exactly who he claimed.

  It would be an easy thing to investigate. All Finn would need to do would be to track down Johan and ask him about his apprentice.

  “Was it lost before you ran in?” Finn asked.

  “What was that?”

  “The fire. Was it blazing through your home before you ran in?”

  The memory of the smoke billowing came back to him. No one would have been able to get in for anything through that. Not for inks and paper.

  Sweth stared at him for a moment. “I… I don’t remember.” He closed his eyes, lowering his head. “The fires burned so hot. All I could think about was getting inside
and getting to the inks and papers. Johan would kill me were I to lose them, then he’d take it out of my pay. I’d never be able to move out on my own.”

  “I understand,” Finn said.

  Sweth looked up. “You do?”

  Finn had to be careful.

  He did understand, though. Having been there gave him a greater understanding than he would have were he just investigating any other crime.

  Finn glanced to Meyer, who remained unreadable. That left Finn wondering if he had missed something. He turned his attention back to Sweth, trying to see if there was something that he might have overlooked, but couldn’t tell. As far as he could determine, Sweth had been honest with them.

  “What do you remember about that day?” Finn asked.

  “The flames,” he said, his eyes going wide. “They burned so bright. I remember the heat. The people screaming.”

  The scream echoed in Finn’s mind, and he paused for only a moment.

  “Did you try to help them?”

  Sweth looked up. “Did I what?”

  “Help the people screaming? Did you try to do anything to help them?”

  “There wasn’t anything I could do. The fire brigade had already started to come, and by that time, they were going to be able to do more than I could have done, anyway.”

  “So, you went into your home after ink and paper.”

  He nodded.

  “While others burned.”

  Finn glanced to Meyer. That was what this was about, more than the fire. People had burned. Meyer hadn’t said how many, but Finn could tell that it had to have been more than just a couple. There would have to be a reason that Meyer had come with him to question. This kind of crime wasn’t one that Meyer would necessarily get involved in otherwise.

  “I didn’t know they were burning. As I said to you—”

  “You were concerned about your inks,” Finn said.

  Sweth swallowed. “It’s not a crime to try to save my belongings. The others have to be responsible for themselves.”

  There, Finn had almost let himself get sucked in by the possibility that Sweth had been innocent. Maybe he still was innocent of the crime that he was imprisoned for, but that didn’t mean he was innocent of everything.