by Toby Frost
He had never liked cities. Only bad things could happen when you took a man out of the countryside and dumped him with a thousand other men, all squabbling over the same few coins. It was no place for a knight.
Elayne, he thought. One of those tiny lights stood for her. He saw her not in a cell, but as she had been, years ago: backlit by the summer sun, the field around her a blur of green, her hair ruffled by the breeze. He would kill anyone who put a hand on her. He would choke them with their own guts, fix them so they would never trouble a woman again.
There was a little stone guardhouse at the end of the road. Lanterns hung along the length of the bridge, marking out the way.
A man stepped out of the guardhouse, a blanket over his shoulders and a truncheon in his hand. “Halt! What’s your business?”
Hugh looked down at him. “I need to get across. I’m going to see a merchant,” Hugh replied.
The guard sniffed. “Why now? Can’t you do that in daytime?”
“Could we do this quickly, please?” Hugh said. “I don’t have much time.”
A second, larger guard stepped out of the gatehouse, a piece of paper in his hand. “Sorry, no,” he replied. “No crossing at night. That’s an order of the Customs-house of Averrio.”
The first guard sneezed.
“You’ve got to turn back,” the second man said. “Council of a Hundred says so.”
Hugh looked from one man to the other. They didn’t look like fighters – barely like village yeomen, for that matter.
“You want to wait for tomorrow morning,” the first guard said. “Of course, tomorrow morning, there’s a toll—”
Hugh spurred his horse. It cried out and lurched forward, bouncing along under him, faster than it had gone for a very long time. “Wait!” cried the guards behind him, and Hugh smiled, remembering the horses that he and Edwin had stolen when they had escaped from the Chateau Dolour. He felt the night air against his face and drove his steed onwards, as if charging into battle.
***
“Wake up, dammit,” the forester said. He sounded disgusted. “Wake up.”
Giulia groaned and sat up, glad that she’d fallen asleep in her shirt. It was still dark outside. Sethis sat on the end of her bed, his pale face almost luminous in the moonlight. Arashina stood behind him, arms folded. The dryads’ huge eyes and pointed chins made their faces seem like masks. She remembered stories she’d heard, of children stolen away and changelings left behind.
“What is it?”
The forester said, “The knight’s gone.”
“Gone?” Giulia rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “What? How do you mean, gone?”
“Gone as in fucked off,” the man said. “Run away.”
“How’d he get away?” Giulia said.
“He climbed out of the window,” Sethis replied. “Took his sword and a horse. I looked just now. We all slept through it,” he added. “It makes us look rather foolish, really.”
“That’s about the sum of it,” the forester said, and the tone of his voice suggested that he held Giulia responsible. “Gone to shop us to them in the city, no doubt,” he added bitterly.
“No.” Giulia shook her head. “He wouldn’t do that. He’s wrong about something, that’s all. He thinks they have someone close to him.”
“And do they?” Sethis asked.
“Not how he thinks.” She looked at her equipment, still on the floor. “I’m going after him. He’s in a lot of danger.”
“Do you know where he’ll be?” the forester demanded.
“I’ve got a good idea.”
Arashina said, “Supposing he escapes you? What then?”
“He won’t.” She ran a hand through her hair. Yes, the docks, she thought. That was where Hugh would go, where the Margaret of Cheswick was moored. “How long’s he had?”
The forester shrugged. “At best, I reckon he’s had three, four hours’ start.”
“Four hours?” Giulia turned to him. “Shit. I have to go,” she said. “I’ve got to catch him up. He’s walking into a trap.” Giulia looked at Sethis. “Would you good people get out and let me get dressed, please?”
“Of course,” he said gently, and he stood up.
The forester stepped back nervously, as though worried she might strike him. “I just don’t know how he got past me. I don’t know how he did it—”
“Because he’s bloody good,” Giulia said.
He glared at her. “If he’s so good, why do you need to go after him, then?”
“He’s not good enough,” she said.
“Huh. If someone pissed off and abandoned me—”
“He’s my friend, and he’s in danger. Now give me five minutes, would you?”
Sethis led the man out. “I should check your bandages,” he said at the door.
“Do it later,” Giulia replied, and the door closed.
She dressed and armed herself, then stepped into the passage. Sethis waited outside her room. Behind him, Hugh’s door was open, and she caught a glimpse of the window by which he had escaped, where the moon had lit the corridor last night.
“You ought not to do this,” Sethis said. His big eyes looked hurt. “It’s too dangerous. You yourself said that he was riding into a trap.”
“I’m not staying here, Sethis.”
“You should be recuperating. With what happened yesterday, and your arm, you ought to be in bed.” He stepped back to let her pass. “They’ll be worried about this, you know, Portharion and the others.”
“So? Why should I give a damn what they think?” She walked down three steps, stopped and turned. “And you can tell them I said that, too.”
Sethis followed her down the stairs. Arashina stood in front of the door, arms folded.
“Don’t try to stop me,” Giulia said.
“I’m not. Do you intend to go after Hugh on your own?”
“That’s the plan,” Giulia said. “Where’s Anna?”
“Back in Faery, where she should be. I sent her to warn our friends. She will find – what’s the word – reinforcements for us.”
“I can’t wait that long. I need to leave now.”
“Then go. I hope you catch Hugh up before Azul does. I’ll fetch the others,” Arashina said. “We’ll meet on the west docks at daybreak. The enemy have made their move. Now we make one back.” She held out a leather tube. “Here’s your map.”
Giulia took it. “Thanks,” she said.
Arashina said, “Good luck, Sethis. Giulia knows the way.”
“What?” Giulia said. “What do you mean?”
But the meaning was obvious. Sethis picked up a sword from the side table, a smart-looking weapon that a merchant in a bad neighbourhood might use. He slid it through his belt. As he turned, Giulia saw that there was a long knife strapped to his right thigh.
“You’re not going alone,” he said. “I’ll help you.”
She thought about it for a moment. “Can you fight?”
“You’d be surprised,” he replied.
Arashina said, “Trust me, he can.”
“You’ll have to do what I say,” Giulia said. “I’ll need you to stay back when I tell you to.”
“I can do that.” Sethis picked up his cloak and put his spectacles on. His cloak was dark green, like that of a gentleman hunter. “I’m ready,” he said.
“You’d better be,” Giulia replied. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
The High Tower
FIFTEEN
“Edwin?” Hugh bashed the cabin door with his fist. He looked over his shoulder at the warehouse and the deserted yard. There was no trace of any of Azul’s men, let alone the underwater-ship that Giulia had spoken about. “Edwin! Open up, it’s Hugh!”
He heard someone moving across creaky boards, a dull thump and a mu
ttered sound that had to be a curse. Bolts slid back and Edwin opened the cabin door. He looked tired and worried, almost sick.
“Hugh? I thought you’d left town. What’s happened? Are you ill?”
“No, I’m fine. Where’s Elayne?”
Edwin stood in the doorway, absolutely still, looking as if he might shatter into pieces. “You’d better come in.”
The two men barely fitted into the cramped cabin. A lantern glowed in one corner. Edwin took a bottle from a little table and poured out two cups. He gulped his wine down instantly. For once, Hugh didn’t want to drink.
“Look at this,” Hugh said. He passed the letter to Edwin and stood by the cabin wall as Edwin’s eyes moved slowly over the handwriting. “A man left it with the guard where I’ve been staying. The guard had instructions to give it to me.”
Edwin sat down on the bed. His face fell as if it was starting to melt. Hugh thought that he was going to howl.
“They want me to give myself up to them, or give them Giulia. To hell with that,” Hugh said. “I’m going after them. I’m going to rescue Elayne and put every one of these bastards to the sword, I swear it.”
“No,” Edwin said. “This can’t be right. She’s safe. This is wrong.”
Hugh looked down at him, surprised. He seemed small, all of a sudden. “Whyever not? A woman is in trouble, Edwin. Not just any woman, either. It’s time to get moving, time to take the fight to these whoresons! To teach them a bloody good lesson!” The thought of beating the daylight out of Azul’s men made him feel much better. He felt full of righteousness.
“Hugh, I sent her away. There was some trouble on the docks last night. Someone broke into a warehouse, killed a workman there. Elayne’s up at an inn in the city, out of the way.”
“They must have found her there.” Hugh glanced around, his mind spinning. “Which inn did you send her to?”
Edwin shook his head. “They can’t get her. There’s half a dozen men guarding her.”
“Really? These men of yours: are they any good in a fight?”
“They’re not my men. They work for the man who runs the boatyard. They’re good people.”
Hugh froze, and slowly looked down at him. “The boatyard?”
“Yes, the man who’s doing the repairs on the ship. He has a warehouse over there. He’s a northerner: Cortaag’s his name.”
The name was like a match to oil in Hugh’s mind. “Cortaag? He’s Azul’s man! He works for Ramon Azul!”
“Who? Hugh, you’re not making sense. Who the hell is Ramon Azul?”
“He’s the man who’s behind all of this. He used to be in the Inquisition. He’s got magical powers. Cortaag works for him.”
“Magical—”
“They killed that priest. They’re smugglers, bringing in gold from the New World. Varro was one of them, too.”
“That’s nonsense. They can’t be. I mean to say, I’ve been dealing with Cortaag for years.”
He fell silent. He looked up at Hugh. They both realised what Edwin had said, how it sounded.
“How do you mean, ‘dealing with him’?” Hugh said. “Do you mean to say that you trade with him?”
“Among others, yes. Hugh, if this man is what you say he is, I had no idea—”
“Then the glass you bring back… that’s his glass. You’ve been helping them get rich.”
Edwin was sterner now. “Hugh, Cortaag’s just another merchant. He carries stuff overland. If you think I’d willingly help some bunch of criminals, then you’re very mistaken.”
“You’ve been helping them. How long have you been doing this for?”
“I’ve not been ‘helping’ them. It’s called business, Hugh. That’s how it works. If, and I mean if, this man Cortaag is linked to this, I had no way of knowing.”
“You’re helping the enemy!”
“How the hell was I supposed to know!” Edwin was on his feet, shouting. “He’s a merchant. I don’t ask whose company he keeps. Fine, maybe he looks a little bit rough. Maybe I don’t want to break bread with the man. What’s wrong with that?”
“Because he’s got Elayne.” For a moment, neither spoke. Then Hugh said, “I’m going to get her back. You know where they took her?”
“She’s gone to an inn, north of here. It’s called the Althanor. We’ve stayed there before. But there’s a load of men there, Hugh. Cortaag suggested it. Said that she’d be safe with all of them.”
“And you let them take her?” It came out of Hugh like a sob. He swallowed. “Come on. Let’s get her back.” He glanced around the room, looking for something that he couldn’t name. He felt desperate to get out: not just to find Elayne, but to leave this room, to escape from the man he suspected that Edwin had become. “Well, aren’t you coming? Don’t you want to rescue her?”
“Of course I want to rescue her! Of course I do! But there’s loads of them!”
“Don’t worry about that. Trust me, we’ll go through these scum like a knife through butter.” He moved to go.
Edwin stood up. “No, Hugh. It’s too dangerous.”
“Dangerous? This is Elayne we’re talking about. We have a duty. You know, I hate to say it, but sometimes you don’t sound like a knight at all.”
“Haven’t you been listening to me, Hugh? I’m not a knight. I’m a merchant.” Edwin’s voice rose, hardened, but then it became quiet again, defeated. “I can’t risk it. I just want her back safely.”
“Very well. I’ll do it. You stay here if you want. I’m going to do what’s right.” Hugh turned to the door. Edwin moved. “No, Hugh. We have to tell the authorities. Wait, I won’t let you—”
It all happened instinctively. A hand took hold of Hugh’s shoulder, a hand to keep him away from rescuing Elayne. He grabbed it, turned it, locked it and twisted, all in the same movement. Edwin yelped, stumbled into the wall and sank onto one knee.
And there was Hugh’s old friend, clutching his left elbow with his right hand, and it was Hugh who’d done it to him.
“Oh, shit,” he said. “Edwin, are you all right?”
“You’ve broken my fucking arm!”
“It’s not broken. It’s just the muscle—”
“You lunatic!”
“I’m really sorry—”
“Are you? Really?” Pain filled Edwin’s face with reckless fury. “You can have her all to yourself now, can’t you? That’s what you want, just like in the stories. Go on, hit me again, perfect knight. Do it. Make yourself feel clever.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. Hugh braced himself for shouting, perhaps for tears, but Edwin’s voice was low and controlled. “Hugh, for God and the angels’ sake, don’t go after her. If that letter’s right, they’ll kill her. Please.”
Hugh felt sorry for his friend. “Edwin, they’ll kill her anyway,” he said. “If I don’t bring them Giulia, they’ll kill Elayne.” He paused. He felt strangely clear-headed, devoid of the fury he had expected to feel. “Even if I brought Giulia to them, they’d never give Elayne back. They want Giulia, me, you too, eventually. They’ll kill us all, given the chance. It’s neater for them – probably more fun, too.”
“You don’t know for sure—”
“They caught Giulia before, you see. It was when we were trying to get to the ship, and those animals attacked us. She wasn’t fast enough. Cortaag took her to their lair and Azul tortured her. They were going to murder her, too, in cold blood and everything, but they didn’t get the chance, thank God. I managed to get her out first. Trust me, Edwin, there’s no reasoning with these people. They don’t care who they murder: women, children, anyone. You can’t deal with people like that. All you can do is send them to Hell.”
Edwin started to get up. Hugh held out his hand: after a moment, Edwin took it and heaved himself onto the bed. He sat there, cradling his injured arm. “So what do we do now?” he said.
<
br /> “Never despair,” Hugh replied. He felt much better now. Things were back on course. “We will rescue Elayne. How do I get to this inn?”
“It’s to the north. You go towards the big tower, turn at the first canal you see and follow it north.”
Hugh raised a hand. “Stay here. Your arm’s hurt. Giulia will be here soon. She’ll need your help.”
“They’ll be waiting for you.”
“I suppose so. But I’m ready for them.” He thought about Elayne, the way she’d smiled from across the Old Arms at him. He remembered going into that house to rescue Giulia, realising what they were doing to her. “I’m going to finish this, once and for all,” he said, and he opened the cabin door.
“Wait.”
Hugh paused. “What is it?”
“What if they come back?” Edwin asked.
“Do what I’d do,” Hugh replied. “Slay them.”
***
The docks lay up ahead: a long, quiet expanse of piers, quays and warehouses. Masts jutted into the sky like dead pine trees. A cold wind stirred the canal. It was early afternoon, but the air felt like the dead of night.
“This is it,” Giulia said. She rubbed her hands together to warm them. “You see that wall, with the door in it? That leads into the boatyard, where Azul’s men were bringing the gold in. See that big building behind it? That’s the warehouse. There’s a channel under it that lets the underwater-boat come in. Edwin’s ship is just down from there.”
“I see,” Sethis replied. She had been pleasantly surprised so far: he was light on his feet, nimble and quick. “It looks deserted.”
Giulia peered at the warehouse. It made her thtink of an abandoned fortress. “They’ve probably cleared out. It’s what the gangs would do back in Pagalia: run and hide when the Watch comes looking.”
“Except the Watch is on their side, here.”
“I know. I tell you, there may be no law here, but there’ll be some fucking justice before I’m done.”
Sethis leaned close. He smelled slightly herbal, a little like cut grass. “Let’s try the ship, then.”