by James Wisher
“What?” Talon stared at each of them in turn.
“I’ll explain on the way.”
They walked out of the alley and headed toward The Mermaid. When they left the Lord’s District behind the streets grew crowded. People hurried along the sidewalks, running errands. All of them made way for Jen and her squad, many throwing sidelong glances at their weapons.
The shouts of vendors filled the air. It seemed like the city came alive around them. It gave Jen a moment’s pause, being surrounded by so much life only minutes after leaving a house full of bodies. Life went on and a house full of dead merchants and thugs wouldn’t slow it down.
The Mermaid lay in the Shipping District abutting the docks. The tang of salt grew stronger the closer they got to the water. The acrid hint of smoke mixed with the normal ocean smells. Jen looked up. Black smoke billowed in the distance. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“What?” Edward asked.
“I think The Mermaid’s on fire.”
Chapter 14
It took less than a minute to reach The Mermaid at warlord speed. Black smoke billowed out of the roof and flames shot from broken windows on the third floor. All around the burning building locals were gathering. People came running up the street with buckets. They’d have a bucket brigade going soon. The fire hadn’t spread too far yet. They might save some of the building. More likely they’d just try to keep it from spreading to the neighboring businesses.
Jen took a moment to orient herself. Unless she was badly mistaken the flames came from the capital suite. What were the odds of someone attacking the secret crown listening post and Jen’s squad on the same morning?
“Talon, Rhys, fan out and look for the servant girl. Alec and Edward, with me.” She accelerated to the burning inn, her subordinates right behind her.
They rushed past the gaping crowds so fast she doubted they even registered their presence. A quick glance showed the common room was empty, all patrons having sense enough to flee. Jen heightened her hearing, but the only sounds were shouting outside and the crackle of flame above them.
She pointed toward the kitchen and Alec raced to check it out. She and Edward sprinted up the steps. At the second-floor landing she pointed again, leaving Edward to clear the floor. Jen continued up to the third floor and down the hall to the crown suite.
Smoke filled the hall and the heat resembled an over-fired oven. She strengthened her lungs and ran on.
The door to the suite was smashed. Judging by the damage someone had broken it in. Flames filled the doorway.
Jen crouched down, trying to see into the suite. Even with enhanced vision the smoke and flames obscured too much. She needed to make sure.
She drew power and slammed her palms together. The blast of wind blew the flames back from the doorway for an instant and she ducked through the gap.
Flames seared her skin, forcing her to put more power into her defenses or get roasted. Even strengthened by soul force she needed to hurry. The common room held nothing valuable, just burning furniture. The first bedroom was empty and she began to fear she’d wasted her time.
Jen kicked down the door to the last bedroom. A woman lay on the floor, her skin blistered and her clothes reduced to charred scraps.
She scooped the woman up and fled the burning room as fast as her soul-force-enhanced legs would carry her. She reached the second floor a moment later. Away from the flames, Jen sent healing energy to soothe her seared skin. Edward joined her a moment later. He took one look and left again.
He returned a second later with a pink fur-lined robe which he slung around her shoulders. Apparently her clothes hadn’t stood up to the flames as well as her skin. “Thanks. Take her.”
Jen passed the unconscious woman to Edward and adjusted the robe so it covered her better. Pity he couldn’t have found anything a little less garish.
“She’s alive,” Edward said.
“Let’s collect the others and get out of here.”
Ten minutes later found them in Jen’s room at their inn. They’d collected a fair share of stares when they rushed through the common room. Despite the guys’ best efforts you could only do so much to hide one burned woman and another in a pink robe. Rhys examined the woman while Jen changed into her spare outfit.
“How is she?” Jen asked.
“Alive. Don’t ask me how given all these burns. She needs a healer. The sooner the better.”
Jen nodded. The only healer she knew was at watch headquarters, but if she brought the woman there it might lead to some uncomfortable questions. She needed more information and she needed it now.
“Can you wake her?”
“Maybe, but it won’t be a kindness.”
“We don’t have the luxury of kindness. Do it.”
Rhys nodded and dug a bottle out of his satchel. He passed it under the woman’s ruined nose. She choked, gasped, and tried to sit up.
“Easy, you’re safe now.” Jen sat beside her on the bed. “Is there somewhere we can take you? The only place I can think of is the healer at watch headquarters.”
The woman gave a vehement shake of her head. “Secret,” she gasped.
“I understand. Master Shen told us about your work. Can we take you to him?”
Another shake of her head. “Missing.”
“Shit! Can we take you somewhere else?”
“Underbridge. Secret place. Emergency…” She passed out again.
Jen stood up and paced. What should she do?
“Any of that make sense to you?” Talon asked.
She stopped. “Not much. There’s no Underbridge district. There is a bridge across Cold River. Maybe they’ve got a bolt hole there. That’s all I can think of.”
“Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do it quick. She won’t last long with those burns,” Rhys said.
“Let’s go for it. Rhys, you carry her. Edward, you’re with me. Talon, take Alec and watch our back trail. I don’t want to be followed.”
Edward went to his room to retrieve his maul and this time Jen didn’t object.
Chapter 15
They wrapped the unconscious woman in blankets to keep her from freezing before they reached…wherever they were going. Jen’s window opened into an alley so they went out that way, leaping down from the second floor with no trouble. The Cold River bridge was north of the city, maybe half a mile past the gate. Jen had only ridden over it once during her previous posting to Valcane.
They raced through the quiet streets at half speed; Jen didn’t dare try full speed with the injured woman over that distance. The timing worked out well. Most people were inside eating their noon meal. Those unfortunates who had to work outside in the cold went in to warm up, leaving the city a ghost town for half an hour, plenty of time for Jen’s team to pass through.
The north gate stood open and they ran out, the two guards standing beside a burning brazier not giving them a second look. The dirt road beyond the city was clear of snow thanks to the nearly nonstop traffic coming and going from the port. Talon and Alec accelerated to full speed and zipped back to make sure no one was following them. Jen and the others ran on, the bridge waiting only a minute away.
The Cold River bridge was a tall, arched thing of fused stone and steel wide enough to accommodate two wagons side by side. The ravine it crossed wasn’t especially wide or deep, but the chill of the river made fording a dim prospect. Even in summer the mountain streams kept the river frigid; at this time of year it was frozen solid.
“Stay here, I’ll call if I find anything.” Jen skidded down the side of the ravine to the river bank. Fine gravel crunched under her feet when she hit bottom.
She jogged over to the base of the bridge. The engineers had fused the legs to the cliff face. Even with her enhanced vision Jen couldn’t tell where the cliff ended and the bridge began. She also couldn’t find where this secret whatever was. Why couldn’t the woman have stayed conscious long enough to tell her something useful?
; Jen studied the striated stone, mostly gray with a few streaks of pink. Nothing stood out. When she ran her finger over it looking for a seam she came up empty. After five minutes she’d covered the whole area under the bridge and found exactly nothing. Had she misunderstood the woman’s message? Was there a place named Underbridge she didn’t know about?
“Shit!” She looked across the frozen river at the far side of the ravine. There was nothing for it, she had to check. At least the river was frozen so she didn’t have to swim.
The river ice felt as hard as stone under her feet as she made her way to the far bank. She slid sideways, caught her balance, and continued on. Jen reached the other side with no further trouble. Her breath steamed into the air as she searched. Every second reduced the woman’s chances of surviving.
The stone on this side matched the bank. Jen ran her fingers over the rough cliff face. There had to be something. If she couldn’t find anything she didn’t know what she would do.
There!
Something gave under her fingers. She pressed harder and a hand-sized section of stone pressed inward. A catch popped loose and a stone door swung in on concealed hinges.
Jen threw a fist into the air in silent celebration. On the opposite side Rhys and Edward had seen her success and begun their descent into the ravine. She had no idea what they’d find, but the cave had to be warmer than out here. Rhys crossed the river first, the woman cradled in his arms like a child. You wouldn’t think it to look at the grizzled old veteran, but he could be surprisingly gentle.
Movement caught her eye. At the top of the ravine six figures in long, dark coats stood staring down at them. They looked like cousins of the goons they’d killed at the villa. Jen put her fingers in her mouth and blew a piercing whistle. Both her men looked her way. She pointed up at the bank.
Edward readied his maul. Jen gathered her legs and poured soul force into them. She leapt, covering the width of the river in a single bound, to land beside Edward.
She glanced back at Rhys. “Keep going! We’ll handle this lot.”
He nodded once and continued toward the cave.
Jen drew her sword. Edward grinned beside her. “Think this crew will be any tougher than the bunch from this morning?”
“I hope not. I want to finish this and have a real talk with that woman. And where the hell are Talon and Alec?”
Edward shrugged, his already huge shoulders even larger as he poured soul force into them. “Beats me. Maybe they got lost.”
“It’s only a mile and a half to the bridge and there’s a road. How could they get lost?”
Another shrug. The six thugs slid down to the bank and halted about fifteen feet away. They rolled up their sleeves, revealing the black ravens. As one they dragged their thumbnails across the tattoos. Blood welled and the black ink came alive.
Midnight flames danced along their arms. Several threw back their heads and howled, in pain or ecstasy Jen couldn’t say. The black flames reminded her of the dark power that flowed from the gauntlets of the armored attacker.
“Be careful.”
Edward grunted. “Reminds me of those goblins we fought.”
“Yeah, only my brother isn’t here to help us this time.”
“Ha! We can manage without the kid.”
Jen wished she shared his confidence. The battle with the armored man had shown her how strong her opponents could be. If they weren’t careful they might end up dead.
The gang members had gotten themselves under control. Black flames surrounded their hands, ran up their arms, and burned in their eyes.
They pulled short swords from hidden sheaths in their coats. The flames flowed from their hands down the blades.
Jen clenched her sword and drew deep from her core. Soul force flowed, accelerating her perceptions, and strengthening her body. She raced forward at ten times her normal speed.
She swung at the center thug. He leapt back and the two beside him thrust at her sides. Jen spun and slashed, gashing one across the thigh.
The ground shook when Edward’s maul missed its mark and struck the bank. She didn’t dare spare a glance to check on her subordinate. Her original target darted back in, his swords thrusting high and low, fast as rattlesnakes.
But not as fast as lightning. Jen drew more power and vanished. She appeared an instant later behind her opponent and hacked his head off.
The others gave her no chance to celebrate. Three of them attacked her at once. Jen used every trick she knew and all her speed to keep clear of the darting blades.
Damn, they were quick.
Two came in from her left, their blades lunging toward her chest. Jen spun away from them and hammered the right-hand attacker with the side of her blade.
He staggered left, his weapons tangled with one of his partners.
Jen thrust her blade through the first thug’s back and continued on into the second’s chest. Before they died her opponents twisted, yanking the sword from her hands.
Unarmed, Jen retreated before the third man’s furious assault. She wove through rapid-fire thrusts, some missing her by inches.
She needed her sword.
Her opponent knew it too. He kept between her and his dead companions. It was a standoff.
He lunged, swords leading. A length of wood flew down between his legs.
Her opponent stumbled, his swords lowered for an instant. Jen hardened her knuckles and punched him in the side of the head, caving in his skull.
She spun and found Edward standing over the crushed remains of his opponents. He threw her a little wave as if to say see, we didn’t need Damien. She smiled, appreciating the gesture.
Alec landed beside the dead man and collected his staff. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Jen retrieved her sword and cleaned the blade on one of the dead thug’s coats. Talon skidded down to stand beside Edward, the gauntlets still tucked into his belt.
“Where have you two been?” Jen asked.
Talon jerked a thumb toward the bodies. “These guys had friends. We just killed another four of them. Tough bastards. They put up way more of a fight than the bunch from the villa.”
“I noticed.” Jen led the way across the ice at a brisk walk. She wasn’t certain she had enough soul force left to jump it. If the others hadn’t gotten back when they did, the fight might have been a lot closer. “Let’s see if Rhys has her patched up yet.”
Chapter 16
The inside of the bolt hole reminded Jen of a small flat; they’d even brought in a cheap carpet to cover the stone floor. There were two cots against the back wall. The unconscious woman lay on one, a blanket tucked around her. Her burns had healed enough that only white patches of skin remained and those would flake off in short order. Even her nose had grown back. Whatever healing supplies they cached here must have been potent.
A fire burned in a little iron stove in the far corner, a full coal scuttle beside it. The stovepipe went through the side of the cave wall to vent who knew where. Rhys sat on a three-legged stool beside his patient, a half-full coffer of healing potions at his feet.
Jen sat cross-legged beside her cot. “How is she?”
“I rubbed three vials on her burns and she woke up long enough to drink three more. I think she’ll be fine, but I’m no expert. I heard fighting.”
Talon and Edward leaned on either side of the tunnel back to the secret entrance. Alec had drawn guard duty and stood just inside the entrance to make sure no one snuck up on them. Jen had no idea how many members the Unkindness had, but she didn’t plan to take any chances.
“Yeah, the thugs found us. This bunch had a new trick.” She described the black fire. “It made them a damn sight tougher than the last group.”
“Sounds like the goblins,” Rhys said, echoing her earlier thoughts. “How do you suppose they gained access to power like that?”
She shook her head. “You got me. We need to find Master Shen. I’m so far out of my depth I’m drowning.”
Th
e woman groaned and tried to sit up. She failed and flopped back on the cot. “Thirsty,” she said in a rough voice.
Rhys shrugged off his water skin and handed it to her. She tried to sit up again and he put a gentle hand on her back, easing her into a sitting position. She drank deep and sighed. “Thank you.” Her voice sounded better already.
“You’re welcome. I’m Jennifer St. Cloud. My squad and I were sent to find Dominic Santen. Master Shen said we could find help at The Mermaid.”
She laughed, dry and bitter. “That didn’t work out very well. I’m Mariela. I was sent to consult with the observation team a week ago. I’m not sure how much I can do to help you, but anything within my power is yours for the asking.”
“Are you a sorcerer?” Jen’s heart leapt at the thought of getting some extra power on their side. Maybe she wasn’t as strong as Damien, but even a weak sorcerer would be a huge asset.
Mariela laughed again. “Hardly. I’m a scholar. I specialize in supernatural threats, demons and angels, along with their cults. The team had seen an increase in cult activity in the city and wanted my opinion. I wish I’d told them to take a flying leap.”
Rhys chuckled and Mariela smiled up at him. Now that her face wasn’t a mass of burns Jen realized she was an attractive woman with bright blue eyes, full lips, and prominent cheekbones. When her eyebrows and hair grew back she might even be beautiful. They looked close in age, maybe Rhys had found a girlfriend. Jen cleared her throat. “Can you tell us what happened?”
“Sure. I was reading in the back bedroom when something exploded. I stuck my head out and saw a girl standing in the flames. Marco, our lead sorcerer, lay dead at her feet. The other two members of the team were slumped against a wall bleeding out. She spotted me. I slammed the door, but she punched through it and stabbed me with a blade of power that surrounded her hand. The next thing I remember is seeing you standing over me.”
Jen frowned. “What did the girl look like?”