Knives of Bastion (An Empire Falls Book 2)

by Harry Leighton

  *****

  There were many ranks in the city guard, and there were some people who ignored those ranks.

  One of those was the Thieftaker, which was why the men and women standing before her had been chosen. Pulled out of different jobs from across the service, she had handpicked every one of them to closely assist her, and they knew their jobs by now.

  But she didn’t mind repeating things.

  “We will be raiding a premise in the industrial area this time, the part which has grown around the outside of the city walls. I can report to you that the rumour some of them had drilled into the walls is false, we found nothing of the sort. But we do have reports of smugglers using one of the tanners as a place to store goods.”

  She surveyed the room. Every single one of them was listening keenly, which was different to the average guard briefing where someone would be imagining dinner.

  “We will be raiding it this afternoon. All of you will be involved. We are unsure of the exact floor plan of the tannery, but you will note the map on the wall showing the paths and the entrances and exits of the building.” They all did so.

  “I have had a watch kept on this building, and I am confident that there is a store of goods inside, having been recently received. We will catch them in the act, which of course will result in their conviction. I remind you of our rules: you will try to apprehend the criminals alive so they can be tried and punished, but you are free to use lethal force if your bodies are in danger.”

  She turned and looked at the map. “Right, any questions?”

  They didn’t have any, so she ordered them to prepare.

  As the guards marched out, Vika walked over to a large chest of drawers and opened the top one. Inside was a pair of daggers, and she selected one and strapped it to her waist. She wasn’t expecting to have to kill anyone, but you never knew how these things would go.

  It was strange. Some criminals would surrender as soon as you walked in, heads bowing in defeat, while others would never admit their guilt and would attack you instead, as if murdering the thief taker’s staff and fleeing would be any help.

  Actually, she supposed it would be. She might be willing to engage bounty hunters to track down her killers, but would anyone else?

  She almost she hoped she never found out. It would be interesting though. Maybe she needed some time at a temple to arrange seeing what happened…

  Picking up a large warm coat, she stepped out of her room and walked to the entrance, where the team had gathered, dressed in armour, fully armed, and wearing large heavy cloaks over the top.

  Then it was time to march through the city, and Vika was bemused to find people making very, very wide berths of the unit.

  Quite suspicious really, if only she had the time to stop them all…

  She didn’t stop any, and they continued their progress. Some people in the guard would have made them march, but Vika wanted efficiency and ability at the point of contact, not some presentation to the world.

  Someone else came out of an alley, saw them and ducked back in. Clearly a presentation to the world wasn’t necessary.

  These weren’t actually the first people she’d sent to the tannery.

  They were the second.

  A group of guards had been sent on ahead, not in their uniforms, with only easily concealed equipment, and they were blending in near the exits of the tannery. If someone saw her group approaching to arrest, they would run right into the others and seem guilty.

  The guards now approached the city gates, and Vika raised a hand. “Now,” was all she said, and everyone broke into a military run, a few steps of walking, a few of running, speeding up to close the distance but still arrive able to restrain. The chance of a messenger warning was reduced, and soon the tannery was surrounded.

  It was a large wooden structure that had been assembled in several parts, each sticking out oddly from the last, which was typical of what you found outside here. A series of strong and entirely unpleasant smells were coming out of it.

  Vika nodded at her advance guard, whose reactions revealed no one had fled early, and then they melted away.

  Now Vika nodded at her uniformed guard. One kicked the door open and walked inside, blade up, and Vika followed him.

  “Don’t move!” she ordered, and the people inside froze and looked in horror as the guard filled the building, laying a hand on everyone.

  “What do you want?” said a man who had been sat over a ledger.

  “I believe you are storing smuggled goods.”

  “Nothing’s been smuggled if they’re outside the wall,” the man protested.

  “That’s not quite how the law reads.”

  “Look then, you won’t find anything.” The smile he now gave told her whatever goods were in here were well hidden.

  As the order was given, the guards began rifling through the building, and she walked over to the chatty man.

  “You can’t arrest none of us without proof. So you have to find something, right?”

  “Indeed. I don’t have your names in smugglers’ documents or anything like that. So yes, I have to catch you with the goods.”

  “Good.”

  “Er, Thieftaker…”

  “Yes,” she said, turning to one guard.

  “We can’t find anything.”

  Vika raised an eyebrow and looked around.

  A tannery, filled with tannery products and equipment, seemingly with no large quantities of smuggled goods. So, where would she hide something?

  She stepped into the middle of the room, and looked at the packed earth floor.

  “Someone get a spade and dig here.”

  “What?!” the chatty man exclaimed.

  “The goods are probably hidden in a chamber beneath the floor. Dig into it and find them.”

  “You can’t just dig…” But she could.

  “Actually,” a guard realised, “there are two shovels in the corner here with earth on them…”

  “Isn’t that convenient.”

  “If I tell you where, will you stop them hanging me?”

  All eyes turned on the previously chatty man who now appeared desperate.

  “So you’ve buried the goods under the floor?”

  “Yes, yes!”

  “Unfortunately for you, I worked that out for myself. The time to be co-operative was earlier. Perhaps if you turned some of the others in we could work something out…”

  “Yeah. Yeah!”

  “Good.”

  “But … how did you work that out?”

  Now it was Vika’s turn to smile.

  *****

  “You two are getting nowhere,” Zedek said.

  “Progress has been limited,” Trimas admitted.

  “So it’s probably about time you let me have a go,” Zedek said.

  “We just think that maybe we have a bit more familiarity with it,” Daeholf said.

  “And just where has it got us?” Zedek said. “How much do we know now that we didn’t know a few hours ago?”

  “Not a lot,” Trimas replied.

  “Nothing,” Zedek corrected.

  “That’s not quite true,” Daeholf said. “We know that we don’t look much like butchers.”

  “You two look far too much like soldiers,” Zedek said.

  “Plenty of ex-soldiers go into trades,” Trimas said.

  “Jonas was right,” Zedek said, eyeing the pair of them up. “You do still give off a soldiery feel. There’s not quite enough of the ex about you.”

  “When did you become an expert?” Daeholf said.

  “I don’t need to be. I think the tradespeople around here are feeling it on some sort of low level, especially because of the sorts of questions we’re having to ask. It makes them think of those sorts of things, which puts them on their guard.”

  “You think you can do better?” Trimas said.

  “I can hardly do worse,” Zedek said.

  “I suppose you have a point,” Trimas said
.

  Daeholf shrugged. “We’re getting nowhere. Maybe he’ll charm someone like he did that waitress a few months ago.”

  Zedek blushed.

  “It’ll probably be entertaining at least then,” Trimas said. “Happy memories.”

  “I wonder why I hang around with the two of you sometimes,” Zedek said.

  “Please forgive us,” Daeholf said. “And please go ahead, ask the next person.” He looked along the street. “There, that candle shop a bit further up. They probably didn’t hear the raised voice from the last shop.”

  Zedek straightened his shoulders, trying to look businesslike. “Candle shop. Right.” He walked along the street looking purposeful. Trimas and Daeholf shrugged and followed him.

  Zedek stopped outside the door to the candle shop and took a deep breath to prepare himself. He opened the door and marched in. Daeholf and Trimas followed, trying not to look threatening.

  The proprietor of the candle shop seemed a little startled at the abrupt entrance but gathered himself quickly, looking at the unusual potential customer and his two rough looking companions.

  “Can I help you … gentlemen?” the chandler said.

  “We’re setting up a butchery business in the area. We wondered if there was anything we need to know,” Zedek said.

  Trimas and Daeholf winced.

  “A butcher’s shop? But I make candles,” the chandler said, looking confused.

  “Ah, no, I didn’t mean that. We know all about butchery. We were wondering if there was any trouble running a shop in the area,” Zedek said.

  “I’m not sure there’s much call for another butcher’s in the area,” the chandler said.

  “Again, not what I meant,” Zedek said. “Has there been any problems with people demanding money?”

  “Please leave my shop,” the chandler said, fear in his tone.

  “Perhaps you’re not following me…” Zedek said.

  “Out!” the chandler shouted.

  The three of them retreated quickly, Zedek looking crestfallen. A number of passersby had stopped and were looking, having heard the shout.

  “Well that went well,” Daeholf said, looking around.

  “That was rude,” Zedek said.

  “You or him?” Trimas said.

  “The shopkeeper. I was just asking him questions. Reasonable questions,” Zedek said.

  “I think he thought you wanted money,” Daeholf said.

  “Why would you think that?” Zedek said.

  “You were a bit blunt,” Daeholf said.

  “Our presence by the door probably didn’t help though,” Trimas noted.

  “Probably not,” Daeholf conceded. He noticed people were giving them hard looks as they stood in the street. “Perhaps we should be moving on,” he said.

  “Maybe I should go back in alone and try to talk to him again,” Zedek said.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea now,” Trimas said, also looking around. “I’m starting to feel a little exposed here.”

  “Perhaps I could try asking him a different way,” Zedek said. “Bribery perhaps.”

  “I wouldn’t,” Trimas said.

  “Great. Now we’ve drawn the watch,” Daeholf said, noting a patrolman talking to someone further down the road. Someone who was now pointing in their direction. The patrolman started walking in their direction, a grim look on his face.

  “Shit,” Trimas said. “We run?”

  “That’ll make it worse now I think,” Daeholf said, looking around and noticing another watchman further down the street.

  “This is not the sort of attention we need,” Trimas said. “Can we bribe our way out do you think?” He reached for his purse.

  “Better than running or fighting at this stage,” Daeholf said, rummaging for his. “I hope the watch aren’t expensive in this city,” he added.

  “Let me handle this,” Zedek said, stepping purposefully between the other two and the approaching watchman. Daeholf, nearest, reached out to stop him but Zedek shook his hand off.

  “Is there a problem here?” the watchman said.

  “It’s fine officer. The situation is under control,” Zedek said calmly.

  “Who are you?” the watchman said, eyeing them up, hand on truncheon.

  “I’m a Bounty Hunter,” Zedek said producing his rod of office. Daeholf stiffened but Trimas gave him a glance that said that they might as well see how this played out now.

  The watchman took an involuntary step back before gathering himself. He looked at the rod suspiciously. “Why are you after the chandler?” he said, studying Zedek suspiciously.

  “We are not here after the chandler,” Zedek said.

  “They why are you frightening him?” the watchman said. His colleague had begun to walk in their direction.

  “He may have had knowledge important to my investigation,” Zedek said.

  “What investigation?” the watchman said.

  “I don’t have to answer to you, watchman. Now go about your duty,” Zedek said with all the authority he could muster. Trimas gave a sharp intake of breath behind him. Daeholf put his hand on his knife in readiness, regretting their decision to leave their main weapons behind under an illusion of cover.

  “You can’t talk to me like that,” the watchman said.

  “I can and did,” Zedek said. “Now don’t make me start looking into you. I don’t think your superiors will be very amused.” He gave the watchman a very chilly smile.

  The watchman looked at him, confused and shocked. He looked Zedek in the eyes and saw something odd and unsettling. “Yes, well, be about your business and please try to stop bothering in the area.” He backed off a few steps, keeping them in sight before turning on his heel and walking rapidly in the direction of his colleague.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Trimas said. “Quickly. I think it might be an idea if we weren’t on the streets for a few hours."

  *****

  The knock at the door was tentative. Hood sighed. A reputation for unexpected violence was a good way to keep the men off balance and in line but it sometimes made it a bit harder to read them.

  “Come in,” Hood said.

  The door opened partway and a nervous looking man stuck his head around it. “You said to let you know when the count was done,” he said.

  “Yes. Thank you, Bax.” Hood looked at the man. He was sweating. More than was to be expected. “Is something wrong?” Hood added.

  “Ah, yes. The count is short,” Bax said.

  “Do we know why?” Hood said, grim expression clearly visible.

  “Ah, they lost one,” Bax said.

  “How?” Hood said.

  “I’ve not got all the details. It might be better if the men explained it,” Bax said. Hood stared at him from under the hood for a moment before nodding and getting up from behind the desk. Bax opened the door wider. Hood walked across the room calmly.

  “Where are they?” Hood said as they descended the stairs from the office.

  “Warehouse floor, by the crates,” Bax said.

  “Are they expecting me?” Hood said.

  “I asked them to wait there,” Bax said.

  “You did right,” Hood said. From the bottom of the stairs a separate pile of crates was clearly visible in the middle of the warehouse floor. Two men, one short and fat, the other tall, lean and slightly apprehensive looking were leaning on them. In the dim light a number of other men hovered nearby.

  Hood walked across to the crates, posture unthreatening, but the two men straightened noticeably anyway.

  “The count is short?” Hood said.

  “Yes,” the smaller of the two men said. “Unfortunately, we lost one.”

  “How did you lose the crate?” Hood said.

  “It fell off the cart. It’s okay though, the watchmen didn’t follow us,” the short talkative one continued. His tall companion remained silent but his eyes were a little wide.

  “Watchmen?” Hood said.

>   “Yes, they stopped to look in the crate rather than seeing where we went.”

  “Why were there watchmen about when you were transporting the goods?”

  “The smith was running a bit late, we had to wait until he was finished. We’ve only been here a short while.”

  “You were transporting them in broad daylight?”

  “Um, yes.”

  “And that didn’t seem like a bad idea to you?”

  “It seemed like the best option. We didn’t think you’d want us to be late.”

  “You didn’t think, that much is clear.”

  “We weren’t followed.”

  Hood waved to one of the men standing well back and away from the crates. “Go check. Properly.” The man hurried off.

  “We weren’t followed.” There was a hint of reproach in the tone. The tall one put a warning hand on his companion’s shoulder but it was shrugged off.

  “And yet you were clumsy enough to have one of my crates fall off your cart. And not retrieve it. And have the watch get hold of it.”

  “Um, yes,” the short man said. There was now a hint of doubt in his voice.

  “You want me to trust that you know when you weren’t followed?” Hood said.

  “This isn’t our first time,” the short man said defensively, though the effect was spoiled somewhat with a swallow.

  “All clear, Chief,” came a call from across the warehouse. Hood nodded.

  “So you were lucky then,” Hood said, studying the two men. They remained silent. Hood looked at the tall one. “You don’t have much to say for yourself.”

  “We fucked up,” the tall man said. The shorter one bristled slightly.

  “Succinct but accurate. Though your companion doesn’t seem to agree. What do you think I should do with the pair of you?” Hood said. They remained silent. Hood studied them a moment before turning to Bax. “What was in the crate?”

  “Spears,” Bax said.

  Hood considered this for a moment. “Pull a crate from the eastern shipment. We don’t want to disappoint our twitchy friends. The east lot won’t be surprised by the disruption with all the Imperial activity.”

  “As you say,” Bax said. He motioned to a couple of men and they disappeared off to the back of the warehouse.