Knives of Bastion (An Empire Falls Book 2)

by Harry Leighton

  “You think they’re expecting us?” Trimas said to Daeholf and Zedek.

  “Six suggests they are expecting something,” Daeholf said. “Maybe word has got around that the shop has some new help. We could probably have been a bit more discreet with our questioning nearby.”

  “Were they armed?” Trimas said to Zedek.

  “Clubs, maybe knives. Improvised sort of stuff,” Zedek said.

  “Which suggests they’re not expecting people quite like us,” Daeholf said.

  “Weapons then?” Zedek said.

  “We’re going to have a lot of trouble disappearing six. Which means word will likely get out. Weapons are going to make that word bad,” Daeholf said.

  “No weapons is risky,” Trimas said.

  “Just what is to hand then? Outnumbered two to one and half weaponed? I don’t like it,” Zedek said.

  “The shop is too small for them to come at us all in one go,” Daeholf said.

  “True,” Trimas said, “but that also means that they might leave a couple outside. Who could run off.”

  “My bow is handy,” Zedek said.

  “Not if we can avoid it,” Trimas said. “That could attract all the wrong sort of attention. Let’s just try and keep it low key and use what is obviously to hand.”

  Zedek frowned and pulled out his Bounty Hunter rod. “Maybe there is a different way…?”

  “Hit people with it if you want to,” Trimas said. “But no one is going to believe you’re here to arrest six men.”

  “That we don’t have sheets for,” Daeholf added. Zedek looked at the pair grumpily.

  “You should probably get in the back and take cover,” Trimas said to Erik.

  “If you say so,” Erik said, before limping off.

  The shop door opened and four men walked in with as much swagger as they could muster. Three were large, rough looking, dressed in leathers and doing their best to out-snarl each other. Their leader was a smaller, better dressed man with a nasty glint in his eye.

  “Can we help you?” Trimas said pleasantly from his position behind the counter.

  “Who are you?” the lead ganger said, looking all three of them up and down.

  “Butchers,” Daeholf said calmly, drying his hands with a cloth, though the motion was slightly unnatural. “Surely you saw the sign above the door?”

  “Funny man,” the leader said. “Funny isn’t he?” he said, turning to his heavies. They nodded, smiling.

  “Can I interest you in some beef?” Trimas said.

  “Beef?” the leader said, turning to face him.

  “Yes, we’re just closing for the day and I’d actually like to get rid of the end of the joint we have left. Special price,” Trimas said.

  “Don’t you know who we are?” the leader said, now looking slightly confused.

  “You didn’t introduce yourselves,” Daeholf noted.

  “We… Just shut up and give us the money,” the leader said.

  “Money?” Zedek said innocently, leaning against the counter.

  “Yes, the money,” the leader said, gathering himself. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear enough when we came last time. Perhaps it is time for another lesson.”

  “Oh, that money,” Trimas said. “I have it here.” He lifted a previously hidden heavy leather pouch. The leader gave him a surprised look. “Here you go,” Trimas said before hurling it as hard as he could at the nearest heavy. The man tried to get his hand up but, encumbered with a club, he couldn’t stop the bag from crashing into the side of his head, sending him staggering backwards. Trimas stepped around the counter, picking up a meat hook on the way.

  Daeholf flicked the wet cloth he was holding at the leader, distracting him as he hurdled the counter and dropped him with a brass-knuckled punch. The two heavies at the back paused for a moment, clearly not used to this sort of action. Zedek took the opportunity, stepped in and swung his metal rod hard at the nearest. The man instinctively flinched, bringing his arm up to defend himself and there was an audible crack as metal met the bones of his forearm. The man howled in pain, swinging wildly with his club, forcing Zedek to duck and take a hasty step back again. The heavy stepped after him, arm cradled against his chest, eyes filled with hate.

  Trimas advanced on his dazed opponent who was fending blindly with his club. Leaning around a wild swing, he stepped in, controlling the club arm with one hand and lashing the meat hook into the man’s face with the other. As it bit deeply he dragged down hard, using the extra leverage on the man’s arm to twist him and sent him screaming and crashing to the ground and dragging the hook from Trimas’s grasp. A hard stomp on his downed opponent later and the man was silent.

  The last heavy advanced on Daeholf, trying to protect his boss as the door exploded open and the last two men piled in at the noise. Daeholf regretted his choice of covert weapon as his opponent moved, club swinging. One of the two newcomers ducked down to grab his boss, the other looking to press in on Daeholf who was nearest. Seeing the danger, Trimas charged, catching the man unexpectedly in the side in a running tackle, and sending them both crashing through the front of the shop in a hail of splinters and dust. Daeholf’s opponent continued to swing his club in measured arcs, looking to gain from his reach advantage whilst his ally dragged the boss towards and out of the door. Daeholf ground his teeth in frustration as he ducked and weaved, looking for an opening.

  Zedek parried a swing from his opponent’s club but the strength took the rod from his hands. Sensing an advantage, the injured heavy tried to press in but Zedek ducked back to the counter and grabbed a cleaver he’d left handy, just in case. The club came for him again and this time Zedek made an angled parry with the cleaver, the razor edge taking three fingers from his opponent’s hand. The man screamed, his club dropping to the floor, and Zedek took advantage of the opening against the near-defenceless man, a series of low chops to the leg taking the man to the ground where he was easy to finish off.

  The scream distracting his opponent, Daeholf doubled him over with a punch to the gut and an elbow to the back of the head that took all the fight from him. He and Zedek rushed to the door.

  Outside they saw two men running off and Trimas with his arms wrapped around the neck of the heavy he’d smashed through the shop with. Zedek and Daeholf moved to help their friend but the man’s struggles quickly grew weaker until he stopped altogether. Trimas held on a moment to be sure before rolling the man off him.

  “You okay?” Daeholf said to Trimas, helping him up.

  Trimas pulled a splinter from his cheek. “Fine,” he said. They looked at the two men running away along the street, the shorter man leaning on the taller.

  “After them?” Zedek said.

  Daeholf looked around at the newly smashed shop front and the body in the road. A crowd was forming as people came out to look at the disturbance. “I think we’d better try to clean this up first,” he said.

  “You didn’t hit him hard enough if he’s running away,” Trimas said.

  “He ducked a little,” Daeholf said. “Punch wasn’t clean as I’d hoped.”

  “Your choice of weapon,” Trimas said.

  “Yeah,” Daeholf said.

  “That all of them?” Trimas said.

  “One unconscious, Zedek hacked his man apart,” Daeholf said.

  “You’re exaggerating,” Zedek said before looking down and frowning at his blood-spattered forearms.

  “Not much from the look of it,” Trimas said.

  “Six of them suggests there may have been a bit more to it that Karina was letting on,” Zedek said.

  “Maybe,” Trimas said, musing.

  “Trouble,” Daeholf said, looking along the street in the opposite direction to the way the gangers had run.

  “More?” Trimas said, looking in the same direction.

  A serious looking woman was walking their way, a watch sergeant from the look of her uniform. She was accompanied by two unhappy looking men, clearly subordinates, bot
h of whom were holding spears.

  “Shit. That’s torn it. How did they get here so fast?”

  *****

  “Weapons down. Now. All of you.”

  Trimas held his hands out, open. Daeholf dropped his brass knuckles and Zedek dropped his cleaver, both stepping back from them. The two junior watchmen relaxed a little.

  Elena looked at the smashed shop front and the prone man in the street. A glance through the hole into the shop suggested there may be more bodies inside.

  “What is this?”

  “A bit of a disagreement,” Trimas said.

  “One way of putting it,” Elena said, eyeing Zedek’s arms.

  “These men came looking for money that wasn’t theirs,” Daeholf said.

  “Yours?” Elena said

  “Well, his,” Trimas said, pointing at the butcher’s shop.

  “And you just happened to be passing by?” Elena said.

  “No, we work there,” Trimas said.

  “You don’t look like a butcher to me,” Elena said. “In fact none of you do.”

  “We’re new at it,” Daeholf admitted.

  “Not butchers at all. In fact I’d say you were soldiers,” Elena said.

  “Ex,” Trimas said. “Businessmen now.”

  “Businessmen who kill people?” Elena said

  “I think he might still be breathing,” Zedek said, looking at the man lying limp in the street.

  “Check him,” Elena said to the watchman to her right.

  Keeping a careful eye on the trio, he walked over to the limp man and gave him a poke. He looked back at Elena and shrugged.

  “I don’t care who you are, you can’t do that,” Elena said.

  “We were defending ourselves.”

  “Really? With a butcher’s cleaver?”

  “And the shop,” Zedek said. “They were armed and it was to hand.”

  “So where is the butcher?” Elena said.

  “Hiding safely out back with his family,” Trimas said.

  “I see. So who were they?” Elena said, indicating the limp man.

  “Extortionists,” Daeholf said.

  “And you’re just a group of ex-soldier butcher’s apprentices who luckily happened to be here when they visited?”

  “The butcher will corroborate our story,” Zedek said.

  “No doubt. But that doesn’t really make this okay, does it?” Elena said. “Someone is dead here. And there’s probably more. And at your hands.”

  “It’s okay, I have authority here,” Zedek said.

  “Is that so?” Elena said.

  “I’m a Bounty Hunter.” He made to reach for his rod then he remembered where it was. He cursed silently.

  Elena gave him a long look. “A Bounty Hunter? You?”

  “Yes. Why not me?” Zedek said, looking hurt.

  “So you’re the one I’ve heard the report of?”

  “Yes,” Zedek said.

  “Who has been hassling the shopkeepers nearby,” Elena continued.

  “Not as such, I was asking questions as part of my investigations,” Zedek said.

  “Even if you could somehow prove that, have you declared yourself in town and named this man your target?” Elena said.

  Zedek looked doubtful for the first time. “Ah, I’m acting under the authority of…” he began.

  “As a Bounty Hunter you would of course know that you’re not allowed to just go around killing people,” Elena said, interrupting him.

  “But…” Zedek said.

  “Stop talking. Now. I’ve heard enough out of you,” Elena said sharply. Zedek stopped talking, crestfallen.

  “So what happens now?” Daeholf said.

  “You all come with me. Quietly. And we sort this mess out,” Elena said.

  “Perhaps there is some way we can come to sort of arrangement?” Trimas said hopefully.

  “An arrangement?” Elena said, face darkening.

  “Maybe we have something you need…?” Trimas said, ploughing on.

  “Bribery, along with assault and possibly murder. You certainly don’t do things by halves. On your knees. Now. All of you.” Daeholf looked her in the eyes. He nodded after a moment and sank to his knees. Trimas gave him a faintly incredulous look.

  “What’s our alternative?” Daeholf said quietly. Trimas stared at him hard for a second before also dropping to his knees. Zedek stood, dumbfounded.

  “You sure about this?” Trimas muttered.

  “Erik will talk to our friend. And let him know what’s happened. We’re far from done here yet so our, ah, mother, still has plenty use for us. Our friend will help her to sort out this misunderstanding,” Daeholf whispered.

  “Let’s hope so,” Trimas muttered. “We’re out on a limb here.”

  “What about you?” Elena said to him. “Are you coming quietly or do I have to get unfriendly?”

  “Do it,” Trimas said. Zedek frowned but joined Trimas on his knees.

  “Soldiers. You’re all the fucking same. Thinking that everyone else is less than you. No respect for any authority other than your own,” Elena said.

  “We’ve done as you asked,” Daeholf said. “We’re coming quietly.”

  “At spearpoint,” Elena said.

  “That’s not fair,” Daeholf said.

  “Really?” Elena said. “If it had just been me would you be where you are now?”

  “Yes,” Daeholf said calmly.

  “So what happened with the last watchman that confronted the three of you? Did you come quietly with him too?”

  “Ah,” Trimas said.

  “Ah,” Elena said.

  Zedek looked at the watchman standing to Elena’s left. Recognition dawned. “Ah,” he said.

  Daeholf sighed, bowing his head slightly. Elena frowned at him. “Hands on your heads,” she said.

  “So what happens now?” Trimas said. “What are you going to do with us?”

  “What do you think I’m going to do? Three men, new in town, who clearly have no problem with violence. Three men who have arrived around the same sort of time as the level of violence has started to increase. And three men who are soldiers, likely heavily armed who seem to have a problem with local authority. What do you think is going to happen to you? You’re going to jail.”

  “Well that’ll be new,” Zedek said.

  “Let’s hope our friend can get us out before anything unfortunate happens,” Trimas muttered to himself.

  Elena looked at the three of them before turning to the man on her left. “Check inside then fetch the butcher after we’ve got them secured. We’ll need his story,” she said. “And we’d better find someone to take the bodies away too.”

  *****

  Vika had a mirror in her office.

  Not that most people would know; she kept it in a cupboard. But one thing she had grasped even as a youngling was that status and power needed a matching display, and if she wanted to be a Thief Taker who people followed and respected, she would need to radiate a styled, smart and unflustered air.

  So she had opened the cupboard door, checked she was looking sharp, and shut it again just before a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” she called and turned to walk towards whoever this was. She had a good idea.

  The door opened uncertainly, and Guardsman Rek walked in. “Hello,” he said, clearly thinking he was in trouble. “You summoned me?”

  “Yes, I did Rek, step inside and shut the door.”

  His hand wavered as he did so, an action that did not escape notice, even if Vika didn’t mention it out loud.

  “I bet you are wondering why you’re here.”

  He’d run through many scenarios on the way up, including being sent to some God forsaken part of the empire as a further humiliation, to being sacked and forced to live as a beggar. He wasn’t sure there was a good way out of this.

  “Yes.” He felt like he’d explode if she didn’t tell him that instant.

  “I feel, Rek, that you are
a man with ambition. But ambition alone needs a certain … drive. Do you have that drive, Rek?”

  “Yes, yes I do!” His heart began to hope.

  “Let us find out. Rek, you are being considered for promotion to my own team.”

  “Really?”

  “There is, perhaps, no need to sound so surprised.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “Today I am leading my team to arrest a man. A very important man.”

  “Who?”

  “That is for later. But first, do you wish to come along, help us out, and be assessed?”

  “Yes, yes I do.”

  “Good. Your assessment is between you and me. My team believe you forwarded me the incriminating material, and so are finishing the job.”

  “Of course.”

  “So, go and get yourself ready, we will be leaving soon.”

  Rek already imagined how he was going to tell everyone at the guardhouse about this, literally everyone until they were sick of him.

  Rek rushed out of the room, and Vika watched him go. A man of ambition, yes, but also a certain low cunning. He’d have been a very successful scout in the legions, she was sure. But he wasn’t in the legions, he was in the guard.

  Her guard.

  She prepared herself for the task, and came out of her offices armed, with a heavy cloak wrapped round her. It was a particularly cold day, and there was no need to spoil her image of calm iron by shivering as she walked.

  Her team was waiting for her, and she was amused to see Rek pacing about while they were calm, his chest puffed out while they were coolly waiting, his nerves and excitement apparent while theirs were under control.

  “Let’s move out,” she ordered, and the group began the march through the city.

  Last time she had done this disguised agents had been there first, making sure no one fled. This time there was no need. The target simply didn’t believe they could ever be arrested, and had nothing that could stop her force, and no reason to be anywhere other than their home at this time and date.

  They marched, and they didn’t even have to walk very far. The wealthiest district of this town was near, but not too near, and as the buildings grew ever larger, as the smells which came from them grew ever richer, her team displayed all the wealth that was needed to solve the forthcoming conflict: swords, armour, the law.