Knives of Bastion (An Empire Falls Book 2)

by Harry Leighton

  “You’re alive then?”

  “It would seem so.”

  “I heard what happened.”

  “Then you’re probably as surprised about it as I am.”

  “Oh, not much about the three of you surprises me now.”

  “We need some money.”

  “Oh?”

  Daeholf tapped his chest and winced when he did. “Armour. Don’t want this happening again.” His wince continued. “Maybe I should have just said rather than indicating.”

  “There’s rules about that sort of thing. You can’t just walk around in armour.”

  “You’re not going to give us the money then?”

  “It’s not that. It’s that you’ll get yourself into trouble wandering around in chainmail. The sort of trouble that I can’t rush the paperwork through for.”

  “Yes. Thanks for that.”

  “You’re welcome. I think.”

  “I wasn’t thinking about chainmail though. Too heavy anyway.”

  “Okay, so what did you have in mind?”

  “Boiled leather.”

  “That’s a bit … old fashioned.”

  “It’s legal and works surprisingly well. And it should be cheap.”

  “In which case, the money is yours.”

  “You’re so kind. I want three, maybe four sets.”

  “Four? Something I’m missing here?”

  “Three for the three of us.”

  “Forgive me, but I think you’ll be out of action for some time.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Okay. Who is the fourth?”

  “I don’t know yet. But we’re going to need to recruit local help if we’re going to track down who did this to me. Someone who knows the city better than we do.”

  “You want money for that too?”

  “Maybe.”

  “That’s not what you’re here to do.”

  “Yes. About that.”

  “What?”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’ve not been entirely honest about why we’re here?”

  “We’re reacting to the situation here as it unfolds.”

  “I’m not sure the extortionists are coming back. And I get the feeling you may have been able to deal with them yourself anyway.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “And you still have things for us to do in the city.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “So whilst we wait for further instructions, we’re going to spend our time tracking down my attacker.”

  “Okay.”

  “Easy as that?”

  “The Nightwalker is a problem. If you want to go after him then I can’t stop you. Try not to get dead until we’re done though.”

  “Buy us the armour then.”

  “Anything else you need then?” Kellan said, resigned.

  “Cheer up. We do have something that will interest you.”

  “Do tell.”

  “Have a look in the crate at the end of the bed.”

  Kellan frowned and walked over to the end of the bed. He lifted up the blanket to reveal two crates, one stacked on top of the other. He gave Daeholf a puzzled look.

  “Open it,” Daeholf said.

  Kellan hooked a couple of fingers under the loose lid and lifted. He looked into the box and frowned again. “Spears. You’re right. This is interesting. They both the same?”

  “Bottom one is crossbow parts.”

  “Crossbow parts?”

  “Crossbow parts.”

  “Okay, where did you find these? Why do you have them?”

  “Short version — the street and because we don’t have anywhere safer to put them.”

  “And the longer version?”

  “We saw a transport cart get taken. These fell off in the process. And in answer to your second question, we’re keeping them out of the wrong hands. This sort of stuff could start to cause a mess if the wrong people get ideas.”

  “A cartful? You’d better start from the beginning.”

  “So we do know something you don’t then. You are interested.”

  “You may have stumbled onto something. Talk.”

  “We were watching for our friendly shop smashers to return after the beating we gave them. And the one they gave Erik afterwards whilst we were in jail. We were observing from the roof and saw something we weren't expecting.”

  “Go on.”

  “A group of people formed an ambush in an alleyway. They clearly knew the time and the place. The cart fell into it. It was only lightly guarded. Two men. They weren’t expecting trouble.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Yes. The cart was taken, but it was sloppy. They lost some of the cargo. We retrieved it.”

  “It wasn’t you that took the cart then?”

  “No. Why would we? And how would we have known it was there?”

  “Fair enough. So what are you going to do with the weapons then?”

  “Hide them.”

  “Here?”

  “Can you think of anywhere better?”

  “Many places.”

  “Any of them local enough for you to carry them there yourself?”

  “No,” Kellan admitted after a moment.

  “They stay here for now then.”

  “A box full of spears and another with crossbows. That’s a lot of mischief.”

  “That was our thinking too. Military grade mischief.”

  “Indeed.”

  “You don’t seem surprised at the last bit.”

  “Not really. As soon as I saw the weapons, I had a fairly good idea of the source.”

  “It doesn’t worry you?”

  “Oh we had some idea that something like this might be going on up here. It’s nice to have confirmation though. I suspect there could be a bonus from Karina in it for you. Possibly even one big enough to pay for all the stuff you keep asking for.”

  “And I thought we were friends,” Daeholf said, pulling a face.

  “Let’s say we are for now. And good to see you’re still alive, friend.” Kellan moved to the window.

  “You’re not going to use the door?”

  “Just a flying visit. And I don’t feel any particular need to see the other two yet. I’ve had a good day, it’d be a shame to ruin it.”

  “Trimas will be hurt.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Before you go…”

  “Yes?” Kellan said from the window ledge.

  “The money.”

  “Of course. What was I thinking?” He tossed a pouch to Daeholf before exiting.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Yes?” Daeholf said.

  Trimas opened the door and stuck his head around it. “You okay? I thought I heard noise.”

  “Fine. We had a visit.”

  “Oh? I didn’t see anyone. You sure you didn’t hit your head on the ground?”

  Daeholf picked up the pouch and threw it at Trimas. He grimaced as he moved. Trimas ducked and the pouch clattered against the partially open door, spilling money on the floor.

  “You can pick that up,” Daeholf said.

  “Um, thanks,” Trimas said, bending down. He frowned as he looked at the money. “Kellan?”

  “Via the window.”

  “Nice of him to visit. Shame he didn’t stay to talk. And when I say shame, I mean good.”

  “He said something similar.”

  “It’s always good to have friends,” Trimas said as he picked up the money.

  “Indeed. Now, here’s what the money is for…”

  *****

  Elena had left the Thieftaker’s offices with one thought on her mind: fight your way back.

  But there was a funny thing about the mind, and that was how it could work on two levels, one of them entirely against you. She had stood outside that office and wondered what to do now, and in wondering had opened up a box of painful emotions which began to cut through her. Not just her heart, not just her head, but slicing through her arms and leg
s and stomach. She decided she should go home and change out of her uniform, as the first logical next step, but it was as if her feet were connected to her body in some different way, because every step she took made the emotions cut ever deeper into her.

  She had left thinking of fighting back, but every step was pulling her deeper and deeper into water. The captain, who sailed her through the seas, was not here, and instead there was only the fathomless depths below her of confusion and doubt and failure, depths she was sinking into.

  She felt like the water was up to her throat when she turned a corner, and saw two guardsmen standing on a corner. They looked over to her, and shot her the looks of total disdain she had been used to.

  The guards hated, but in the past she had an armour around her. Now her mind had ripped that away, or rather Vika had ripped it away, and now she felt their sneers, and knew that was before they’d discovered she’d been suspended. It wasn’t just that the guard hated her, not they would be celebrating.

  Elena would never remember walking the rest of the way home. The next thing she knew she had slammed the door behind her, stood in her kitchen, and only then allowed the tears to come rolling down her cheeks.

  “That you Elena?” Regis called out.

  She froze, for a moment, realising she had come home to a brother who needed her to be strong. Who needed her as a pillar to support him, who didn’t need to see her crying. She’d have to tell him the truth … but not yet.

  She rubbed the tears with her sleeve, and forced her face to straighten. By now a curious Regis had walked through from his room.

  “It is you, hello, home early?”

  “I … promised you I’d cook. So I am going to cook.”

  “You didn’t bring any food?”

  “Oh don’t worry, I can work wonders. First I need to … get changed.” She felt a fraud, and thought for sure he’d notice. Instead he just shrugged and walked back to his room.

  Okay, Elena thought, cook, have a meal, stay strong, mention it to him later. She put a hand up to her eyes to rub the dampness away, as more tears threatened to come out.

  Cook. Have a meal. Stay strong.

  Cook… A meal… Strong…

  She could not stop the tears. Her hand, her sleeves, a rag from the kitchen, nothing was enough to stop as her face was filled with the liquid spilling down them. She bent over, her arms pulled around her, as she began to shake, and she could not stop herself from letting out a desperate moan.

  Regis appeared again, and Elena looked at him through blurred eyes, unable to hide it anymore.

  “Fucking hell, what’s happened?”

  It looked like Elena might collapse onto the floor and curl up, so he dashed in, grabbed a chair and made sure she fell down into that. Then he took a rag, and started to wipe her face.

  “It’s alright, whatever’s happened, it’s alright.”

  “I… I… I’m sorry Regis, I’m so sorry.”

  “What is it? Tell me?”

  “They ... suspended me. I’m not a guard anymore.”

  “For what? Some horse-shit excuse to throw you out because you had those soldiers convicted?”

  “The Nightwalker. I failed. He’s killing more people.”

  “They threw you out because of the fucking Nightwalker?”

  “I did fail. I did. I didn’t stop him. The bounty hunter might die. Others have died. I failed.”

  “This is nonsense. Elena, look at me.” Her bleary face stayed on the floor, so he tilted himself. “What does suspension mean?”

  “No powers. No job. No pay. Stay at home.”

  Okay, that would be a practical problem. Regis swallowed and thought, as quickly and hard as he ever had, and he had never seen his sister like this. She was the strong one, she kept them together, and now the one thing that gave her hope was gone. What did you say to someone like that? What did you say to a pillar of strength who had started sobbing distraught on your kitchen floor?

  He’d never known normally. He’d never known what to say to her. But he did now. He knew exactly what to tell her, because she had told it to him, when she had put him back together. All he needed to do was tell her what she already knew.

  “You’ve not given up before Elena.”

  “Give up? They took my job. They took it. I don’t have it. I don’t have a choice. ”

  “It sounds like you’ve given up. Like you want to die.”

  “I’m not a guard, I have no powers, I’m nothing anymore.”

  “So? You are not your job. You are not what orders you are given. You’re a person, who is free to do what they want.”

  “All I have ever done is keep the laws.”

  “Then keep them another way. The guard aren’t worth you, you’re better than them. You can do literally anything else, with people who might actually like you.”

  Her sobbing began to slow, and Regis began to feel he was getting somewhere. If he just carried on like this…

  “You don’t need the guard to be you, fantastic, clever, in-charge you.”

  “I don’t need the guard…”

  “No, that’s it, no you don’t. Fuck the guard.”

  Her tone began to change. “I don’t need the guard.”

  “Exactly.”

  The crying had gone, and her broken voice was being pulled back. “I can work without the guard.”

  “Sorry, what?”

  “I can find this Nightwalker without the guard.”

  “No, wait, that’s not what I…”

  “You’re right Regis. The guard were no help to me anyway. I can find the killer and they will be forced to give me my job back, even make me a captain where I can make changes, but I don’t need them to do it,” and the hands which had balled themselves into fists unwrapped, the nails bloody, and they gripped Regis’s arms.

  “Yes! Yes! I will solve this myself!”

  “Sounds tricky if you don’t have any power. I meant something like…”

  Then she had a thought. I don’t need the guard, but there are some people who would be very helpful indeed.

  *****

  Trimas walked tiredly back along the street in the fading light. Sleep was starting to become an issue. Clearly Daeholf needed the bed so they couldn’t rotate between them anymore. And spooning just made them uncomfortable. They were all friends. But not quite that sort of friends. So the choice of a chair or the cold floor. Not much of a choice really. And it was starting to wear him down a bit. But what could they do? Move? Hah. Who was a princess now. Well at least it didn’t look like the extortionists were coming back.

  There was a woman standing in the street outside the butcher’s shop, staring at the frontage without moving.

  Trimas walked up to her. “Can I help you?” he said. The woman snapped out of her reverie and turned to face him. The watch sergeant that had arrested them. Great. “Oh it’s you. What do you want now?” he added.

  “I came to apologise,” Elena said.

  Trimas frowned. Out of uniform. None of her former confidence or authority. “Oh,” he said, slightly nonplussed. “Okay then.”

  “Can we talk?” Elena said.

  “Uh, sure.”

  “Somewhere quieter?”

  “You’d better come in then.” Business was done for the day but they hadn’t locked up yet so Trimas opened the door and showed her into the shop. Zedek was standing behind the counter, cleaning. He looked up when he heard them enter and when he saw who it was he raised an eyebrow.

  “What can we do for you, officer?” Zedek said.

  “Elena.”

  “Sorry?” Zedek said.

  “Please just call me Elena.”

  “Um, okay. Elena. What can we do for you? We’re closed for the day but the butcher is out back if you need to talk to him.”

  “I’m just here to talk. To you,” Elena said.

  “Him?” Trimas said, moving to stand near Zedek and inclining his head in Zedek’s direction.

  “The thr
ee of you actually, you two and your injured friend,” Elena said.

  “Go on,” Zedek said, watching her closely. She seemed a little uncertain of herself.

  “How is he? Daeholf I mean,” Elena said after an awkward pause.

  “Alive. I’m not sure he’s up to you questioning him about the case yet though. Maybe you should come back in a couple of days?” Zedek said.

  “It’s not like that. Well not really like that,” Elena said. She frowned. This wasn’t coming out quite like she’d hoped.

  “Go on,” Trimas said.

  “I need… I mean I want your help. If you’re willing,” Elena said. Trimas and Zedek looked at each other. This was not what they were expecting.

  “What sort of help?” Trimas said.

  “Practical assistance,” Elena said.

  Trimas thought about that for a second. He looked at Zedek, who nodded. He walked back to the front door and locked it. Elena tensed but didn’t move or say anything. “Come with us,” he said, walking to the back of the shop, taking care not to get too close to Elena, conscious of how locking the door might look and not wanting to spook her.

  “Where are we going?” Elena said as calmly as she could manage. She was in a locked room with strangers in the vicinity of a lot of nasty weapons. It wasn’t quite her idea of how she wanted things to play out.

  “We decide these things together,” Zedek said. “This way please,” he added, indicating the stairs with his arm.

  “After you,” Elena said. One against two, both of whom were bigger than her, was bad odds, though the close quarters of the stairs would help. But she was hoping she’d read these men right. They might be rough but they weren’t villains. Hopefully, anyway. Zedek shrugged and led the way to the stairs, climbing them calmly. Elena motioned to Trimas to also go ahead of her. He rolled his eyes and followed Zedek. Elena gave them a little space then followed them. No sense taking more chances than necessary. She didn’t know them after all.

  Zedek knocked gently on a door before sticking his head around it. He muttered something she couldn’t hear. He turned back and nodded before entering the room, taking up position on the far wall. Trimas was next, moving to stand near Daeholf, who was sitting up in bed. Elena walked in, taking position at the foot of the bed where she could look at the three of them without having to move her head. She took the opportunity to study them. All three of them looked tired. Zedek was leaning against the wall, eyeing her cautiously, having an issue with her being here. Trimas was standing watchfully next to Daeholf but his shoulders were rounded, speaking of exhaustion. There was only one bed in the room so clearly sleeping was something of a problem. Daeholf was studying her intently, though his right eye was barely visible through the bruising and swelling along the right side of his face.