Den of Stars

by Christopher Byford

On the way to Ranmill, the inhabitants of the Morning Star congregated in a lounge car, seating themselves where available with a number deciding to stand for a better view. Misu had dragged a table into the middle of the carriage, a space normally open due to being so close to the doors. She had unfurled a large paper map, weighing it down with a couple of tumblers. Ranmill looked laid out like any other redbrick town. Wyld took the lead in explaining the situation. She pressed a finger into the boxed space on the map, the words train station now hidden under her fingertip.

  ‘We land here. Your contact is going to be someone by the name of Ivan Falkner. He’s a career troublemaker and all-round nasty person. Runs a number of underground boxing clubs. Peddles fake booze in places averse to prohibition. Utterly hates women. Generally he refuses to talk to them let alone do business with them. The last woman he dealt with was the owner of a cathouse. Burnt the place down simply because she reminded him of his mother. Apparently he didn’t exactly have a loving upbringing and has tended to lash out in his later years. Make no mistake, you best be on your toes when you’re anywhere near him.’

  ‘Wonderful. Does he work alone?’ Corinne asked, closely scrutinizing the map.

  Jackdaw fielded this question, standing among them with such proclaimed authority, it was almost like he belonged. Truth was, he was just used to a round-table chat like this though the company was usually much rougher than these.

  ‘No. He has a three-man crew alongside him. They’re a close-knit bunch: drinking buddies, troublemakers, brothers in all but blood. Thankfully they don’t share his misogynistic tendencies.’

  ‘Mysoga-what?’ Elizabeth asked. Corinne fielded the question quickly, her arms folded firmly.

  ‘It means he’s an asshole.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘The crew will no doubt be on hand for the drop,’ Wyld continued, ‘but we want to get this done beforehand. The longer we’re in Ranmill the greater the chance of things getting ugly.’

  ‘What’s the plan then?’ Katerina asked.

  ‘I propose grabbing our man soon after when we’ve pulled in. It was already planned that there was no show so we’ll have no reason to stick around after the deed is done. We’ll turn up in the day under the guise of getting water for the train and grab Falkner. We’ll need time and somewhere quiet to extract the information. Dragging him back to the Morning Star is a no-go. It’ll be the first place his goons will think to look when they notice him gone. Whoever does this will have to improvise somewhat.’

  ‘Extract?’ Elizabeth queried.

  ‘Beat,’ Jackdaw clarified, not mincing his words. ‘Whoever does this is going to have to get their hands dirty. Falkner will not be willing to give up the information easily and will need some significant persuasion.’

  ‘Can’t we send Ferry to do it?’ Colette put forward.

  Misu, leaning over the map of the town shook her head. ‘And what if he gets shot? Who will drive the train then? We can’t risk that. I know it’s a big ask but does anyone have any experience in anything that could help?’

  ‘I figure you would jump at the opportunity to take some of that anger out on someone who deserves it.’ Corinne deeply drew on her cigarette, the smoke drifting from between ivory-white teeth, still wary, still sore about the whole affair. She paid a glance to Misu who understood her obvious reluctance to participate in this endeavour. Beforehand it would be her to jump at the chance to protect the others, being that she had seen death and worse things under Wilheim’s servitude. Corinne thought that things were different, that there were no games, no secrets from each other that could invite such mayhem. Secrets broke bonds. Secrets, she had witnessed all too well, had cost people their lives.

  Misu continued with the plan. ‘I’ll be managing whoever Falkner has in tow. It’s unlikely he’ll be alone at any time. I’ll be arranging them to be taken off the board so nobody catches wise to our intentions. I’ll have it covered.’

  ‘You’ll have it covered, huh? We know what happens when you propose an idea. Things tend to go wayward,’ Corinne scoffed.

  ‘It’ll be enough to prevent eyes being in our direction.’

  ‘I’ll do it,’ someone meekly called, though was drowned out as the pair exchanged barbs.

  ‘Forgive me if I’m sceptical. Your track record is somewhat all over the place as of late,’ Corinne fired back venomously.

  ‘And you would have done things differently?’

  ‘Naturally.’

  Misu’s voice rose at the challenge. ‘Because that worked out so well when getting away from Wilheim in the first place. You forget that I was the one who –’

  ‘I’ll do it,’ the voice repeated.

  * * *

  The others parted. Katerina found no pride in what she was saying. The unpredictable nature of the proposal even made her quite jittery, which she hid by holding her hands together behind her back. Whilst everyone else found themselves happy to indulge in arguments, she felt nothing but an urge to return to the old ways: when things were considerably simpler.

  The show went on. Everybody was happy. Their family was complete.

  ‘I owe Franco plenty. I could slink away to a different life but the more we talk of his absence the more I realize that I need to do my part to reclaim him. I can do this. I want to do this. I won’t let you all down.’

  ‘I’ll go too,’ Elizabeth quickly blurted out.

  ‘You?’ Corinne almost choked in surprise, stubbing her cigarette out.

  ‘Well … I worked on a farm for most of my life.’

  ‘Ugh, again with the farm talk …’ someone teased in the back.

  ‘Point being, I’ve delivered calves, put down lame horses, things like that. I’m used to things getting, you know, a little grisly.’

  Misu appeared to be more surprised than most. She watched Elizabeth stand straight as if on parade. ‘Grisly, huh?’

  ‘Considerably.’

  ‘This isn’t like butchering some wild foul. This is a person you’re up against, mean and true,’ Corinne seriously put forward. The last thing they needed was this troublemaker getting herself killed, despite the annoyance she had become. ‘He’ll spit you out if you ain’t careful, do you understand that?’

  ‘Yes, I realize that.’

  ‘And it’s not a game, neither,’ Jackdaw added.

  ‘I never said it was. I just figure it was, I dunno … time to pay my way.’ She glanced to Colette who hid her smile with a bow of the head.

  ‘You’ve got a feisty group here,’ Jackdaw summarized, taking in the faces around him, each as visibly determined as the ones beside it. ‘I like it.’

  Misu went back to the map, strategizing what form that the diversion should take. Without looking from the paper she spoke to Katerina with the impression of little care. ‘It’s your call. Take her if you want her.’

  * * *

  Elizabeth held her breath. The Morning Star had fallen apart, in no small part due to her actions. Of course their manager was to blame for the majority of it, but she had antagonized the situation considerably. These people had taken her on, given her passage, provided a bed and meals and most importantly safety. They had provided all the things that a family should, despite asking no questions about the fate of hers. She had never held a gun in defence. She had never taken a life. The worst she had done was put a bullet through the skulls of a few cows that had been stricken with ash mouth.

  But Colette’s words still nagged at her.

  ‘She can come along,’ Katerina added, looking no happier at having company.

  ‘All right. Get Wyld to give you a few pointers before we pull in.’

  ‘I did plenty up north but torture ain’t one of them,’ she protested.

  ‘I didn’t say you did. But I imagine you know where to hurt a person, so you’re the second most qualified in this here room to advise on such.’ Misu looked up from her map, brushing her hair to the side and eyeballing Jackdaw. ‘Forgive me, Jack, but I don’t wan
t you teaching my girls bad habits.’

  ‘No arguments from me.’ Jackdaw failed to withhold a shallow chuckle.

  Wyld conceded and beckoned the pair of volunteers to her side in preparation.

  With nobody else feeling the need to contribute, Misu clapped her hands together. ‘It looks like we have ourselves a plan.’

  Chapter 21

  The trap springs

  From the outset Ranmill looked a quaint, well-built sort of a place. Money had found its way here during the early ore rushes and the town had established its niche by acting as a trading hub for local farms in the north. Up here the climate was cooler, with a river that swept through the streets, straddled by bridges and tapped with many water mills on its shore. Its construction of stone and brick and slate seemed remarkably ageless, caused by avoiding the hot battering winds that stopped at the desert’s edge. Arched windows pressed against one another, cluttered against high walls spanned by overhanging roofs, where street and alleyway melded from one to the other and back again.

  Unlike other regions, Ranmill did have its fair share of criminal dealings though these remained out of sight. Sadly for them, the law was keener here and less likely to allow their ilk to run unchecked. There were few gangs in Ranmill; most had joined together under the hidden banner of Wilheim Fort, combining their efforts for grand reward. One gang was known locally as the Ravens.

  Nestled into the backstreets, where rogues could be lost in a sharp turning, the Ravens operated with contempt for authority though were not so mindless to ignore its dangers. Primarily they would skim the top off local deliveries, although not all of them, just enough to net a profit and go undiscovered until the cargo reached its intended destination. The storehouse they operated from, once littered with stolen merchandise, was mostly barren, so their venture was to be moved from acquisition to distribution.

  Today, as instructed, they would take delivery of Red Root and distribute accordingly. They would take a slice of the profits for their own and funnel the rest to Wilheim’s new enterprises.

  Ivan Falkner tried to keep himself calm. He paced around the alley, flinching at any indication of noise in their direction. Footsteps passing caused a quick jerk of the head, only to fade into nothingness. A desperate vagrant cat was shooed away on account of its surprise appearance from an overflowing refuse bin.

  ‘She’s early. Two days early,’ Falkner grumbled, looking at his timepiece.

  ‘It’s better than being late isn’t it?’ one of his associates chuckled, taking a mouthful from a silver hip flask that flashed in the noon sun. The three underlings sat about, all waiting for his instructions.

  ‘Well ain’t that the truth, but I suppose I want this one to be more predictable.’

  ‘Not nervous are you, boss? That ain’t like you.’

  Falkner wouldn’t admit it even if he was. A gang like his was broken if solidarity was lacking.

  ‘Nervous nothing. I don’t want anything going amiss.’

  ‘They pulled in about three hours ago by all accounts.’

  ‘What do you want to do?’

  ‘Go see what the deal is,’ Falkner insisted. ‘I’ll wait here.’

  The contingent walked out of the alleyway and turned into a busy street, leaving Falkner alone. The trio of Ravens crossed the street and traversed the steps up into the train station where the Morning Star waited patiently, its chimney still smoking from its recent arrival. As they ventured beneath the underpass, Falkner lost sight of the pair.

  The Ravens moved through the handful of observers and attention seekers, looking for any sign of an entrance of, more hopefully, a point of contact to discuss things further. No luck. The train was locked up tight. There was no movement from inside from what they could tell, though if they looked closer, they may have identified a shadow inside hanging by a window frame.

  * * *

  Misu peered from behind a curtain, watching the three observe the train with considerable interest. They were so focused that they failed to notice the five uniformed men who exited the ticket office and snuck up behind, weapons drawn and held at length. Their appearance was quite unexpected for the Ravens who ever so slowly put their hands to the sky.

  ‘Howdy, boys,’ one of the Bluecoats said, keeping his weapon trained on the backs of their heads, ‘fancy meeting you all here.’

  Misu moved her head back and breathed a sigh of considerable relief.

  * * *

  The abandonment of Falkner by his men was observed by the women who watched from down the alleyway. They had slowly moved onward, ducking behind crate and alcove, waiting for their opportunity for when Falkner would be completely vulnerable. It wasn’t easy to tail him for so long but their persistence had borne fruit.

  ‘He’s alone.’ Jackdaw crouched, the trio spying over box crates that smelt like they had been untouched for far too long. ‘This is perfect. I’ll break the lock on one of these cellars; you bring him on over. Are you both ready?’

  Katerina steadied a makeshift weapon in her hand, mentally noting its weight for what was about to occur.

  Elizabeth screwed up her fists into balls, nodding quickly. ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘No supposing about it. Supposing gets you killed. You need to be sure,’ Jack insisted. ‘Away you go and be quiet about it.’

  Jackdaw himself crept along the alley, finding a relatively fragile pair of cellar doors ideal for their purpose. The buildings windows were dusted, some broken. The place looked abandoned by all accounts, suiting their purpose just fine. He covered the padlock with his jacket to muffle some of the noise and kicked his foot repeatedly until the rusted stirrup gave away. When done he gave a thumbs up to the women down the alley.

  ‘Follow me then.’ Katerina was the first to tiptoe on ahead, keeping absolutely silent on approach.

  The only noise Falkner heard was the crack of wood on bone. White exploded throughout his vision and with an unceremonious landing, he crashed face first into the gutter, unconscious.

  Katerina tossed aside a length of timber, and it joined the rest of the debris that littered the alleyway. The pair assessed the sprawled man before them, before taking a leg each and dragging him deeper into the alleyway.

  ‘Would it be too much to ask to knock out someone lighter next time?’ Elizabeth winced.

  ‘You think there’s going to be a next time that I do this?’ Katerina gritted her teeth as she struggled with her grip. ‘Once is more than enough.’

  Jackdaw observed their approach and flung the doors wide open. ‘You both look so serious. Smile. Now comes the fun part.’

  ‘Maybe for him,’ Elizabeth grumbled beneath her breath.

  They hauled the figure alongside the opening and slid their quarry down the steps. With a quick check to ensure nobody had spotted them, the doors clattered to a close and the ugliness began.

  Elizabeth crossed her arms and took a breath whilst staring at her handiwork. Falkner hung limply in a chair before them. He had been bound with whatever materials were to hand, his hands tightly fastened to the chair arms by the wrists, his ankles to the chair legs. For some reason Elizabeth had suggested a sack of wood chip across the feet to ensure he couldn’t kick out. It was a mindless, stupid idea. But as this whole situation was born from such things, they went with it.

  Granted there were few things that could be considered improvised protection in the cellar requiring not a small amount of foraging. Between them they had found some racked instruments such as a coal shovel, metal coal pans, a well-beaten hammer, and the remains of a broken barrel. They weren’t ideal but the pair felt secure brandishing the improvised weaponry.

  ‘How did you get so good at knots?’ Jackdaw asked. Each one Elizabeth completed was perfect in construction without needing to be retied once.

  ‘Sometimes the cows on the farm needed tying down.’

  ‘That the only reason?’

  ‘What are you implying?’ Elizabeth asked. Jackdaw shrugged his shoulders whil
st Katerina cracked a smile, her face still flushed red from all the lifting.

  ‘It seems like you’re familiar with roping up a person.’

  ‘It’s really not the time for that.’ She nodded to Katerina. ‘Wake him up.’

  Katerina shrugged in response. ‘I’m not waking him up.’

  ‘Why do I have to?’

  ‘I don’t know. You’ll be better at it.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘Meaning nothing, just wake him up.’

  ‘Why don’t you, mister big mouth?’ she bounced the question to Jackdaw who held up his hands in protest.

  ‘Hey, whoa, I’m just here to make sure this goes smoothly. It’s all your show.’ He strolled behind the chair and sat himself down beside a length of dusty wine bottles. He claimed one, wiped away the label, considerably impressed with its contents, and prised the cork out with his hip knife. ‘Just think of me as your silent guardian.’

  Jackdaw took a contented swig as the pair looked on in astonishment.

  ‘Fine.’ Elizabeth succumbed to this and took a swing of her coal pan right into the man’s chest. It did the trick marvellously.

  Falkner spluttered repeatedly, slowly easing air back in his lungs with staggered breaths. He then drew his attention to his place of incarceration – a grubby little redbrick cellar – and his captors.

  ‘Hello there. Nice of you to join us,’ Katerina cooed with a false smile.

  Imminently the bonds were tested and a brief lurch forward to the pair amounted to nothing. Instead he slumped back, preserving what energy he had.

  ‘None of that now.’ Elizabeth pouted. ‘You’re not going anywhere so calm yourself. It’s a complete waste of time.’

  ‘Is this ever a stupid idea.’ Falkner coughed once more. ‘You better have a good reason for doing this. Who the hell are you rats?’

  ‘Someone who you were wrong to piss off,’ Elizabeth spat.

  ‘Really now? Threats from a woman. How terrifying.’

  Elizabeth scrunched her face up and strolled before their captive. Sure, in height and build she was less than imposing. The pan grasped tightly at her side was another story altogether.