As much as he wanted to, Minox was in no position to argue.
Bells rang over campus. Emergency lockdown.
Kaiana left her carriage house, not sure what her role was in this situation. Before she had been told to stay in her damn room by Master Jolen, but in her new position, she might have a specific duty.
Sets of cadets were running in every direction, many with megaphones in hand. “Please return to dormitories immediately. This is for your safety. Campus gates are closing.”
Kaiana ran up to one of the cadets. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t rightly know, ma’am,” he said. “There’s apparently all sorts of unrest in the streets. We’re pulling our people inside the walls and locking it down.”
Kaiana wanted to ask what kind of unrest but this cadet clearly knew nothing. “Where’s your officer?”
“South gate,” he said.
Kaiana ran toward the gate. Eight cadets were blocking the gateway while two more were checking the throng of people trying to get in. They were letting in only one person at a time, and the crowd looked as if it might riot and charge the gate.
“Officer,” Kaiana called, approaching the man shouting orders at the other cadets. “What’s happening?”
“You shouldn’t be here, Miss Nell.”
“I’ll decide that based on what’s happening,” she said firmly. She had no idea what authority she had, if any, but she bet the officer didn’t know either. “I have storage sheds with tools, chemicals. I need to have those secured if there’s a risk on campus. I have people I need to—”
“There’s no risk on campus, but we need to keep it that way,” the officer said. “Real bad gang fighting on the streets. So we’re locking down.”
“Should I—”
“You should go back to your quarters and wait for the clearing bells. And tell anyone you see to do the same.”
He put his attention back to the gate, clearing people to pass through. Kaiana ran back to the carriage house, wondering what Veranix was doing. Where he was. She hadn’t heard a word from him for hours. For all she knew, he had been killed by Fenmere’s men.
The carriage house door was slightly open when she returned. She didn’t remember if she had closed it when she had run out earlier. Cautiously, she pushed it open and went in.
Veranix’s bow and staff were on the ground, just dropped carelessly. The cloak, the rope, the quiver of arrows—all made a trail over to the stable.
“Veranix?” she called out. “Are you all right?”
He was in the stable of the Spinner Run, stripped to the waist. His body was covered in bruises, but he had a bandage on his arm, and another wrapped around his chest. Someone had tended to him already.
His face was twisted in anger, tears streaming down.
“Vee?” She reached out to touch his shoulder.
He pulled away, and with a primal scream, kicked at the slats of the stable wall. Then he did it again and again.
“Vee, Vee, stop it!” she cried. “What happened?”
“I saw him,” Veranix whispered hoarsely. “I saw the rutting bastard.”
“Who? Fenmere?”
He looked at her, confused. “No, why—the imposter. He’s out there, dressed like me, killing—killing inno—good people. And he got away.” Veranix kicked the wall again. “Where are my regular clothes? I need . . . I need to sleep.”
“But what happened, where did you—”
“Kai!” he snapped. “I just need my clothes. The rest can wait.”
She pointed to the Spinner Run trapdoor. “Down there.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to—it’s just . . . I’m so tired . . .”
“It’s fine,” she said. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
He went to the Run and opened it up. He looked back to her, tears streaming down his face, his hands trembling. “I didn’t . . . I wish I had . . . I don’t know how . . .”
His voice broke, and before Kaiana could respond, he went down the Spinner Run, closing the trapdoor behind him.
Kaiana picked up his gear and put it away. She didn’t expect him to come back, and didn’t wait any further to go back to sleep.
Chapter 13
COLIN BARELY SLEPT, beyond a few minutes of dozing on the floor of the safehouse. This place—a basement flop and abandoned shop in an alley off of Branch—was to be where Sotch and her remaining Rabbits would be tortured and killed. Instead it became a sew-up hut for the handful of survivors from the debacle on Orchid.
The sew-up did fine, given the situation. He didn’t have any supplies, but what Cabie’s crew had on hand to work over the Rabbits proved useful to him. He spent the night trying to keep everyone alive, possibly because he was afraid of what would happen to him if any Princes died.
Sotch was dead. She had been dead since Orchid Street.
Ockie wasn’t doing much better. He had quite a hole in his gut, and while the sew-up got it patched up, Ockie went feverish somewhere in the middle of the night. He was still alive when the dawn came, but Colin wasn’t expecting him to make it to sunset.
Cabie was asleep. The sew-up didn’t think she’d wake up, and if she did, she wouldn’t walk. He made a show of stabbing a needle in her foot to make that point to Colin. Colin didn’t even pretend he understood, but he trusted the sew-up knew his business.
Sella started howling in pain around midnight, and threatened to stab Colin and everyone else if they didn’t get her some doph. She settled for a bottle of half-turned wine, which she rode to oblivion for the rest of the night.
Kiggy was unhurt, but shaken. From what Colin understood, he had been tight with Ment and Vandy since they all first got their ink. He went out in the middle of the night, despite Colin’s warning. He came back a few hours later, Cober in tow. Damn kid had been hiding in the basement of the cheese shop the whole time. He confirmed that Ment and Vandy were dead, as well as the rest of the Rabbits and Cabie’s crew.
So Colin only had two of his crew on their feet, plus there was Cabie’s wagon man Relly. There was also Bassa, who was there to be Sotch’s torturer. She seemed disappointed to have nothing to do for the night, and made no comment beyond that. Colin wasn’t sure if she was part of Cabie’s crew, or came directly from Vessrin. He was shocked that he had never met her before in his life, but the Rose Street tattoo on her meaty arm was old and faded.
Since Bassa hadn’t seen fit to say more than two words to Colin, he sent Relly to the bosses. He made it clear to Relly not to make a full report, just to let them know how far to the left the night had turned, and that Colin would come in the morning to tell them everything.
Shortly after sunrise, Giles and Old Casey showed up with Relly. They had the decency to bring bread and a few jars of preserve with them.
“You look like sewage, Tyson,” Giles said when they came in.
“And I’m the lucky one here,” Colin said. “All told it could have gone worse.”
Casey sat down at the rickety table and laid out the food. “Eat something before you fall over, Colin.”
“What about my crew, and Relly?”
Giles tossed a coin over to Relly. “Take Tyson’s boys around the corner for a bite of something. Bring the sew-up with you, too. Keep an eye on them.”
Relly nodded and went off with the rest. Colin was acutely aware that Bassa was still in the other room, and surely Giles and Casey knew that as well. The fact that they didn’t send her away was a bit alarming.
“So, Relly told us what he saw,” Casey said, spreading some preserves on a hunk of bread before handing it to Colin. “But he was on the street the whole time, half a block away.”
“Right,” Colin said. “I get to the flop with Cabie and her crew. Ockie stays on the street to wait for the carriage, the rest of us go up. My boys Ment and Vandy
are up there with Sotch and the other Rabbits. Sella, Kiggy, and the kid are off somewhere else. Sotch gives us some guff, but before it gets very far, this guy comes in through the skywindow. He’s got arrows and smoke-powder bombs, and in a tick he’s put down the rest of the Rabbits, and filled the place with smoke.”
“The Thorn,” Casey said.
“Nah,” Colin said. “Wearing the same colors, but not the same guy.”
“You know this, huh?”
“Look, I know my credit isn’t clean with you all, especially as far as the Thorn is concerned, but can we agree that I’ve seen and spoken to the real thing? I would know a fake.”
“A fake, according to you,” Giles said. “But like you said, your credit ain’t that clean.”
“Fair enough,” Colin said. “Cabie jumps in to scrap with him, and at this point it’s smoke and fire in the place. I grab Sotch and pull her out the window, fall down to the street with her. Ockie helps me hold on to her while the carriage tries to get to us, but the street ain’t clear for it. Suddenly Cabie drops down to the street, beat all to blazes, and this guy up in the window puts an arrow in Sotch, which gets Ockie as well. I spot Kiggy and Sella, and yell to them to flat the street while I try and draw the fight out of this fraud. They get the carriage over, Sella takes an arrow, I help Kiggy load everyone in, and send Relly on his way. Up in the window, Ment tries to give the fake a fight, but he gets it. Sticks show up and the fraud slips off. I grab the sew-up, since his place is burning down, and track after the carriage to bring him here.”
Casey nodded. “And here you are.”
“Here we all are.”
“You say this Thorn who attacked you ain’t the real one. Same look, same weapons, different bloke.”
“Truth on Rose Street.”
Giles gave him a look, like he didn’t believe an oath to the street from Colin.
Casey didn’t look quite as skeptical, but he stayed guarded. “So, if you came across this fake again, what would you do?”
“Try to beat him senseless, and maybe drag him back here for Bassa to have some words with him.”
Casey gave what might be an approving look. “And why is that?”
“Here’s what I figure. This fake Thorn, he’s got an agenda.”
“Does he?” Giles asked coldly.
“What have we seen him do? Go after the Rabbits, go after Aventil sticks. Who does that suit?”
“Besides the Thorn?” Giles threw at him.
Casey took the thread. “If it is a fake, he’s making the Thorn look bad, and dealing with the folk who crossed Fenmere. So that’s two crows in a shot for Fenmere. You think the fake is one of his?”
“Or some merc working for him. I mean, what does it take? Right colored cloak, decent shot with a bow, and a bit of showmanship. Who would know it wasn’t the Thorn?”
“Only you and Jutie, it would seem,” Giles said. “Sad we can’t talk to him.”
“Hey, you want to break Jutes out of Quarrygate to get his mind on this, I’m game.” Colin had done wrong by Jutie, and that ate at him. He had heard stories of breakouts. Other gangs had done it. He’d take that shot for Jutie, if he knew how.
“Don’t change the subject, Tyson,” Giles said.
“What is the blazing subject? We got hit. Lots of ours are hurt or killed. Did Relly tell you different?”
They both were silent for a bit. “No, that matches his story,” Casey said. “In as much as he saw. He saw someone killing our people, and you fighting like blazes to save them.”
“Then why in the name of any saint are you giving me any grief about this sewage?” Colin snapped. “Eh, Giles? What’s your issue?”
“I don’t know what you’re loyal to, Tyson.”
Colin pushed Giles out of his chair onto the floor, and leaped to his feet. He held up his arm, showing his tattoo. “I’ve bled for Rose Street. I bled for it tonight. When was the last time you could say the same?”
“I ought to knock your teeth—”
“Just rutting try it, old man. Or call Bassa out here to do your dirty work, don’t think I won’t make her earn every drop.”
“Enough,” Casey said, waving Giles back. “Ain’t nothing like that going to happen here.” Giving another glance at Giles, he added, “Though I can see why you’d think that.”
“You haven’t exactly been lauding me with trust, Casey,” Colin said.
“And you haven’t done much to earn it.”
“Ten years and my stars—”
“Which I’ve kept on your arm, boy. Don’t you forget that.”
“No, sir,” Colin said.
“So here’s what I’ve got for you. Your crash over on Orchid is gone.”
“There’s a basement in the secretary’s shop we could use,” Colin said.
“Fine. But we’ll send Kiggy and Relly over there to hold our claim. Else the Orphans might run in.”
“Sounds like you don’t want me back there.”
“We took a hard hit last night. Plus the south side of the neighborhood had a huge dustup between the Dogs and Kickers. They managed to bring the Tower Tenements down in it.”
“Bring it down?”
“Building is half gone, from what I hear,” Giles said quietly. He had turned into a dog that had been whacked across the nose.
“So the sticks are probably putting on quite a show,” Colin said.
“That’s the word. What that means is we need to be quiet right now.”
“Quiet?” Colin didn’t like the sound of that.
Casey must have picked up on that. “Quiet, not silent. Fact is, whoever this guy is, Thorn or no, he came into one of our flops and killed or maimed over half a dozen Princes. We can’t let that sit.”
“That’s the most sense you’ve made all morning, Casey,” Colin said.
Casey frowned. “Glad you approve. So we’ve got to do something, but at the same time, we’ve got to be saints-be-damned mice about it. You hear?”
“I hear you.” Colin heard, but wasn’t sure where Casey was going with this.
“So you have an ear in this, know about the Thorn, and his Napa girl, right?”
“Right.” Colin’s stomach started to turn on him.
“So you make contact. Have a word. Find out what that girl knows, find out where this guy who hit on us is.”
That was a little better. “You want me to run him down. I can do that.” Colin would gladly do that, even without Casey ordering it.
Casey reached out and smacked Colin across the head. “Listen, Tyson. I want you to find him. Find where the blazes he is. If it’s the real Thorn, fake Thorn, whatever. Find the bastard who did this to us, and then you let us know.”
“Just let you know? But I can—”
“Use your brain, Tyson. Forget that he fed the street to Cabie and a bunch more Princes at once. Even if you could take him out, where does that leave us?”
“Score settled.”
“For you. I have to look at the bigger scene.”
“Tell me what that is.”
Casey frowned, but nodded. “This guy didn’t just hit us. Hit the sticks too, and that beehive is going to open out on the whole damn neighborhood. Won’t rest until they have someone. Princes gives the sticks a ‘Thorn’ they can iron up, they’re going to ease back.”
Colin nodded. That made sense.
“Knew you’d get that,” Giles said. “We’ve heard how you saved the Left that one time.”
Colin hadn’t stopped getting sewage for that. “Made sense, right? Dead stick opens the beehive.”
“Good,” Casey said. “So go find that Napa girl, put your ear to the street. Come to the Turnabout tonight to tell us what the what is.”
“I hear you,” Colin said. He picked up the last piece of bread and took a bite. “
Then I guess I better be off.”
He didn’t stick around to hear any further comment. He knew Casey was done, and he didn’t need to hear anything else from Giles.
As he left the safehouse, the early morning was already sweltering hot. Sun was barely even up. It was bound to be an insufferable day.
No time to waste, he was going to have to break one of his rules and get on the Uni campus. He needed to talk to the Napa girl—Kaiana, was it?—and talk to Veranix. At least on the Uni grounds, no other Princes would see him.
First had to find some Uni brat who had flopped out in the neighborhood overnight and steal his clothes.
Minox wasn’t sure where he was when he woke up. Most of the events after Clover Street were a bit of a blur. It was a cheap, ramshackle apartment, the kind found over just about any reputable or disreputable business in Aventil for a minimal fee. There would normally be little more than a bed, basin, and table, but this one had boxes. Several boxes filled with papers, and then more papers on the walls, on the tables. If it wasn’t so organized, it would remind Minox of the barn behind the house, where his cousin Evoy charted the massive amounts of information he was chasing. But this wasn’t madness, this was meticulous organization.
Minox got out of the bed to look closer, but put his foot on something soft.
“Oof, watch it!”
“What are you doing on the floor, Jace?”
“Well, you were in the bed, so that’s where I slept.”
“Why did you—what time is it?”
“I’ve got no more way of knowing that than you.”
“Right,” Minox said, glancing out the dirty window. Sun just barely up. Maybe six bells. “Where are we and how did we arrive here?”
“We’re—we’re in a flop that the lieutenant kept,” Jace said, rubbing his face as he stood up. “This is sort of our back-up squad room.”
“With copies of Constabulary files,” Minox said, glancing at the boxes. “I take no joy in pointing out this is a serious infraction of procedure.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jace said. “But it—look, us in the squad, we’re the only ones in that house playing a narrow game, right?”
The Imposters of Aventil Page 18