‘She’s in Headmistress Poulter’s office. Packing.’ Her eyes filled with fresh tears. ‘Just go on up.’
I took the stairs nice and slow. My hips grumbled with the cold and by the time I got to the second flight, pain was shooting up and down my bad leg.
Inside Poulter’s office, I found Sabine sitting in a chair, stroking the back of a mangy-looking tabby. Eyes scanning the room, I remembered the unfortunate occasions I’d been hauled inside these four walls to be disciplined for brawling. Sabine looked up when I entered. Dark circles sat under her eyes and her apricot hair hung limp around her face.
‘Hey.’ I nodded at the cat. ‘Is that Blinky?’
Sabine scratched behind the cat’s ear and it began to purr. ‘Yes. He came home last night.’ She quickly wiped away tears. ‘The school’s going to look after him. Make sure he’s fed properly and all that.’
‘You’re not in class?’ I asked.
Sabine’s eyes locked on the cat. ‘I’ve got a few free periods to pack up the office.’ She gestured towards some crates sitting beside a bookcase.
I sat in an old armchair by the door. The cat gave me a snotty look and shifted on Sabine’s lap.
‘How are you?’ I asked.
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘I’m really sorry about what happened to Poulter.’
‘It wasn’t right.’
‘I know.’ I hesitated, then asked, ‘I know you already talked to the City Watch, but what can you tell me about Kalin?’
Fear flashed in Sabine’s eyes. ‘Do you think he’ll be back?’
‘I don’t know,’ I answered truthfully. ‘It depends on what he was doing.’
The cat, irritated at being ignored, dug its claws into Sabine’s lap and she winced, before resuming scratching him behind the ear. ‘Poulter didn’t like him, but none of the teachers did. He was dumped at the Applecross Orphanage as a baby. He was always in trouble for something. He scared everyone at the school. They tried to expel him a couple of times.’
‘But it didn’t work?’
Sabine shrugged. ‘They talked about it, but he’d always just be at school the next day. I heard that someone kept throwing money at the school’s administration board to smooth things over.’
‘An anonymous relative?’
‘There was some talk that he was the bastard son of an important man.’
‘Did Kalin say anything about it?’
‘Don’t know. I avoided him. His eyes are creepy.’
‘Do you know if Kalin practised darkcraft?’ I asked.
‘Not that I know of. He got in plenty of fights and had a mean streak. One time, I heard he lit a dog on fire. He was also pretty smart. I never saw him study, but he always got high marks.’ She hesitated, then asked, ‘Do you know why he attacked Mistress Poulter? He didn’t like her, but then, he didn’t really like anyone, so why her?’
‘I don’t know yet. But don’t worry about him coming back, I’m sure the law will find him soon.’ I tried to sound confident, but truth was I didn’t hold a lot of faith that the City Watch would locate him. No one talked to the law in Applecross since Seth had left the City Watch. There just didn’t seem to be anyone left who could put enough fear into people to make them talk. I once heard that Seth had cut off a suspect’s ear to get a confession. After the confession was given, apparently he’d cut off the offenders other ear for ‘balance’. When I’d asked him about it, all Seth told me was that the way he saw it, once word got around what he’d done, he would have fewer ears to cut off in the long run. I had trouble seeing Caleb doing something so bloodthirsty.
After bidding Sabine farewell, I left the school, trying to ignore the rolling unease in my stomach and the voice in my head that told me this was only the beginning.
***
I crossed the road and my boots hesitated before the one place that had frightened me as a child: the Applecross Orphanage. At school, the kids from here been tough, with eyes like stones and mouths like you’d find on sailors. Kalin deserved justice if he was responsible for Poulter’s death, but it was difficult not to feel a small measure of pity for him. I considered myself lucky that I’d been left for Orella and Gideon to find, and hadn’t ended up at the mercy of the orphanage. While Orella might not have given birth to me, I considered her my mother. And Gideon weathered all of my considerable flaws and lack of social graces as character quirks. While he frowned on some of my activities as an adult, he’d defended me to the hilt while I’d been a child. I’d been damned lucky to have them raise me.
‘Can I help you?’ A stout woman appeared in the doorway, hands clasped together. She wore a stiff blue dress, and her hair was braided and coiled up on her head.
‘I’m Lora Blackgoat, a Runner with Blackgoat Watch.’
‘Humph.’ Her mouth twisted. ‘You here about Kalin?’
‘Why do you ask?’
She made an exasperated sound. ‘Because the City Watch have already been here, asking about him. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out he had something to do with Lady Poulter’s death.’
I narrowed my eyes and her aura flicked into view: a swirling dark blue nimbus, with flickers of orange. Aura reading was a rare ability I had, and from what I saw, there was no deceit in her words. But just because she thought she was right, didn’t make it so.
‘Did you know Kalin?’ I blinked the vision away.
‘I did and he was always up to no good, that boy.’ She gestured for me to follow her. ‘I’m Lady Henner. I can show you where he used to sleep, but that’s about it.’
‘Guess that’s better than nothing,’ I said.
Henner grunted and struck off, skirts swishing. ‘He was thrown out of the school and we were about to do the same here when he took off. He was a horrid child. Once he attacked the cook with a knife when he was refused seconds. Can you believe the cheek? Disgraceful behaviour.’
A small group of giggling girls passed us, their laughter fading when they spied Henner. I noted the way their heads ducked and their shoulders slumped and I swallowed hard. Being a kid was tough, but being a kid without anyone to love you had to be the hardest thing. After the third flight of stairs, my bad leg was screaming for mercy and I was ready to beg for a break. Before I could start complaining, Henner exited through a door and I followed gratefully, leaning heavy on my cane.
We entered a room with bunk beds and sparse furnishings. The bedding appeared clean and each bed was meticulously made. Henner pointed to one of the beds on the left.
‘That used to be his. The City Watch took a crate of what he’d left behind. It was just junk, really.’
‘Do you mind if I look around?’ I asked.
‘Do as you like. Save for a few stragglers, most of the children are in school.’
Hobbling over, I sat down with relief on the hard bed Kalin used to inhabit. Leaning over, I checked out the floor under the bed, seeing nothing but a pair of worn shoes.
‘What are you looking for?’ Henner asked. ‘The City Watch were pretty thorough.’
‘You never know,’ I murmured, peering behind the bedside table. ‘Fresh pair of eyes, women’s intuition, dumb luck…who knows. Did he hang around any gang in particular?’
Henner gave a haughty sniff. ‘I wouldn’t know about something like that. I just clean up after them.’
‘I heard Kalin had a wealthy benefactor.’
‘Don’t know anything about that.’
‘You sure?’ I squinted and watched her aura flush dark green as she lied.
‘I told you, I don’t know anything about no wealthy relative.’
‘I never said anything about a relative,’ I said. Reaching inside my belt, I pinched some salt and cast. The salt crackled to life and Henner took an alarmed step back.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she cried. ‘I don’t want none of that craft business around here.’
‘Relax,’ I said. ‘It’s just a harmless seeking spell.’
Henner made s
ome more disapproving noises, but they faded as she watched the spell work. The spell was complex, and I felt a headache start up as it wound around the room in multiple streaks of silver.
‘What’s it doing?’ Henner asked in hushed voice.
‘It finds what’s hidden,’ I answered casually, omitting to mention it also caused people to speak hidden truths. ‘Tell me again about who keeps an eye on Kalin?’
Henner blinked as some of the spell whizzed by her. She frowned as the light wove around her, then paused and pointed behind me.
‘It found something.’
Annoyed at the distraction, I turned to see part of the spell fizzle out over a bed to the far right. With a sigh, I walked over and slipped a hand under the mattress, pulling out a dog-eared pack of naked women playing cards.
‘Woops.’ I was about to shove them back, before Henner snatched them.
‘I’ll take that, thank you.’ She slid the cards into a pocket. ‘Filth like that doesn’t belong here.’
I hesitated, rethinking the worth of casting the spell again. Henner was obviously a stubborn woman and I didn’t want to get the kids here in trouble. Pinching salt, I decided to give it one more shot. As I cast a second time, I tried to dig deeper into the spell, pulling up Kalin’s face into my mind’s eye as I did. The spell sparked bright and slid around the room, seeking prey. Trying not to be obvious, I tried to direct it back to Henner, but it ignored me and whirled over Kalin’s bed, ruffling the blankets before sliding under the bedframe. Wondering what I’d missed, I checked again, seeing nothing but the old shoes. I tried to shift the bed, but it didn’t move, and I jarred my muscles with the effort. Henner made a tutting sound.
‘Bolted into place,’ she said, pointing out the now bleeding obvious.
With a resigned sigh, I crawled under the bed and pushed the shoes aside. Keeping my eyes sharp, I felt around the floor until I found a loose section that the shoes had been covering. With my fingertips, I pried it up to reveal a small hidey hole beneath. Inside, I pulled out a dusty bag of boiled sweets and a leather pouch of chipped marbles.
‘What have you got?’ Henner’s feet shuffled behind me.
‘Not sure.’ I pulled out a last item, a folded piece of paper, and sneezed with the dust that came with it.
‘Bless you.’ Henner’s feet shuffled back like she was worried she’d catch something.
‘Thanks.’ I pinched my nose. Turning the piece of paper over, I saw it was an old black-and-white image. Wiping off the dust, I squinted, trying to see past the smudges and scratches. It looked like an official image of a City Watch constable. It took me a second more to process what I was seeing, because it was a face I knew well, even though it was a much younger version.
Seth.
I replaced the lollies and marbles back and closed the hidey hole, thinking some kid in the future might need it and that a hidden treasure might be their only pleasant memory of their time in this place. Wiggling out from under the bed, I grabbed my cane and pushed myself to my feet, the image clasped in one hand.
‘What’s that?’ Henner took a step closer, trying to see what I’d found.
I tucked the piece of paper into my work-belt and straightened my clothes. ‘Something the City Watch must have missed.’
Henner began to protest, but I raised my hands. ‘I’ll take it straight over to the City Watch. I’m friends with one of the Captains investigating Poulter’s death.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘What is it? What did you find?’
‘I really can’t say. This is an official investigation, after all.’
Henner humphed, but saw me out, sniffing loudly in an insulted fashion as we went.
Outside the orphanage, my thoughts tripped over themselves, shouting questions. Did the image of Seth belong to Kalin? If so, did that mean Seth was his benefactor? Or something more? I knew I needed to talk to Seth and grill him about what his relationship was with Kalin. Then I wanted him to explain to me how this yellow-eyed boy had become a cold-blooded killer.
Chapter 12
I was standing outside the orphanage, trying to decide what to do, when a car honk jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Crowhurst parked nearby in his natty little clockwork car. He got out and leaned on the hood, looking amused.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked.
‘Looking for you. You know you’ve been standing in that same spot for nearly a minute, face all blank, mouth all droopy like.’
‘That’s my thinking face,’ I said.
‘I thought it was a stroke.’ He gestured to the car. ‘Get in. You’ve got an appointment to get to.’
‘What kind of appointment?’ I asked suspiciously.
‘Forgotten already? I’m taking you to Nicola’s theatre company to meet her playwright. If we all get along, the project will get the go ahead.’
My hand froze on the car handle as I recalled my decision to go ahead with this play nonsense. ‘You know, I’m not sure I can do it. I don’t want to sit in a circle, hold the talking stick and discuss my first period.’ My voice lowered. ‘I don’t play well with others.’
Crowhurst popped his door. ‘You can handle it, so just shut up and get in, alright?’
Hesitating, I ran a couple of scenarios through my head, but most of them ended with me having to explain to Gideon why I sent Blackgoat crashing into the ground. I got in, grumbling under my breath.
Crowhurst gunned the car and threw me a grin. ‘There’s my girl. Fearless in the face of always present danger.’ He paused as he pulled out onto the road, then asked, ‘What was on your mind before? Must have been pretty important for you to have a daydreaming seizure. Only time I’ve seen you stand still that long is when you’ve been deciding whether to throw up or order another drink.’ He glanced my way, giving me a suggestive wink. ‘Were you perhaps having gushy thoughts about a certain nephilim?’
‘No. I wasn’t,’ I said. ‘And it’s not something I want to discuss right now.’
Crowhurst’s smile faded. He returned his attention to the road in time to swerve around a pig straying on the road. ‘Sure thing, boss. Just teasing.’
‘Uh huh.’ I wound down the window and let the air ruffle my curls. The old, faded image of Seth wouldn’t leave me. If he was Kalin’s benefactor, why all the secrecy? And if he was a relative, why did he turn his back on his own flesh and blood?
Our destination was an industrial area, located near the Gypsy Quarter and three blocks from the harbour. Crowhurst parked outside a large building that had bamboo scaffolding around a sweeping sign that read, Bethlar Theatre. A tiny goblin with a bulbous nose stood outside, smoking a pipe.
‘We’re not hiring,’ he said when we approached.
‘And we’re not looking,’ I said. ‘We’ve already got a job.’
‘Oh yeah?’ His eyes rolled over my hair and curiosity sparked in his eyes. He took the pipe out his mouth and waved it at me. ‘You the Witch Hunter, then?’
‘I’m not a Witch Hunter. I’ve just been dying my hair.’ I pointed at the black roots. ‘See?’
The otherkin looked at me like I was mad, then nodded towards the open front doors. ‘I’m one of the stagehands of this disaster. Go on inside, they’re waiting for you.’
‘Oh, lovely.’ I turned to Crowhurst. ‘You hear that? He’s a stage hand of this disaster.’
Crowhurst pushed me inside. ‘What would he know about art? Besides, coin shines all the same, no matter where it comes from.’
‘You only get one reputation,’ I protested. ‘And mine is the one that’s going to suffer at the hands of this mess.’
‘Lora, I’d wager that your reputation has already suffered enough damage that this little venture won’t do it any further harm.’
Muttering under my breath, I looked around. Inside, the space stretched to an ornate plaster ceiling, seats with tired-looking padding rising in tiers. Crimson curtains covered the walls and spluttering gas lamps faced the stage. People darted ab
out with rolls of fabric, armloads of tiles and buckets of paint. Nicola stood on the stage, talking to a man behind a harpsichord. The man wore a coat that appeared to be made completely out of lace and he occasionally pressed a key as Nicola spoke. When Nicola saw us approach, she clapped her hands and hurried down off the stage.
‘Thank you for coming.’ Nicola engulfed me in a warm hug, half spinning me around, and I tried not to go stiff. I wasn’t exactly a hugger. From over Nicola’s shoulder I could see Crowhurst silently urging me to pat her back.
Moron.
Nicola drew back, concern in her face. ‘Are you alright? I heard you got mixed up in something nasty yesterday with the City Watch.’
‘I’m fine,’ I told her. ‘No problems at all.’
Her smile returned. ‘Good.’
‘Show Lora what you showed me,’ Crowhurst told Nicola. ‘She’ll love it.’
‘Show me what?’ My eyes bounced between them.
Nicola nodded at my cane. ‘Can I borrow that?’
I hesitated, then handed it over.
Nicola drew back a little. A deep scowl settled on her face, before she drew my blade in one swift movement, baring her teeth in a snarl. ‘Eat dirt, gutter-trash.’
There was a pause, then Nicola’s shoulders relaxed and she sheathed my sword. Crowhurst clapped loudly.
‘With a wig, I’d never be able to tell you apart,’ he said.
‘I’m sure I don’t talk like that,’ I said faintly.
Nicola handed my cane back. ‘I’ll be even more convincing when I’m in costume. Now come on, I want you to meet my writer.’
She pulled me up on the stage and over to where the man in the lace jacket sat, fingers dancing lightly on the keys. ‘Lora, this is Roosen. He’ll be the one who’ll be…’ Nicola paused as she searched for the right words, ‘…extracting information about your past and creating an engaging narrative.’
‘That sounds painful and I’m not sure I’m that interesting,’ I said. A tight feeling was beginning to pull in my chest, making it hard for me to catch my breath.
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