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While Hurl hobbled with Su
Storo, Rell and Jalor fought a tight retreat. Pot-shots from Shaky cleared any group that pressed too close. Hurl found him crouched behind cover next to a moored river launch. ‘Get in,’ he snarled and reached for her crossbow. Hurl let Su
From the wharf-walk Hurl saw that things were finally getting ugly. Some kind of summoning stepped out of a Warren. She imagined you'd call it a demon, or monster, all scales and jagged horns. In any case, it sure wasn't one of theirs. It turned on the Captain and closed ground. Rell actually looked ready to take it on but Storo pulled him back, bellowing, ‘Silk!’
Hurl held her breath, but nothing happened. Usually when the Captain called that loud for their cadre mage, smoke, flame and lightning and you name it came flying. But now nothing. A nagging thought surfaced; had the old gal and her buddy finally managed to corner him?
A whistle brought Hurl's attention around: Su
Shaky was looking down at her. ‘They're too close anyway.’ Arrows pattered around like rain. A bestial roar rattled the dock, echoing from the wharf-walk. Hurl peered over the piled cargo.
The demon was sinking. At least that was how it looked. The beast was up to its scaled waist in dirt and flailing madly. Everyone had stopped to watch, fascinated, the way Hurl had seen the fighting on battlefields halt when a particularly impressive piece of magery was in the process of going horribly awry. It sank to its chest, its neck, then, roaring what sounded like panic, disappeared but for its spasming arms. Those arms remained standing from the streaming dirt like two malformed plants, jerking and clawing.
‘Hood's bones!’ Shaky breathed. ‘What a way to go.’
‘Shoot, dammit!’ Su
Hurl took aim and fired at the firmer parts of the warehouse roof where the archers had edged forward once more. Shaky dropped one into the closest knot of Orlat's men. That broke the spell. Men dived for cover. The rest of the squad made the dock. Hurl and Shaky fired last warning shots as the launch unmoored then everyone jumped for it. The archers peppered the boat as they drifted away into the dark. Rell and Su
Shaky relieved Su
So, they'd all made it. But what now? Hurl eyed the Captain. He was looking ahead, downriver, his gaze thoughtful. Would he send Silk by Warren to Fist Rheena? Surely now he had to let her know that a gang of pirates were in the city recruiting. She cleared her throat. The Captain nodded, grimacing. ‘Yes, Hurl… What now?’
‘Tell Rheena. She's been square.’
He rubbed an unshaven cheek, wincing at Hurl's words. ‘Yeah. Well, that's the problem. That just makes this all the harder.’
‘What?’
‘She's dead,’ said Silk.
Storo nodded sourly.
‘What do you mean?’
‘He means,’ continued Silk, ‘that there's been a coup tonight in the city. Rheena is surely dead. We're all alone.’
‘C'mon, a coup? That's ridiculous. The Claws would crush it.’ But Su
‘Not if they're too busy elsewhere,’ said Storo.
‘Where?’ Hurl took hold of the quarrel shaft, held Su
Hurl leaned her weight on to the shaft, bore on to it until the head burst through the other side of the thigh. Su
‘Orlat and I had a chat,’ continued Storo. ‘From what he hinted at I got the idea that the Seti were rising, as was Tali, and others of the old kingdoms. An organized insurrection. Laseen's been bleeding the garrisons dry for years now to fuel those overseas wars of hers. There's hardly more than a division between here and Unta. And most of those probably turned.’
‘Turned to who?’ Hurl glanced to the Captain. He was looking away, over the river to the torches and golden lanterns gleaming over the domes of the city.
‘Did you recognize the name Orlat?’ he asked.
‘Sounded familiar.’ Everyone, Hurl noted, was watching the Captain now. Even Su
‘Orlat Kepten. Was captain of the Spear long ago. I was his first mate.’
Kepten! Yes, Fat Kepten. How could she have not made the co
Looking embarrassed, Storo rubbed again at his jowls. ‘Yeah. There at the end. My father served much longer. He was one of the first Falarans to join up – even before the invasions.’
While Storo was speaking, Silk had taken the stern and now directed them to the north shore. Storo turned to him. ‘What's this?’
‘My arrangements,’ Silk answered. He studied the maze of docks and jetties cluttering the shore like a mess of snaggled teeth. They slid under one sagging dock and Silk grabbed hold of a timber and they waited, silent. Waves licked at the glistening slimed wood of the old posts. Rell cleaned his blades in the water then ran an oiled cloth over them and sheathed them. Once again, Hurl saw, the youth had escaped any injury. In all the years campaigning together she'd yet to see him cut. There was something u
‘That's all right, Hurl. Help should be coming,’ Silk told her gently.
‘You're just full of arrangements this night, ain't ya?’ Su
‘What do you mean?’ asked Shaky.
‘I mean Silk here showed a lot more tricks tonight than ever before. Those two mages must've been damn good but he kept both busy. How does a plain squad mage manage that? And these arrangements… he knew something was up for tonight.’
Shaky was watching Su
Su
Shaky gaped at Silk. ‘You a Claw, Silk?’
‘Quiet,’ Storo said. ‘We've enough to worry about.’
Silk raised a hand. ‘It's all right, Captain. I'll talk. Truth is, I happen to be from Heng. I grew up here. This is home turf for me. I pull more out of myself here than anywhere.’
An old woman's crow of a laugh sounded from above. ‘Bicker, bicker. I smell sour defeat!’
Silk pushed his fingers through his hair, sighing. ‘Down here, Liss.’