A voice eventually hollered from the audience: ‘OK, you got us on your side, pal. What can we do about it?’
‘I’m glad you asked that,’ Malum replied. ‘In terms of your safety, I’m already on it — not the military, you should note, but a lot of genuine people who I know well. We’ve got civilian patrols organized keeping watch on the fringes of the Wasteland. .’
As Malum spoke, Fulcrom caught some movement to one side. It looked like a scuffle, and two men were pulling a third out towards the exit. ‘Wait here,’ he whispered to Lan, before pushing his way through the attentive crowd towards the doorway. He poked his head around the corner and glanced through to the dimly lit corridor beyond. There, two thugs were laying into another man, striking firm blows to his stomach and face. They pushed him up against the wall and spat in his face.
Fulcrom could overhear a few words. ‘. . You breathe a word to anyone and we’ll kill you.’
The victim, a male in his late thirties, with a torn shirt, brown breeches and heavy boots, spluttered his response. ‘Didn’t. . didn’t mean to disagree with the man. Just seemed a bit over the. . over the top.’
‘You said you were heading to the Citadel,’ one of the attackers snarled.
‘Was jokin’. Empty threat. Nothing more.’
A third man came to enquire what was going on and the thugs dumped their victim on the floorboards before speaking to the newcomer, a broad-faced, red-headed man who looked as though he’d been in a few fights in his life.
‘Citadel you say.’ The red-headed man scratched his chin. ‘Malum wouldn’t like that. Better get rid of him. Keep it clean.’ And with that he began to walk away.
The thugs nodded, pulled out a blade, hauled the victim up off the floor and, with his eyes wide and his hands up in protest, they slit his throat. It happened so quickly. Blood pooled across the wooden floor.
‘Aw, for fucksake,’ the red-headed man called back. ‘I said keep it clean.’
‘Sorry, JC. You want us to sort it?’
‘Yeah, we’ve got a reputation. People respect us. Get a mop and a bucket and sort it out, and get rid of that fucking body.’
Fulcrom quickly pulled back into the room and, his heart beating rapidly, he pushed his way through to Lan’s side. Malum was still talking, and there was now the acrid stench of arum weed to add to the sweaty musk.
‘What was it?’ she asked, and he told her.
‘If I’d have intervened they would have taken me too.’
‘Shit.’
‘Exactly. I’d like to see what the commander has to say about this.’
‘They’re not messing around, are they?’ Lan whispered.
‘No, this is serious,’ Fulcrom replied. He eyed Malum, who was at the far side of the stage, continuing his diatribe.
‘Tell you what I’m going to do,’ Malum called out across the crowd. ‘I’m gonna repeat this little speech of mine on another night or two. Or three. Fetch your friends and family — and if they can’t make it, tell them all will be fine. I’m here. I’ll not let this city become some kind of military dictatorship or alien ghetto.’
The raucous cheer was louder than ever. People banged tankards on tables and stamped their feet on the floorboards.
After this settled, a few people began to ask what he’d do next?
‘All in good time, my friends. All in good time. I’m getting some of the old underground networks to unite. We’re starting to form a new network with some of the tavern owners and shopkeepers around the city — all nothing to do with the alien-lovin’ soldiers. We’ve got plenty of money on our side. We’ve got all we need to take our city back and protect it from aliens. Expect more news very soon.’
With that, he turned and walked off stage, leaving the crowd demanding more.
‘That guy knows how to play to an audience,’ Lan commented.
‘It all explains why he created that scene in the iren, anyway,’ Fulcrom replied. ‘We need to report back to the commander right away.’
TWENTY — FIVE
The military were packing up for the final time. People were bustling through the corridors on each level, carrying supplies, blankets, armour, swords, food — everything that said something big was about to happen. Fulcrom found Brynd surrounded by clerks and piles of paper.
‘You look busy,’ Fulcrom commented.
Brynd didn’t reply for a moment, simply staring at the papers before him on the table. ‘It’s war this time, investigator. This is it. This is the big campaign.’
‘Will you be gone from the city for long?’
‘I’ve no idea. It could be over pretty quickly. It could be a more sustained campaign but I bloody well hope it isn’t.’
‘Where’s the conflict?’ Fulcrom enquired.
‘It’s looking like the coast of Folke, if the surveillance is correct. There’s another coastal invasion being planned. If Folke falls, so does the rest of the Archipelago.’
‘I hope it goes as well as these things can do,’ Fulcrom replied.
‘Thanks, but I take it you didn’t come here to discuss that.’
‘No, I’ve found out who acquired the corpse of the monster in the iren, and why.’
‘That was quick.’ Brynd gestured to the chair opposite.
Fulcrom sat down to reveal his findings, from his dealings with the youths at Factory 54 to the meeting in the Partisans’ Club. ‘Those kids were probably quite innocent in all of this I believe. The girl — Jeza — felt pressured by Malum. She probably regrets ever having met him.’
Brynd had kept calm while Fulcrom related the information, but as soon as he recalled the threats that Malum had made to him months ago, his temper began to show.
‘You know who Malum is, I’m guessing,’ Fulcrom ventured.
‘I certainly do.’ Brynd sat back in his chair, made a steeple of his hands and contemplated his fury. ‘He was a vicious gang leader and used to be a powerful man — for his position. He tried a few tricks on us. If I’m honest, I hoped he’d died in the war, but I knew there were still a few issues with the gangs in some districts. It’s the gangs who rule the streets in this city, investigator — or so they’d like to think.’
‘What do you think of the meeting at the club?’
‘I’ve not got time to deal with it so I’m going to entrust this to you — but be careful. The man was once capable of great evil. Because of that, I’ll release what few guards we have left at the Citadel to be at your disposal, but tread carefully. I’ll see if we can spare fifty newly enlisted soldiers and have them patrol the streets, but that really is a maximum.’
‘Of course,’ Fulcrom said. ‘How many soldiers from the city are going with you?’
‘Nearly all of them — it has to be that way. We really do need
Fulcrom nodded and rose. ‘I’ll do my best, commander.’
‘I want to repeat: be cautious,’ Brynd replied. ‘Malum isn’t your typical criminal.’
The rumel smiled. ‘I’ve dealt with more than a few unusual criminals in my time, commander.’
*
‘Hey, Malum,’ the kid said, stirring Malum from his slumber.
Malum recalled his surroundings: he was sitting in a plush chair in an empty underground tavern. Everyone had gone home. The party had ended. It was just him and the embers of the fire, and the empty lager bottle that lay by his feet. He breathed deeply, trying to clear his head.
‘What is it?’ Malum tried to locate the kid’s voice, and his blurry vision eventually located the doorway, in which a blond kid was standing.
‘JC told me to tell you that the army’s leaving.’
