Vuldon did nothing but breathe heavily and stare at the offender at his feet. Tane joined them, and together the Knights stood between the two opposing lines.
A silence of sorts fell across the scene.
‘What’s going on here?’ Lan demanded to the group.
‘Why should we tell you, bitch?’ came a reply.
‘Shouldn’t you be in the kitchen, sweetheart?’ laughed another. ‘Why’re you dressed like a bloke?’
Lan blanked their comments. ‘I’ll repeat my question: what is going on here?’
‘Fuck this.’ Vuldon grabbed the man on the ground by the scruff of his neck, then yanked him upright, clutching his throat in one immense fist. ‘Someone will give the lady an answer, or I squeeze. And don’t even try to call my bluff. This runt means nothing to me, and the older I get, the more impatient I become, so you better hurry up.’
‘He’s not lying,’ Tane chimed in, grinning.
‘It’s them.’ A stout human gestured to the interspecies couple. ‘Shouldn’t be allowed, not with them rumel invading Tineag’l like that. How can we trust rumel scum now?’
Lan marched up to the man and woman in question. The fear was clear to see in the black-skinned girl’s eyes. She was pretty, delicate and well-dressed, and this scene was no place for her. Lan placed an hand on her shoulder, then told the couple to run — which they did in an instant, the blond man mouthing, ‘Thank you.’ Their steps echoed down the street, between the crumbling stone walls, fading into the distance.
‘Why’ve you let the fuckers get away? Slut!’
Vuldon heaved his victim into the air, and tossed him wailing into the mass of bodies. Tane and Vuldon moved forwards, full of violent promises. Some of the gang challenged them, foolishly, and the boys set to work.
They threw stomach-blows, kicking legs away from under people, slamming them into walls. A couple ran down a side street, some drew the injured bodies to one side, the rest saw sense and backed off, surrendering themselves.
‘What’re you meant to bloody well be then?’ someone called out. ‘On yer way to a fuckin’ party?’
A ripple of awkward laughter, and Lan became aware of the Knights’ matching black costumes.
‘We are the Villjamur Knights,’ Tane declared. ‘And as citizens of this city, as subjects of the Emperor, you must respect order.’
Tane’s anger surprised even Lan: he sprang up and then into the group to grab the man — a skinny fellow with bad teeth and no hair — and slit a line across his face. He collapsed to the floor screaming, and Tane held out his claws. ‘Does anyone else have a problem with our attire?’
This act made Lan feel uneasy — she did not like the way the two of them would use their powers so casually. She would have to mention this to Fulcrom later.
‘So,’ Vuldon said, ‘which of you are in league with the anarchists?’
‘None of us,’ a man called out. ‘But we’ve nothing against them. They’re changing things, so why don’t you just leave them be.’
‘They’re criminals,’ Vuldon replied. ‘Anyone caught associating with them will be imprisoned.’
‘What, and now you want us to admit we’re one of them? Fuck off, mate.’
Vuldon cringed at his own stupidity. ‘Go. And if there’s more trouble, we will hunt you down.’
Grumbling, the group dispersed. Somewhere out of sight a bottle broke, a sword scraped on stone.
Lan turned to the rest of the Knights. ‘So no one’s willing to reveal who the anarchists are. How can they be so good at hiding?’
Tane padded a circle on the cobbles, peering around the street corners, or through grubby street-level windows. Two dead bodies lying on the ground he regarded with absolute indifference.
Vuldon picked up the discarded weaponry, drew out some material and wrapped them up for the Inquisition. ‘We’re gonna have to stay out each night and catch the anarchists in the act. That’s the only way.’
Lan didn’t think much of that. ‘We’re charged with an impossible task: to find the most efficient criminal operation in a city that’s getting out of control. It seems so hopeless. We’ll never do it.’
‘And I thought old Vuldon was the one who liked a good mope.’
Tane raised one eyebrow in her direction.
SIXTEEN
Covered in sweat, and wearing loose-fitting pale clothing, Lan marched from the training area, through the catacombs, with the warm light from cressets lighting the way back to her room. Today more techniques had been gleaned from ex-military combat specialists, where she had been forced through routines and manoeuvres that were brutal and efficient.
Lan came to the realization that her new role was in fact growing on her. Though she understood her anonymity was constantly in the balance, this existence was one she’d never been able to enjoy previously.
She had respect. She had a challenge. She had a future.
And being one of the Knights meant helping society, and that helped her feel good about herself, too — not that she’d actually helped too many people so far…
Lan pushed open the door to the plush, marble-tiled bathroom, and saw that her bath had been filled for her. The scent of lavender wafted through the air, and there were several small lanterns placed about the room. Without any further hesitation, she removed her clothing and plunged into the warm water, feeling the heat begin to penetrate her aching muscles.
Well, perhaps it is nice to think of my own needs from time to time…
*
An hour after her luxurious bath, Lan stood on the safe side of a thick pane of glass staring out at the snow, whilst Tane and Vuldon slouched on the plush sofas behind her contemplating some of the Inquisition reports, studying the recommendations and suggestions of those with a better knowledge of the anarchists’ movements.
‘Still no developments in finding Mewun’s killers, apparently,’ Vuldon announced. ‘And the councillors are becoming increasingly worried about travelling through the city on their own.’
‘Never mind that, old boy,’ Tane added, holding up a parchment. ‘It states here — albeit with appalling punctuation — that crime has gone up massively in the last fifty days. There have been more reports of burglary and vandalism than in recent memory. Shops are being destroyed, bistros burned down. Says there are two hundred thousand people on this side of the city, and most of them are worried about walking through the streets alone. That isn’t right. I think we have some work to do.’
‘It would be nice to have some strategies in place for us,’ Lan said, ‘rather than just being let loose aimlessly.’
‘We can think of things ourselves,’ Tane declared excitedly.
‘The city’s so big,’ Lan added. ‘There’s such a huge area to cover. We need Fulcrom’s help, too. I trust him — he seems a good sort.’
‘I’ve never yet met an investigator I can trust,’ Vuldon drawled.
Lan forgot her worries by staring at the sea. Nearby, hamlets cluttered up the shoreline, little white cottages were dotted into the distance, and Lan imagined they had to be brave people, whoever lived there, facing those bleak wintry seas.
Today, the submarine giant was passing again. The top of the creature’s grey crown breached the surface, and all around him the water banked and swirled, whilst seabirds arced in the skies, following his painfully slow progress through the tides. As he came nearer, into the shallower waters, torrents skimmed down his thick, green hide. He took one, longing glance into their clifftop retreat, then one to the land beyond as if he knew he could never survive there long enough to enjoy it — before he moved further along the shore, spraying seawater across the villages.
The Knights had been given use of this clifftop dwelling. It was safer for them here, Fulcrom had told Lan. Such sanctuary allowed them to develop their skills according to the designs of cultists without distraction. These
