by Drae Box
Stonefist strolled over to them and gave a slight shrug. “I was stupid to think you could take on Lodema,” he stated, pulling off the knuckledusters and wiping them on the inside of his shirt. “I should have known you’d mess it up. You guys have royal detectives to do the heavy thinking. They use you to do the heavy lifting. I should have known.”
“Raneth’s smart,” said Aldora defensively. “If you didn’t tell him everything then it’s not his fault if he went half-cocked, is it?”
Stonefist and Raneth eyed Aldora silently; the Newer pointed a thumb at her.
“This your girl? She was with you in the park. Quieter though.”
Raneth barely held in a frustrated growl. “She’s my partner, yes. Get back on track. What do we need to know?”
“The inspectors’ university. Your being here upset the inspectors as soon as you arrived in the city, and it probably irritated the city overseer, Edmund Shale. He’s as corrupt as they come, Ice. He’s most likely in league with Lodema. I shouldn’t have let you investigate without my backup.”
“You didn’t think to warn us about this before?” snapped Raneth. He clenched his eyes shut briefly then squeezed the back of the chair in his hands.
“I forgot how you find trouble wherever you go. Body snatchers, Ice! I’m not letting some knife-fancy drug you then slice and dice you.” Stonefist paced, running a hand over his head, before he joined them at the table and copied Raneth’s pose with another chair. “Izzy would never forgive me if I led you to your death.”
“Your wife’s still around? Even after that wound?” asked Raneth.
Stonefist nodded. “Tell me – what have you done from the moment you got here until just now?”
Raneth told him everything and he was surprised when Stonefist said nothing when he was done. Raneth frowned. “Well?” he asked.
“This is bad. If the chief inspector even said Lodema sent him your way, then she’s got everyone doing what she wants, by the sound of it,” stated Stonefist.
“How do you come to that conclusion?” growled Prince Pedibastet.
“Well, the body snatchers – she must have told them about you, how the cannibal cult here would want to eat bits of you two. You know they kill to order too, Ice, not just harvest dead bodies. And you’re the Dagger Bearer,” he said, nodding at the blade at Aldora’s waist. “That makes you brave, someone able to beat the odds. Ice here has a war record with the Newers, if people know where to look or who to ask. He’s pretty high in the ranks in the Giften army because of it, and it was here that he mastered that ice gift of his. He’s a royal official too – the Cannis love having royal officials. You two are prime meat for them. The best. And if you have upset the inspectors by being seen at the university, that’ll make the overseer anxious about whether you saw something you shouldn’t, especially if he’s in cahoots with Lodema.
Nothing’s ever simple. Raneth pulled out his chair and slumped into it, looking up at Stonefist. He checked on Aldora. She didn’t look as bad as she had just after their escape. Raneth glanced at a clock on the wall. It’s been two hours and she barely took more than a sip of that drugged tea. She should be feeling back to normal.
Pedibastet turned away from Aldora’s hand and looked up at Stonefist. “We must stay on target. Lodema and the Shotput of Power. Stonefist, where might we find them?”
“I guess with you being here she would want a good view of what’s going on around her.”
“High vantage point,” uttered Raneth. He frowned, thinking. Here, that would be difficult. She’d need somewhere higher than everywhere else close by, with windows on each side and few if any visitors so she can plan whatever she needs. And if she has more than one assassin in her employ, they would need to be able to come and go with some ease, but not too easily. She’d want to know if they were coming to her too.
“How many clock towers are there here? Is it still just the two?”
“Four now,” said Stonefist. “One in each quarter of the city.”
“Raneth?” asked Aldora softly. “What are you thinking?”
“She’s a Giften detective,” stated Raneth. “That means she knows royal officials are trained to prefer rooftops to walkways, and that we know how to track and find people. But she also knows that whilst I’m here I can’t ask the people on the street if they’ve seen her. The Newers won’t help a royal official or a person who might be an inspector if they can help it. She knows I won’t stoop to threatening civilians on the street for information. What she doesn’t know is that I have informants from the Nebar War who can help, like Stonefist.”
“I thought that war was still classified for you Giftens?” asked Stonefist, over Pedibastet’s gasp.
Raneth eyed Aldora warily, watching as her curious frown softened slightly at his look. He ran a hand down his chest and found the crust of her dried blood on his top. I should change. He went over to their bags to find the other civilian top he had, a tight-fitting black tank top. It’ll have to do. He shrugged off the ruined shirt and pulled the new top on.
“It’s still classified. Slip of the tongue.”
Stonefist smiled at Raneth. “The best tower would be the older one, near the entrance, but there are guardrooms there for the gate units. The two buildings leaning over the entry walkway and roads – they’re all stationed in there. And don’t be fooled, Ice. The men and women in them can fight. The gate guards are a lot better trained than when you were last here. She might have some sort of signal she can send them, too.”
“That might explain how she knew we were here to get the body snatchers and the inspectors to look out for us. When we arrived, we admitted to carrying the Dagger and Raneth’s paperwork gave away he was a royal official,” suggested Aldora.
“The gate captain could have passed that information on to Lodema,” said Raneth, nodding.
“Get some sleep,” suggested Stonefist. “You can’t do anything until you two have had a chance to calm down and recharge.”
“I concur with that advice,” stated Pedibastet. “See yourself out, Newer.”
Raneth glared at Pedibastet. He’s a friend and you just dismiss him like that? What sort of manners did Cray give you? You barely ever say please or thank you, and you complain when we’re not blowing on your food. He led Stonefist to the door. “Thank you for the rescue. I appreciate it.”
“Just make sure you keep yourself and your missus safe. I only knew about it this time because that cat of yours found me. He was screeching my name in the park – I don’t want him doing that again. I do need some tact around where I can be found.”
Raneth nodded before giving Stonefist a quick hug. “Either way, I appreciate it.” He reached for the door handle but paused as the handle began to turn. He glanced at Stonefist.
“I don’t have any backup coming here,” stated the Newer.
Great. Raneth glanced at Aldora over his shoulder as the familiar feeling that something was wrong erupted in his chest, like a small stone fist was squeezing him. The Bayre Talisman resting against his collarbones started to glow red in its diamond; the old magic was warning of imminent danger. He retreated from the door, moving to Aldora’s side.
“We have unwanted company,” he whispered near her ear.
Aldora viewed the door, chewing at the left side of her lips as she withdrew the Dagger of Protection and stood up. The Prince of the Cats slunk under the bed across the room and crouched down, retreating to be out of arm’s reach. He started to grumble.
Raneth plucked his backup dagger from his left boot. He gestured for Aldora to go to the left of the door, on the side nearest the bed. She stalked into position then watched as Raneth mirrored her on the right side, Stonefist settling to stand behind him.
The handle slowly turned as they waited. When the door swung inwards towards Aldora, Raneth reached forwards and grabbed the man who stepped through. He yanked him towards him, then spun around and slammed him against the wall, face first. Another man stepped into the doorway. Rane
th kicked at his leg as his captive pushed back against his hold. Raneth slammed him against the wall again as he called for Aldora. She darted out from behind the door and pressed the blade of the Dagger against the second man’s throat.
“Hey,” she growled. “Get back out.”
Stonefist grabbed the man Aldora was threatening by his shirt and shoved him out the door.
Raneth bashed his captive against the wall again, then tugged him towards the door and shoved him back into the corridor. He slammed the door against the man’s reaching hand then prowled back from the door. Who are these guys? He glanced at Stonefist, an eyebrow raised.
“Raneth, they have fangs,” he uttered softly. “It’s the cannibals.”
Just what we didn’t need, thought Raneth as a window smashed and a stone rolled into the room. Now what? The door thudded before it flew into the room, twirling off its hinges. Raneth drew his sword as the two cannibals regained entry to the room.
“Stand down,” he ordered.
The men didn’t listen, instead turning to face them and drawing their swords. One pointed his at Aldora.
“Now would be a good time to zap somebody, A,” muttered Raneth as Stonefist retreated from the door and backed off to the broken windows beside Raneth. Thick black ropes swung in front of the window frames, feet and legs sliding down them into view. “Aldora, now please.”
Fire belched from the guard of the Dagger, curling around the blade before leaping at the first intruder. He dodged, running past Aldora, but the swirl of fire raced after him, catching him at the bed. He crashed onto the bed sheets, screaming as the fire licked away his clothes and skin. Pedibastet crept out from under the bed and rushed onto the sofa, meowing at Raneth and Aldora. Stonefist pounced towards the other cannibal, his knuckledusters connecting with his face and knocking him down.
Raneth rested a hand against the wall beside the window as the bed smouldered and fed the Dagger’s fire. White mist rushed along the glass panes, solidifying into a thick sheet of ice. The first pair of feet slammed against the remaining shards of glass, but the ice behind them held firm. Raneth drew close to Aldora.
“We have to leave. We can’t defend this position indefinitely.”
Aldora nodded, but Raneth noticed a slight hesitation.
“We’ll be alright,” he said softly. He grabbed their bags, which were tucked by the sofa, and shoved them onto his shoulders. He slipped his blade back into its sheath. He paused only to grab Prince Pedibastet.
“Stonefist, cover our backs.”
“Will do.”
“Aldora, go!” ordered Raneth.
Aldora darted out, heading to the stairs. Raneth followed close behind. We’ll get out of this attack alive, he thought as Pedibastet purred gratefully by his ear. We have to.
Aldora paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking to Raneth. “Where do we go?” she asked.
Raneth gently deposited Pedibastet onto his own paws. “Anywhere. Another hotel maybe.” He took hold of Aldora’s hand and led her outside. He glanced over his shoulder. Stonefist wasn’t far behind.
Prince Pedibastet followed, staying close to Raneth’s feet. “Hotels are not a good idea considering the cannibals found you here. This is proof Lodema has activated her network. We need to hide immediately.”
“Maybe proof. All speculation,” insisted Raneth.
“I’m with the cat,” chimed in Stonefist, easing closer to Raneth’s back. “Body snatchers and cannibals, Ice, in the same night. That can’t be a coincidence.”
“Royal official, stop,” ordered Pedibastet.
Raneth reluctantly stopped leading Aldora, Stonefist and the cat away from the hotel. He eyed the rooftops nearby and both sides of the street. For the moment, they appeared to be alone. That won’t last, he thought.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Where can we go that is not a hotel?”
“An inn,” replied Raneth. He continued running and his friends stayed at his side, Aldora lagging two steps behind. He slowed slightly. It wouldn’t do them any good if Aldora started tripping over again. It would just slow them down. “We can’t camp on the street or in abandoned buildings if we don’t want to get shot.”
“An inn is very similar to a hotel,” complained Pedibastet. “The Newers clearly cannot keep secrets. We need another idea.”
“Lodema,” said Aldora. “How do we find her?”
Raneth spotted his Newer friend turn his eyes away from him, his mouth a grim line. What’s he thinking? That’s a sign he’s just made a decision he doesn’t like.
“How do we find her?” repeated Aldora, her brown eyes surveying a nearby roof.
She must be looking for the ones who tried to get in through the windows. It’ll take them a while to get here, if they’re not just climbing down and walking the streets.
“Lodema is secretive,” said Raneth. “Bringing attention to her worked once, so this time we’re going to do it continually until she comes to deal with this mess personally.”
Aldora frowned at Raneth. “What we did in Tren seemed somewhat legal, but I get the feeling this might be less so. Am I right?”
She’s too smart sometimes. Reluctantly Raneth nodded as he slowed to a stop, letting his group catch their breath for a moment. “Depends on what I do to attract her attention.” He returned his attention to their surroundings and watched the smoke creeping up from the hotel’s direction. “Aldora, why risk both of us? This is my assignment – let me take the risk. You and Prince Pedibastet can stay together and head home to Giften. I’ll distract them from going after you.” Raneth looked to Stonefist. “Stonefist here would be more than happy to help you home, wouldn’t you, Stonefist?”
“Eh?” Stonefist looked at Aldora then spun his eyes onto Raneth. “I do owe you that much, I suppose.”
“Good. My training should see me through, and my gift or my blood-gift will if not.”
Raneth knelt down and stroked Prince Pedibastet’s brown cheek, eliciting a purr from the Prince.
Aldora shook her head. “No way, Raneth. If we lose you–”
Just then, the cannibal Stonefist had knocked down stepped into view. Raneth shoved Aldora away.
“Go. Follow the prince and Stonefist.”
“Come, Aldora,” ordered Pedibastet, tapping her ankle with a paw before running away, heading deeper into the city, eastwards to reach its centre. Stonefist grabbed Aldora’s wrist and yanked her to follow the Prince of the Cats.
Thanks, Stonefist. Raneth watched Aldora look back at him before a building blocked their view. OK. Daylight’s coming so they’re less likely to be attacked. I have to make sure the cannibals come after me. The royal official flung his hands towards the cannibal. White mist spewed from Raneth’s hands and as two large icicles impaled the cannibal’s gut. The cannibal stood still and bared his teeth, revealing that the two teeth beside his incisors had been filed into points. The cannibal fell to his knees, screaming as he tried to pull one of the icicles free.
The soft patter of light feet caught Raneth’s attention, making him look to the side of the hotel, where the thinnest alleyway was nestled. More of the men and women who had planned to ambush him and Aldora in the hotel burst from the alleyway. Only reason I heard them is the alley’s size, realised Raneth, before turning and heading westwards.
Sweeping through the street, Raneth darted left, past one building and into the remains of a larger one. I can whittle them down here maybe with a few sharp turns and doubling back, then keep going and lose the rest of them. He sped around a corner and lowered to his knees, keeping his back to the stone wall. He slowed his breaths, shaping his mouth into a soft O as he had been taught to reduce the chance of the cannibals hearing him. He heard the soft crunch of stones under a foot. Another crunch. The footfalls are slow, deliberate. This one knows how to approach. Raneth eyed the ground near him. It was littered with crumbled stone that would give his position away if he moved his feet even slightly. I’m gonna have
to risk moving, or they’ll have the advantage.
He rested a hand against the wall and pushed against it, shoving himself forwards. He ran left, listening to the other’s footsteps, which were speeding after him. He took a side turn into a corridor, ducked behind a section of broken wall and plucked a large piece of stone from the floor. He peered out from his hiding spot and threw the stone over the higher wall beside it, towards where he and the cannibal had entered. The screech of stone against stone under the cannibal’s feet warned Raneth that he had turned to inspect the noise, but the slow footsteps continued towards him. Hmm. OK. Let’s try this.
Whilst more footsteps caught Raneth’s attention, he gently rested two fingers of his right hand against the floor. White mist slipped from his palm, sweeping down his fingers and snaking towards the first cannibal. Slowly, he edged back towards the corridor and sneaked a look back the way he had come. The cannibal was coming warily closer, pausing after each step to listen for his prey’s footsteps. Raneth checked on the progress of the white mist; it was two metres away from the cannibal. The royal official frowned at the mist, imagining it turning into a thick circle, right in the path of his pursuer’s feet, but low to the ground. Then he waited once more.
One foot went into the white mist and Raneth spotted a smirk on the cannibal’s lips when the mist did nothing.
Raneth took his turn to smile as the mist sharpened and solidified into tiny slices of ice. Then he sprung towards the cannibal, peppering his back with more slithers of ice. The cannibal screamed, and the other footsteps grew louder as they crunched towards the sound.
Raneth slammed a foot into the cannibal’s gut. The cannibal fell onto his back, the ice slicing in deeper. He coughed, splattering blood against his chest and into the air above him as three of his allies erupted into the corridor. The royal official made a point of smiling at them, before quickly giving the Royal Giften Army salute, which was better known globally than the royal official salute.
“Grab him, quick!” ordered the one spluttering blood. He rolled onto his front and hacked up a cough against the floor, more blood dribbling from his mouth.
