by Drae Box
The boys nodded.
“But we don’t want to seriously hurt them, because otherwise that gives my uncle ammunition to use against you in the papers, and it will make those guys’ mates more determined to find us, which could get us in hot water.”
“Yeah,” said Raneth.
“What if we use my gift?” asked Aldora. “When I was in the arena in Newer and Inspector Ian came for me, I did a sort of air ripple which knocked him down the stairs. I could try and do that to all six of them at once, knock them out, and then we can rummage through their pockets until we find the keys. What do you think?”
“If you’re sure you can take out all six at once, I don’t see any reason not to do it that way,” replied Raneth.
“Good. Then we need to get close,” said Aldora. Before I get too scared and change my mind too.
“We should walk up to them calmly,” suggested Pedibastet. “That way they won’t attack us like they would if we ran.”
“Me first,” uttered Aldora as she stepped out from their cover and strode towards the black jackets.
Raneth and Pedibastet flanked her on either side, and when Aldora glanced at Raneth, she spotted that the fingers of his left hand were twitching by his hip. He’s expecting this all to go belly up, she realised. Should I say something? Try and comfort him? She carefully observed her boyfriend’s blue eyes; he had them focused fully on the black jackets. They didn’t waver. He’s a royal official. He’s probably just letting his training kick in.
She rubbed at her collarbone as she realised that she was watching Raneth to avoid worrying about what they were going to do next. Rely on my gift, she thought anxiously. Half the time it doesn’t even work. I screw up. Her heart started to beat faster against her chest, knocking out her fear so only she could hear it. She wrapped her arms around her torso. Please don’t let me mess it up this time. She thought over the training she had been given by Master Redler of the Royal Official University. It’s all in your imagination, emotions and experience. The more you use them, the quicker you master them, as long as you don’t get yourself killed by your own gift.
The black jackets were watching them now, all six of them grouping close to one another to stand between the trio and their path to the gate. Good. That will make it easier to get all of them.
Raneth glanced at Aldora. “You ready?”
“We need to be a bit closer,” she whispered. “I don’t want to miss them in case it gets weaker the further away we are.”
He nodded thoughtfully as one of the black jackets yelled at them to stop. “Here we go,” he uttered.
Aldora strode closer to the black jackets, ignoring their second shout not to come any nearer. OK, she thought to herself. Just face them, bark like a fox and knock them all to the ground unconscious. One of the men in black jackets pointed at Raneth, yelling his name. They charged towards her, Raneth and Prince Pedibastet. She cleared her throat and took a deep inhale. Think of the fox’s bark. Think of it smashing into them and throwing them so hard against the gate they all get knocked out. She opened her mouth and yelled.
The sharp yap of a bark erupted from her lips, a wave of air rippling outwards and smashing into the midriffs of each of the men. They flew backwards, swept off their feet, crashed into the metal gates and onto the ground. One slowly sat up, a hand pressed against his head as he winced at Aldora.
A stream of white mist sped past Aldora. She heard the hard thump of something striking the man’s head and he slumped over. The Dagger Bearer watched a sphere of ice fall at the man’s side and roll onto the ground. She looked over her shoulder at Raneth again, to see him and Pedibastet jogging closer.
Not wanting to waste any time, Aldora sheathed the Dagger and went over to the nearest black jacket. She rummaged in his pockets. Her hands curled around the familiar feel of Giften currency, and she withdrew the glibs and pocketed them.
“Sorry,” she uttered. “But I suspect we’ll need it more than you.”
She moved onto the next unconscious body as Raneth and Pedibastet reached her side. While Raneth pilfered another black jacket’s pockets, Aldora’s hand wrapped around a heavy slither of metal with two larger sections on the end. She pulled it out of the pocket and held it up.
“Raneth, I think I’ve got it. Will the other gate need a different key?”
“Probably not for the pedestrian doors,” replied Raneth. “Try it.”
The Dagger Bearer stepped over two of the black jackets and pulled a third away from the bottom of the pedestrian door within the large gate. She slipped the key into the lock and turned it. The bolt snicked and Aldora smiled.
“We’re good,” she told Raneth, though he and Pedibastet were already strolling closer. Aldora opened the door and stepped through.
“Now we find out how a bookseller kicked Cray off his throne,” murmured Pedibastet as he jumped through the door. “Keep up, royal official.”
Raneth ducked through the door. “I’m coming.” But he paused a moment to kiss Aldora’s cheek. “Nice work, A,” he uttered as she unlocked the outer gate’s door.
Chapter Three
Raneth
Reaching Green City, Raneth frowned as he eyed the sky. They’d walked all night. Though it was still dark, he could feel the tingle starting on his skin from his blood-gift, letting him know that he had a new opportunity to turn into his griffin-self if he wanted to, and that the sun was on its way. Late January promised a few more hours of darkness before the sun’s light would break through. They would have to use that time as best they could. If Wisner was anything to go by, things would be trickier once it was light. Raneth could just make out what appeared to be tendrils of smoke against the night’s sky, but with only the tiniest waft of the telltale smell, Raneth wasn’t sure. He looked to Prince Pedibastet, who was snuggled into Aldora’s arms.
“Fire?” he asked.
“Smells like there is,” said the Prince of the Cats, rubbing his brown cheek against the light skin of Aldora’s. “But I hear more than that too. Listen. I know my ears are superior, but you two must be able to hear some of it.”
Raneth stilled his movements and eyed the capital city’s one defensive wall. Unlike the other settlements, which still had both their protective walls, Green had taken their inner wall down to build outwards, rather than reshaping the city’s internals or expanding a section of the wall to enable the expansion of the city. Beyond the wall, Raneth heard the sound of glass shattering and a chorus of voices celebrating. He winced. That can’t be good.
At his side, Aldora was frowning. “Is that more of those people in black jackets by the gates? Can we avoid them? Are there royal official footholds into Green?”
“Yeah,” confirmed Raneth to all three questions, squinting as he did his best to make out the gate in the dark. He nodded. There was definitely people guarding the closed gate. “The footholds are to the left of here, at the back of an empty hotel.” Thankfully in a quiet part of the city. Hopefully it’s still a quiet area...
He moved forwards confidently, easing slightly to their left, knowing roughly where the footholds were in comparison to the city gate they had been aiming for.
“Good. I don’t want to take anybody else out if we can help it. Even if it’s just knocking them out,” stated Aldora.
Raneth nodded his agreement. “It’s a good call. The less attention we attract right now, the better. At least until we know what’s going on in there.”
“Sounds like general thuggery,” said Pedibastet. “Hurry up. I want to see.”
“Seriously, Pedi?” said Aldora before Raneth could tell the cat off himself. Not that I’d dare that often anyway. Aldora gets a much better response when she tells him off, noted the royal official.
“Go at a snail’s pace then,” grumbled the cat. “Aldora, when we climb over the wall, I will go in your bag.”
When they reached the footholds, Raneth quickly showed Aldora how to find each foothold, before he stormed up and over the
wall, and down the other side. He turned his back on the wall as he waited for Aldora to come over with Pedibastet. The back of the hotel in front of him obscured any clear sign of what was going on, but the city wasn’t completely in darkness on this side of the wall; Green had been the first to put all of their street lights on Southern Kingdom electricity. Raneth prowled over to the alley that ran up the side of the hotel. The street ahead was lit, but the building directly in view on the other side had had its window smashed, and the remains of a metal drainpipe lay on the ground. Raneth looked back to the footholds and spotted Aldora at the top of the wall.
“You OK up there?” he called to her.
She looked down at him and he could just spot her turning the same colour as seaweed. “I’m OK,” she lied.
“Just take it slowly,” he offered with a smile.
She nodded, before straddling the wall and bringing both legs over into the inside of the city. She started her descent.
“I’m just going to take a peek at the next street,” warned Raneth.
Her voice cracked as she acknowledged what he had said.
Raneth slowly advanced to the edge of the alleyway and peered out into the lit street. Men and women were strolling along the wide street, many wearing jackets with their hoods up to obscure some of their face, scarves wrapped around the lower half of their features. No people in those weird uniforms. At least that’s something. He watched as one of the women grabbed a horseshoe that was on the ground. Must have come from that building, realised Raneth as he glanced at the building opposite the alleyway – it was an equine supplies shop. He refocused on the woman as two men came up to her side. They strolled over to a furniture shop and Raneth winced as the woman smashed the store’s front window with the horseshoe. The men drew their swords and helped to widen the damage to the glass, making it large enough for all three of them to step inside. Then everyone surged forwards, voices tumbling over one another as they all started talking.
“What’s going on?” whispered Aldora as she joined Raneth’s side and peered out.
“Burglary, I think,” murmured Raneth. He pulled his hood up. “Never seen anything like this before.”
“Told you it sounded like general thuggery,” stated Prince Pedibastet, poking out from Aldora’s bag just enough that he could rest his front paws on her left shoulder. “Although ‘general’ doesn’t appear to be the right word.”
“Don’t get any ideas about stopping it,” whispered Aldora as she gently took hold of Raneth’s elbow. “There’s too many of them and we don’t know what’s going on. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Raneth eyed Aldora, before turning his gaze back to the furniture shop. I could easily use my gift to subdue them all, but I’d have to make them bleed.
“I have no intention of stopping it,” he admitted.
They quietened as the first newly minted criminal stepped free of the furniture shop and whooped into the air. More came out behind him – two carrying a sofa between them.
“Let’s go and get some alcohol!” roared one.
“Yeah! Oi, oi! Let’s go get some drink!”
Raneth watched as the people inside the furniture shop started ploughing back through the window at the call of the others carrying the sofa. They headed right, away from Aldora, Raneth and Pedibastet, towards the nearest off-licence.
“This isn’t good,” murmured Raneth.
“It’s not your problem right now,” Aldora reminded him. “Come on. Where do you want to go?”
Raneth mulled over who to speak to first. A lot of his assignments to arrest criminals had resulted in him spending time in Green City, and a good handful of civilians here were his friends, some eagerly helping him out every time he came by.
“Ali’s,” he decided. “He’s always had a good ear for stuff I needed to know, and he’s always looked out for royal officials.” Raneth stepped clear of the alleyway, watching the small mob prowling off down the street. “He owns Ali’s Paintings over on High Street. He helped me when we were here looking for the Dagger. When you were resting and I was looking for Denman.” Turning his gaze away from the mob, Raneth strode to the left. “We’ll have to go the long way around to avoid them.”
Aldora slipped her hand into Raneth’s. “Fine by me.”
As they progressed deeper into Giften’s capital city, the royal official noticed that some of the street lights had been smashed. Their tall bodies didn’t all match – the Southern Kingdom electrics had been hooked up to all the established street lights, instead of erecting new matching lampposts from scratch. Still, a good throw of a stone could knock any of them out, and that had clearly happened here.
As they turned into another street, Raneth hesitated. The new street was lit only by a large fire, and black smoke rose up into the air, choking the sunrise. A line of homes were on fire, and men and women stood on the other side of the street looking on, avoiding getting too close.
What the heck? Where are the firemen? Raneth turned to Aldora. “We have to find out what happened here,” he insisted.
Aldora didn’t look impressed. “No. We keep moving.”
“I need to know for Ali’s sake,” explained Raneth. He pointed at one of the buildings near the centre of the fire, which was spreading down the row. “Most of these are homes, but that one was a clothes shop. Handmade. Ali’s shop is his livelihood. I need to what caused this in case his shop’s under threat too.”
“Let him,” urged Pedibastet as he purred into Aldora’s ear. “We need to know too.”
Aldora nodded.
Raneth jogged up to one of the women at the edge of the crowd of onlookers and tapped her shoulder. “What happened?”
She turned and faced him, tears trailing down her cheeks. “Some of the rioters came and attacked Sarah’s shop. Half of them ran off with clothes and shoes, and one of them threw a Barbaric Swirl.”
Alcohol-fuelled bomb, remembered Raneth, turning to glance at Aldora. She stood a small distance away and Pedibastet watched him over her shoulder. “Why are people riot–”
“Wait, I know you.” The woman grabbed Raneth’s wrist and lowered her head, trying to peer under his hood.
Raneth pulled free. “No, you don’t,” he warned in a low voice, before backtracking to Aldora.
“Time to go.” He grabbed Aldora’s hand and led her in a run past the fiery buildings. “There’s a riot on,” he warned her as they raced down the street.
“That’s obvious,” said Pedibastet.
“Did you find out why? Is it because of what happened while we were gone?” asked Aldora.
“Green’s always been a vocal city,” stated Raneth as he almost dragged Aldora down a side street and burst out onto another. “Makes sense it would rebel against someone seizing the kingdom.”
He jerked to a halt when he realised there were men and women all around them, but none were facing them. Name-calling was rippling through the air on his left, so Raneth turned his focus there. A line of men in the black jackets were advancing on the crowd he had led Aldora and Pedibastet into. Damn it. Each of the black jackets had their palms held out towards the staggered group. Three of them had white mist spewing from their hands, which crept towards the citizens caught between them and another line of black jackets behind them. A few of these had fire crackling in front of their palms, and one more had the white mist of the Common Gift of Ice.
“Raneth, how are we going to get out of this?” asked Aldora, shouting the question as the cries increased around them.
“Lie on the ground, now!”
“Back off, Brethren!”
“Let us go!”
Raneth eyed what routes were available to them between the two groups of black jackets. No drainpipes. No side exits except where we came from. Best option. He tapped the shoulder of a man standing close to him, who was yelling at the black jackets on their left.
“There’s a way out this way,” Raneth stated, pointing towards the alley they had just
come through.
The Giften civilian looked at the other street and then turned to a woman next to him. He pointed at the escape route and yelled so the others who were trapped could hear.
“This way.” The royal official turned and led Aldora back down the street, ignoring the thuds of the men and women running behind them, providing them with some cover by being between them and the black jackets. That guy called them Brethren. Is that what they’re officially called?
As they raced down the street, Pedibastet growled. “Get on the rooftops.”
Raneth grabbed the first drainpipe he saw and pulled himself up, then waited for Aldora on the edge of the roof. The men and women who had run with them were racing past, ignoring Aldora and Pedibastet as she slowly climbed up the drainpipe. Raneth looked towards the black jackets; they were drawing closer. Unlike the civilians, they weren’t running. They’re cocky. Confident just because a lot of them have Common Gifts. Is that why they’re wearing those jackets? Because they all have gifts they can use to keep people in line? He grabbed Aldora’s offered hand and hauled her onto the rooftop before the Brethren spotted her. He kept her hand in his and led her to the other side of the sloped rooftop.
“Whoa.”
The city’s streets were peppered with multiple fires and, as Raneth watched, he spotted more groups of people running around, smashing the windows of shops. Carriages were on fire, their horses thankfully elsewhere. Raneth watched one group of looters as a whirlwind of dirt rose up beside them, reaching higher than the buildings on either side of them and then smashing down onto the mob. Brown dust swept upwards, masking the street until a rogue wind swept it away. Someone with the Common Gift of Earth and another with the Common Gift of Air working together. He turned his eyes away from the bodies, grateful it hadn’t happened near them.
“Are they dead?” whispered Aldora, pointing in the same direction.
Raneth’s stomach churned as he nodded. “I doubt anyone survived that.”
“Despicable,” said Pedibastet. “Where’s Ali’s, Raneth?”
