by Toby Frost
Giulia nodded. “So, er, what can you do?”
“I’m a summoner of winds. That’s what I do on the ship. If we’re becalmed, I can call up a wind to get us moving again.”
“I thought most ports had their own storm-caller.”
“They do, but it helps to have your own.” Elayne smiled. “I can do a few other little things: help small wounds heal up quicker, get animals to obey, that sort of business.”
“Animals? What about people?”
“It’s harder. Sometimes I can get them to do things they wouldn’t usually do, to change their minds. But it’s difficult. People vary.”
“Could you make the guards let us go?”
“I doubt it. It’s exactly what they’re not supposed to do. It’s difficult to turn a person’s mind around like that. I could push them a little way, though,” she added. “Sorry not to be more use.”
“That’s all right,” said Hugh.
Giulia tried not to grimace.
“Well, we’ll just think of something else,” Edwin said. “Don’t feel bad about it, dear. We’ll sort something out, you’ll see.”
Like what? Giulia thought. Her lockpicks were back in the inn, hidden in the stable with the rest of her thieving kit. I knew this would be trouble, I bloody knew it. You idiot, Giulia. I could have fought off that fat Watch captain and run away. Why the hell didn’t I?
As soon as the thought entered her mind, she knew the answer. Hugh wouldn’t leave Edwin and Elayne, and Giulia wouldn’t leave Hugh.
“I say we break out,” Hugh declared. “One of the ladies feigns illness, and then when the guard comes we jump him, get the keys and go.”
“We’ve got no swords,” Edwin said.
“Ah, that’s nothing. The two of us against some part-time guard? We can take him. It’ll be like the old days. Remember how we got out of the Chateau Dolour?”
Edwin said, “We got the keys then?”
“Yes indeed! Anwell made out he had gut-ache, then the two of us did the guards when they came to look. There were three of them then, and armed!” He crossed his arms and leaned back, smiling. “That’s what we ought to do.”
The thin-faced prostitute met Giulia’s eyes for a moment. Giulia glanced away.
Edwin shook his head. “It wouldn’t work, Hugh. It’d be too risky.”
“Nonsense, old fellow: the ladies can go at the back. Besides, Giulia there knows a trick or two as it is. All we’d have to make sure is that you’re safe, Elayne, and I can see to that.”
Edwin shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. I’m not putting you at risk, Elayne.”
“Well, we’ll all be at risk if we just sit here,” Hugh said. “I tell you, I’m not having some bloody peasant thinking he can lock me up. I’m for getting out the proper way!”
Giulia looked at Elayne. “What do you think?” she said.
Elayne shrugged. “I’m not much of a fighter, to be honest. Can’t we just try talking to the guard?”
“Definitely not,” Edwin said.
“Nonsense, man!” said Hugh.
Giulia turned to the prostitute. “How do we talk to the guard? Without offering to suck him off, preferably.”
The girl shrugged, stood up and walked to the door. She stood on tiptoe and put her face to the bars. “Hey, arsehole!”
A face appeared at the door, and the prostitute stepped back. “They want to talk to the boss.”
The guard stood there, looking at each of them in turn with the same expression of bored disdain, as if forced to make a choice that would inevitably turn out to be disappointing.
“Just one of you. You, the woman. Not you, scarface; I meant the lady. You’ll do.”
The men were on their feet. “Now look here—” Hugh said.
“My wife goes nowhere without me,” Edwin said.
Giulia turned to Elayne. “I’ll do this,” she said quietly. “I can take care of myself. Hey, you! I’ll speak for them.”
“No,” said the guard. “Only one of you comes out, and it’s the lady.”
Elayne said, “You know, I think it would be helpful if we all came along.”
“Maybe…” The guard shook his head. “No. I said one, lady. One woman, and not your friend with the cut-up face. A proper lady.”
“It would be better if Giulia went. She knows the situation much better than me. You really should talk to her. It would look much better for you.”
The guard looked around the cell, as if hoping one of the others would give him permission. “All right then. But her only.”
He stepped close to the door and took a key from his belt. Giulia met Hugh’s eyes, and she gave a quick shake of her head. Don’t rush the door.
“Come on, scarface,” said the guard. “Let’s get moving.”
He led her upstairs, into a well-lit white chamber. There was a big desk in the corner of the room, its surface pitted with dents like a carpenter’s bench. An elderly mastiff flopped beside the desk, all ears, chops and gangly legs. A man sat at the desk reading a letter, following the text with a fingertip. Every so often he would reach out blindly, and his hand would pat the air until it met the dog’s head.
A few other Watchmen sat on the far side of the room, talking. The ceiling creaked over Giulia’s head as someone moved about on the floor above.
The guard stopped Giulia in front of the desk. “This is the woman, Boss. Giulia something.”
“Give me a moment. I just need to finish this.” The man glanced up and saw Giulia, and his eyes widened slightly as he noticed her scars. “Who’s this?”
The guard shrugged. “She’s from the cells. They wanted to talk to the man in charge. I said one of the women could come up.”
“Is that so? Looks like you brought up the wrong one.”
“He brought the right one,” Giulia said. “The other three are foreigners. They don’t know what’s going on. I do. I’ve dealt with this kind of thing before.”
“Looks more like it dealt with you.” He looked at her, expecting something that she couldn’t work out, so she looked straight back. At the far end of the room, one of the Watchmen leaned out on his chair to get a better view, then leaned back again.
Something softened in the Watch lieutenant’s eyes. “Sit down.” He was tired-looking, weak-chinned, with eyes that made Giulia think of tunnels and mice. “You can go, Tommaso.”
The guard grunted, turned and walked away. His boots scuffed and thumped on the stairs.
“So, then,” said the lieutenant.
Giulia sat down and held out her hand, like a man. “I’m Giulia Degarno. Pleased to meet you.”
He didn’t shake it. “I’m Antonio Falsi, Lieutenant of the Watch. Which means that I pretty much run this place,” he added, as if it had only just occurred to him.
Lucky you. Giulia said, “I’m glad to be talking to the right person. There’s clearly been a mistake here.”
“We don’t make mistakes,” Falsi said.
So you made this cock-up on purpose? I feel vastly reassured. “I’m pleased to hear it,” she said. “I’m a thief-taker by trade—”
“That’s horse-shit to begin with,” said a voice from the back of the room. One of the men in the far corner stood up and strolled over to Falsi’s side. He was tall and light-haired, with a lumpy jaw that looked as if the muscles were permanently clenched. “I was with Captain Orvo when he brought them in. A thief-taker would have rope, manacles, that sort of stuff. She had none of that.” He looked down at Giulia. “The only thief-taking she’s seen is thieves taking her up the arse.”
Giulia kept her eyes on Falsi. “Look,” she said, “I need to get my friends out of here. If you could tell me what you need—”
“You want to go? God, no.” Falsi looked appalled. Behind him, the tall man emitted a short, snorting
laugh, a laugh for a man who knew that he was tough. Falsi said, “You and your friends are about the only thing I’ve got on that dead preacher they hauled out of the water last night. It looks like he was on his way to see you when someone did him over.”
Was he, now? She remembered Sebastian’s haunted face, his quick denial of being a clergyman. “A priest?”
“Damn right. He had all the robes and a sigil round his neck. It looks like a faith killing, if you ask me. The sort of thing Purists would do.”
“Now wait a minute. I don’t know anything about any faith killings.”
Falsi’s friend scratched his head. “That’s funny, because as it happens we’ve got three Purists sitting in the cell downstairs. And here’s another funny thing – they were very near the priest when he was killed. So funny it’s hilarious, isn’t it?”
“For God’s sake,” Giulia said. “They’re not even Purists, they’re – I don’t know – New Church or something. Hugh’s hardly a priest-hater. God, he doesn’t care about any of that stuff.”
“Irreligious, eh?” Falsi said, and he sighed. “Woman, your friends are in a lot of trouble—”
“A heap of shit, to be precise,” said the big man.
“Shut up, Cafaro. Listen, girl: a priest is knifed and a dog set on him, then his body gets dumped in the canal. And who happens to be nearest to the killing? Three travelling Purists, or Objectors or whatever other New Church heresy they happen to follow, and not just them, but – well, you. It doesn’t look good, does it?”
“God in Heaven,” Giulia cried, “anyone could have done it! Your bloody dog could have done it!”
Falsi’s mastiff glanced up, confused. It stared at Giulia for a moment, then settled back down. “Nah,” said Cafaro. “That thing’s way too soft.”
Falsi rocked back in his chair and looked at his thumb. “Two months ago a group of Purists tried to blow up the city arsenal,” he said. “People don’t much like the New Church at the moment. Like I said, if you want to walk away from this, I’d suggest you distance yourself from any heretics you might know.”
Giulia looked him in the eye. “You can forget that,” she replied. “I stand by my friends.”
Cafaro smirked. “Probably hang by ’em, too.”
Something landed heavily in the room above, and the timbers groaned. Giulia looked up: the roof bulged down slightly, like a belly against a tight shirt.
“The thing is that, as it is, you four are the closest we have to knowing who killed him. Chances are, you did it.” Falsi opened his hands, as if to let her future fall out of them. He doesn’t believe that, Giulia thought.
“I’d like to see the priest’s body,” she said.
“What for? Did you know him?”
“No. I’d just like to know that anything of what you’ve just told me is true. You said about a dog being set on him. We don’t even have a dog. I’ll bet the knife wounds are all wrong, too.”
“You’d know, would you?” Cafaro said.
Falsi shook his head. “No, you can’t see the body. If you were a relation, maybe, but… Sorry, no. He stays in the cellar. Besides, what do you need to know? He died of being stabbed and a dog mauling him. That’s all there is to know.”
“You don’t want us,” she said. “Really, you don’t. My friends are important merchants. They do a lot of trade here. It wouldn’t look good for the city.”
Falsi rubbed the mastiff behind the ears. It opened its mouth and began to pant. “Wouldn’t it? Well, here’s what’s going to happen. You people will stay here until we know a bit more. Then, you go up before the magistrate.”
“What for?”
“Murder, of course. Depends how the procurator sees it, though.”
“Who?”
“The procurator. Head lawyer. Does the prosecuting. I thought you said you knew this city?”
“Look, what I do know is that Hugh didn’t do it. Nor did any of them. Come on, man, this is a lie. And you know it.”
“No.” She was surprised how serious Falsi looked. It was as if she’d finally cracked through the armour of his disinterest. “I’m supposed to find some sort of answer. At the moment, you four are the best answer there is.”
Cafaro put his hands on his hips. “Law and order, little lady, that’s what the Watch is all about. If you can’t have law, you settle for order.”
Falsi looked around. “Cafaro, piss off.”
“Just trying to help, sir.” The big man threw a salute and strolled towards the door.
It burst open in his face. Hugh strode in. Edwin and Elayne stood in the doorway behind him. Giulia’s stomach churned. They’d decided to do it Hugh’s way – killing their way out of prison.
Falsi was on his feet. “What the hell’s this?” Men got up at the back of the room. The mastiff leaped up and barked. Elayne made a quick gesture and it sat down again, suddenly calm.
But Hugh raised his empty hands. The guard, Tommaso, stepped out from the middle of the group. “I thought you’d like to see them,” he said weakly.
“Why in God’s name did you bring them up here?”
Tommaso’s voice was very small. “Well, you’ve got her up here to begin with, and you said it wasn’t the right woman, so I thought I’d get the right woman and then she said that you might as well see all of them…”
Cafaro laughed bitterly. “You fucking idiot.”
Giulia noticed something that nobody else seemed to have done: Falsi was holding a pistol just below the table.
The lieutenant said, “Keep a bow on these people.”
A Watchman came forward from the back of the room, a crossbow in his hands. “I’ve got ’em.”
“We just want to talk to you,” Elayne said. “That’s all.”
“Fine,” Falsi replied. Slowly, he laid the pistol on the tabletop. It sounded very loud as he put it down. “You, sit down. The other two, keep very still.”
Elayne took a chair and sat. The two men stood behind her and Giulia, as though they were all posing for a painting.
Giulia turned to the Anglians. “They’re pinning it on us,” she said. “The dead man was a priest, and since you’re foreigners, they want to say you did it. As for me – well, I don’t look too innocent, either.” She glanced at Falsi. “Apparently, that’s all the proof Lieutenant Falsi here needs.”
“Shut up,” Falsi said. “Listen, if you’ve got anything worth saying, say it. Otherwise, you can go back in your cell, and this time I’ll put someone with half a fucking brain on the door. Anything you’d like to tell me?” He waited for a few moments. “Didn’t think so. Men, put these good people back in the cell.”
“Wait,” Giulia said.
“You had your chance.”
The crossbowman stepped forward. Cafaro reached up to a shelf. With a soft clank of metal, he pulled down a set of manacles.
Elayne said, “Listen to her. Listen.”
Falsi raised his hand. “Wait.”
“I can get you a name,” Giulia said. “If you let us out of here, I’ll come back to you in a week’s time with the name of the person who killed the priest. You won’t have to do anything except wait. Then, you can get the right man instead of us.”
“That’s a stupid idea,” Falsi said. “How will I know you won’t give me the wrong name?”
“It can’t be more wrong than the ones you’ve got now,” Giulia replied. She glanced at the others: Edwin was leaning forward, hands gripping the back of Elayne’s chair as to drive his fingers through the wood. Elayne was sweating. She looked a little sick.
“Maybe,” Falsi said. “But I still don’t like it. What’s to stop you just running off?”
“We have money,” Edwin began. “Perhaps a donation might help?”
Falsi snorted. “A ‘donation.’ Do you seriously think I’d let you walk out of
here just like that?”
“You could give us a chance,” Giulia said. She glanced at Elayne.
“It’s a good idea,” Elayne said calmly. “Giulia’s right: you know that. You can’t keep us here.”
“Maybe.” Falsi patted the dog’s head. “We might need the cells, I suppose.”
“That’s right,” Elayne replied. “You could put us under house arrest instead.”
Falsi looked at the man with the bow. “If I do that,” he said, “you’ll run for it. I reckon you’ll just run straight out the city.”
“That’s simple,” Giulia said. “Tell the men at the city gates to look out for us.”
“No, you’d hold up a boatman or something, try to row your way out. You wouldn’t get far, though.”
Good, Giulia thought. He’s already thinking about how to control us, what to do once we’re outside. He thinks he’s being tough, but he’s really making concessions. We’re halfway to agreeing on this.
“I won’t go anywhere you don’t want me to,” Edwin said. “Provided you stick to your side of the bargain, you have my word of honour on that.”
“Mine too,” Hugh put in. “As a knight.”
“None of us will be leaving,” Elayne said. Her teeth were gritted, her face tense. “You know there won’t be any problems. It’s a good idea.”
For a while Falsi was silent. He leaned over the edge of the desk to look at the dog, and did not sit back up for several seconds. Giulia wondered if he was unwell. Falsi screwed his eyes up tight, as though he was trying to remember something, or put it out of his mind. He shook his head as if to clear it, but he still looked confused.
“Well… I suppose it’s only fair. Yes, that’s… fair. And if you try to run, we’ll know for sure that you’re guilty. Right then: you, Giulia Degarno, you’ve got seven days. Come the end of the week and you’ll be up in the courthouse – no second chances.
“The rest of you are under house arrest. You’ll remain in the Old Arms no matter what. You can have your weapons back, but if I hear you’ve so much as drawn a sword in anger, you’re dead. If you’re seen on the street, my men will have the right to bring you in, however’s necessary. And I will be checking,” he added. “If you try to run, we’ll take you, even if I have to call in the soldiers from the Arsenal to do it. But I don’t think that will be necessary. You’re not all fighters, after all.” And he looked at Elayne.
