Hawk and Fisher whooped and shrieked and staggered round in circles, still clinging tightly to each other, as though afraid that one might vanish if the other let go. Saxon moved quietly away, and crouched down beside Horn’s body, still lying on the floor. He examined it carefully, and then moved over to Eleanour Todd’s body. Hawk and Fisher finally broke apart, and went to see what he was doing. Saxon rose to his feet again, and there was a knife in his hand, dripping blood. Hawk looked quickly at the bodies. Both Horn and Todd had had their throats cut. Saxon met Hawk and Fisher’s gaze calmly.
“I just wanted to make sure they stayed dead. Unlike Madigan and Ritenour and Glen, they didn’t have a mark on them, and since the beasts are supposed to be returning all the life forces Ritenour stole ...”
Fisher suddenly froze, and clutched at Hawk’s arm. “Listen ... can you hear movement up above?”
Hawk looked at Fisher, and then they both bolted for the stairs, with Saxon close behind. They ran through the House with broad, disbelieving grins on their faces, passing bewildered mercenaries who’d also apparently just risen from the dead. Hawk and Fisher knocked them unconscious again, just to be on the safe side, and then pounded up the stairs to the fourth floor, with Saxon right there at their side. They heard the clamour of voices from the main parlour long before they got there. Finally they stood in the doorway and watched as the two Kings and their fellow hostages milled round the room, talking excitedly and trying to figure out what the hell had happened. Apparently some of the hostages had shaken off their daze faster than the mercenaries, and had taken advantage of their captors’ dazed state to get in the first blow. As result of which, the hostages were now in charge of a rather battered-looking group of disarmed mercenaries.
Take it easy, said Storm’s voice in their heads suddenly. I’ve alerted the Council as to what’s happened, and they’re sending men in to secure the House. And maybe then you’d care to explain exactly what the bloody hell has been going on, and how come you’ve all come back from the dead!
Hawk grinned. You’d never believe me....
6
Good byes
The council sent a small army of men-at-arms into Champion House to mop things up, and the Guard sent in an equally small army of Captains and Constables, just to make sure they weren’t left out of anything. Even in the aftermath of a disaster, there were still politics to be played. Also present were a hell of a lot of honour guards from the Brotherhood of Steel, watching the entrances and exits. They weren’t really needed, but nobody wanted to be the one to tell them that. Their pride was still hurting from how easily they’d been brushed aside by Madigan’s people. The Council carefully assigned them lots of busywork to keep them out of everybody’s hair.
The two Kings and their fellow hostages were still in the main parlour, trying to get their wits together long enough to work out whether they should postpone the Treaty-signing for a more auspicious occasion, or sign the bloody thing now before anything else could go wrong. The raised voices could be heard on the floor below, but luckily most of those arguing were still feeling too poorly after their narrow escape from death to get really out of hand. Everyone else stayed well out of their way and let them get on with it.
The cellar was full of mercenaries, tied hand, foot, and throat, waiting to be carted off to gaol as soon as enough cells could be found to hold them all. Being a mercenary wasn’t illegal in Haven. Neither was planning assassinations or a coup d’etat. But taking part in one and losing was. Particularly when the intended royal targets survive, and are known for holding grudges. The rest of the hostages weren’t too keen on the mercenaries either. At the moment they were taking turns using the cellar for a latrine. Some made several trips.
Sir Roland and his fellow traitors had already been escorted to Damnation Row, where special cells had been reserved for them. They were mostly Quality, after all.
With so many people in Champion House, the place was packed from wall to wall, and it was fairly easy for Hawk, Fisher, and Saxon to blend into the crowd and disappear. They finally ended up in the kitchens, where Hawk eyed a joint of beef uneasily.
“You thinking about turning vegetarian?” asked Fisher.
Hawk shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. But I don’t think that was what they were really mad about. Animals eat other animals on a regular basis, after all. I think it was more to do with the way they were treated. Maybe if the abattoirs were more humanely run ...”
“You mean kill them in a nice way?” said Saxon.
“I’m going to have to think about this,” said Hawk.
“While he’s busy doing that, I think you’d better make yourself scarce,” said Fisher to Saxon. “With everything that’s going on at the moment, it’s probably going to be some time before they get around to taking an interest in you, but...”
“Quite,” said Saxon. “I think I’ve pretty much outworn my welcome here.”
“I’ve got a question for you,” said Hawk. “Why didn’t Ritenour’s spell affect you? It drained the life right out of everyone else. Isobel and I survived only because we were outside the House at the time clinging to some ivy. But you...”
“But I,” said Saxon, “was back in the hidden passages again, and they’re shielded against all offensive magics, by spells built into the walls themselves long ago. Simple as that.”
“What will you do now?” said Fisher.
“Beats me. But I’ll think of something. Maybe I’ll start a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.”
“In Haven?” said Fisher.
Saxon grinned. “There are soft hearts everywhere, if you just know the right ways to approach them. You know, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a tasty amount of money to be made out of such a society. See you around.”
He nodded quickly to them both, slipped out the back door, and was gone. Hawk carefully shut the door after him, and then he and Fisher sat down together on a bench before the open kitchen fire, leaning against each other companionably, and staring at nothing much in particular.
“As with most of our cases, we won some and we lost some,” said Fisher. “Most of the SWAT team are dead, rest their souls, but at least we saved the Kings.”
“Not just the Kings,” said Hawk. “We put the beasts to rest, saved most of Haven from destruction, and prevented a war between Outremer and the Low Kingdoms. Not bad for one day’s work.”
“I just hope we’re getting overtime,” said Fisher.
“I’ve a strong feeling that will depend on whether we can come up with a story our superiors can believe. I don’t even want to try and explain about the beasts’ spirits and the Fields of the Lord. Never mind our part in it.”
“Right,” said Fisher. “Hawk, how much do you remember about the spirit lands? It seems to me the more I try to remember, the hazier things get.”
Hawk nodded. “Same here. It’s all fading away. Probably just as well. I’ve a feeling we got a little too close to things the living aren’t supposed to know about.”
“So, in the meantime, we just make up some comforting lies for our superiors?”
“Got it in one.”
They both jumped guiltily as the kitchen door opened, but it was only the sorcerer Storm. He nodded to them both.
“It’s all right, there’s no need for you to get up.”
“That’s good,” said Fisher. “Because we weren’t going to. Anything we can do for you, sir sorcerer?”
“Just a few questions. I was most impressed by your fortitude in all this. Most people would have been driven insane by all you’ve endured, but you survived with all your wits intact. How is that?”
Hawk and Fisher looked at each other, and Hawk smiled at the sorcerer. “We’ve seen worse, in our time.”
“You got that right.” said Fisher.
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Guards of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk and Fisher (Hawk & Fisher) Page 65
