by James Wisher
“Let’s get out of here,” Gabriel said.
No one argued and soon all three had climbed the ladder and into a large store room. A glowstone came to life as soon as they entered. Gabriel had heard of glowstones that reacted to body heat, but he’d never seen one before.
Solan closed the trap door and once it sealed the outlines of it vanished. “The hideout as you call it was created by my predecessor’s, predecessor to hide runaway slaves. The story goes that the Bright Shield sent him a vision showing where and how to build it.”
“Wait,” Griff said. “Back then slavery was legal. Wasn’t the priest breaking the law?”
“Those dedicated to the Bright Shield serve justice more than the law. If the two are in conflict justice always wins out.”
“We’d best get back before those bounty hunters wake up,” Gabriel said. “Thanks for everything Solan. I hope Mooche doesn’t cause you too much trouble.”
“If you can spare a few minutes, Gabriel, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Gabriel looked at his partner.
“I’ll take care of the bounty hunters,” Griff said. “Meet you back at headquarters.”
“Thanks, Griff.”
When his partner had gone Gabriel followed Solan back to the little kitchen in his living quarters. Seated at the table sipping tea was an attractive woman about four years his senior dressed in brown and green leathers, her long red hair tied back and a ponytail. She got up when they entered and Gabriel was surprised to find she stood only a few inches shorter than him.
“Gabriel, this is Kiera Oakshadow, Druid of the Winter Wood. Kiera this is Gabriel Kane, the third member of our quartet.”
Kiera bowed and Gabriel did likewise. “A pleasure to meet you,” Kiera said. “You remind me a great deal of your father. I was very sorry to learn what happened to him.”
“Thank you,” Gabriel said.
“Sit down, both of you,” Solan said. He took the chair to Kiera’s right.
Gabriel sat across from her, where he could watch her eyes and get a feel for the kind person she was, not that he didn’t trust Solan’s judgment, but he liked to get to know someone a little before he let his guard down. “You were with my father before the attack.”
Kiera nodded. “It was dangerous for him to be involved, but I was sure he was our third member so I didn’t warn him away forcefully enough. Solan told me he wasn’t meant to walk our path, but I felt so certain. Jeremiah was so noble and brave and kind. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Gabriel said. “You couldn’t have warned him strongly enough to get him to forsake his duty. This group that first he and now I am mixed up with are a threat to the city, perhaps the whole kingdom. My father would never have backed away from such a threat, no matter what you said.”
Kiera relaxed a little, a tear gleaming in her eye. She must have been carrying a lot of guilt about the attack. Gabriel smiled, pleased he could lift a little of the burden. Solan patted her hand. “Don’t take it too hard, my dear. You were close, it was the son rather than the father that had been chosen.”
“Speaking of being chosen,” Gabriel said. “When does the fourth member of the group arrive?”
Solan spread his hands and looked to the heavens. “When the time is right.”
“That’s a little vague,” Gabriel said.
Solan smiled. “It is, but in truth I can tell you nothing more.”
Gabriel nodded, accepting Solan’s explanation for what it was. He turned to Kiera. “So what part do you play in this mess?”
“I keep an eye on what’s happening outside the city. Before I received the guardian’s summons I was trying to figure out how many mercenaries answered to demonic masters.”
“Quite a task for one person.”
“I have help. One of the Oakfather’s gifts allows me to speak with animals. No one expects the squirrel sitting on a branch munching an acorn of being a spy. Birds are also good for spying and carrying messages.”
“Kiera’s gifts make her well suited to her tasks,” Solan said.
“What about me?” Gabriel asked. Since he’d first spoken to Solan he’d wondered what made him special. He didn’t have any gifts like Kiera and he wasn’t wise like Solan, if it was a matter of sword skill there were masters far more skilled than him. “I don’t have any special gifts or powers.”
“Not yet,” Solan said. “I believe the Bright Shield is watching you, trying to determine what gift would best suit you. When the time is right all will be as it should be.”
“Like the identity of our fourth member I suppose.”
“Exactly.” Solan either didn’t hear or more likely ignored the frustration in his voice.
Gabriel stood and the others joined him. “When he’s ready let me know. Right now I need to get back to work or spend the rest of the day listening to Griff complain.”
Gabriel shook hands with Kiera and Solan patted him on the shoulder. He left the church and walked back to headquarters. When he arrived he found Commander Lincoln waiting for him. “Sir.” Gabriel saluted.
“Gabriel, Knight Commander Ericsson wants to see you, now.”
“Yes, sir. Is he in his office?”
The commander nodded and Gabriel went inside. He’d been dreading this moment since Duncan told him Father’s suspicious about the man. Gabriel found his throat dry and he tried to calm down. He needed to keep his cool or he could get in a lot of trouble.
Commander Lincoln nodded and Gabriel headed into the lion’s den. The Knight Commander’s office was at the rear of the public space in case they needed him in an emergency. Gabriel knocked on the closed door. A moment later a disagreeable voice said, “That you, Kane?”
“Yes, sir,” Gabriel said loud enough to be heard through the door.
“Get in here. You’ve got some answering to do.”
Gabriel opened the door, stepped through, and shut it behind him. Knight Commander Ericsson sat behind a mahogany desk, his intense brown eyes held Gabriel for a moment then he remembered to salute. “Sir?”
The knight Commander blinked, breaking the hold he had on Gabriel. He motioned to one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Sit.” Gabriel did as instructed. “Now, why is that a prisoner has been taken into custody but not delivered to our holding cells?”
“Sir, considering the value of the prisoner’s knowledge and the fact that one of the prisoners was killed in our cells Lord St. Jaques thought it would be best if I made alternate arrangements for this prisoner’s incarceration.”
“And what might those arrangements entail, lieutenant?”
“I can’t tell you, sir.”
“What do you mean you can’t tell me?” Gabriel shivered at the anger in the older man’s voice. “I’m your superior and I order you to tell me.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but Uncle Duncan is my lord and he ordered me to tell no one the prisoner’s location. Until he gives me leave I can’t say anything.” Gabriel let the Uncle Duncan line hang out there for a moment so Ericsson would realize he wouldn’t be intimidated. Gabriel hated lying but he had no other options if he wanted to keep Mooche safe and Uncle Duncan had said he back up whatever Gabriel needed to do.
Ericsson ground his teeth. “I will speak to Lord St. Jaques and when I have you will tell me where the prisoner is.”
“Yes, sir.” Gabriel saluted again.
“Get out.”
Gabriel spun on his heel and left the knight commander’s office, his heart beating faster than it had after the fight with the bounty hunters. He made his way to the desk he shared with Griff and dropped into his chair.
“You look like hell,” Griff said.
“I just came from the knight commander’s office. He asked where Mooche was.”
“Did you tell him?”
“No, I said Duncan order me to keep it to myself. Anyone asks, you got the same order, right?”
“Right,” Griff said.
“Need a hand with the paperwork?”
<
br /> “Nah, I’m almost done.”
“All right, I’ve about had it for today. I’m going to see Amanda. We’ll pay our guest a visit in the morning.”
Griff nodded. “See you then.”
It was late afternoon when Gabriel left headquarters. Long shadows filled the streets, the pickpockets and cutthroats would go to work soon. Gabriel loosened his sword, praying he wouldn’t have to use it anymore today. He’d had his fill of combat, both verbal and physical.
Amanda’s school was four blocks west, so it didn’t take him long to walk there. Unlike most of the buildings in the city, gardens surrounded the school on three sides; a four foot high fence marked the perimeter of the grounds. The front of the two story brick building was lit by a pair of alchemical lanterns, one on either side of the oak double doors. Gabriel visited the school once when he’d brought Amanda back after dinner a few days ago. Even then he hadn’t gone inside though Amanda had introduced him to the severe woman that served as doorkeeper.
Gabriel stepped up on the porch and knocked. A moment later a pinched, wrinkled face appeared in the little door build into the main door. “Can I help you?” she asked in a tone that suggested what she meant was get lost.
“I’m here to see Amanda Cariden, I’m Gabriel Kane.”
The doorkeeper scowled which made her wrinkles deeper. “I remember you. You can come in, but I believe Lady Cariden is still in class so you’ll have to wait.”
Gabriel nodded and the door opened enough for him to squeeze through. The school was decorated more like the home of a nobleman than a school; it couldn’t have been any more different from the academy. Though when he thought about the school’s purpose it wasn’t so different, the academy was designed to train soldiers to defend a castle and this school was designed to teach noble girls to take care of a household.
Little tables covered with collectibles lined a short hall leading from the entryway, Alchemical lanterns lighting the way deeper into the school. “Follow me,” the doorkeeper said.
She led him to an empty room filled with overstuffed furniture arranged around a low table. “Stay here and don’t bother anyone. Lady Cariden will be told of your arrival.”
The doorkeeper left, returning to her station, leaving Gabriel to fend for himself. The furniture had not been designed with a warrior in mind and he had to unbuckle his sword and lean it against his chair before he sat down. He chose the chair facing the door so no one could sneak up on him and he’d see Amanda coming.
Gabriel yawned as he settled into the chair, his body sinking into the soft cushion so that it would be difficult to get to his feet in a hurry. Maybe they should get chairs like this for the interrogation room, it would make it harder for suspects to escape. He yawned again, the last of the adrenaline wearing off. It would be a wonder if Amanda didn’t arrive and find him asleep.
He dozed in the chair, whether for a few minutes or more he didn’t know when voices out in the hall woke him. Gabriel reached for his sword then felt like an idiot. There was nothing to fight here besides boredom. All the fighting and mistrust was making him paranoid.
The source of the voices appeared in the hall outside a moment later, four girls in their early teens. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice him. Hope, it seemed, was in short supply. A waif of a girl in a blue dress with a white ribbon in her hair spotted him. She got the others' attention and pointed at him, like the lead wolf indicating which deer they’d kill for supper.
The four girls soon had him surrounded. Since she spotted him the girl in the white bow got to speak first. “Who are you?”
“I’m Gabriel Kane. Who might you lovely young ladies be?”
They all giggled. “I’m Marie,” white ribbon said.
Marie pointed to each girl in turn. As she did he noticed they each had a different colored ribbon in their hair. Red was Sally, blue Anna, and pink was Jamie.
“I’ve heard your name,” Jamie said. “You’re Amanda’s boyfriend, the Watchman.”
Gabriel smiled, pleased Amanda had spoken of him. “That’s right.”
“It must be exciting being a Watchman,” Sally said. “Everything’s so boring here.”
“It can be,” Gabriel said. “Though the excitement is much more enjoyable in hindsight after you survive. When something exciting happens terrifying is a better way to describe it.”
“You get scared?” Anna said. “I didn’t think warriors ever got scared.”
“That’s a common misunderstanding. Fear is natural for a warrior, after all the possibility of dying is real. The trick is to us your fear and not let it freeze you in place.”
The girls all nodded as if he’d said something wise though he suspected they didn’t have any real idea what he was talking about, no one that hadn’t been in a life or death situation really understood.
“Are you waiting for Amanda?” Marie asked.
“I’m hoping she’ll have dinner with me.”
That set the girls to giggling again. “Tell us a story,” Jamie said. “Something exciting.”
Gabriel obliged, telling them about his sword fight graduation night. When he finished the girls all clapped. Out of the corner of his eye a saw another, older girl standing in the door way watching. She had long dark hair, wore a black low cut dress, and her eyes flashed like chips of jade.
When the girls stopped clapping the newcomer said, “All right, I think you’ve bothered the young man long enough.”
The girls all groaned.
“None of that,” the older girl said. “Let’s go.”
Gabriel got to his feet and bowed. “Pleasure meeting you ladies.”
They giggled one last time and waved goodbye as the older girl ushered them out the door. He leaned back and sighed, hoping Amanda would arrive before anymore girls paid him a visit. His respite ended in moments when the dark haired girl returned from chasing off the other girls. She entered the room and up close he realized she was about the same age as Amanda and beautiful, though in a different way. It was the way she moved with a sinuous, almost predatory grace.
“I’m sorry they bothered you.” she put her hands on the arms of his chair and leaned forward, her ample cleavage inches from his face. The heat rose in his cheeks. “I’m Tatiana, and I’m sure I can do a better job entertaining you than those girls.”
Gabriel had no doubt of that and if Amanda found him with his face inches from the girl’s chest he’d have some serious explaining to do. “That’s kind of you, but Amanda should be here soon so I won’t need any entertainment.”
Tatiana licked her lips and adjusted her position so their faces were almost touching. “You sure? I know things that skinny, stuck up girlfriend of yours never even dreamed of.”
Gabriel went cold. “I’m sure, and I’ll thank you not to speak about Amanda like that.”
There was a cough from the doorway and Tatiana moved away so he could see Amanda standing there, arms crossed and her left foot taping. Relief and anxiety warred in Gabriel but relief won. Tatiana smiled. “I was getting to know your boyfriend. The two of you are a perfect match, he’s as big a stuck up prude as you.”
Tatiana walked to the door, hips swaying enough to give any of the whores Gabriel had seen on patrol a run for their coins. She stopped at the threshold and looked back at Gabriel. “If you ever want to dump this flat chested, narrow hipped bitch, look me up.”
When she’d gone Gabriel said, “Friend of yours?”
“Hardly,” she hugged him and kissed his cheek. “I heard what you said, thanks.”
“So who is she?”
“Tatiana was the highest ranking girl at this school before I arrived and that gave her a certain status, her crude manners notwithstanding. When I got here she fell to number two and she doesn’t like it one bit. I imagine she’s been waiting for this chance since I first mentioned you.”
“Chance for what?”
“To steal you, it’s her hobby, stealing other girl’s boyfriends. Tatiana’s quite
good at it. I can’t tell you how many crying girls I’ve had to comfort after that girl makes a move on their guys.”
“Well I promise no one will have to comfort you on that account, you’re the only girl for me. Now, how about dinner?”
Amanda smiled and took his hand. “Sounds good.”
There was a tavern three buildings to the left of the school that served the best river trout Gabriel had ever tasted. He and Amanda got their usual seat by the fireplace and she told him about all the curious minor betrayals and affairs that obsessed the girls at her school. They were about halfway through their meal when she stopped and looked down at her plate. “I sorry, I’ve been talking nonstop since we got here. I must be boring you terribly. Tell me about your day.”
Gabriel smiled at Amanda when he realized how different their lives were on a day to day basis. The truth was he loved hearing her stories about the petty troubles the girls faced. None of her stories ever ended with someone bleeding at her feet. His almost always ended that way.
“I’m afraid you wouldn’t like hearing about it. It wasn’t the most pleasant day I’ve ever had.”
“Please,” Amanda said. “I think it’s important that we share the good and the bad.”
Gabriel looked into her eyes and saw she was in earnest. He took a deep breath and sighed. “I brought in a prisoner today. He’s a miserable lowlife with a price on his head. I had to kill three people looking to collect the bounty to get him in to the safe house in one piece.” Gabriel looked away. “It’s a hell of thing having to kill to protect a man that by all rights should be strung up from the nearest tree.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because he knows things about a great many bad people in this city and if I keep him alive he’ll tell me. I can use his information take dozens, maybe scores of criminals off the street. Keeping him safe lets me do more good even if hanging him would be better for my conscience.”
“I don’t envy you such choices.”
Gabriel laughed. “The only thing in my life anyone would envy is you.”
Amanda blushed and laid her hand over his. “Whenever you need someone to listen, to share the burden, I’m here.”
