[Blood on the Reik 02] - Death's City

by Sandy Mitchell - (ebook by Undead)

  “Lunch,” he said. “Then maybe we can talk a little business.”

  “What kind of business?” Rudi asked warily.

  Sam smiled, although the expression failed to reach his eyes. “I think we might be able to help one another,” he said.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “That’s better.” Sam nodded at the plate full of eel pie in front of him with evident satisfaction and began to ply his cutlery with enthusiasm. “It’s been a long walk.”

  “Long enough,” Rudi agreed, breaking the crust on his own portion with almost as much gusto. He was ravenous and the scent of the fresh food was almost intoxicating. Sam had led the way out of the Doodkanal with the air of a man who knew the tangled streets well, doubling back several times and passing through derelict buildings on a couple of occasions. When Rudi had asked why, the halfling had simply shrugged.

  “We probably weren’t being followed—but now we definitely aren’t.” Rudi had half expected him to lead the way into the Kleinmoot, but Sam had avoided that part of the city completely and they’d ended up at the Blind Eye, a tavern opposite the Winkelmarkt watch barracks popular with off-duty Black Caps. Rudi had been surprised at this and kept a wary eye out for Gerrit, as they’d been in there a few times together, but to his relief there was no sign of his friend. Sam had evidently noticed the motion of his head, because he chuckled around a mouthful of pie and mashed turnip.

  “Safest place in the ward to discuss business,” he said, washing it down with a generous swallow of ale. He nodded at the crowd around the bar. “Half the customers are Black Caps and most of the others are small-time crooks.” His mouth quirked with cynical amusement. “That way they can keep an eye on each other without getting their feet wet.”

  “So which are you?” Rudi asked. Sam stopped chewing for a moment to gaze levelly at him, and despite the difference in their relative sizes, Rudi found himself remembering Koos’ description of the halfling as being someone you didn’t want to cross. He seemed to think it was a fair question, because after a moment he nodded.

  “I’m one of the exceptions,” he said, pushing his empty platter to one side.

  “So I gather.” Rudi ate a little more of his own meal and waited while the halfling ordered a second portion. “A lot of people seem to know you. Why?”

  “Because of what I do. Thanks Milli, you’re an angel.” Sam took his fresh plate of food and smiled at the serving girl, who blushed and returned to the bar.

  “And what is that, exactly?” Rudi asked.

  The halfling smiled sardonically. “I solve people’s problems. For the right price.”

  “Which is how much?” Rudi took another spoonful of turnip.

  “That depends on a few things.”

  “Like what?” Rudi was beginning to get a feel for how the game was played. Sam was annoyingly laconic, especially for a halfling; the others he’d encountered since arriving in the city tended to be garrulous in the extreme. He assumed it was something to do with maintaining his reputation, whatever that was.

  “How desperate they are. How much they can afford. How likely I am to get killed. That kind of thing.” Rudi nodded and was about to speak when Sam went on. “I normally start at thirty a day, plus expenses.”

  “Thirty shillings a day? That’s a lot of money,” Rudi said, trying to mask his surprise.

  The halfling grinned, the first genuine smile Rudi had seen on his face since they met. “That’s guilders, country boy. I play in the big leagues.”

  “Well I don’t,” Rudi said. “Not at that price.”

  “I know. And unless you start taking bribes like most of the other fine upstanding agents of the law around here, you never will.” A flicker of amusement crossed his features. “Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed.” Rudi flushed. He’d realised early on that most of his colleagues would take a shilling here or there to look the other way when some act of petty theft forced itself on their attention, or levied more fines than they declared back at the watch house. He had decided from the outset that such a course was not for him. That was something else he had in common with Gerrit, and he suspected it was one of the reasons Rijgen paired them off so often, although whether that was to keep them both from picking up bad habits from older, more cynical watchmen or to prevent them from rocking the boat he still hadn’t made up his mind.

  “It happens.” He shrugged. “It’s not for me, that’s all.”

  “I heard you had principles,” Sam said, although Rudi couldn’t tell from his tone whether he thought that a good or a bad thing. Maybe it was something else which depended on the context. He plied his cutlery again. “You’re looking for someone. Maybe I can help.”

  “Not for thirty guilders,” Rudi said. He didn’t bother asking how the halfling knew that. It was evident from his conversation with the destitute aristocrat the previous night that it was a piece of information which had travelled a long way.

  “Not even for one. Like I said, we might be able to help one another,” Sam said.

  “How, exactly?” Rudi asked, pushing his empty plate aside. The halfling drained his tankard and signalled to Milli for a refill. She bustled across with two tankards and Rudi accepted the second one dubiously.

  “What do you know about an Imperial nobleman called von Eckstein?” Sam asked when she’d gone. Taken completely by surprise, Rudi took a mouthful of ale while he composed an answer.

  “Not much,” he said at last, deciding he might as well be as truthful as possible. “I’ve only met him once.”

  “At Tilman’s, I know.” Sam nodded. “I saw you there. And your friends.”

  “Then you know about as much as I do,” Rudi said. “I haven’t seen him since.”

  “I know,” Sam repeated and nodded his head thoughtfully again. “But one of your friends has.”

  “Hanna saw him at the college a couple of weeks ago,” Rudi began, before the chain of reasoning completed itself. He nodded too. “Oh. You mean Fritz.”

  “That’s right.” Sam leaned forwards across the table and Rudi felt an irrational impulse to withdraw. “I’m sure he knows all about von Eckstein and his business in Marienburg.”

  “Then why don’t you ask him yourself?” Rudi asked. Sam’s eyes locked on his for a moment, and despite himself Rudi shivered.

  “That wouldn’t be a very good idea,” he said. “I’m sure the Imperial embassy has agents watching our friend the graf and anyone approaching his entourage. I’d stick out like an orc in the Moot.” The idea seemed to amuse him for some reason. “An old friend of his bodyguard, on the other hand, going out for a quiet, sociable drink…”

  “You want me to ask Fritz about von Eckstein,” Rudi said, and the halfling nodded.

  “Discreetly, of course.”

  “Of course.” Rudi took another mouthful of ale, his mind whirling. Trying to sound as cool as Sam he replaced the tankard carefully on the tabletop. “I could do that. The question is, why should I?”

  “For one thing, I’ve got more contacts in this city than anyone else I know, and believe me, I know an awful lot of people.” Sam paused, letting the idea sink in. “If I can’t find von Blackenburg for you, I can definitely point you in the right direction.”

  “And you’d do that for nothing,” Rudi said, with heavy sarcasm. “Just out of the goodness of your heart.”

  “I don’t have one,” Sam said. “I hear they’re bad for business. I’m talking about a straight exchange of information. Something you can get for me, for something I can get for you. Then we’re square. Deal?”

  “I don’t know,” Rudi said. He looked at the halfling narrowly. “You seem very keen to get me to help you. What’s all this about?”

  “What’s anything about in Marienburg?” Sam asked rhetorically. “Money, and lots of it.” He looked appraisingly at Rudi and appeared to come to a decision. “OK, you seem solid enough. Do I have your word you won’t repeat what I’m about to tell you to anyone else?”

  �
��All right.” Rudi nodded. “If I’m going to get involved in whatever you’re up to, I want to know what the stakes are first.”

  “Fair enough.” Sam nodded and lowered his voice a little. “Basically, your life. If anyone else finds out you’re stringing for me, it’s guilders to fish guts you’ll end up floating in a canal somewhere with a second mouth where your throat used to be. Clear?”

  “Clear,” Rudi replied, unable to believe that the halfling was threatening him so openly Evidently sensing his doubts, Sam nodded grimly.

  “I mean it. If the Imperials find out you’ve been sniffing around von Eckstein’s business they’ll go to any lengths to stop you from passing on what you’ve learned. And if the Fog Walkers even suspect you’ve betrayed my confidence you’ll be shark bait by dawn.”

  “The Fog Walkers?” Rudi echoed, surprised beyond measure. Like everyone else in Marienburg, he’d heard whispers of the ruthlessly efficient network of agents the city government allegedly kept looking out for their interests throughout the city and far beyond, but like most had dismissed them as fanciful gossip. “You’re working for them?”

  “I never said that,” Sam replied flatly. Rudi nodded, taking his meaning. “Let’s just say I’m as patriotic as any other Marienburger and I’m willing to help out when the interests of the city may be under threat.”

  “From von Eckstein?” Rudi asked, and Sam nodded again.

  “There are others behind him, I’m sure, but he’s the point man. He has a habit of turning up wherever the Empire’s playing games behind the scenes. Bretonnia, Tilea, even Araby. He talks, people listen, money changes hands and things happen. Things favourable to them, not necessarily in anyone else’s interests.”

  “Who’s he been talking to in Marienburg?” Rudi asked.

  “We don’t know. He’s been having meetings somewhere in the Elfsgemeente, but who with is anyone’s guess. He’s covering his tracks very carefully.”

  “He didn’t seem to be keeping such a low profile when I saw him,” Rudi said. “Playing cards in a backstreet gambling den.”

  “He’s being a lot more careful now. Not from personal inclination, if I know my mark, but someone’s got nervous and started holding his leash more tightly. Which is why we haven’t had another chance to set him up, and why we’re desperate enough to come to you.”

  “Set him up?” Rudi echoed, then the full realisation hit. “You mean the card game.”

  “It should have worked. Take him for a small fortune over several nights and threaten to expose him to his bosses unless he told us what he’s here for.” He sighed and shook his head ruefully. “And after all the trouble we went to, finding an honest establishment, getting a mage to gimmick the deck, giving our catspaws amulets that let them see the marks on the cards, you have to come barging in with someone gifted with witchsight on the first night.”

  “We nearly lost everything we had,” Rudi riposted, beginning to raise his voice.

  “Couldn’t be helped,” he said. “We needed some genuine players in the game too, or it would have been too obvious a set-up. Most of them had the sense to quit when they saw they were on a losing streak.”

  “But not Artemus,” Rudi said.

  “It takes some people like that,” he said. He leaned back in his seat again. “So, do we have a deal or not?”

  “I suppose we do,” Rudi said, trying to ignore the sense of foreboding which settled across him as he spoke. This was going to lead to trouble, he could feel it, but he didn’t seem to have any other choice. Finding Magnus was the only possible way to answer the questions which continued to plague him, and making use of Sam’s network of contacts was by far the best way of doing that.

  “Good,” he said, hopping down from his chair. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Rudi watched him weave his way through the clientele towards the door with mixed feelings. On the one hand his chances of finding the missing merchant had just improved immeasurably On the other, he’d just been pitched into a bewildering new world of secrets and covert diplomacy, where, it seemed, his life was in grave danger. Well, that at least was hardly new. Draining the rest of his tankard, he stood to follow Sam towards the street, feeling in sudden need of his bed and a few hours’ rest.

  “Sam.” Hearing someone call his erstwhile companion’s name, Rudi checked his pace, not wanting to catch up with the halfling and reinforce the idea that they’d been together if anyone had noticed them talking. Sam had been hailed by Captain Marcus, who was turning away from the bar. “Haven’t seen you in here for a while. Something going on I should know about?”

  “I don’t think so, Gil,” Sam replied. Rudi noted that he was on first name terms with the captain without much surprise. “But if you buy me a drink we can swap unattributable rumours.” He moved to join Marcus and Rudi hurried on by towards the street. He needed to think about things and he needed to sleep, although he strongly suspected that the two impulses would turn out to be mutually incompatible.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Despite his doubts, Rudi slept soundly for most of the day. The lingering fatigue left by the events of the night shift and his subsequent expedition into the depths of the Doodkanal combined with the effects of a full stomach and the ale he’d drunk with Sam to send him off to sleep almost as soon as he stretched out on his bed. He didn’t stir until the insistent knocking on his door finally penetrated the fog of exhaustion which had wrapped itself around his mind.

  “Who is it?” He forced himself to sit upright, yawning loudly.

  “Who do you think?” Gerrit’s face appeared round the door, grinning broadly. “Manann’s little dolphins, you look like dreck.”

  “What do you want?” Rudi asked, in no mood to exchange banter with his friend. Though sound, his sleep had been far from restful, invaded by dreams he couldn’t quite recall but whose shadows had left him with a vague impression of grim foreboding. Perhaps his bargain with the halfling had been a mistake, but there was no way of changing that now.

  “Nothing much,” Gerrit said, still grinning. “Just wanted to know if you still wanted a job in the morning.”

  “What?” Rudi swung his legs over the side of the bed, suddenly aware of the angle of the sunlight creeping in around the shutters. The afternoon was already well advanced. “Is it time for the shift change already?”

  “Not quite,” Gerrit said cheerfully. “But if you want to grab something to eat and poison yourself with more of that Lustrian muck before it starts you’d better get a move on.”

  “Thanks,” Rudi responded, with as much grace as he could muster, and started looking for his clothes.

  “No problem. See you in the mess.” Gerrit vanished again, closing the door behind him, and Rudi winced at the cheerful whistling which receded down the corridor in the young Cap’s wake.

  By dusk, however, he felt much better, restored by a meal which made up for its lack of flavour with its warmth and copiousness, and two mugs of kaffee, which drove the fog from his brain with ruthless efficiency.

  “You’ll be paying for that later,” Gerrit admonished him as they approached the watch house. “That stuff might wake you up, but it leaves you feeling worse than ever when it wears off.”

  “Maybe.” Rudi shrugged. “But by that time we’ll probably have been in at least two fights. I’ll be wide awake then, won’t I?”

  “Good point,” Gerrit conceded, trying to slip into the briefing unnoticed. Sergeant Rijgen looked up as the two young watchmen entered the room, narrowed his eyes slightly in a fashion which made it clear that their tardiness was a topic to be deferred until later, and resumed his preliminary remarks.

  “Item two. Cutpurses are getting more active in the vegetable market. Keep an eye out for any known faces spending more money than usual in the taverns around there and pull in a few if you get the chance. Let’s shake the tree and see what falls out.” Having heard enough on the way in to know that item one had just been a routine round-up of the day’s arrests,
Rudi relaxed and let part of his mind assimilate the rest of the briefing while the back of it mulled over the events of the morning.

  Whether or not he could trust Sam, he was committed to helping him now, and he’d have to find some excuse to catch Fritz on his own. That might be difficult. The Paleisbuurt was on the other side of the river, where he had no reason to go in the normal course of events, so contriving a casual encounter wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Item twelve,” Rijgen said, grabbing Rudi’s full attention so suddenly that he had to fight the impulse to twitch like a startled rabbit. “The witch hunter we heard about last night has been petitioning the watch commanders in the Paleisbuurt. He wants bodies for a raid on the Doodkanal.” He paused ironically. “Any volunteers?” After the chorus of derisive laughter and catcalls had died down, he nodded and continued. “Thought not.”

  Rudi shuddered, feeling a chill of apprehension. Had Gerhard been able to track Magnus down that quickly? He supposed it was possible. There must have been someone in Kohlstadt who knew the merchant’s address in the city. Pushing his fears to the back of his mind, he tried to listen to Rijgen as calmly as he could, hoping to pick up some more information about his enemy and what he might be planning.

  “Maybe he’ll have better luck with the River Watch,” Rijgen went on. “It’s on their patch after all.” More derisive laughter followed. There was little love lost between the Black Caps and their opposite numbers charged with maintaining maritime law. In theory the River Watch’s jurisdiction was city-wide rather than being organised ward by ward, and although it was strictly restricted to the docks and waterways, they used the wider mandate they’d been given to interfere in other matters to an extent most Black Caps found irksome in the extreme. With no City Watch post in the Doodkanal the responsibility for maintaining law and order theoretically fell to the Winkelmarkt Caps, as the nearest barracks, but they could reasonably argue that, for once, their despised colleagues had a better claim. An argument, Rudi was certain, that Captain Marcus would pursue energetically.