“Yes.” The dwarf worked at the oars like an expert and they were opening up the distance to their pursuers. It looked like most of them hadn’t handled an oar any more often than Rawk. “But over there isn’t really designed to handle boats like this. It would be like scaling a sheer cliff.”
He seemed very calm. Rawk looked back and saw that most of the guards were still floundering. Only one boat was under control and moving smoothly forward but it was still slow and falling further behind by the moment. A minute later and it was lost from sight as the dwarf rowed the boat around the prow of a merchant ship that was tied up in the middle of the river.
Rawk grunted. “That was easy.”
“It may not be over yet.”
Rawk tried to see where they were going but the timber cliff of another ship blocked the view. “Right. What’s your name?”
“Gabe.”
“Well, Gabe, either way, thank you very much.”
“Nobody was buying my fruit anyway.”
“I’ll buy it. How much for the lot?”
Gabe looked at the sacks and baskets. “A hundred ithel.”
Rawk raised his eyebrows. “That seems expensive.”
“It is. That’s probably why nobody was buying it.” The dwarf gave a bark of laughter.
“Well, I’m more than happy to pay, but I don’t have the money on me.”
“Of course. I know where to find you.”
The boat following them came around the ship and into view. “Are you sure?” Rawk asked.
“You’ll be in The Quod, won’t you?”
“Probably in the cell next to yours.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I think it would be better for all of us if that didn’t happen though.”
“I was thinking the same thing myself.”
The skiff turned again, ducking in under Faldamon Bridge, slipping between old, half rotten pylons. And out the other side the dwarf grabbed onto a metal spike that had been driven into the stone wall that lined the side of the river. Before he had tied off, a half dozen other boats, full of all sorts of cargo, were crowding around. In a moment, the boat was hidden in plain sight and the dwarf was scrambling up more of the spikes to the flat ground above. Rawk followed, not quite as quick. He had one look back and saw an old man sitting in Gabe’s boat. He shifted an umbrella over to protect himself from the sun and made himself comfortable.
Rawk smiled. “Thank you, Gabe. I’ll get you your money as quickly as possible.”
He shook the dwarf’s hand and headed up the hill. After a few steps he couldn’t even see the river.
There were still troops of the City Guard marching around the southern side of the river. They no longer marched as if they owned the place, but they were there. Before he’d gone a hundred yards, Rawk had to turn aside and after a couple of minutes, discovered he was a bit lost. He stood on a clean narrow street that he was didn’t want to call an alley, as he tried to get his bearings. It was a moment before he realized that all he had to do was find the hill and climb. He would find himself eventually. But before he had the chance, somebody else did. Rawk heard him coming before he saw him.
“Hello, Rawk.”
“Hello, Clinker. What are you doing?”
“Looking for you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I saw Grint and the others at the bridge and they said you were trying to follow them.” He shifted his satchel from one shoulder to the other. “I saw you a little while ago but couldn’t catch up. Then you lost me.”
“I was trying to lose the Guards.”
“I guessed that. Are you going to see Thacker? Sylvia is with him.”
“She made it?” Rawk was more relieved than he wanted to admit.
“Of course.”
“Come on then. Let’s go.” He waited for Clinker to lead the way.
-O-
The two dwarf guards let Rawk straight through into Thacker’s office. Clinker came too.
Everyone was there. Frew and Fabi were leaning against the wall, looking as if they weren’t sure they wanted to be there. Whether it was the occasion or the company was hard to tell. Sylvia, Biki and Celeste were sitting. After a moment looking at all the serious faces, Clinker went to join Grint and Suki playing in the corner.
“Glad you could make it, Rawk,” Thacker said.
“I’m glad everyone could make it.” He had a nod for Sylvia and a smile for Celeste.
“Celeste said you had some trouble.”
“Other than a dwarf charging me a hundred ithel to row me across the river...”
“Who was it? I’ll have a word.”
Rawk waved the offer away. “It was Gabe someone. But I squashed his mangoes and I offered anyway.”
“Very well.” He straightened some papers on his desk. “So, what happens now?”
“I don’t know.”
“That doesn’t help. I assume Weaver will want to get Sylvia back at any cost.”
“It will be a bit embarrassing for him if he doesn’t. He embarrasses himself every day but he generally doesn’t even realize. Today, he will realize.”
Thacker nodded. “And you?”
Rawk rubbed his face. “I don’t know. He can’t link me directly to the Quod, but the fact that I came over here...”
“Means it won’t matter.”
“I’m embarrassing him too, just by consorting with the likes of you.”
Thacker smiled. “I can understand that.”
Sylvia shifted on her seat. “But how will he react?”
Frew laughed and Rawk turned to look at him. The little Hero shrugged. “Weaver has never been known for his subtlety.”
Rawk nodded. “Apparently he has been bringing mercenaries into Katamood. He’s ready for a war.”
“A war?” Sylvia said.
“So it is today then?” Thacker leaned forward in his chair.
“It is according to Words of Wisdom, who ever that is.”
“I knew it was coming.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Block the bridges, first of all. Rake?”
“Yeah, Thacker.”
“Get Machan to call up the militia. I need fifty men with machinery on each bridge by nightfall.”
“All right.”
“We need to keep letting locals back over this way for a while, but don’t let them go the other way.”
“Can northerners go back north?”
“Civilians can, yes.”
Rake nodded and hurried out.
“Will fifty men be enough?”
“Fifty men and machines; yes. For now, anyway.” Thacker looked around the room, then called to the guards outside the door. “Who’s out there?”
The two dwarves poked their heads around the corner to look.
“Right. Jurdy, go find Hatch. Tell him Machan is calling up the militia and we need some of them to sweep through the city, starting at the top, to find any of Weaver’s men— guards or mercenaries. Disarm them if possible and lock them up. Otherwise, kill them.”
“So it’s really happening,” Rawk said after Jurdy had left. It felt strange. He’d fought battles regularly enough during his life, but he wasn’t normally in on the planning meetings. He was just a Hero. His usual method was to stand at the front, wave his sword and look heroic. He was good at that. Well, he used to be. He wasn’t so sure any more. “I want to help. Where are the militia mustering?”
“Several places. Just out the front, first of all, but that lot probably won’t see any action for a while.”
“Where else then.”
Thacker’s brow furrowed. “Do you know Lamond Square? That will be the main gathering point. And we will be moving our headquarters to the Burning Tree, which is down there.”
Rawk shrugged. “I don’t know neither the inn or the square by name, apparently.”
“I can take him.” Clinker stopped playing and rose quickly to his feet.
“It won’t be s
afe out there soon, Clinker.”
“But it is now.”
Rawk knew he could spend ten minutes arguing, then the boy would just follow him anyway. “Very well then.” He turned to Frew and Fabi. “Thank you for your help rescuing Sylvia. You are now released from your employment.”
“You don’t want us fighting with you?” Fabi asked, looking offended.
“Of course I do, Fabi. But I want you to fight with me for the right reason. Let’s not be mercenaries, just this once.”
Fabi smiled. “I’m with you. I’m independently wealthy, anyway; I just do this for fun.”
“Don’t we all?” said Rawk. He resisted a sigh. He had enough money that he could have retired ten years ago and lived like a king for the rest of his life— like a king of a small country, admittedly—while good men like Fabi were just trying to get by.
“Frew?”
“I don’t have anything else to do.”
“The dwarves make great beer.”
He seemed to give it some thought. “We can save that for later.”
Rawk clasped both their hands. “Thank you. It seems that Clinker is taking me to Lamond Square. Will you come?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever fought on the side of the militia,” Frew laughed. “They usually can’t afford us.”
Fabi laughed too. “We can set up a payment plan, if they like.”
Rawk grunted. “I thought we weren’t going to be mercenaries.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
A few minutes later, Rawk limped down the stairs from the council building and into the middle of a standoff. It took a moment to realize. There was hardly anyone on the street, so he should have seen it straight away, but he still needed sleep. And he had a lot on his mind.
To his right a group of about a dozen people stood, hands on the hilts of their swords. Rawk knew a few of them. The ones he knew were all Heroes. Some of them were men and women he’d been paying to stand on street corners waiting for exots. Perhaps the rest of them were as well. He turned to look at Frew for confirmation but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be paying them any more. He started moving towards them but then wondered what they were all staring at. He looked back over his shoulder and saw another group of men and women. They didn’t look like much... Except... at least four of them were sorcerers who he’d had run-ins with over the years.
The Heroes drew their weapons and started moving forward. The sorcerers became still, concentrating.
Rawk tried to get his brain working. He imagined it rattling and shaking like one of the dwarvish steam engines, an old broken one, until it finally started to move. “Hey there, Londa,” he said, moving quickly out into the middle of the street.
The young Hero seemed to notice him for the first time. He blinked. “Hello, Rawk.” He was barely into his twenties but his hair was already going grey. The lad nodded to Frew and Fabi as well.
“What are you doing here?”
Londa narrowed his eyes. “We’ve come to fight.”
Rawk nodded. “To fight who?”
“I assume we’re fighting, Weaver. You’re here, after all.”
“So, you aren’t actually here to fight sorcerers?”
Londa looked at the sorcerers. “Well...”
“You know that this whole thing with Weaver started because I released a sorcerer from prison?”
“No.”
“Well, it would have happened anyway, but I got it moving a bit earlier than expected. I snuck into the Quod, with some help, and got Silver Lark out before Weaver did anything permanent.”
“You helped Silver Lark? But she is your sworn enemy.”
“Sworn enemy? Well, there was never anything as official as that— there wasn’t a ceremony or anything— we just battled each other a few times. But that was a long time ago. She’s been helping me with a few things recently, so I thought I should return the favor.”
“But they haven’t been helping you, have they?” Londa motioned to the sorcerers with his sword.
Rawk turned to look. The sorcerers were still there, but seemed to have relaxed slightly. “No, they haven’t, but they haven’t attacked me either. As far as I know they haven’t attacked anyone. Have you ever battled a sorcerer?”
“Of course.”
“Really? I would’ve thought you were too young.”
“Well...”
“Cox,” Rawk said to one of the older men. He was whip thin and almost seven feet tall. “How long since you fought a sorcerer?”
“Five years. Maybe. It was over in Mapet.”
Rawk recognized someone else. “And Graft? How long since you came against a sorcerer?”
The big man shrugged like a mountain range during an earthquake. “Longer than that I reckon.”
Rawk turned to the sorcerers. “Jako, it’s been a while.” Rawk was surprised the old man was still alive. He walked with a cane and squinted as he tried to focus his eyes. It was doubtful he’d travelled very far to get here.
“Twenty years, Rawk.”
“And you’ve been in Katamood the entire time?”
“Not the entire time.” He smiled. “I did visit my sister a few times. But mostly.” The old man hobbled forward so he could get a better look. “You’re looking old,” he said when he was only a yard from Rawk.
Rawk laughed. “So those bad eyes of yours stop you from seeing mirrors?”
Jako laughed too, a rumble that set off a fit of wheezing.
“Are you all right?”
The sorcerer waved the concern away and took out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes.
“So, what are you doing here then?” Rawk asked him.
“We’ve come to help.”
“You came to help fight Weaver?”
“Of course.”
“You don’t want to fight Londa?”
Jako squinted some more. “Which one is he? This boy?”
Rawk laughed, but wasn’t sure if that was the way to go about avoiding a fight. “Yes, that’s him. He’s only young, but he’s done some good things.”
The old sorcerer had turned his attention to someone else. “Now there’s a face I know. Keegen.”
The Hero nodded. “Hello, Jako. How’s your leg?”
Jako waved his walking stick in answer to the question. “How’s your stomach?”
Keegen glowered. “I still can’t eat spicy food.” But he gave a bark of laughter and shook his head. “I suppose it could’ve been worse.”
Jako tapped his bad leg. “Yes, it could.”
Rawk looked from the sorcerers to the Heroes and back again. “It appears that all animosities are in the past,” he said. “The days when Heroes and sorcerers battled are long gone. And now, today, we have a common enemy.”
The Heroes grumbled. The sorcerers didn’t move; perhaps they were holding onto spells, waiting. They were too far away for Rawk to know for sure.
“We’re on the same side and our chances of success increase dramatically if we work together.”
Keegen pushed through the Heroes and went to stand in front of Jako. “You’re smaller than I remember.”
“I’m smaller than I remember.”
The two of them laughed and Keegan held out his hand to shake. “I’ve guess I’ve worked with people more despicable to you. I once worked with a Gibbian master-thief who ate dogs on a regular basis. Easier to catch than rats, he said.”
Jako shook his hand.
After a moment, a few more sorcerers crossed the gap and warily eyed the men that half an hour ago would have tried to kill them. Perhaps many of them had never spoken to a Hero previously.
Introductions were made—Rawk recognized names from both groups—and awkward small talk was made for a few minutes.
“So, we’re all just people, right?” Rawk said after a while. “No terrible monsters here at all?” He got grudging nods of agreement. “Good. Now, Jako, why don’t you take your friends inside? Thacker is there, and Sylvia— Silver Lark— is too.”
“Silver Lark is here?”
“She’s been in Katamood almost as long as you have, I think.”
The sorcerers headed off and Rawk turned to the others. “How many of you are working for me at the moment?” They all were. “Well, I have some bad news.”
“What?” Londa asked. Of them all, he seemed the most put out by this recent turn of events.
“I’ll pay you all for today— that is, if I live through the next week and still have any money left at the end—but I won’t be paying you any more than that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to fight beside mercenaries. You fight because you want to. Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“And if we don’t want to?”
“Then off you go. But if I see you fighting for Weaver, I’ll make a special effort to go and say hello.”
“Weaver will pay,” Londa said.
“I’m sure he will. But you do know he has a sorcerer working for him? He’s the one who’s been opening the ohoga portals to let through the exots.”
“Weaver hates magic.”
“Yes. But he hates living a boring life more. He hates being normal, even if he is a prince.”
Cox nodded. “I’m with you. Weaver has always taken too long to pay.”
Frazen agreed. “And if he’s employing a sorcerer he is also a criminal, breaking his own laws.”
Rawk was pleased to see the others joining the fight. He smiled.
Keegan smiled as well. “An army of Heroes,” he said. “We’ll be unstoppable.”
It sounded great.
-O-
Rawk looked around the corner. A short way down the street was a tavern and sitting on the front porch were a dozen men, in three groups. They tried to look like everyday patrons, but every one of them was a trained warrior. They were the first real group Rawk and his followers had come across. A couple of individual men and sometimes as many of four had been spotted, but they had all retreat very quickly or surrendered if that was not possible.
“So?” Rake asked.
“This lot aren’t going to run away.” Rawk scratched at his beard as he turned to examine the militia crowding into the alley behind him, wondering how they would do in their first real fight. There was Rake and another of Thacker’s guards. Plus Fabi and Frazen, a Hero with one missing arm and a small fountain of hair spraying from the top of his head. The rest of the group were militia— men and dwarves and elves. They all had reasonable, proper weapons but none of them had done anything more than train a couple of hours a week, just in case.
An Army of Heroes Page 19
