Stephen Deas - Warlock's shadow

‘What’s happening?’ he asked.

Tasahre put a hand on his shoulder. It was a soft touch and yet it made him jump as though someone had set off a firecracker. ‘I don’t know. A man has been murdered. There is talk of conspiracy and treason and assassination, but it is all whispers. The elder dragon says we have a snake in our nest.’ She sounded unsettled. ‘They are looking for your master, too,’ she added softly. She nodded towards the justicar. ‘That one is here to speak with you.’

‘What? Why? Why are they looking for Master Sy?’

‘I don’t know. Has he done something wrong?’

Berren shook his head. But shaking his head wasn’t enough — the pictures and the sounds ran in circles inside him and he wanted to be rid of them. It would have been easy to tell her how he’d slipped out, how he’d lain in wait, and then how Master Sy had come with the Headsman and the terrible things that had followed. About the fight in the House of Records and the bodies they’d taken out to the Wrecking Point. It all wanted to come out. Right back to the archer up on the warehouse roof.

The hand on his shoulder tightened. ‘If he has done something wrong, Berren, the crime is his, not yours. You are his apprentice, that is all. You have nothing to fear.’

Really? Nothing? Because it didn’t feel like nothing.

At the gates, the figure in grey was there again.

‘Let this city man ask his questions. I will be with you. Is he a friend? He says you know him.’

‘Who’s that?’ He pointed towards the gates, to the man in grey. His finger was shaking. He wasn’t even sure why, just that everything was wrong, every one was wrong, nowhere was safe and he needed to run away from all of them. The urge was building up inside him, irresistible.

‘Who?’ Tasahre frowned.

‘There!’ But the man in grey was gone again.

‘Berren! Stop! You’re shaking!’ She reached out to him again. Her hand on his shoulder was firm and warm, and in her face, all he could see was concern for him. He felt the panic ebb away. ‘What is it that makes you afraid, Berren?’

He wasn’t sure. Losing everything all at once, maybe. He shrugged and shook his head. He couldn’t give an answer that made any sense, and even if he could, he was quite sure he wouldn’t want to share it.

‘Whatever it is, you must find it and face it. Fear is the killer of thought.’ She frowned and let go of him. ‘There. It is fading. Come. You must talk to this city man who claims to be a friend and then he can go.’ She kept looking at all the soldiers scattered around the temple, the Overlord’s men. The other dragon-monks were prowling the temple yard like hungry tigers. He’d never seen them like this, never seen them so on edge. It was infectious.

‘What’s happening?’ he asked again.

‘I don’t know, Berren. I don’t know.’

Kol had seen them and was coming towards them. Maybe he would know. Berren tried not to think about what he’d seen at the Two Cranes. A part of him wanted to let it all come out — Kol was a friend, right? But he couldn’t.

‘Berren.’ Kol stopped in front of him. He looked as nervous as the monks. He glanced at Tasahre. ‘Is there somewhere we can talk? Quietly? Preferably alone.’

‘I …’ Berren looked back at Tasahre.

‘No,’ she said. ‘Berren is my student and I am responsible for him. I will hear your questions too.’

‘You?’ Kol snorted. ‘What has any of this to do with you, monk?’

‘This is my temple and we are outside your law,’ she said, quiet but firm. ‘Come.’

There were soldiers everywhere, and men Berren didn’t know but who wore fine clothes and swords as though they were lords. Tasahre marched past them all, past a cluster of priests swathed in whispers who all stopped and stared as they passed. She took them to where the monks lived and slept, to their meditation room.

‘Here,’ she said. ‘Speak your piece, city man, then go.’

Kol glared at her. ‘I wish to speak to Berren alone.’

‘I will not leave him with you. I don’t trust you.’

‘You do know who he is, girl?’

‘Of course.’

The justicar was seething. At other times, Berren knew, he would never have taken this. He would have shouted at her, driven her away somehow, or else walked away himself, too proud to be defied; but those were other days. Today he was … Kol was almost scared!

‘Boy, send her away,’ he hissed. ‘Do it!’

Berren cringed but Tasahre stepped between them. She met the justicar’s stare. ‘He may do as you ask, city man, but I will not go. Ask your questions of the monks of the fire-dragon. Berren is within our circle for now. We are as one.’

‘You can take that mystical crap and shove it up your arse,’ growled Kol. He kicked over a stool. ‘Fine. Boy, this isn’t about you, this is about your master. Where in the name of the broken god is he?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Bollocks!’

Berren winced. If he had known, what would he have said? ‘The last time I saw him, he was home.’ There, at least that was true. Sort of true.

‘You think I didn’t look there? You know what I found at the Two Cranes yesterday? Blood, boy. A whole load of it and someone missing a head. Ironic given who it was, and so I think you can guess who I’m talking about. You know the last place I went to where I saw that much blood? That would be the House of Records a bit over a week back. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you? Think carefully, boy, because I know you were there.’

‘You don’t have to answer anything,’ murmured Tasahre. Berren whipped round and glared at her.

‘No? So when you ask all the same things as soon as he’s gone, I don’t have to answer you either, right?’ He turned back to the justicar. ‘Master Kol, I don’t know where Master Sy is.’ How much could Kol know? The thief-taker had been careful at the House of Records, careful about who saw what, at least. ‘Yes. We went there in the night. About a week ago. Master Sy … I don’t know what he’s been doing since I started my training here. He wouldn’t say.’ He’d tell the truth, as much of it as he could. He could almost hear the thief-taker whispering in his ear right now: Never lie if you can possibly avoid it. No one can ever catch you out with the truth. Give enough of it to lead them astray and then let them run themselves aground .

Kol tapped his foot.

‘He wanted me to keep a lookout. He had keys. I didn’t know we were doing anything wrong.’ The justicar snorted. ‘He spoke to the guards on the gates. They seemed like they knew him. We crossed the yard inside to another alley. I couldn’t see what was down there, it was too dark. He told me to keep watch in case any men came. He told me that if they did, I was to give him a signal and then make myself scarce. He went inside and it wasn’t long at all before people did come. It was like he’d been expecting them. There were snuffers, four of them, and a man with a cane. I don’t know who any of them were. I gave the signal like he said and then I hid. They walked right past me but it was so dark they didn’t see me. They went inside and then when they were gone, I ran, like he said.’

‘And no one saw you leave?’

‘I don’t know, Master Kol. I went up and over the walls.’

‘And why would you do that?’

Berren wrung his hands. ‘I was scared, Master Kol. Scared of the snuffers. I’ve seen them before, the ones that work for the harbour-masters and they’re evil. I didn’t want …’

‘Yes, yes.’ Kol growled impatiently. ‘Fine. So you didn’t see anything, don’t know anything. How very useful. Very convenient for your master too.’ He glared at Tasahre again. ‘See what you have here, monk? This is a thief dressed as a lamb. One of Khrozus’ boys. Put him back on the street and he’ll be cutting purses again before you can blink.’