The Heresy Within (17 page)

“So what're we doin' here?” he asked Henry over the clamour.

“Like Boss said, supplies.”

“Food?”

Henry laughed. “You want food ask Bones ta gather ya up some rats.”

Betrim nodded to that. “Meat is meat.”

“We need supplies fer a job. Whatever this big one is Boss got lined up we don't have the bits ta pull it off as of now. He'll rustle us up somethin' small first, somethin' as will pay our way. Keep us supplied, keep you an' Swift in whores 'till we done.”

“Ya could jus' open ya legs fer him, save some bits,” Betrim said with a grin of his own, it was not returned.

“I'd rather fuck Green than that half-blood bastard.”

Henry knew what they needed and knew where to go so Betrim was happy to just follow. After the first merchant it was clear why the Boss had sent them both. Henry was well known in Chade and the Black Thorn was well known everywhere and both were the type of names that commanded a healthy dose of fear. Merchants were less inclined to haggle up when the customer had a habit of killing folk for fun. Not that Betrim had ever really killed for fun but a long time ago he'd decided never to argue against his own reputation.

So it was that by sun down they had procured everything on Henry's list and for a fair deal less than they were worth. Betrim had even managed to make a merchant throw in a handful of Eccan nuts to dye his hair. The paste he'd make from them would smell like shit for a few days but it was better than having a head full of flaming red locks as far as he was concerned.

The Boss was late and when he did arrive his scowl was even deeper than usual. “Ya find us a place, Bones.”

“Aye, jus' round corner in Oldtown. One previous tenant, long since dead an' rotting. Got rid o' the corpse but Green threw up.”

“Fuck, Bones. Ya said ya wouldn't say owt.”

“Aye, I did say that.”

“Enough,” the Boss' tone was terse and dangerous. “Lead the way.”

Bones wasn't wrong about their new home, had a smell to it that said '
dead person
' but it was nothing they hadn't all lived with before. It was a single-floored wooden shack with a secure roof and two bedrooms complete with beds. Luxury living as far as they were all concerned.

“What've ya got fer us, Swift,” the Boss asked when they had all settled down.

“Lots of bad an' good. There's an Arbiter in town.”

All eyes turned to Betrim, he said nothing, just continued grinding the Eccan nuts to powder.

“Might not be after you, Thorn,” the Boss said.

“Will be once they find out I'm here. Best we get the job done an' get out while we can.” He'd run to the wilds to get away from the Arbiters but seemed they were everywhere these days.

“Well good news is our escapades in Korral stayed in Korral,” Swift continued. “No prices on any of us. The blooded are at war again but shouldn't make much difference here in Chade. Oh and Bones' wife is in town.”

Bones' head snapped up in an instant and Betrim saw that panicked look in his eye that Bones only got when Beth was nearby. “Any chance we can head back ta Korral, Boss?”

“I got us a job,” the Boss said but even Betrim could tell he didn't seem too happy about it.

“That's why we're here ain't it?” Swift asked.

“Not the big one, gonna need some bits 'fore we can do that. Another job, a few of 'em as it happens.” He paused and, for the first time since he'd met him, Betrim could see the Boss was nervous. “It's working fer Deadeye.”

“Boss...” Bones started.

“That ain't a good idea,” Swift finished.

Betrim kept quiet and Henry did the same but she didn't look happy. Deadeye was possibly the only name in the wilds carried more weight than Betrim's. Even Green was silent.

“She here? In Chade,” Betrim asked.

“Not yet but she will be.”

“Deadeye don't go nowhere without an army,” Henry put in.

“Armies ain't allowed in Chade,” Swift responded.

“Not all of it, no, but she'll get some of it in.”

“None of us ever crossed her have we?” Bones asked. All eyes turned to Betrim.

“I ain't. Only met her the once an' that was 'fore the whole eye thing.”

“Way I hear it not having crossed her never stopped her from killin' folk,” Swift said.

“Enough.” The Boss' voice was quiet but full of threat, enough threat to silence four of the biggest names in the wilds. “I've already taken the job. It'll get us the bits an' it'll get us where we need ta be. Good.”

The silence held for a while as each of them came to terms with the idea of working for Deadeye. Green was the one to break the quiet. “What's the job?”

The Boss glared at the boy. “Deadeye wants someone breakin' out o' gaol.”

“Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart.”

Thanquil was tired of people saying his name. It should have been a heady pleasure, after all his name was said in some powerful circles these days but he was learning the more your name was said in powerful circles the more those powerful circles want from you.

He ignored the announcer and strode into the audience chamber with his head held high and a crystal wine stopper in his pocket. No one would miss it for a while and they'd never suspect an Arbiter to have stolen it anyway. Besides, red wine was supposed to breathe.

The audience chamber was a long room with gaudy decorations in abundance. Blood red carpets, white silk curtains on the windows, two hearths both resplendent in their ornate golden scroll-work and both oversized, one was to Thanquil's far right and the other to his far left. In front of Thanquil was a desk, a huge wooden monstrosity stacked with papers, charts, trinkets and coins and behind the desk sat four men.

The announcer stepped up beside Thanquil and spoke again. “Lord Farin Colth.” The man on the far left nodded once setting his multiple chins wobbling. Rarely had Thanquil ever seen a man as fat as Lord Farin. He wore a rich silk suit of blue on gold with decorative sweat stains. Golden jewellery adorned his hands and wrists and he wore a single silver bell in each ear. Thanquil knew if he could just get to shake the man's hand he could take one of the golden rings.

“Lord Xho.” The man next to Lord Farin couldn't have been more different. Black skin instead of white. Gaunt instead of fat and hard instead of soft. The man wore a simple brown tunic and his only jewellery was a wooden bar through the top of his nose. He looked at Thanquil with small, dark eyes. Once such a stare might have cowed Thanquil but after meeting with the Grand Inquisitor, Lord Xho seemed about as terrifying as a puppy.

“Alfer To'an.” Tall and plump with girlish features. Thanquil would have bet all the contents of his pockets he was a eunuch. He wore a rich blue robe with black lace-work and a silver ring on each finger. He smiled towards Thanquil in a way that reminded the Arbiter of a cat smiling at a mouse.

“And speaking for Captain Drake Morrass, Belper Froth.” The man on the far right was tall, lean and looked more sailor than city ruler. He wore a white sailor's shirt and no jewellery save a single stud in his right ear. His face was well tanned and tattooed around his left eye.

The announcer bowed and stepped backwards. Thanquil looked at each of the men in turn. “So Captain Morrass sends a lackey in his place.” After the words were out of his mouth Thanquil decided lackey may have been a poor choice.

The eunuch giggled and then spoke in his high, feminine voice. “Oh most assuredly. Our Drake is rarely present. No doubt out pirating, or lately I hear he's managed to wriggle his way into the Dragon Empress' bed.”

“Probably both knowing him,” said the fat man on the far left.

“I see,” Thanquil said and then bowed his head a little. “Well, my Lords. On behalf of the Inquisition, and as per your request, I am at your service.”

“Never had an Arbiter at my service before,” the fat man said.

“I was hopin' for an Inquisitor myself.” From the pirate on the far right.

“I assure you I am much more agreeable than any of the Inquisitors. They tend to be all doom and gloom and if one of them were here at least two of you would be on fire by now.” Thanquil said with a smile. It made the powerful circle in front of him pause as they started to wonder which two.

“Not here for words, witch hunter,” said Lord Xho. His eyes had not left Thanquil for a moment since entering. “You have job.”

“Yes, of course. You have a woman locked up and you want me to interrogate her...”

“We want ya ta tell us how ta kill her,” the pirate said in his drawl.

“Oh... right.” Thanquil paused. “I assume you tried all the traditional methods, stabbing her and the like.”

“We did,” the pirate continued. “She came back.”

“Um… she came... back...”

“Aye.”

The pirate seemed to think that was explanation enough, the eunuch was more helpful. “The first time she attacked four of our guards in a tavern, killed them all. It was brutal, blood everywhere and the stench was awful, so I'm told. When our reinforcements arrived they managed to bring her down, stabbed her in the chest a number of times before she died.”

“So she did die,” Thanquil said.

“Oh most certainly. Stabbed right through the heart. Then we gave her body to the sea. And then two days later out she walks from the sea, naked and without a scratch on her.”

The collective '
we
', Thanquil had no doubt the eunuch had never been near the woman. “So you killed her again...”

“'Course we did,” the pirate continued the story. “She murdered a few more guards so we filled her full o' arrows only this time we locked her up in the gaol. Waited ta see if she'd come back again.”

“Which she did,” Thanquil finished.

“Aye. Been weeks in there an' we ain't fed her none but she don't die. S'why we sent fer you.”

“So you want me to kill her...”

“No,” Lord Xho spoke again his voice terse and hard. “Want you to tell us how to kill her. You are... adviser, no authority here.”

“I see, but why should the Inquisition do this, I wonder. You ask us for a favour in helping you to kill her and offer nothing in return.”

Lord Xho leaned forward. “Eckfor no. Alabush ke'act. Fenacciun bolast.”

The eunuch sighed. “He says, '
she is a witch, you hunt witches
'. Or at least that's a rough translation minus the insults.”

“He did sound fairly angry,” Thanquil agreed.

“Besides, the Inquisition has already agreed. You are here to do, not to negotiate.”

“Very true,” Thanquil said with a slight bow of his head. “I will need some time to prepare. I will see the woman first thing in the morning and report back to you once I have a solution.”

There was a slight pause as each of the men looked at the others then the fat man on the far left spoke. “That is acceptable. You are dismissed, Arbiter.”

Thanquil snorted and, with a shake of his head, turned and strode from the room with all the purpose he could muster. Truth was he didn't need to prepare only he didn't feel much like confronting an immortal witch right now, the prospect of finding a tavern and drinking his way through the evening was much more tempting.

“That it?” Swift asked.

“Does look very gaol-like,” replied Bones.

“Aye,” Betrim said. “I've been inside a couple and that's definitely a gaol.”

“You wouldn't believe some of the things I've been inside,” Swift said with a grin. All three of them looked at him for a moment and then as one burst into laughter.

The gaol was part of the guard’s barracks in Oldtown. A huge stone building of two floors and plenty of barred windows. They'd walked the entire way around it and it had taken near ten minutes. The gaol itself had its own entrance but Betrim had no doubt it was connected inside to the barracks. He'd like to say getting in was going to be the hard part but he was pretty sure the guards would arrest the Black Thorn on sight. Wouldn't be his personal choice of ways to break into a gaol though.

“So how'r we gonna do this? You ever broken someone out of lockup before, Thorn?” Swift said while chewing on some sort of leaf he'd procured from somewhere. It stank like hell, though with Betrim's hair still smelling of Eccan nut paste he couldn't really make it an issue, and turned Swift's spit blue but the bastard swore it made him more alert.

“Aye, once or twice. Easiest way is jus' ta walk in with an axe swinging an' walk out a few bodies later. Bloody work but then...” He looked around at the three lads; all of them were well used to bloody work, except maybe Green.

Bones spat onto the ground. “Reckon they'll be a few too many bodies in there, try that way an' ours will be among 'em.” It would be close inside, not much space and Betrim knew Bones liked to fight with a lot of room around him, liked to get that big sword of his swinging.

“Ya can always get locked up yaself an' then break out from the inside,” Betrim continued. “Though never liked the idea of that one much.”

“I dunno,” Green said with a sneer. “You gettin' locked up don't sound so bad.”

“Shut up, Green. Dumb fuck. Other way is sneakin' in or such. Bars make it hard but not impossible.”

“I once heard some boys say they did it by tying a rope round some bars, then to a horse, then they made the horse run an' when the rope ran out it pulled the bars loose,” Bones said nodding to himself.

“We don't have a horse,” Betrim pointed out.

“We could steal one.”

“Might work.”

Swift was shaking his head. “Sounds like a noisy plan ta me. Reckon Boss wants it done quiet, no noise, and no bodies.”

“When was the last time we did any job without bodies?” Betrim asked. Nobody could answer but then he never expected any of them could.

“Sneak in an' sneak out then?” Green asked.

“Looks like,” Swift agreed. “First thing is we should find out where's she's kept. Get in as close as possible. Last thing we want is ta break in then find we have ta get all the way ta the other side of the gaol.”

Betrim rubbed at the stumps of his middle and little fingers on his left hand. He hated planning; so much to think of and always they missed something. He'd much prefer to charge in axe swinging and blood spilling but then that was why he wasn't the boss. Betrim had never much liked the idea of running his own crew and running this particular one had to be hard work. Too many big names with their own ideas and their own problems.