The Temporal Void (63 page)

His longtalk prodded the minds of the slumbering ge-chimps in their little pen behind the kitchen. ‘Go outside,’ he ordered them as he walked upstairs. They obediently shuffled silently out into the street.

His third hand broke open two of the barrels downstairs, leaving an intact one standing on top of the bar. Jamolar oil sluiced across the floor.

‘Nostalgia,’ he muttered as he started up the stairs to the upper floor. He stood in front of the door to Buate’s bedroom. His third hand plucked an ember from one of the stoves in the lounge, and dropped it.

Flame
whooshed
across the room. The furniture caught alight immediately, long flames licking round the bar. Within seconds, oil dripping down the stairs had ignited, sending flames ripping across the first floor. The fire followed the damp trail up the next flight of stairs, and blazed into the study.

Edeard smashed the bedroom door down, and strode into the room as flames leapt and danced behind him. Buate’s sleep-befuddled head came up from the pillows. The girls cried out as they saw the black figure silhouetted in the doorway, his cloak rippling in the air like some living appendage. They clung to each other in fear.

‘What the Ladyfuck—’ Buate gasped. His farsight was probing the building, finding fire everywhere.

‘This establishment appears very accident prone,’ Edeard observed.

The barrel on the bar exploded. Doors shattered, letting in a huge squall of fresh air. Flames roared up to the roof of the lounge.

‘If I was you I wouldn’t come back here, not ever,’ Edeard said. ‘In fact, I doubt there’s anywhere in this city where you’ll be safe.’

Flames trickled into the bedroom, flowing round Edeard’s feet as they consumed the carpeting. His cloak flapped in agitation. Both girls whimpered, pressing themselves to the headrest. Smoke began to layer the air.

‘You’re dead, Waterwalker,’ Buate shouted.

‘Warpal tried and failed. What chance have you got?’

Buate stiffened at the mention of that name, causing Edeard to grin in amusement.

‘Now get out of my city, take your people with you; and if you ever try to start your riot you will join your brother in the manner I mentioned during my previous visit. Final warning.’ He nodded politely to the girls. ‘Ladies.’

They screamed as his third hand lifted them into the air. Then the bedroom windows disintegrated, and they found themselves floating through the gap to descend gently on to the street below, where the house’s ge-chimps were scampering about in considerable apprehension.

Buate watched their flight in astonishment. ‘What about me?’ he yelled. But when he looked round, Edeard had gone. Flames licked hungrily at the base of the bed.

*

Edeard chose the middle of Golden Park at midnight. The huge plaza was empty, with nebula-light flickering off the tips of the white metal pillars that surrounded it. Only the faintest of shadows fell across the glossy cobbles as two dark figures appeared from nowhere.

‘You are free to go,’ Edeard said with an expansive gesture.

‘Go where, exactly? I am a wanted man. How long do you think I would last out there?’

‘Nobody will know you in the provinces.’

‘You believe I should join Nanitte?’ Argian asked with a show of bitter amusement. ‘You are crueller than I thought, Waterwalker.’

‘I am more desperate than you know.’

‘Excuse me if I don’t offer my undying sympathy.’

‘I need your help.’

‘I have given you everything I can. There is nothing left of me.’

‘I ask only that you do what you were trained to do. I ask that you keep your loyalty to this city.’

‘My time here is over. I have you to thank for that.’

‘Keep watch for me, see what your people are doing.’

‘That is not loyalty, that is betrayal.’

‘Not to the city. You are an honourable man at heart. You know something has to be done to rid us of the gangs, and pull back the excesses of the families. Things cannot carry on as they are, that will doom us all. Help me. If nothing else, be a moderating voice. If you truly fear I am too uncompromising, then stay and exert what influence you can on me.’

‘Me, influence you?’

‘You understand the true way things work. I would listen to your advice if it were to be given in good faith. Tell me how to achieve justice without alienating and ruining the best of that which is. Smooth the way. Do not let this city become divided by my blundering. Isn’t that your calling?’

‘You seem to have missed your vocation.’

‘Was that a yes?’

Argian sighed as if in great pain. ‘After all you have done to me, you expect me to help you?’

‘I left you alone. That’s all. If there were any demons in there with you, I didn’t send them.’

‘It will take me a while to gather my things together. If I see anything detrimental before I leave, I may tell you.’

‘Thank you.’

*

Felax raced into the small hall at the back of Jeavons constable station, very flustered and out of breath. ‘Waterwalker, Master Gachet from the Guild of Lawyers is here! He’s talking to the captain. He says he has a warrant for your arrest.’

‘Really?’ Edeard asked with interest.

‘Honestly,’ the young constable assured him. ‘I’m not joking.’

‘I’m sure you’re not.’ His farsight caught a thoroughly disgusted Boyd handing over coinage to a smug Macsen. ‘I’ll be right there.’

The squad stood up to leave.

‘Everyone keep going,’ Edeard urged the other constables working at the benches. ‘We’re really close to a hundred now. I don’t expect this nonsense to take more than a day.’

He left the small hall with his friends. ‘Ready?’

Macsen grinned as the hall door closed behind them. ‘Oh, Lady, yes.’

Edeard hurriedly pulled off his distinctive jacket. Macsen was already wearing Edeard’s glossy boots, even though his feet were too large.

‘Remember,’ Dinlay said pleadingly. ‘Just don’t say anything.’

‘Who me?’ Macsen asked as he buttoned up the jacket.

‘Let’s see it,’ Boyd said.

Macsen nodded, his mind betraying a brief flutter of nerves, then he concentrated. Shadows thickened around his face, turning him a malaised grey. Then they stretched and blurred.

Edeard held his breath while Dinlay grimaced in anticipation. The squad had practised this for a day, helping each other with ideas and techniques as they slowly developed the notion, refining and improving the original blanket concealment method. Surprisingly, it was Macsen who was the most capable. Edeard had assumed it would be Dinlay, who was always the studious one.

The shadows faded away from Macsen’s face. Kanseen let out a little gasp of appreciation. Edeard shook his head in disbelief; he was staring at himself. His own face gave him an evil smile. ‘How do I look? Actually, how do you look?’

Dinlay let out a hiss of exasperation. ‘Stop talking! It ruins it.’

‘Go!’ Boyd urged. ‘We’ll take it from here.’

‘Good luck,’ Edeard told them. The floor changed beneath him, and he sank into the tunnel below. His farsight tracked Macsen, Dinlay and Kanseen as they carried on to Captain Ronark’s office.

Master Gachet was waiting there, along with two court officials.

‘Waterwalker,’ Master Gachet said. ‘I convey the compliments of my colleague Master Cherix, who says he will enjoy seeing you at the Courts of Justice where he will prosecute this case. He would be here himself, but there is the matter of an exclusion warrant against him.’

‘What’s going on?’ Kanseen demanded.

‘Master Gachet has a civil warrant,’ Captain Ronark said in disgust. ‘It is genuine.’

‘Say nothing,’ Dinlay instructed. Macsen shrugged, keeping his counterfeit face perfectly composed.

‘I’d like to see it, please.’ Dinlay held his hand out.

‘You?’ Gachet asked in surprise.

‘I am considering a career in law,’ Dinlay said. ‘I will serve as Corporal Edeard’s adviser until a registered lawyer can be appointed.’

A hugely amused Gachet handed the warrant over.

‘You’ve been named by Buate as an assailant,’ Dinlay read. ‘You are also accused of arson against the House of Blue Petals.’

‘And are required to pay compensation to its owners for loss of business,’ Gachet mocked. ‘Here’s hoping your fiancée is understanding, else you will be handing over your pay for the next hundred years.’

‘We’ll get Master Solarin to deal with this,’ Dinlay said. ‘He’ll have the warrant invalidated within five minutes.’

‘Perhaps,’ Master Gachet said. ‘Until then: officers,’ he gestured at the two court officials who looked dreadfully uncomfortable, ‘attend to your duties.’

‘Go with them,’ Dinlay said.

The court officers stood nervously on either side of the Waterwalker, and escorted him out of the station, with Dinlay, Kanseen and Master Gachet accompanying them. Constables appeared along the corridor, to glower at the procession. Master Gachet did his best to ignore them, but the anger directed at him was intense.

It was a long walk across Jeavons to the Outer Circle Canal. Word was soon out that the Waterwalker had been arrested on Buate’s connivance. People hurried out into the streets to see Edeard being taken to the Courts of Justice. He smiled in that way he always did, but never spoke.

Edeard slid up through the floor of the house in Padua and cast off his concealment. His third hand was only holding one barrel of Jamolar oil. It wasn’t a big house. Edsing gasped in surprise as he appeared. Mirayse, his wife, stiffened, rushing to their three children and clutching them protectively.

Edeard crushed the barrel. Oil sprayed out, streamers looping across the room to soak furniture. A long cascade rushed out of the door and split into three, with each strand washing through a bedroom.

Edeard stared unflinchingly at Edsing, hardening himself against the distressed whimpering of the children. ‘You will leave this place,’ Edeard ordered. ‘You will take those you command with you, or I will burn them out of their homes. Tell them that. Now go. The fire will start in half a minute.’

Edsing lined a finger up on Edeard, his features wound up in a snarl. ‘You—’

‘Twenty seconds.’

‘This is our life!’ Mirayse shouted.

‘And it is now over,’ Edeard informed her. ‘Fifteen seconds.’ He glanced pointedly at the children.

‘Out out,’ she shrieked, and jostled them along.

Edsing let out a howl of frustration and anger before running after his family.

Edeard held his hand above his head, and sank away. Just before his fingers disappeared beneath the floor, a single spark spat out.

‘There is a twofold error here my lords,’ Master Solarin said to the three judges hearing the application to dismiss. ‘Firstly, I draw your attention to the malicious suit bill, with reference to its application for those employed by the city authority. The Waterwalker, as we know, is most prominent in the effort of ridding the city of actively violent criminals. Now, this campaign has caused a great deal of personal conflict between the Waterwalker and Buate, which my learned colleague knows full well.’

‘Objection!’ Master Cherix shouted.

Master Solarin chortled. ‘Dear me, I hope I don’t have to mention a recently dismissed case of aggravated psychic assault between my client and the prosecution.’

‘Objection!’

Edeard flew along the brightly lit deep tunnel, his arms held wide as if they were wings. Air drove against his face, whipping his hair about. His mouth was open to whoop ecstatically.

‘Furthermore, in the case of Barclay versus Pollo it was deemed that nominated evidence must be independently verified in order for a warrant to be validated.’

‘My lords I must protest that the defence is procrastinating,’ Master Cherix said. ‘The evidence is fully verified. I gathered the confirming testimony myself.’

‘I have no doubt of that my lords. However, as my learned council is also fully aware, and has chosen to overlook, the testimony in this case is invalid.’ Master Solarin bowed benevolently at the two girls from the House of Blue Petals who were sitting behind the prosecution bench. They giggled back at him. ‘These quite delightful ladies upon whose testimony the prosecution’s entire case is based are themselves employed by the establishment owned by the plaintiff. Impartiality in these circumstances must be discounted, as established by Rupart versus Vaxill, and with it, validation. I would ask for your immediate ruling on this.’

Hallwith’s home was on the fifth floor of a bridge in Cobara. Two barrels hung in the air beside Edeard as he fixed the glowering gang lord with a relentless stare.

‘Leave this place,’ the Waterwalker commanded.

Oil poured out horizontally as the barrels splintered, forming a sheet of glistening liquid poised halfway between floor and ceiling.

‘They were not employed by the House of Blue Petals,’ Master Cherix said, radiating great weariness, as if he were sad to point out such an obvious flaw. ‘They are free agents who pay a percentage of their earnings to the house. As such, Rupart versus Vaxill does not apply.’

Side tunnels flashed past at bewildering speed. Edeard had his hands gripped together in front of him, as if he were diving off a bridge into a deep pool of water. He rolled exuberantly as he hurtled onwards, wondering idly where all the branches led to.

‘Which leads us to positive identification. Buate’s testimony clearly states that the intruder was illuminated from behind. Contention is that, under such circumstances, a visual identification is impossible.’

‘My lords, the honourable gentleman is making a poor joke. The Waterwalker is perhaps the most readily identifiable man in all of Makkathran.’ Master Cherix frowned in annoyance as several people at the back of the court began whispering. A mental bustle of excitement spilled out. ‘Edeard’, Kanseen and Dinlay did their best not to smile and turn round. Boyd crept in at the rear of the chamber, carrying a canvas bag. He sat behind his squadmates and leant forward to whisper to Dinlay. Everyone sitting on the prosecution bench did their best to ignore him. The murmurs of surprise at the back of the chamber were getting louder.