Thief: A Fantasy Hardboiled (Ratcatchers Book 2) (20 page)

“And that’s it?” Aiden said, disbelieving.

“That’s what I know,” Heden said, omitting the fact that Vanora also apparently knew where the count’s secret operation was, reasoning that he’d only learned it a moment before and therefore wasn’t yet obligated to give it over.

“What’s the girl to you?” he asked.

Heden shrugged. “Needed someone to work the tables,” he lied.

“Ok, well,” Aiden said. “That was a lie, but I can’t really…I can’t force you to help me. I can tell the ragman you didn’t tell me everything.”

“He won’t be surprised,” Heden said. “Also won’t like it, he finds out you called him that.”

“I’m picking up bad habits,” Aiden said with half a smile. He sighed and looked around the room, then looked at the table, thinking.

“I’m new at this,” he said after a moment. “I don’t have the experience my older, more cynical fellows have. But I think the count is after the girl, he’s got the kind of power now, he can get what he wants and he wants a lot. He wants the city for one thing, and I think he’s going to get it if we don’t stop him.”

“We?” Heden said, pointing to himself and the young watchman.

Aiden shrugged. “We the rest of the city who can be counted on to do the right thing. Which may or may not include you. Anyway. He wants the girl, he’s going to get the girl, unless you stop him. Which I have no idea how you would do, but everyone says you’re the type to try.”

“Everyone,” Heden said.

“We asked about you,” Aiden said. “I met several people this morning willing eager to tell me you tend to upset important people.”

“Sometimes I do more than upset them,” Heden said.

“Don’t…,” Aiden said, holding up a hand, “don’t try and show off to me, I don’t care. I mean, I find this whole thing…it’s absurd. Counts and guilds and deathless, I’m still not sure why you’re not all in jail. But I’ll figure that out later.
I think
,” he continued, “that you knew the girl wouldn’t be safe while the count was out there, and so you’ve decided to go for the count and to do that, you needed to get the girl out of the way. So you get her somewhere safe, now you can make your play.”

“That would be smart,” Heden said.
I wish I’d thought of it
.

Aiden nodded. “Do not make a move for the count,” he said. “I don’t know the castellan well, but he does not like it when people take the law into their own hands and he
especially
does not like it when they do so after he’s sent his own special watchmen to come talk to them on his behalf and warn them off.”

Heden blinked. “Ah,” he said.

“Yeah,” Aiden said.  “He seemed to get very angry when he learned you were involved in this.”

“I have that effect on people,” Heden said. Aiden was looking at him expectantly.

“I have no plans to go after the count,” Heden said, truthfully. “I wouldn’t even know how to go about it,” he said.

Aiden took a deep breath and watched Heden’s face. “Maybe,” he said. “Do you have any idea where he gets these ghouls from?”

Heden shook his head. “I have no idea. I’ve never even seen it happen.”

Aiden looked around the room, dejected. “Dead end,” he said. “For the moment. Alright,” he said getting up.

He looked at Heden like he was trying to solve a puzzle. “I have no idea what you’re doing in all this, but talking to folks, the castellan, if you’re in it and the count’s in it, sooner or later one of you will make a move for the other. I’d rather that didn’t happen. I’d rather you let us deal with it. But on the off chance you do get in a dust-up with the count and live, do me a favor and come tell me what you learned. We’ve got a whole city about to go up in flames. It’s more than just you and a girl.”

“What are you going to do?” Heden asked.

The young man shrugged. “Find another thread. Pull at it until something unravels.”

Heden nodded. “Always worked for me,” he said with a smirk.

“Wonderful,” the special watchman said, and went to collect his fellows.

It was three days before the count made his move.

The inn was packed, it was an hour before dusk and there wasn’t a spare table in the common room. The count came in, with Garth right behind him.

Garth nodded to the table where Heden sat. The count walked over. Garth followed.

Because he looked royal, dress and manner, and maybe because he was royal, everyone noticed him and no one got in his way as approached Heden’s table. No one noticed Garth walking behind him.

The count stopped and stood before Heden, cocked his head, appraised the man sitting down with an untouched mug in front of him. Heden returned the look.

“Probably I should have waited.” Heden said, “until I had fewer enemies before I opened this place.”

The count smiled and nodded. “If you’re planning on making a lot of enemies,” he said, “be hard to find.”

“Good advice,” Heden said. “I don’t plan that far ahead, I guess.”

The count nodded to the chair. “May I?”

“Sure,” Heden said.

The count whipped off his cloak with a flourish and laid it over the back of the chair before sitting down. Garth remained standing.

“We have never met, but we are enemies” the count began.

“Yep,” Heden said.

The count grinned. It seemed genuine. Maybe it was.

“We are only enemies of the moment,” the count said. “Someday, someday soon I hope, we will no longer be enemies. No reason we can’t be cordial until then,” the count said, gesturing to a serving girl. It was Caerys. She stared at Heden, eyes wide.

Heden nodded once. Caerys scurried away to get drinks. The count noticed the exchange.

“No reason,” Heden said.

“Circumstance aimed us at each other. You had no idea who Violet was when you rescued her from the jail. I had no idea who you were….”

“Her name’s Vanora.”

The count covered his mouth with his hand as his grin turned into a wide smile. “Of course,” he said.

”Now,” he went on, “I know the whore is not here.” Caerys returned with drinks for the two men. “Well,” the count said looking at the girl as she curtseyed, “not the whore I’m looking for at least.”

Caerys threw a look at Heden, who shrugged in response.

“You have hidden her somewhere, and why not? You wish to protect her. Completely understandable. But you must know that I will find her. I very nearly control this city and I will enjoy killing many people, many people dear to you, dear to her, until I find her.”

“You don’t control the city yet,” Heden said.

The count’s smile evaporated. He snapped his fingers.

Everyone in the inn, every guest, men women, old folks, young, all stopped talking, instantly. All put their food down, their drinks, and stood up. They all stared at Heden.

The serving girls stopped in their tracks, looked confused at each other, and then Heden. When Heden seemed unconcerned, they relaxed, but only a little, as they waited to see what would happen next.

“They’re still going to have to pay for their food,” Heden said. The count just stared at him. “Oh,” Heden said. “Sorry, I’m supposed to be scared. it’s just that it’s been a long time since anything scared me and I’m a little rusty. Should I piss myself a little?” he asked, frowning. “I’ll need some more ale for that.”

The count took a measured breath, then flashed a smile.

“Drama,” he apologized. Garth made a sharp gesture and the entire common room began filing out silently, leaving the serving girls nothing to do. “I’m making a point. You have power, I have power. But yours comes from one source, mine from many. I have money, for instance. A great deal of money. I know you were a campaigner for thirteen years and came back with sacks of gold, it’s not the same. I bought all these people, for instance. Most of them guild members. All of them criminals.”

“And you sent them here, take every seat, order, pretend to be guests, to let me know you can get to me any time you want,” Heden said.

“Just so,” the count said. “My grip on the city becomes tighter by the hour, the number of people keen to be in my employ grows. That will never be you, but there is no reason we must be enemies.”

“As long as I’m willing to give you the girl,” Heden said.

The count shrugged. “She belongs to me.”

“She doesn’t belong to anyone. She’s hers,” Heden said.

The count pursed his lips. “I am here merely as a courtesy to both of us. I came to you because you know where the girl is, and I know where you are. If you knew where my operation was, you would have come to me, warned me to stop looking.”

Heden nodded. “I would have.”

“We are alike,” the count said, taking no pleasure or satisfaction in the statement.

“Like enough,” Heden said.

The count leaned forward and pressed his index finger into the table. “So, just as I know it, you must know it; none of this matters. What matters isn’t what we say. It’s who has the power to enforce their will and you
must know
,” the count said, raising his voice, “that my power is now very nearly limitless. I could have the king if I thought there was any benefit to it. If I thought he was a threat. You are nothing.”

Heden sniffed. He looked sad. He glanced at Garth.

“How did you end up with this streak of shit?” he asked.

Garth shrugged. “Times are hard.”

The count twisted around, looked behind him at Garth, then at Heden, then back to Garth.

“You two know each other?” he said.

Garth’s eyes never left Heden. “Sure,” he said.

The count suddenly became very calm, stared at Garth.

“You and I should talk later.”

“We can talk now,” Garth said, not taking his eyes off Heden.

“How is it you know this man?” the count asked.

“I campaigned with him for a while,” Garth said. “Years ago.”

The count turned back to face Heden. He had an entertained look of renewed interest. “Indeed! You were allies?”

“Not exactly,” Garth said. “We agreed to put off being enemies for a while to our mutual benefit.”

The count nodded. “And what kind of man is he?”

“He’s tough,” Garth said.

“But fair,” Heden said. Garth ignored him.

“He’s not very smart and he knows it. Usually has someone else do his thinking.”

“Does he have many friends?” the count asked. Heden had the sense the count already knew the answer.

“Not anymore. He was never easy to get along with.”

“Not like you,” Heden said, nodding his head deferentially.

“The whores always liked him,” Garth said. “Because they couldn’t get to him. Because they trusted him. I could never figure out why he gave a shit.”

“I think I might know,” the count said, one eyebrow raised. “If I asked you to kill him, could you?”

“Sure,” Garth said.

“Does he know this?” the count asked.

“Yeah,” Garth said.

Heden’s eyes rested for a moment on the rapier at Garth’s hip.
Apostate
. The weapon Garth chose from a mountain of treasure, on purpose, because he knew someday, someone would tell him to kill this priest.

Heden looked back at Garth. The count noticed all this, but the significance was lost on him. He leaned forward conspiratorially. 

“Come,” he said as though Garth couldn’t hear him. “Let’s end this now and go back to that pleasant time when neither of us knew the other existed. Where is Violet?”

It looked, to Heden’s eye, as though Garth’s head shook once in disapproval.

“Go fuck a pig,” Heden said.

The count flashed his charming smile, completely genuine, no hint of artifice. He stood up, swept up his cape as he did so.

“You are alone,” he said as he fastened the cape about his neck. “You have no friends, no allies, and many, many enemies. Whereas I am days away from controlling all crime in the city. Already I have more allies than I have use for. Isn’t that true, Garth?”

Garth let his gaze flicker away from Heden for a moment. “He knows it’s true,” Garth said.

“We will find the girl and then…,” the count shrugged. “Then you will be of no consequence to me and we will no longer be enemies.”

Heden and the count stared at each other for a moment. Then, without taking his eyes off the count, Heden said “See you later Garth.”

The count’s smile dropped for a moment. Garth turned to leave and, after a moment’s hesitation, the count followed.

It was two hours after noon. The inn was empty, except for Heden and the girls. The count’s demonstration had left the place with no customers.
No matter
, Heden thought as he stared at his mug.
More will come
.

Caerys approached tentatively. “You can’t fight the count,” she said. It was almost a whisper.

Heden rolled an idea around in his head, said nothing.

“I don’t know,” Martlyn said, from behind Caerys. “Maybe he can.”

Heden took a deep breath, eyes still fixed on his drink. “It’s not the count,” he said. “It’s Garth.”

“You know him,” Caerys said. “He said you travelled with him or something?”

“I campaigned with him. A kind of travelling. The dangerous kind.”

“You’re afraid of him,” Martlyn said, and seemed disappointed.

“He’s the deadliest man I ever met,” Heden said, as though remarking on the time of day.

Caerys looked at Martlyn. “He always treated us nice,” she said.

“Garth did,” Martlyn said. “Not the count.”

“No,” Caerys agreed, mostly to be saying something, “not him.”

“He wouldn’t be cruel to you,” Heden said. “Garth has a kind of honor. He’ll do what he says he’ll do.”

Martlyn nodded. Caerys didn’t seem to understand why this was worth remarking on.

“Doesn’t everyone?”

Heden sniffed and looked at the girls. Caerys and Martlyn and three others standing behind them listening.

“Nope,” he said. “No, most people…most people are like the count. Say one thing, do another. Whatever’s convenient. Even normal people. They mean well, but they get scared, they make bad decisions. They regret,” he said ambiguously. “No, men like Garth,” he said nodding at the door, “when they agree to do something, they will absolutely do it, no matter what.”

“Could he kill you?” Martlyn asked, businesslike.

“Sure,” Heden said. “Well, probably. It’s not certain. We never tested it. He’s better with a sword than me but that’s not…lots of people are. Mostly it’s that he’s never valued anything that didn’t make him a better killer. He made a study of death the way other men learn to work wood or metal. You sum that over a lifetime…,” he didn’t finish the sentence.

The girls watched him. Waited to see what he would do.

“You should all go back to the Rose,” Heden said.

Martlyn made a ‘tch’ noise. “Don’t think we’ll do that.”

“Vanora would get angry with us,” Caerys explained.

Martlyn frowned at Caerys, as though what Vanora thought wasn’t important. Then she cocked her head at Heden. “Someone has to look after you,” she said.

Heden’s eyebrows raised. “Me? I can look after myself. But I can’t do that and look after you at the same time.”

“That’s why Vanora left,” Caerys said, nodding. It was a simple statement, but it’s clarity impressed Heden.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Well,” Caerys continued, “that’s no matter then. The count’s not after us,” she smiled.

“That’s true,” Heden admitted. Neither the count nor Garth were likely to make a move against him in the inn. In front of people.

“I noticed Morten’s not here,” Heden said, trying to sound relaxed. Trying to force things back to normal.

“I think Miss Elowen’s fed up with all this,” Martlyn said. “Doesn’t let Morten come by anymore.”

“Mm,” Heden said. “So how come you’re here?”

Martlyn smiled at him. “It’s still our time to do as we want. She won’t crack down on that unless things get bad at the Rose.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Heden said. “Explain what’s going on here.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Caerys said.

“Why not?” Heden asked.

“She might say no,” the younger, dark-haired girl explained.

Heden smiled.

“Better to ask forgiveness, than permission,” Martlyn said.

Heden laughed. Every girl in the room jumped a little. None of them had ever heard him do that before.

“Well, you’ll need a guard at least,” he said. “To look over things while I’m out.”

He stood up, made sure his sword belt was tight around his waist. “Need to find someone who won’t get,” he looked at Caerys and Martlyn. Martlyn put a hand on her hip and smirked. “Distracted. Think I know someone,” he said, and walked to the door.

“Customers’ll be coming in soon,” Heden said. “Real ones, this time. I hope. Tend to their needs,” he said and looked from Caerys to Martlyn. “Food, drink…,” Caerys dipped a curtsey.

“And nothing else,” Heden said.

The girls looked at him sweetly and said nothing.

He sighed, and left the inn.