The City of Towers

CHAPTER 12

Daine studied the enemy and their surroundings, strategies flashing through his mind. None were good. The numbers were against them, Lei was unarmed, and all he had was his thrice-damned dagger. Even if they could fight, the guards were just doing their jobs, and resisting arrest would only make matters worse. For a moment Daine thought about running for the open door of the church, but they had no idea what was inside or any reason to believe they would be offered shelter against the law.

“Captain?” Pierce said quietly.

Daine knew that the ’forged could drop two of the archers in the first few seconds of battle. But it just wasn’t enough.

There were no real alternatives. Slowly, Daine set his dagger on the ground and gestured for the others to follow suit. Guards surrounded them and bound their wrists, and they were led out of the district.

The guards were silent and tense, and the halberdiers and archers kept their weapons at the ready, as if they expected an attack to come at any moment. Maybe they did. Goblins glared from the shadows, and an ogre sneered at the guardsmen, revealing filthy fangs. The Watch was not welcome in Malleon’s Gate, and only sheer numbers protected the patrol. Daine was impressed. Clearly this force had been dispatched to track them down and apprehend them only hours after the guard’s death. Even in Metrol, Daine wouldn’t have expected such a swift response. And with Sharn’s sordid reputation, he had half-expected that the law wouldn’t even try to solve the crime-though the fact that the victim was a guardsman probably had a great deal to do with the speed of the response.

They made it out of Malleon’s Gate without incident, and the guards relaxed as they boarded a lift and rose up through the towers. Nothing could keep Jode quiet, and he’d managed to strike up a conversation with one of the guards as they were moving out of the district. Now that they were standing still, Daine picked up on the end of the conversation.

“… Carralag?” Jode said. “I’ve heard he’s got quite a few tricks tucked away.”

“He’s a gargoyle,” said his captor, a half-elf woman with short silvery hair and freckled cheeks. “It doesn’t matter how tricky he is, he just doesn’t have the wingspan to compete with a pegasus or hippogriff.”

“Daeras! Don’t talk to the prisoners!” The sergeant was almost as large as Pierce, and Daine guessed that he owed his gray complexion and flat nose to orcish blood. The half-elf nodded sullenly and turned away from Jode.

“We’re going to Daggerwatch,” Jode whispered, sidling up to Daine. Daggerwatch was the garrison district Jode had mentioned earlier.

“Great. So while I’m being boiled in oil, why don’t you try to ask a few questions about Rasial.”

“What’s interesting is that the guard didn’t know anything about the nature of our crime. She knew that the charge was murder, but she was instructed to apprehend you and anyone you might be traveling with. Let’s face it: you’re the killer.”

“Thanks, Jode. Good to know you’re standing at my side. Besides which, you stabbed the woman.”

“And healed her,” Jode pointed out. “But don’t worry, I’m sure I can talk us through this. I was just thinking of Lei and Pierce. How could the Watch possibly hold them responsible?”

“Silence!” The sergeant sent Jode sprawling with a kick. Daine gritted his teeth but stood his ground-the last time he’d fought on a lift it had ended poorly, and the gray-skinned sergeant was looking for an excuse for further violence.

That excuse came from an unexpected quarter. As the sergeant turned toward Daine, there was a flash of movement. Lei’s foot caught the back of the half-orc’s knee and sent him sprawling to the ground. The guards knew nothing of the enchantments Lei had woven for her battle with the minotaur, and none were prepared for her blinding speed. She dove forward, stripped the rope from the hands of her captor, and rolled into a defensive crouch, raising her bound fists before her like a mace.

The sergeant rose to his feet and drew his blade. “I’ll have your foot for that, Mourner trash!”

“Try me, brute,” Lei hissed. “You saw that minotaur a minute ago? I did that with my bare hands. You touch my friends again and you’ll be kissing cobblestones before you can blink.”

The sergeant watched her through narrowed eyes, and Daine caught the hint of motion he made with his sword. The four archers readied themselves, moving along the perimeter and preparing to fire on a moment’s notice. Pierce caught Daine’s glance, and his thoughts were clear-for all her supernatural speed, Lei couldn’t fight the guards alone. Either they acted together, or-

“Lei, stand down,” Daine said firmly. “I’m the one you want here, grayskin. If you’re going to take your anger out on someone, deal with me.”

Lei remained in her crouch. Behind her, the archers were taking aim.

“Lei!”

Reluctantly, Lei lowered her arms. A guard took hold of her tether, but the others were taking no chances. Two of the archers kept their crossbows leveled at her back. The sergeant walked over, glared at Daine, then smashed him in the face with the pommel of his sword, knocking him to the ground. Glaring down, the half-orc spat at him and turned away. Slowly Daine rose to his feet and shuffled over towards Lei.

“I never thought you’d be the one to start a fight,” he muttered, testing his teeth with his tongue.

“I never thought you’d be the one to stop me,” she replied. He could see the anger in her eyes, but the archers still stood at the ready, fingers white on the stocks of their crossbows.

“I’ve fought too many fights that couldn’t be won. I’m proud of what you did-now and earlier-but it’s not the time. Let’s see where this takes us.”

She nodded, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

The lift came to a stop, and they were escorted through the streets of Daggerwatch. Every district seemed to have its own flavor, and Daggerwatch was no exception. It had the atmosphere of a vast fortress. The walls were reinforced to resist siege weaponry, and guardsmen filled the streets. Compared to the lower districts and even Den’iyas, the streets were remarkably quiet. People spoke in lowered voices, and even the merchants refrained from hawking their wares. A pair of hippogriffs wheeled overhead, and Daine could see soldiers riding the beasts. Once Rasial Tann had been up there.

“It’s quite clean, I’ll give it that,” Jode remarked. “I wonder who cleans up all the hippogriff shit.”

A guard shoved him with the butt of a halberd.

They passed a large open square, containing a circle of pillories. A group of criminals were on display, heads and hands pinned in the wooden restraints. A few spectators were throwing refuse at prisoners, but even this behavior seemed rather quiet and reserved compared to what Daine had come to expect.

Daggerwatch was home to the local military as well as the Sharn Watch. Occasionally squads of Brelish soldiers passed by, some marching in strict formation, others off-duty and drifting. Daine was still wearing his Cyran uniform, and he was greeted with sneers and the occasional thrown stone.

They reached their destination. Daggerwatch Garrison was an impressive sight. The stone walls were two feet thick, studded with arrow slits and murder holes, and Daine could see a few archers watching them as they approached. There were deep scars in a few spots along the wall, as if acid or fire had eaten away at the rock-apparently the fortifications had been tested in the past. A massive stone hippogriff stood to either side of the gate, foreclaws raised and ready to strike. Daine wondered if the statues would come to life if there was an attack.

Entering the garrison, they were surrounded by even more guards. Steel manacles replaced their rope bonds-apparently the Sharn Watch was taking no chances.

The sergeant conferred with an administrator in black-and-green robes. The sergeant looked displeased with the news, but Daine couldn’t hear the conversation. Eventually, he returned and spoke quietly with his men. The sergeant nodded to Daine. The next thing he knew, there was a splitting pain in the back of his head and everything went black.

When his senses returned, he was lying on a hard stone floor. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the dim light of a prison cell. Instead he was surprised by bright illumination and a soft carpet beneath his head. His skull was still throbbing from where he’d been sapped, but no permanent damage seemed to have been done. Something seemed wrong, and then he realized-his manacles had been removed.

“Well, Daine. Who’d have thought we’d meet like this? Olladra’s done you no favors, I see.”

The voice was familiar, but in his dazed state Daine had trouble placing it. Rising to his knees, he struggled to take in his surroundings. By the granite floor and walls, he judged he was still inside the Daggerwatch garrison-perhaps an officer’s chamber? A tapestry covered the wall in front of him, depicting the famous battle between the sentinel marshals of House Deneith and the Bandit King of the Whistling Wood. But the voice had come from his right. Daine shook the cobwebs from his head and turned to face the voice.

A man sat behind a beautiful desk of Aerenal densewood. The seal of Sharn dominated the wall behind the desk. Daine’s vision was still slightly blurred, but he could see that the man was wearing the uniform of a captain. He squinted and the stranger’s face came into focus. “Grazen?” he said, shocked. “Grazen d’Deneith?”

The captain laughed and stood up. “For a moment I thought the guards had done you permanent damage. Mourner soldiers aren’t well liked in Daggerwatch.” He walked around the desk and offered Daine a hand, pulling him to his feet. “But it’s Grazen ir’Tala now.”

Daine shook his head, trying to process this information. “What?”

“What can I say?” Grazen ran a hand through his golden-brown hair and smiled. “Love conquers all. I was a sentinel marshal back when we last saw each other, yes? I had an extended tour of duty in Sharn, pursuing a group of Lhazaar assassins. During my stay, I met a lovely young woman who just happened to be the sole heir of a wealthy estate, and after some thought, I decided to leave the house and settle in Sharn. It may sound like madness, I know, but I’m not the first to leave his house voluntarily.”

Grazen pointed Daine toward a chair, then returned to his desk. Daine sat down, still absorbing the information. “But …”

“What am I doing here? Like I said, I had served a long tour of duty here. When he heard I was staying, Lord Commander Iyan was quite happy to offer me a commission. So here I am today. I have a lovely wife, a vast fortune, two beautiful children-albeit unmarked-and a position that offers me considerable authority and respect. I’m glad to see that you’ve managed to do as well for yourself.”

Daine’s head had cleared, but he chose not to respond to the barb.

“But you were always one for lost causes, weren’t you, Daine? And look what it got you. According to Sergeant Holas, you didn’t even have a sword when they apprehended you. I wonder what your grandfather would say about that?”

Daine clenched his fists but held his ground. “Let’s get this over with, Grazen. I killed your man. I admit it. But it was an accident, and my companions had nothing to do with it.”

“Ah, yes. Your little motley crew. You always knew how to pick your companions. Speaking of which, have you seen Alina recently?”

Daine was caught off guard. “What?”

“Oh, she’s here in Sharn. I just thought you might want to reminisce about old times. In any case, you’re mistaken.” Grazen smirked. “You haven’t killed anyone.”

He reached into a belt pouch and produced a platinum disk, which he tossed to Daine. The symbol of a feather was engraved on the surface, along with an assortment of mystical glyphs.

“Feather token. Only one use, but it’s a lifesaver if you find yourself plummeting to your death. If you live on the upper levels and you can afford one, you’re a fool not to-and Sergeant Lorrak is no fool. I suppose that I could have sent Lorrak to bring you in, but I hate to spoil a surprise. I’d stay out of Lorrak’s way, if I were you. He may be alive, but he’s certainly one to hold a grudge. And I understand you kept him from having a little fun.”

“Yeah, fun,” Daine said, thinking of the goblin girl. “Great crew you’ve got here. So the murder charge-you just made that up?”

“Would you have come if I’d just asked?”

“I don’t know.”

“At least you’re honest. Something that’s all too rare these days.” He studied Daine carefully. “What would you say if I offered you a job, Daine? It wouldn’t be easy, given that you were an officer for the enemy, but Cyre’s gone now and it’s not coming back. And I’ve got connections here. Feel like working for a winner for a change?”

“What’s that got to do with you?”

Grazen laughed. “I’ve missed you, Daine. Well, I’ll give you a few days to think about it. But a few words of advice: stay away from Alina. Stay out of trouble. And keep an eye out for Sergeant Lorrak. In light of our old friendship, I won’t ask what you were doing in Malleon’s Gate. But friendship or not, this is where my heart lies now. You haven’t crossed any lines. Yet. But if you do, I’ll be right there to bring you down.”

“Thanks for the advice, Grazen. It’s been great catching up like this. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my friends.”

“Of course.” He ran a finger over an alarm-stone on his desk, and two guards entered the room. “Minal, Dal, escort our guest back to his companions and see that his possessions are restored to him.” He looked back at Daine. “Think about my offer, Daine. And my advice. It might be the only chance you have left to do the right thing.”

Daine said nothing as the guards led him away.

Jode, Pierce, and Lei were waiting for him in the atrium.

“Daine!” Lei called. “What’s going on?”

“It was all a misunderstanding.”

“You mean someone did catch him?” Jode said. A servant brought in their weapons and began to distribute them.

“Something like that, yeah.” The servant reached him. She handed Daine his dagger and then gave him a longsword with a scabbard and harness of black leather. “This isn’t mine,” Daine said.

“Compliments of Captain Grazen,” she replied. “He said you’d lost your own blade.” It was a beautiful weapon, even in the scabbard.

Lei glanced at the weapon and frowned. “Daine, why …?”

He followed her gaze and saw the eye-in-the-sun sigil of House Deneith engraved on the pommel, glittering in the light of the cold fire.

“It belonged to an old friend,” he said. “Apparently he doesn’t have a use for it any more.” He considered handing it back to the servant, but a sword was a sword. Scowling, he buckled on the harness. “Now let’s get out of here.”