In Her Shadow(26)

***

"The harbormaster's refusing to pull the chain," said Valex, just arrived from the docks.

Dux Lucius swallowed the anger that welled up in him. It wasn't the boy's fault. It wouldn't be right to let his anger show, especially not to an underling. Before, it wouldn't even have been a struggle, but last night's events had unmoored something in him. They'd opened the dam that held back the torrent of his emotions. Unused to being free, Lucius couldn't contain them with the ease of before. A crisis like this was the worst possible time for him to be on the edge of losing control. It caused him to second guessed every decision he made, afraid he'd made it in anger, or some other emotion. He'd lost his objectivity. Yes, the worst possible time.

"Go back. Captain Marcus is there searching the ships. Tell him to take his cohort and raise the chain themselves," he said.

"Sir, the harbormaster said that if she'd escaped by ship, she was already long gone."

"That's not how Anksharans think," said Dux Lucius. "That's just how they want you to think they think."

"I don't understand."

"Just go."

"You don't understand, sir," said Valex, "there might be a riot. People are massing at the docks."

There wasn't anything unusual about that. The docks were the center of the city's nightlife now that the abbey no longer accommodated revelers. "So? They gather at the docks every night."

"Not like this, sir."

Dux Lucius pulled out his spyglass. He rushed upstairs to the top of the garrison from which he could see the whole of the city. He extended the telescope and set his gaze upon the docks, sweeping back and forth as he took in the gathering. Lucius hadn't imagined there were so many people in the city. Did they know what was going on? How could they not? The search for Weboshi was an operation that relied on speed, not subtlety. Of course word had got out. Now the people of the city broiled with anger that one of their beloved priestess was subject to a city-wide manhunt. Lucius wished he'd had more time to drill his men in preparation for this inevitability.

The city was about to burn, and it would be on his watch. Before he could get too maudlin over it, he caught movement on the street below out of the corner of his eye.

Britta. He'd wanted to wake her before he left and tell he what was going on, but he'd been in a hurry.

Three men from his father's household guard crowded around her, preventing her from coming farther down the road towards the garrison. From so far away, Lucius couldn't hear what they said, but he got the gist of it. He rushed down the stairs, out of the heavy iron door, and down the street. He arrived as one of the guards started dragging her away.

"Wait!" Lucius shouted, but the guard didn't stop. Had he heard him? Had to have. To be sure, Lucius shouted his command again. Instead of responding, the guard pulled out his sword and raised it as if to slice Britta's head clean off. For her part, she just stared up, a blank expression on her face – a state of acceptance, that, in that moment, Lucius wished he could achieve. Before the man could swing, Dux Lucius lunged forward and caught the man's wrist. He swung the guard around to face him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dux Lucius shouted in the man's face.

The man's mouth bobbed, he looked past the Dux at the other guards.

"Why didn't you listen when I told you to stop?"

The man shook his head.

"Answer me!"

"Sir!" said one of the other guards. "Sir, he's deaf."

Lucius let the confused guard go and turned to the other. "Why did you–"

"We thought it would be easier if he didn't have to hear her scream."

Dux Lucius thrust a hand out towards Britta. "Does she look like a screamer to you?"

The guard narrowed his eyes. "She looks like a heathen priestess."

"Get out of here, before I have you whipped and cashiered."

The guard didn't say anything for a moment. Would he draw arms on the man who commanded the imperial garrison and was his employer's son besides? No. Lucius saw the exact moment the guard thought better of it in the man's eyes.

The guard grabbed his gear. "Let's go," he said to his companions and the three men slipped away.

"Thanks," Britta said as Dux Lucius helped her up.

"Damned mercenaries. I don't even know what they're doing out on the street. They should be back at the manse. Speaking of which, what are you doing out here? You had to know it was dangerous."

"Everything about this city is dangerous. Why should tonight be any different?"

"But it is different."

"Is it?"

Dux Lucius sighed. He was about to ask her why she was being so disagreeable, besides the obvious answer of almost having her head chopped off, when Valex showed up again, this time with a scroll in his hands. "Sir! Sir! Another messenger just delivered this from the Governor."

"What does it say?" she asked.

Lucius unrolled the scroll and read it. "It's an order from my father for the immediate arrest of the Abbess of Night."

Britta's face went pale and cool. "He – he – I talked to him before I came here. He knew he was going to do this."