Firebrand

Chapter 418: Eyes Across the Hall

Eyes Across the Hall

A hammer came swinging through the air to strike Martel on the shoulder. Fortunately, chain armour and layers of cloth softened the blow, and it did not hurt. "Slow reactions, Nordmark!"

Martel looked towards Maximilian, taking a step away. They had been milling about, waiting for the next round of sparring. "I didn't realise we were fighting."

"This is combat. You have to be ready at all times," the mageknight chastised him.

"Combat lessons," Martel corrected him. Around them, the other acolytes sparred with each other, and the sounds of metal clashing and physical exertion could be heard.

After finishing his own skirmish against Alain, Martel had become lost in thoughts. Even though it seemed most likely that Julia had chosen to disappear, he could not help but worry. He realised that he ought to have questioned the neighbours; if Julia had been taken against her will, surely someone would have noticed. Inquisitors arresting someone in the insula would be gossip spread far and wide, he reckoned. It might be a waste of his time, but for the sake of having peace of mind, perhaps he ought to go back and ask around.

"You're not thinking of laying down your weapon already? There must be at least a quarter bell left of the lesson!" Maximilian raised his weapons in a threatening manner.

"Alright, alright." Martel held up his staff, happy to think of ways to make his friend lose a friendly bout.

***

Martel waited until supper – no need to miss a meal just because he was antsy – before he went to the harbour. Little had changed since he walked the same path yesterday, though he moved with greater impatience, occasionally pushing past others when people were slow to move or get out of his way. At length, he reached Julia's insula. He did not bother with the reeve, who had probably already related everything he knew. Martel needed to speak with the neighbours living on the same floor, and he knew exactly which ones to ask. A family with an inquisitive little girl, who had previously admitted to keeping eyes on Julia.

Martel only knocked a few times before the door opened and said girl revealed herself. Probably not more than seven or eight, she stared at the wizard in surprise. "Mum!"

"What is it now, child? I swear, you don't give me a moment's peace –" A matronly woman appeared, brought to silence for a moment merely by laying eyes on Martel. "Begging your pardon, master," she continued once she found her voice. "Foolish child did not tell me we had distinguished company."

"Never mind that. You know my friend, who lives across the hallway?" Martel pointed over his shoulder at Julia's door.

"I wouldn't say we know her. Maybe seen her once or twice at most. She's a shy lass keeping odd hours, if you'll forgive me saying so," the woman replied.

"She's been gone for a while. When was the last you saw her?"

"I can't rightly say, good master. Between minding the children and helping my husband with his trade, I don't have time to look much at the neighbours."

"She's been gone for a long time," the girl added, stressing the penultimate word. "I've gone to sleep lots of nights since I last saw her."

"We only really noticed when the door stood open," the mother elaborated. "It's never done that before. That's when we told the reeve. Must have been ten days ago or longer. But I can't say how long ago she left before that."

"You didn't see anybody else? Someone who doesn't live here. Inquisitors, perhaps?" Martel watched their reactions carefully as he mentioned the mage hunters.

The woman placed one hand on her cheek, the other on her child's head. Neither of them seemed particularly frightened, though. "No, master, nothing of the sort! We are Sol-fearing people, no need for that lot to come poking here."

As Martel might have guessed, they could not offer much information about what had happened to Julia. But it did seem certain she had chosen to leave. There was one last thing he might learn. "You once said that you followed her to the sewers." He looked down at the small girl and dug out some pennies from his pocket. "Could you take me to the entrance?"

The child looked up at her mother, who nodded in agreement.

***

Soon after, Martel's little guide led him down an alley and pointed at a hatch in the ground before she ran off, back to the insula. Inspecting the entrance, Martel eventually bent down and grabbed the handle to pull up. His own strength failed him, and he had to lend magic to his arm in order to open it. Immediately, the putrid stench of sewer filth reached him, and he allowed it to slam shut.

It seemed unlikely that Julia had gone this way, considering a girl her size would lack the strength to even open it; maybe the child from the insula had been mistaken. Regardless, Martel had no idea if Julia was hiding below ground or above, and searching for her would be impossible. There was not really anything he could accomplish.

Walking home, the thoughts still troubled him, though. While it seemed most unlikely that the inquisitors had taken Julia in, Martel did have a way to make sure it was not the case. He had done so once before, pretending to be a clerk and going to the actual Office of the Inquisition. That did risk attracting undue attention; he might not get away with it twice. A better way existed.

Thus, on his way home, he took a turn towards the east, occasionally asking local residents for directions until he reached a small shrine not far from the Lyceum, attended by a few Grey Brothers. Martel approached the nearest. "I need a message delivered to the Friar. Tell him that Martel wishes to meet briefly."

If the priest found this odd, his demeanour did not reveal it. "Very well."

With a nod in farewell, Martel left for the Lyceum.