Firebrand

Chapter 448: Hunter and Hunted

Hunter and Hunted

For his first lesson in the Circle of Fire, Martel was once again paired up against William. Their duel progressed as they often did, exchanging blows and fire spells, until William felt confident enough to attempt his new strategy. Seeing Martel extend himself, he released a blast of air, trying to make the tall acolyte fall.

As it turned out, he lacked enough force to accomplish his goal; staying on his feet, Martel immediately retaliated on instinct, using the same skill. Taken by surprise, William fell flat on his back.

He looked up at Martel with a scowl before laughing, accepting a hand from Martel to get back on his feet. "I need more practice, I guess."

Martel laughed as well, finding it almost strange to enjoy a moment together with his fellow student.

"You can laugh when you're dead!" Moira barked. "Which is exactly what you'll be if you don't train! It'll be too late once you're at the front."

The two acolytes shared a look, rolling their eyes before resuming their practice.

***

The rest of Martel's day progressed without incident; when last bell rang, he left the school. Outside, the sun was setting, casting the square into long shadows. As promised, Ruby waited for him. Rather than stop, she gestured for Martel to continue walking; as he did, she fell into place next to him. "Thanks for coming."

"What is this about?"

She set a course directly south, with Martel following alongside her. "Been spying on a fellow for the last fiveday or so. Think he might be our guy."

"Who is he?"

"You remember that weathermage, who Vernon from the copper lanes brought along?"

"The one who died. I remember."

"This fellow, he's the one who brought messages between Vernon and the wizard. Put him in a position to have known the details of our little adventure – and pass them on to someone else."

"I see. And you want to question him?"

She smiled in his direction. "You read my mind."

"Alright. But what do you need me for?"

"Well, I'll be operating on somebody else's territory. That always carries some risk. Also, you wizards are a frightening lot, especially battlemages. One bit of fire magic from you, and I expect he'll spill his guts. He carries messages and runs errands – not exactly the toughest fellow."

"Going into the copper lanes to grab one of their own people, even just briefly," Martel considered with doubt in his voice, "that's asking for trouble."

"I wouldn't do that either. I've been watching him for a while. He spends most evenings gambling in the harbour district."

"Curious. The copper lanes have plenty of places where he can play dice or cards." Martel had been to quite a few of them. "It makes you wonder why he feels the need to go all the way to the harbour. Perhaps he doesn't want his employers to know how much he gambles."

"Or how big his debts might be." She shot him a sly look. "Debts that you might try to clear by selling information."

"Right. But the gambling houses in the harbour are controlled by the guild, if I recall. They won't let me in," Martel warned her.

"Oh, too public a place anyway. We'll corner him somewhere quiet when he's on his way home."

Meaning they would have to wait until he was done. "Great. One of those nights."

***

They found a spot outside a tavern that allowed them to keep watch of the gambling house without drawing attention, buying the occasional cup of ale from the watering hole. Ruby kept up idle conversation, presumably because two people sitting in silence would look odd; Martel gave the occasional reply and otherwise watched the street. Not to look for their prey, as he had no idea how the man looked, but simply to pass the time.

The place lay near the docks, meaning plenty of sailors walked by. Their numbers would dwindle over the next month or two, with the arrival of winter, when only ships carrying seamages would leave the harbour. But for now, Martel could enjoy watching people from all over the Empire mixing with Sindhians, and on occasion even islanders or the rare Tyrian.

"There he is." Ruby emptied her cup and set it aside, but stayed seated.

Martel followed her gaze to see a small fellow scurrying down the street. "That soon? It's barely midnight, I reckon." Perhaps that meant he might get home in bed at a reasonable hour.

"Guessing he lost his money sooner rather than later tonight. Come on, before we lose him." As the man moved down a side alley, thus unable to spot them, Ruby swiftly got up and broke into pursuit, Martel a few steps behind. "I'll get ahead of him, and you keep him from escaping the way he came," she told Martel and hurried forward.

His instructions easy enough, Martel followed the path of the gambling man. Once in the alleys between the tall buildings and insulae of the district, the lack of light made it hard for him to see his quarry; neither light from the moon nor streetlamps reached him. Fortunately, his magic told him of the heat source ahead, and Martel followed that signal at an almost leisurely pace.

Suddenly, the warm trace of another person appeared by the first; Ruby had made her move. Allowing his magical sense to rest, freeing himself from the constant strain, Martel quickly caught up to find his female acquaintance with her dagger out. "What do you reckon will hurt the most? Getting sliced or getting burned?"

"I – I don't know! Look, I don't have any money on me! See, my purse's empty!"

"She wasn't asking you," Martel said, making the cornered man flinch as his head whipped around. "As for your question, I'd say the latter." He was about to summon his flame when he noticed an odd look on Ruby's face. She was looking past him at something.

Immediately letting his magic sense flare out, Martel felt it. Several people at the end of the alley behind him. It was harder to get a feel for the other side, as both Ruby and the guy stood in front of Martel, but he would bet the result was the same. They were surrounded.