Firebrand

Chapter 449: Dead Ends

Dead Ends

"Who are they?" Ruby almost growled the question, aiming her blade at the man they had cornered.

"I'm sorry! They told me to go this way!" He practically bawled the reply; clearly, he had served as bait, which seemed the extent of his usefulness.

"Kill him if you want," came a cold voice from the darkness. Several people appeared, barely visible; what little could be found was reflected in the steel of their daggers. "He's served his purpose."

"Please don’t," he begged.

"Sod off," Ruby told him, turning around to have her back against Martel's. "What do we do?" she asked quietly, aimed at the wizard.

Despite the situation, Martel's head remained cool. This was a trap for Ruby; his sense of magic had not indicated any golden weapons. They did not realise he was a mage, most likely; they certainly had not come prepared for it. The question was not whether he could win the fight. This handful of thugs were no match for a battlemage, and the constraints of the area might even work in Martel's favour; they stood no chance of evading his spells.

The issue was that whatever Martel did to them, it would be an escalation. If they served a Ninth Lord, and he had to assume so, it would endanger the protection he enjoyed as a Pact-sworn. And who knew what else might happen as a result.

Of course, he could invoke that protection, and they might honour it and simply stand aside. Especially if they realised he was a mage; they ought to know they stood little chance against him. But the Pact did not protect Ruby, on the contrary; she was on enemy territory.

"We run in my direction. Get ready," Martel told her in a whisper.

From either side, they closed in. "Drop your blade, girly, and both of you, on your knees," came the menacing voice from before.

It was difficult to cast a spell behind him, using memory rather than his eyes to determine how and where, but still possible. A wall of flames roared up from the ground, separating the alley. "Go!" Martel broke into a sprint. In the eerie light of his own spell, he saw the confused expressions of the thugs standing in their way, though they quickly recovered, brandishing their weapons.

Without delay, as soon as he could cast another spell, Martel released an intense ray of fire. It struck his nearest enemy and continued to the next. Meanwhile, Ruby raced past him to attack a third. Dodging under the man's blade, she slashed him across the chest with her own. As for the fourth, he turned tails and ran as well, escaping the alley faster than anyone else.

Without slowing down, though Ruby remained faster and ahead of him, Martel continued past the other brigands, all three of them unable to keep fighting; their screams of agony still could be heard as the pair reached the nearest street and ran off.

***

Martel followed Ruby in a mad dash until she finally dove into a small nook between two houses. She leaned against the wall, catching her breath, while Martel crouched down. "Who were they?" he finally asked.

"No idea. I doubt it's Kerra's men, watching over one of their own. They wouldn't engage outside their own territory." Ruby's replies came in between gulps of air.

"They used him as bait. They knew his significance." Martel likewise gasped for breath after each sentence. "They work for whoever set us up at the construction yard."

"Yes. And they knew I was watching him."

"They wanted to catch you. Why?"

"I don't know." Her breathing finally came at a more normal pace. "He'll be dead now, I'm sure. Kerra's errand boy. He's of no further use, and too much of a risk to leave alive."

"At least it seems confirmed he was the traitor," Martel considered.

"But not who hired him."

"It might not be Kerra herself, but it could be her lieutenant. That Vernon fellow."

"Perhaps. That would explain why none of this happened in the copper lanes." Ruby peered around the corner in either direction of the street. "Looks like we made a clean escape, thanks to you."

Thanks to Martel's magic, specifically, which was also why this felt like borrowed time. He had used complex fire spells. Ordinary people might not understand the significance, but some would recognise that meant he was a battlemage. If so, it would not be hard to guess Martel's identity, given the few options. "Yeah. What happens now? You can't really continue investigating."

"No. This is a dead end. Thanks for your help, Martel. Looks like I won't need it again."

For the best, given that Martel suspected his status as Pact-sworn had just become endangered. But he accepted the trade if it meant Ruby was safe rather than what those thugs had in store for her. "Alright. We should probably split up and get out of here."

"Agreed." She gave him a look and a resigned smile.

He preferred that to the smirking kind she usually gave him, though he wished that he might once see a genuine smile from her. "Goodbye, Ruby."

"Take care, wizard."

***

Martel walked home on quick feet, eager to get back to the Lyceum. As expected, nothing good had come of his involvement with the underworld of Morcaster, just like every time before. But he had known this when he made the trade with the Friar, buying Sparrow's freedom.

At least, it was nothing like when he first encountered this part of the city; training and experience had burned away his hesitation, weakness, and cowardice. He had survived numerous fights and ambushes by now, generally for the same reason; people did not understand magic, and despite their fear of his power, they still underestimated it. Or they simply did not know how to counter it, other than putting their trust in gold.

Granted, a couple of times, Martel had needed help; he would have been in trouble against the inquisitor the other night if Ruby had not lent him a hand. That seemed the remaining weakness in his arsenal of spells; he had no good defence against someone wearing gold from top to bottom. Something to consider.

As for Ruby, Martel hoped tonight was the end of it; that things would grow quiet, and she would have no further need of him. At the same time, that seemed foolish to believe. She lived in a world of constant scheming, and in the end, she was not a player, but a pawn. If it came to it, Martel suspected that Lady Pearl would gladly sacrifice Ruby if it meant some decisive advantage in the feuds between the Nine Lords.

Trying not to feel weighed down by it, Martel prepared himself for the inevitability that Ruby would most likely need him again in the future, to protect her. And though he tried to ignore it, some small part of him was not entirely displeased at this notion.