Firebrand

Chapter 463: A Day Off

A Day Off

Opening his eyes, Martel felt a variety of emotions and sensations. Mostly confusion at where he found himself, in a bed he did not recognise. His mouth was dry, his body aching and stiff, in part due to sleeping in his leather armour. After a moment, the events of last night returned to him, and he was struck by sorrow.

He could not even explain why it hurt him to this extent that Ruby was dead. They had not been close friends; at times, they had even been on opposite sides. But he had liked her; she was unlike anybody else he knew. He had decided to keep her safe, and he had failed. It demanded a response.

Sitting up, he felt weak in a strange way. He had no visible wounds, yet he felt injured. Being struck by magic was different than being attacked by steel; it weakened him without necessarily leaving marks. It would probably take a few days or longer before he felt at full strength again.

He located a pitcher of water on a drawer and drank greedily from it. Still feeling half-asleep, he rubbed his eyes and got up to leave the room. In the distance, he heard the noise of the tavern being open for business. Loud talks accompanied by drinking, no doubt. He wondered at the time and if the actors were performing their regular play; he needed to speak to Regnar before he left.

Theo came down the corridor against him, revealing that whatever the hour, the actors were not currently on stage. "Martel! Regnar mentioned you were here, in need of some quiet. Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Where is he? I should like a word."

"He's in the common room with the others." The storyteller looked at Martel. "Want me to fetch him? He mentioned it was best nobody knew you were here."

"I'd appreciate that."

While Theo turned around and left, Martel went back to the hedge mage's room. He did not have to wait long before the occupant of the chamber returned.

"Got some good sleep?"

"Got enough. Listen, can you ask around? Get a sense of the weather. People will figure out Lady Pearl is dead soon enough. Not sure if anybody knows I was present, but I'd like a warning if it becomes common knowledge." Someone might consider Martel a loose end if so, though he hoped his status as a ward of the Lyceum protected him. He doubted that Ruby had told others of Martel's involvement, but there was the guard who had seen him enter the tunnel. The question was whether he had recognised Martel or not.

"Of course, I'm happy to keep my ears open."

"Also, I'd like you to find out what you can about Vitus, the master of the harbour district. What's his main place of business, and what else he's got his fingers in."

"I can ask a bit, but enquiring into the affairs of a Ninth Lord is not without risk. There's only so much I do before it draws attention to me," Regnar explained.

"Alright. Just do what you can. And keep an eye out for Night Knives – I suspect they might show up in the harbour district soon."

The old man hesitated before he spoke again. "Was he behind it, then? The ambush against that bald harpy."

"He was definitely involved. Whether the only one, I can't say."

"Lots who will benefit from her death. Besides Vitus, there's three other Nine Lords who might have an opportunity to expand their territory now that the bridge district is leaderless."

"I suppose. What's your point?"

"It's not the style of the hedge mage to tell others what they can or cannot do." A wry smile appeared briefly on Regnar's face. "But be careful, whatever you decide to actually do. If you make too many enemies, I'm not sure anyone or anything can keep you safe."

Martel found it difficult to be concerned for his personal safety at this point. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

***

As Martel stepped outside, he noticed that it was already evening with a slowly darkening sky. He must have slept twelve hours or so; he guessed it to be between seventh and last bell. It was probably time to return to the Lyceum in case his absence had been noted, but he had an errand to run first. So rather than straight north, he moved northeast in a return to the bridge district.

As he approached his destination, he found the area to be as expected. Ordinary people were about, winding down the business for the day. No particular sign of the shift in power that had just taken place, except perhaps at The River Pearl. They must have guessed what the absence of Lady Pearl and her closest attendants meant. It was probably chaos over there.

Martel had no reason to go there either. Instead, he steered down another path until he reached the building that had housed the Night Knives. The door to the front yard stood open. While it might be a trap of some sort, it did not appear so. Glancing through the doorway, Martel saw nothing. His magic did not detect any living creatures either.

Still cautious, he continued and entered the house itself. Still nothing. The building had been cleaned out. The remaining mercenaries, those who had not partaken in the ill-fated mission in the Undercroft, had packed everything up and moved elsewhere. Probably set up new headquarters in the territory of their new master; whoever had paid for the ambush against Lady Pearl, whether it be Vitus or somebody else.

Martel felt disappointed. All the way over here, he had been undecided about what to do; how exactly he would punish the mercenaries. He could still burn down this building, of course, just for the sheer destruction, but it seemed a futile gesture. The tantrum of a child, achieving nothing.

Resigned to patience, Martel left the empty building and set a course towards the Lyceum.

***

Last bell had just rung when Martel reached his school. He felt terribly hungry, but the evening meal had been served. Not in the mood for company, he went straight to his room. He knew it would be difficult to fall asleep, given he only woke some hours ago; he could try to pass the time by practising enchanting or such, but he could not muster the willpower. Instead, he sat down on his bed while his memory constantly repeated the events in the Undercroft.

A knock. Unsure why anybody would seek him out at this hour, Martel rose and opened the door. Outside stood Henry, the air acolyte who worked in the school's administration and also lived on the same floor.

"Oh, you're back. Good. You weren't in class, so I was asked to check." He seemed a little nervous or apprehensive, and when Martel did not reply, he spoke again. "If you were still gone, we'd have to start looking for you." He cleared his throat. "If you need to be absent from class another time, you can always ask to be excused. In advance."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, sure. Well, unless your teacher decides to reprimand you for missing lessons. Maybe Mistress Juliana will want to see you."

It could be that Reynard seized the opportunity to cause trouble for Martel; it might also be that he did not care enough to make the effort. Either way, it meant little to Martel. "Fine." He closed the door again and bolted it.

Remembering his situation, just to be safe, Martel placed his hand over the handle and cast the rune of warning upon it. This done, he returned to his bed and settled in for a long night.