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Wynn stepped back, and it was perhaps the first time he'd seen her grow cold
and harsh.
"I had a place among you in this," she said. "You, Magiere, and Chap possess
strength and courage beyond anyone I have known, but you lack conscience. I
was that conscience last night. Not all beings of a kind are the same, Leesil.
And I believe it is possible not all Noble Dead are the same."
Her answer surprised him. He appreciated how she stood by her convictions,
even if she was completely naive.
"If you still want to help," he said, "go out there and keep people away from
Magiere as best you can. One wrong word and& well, you know her enough to
guess the worst."
Wynn sighed deeply, still not at all pleased, but she nodded and headed out
to the street.
Leesil didn't stop at the body on the second floor. Instead, he opened the
doors there to briefly inspect the rooms, but neither held what he looked for.
It was in the last room of the top floor that he reached his goal. He entered
and pulled aside the thick curtains and shutters to let in the daylight.
The room was decorated in peach and white, and Leesil grimaced at the decor.
He inspected the closet and confirmed his suspicions gowns of varied hues, all
of costly fabrics and frills. He wasted no time and rummaged through the
wardrobe and vanity and found what he sought. The walnut box was only slightly
ornate, and inside were trinkets, earrings, and necklaces, all seasoned with
stones and gems, some of which he couldn't identify.
He closed the box.
No one would miss it, not from a place such as this, but he thought of
Magiere and the horrifying scene they were creating in the street. He thought
of people who'd never know where their friends and family disappeared to in
the night. He thought of the council, who'd still be hiding all this from
their citizens, if not for the pyre about to be fed.
Leesil slipped the box back into the drawer with a better purpose for it in
mind.
Back at the body on the second floor, he opened the sack with the two heads
and was about to add the third when he noticed a wad of cloth caught beneath
Toret's head. He pulled it out of the sack to discover it was a satchel or
purse.
Inside was a small collection of pennies, groats, shills, and even one
sovereign, the assortment roughly equal in both silver and gold. One more
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thing for Magiere to get angryabout, and he shoved the purse into his hauberk
with the necklace.
He added the third head to his sack, and hauled the corpse down the stairs.
He left it in the foyer and dragged Toret's out first.
People watched from their windows, a few gathered upon the street at a safe
distance, but no one approached. As Leesil approached the blaze, Magiere
grabbed Toret's legs, and they tossed the headless corpse upon the pyre.
Sparksrose in the air, and Wynn recoiled. Chap merely sat near the street's
edge, watching intently. Leesil returned to the house.
When the last body was fed to the flames, people crowded together at either
end of the street. Smoke thickened in the morning air, carrying with it the
stench of burning flesh.
Chap suddenly barked and stood up.
Leesil saw Captain Chetnik in a wagon coming straight toward them through the
crowd. Vatz was seated next to the captain, and several guards sat behind. The
crackling roar of the pyre and mill of the crowds had masked the wagon's
approach.
As the wagon halted, Chetnik appeared stunned by the sight on the street. He
jumped out, imposing with his wide girth and white surcoat and mass of dark
curling hair hidden beneath the three-crested helmet. He strode purposefully
toward Magiere.
"Have you lost all reason?" he demanded.
Magiere stood with arms crossed, facing the fire.
Leesil reached into the sack and pulled out Ratboy's head. "Look in its
mouth."
Chetnik leaned away. He'd rarely spoken to Leesil, and he stopped, uncertain.
Cautiously, the captain reached out and pushed back the head's stiffened, pale
lips to reveal long, canine eyeteeth.
"We have bodies to burn," Leesil said. "It's the only way to be certain."
Chetnik's eyes flew up to Leesil's face and then to Magiere.
"You might have chosen a more discreet location. I would have helped."
"Yes," Magiere said coldly. "We should have quietly slipped away with all
proof, so no one had to acknowledge anything happened at all."
Chetnik ran a hand over his face, trying to resume his professional posture.
"Well enough. I understand."
Leesil realized then, that of all the people they'd dealt with in this city,
aside from the sages, Chetnik was one of the few who cared what happened to
its citizens, even the commoners. In time, word of this grisly scene would
spread, and people would know what had happened. No more secrets and lies from
the council. After that, well, Leesil didn't envy the captain when family and
friends of the missing came looking for him.
"Is there anything more that needs to be done?" the captain asked grudgingly.
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"We need to see the council immediately," Leesil answered. "Can you get us
in?"
Chetnik sighed. "Get in the wagon. There's a meeting this morning."
Magiere turned from the pyre without a word, and Wynn followed her at a safe
distance with Vatz. As the captain was about to join them, Leesil stopped him
to speak privately.
"On the third floor of the house is the female's room. When the rest of this
is finished, go there yourself and see what you find. Sell it all, and use the
money for those who suffered loss. It won't bring back their dead, but it
might help them get on with their lives. I doubt the council will do much,
even now that all of this is out in the open."
Chetnik appeared suspicious for a moment. Then, with a firm clench of his
square jaw, he nodded. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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