As Samwell’s body fell to the floor, SJ sat on the stall floor, staring at the bodies that now littered the stable. The speed and efficiency of Carlito in dispatching so many thugs were eye-catching.
“Thank you,” SJ said, half shocked, half numb from her situation.
“Here, let me help you up,” Carlito said as he helped SJ stand. “They are a tricky bunch. This device would have indeed caused you serious harm if you had tried to shrink.”
SJ heard a scrapping sound and then felt the pressure release from her wrists. The manacle-style gloves were dropped to the cobbled stall floor with a clatter. She flexed and rubbed her wrists, not realising how stiff they had become from the contraption.
“I can’t believe they caught me,” SJ said.
Carlito smiled. “They are a well-organised gang, or were at least. Looking at those who are now littering the stables, it will take them time to recover if they ever do. Several of these are key members of the Sanction.”
“So Samwell was one of the brothers you spoke of?”
“Yes. Samwell was the Sanction leader. His brother is Mascol, the head of the Handlers. The dead elf Ulyian ran the gang’s affairs in the west of District 10. That man over there looked after their money laundering affairs, and the big brute is one of their enforcers. I am just glad that Francis wasn’t here. The fight may not have been as straightforward.” The fact that Carlito was talking about a fight versus eight beings as being ‘straightforward,’ was unbelievable.
“You killed them so efficiently.”
“Not as efficiently as I should have,” Carlito said, looking at the wound he had received on his arm. “That was a stupid mistake. I think I let my emotions get in the way,” he frowned.
SJ had not seen one emotion cross Carlito’s face during the fight. He had looked perfectly calm and calculating.
“What should we do about the bodies?”
“Loot them. Take what we can from here and then leave. Are there any more that you are aware of who knew you were here?”
SJ looked at the beings. “I can’t see Merv. He was an orc that Ulyian tricked me with as his leader in District 10.”
“Do you remember the location?”
“Yes. I know where it is.”
“Once we clean up here, we will need to go and deal with them. You don’t want to leave loose ends about those who knew you were here. It wouldn’t take them much to trace your steps and find out who you are and where you are.”
“I think they already had. They knew that I had killed Olivia. I had a minor scuffle with Ulyian when I first met him, and I used him as a way into the gambling den where Olivia worked. He had even been to my home. He was the one who had reported that the wounds that Olivia died from matched the claws I had used on him.”
“Your claws will leave a rather telling mark,” Carlito nodded. “That’s not a bad thing, as it can be a sign of your dealings, which can bring renown in time.”
“I’m not sure I want to be renowned for my actions.”
“Before we do anything, I need to understand what happened to me. I have never felt pain like that before which inflicted me.”
This was the one question that SJ had been dreading to answer, even though she knew it would have to come. Her cheeks heated as she tried to think of a manner in which she could explain the sudden appearance of her dot on his map. She didn’t even know how Dave had done it, and Dave had been surprisingly quiet since Carlito had arrived.
‘Dave. Any thoughts on how I can explain this one?’
Silence.
‘Dave. Please? I have no idea what to say.’
Silence.
SJ took a deep, steadying breath, her mind whirling through things she could say.
“I... I,” SJ stopped again and took another deep, calming breath. “I’m not sure how to explain what exactly it was or how it happened,” her nerves were fraught enough as it was with what had happened already.
Carlito didn’t respond and just looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
SJ’s cheeks felt even hotter under his gaze.
‘DAVE,’ she screamed in her mind.
Silence.
Panic was rising in her chest; how could she explain what had happened? Dave said he had broken every rule that the system had over AI interaction with Amathereans. He had, by all accounts, performed a cardinal sin and now wasn’t communicating. Had the system stepped in and done something to him? Was he ok? SJ had no idea. She hadn’t felt so alone before since she arrived in Amathera. She always knew that Dave was there and that she could rely on him.
“All I can do is tell you what I know, which isn’t a great deal,” SJ said, only briefly meeting Carlito’s gaze before diverting her eyes away.
“Go on,” Carlito said.
“When you gave me the earpiece, I was able to use it to show me your location on my map.”
“Ah. That at least explains your strange reaction at the tower.”
SJ had forgotten about her looking for Carlito and moving to where she was directly under, where she had believed he had been flying.
“So you were watching me?”
Carlito smiled.
“And you were in dragon form,” SJ said.
“I was, but I was astonished to see you look upwards. I was sure I was too high to be seen by the naked eye.”
“It is part of Bob’s perks. My senses are heightened.”
“Ah. That explains that, then, but it still doesn’t explain how you could see me on your map?”
SJ had earnestly hoped the distraction of mentioning his dragon form would have changed the conversation direction, but unfortunately, it hadn’t.
“The device. I don’t know how I did it. It just started to work. Showing me your location.”
Carlito’s eyebrow raised again. “You are not a very good liar. If you don’t want to tell me now, that is fine, but realise that you will need to explain to me in time how you did it. We all have our secrets we keep,” he shrugged. “We better start cleaning up and get over to District 10.”
SJ felt ridiculous and ashamed. She had been captured and couldn’t explain what had happened to Carlito to allow him to find her. She felt like a fraud. SJ didn’t respond as Carlito turned and began to move around the bodies, bending and looting them.
“Nice,” he said, calling a ring to his hand before it disappeared again.
SJ was standing watching him.
“Come on. Get to it. We still have the building to search. It looks like this is one of their hideouts. We may likely find some interesting details inside.”
There was a hollowness in SJ as she moved, following Carlito as he completed the macabre task of looting the dead before stepping into the now-darkened yard and dragging the other henchman he had subdued inside, casting his body like a rag doll. His strength must be insane.
Now that SJ could see they were at the back of a two-storey building. The stables stretched along one side of the rear yard, and surrounding buildings towered above, providing seclusion. There were lights inside the building, but SJ could not hear any sound inside as they approached.
Carlito didn’t even pause as he opened the rear door and casually walked inside. He showed no fear.
“You check upstairs. I will search down here,” Carlito said. “And be ready for anything; there may still be others inside.”
SJ nodded, not verbalising her response, afraid of what she may say or how it might sound. A set of stairs was situated at the front of the building leading to the first floor, and SJ made her way towards them, automatically equipping her claws as she did. Her hands shook; she wasn’t sure if they had been shaking before or not, and as she took the first couple of steps, she stopped. The realisation and reality of the situation were only hitting her now that it was over. She had potentially been moments from death. Not that it would kill her, with the reincarnation ability, but the thought of death was still something she didn’t wish to experience. She had no recollection of her death on Earth, but for some reason, she had a feeling she would remember if it happened on Amathera.
She calmed herself and continued upwards. The landing area opened out into three rooms. One was on the left, and two were on the right side. One door to the right was open, its interior dark and foreboding now that dusk had set in. She hadn’t really noted the time previously, but now, considering entering a dark room in an unknown building alone made her reconsider. That was the problem: she was ‘alone’.
Dave wasn’t there. She kept trying to call him, but there was no response. She had screamed in her mind, and only silence had met her. SJ ignored the open door and moved to the one furthest away on the left, stopping and listening before trying the handle. The door was locked, and she hadn’t looted anyone, so she had no keys. She would ask Carlito when she went downstairs again, not wanting to shout in case others were inside still. The second door on the right was closed, and she headed towards it, unconsciously staying away from the open door. Again, she tried the handle, and this time, it turned. The hinges squeaked as she opened it, making her heart pound in her chest.
Her fear was unnecessary as the interior could be seen, a lantern hanging from a hook in the centre of the room. It was a bedroom. Two pairs of bunk beds and clothes scattered over the ends of the beds. At the end of each bed was a small locker, and she quickly moved into the room and checked them. There was nothing of value, or at least that she could see. She was about to leave the room when she reached for and lifted the lantern down.
The darkened room door was open, and SJ lifted the lantern, allowing its light to shine inside. It was similar to the previous, with two pairs of bunk beds and a few lockers. Again, she searched to no avail.
‘Why am I carrying a lantern?’ she questioned herself. Her vision adapted to the dark, and there was enough natural light for her to easily see in the room. It was purely a fearful reaction that had made her bring it. Placing the lantern on the table in the room, she turned and left before heading back downstairs.
She found Carlito in an office. He was bent over a desk, sifting through piles of parchment; he looked up on hearing SJ.
“There are some interesting reads here,” Carlito said, offering SJ a parchment to read. SJ entered, took the parchment, and read its contents. It was a list of names and payments made to them.
“Accounts?” SJ asked.
“Note the names,” Carlito said.
SJ reread the list and noticed the details. Most of the names had a rank next to them.
“Are these guards?”
“It looks like it,” Carlito smiled.
“So they are paying the guards off. It was thought they may have been doing so. You are right; this list is valuable. Are there any more, and do you mind if I take them?”
“Feel free. I don’t need the details, but I bet your tower friends will find them useful.”
SJ half-smiled. It was the first good thing that had happened since she was captured, apart from Carlito saving her, but it was at least some evidence of corruption.
“There isn’t anything about guilds or merchants, are there?”
“Not that I have seen. There are several books, though, which I haven’t checked yet.”
“There was a room upstairs locked. Did you find any keys?”
Carlito stopped and called a bunch to his hand. “Here.”
“No you check it. I will take over here if you wish. Books are my thing.”
Carlito smirked and moved past SJ. She moved behind the desk and began searching through the documents. She couldn’t tell what everything was related to as it appeared that some of it was written in a manner that obscured details. The books looked like ledgers, and she picked them up and added them to her inventory; she would read them later. She also collected the other parchments. Opening the desk drawer, she looked inside. More blank parchment filled it, but nothing of interest. A set of shelves was in the corner, and she walked over to check their contents. The statues and other items looked like cheap tat, and she ignored them.
Carlito came back down the stairs smiling.
“What did you find?”
“More deeds,” he smiled. “There is nothing of major value here. The deeds look like they are for various buildings across District 10. It looks like they may relate to the safe houses they use.”
“Now, that could be of interest,” SJ said.
“I agree. Okay, there isn’t anything else I can see that is worthwhile. The other rooms down here have nothing of value. I doubt that Samwell would have kept anything valuable here anyway if the gang itself used it. I would love to find out where he had been living or where his stash is. It has to be hidden somewhere.”
“The office I visited in District 10 was better equipped and laid out than this one,” SJ said.
“Right then. We better head over there,” Carlito said.
“I will lead the way,” SJ said.
They left through the rear yard, closing the gate and turning towards District 10. After a few minutes, SJ spoke.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“What else could I do? I wouldn’t be a very good guardian if, the day after I took the role, you were killed,” Carlito chuckled.
“I know, but I never meant to get you involved in my business.”
“Your business is my business. Our bond is just that.”
SJ still hadn’t got her head around the whole situation instigated by Bob and obviously with Nexis involvement somewhere along the way.
“It’s down there. The fifth house on the right,” SJ said as they neared the corner of the road. They had travelled the streets openly, only a cloak hiding Carlito’s appearance and her own. Carlito could obviously change his appearance at will, and as SJ watched, his features altered.
“Okay. Let me take it from here,” Carlito said, turning to look at SJ with the face of Ulyian. Even his armour had vanished, and the same clothes Ulyian had been wearing now adorned his new frame.
SJ had rubbed her eyes, staring at the now lopsided smile Ulyian had when he was alive.
“I don’t think I will ever get used to that,” SJ said. “And I am coming with you. I want retribution for what they did to me.” At that comment, SJ shrunk, equipping her claws, and flew towards the roof of the nearest building.
Carlito chuckled as he watched her.
“Like father, like daughter,” he said as she flew away.
SJ almost hit the roof overhang, hearing his words. Stopping, she turned around and stared down at him. Carlito laughed, shrugging his shoulders. “It just seemed apt,” he said, turning and entering the street.
SJ was frozen for a moment, taken aback by his comment. Their only similarity was their profession, after all. She had never once heard her dad say the comment back on Earth.
Carlito walked across the street towards the front door. SJ flew until she was opposite on the other side, hovering and watching. She watched as Carlito knocked on the door. Moments after it opened and after a few words that SJ couldn’t hear, he walked inside, a cart clattering down the street drowning out the sound.
SJ flew straight over the house to the rear, and she knew that was where the office was. The rear housed a small garden that wasn’t maintained, and she flew down into the tall grass. The office at the back was lit. Lantern light spilt out into the dusk of the evening, creating shadows that bounced with the lantern’s flickering flame.
Inside, SJ could see Merv and two other beings. A second orc and the head of another whose back was to her with a cloak covering their features. Merv looked upset and was walking up and down the study impatiently. She couldn’t hear the conversation.
Merv stopped as the study door opened, and Ulyian’s doppelgänger walked in. SJ saw Merv speak, and Carlito answered. Merv frowned before following Carlito back out of the room, and the study door closed again. SJ stayed watching for what felt like an age. The remaining orc and other being seemed to be conversing. She wished she could hear what they were saying.
That was when there was the sound of shattering glass, and the body of Merv came hurtling from an upstairs window. SJ looked in shock as she noticed Ulyian’s face briefly appear, looking at where he had just defenestrated Merv.
Both the heads of the beings in the study had looked towards the ceiling at the sound, and they turned to look into the garden where Merv’s body now lay, not fifteen feet from where SJ hid. That was when recognition hit SJ. The being which wore the hood had turned, and his face was now perfectly clear, caught in the candlelight. His yellow scales glinting, looking golden in the light.
‘Francis,’ SJ thought. The only being she had ever heard Carlito say even he would be wary of.
