WYLAN
It's almost always Jesper that hops out of bed first when a knock comes at our door during unusual hours of the night. However, my mind is still up and running on anxiety-driven thoughts. Not only are Inej and Ashiana gone in the midst of this mess but we don't know any real details.
"Mr. Van Eck," a voice calls quietly from the other side of the door. I roll my eyes. How many times do I have to tell them to call me Wylan?
"Coming." Jesper turns over and I hear him slide out of bed as I slip into the pants I hastily discarded earlier. I open the door and blink at the bright light. As my vision focuses, I see Inej standing behind a harried-looking maid.
"Oh thank the Saints you're alright." Inej gives me a small smile. I glance at the maid and motion her away with a quick 'thank you'. I feel Jesper's presence behind me as he pushes the door farther open so he can slouch in the doorway.
"I'm glad you're not dead," he says, by way of greeting. Inej's smile grows larger but the serious line of her brow doesn't fade from her face.
"I could say the same of you. Things are..." Jesper finishes for her.
"Very bad. Yes, we heard. The Stadwatch was here a couple hours ago. Care to shed any light on the situation?" She nods.
"May I come in?" I walk back into our room and she follows me into the study that is connected to the bedroom, Jesper close on her heels. Although I led us in here so we could make use of the chairs, none of us sit.
"I'll make the summary short. I have to get back to the Slat."
"You're leaving?"
"I have to. I'm- well- here's what's happened so far. Kaz and I heard screams while we were outside in the garden during the party. When we investigated, we found a body that was... mauled. Horribly. We came back so I could change and Ashiana insisted on coming with us. We tracked whatever it was that killed the first victim and found..." she winces "two more victims although one, well, neither of them were dead when we got there. I tried to-" I can see deep pain on her face before she pulls it together and continues.
"One of them was killed by the other. It was... a mother turned on her own child. I don't know why but it was like- I don't know if she didn't recognize her or- I'm not sure. We'll talk about it more later. Kaz and Ashiana should be involved in the conversation. Kaz is... a little more impartial." I sink into a chair.
"Is that all?"
"Not even half of it. When we got to the Slat, we decided to go back out and check the city. It was- you know, by daybreak there are usually vendors setting up their wares. The city was- is- empty."
"I'm not surprised. The Stadwatch has been going around warning people to stay inside," I say as I run my hand through my hair.
"As well they should. When we got to the docks, it was mostly empty. Only a couple boats left. We figured people had already evacuated."
"So quickly?" Inej nods.
"We thought it was strange too but since the Stadwatch was so prompt in their warnings, we thought perhaps- well, I think people tried to evacuate quickly but-" She takes a deep breath.
"A group approached a boat while we were there. We watched them head out of the harbor. They were about to reach the ocean when- they were- this massive wave stopped them and destroyed their boat. The boat, the people, they were just gone. And the waters, they calmed as though nothing had happened."
"What? How is that even possible?" Jesper and I exchange a look after my question spills out.
"We think- it has to be the Council. Nothing else could have caused it." Inej looks a little panicked at her answer. It's the first time I've ever seen that look cross her face and it frightens me more than her words.
"But why? Why would the Council do that?" My words rush out as my anxiety builds.
"I think-" another steadying breath "whatever got to the woman we saw turn on her child must have gotten to the Council."
"That's impossible," Jesper says but his voice doesn't hold the conviction his words imply.
"I know what I saw and unless the Council has some reason to be killing people so they can't leave... I can't think of anything else that could cause such destruction." Jesper sits in the chair next to me, his head in his hands for a moment before he poses a question.
"What do we do now?"
"We fortify your house."
"What?" My question is hastily, harshly, pushed out as my eyes widen.
"You house has the best defense. The Slat... we can't protect ourselves there."
And you think my house is better because...?"
"You have thick walls. Gates. The Slat is just a wooden building." My mind whirls and I try not to get too overwhelmed.
"Ok. When do Kaz and Ashiana arrive?" I'm glad Jesper has taken the initiative. I don't think I could voice anything right now.
"It's not just them..."
"No. Absolutely not." I look up, unsure what they mean.
"We have to, Jes. They have nowhere else to go."
"We're not letting a bunch of thieves and gang members in this house." I look at Inej, hoping she will deny what Jesper is insinuating.
"Wylan, Jesper, please try to understand. These people- they'll die if the stay there. All of them."
"This isn't some kind of boarding house, Inej. This is our home." Jesper responds, his voice rising.
"I know but- think of it this way. The more hands we have, the better protected we'll be. They know how to fight."
"Then let them stay there and fight," Jesper argues, his voice firm. I start to shake my head. If the situation is as dire as Inej is making it out to be, I can't deny these people a place to stay.
"Jesper, are you willing to let a bunch of people die so you can keep your house a sanctuary for the few you deem acceptable? There are children there, Jes. They may have joined the gang but it was only for protection. Some of them have never fought a day in their life."
"Ok," my voice is soft but both of them turn to me.
"Wylan, we can't-" I hold up my hand to stop him.
"I can't in good conscience deny them a place to stay. It's just a house, Jes. A building is nothing compared to people's lives."
"Thank you, Wylan," Inej says quickly, cutting off any response from Jesper. "There's something else."
"Whatever it is, the answer is no," I can tell Jesper is becoming as anxious as I am. I place a hand on his arm.
"What?"
"Jesper, I hope you've been practicing. We need you to try and strengthen the doors and windows. If you can't, board them up. Don't let anyone leave. I'm bringing another Fabrikator. She isn't strong but maybe between the two of you..."
"This is insane," Jesper says quietly.
"I know it's a lot. Please know, I understand. But because I understand the depth of the issue, or at least some of it, I know what we have do if we want to have a chance to defend ourselves."
"Is that all?" I ask, trying to keep the fear out of my tone.
"For now, yes. I'm going to scout the way back. I need to find a good route that everyone will be able to handle. I'll bring them back as soon as I can. Please start working on the doors and windows. I know you just woke up but the sooner you can start, the better."
"Ok. We'll see you soon. Be safe." With a nod, she moves through the doorway into our bedroom.
"Don't open the door. Any door. I don't care what you hear, do not open any doors. Or windows. I'll lead the group back through the servant's door to the garden. I can unlock it easily so keep it locked for now." She doesn't wait for an answer and before I can consider formulating one, she's gone.
Jesper and I sit in silence for several minutes, trying to process what we've just learned. Jesper breaks it first.
"Well, it's worse than I thought," he says in a tone I can only characterize as dejected. I don't think I've ever heard that tone from him before. It's a night of unfortunate firsts from all of us.
"I don't think anyone could have imagined this kind of..." I'm at a loss for how to describe the chaos we- no, the entire city- is in.
"I guess I need to start- I need something to eat before I try to do anything."
"I need a drink." I'm not one to drink during difficult times but this is more than just distressing. It's not just a problem with a job. Even when we were facing probable death on the Ice Court job, there was at least somewhere to escape to. Now, it feels like there's nowhere to run, no truly safe place.
"I'd join you but I think I'm going to need all the focus I've got to manage the kind of Fabrikation Inej is asking for. If it's really that bad..."
"She wouldn't have told us anything that isn't true. Inej isn't one to exaggerate."
"I know. That's what worries me," he says as he stands. I follow suit as he heads for the door.
"Jes." In one motion, he turns and pulls me to him. I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling his chest rise with each breath and taking comfort in the steady rhythm.
"I'm going to do the best I can."
"I know." I understand that it's all he can offer. He isn't one to make insincere platitudes, no matter how much pacifying I may need.
"I'm about ready to start praying to Inej's Saints." While I know he's trying to lighten the mood, I'm not exactly uninterested in the idea. Inej has survived several near-death experiences. There may be something to her Saints. I file the thought away for another time. Right now, we need to focus on the issues at hand.
"I'm going to have the servants clear out the extra rooms. It sounds like we're going to need all the space we can get. After they arrive, I'll let Inej know we need bedrolls or something. We can set some people up in the living rooms if they have those." My mind is already scrolling through the necessary tasks when Jesper pulls away.
"I'll see you soon," he says as he grabs a different shirt from the dresser. I look down at my clothes for a moment and head into the closet. I'd rather not be roaming around the house in last night's clothing. The off-white button-down shirt and tan pants are well-tailored and, if we manage to make it through this mess, I'd like to wear them again.
By the time I pull on a soft grey shirt and some black pants, Jesper is gone. I pause for a moment, letting everything I've heard sink in. As the overwhelming feeling of dread starts to rise, I move toward the door. Time to do something. Standing around running through worst-case scenarios isn't going to help anyone. I head down the hallway toward the stairs.
"Marcof," I call when I reach the top. By this time, the servants are awake and bustling around, looking for jobs. Marcof appears at the bottom of the stairs before I reach it.
"Your orders, sir?"
"Make sure every door and window is locked. No one leaves." I give him a hard stare. "Absolutely no one. Under no circumstances is anyone to open a door or window. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Make sure all the servants know." He nods but I start again before he can leave.
"Open up all the guest rooms. Clear out anything that's in the way but don't worry about cleaning. Also, have any leftovers from last night re-heated." If he finds the orders odd, he doesn't show it.
"Our guests won't be used to cleanliness anyway," I mutter under my breath as he descends the servant's stairs to the kitchen.
With a sigh, I head back up the stairs. I have to tell my mother. I can't have her waking up to the chaos that is about to inhabit our house unaware of the basics of the situation. She can worry about what to say to Alys.