((Fraction of a line from Cradle of Filth's Death of Love here. I'd say the song fits the mood.))

Chapter 15

When the Truth is Blinding

Will grinned. 'Look how she's casting about for some shady character.'

'She's limping,' The Unknown observed drily. 'And how do you know it's the same person from here? We can't even see her face.'

'Because she's doing the same thing. Like now. Look, how she's rubbing up to that fool. Watch her left hand.'

'How stupid can someone be for that to work?' Hirad asked.

Will looked at him. 'You'd be surprised how often it does.'

The Unknown made a dismissive gesture. 'Never mind that. Let's go. So I say Hirad, Thraun, Jandyr, and I block that alley she keeps going into from the far end. Is that where her cache was?

Will shook his head. 'No. That was the other direction. Personally, I wouldn't have changed it. Predictable move.'

'Perhaps there's another reason. Maybe where she goes to now is a better place for someone to wait as backup. We can't be sure. Will, you said you want to trick her.'

'Erienne, Ilkar, and I follow. I try and get her stuff again, Erienne catches me and shouts when she's still within earshot. She's a helpful citizen, you see, protecting her from a thief.' He shrugged. 'Either way, we'll have her caught between us. If nothing else, maybe we can distract her long enough for you to get close unnoticed. If there is backup, I suggest that we knock the girl out. We need her alive, though.'

'This is going to be messy. And I don't like splitting us.'

'It's not a long alley, we'll always be within shouting range. Messy … It's got potential to go sour, but only if she does have some swordsmen with her. I don't think she'll offer much resistance if she's on her own.'

The Unknown clapped his hands together. 'No time to lose, then. Raven, let's go.'

Ilkar followed the little man through the dense crowd into its core and back out into a tumble-down area next to the square. Erienne was to his left, glancing at a horribly dirty looking eatery, but in fact keeping her eyes on Will for a sign. The other three were out of sight but just on the other side of a flat building with a roof that was missing a few bricks. The thief nodded, and following his eyes, Ilkar found their target entering the alley. They waited for a few heartbeats, then split. Will entered the passage behind her, while Erienne and Ilkar waited at its left and right sides respectively. They heard the harsh shout of the woman, more scared than angry, and Erienne darted inside. Ilkar ambled to the mouth of the alley and waited, listening. He heard Erienne offer help, and joined her to do the same.

Their plan had been to pretend to be sympathisers of that organisation. Thaler had told them that while their name was a secret, their existence was not. And to some, they were quite welcome. Of course they were, fear of mages was common. They had intended to offer delivering Will to whatever authority the woman had, with him offering enough resistance to the apparent capture to demonstrate she couldn't handle him alone.

'Gods in the ground, what happened to your face?' Erienne asked. She was bruised badly, apparently she'd received a vicious beating. 'Did she look like that before, Will?'

The little man glared at her. 'So much for our cover. No, she didn't. Was to be expected, though.'

The others closed the short distance, effectively locking the thief in with no escape. The Unknown turned her around and swallowed. 'You expected that?'

Will shrugged. 'She's not a free person and I took her things. Of course she was punished. She didn't deliver.'

'And knowing that you still took her stuff?'

'Well, obviously.'

'They could have killed her.'

Will snorted. 'Hardly. Beat her to make her more efficient, yes. But kill her and destroy what you've invested in her training … no.'

'Listen here …'

'Do we have to do this now?' Ilkar asked sharply. 'What's your name?' he asked their captive. 'Will, you talk to her.'

The little man indicated the bag he had attached to his belt. 'There, this is yours. Or rather, it isn't. Anyway, you get it back if you bring us to your leader. Otherwise we'll take the rest, too. And we'll return again until you cooperate.' He shrugged. 'Sorry, Unknown. I don't know another way to get her to help us.'

The big man nodded. 'So. You going to talk?' he asked her.

For a moment, their captive looked as if she'd refuse. Then her face settled in a worrying couldn't-care-less expression. 'I'll bring you to him.'

'Good. Don't try to run, you wouldn't get far.'

Ϡ

For Hirad, it was all too easy. The woman had been frightened up until the point they had demanded she bring them to her commander, or whatever you called a thief's boss. Since then, she was perfectly calm. 'Think she reckons whoever's above her will take care of us?' he asked Ilkar in an undertone.

The Julatsan shrugged and stared at the back of her head as though that would give him answers. 'No, Hirad,' he said eventually.

'Then why's she doing what we say?'

'Well. For starters, she probably thinks we'd kill her if she refuses. But I much rather think that she believes we'll take care of her boss.'

'Think they're forcing her to steal stuff?'

Ilkar made a face. 'No. I think they're forcing her to deliver them rather than fencing them off herself.' Hirad made a non-committal sound. 'Something wrong?'

'Don't know. Just that I'm getting the feeling I know where she's going. Direction would be about right.' Ilkar looked around, clueless. 'Regis's fence.'

'Double agent? What do you think?'

Hirad stared at Ilkar. 'You're asking me that?'

'No. I was asking one of the bricks in that wall over yonder.'

'Ah. Tell me what it said, will you?'

'It says Hirad Coldheart is being an idiot and trying to get a rise out of me.' His ears pricked, and Hirad chuckled.

'And? Am I doing a good job?'

'Increasingly better.'

Hirad smiled. 'Surprisingly enough, I have no idea. It's you or the Unknown who figure such stuff out. Not me. I just gape at you whenever you tell me these things. Remember?'

'Yeah. There was that bit.' Ilkar shrugged. 'I just think it's weird. If that's where we're going.'

'That is definitely where we're going. She's heading for that brownish house over there. This is it.'

'Odd. Well, let's see.'

The fence, to his credit, was entirely unfazed by the seven armed people following the thief. 'Now what the hell do you think this is?' he asked.

Hirad stepped forwards. 'Hello. Remember me? We'd like some more weapons.'

'I couldn't get them yet.'

'Ah. Get them how, exactly? I have a feeling all you'll have to do is ask.' He folded his arms and glared at their captive. 'This isn't the head of your organisation. This is a pawn.'

She shook her head. 'Not a pawn. Nor the head.' She stood before the fence, her head bowed. He offered a look of complete disgust.

'You understand what will happen.'

'I do.'

Ilkar frowned. 'She had no choice. Don't punish her.'

'She had the choice to refuse. I do not take you for the sort to murder her for silence.'

'We would have,' Hirad said. Ilkar would absolutely have bought his bluff. The barbarian could look outright horrible when he wanted to. 'As we'll do with you if you don't work with us. So. Who's in charge of that organisation of yours? And what do you even call it?'

'We are the defenders of innocence. We are the last stand against non-humans and the abominations that wear human skin. We are justice.'

'You're murderers is what you are!' Erienne's shout was so sudden even the fence looked shocked. 'You killed my boys! You killed Denser!' The air crackled, and the fence was hurled off his feet. His skull collided with the wall behind him with a sickening crack and then he lay still. Ilkar rushed over, ignoring the others' attempt to calm Erienne down. Will arrived by his side.

'Do I run to get Shani, or needn't I bother?'

Ilkar felt his skull. There was a large hole in it and a bloody smear on the wall. 'No need. He'll be dead within a minute.' Ilkar stood and walked back to the rest. 'Erienne … that wasn't exactly helpful.'

'I don't care! I'd do it all over again. And all the rest of them!'

Thraun stepped next her and took her left arm. 'Come with me.' She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly. 'Erienne. With me.' They watched them leave.

Ilkar looked at the corpse. 'I don't want to seem tactless here, but we should look around this place quickly and then get the hell out.'

Will gestured at their thief. 'What about her?'

'We can't kill her.'

The little man shook his head. 'No. What would he have done with you?'

'Killed me,' the woman answered. 'For treason. As they will now. Because there was someone watching. But he's gone now.' She swallowed. 'They're always watching.'

The Unknown closed his eyes for a few seconds. 'Will, where did Thraun go?'

'Inn.'

'Good. Ah. Let's search this place. I take the cellar. Jandyr, Will, upstairs. Ilkar, window, keep watch and yell if someone comes. Hirad, watch her. You … ah, what's your name?'

'Delia.'

'Delia. You're coming with us. I want answers. In exchange, you'll stay alive. Do we have an agreement?' She shrugged. 'I'll take that as a yes.' He rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'We need to figure out what we can do for Erienne. Just as food for thought. Now what are you waiting for, move.'

Ϡ

Thraun crashed through the door, pulling Erienne with him. She didn't resist, hadn't even tried since they'd left the house. A few heads turned, people staring at Erienne with her eyes red and puffy. Gently, Thraun steered the mage to what had become The Raven's regular table. On the way there, he muttered a few words to a servant, who hurried away.

'Why here?'

Thraun sighed. He licked his lips and shrugged. 'As good a place as any.'

The servant returned with Regis in tow. The vampire looked at the two Raven people, a slow frown forming on his face. 'Where are the others?'

'Coming,' Thraun answered

Regis sat, still worried. 'What happened?'

'Unfocussed spell gone bad. Though not for Erienne.'

'I shouldn't have … I didn't mean to … Even if I said … Oh, Thraun.' Her voice was quiet and quavering.

Regis nodded. 'Give me a moment, please.' He headed into the kitchen and made her a tea from passion flower and valerian. When he placed the cup before her, she took it as if in a trance. Regis held a hand above it to stop her. 'Wait. You need to let it cool.' He leaned forwards. 'Do you want me to leave you with Thraun?'

'N-no. Thank you.' Her lower lip trembled. 'I can't believe I'd … I think I'm going mad. I was so … so angry.'

'Tell me at whom?' Regis kept his voice carefully even and quiet. He suspected that at one point the mage would realise that he was almost a complete stranger and lock all of it inside of her. He needed to take advantage of her open state, and he preferred not having to influence her. It would be highly unethical.

'Your fence. He's one of them, one of that organisation. And I killed him.' She bit her lower lip. 'And it felt good.'

Thraun gave a huge sigh. 'I think you should talk to Will, Erienne.'

'No.'

The vampire licked his lips. 'I think he's right. You need to speak to someone.'

She looked at him then, pleading, her eyes overly bright and frightened, probably of herself. 'Can't you put me right? You did it before.'

Regis smiled. 'That was because there was something wrong with you then. Now you are mourning. I can't do anything against that.'

'Can't or won't?' Her voice was suddenly loud and angry.

Regis didn't back off. 'I cannot. Not without destroying every memory you have of Denser, either turning it into a perversion of what it was or by removing it. I'd probably botch either attempt, leaving you still hurting but not knowing why because I am not exactly at the height of my abilities. Sure you want that?' The mage looked at her hands and shook her head. 'I am sorry. But this is something I cannot heal.' He smiled thinly. 'I suppose that's what you hoped for, too, Thraun, isn't it?'

The shape changer merely shrugged.

'Denser would hate what I did,' Erienne said.

Thraun covered her hands with his. 'He'd understand.'

Regis touched the side of Erienne's cup. 'You can drink it now, I think. Drink it all and go to sleep. If this isn't enough to help you rest, please let me know. This I can do.' He saw her nod and stood. 'I'll leave you alone.'

Ϡ

Sirendor ran. He had tried to fight, he truly had. He'd even managed to hit the thing with his dagger.

Truly, the ghoul Varilia had brought him to, was less frightening than the previous one, the one in the catacombs. But perhaps the thing had just seemed larger in relation to the narrow hallways. It certainly stank the same way, and it was just as murderous.

Sirendor's foot caught on a headstone hidden by the growth and he went flying. He managed to roll over his shoulder. Fire hissed past him, missing him by inches. Someone swore. The ghoul got singed and panicked. It fled, its approach changing from predatory to crazed. A foot colliding with Sirendor's temple turned the darkness around him complete.