City of Ruin - Mark Charan Newton [147]
‘Do you eat the killings yourself?’ Jeryd asked Voland.
‘Oh heavens, no,’ Voland laughed. ‘I’m a strict vegetarian. To me, all meat involves killing.’
‘How many citizens have you killed in total?’ Jeryd demanded. ‘All those people who have disappeared off the city streets – are they all down to you?’
‘Quite probably,’ Voland replied coolly. ‘Although I’m sure quite a few may have gone missing for other reasons. I couldn’t really put a number on them since we’ve been operating for some time. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a couple of thousand. It’s been the devil’s own work . . .’
The doctor seemed totally detached from his activities. In his own head, the man must clearly rationalize the impossible and the immoral, to the point where he considered he was actually doing something commendable.
‘You sick, sick bastards,’ Jeryd declared. ‘You don’t regret any of this carnage, do you?’
‘Why should I regret it?’ Voland replied. ‘I’ve been keeping people alive and healthy enough to face a war. One must always look at the bigger picture, investigator.’
In all his decades of working for the Inquisition, Jeryd had never encountered such large-scale horror. Thousands dead and distributed along the food chain: Villiren had unknowingly become a city of cannibals. He might have even eaten such meat himself.
Jeryd indicated for Bellis to disconnect the intervening light-bars separating the captives. After a tentative movement, as they contemplated the removal of the barrier, the pair of them embraced for all to see in the chilling darkness of the cell.
Jeryd left the room with Bellis, too depressed to speak to her at first.
Having made sure the cell door was locked firmly, with as many security measures as possible, they made their way along the corridor heading back to Jeryd’s office. There he lit a fire before the two of them slumped into chairs in contemplative silence.
Bellis spoke first. ‘Well now, you’ve caught them, at least.’
Jeryd exhaled deeply. ‘I’m a lousy investigator, and I just have to face the fact.’
‘How d’you mean?’
‘I took far too long to put all the pieces in place. I’m inept. How could I not consider Nanzi being involved . . .’ Jeryd shook his head. ‘I’m struggling at this job, even though I try hard. I’m too old maybe. I guess reality catches up with you eventually.’
‘Nonsense, you miserable sod. The killers are caught, that’s all that matters. So what will you do with that pair of freaks?’
‘I’ll have to search their dwellings and see if there’s any further evidence. We’ve already got witnesses to Nanzi’s transformation, and their own confession, so it should be quite a straightforward case that’ll result in their execution according to Empire laws. That’s if we can manage to convince our superiors – they claimed the portreeve is in on this racket, too.’
Bellis nodded. ‘We don’t know that for certain since we only have their word for it.’
‘True,’ Jeryd murmured. ‘And thanks for helping me. It was you who did all this – brought them in so easily, and helped me get over my own fears. You’re a remarkable woman, and I realize there’s very little in this for you . . .’
‘Little in it?’ Bellis said. ‘You are silly! I do things because I choose to, helping others because I’m not thinking of myself all the time.’
‘That why you’re here in Villiren, to help others?’
‘More or less,’ Bellis admitted cryptically.
‘You’re never going to tell me, are you?’
‘Next time we have drinks, perhaps I’ll tell you then.’ Bellis gave him a distant smile.
Jeryd realized then that, if anything emerged from all of tonight’s debacle, he had at least made a friend, and that you could never be too old for that sort of thing.
‘And what’s the situation with Ramon and Abaris then? Always giving each other funny looks.’
‘Oh, those old queens,’ Bellis said lovingly, ‘they’re such wonderful cultists. Never give me a dull moment. Their actual speciality is necromancy believe it or not, but despite that there is more life and wisdom in what they do and say than I get from nearly anyone I