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By Root 1047 0

if you want to know what the real world is like then … Well, it’s all nice and fancy up there, but you can be blinded by all those sparkling trinkets no doubt.” Again there was silence, and Randur was surprised by its intensity. Denlin continued. “Anyway, trade used to come in from the docks—so you’d get the odd exotic treasure from Randur’s island, and from your Blortath, Tineag’l, Y’iren. Most things pass through Villiren, to be honest. There’s still the odd religious trinket from Southfjords and Jorsalir priests come pushing some text. There’s a lot that rely only on their faith in those two gods to get ’em through the night. Then there’s the gangs, humans fighting against young rumels for no reason other than the right to trade something exclusively. Some nights the banshees don’t stop keening. Other nights you hear nothing at all, and have to wonder if that’s worse.”

Eir was focusing intently on every word.

“But it’s not all bad! Here am I painting you such a nasty picture of your fair city. No, you get the nice things, too. For instance, there’s a much better spirit of community this side. You get a lot of communal dances on street corners. Drums beat, fires are lit, and then people make pretty shadows, laughing over a bit of drink and food. There’s not much else to do, you see.”

Randur glanced at him suddenly. “When does that happen next?”

“They pretty much occur when people make them happen. I’ll let you know about the next one, soon as I hear word of it.”

“Yeah, us two can come back and join in,” Randur said. “They’ve got a fancy dance up in Balmacara soon, you see. We could do with getting some practice among others.”

“Oh, it won’t be as grand as your fancy ones up there,” Denlin grinned. “No polished floors or big feasts. No fancy music.”

“Never mind,” Randur said, thinking this sounded better all the time. “I’m sure the Lady Eir would like to see how dance should be performed properly.”

Glancing up to Randur, she smiled her reply. Then she faced Denlin once again. “Thank you for your insight.”

“Pleasure, miss,” he said.

She reached beneath her cloak, brought out a gold Sota, placed it on the table.

“My lady …” Denlin muttered.

Randur had never seen the old man so short of words.

“…I can’t accept such generosity. I …”

Eir said firmly, “For the girls.”

CHAPTER 27

ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE ICY MORNINGS ON WHICH NO ONE WISE REALLY wanted to venture outside. But Investigator Rumex Jeryd wasn’t one of those intending to stay sensibly in the warm. For once he would have given a lot to go out, rather than be slumped here at his desk. It might have been warm, but paperwork was dull. And unfortunately the arch-inquisitor was visiting later in the afternoon to follow up the Council murders, and Jeryd hadn’t progressed a great deal on the case. Not only that, but there was need for an investigation into a surge of organized crime against the refugees camped outside the city gates. Groups of men, and some women, stalked the evenings, launching weapons from the higher walls of the city to rain murder on those they feared would threaten their survival. Apparently some of those were beaten up by the supposed anarchist group from Caveside. All official attempts at dissuasion were ignored, because it was the nature of mankind that these antirefugee groups wouldn’t be persuaded by logic alone.

Jeryd was expecting a visit this morning from Investigator Fulcrom, a relatively young, well-groomed, brown-skinned rumel who, Jeryd suspected over the years, was a homosexual. He could never admit it, but Jeryd thought he could hear it in the gaps of his sentences. Jeryd considered him a damn good member of the Inquisition. Fulcrom had solved the North Caveside Rapist case. He had discovered who organized a raid on the Treasury. He had stopped a vicious child molester as he was about to strike again.

Fulcrom and Jeryd had now been chosen to address the refugee crisis in more detail, but because of his existing workload Jeryd had passed on the bulk of the actual planning to Fulcrom.

Besides, Jeryd wanted to have more