Chapter 12
Iwasn’t sure how long I was unconscious, but it wasn’t long enough. I came awake with a splitting headache and a throbbing pain in my shoulder, then immediately rolled over and hurled mystery meat over the side of the cot I was lying on.
“I’m glad I thought to put a bucket there,” Captain Galling said dryly. My eyes watered as I heaved out my guts, so I couldn’t see him, but I had the impression he was sitting behind his desk, watching me humiliate myself in front of him. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be feeling so good.”
“Gee, thanks,” I choked out, right before my stomach heaved again.
The stench was absolutely awful, especially to my shifter nose, but I had no choice but to let this take its course.
I clutched the edge of the cot as I dry-heaved for a few moments more, then collapsed back down and wiped my mouth with the back of my shaking hand.
Footsteps sounded, and a shadow passed over me, blocking out the glaring light from the fixture set into the ceiling as Captain Galling bent over me. He had a glass bottle filled with water in his hand, which he held out to me.
“Drink.”
I struggled up into a sitting position, then took the bottle from him. My fingers were so shaky that I nearly dropped it, but my body was so desperate for water that I managed to get it to my lips after a few seconds.
“Easy now,” Captain Galling said in a gruff voice as I guzzled. “You’ll make yourself sick again if you drink too fast.”
I glared at him over the bottle, but slowed down, knowing he was right. When I had my fill, I set the bottle down on the floor, next to the reeking bucket, which I glared at.
Captain Galling sighed, then rose and stuck his head out the door of his office.
A moment later, an enforcer came in to take the bucket away.
The look on his face told me exactly how the man felt at being delegated to perform such a menial task, but he didn’t say anything, just took the offending bucket by the handle and left the room.
“Anything else you need?” Captain Galling asked, pulling up one of his visitor’s chairs and sitting down so that he was next to my cot. “Should I bring you some smelling salts?”
“It would be great if you could revive the civilian lying dead on the street behind the building,” I sniped. “Once you do that, I think we’ll be peachy.”
Captain Galling scrubbed a hand over his square face. “I regret that,” he said. “But you have to understand the enforcers were just doing their jobs.”
“Yeah, they earned five stars for their performance today,” I sneered.
“Surely they could have brought me inside before asking me to show myself, couldn’t they?
Those fuckers knew I was disguised. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure at least one of them was hoping I’d be attacked. ” And now he’s dead, too.
“Again, I apologize for that,” Captain Galling said, his voice harder now.
“And I also apologize for what happened to you in the hall earlier today, but as much as I’d like to claim otherwise, I can’t control the way my men feel.
If you want their respect, you’re going to have to earn it.
Sneaking around in disguise, wearing the face of a more popular enforcer, is hardly going to help with that.
And they’ll hold the death of the guard who was shot against you too. ”
“At this very moment, I don’t give a shit about their respect,” I snarled, digging my fingers into the lumpy cot. “I just want them to back the fuck off.”
“Noted.”
“How’s your wife?” I asked casually, leaning back in my cot as I changed the subject. “Has she been cured yet?”
“Yes, she has –” Captain Galling paused, the smile freezing on his face. “How do you know about that?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m the Chief Mage’s apprentice, remember? I know a thing or two about what goes on in the Palace. And I know you agreed to haul the Guild back into line in exchange for your wife’s health.”
“Fine.” Captain Galling growled. A vein pulsed at his temple, and his hands clenched into fists on his lap.
“I’ll make sure the enforcers know to give you a wide berth, and that they’re not to block you in any way when you come to the Guild.
But you at least have to present your enforcer bracelet.
We have to maintain some level of security here. ”
“Thank you.” I inclined my throbbing head. That was the best I could hope for, really.
“I’ll make sure that the bounties for the thugs you brought in are credited to you as soon as possible,” Captain Galling added.
“The enforcers on guard duty were planning to take the reward for themselves. Which, of course, is the reason they tried to shut you out. I’ll be docking their next bounties as punishment. ”
I wanted to be angry about that piece of information, but I was just too damned tired and heartsick at Gorden’s death, so I let it go.
“Is there any way you can get a few more enforcers into Maintown? I promised…” A lump swelled in my throat, and I forced back tears.
“I promised that I would see about sending some guys out there to police the thugs.”
Captain Galling’s dark blue eyes softened briefly. “I’ll see what I can do, but we’re stretched pretty thin now that Privacy Guard is refusing to work with us.”
His remark reminded me of the strange lack of guards outside the Palace, and I frowned. I had thought perhaps Iannis had decided to get rid of them for some reason, but I hadn’t realized they were no longer working with the Enforcers Guild either.
“What the hell is up with that?” I demanded. “Why is Privacy Guard refusing to help?”
“They’ve issued a statement that they’re suspending all activity pending the outcome of the ‘insurrection’, as they put it,” Captain Galling said tightly.
“Because of that, we now have to look after our own prisoners and guard the building as well. We could have managed if we still had our previous numbers, but since a lot of us have left, it’s slim pickings around here. ”
“I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. I didn’t envy Captain Galling’s job right now – he had too much to do, and too little manpower to do it with.
The fact that Privacy Guard was refusing to lift a finger was just another straw on an overburdened camel’s back – and just what were they up to, anyway?
Why were they standing back from the fight, when they should be taking advantage of the opportunity to make good money?
Was the owner of the company allied with the Resistance somehow?
Something else to look into, I thought, adding it to the list.
“Don’t be sorry,” Captain Galling said, rising from his seat.
“Be effective. You seem to be pretty good at nosing your way into the heart of things, Baine, so put that nose of yours to good use and find out who’s behind this.
I’m sick and tired of all this fighting, and the last thing I need to do is drop dead at the business end of a Resistance rifle after my wife’s just been healed.
” He shook his head, laughing bitterly. “That would be a cruel dose of irony, wouldn’t it? ”
I smiled sadly. “I have a feeling that a lot of that’s been going around.”
Captain Galling arranged transport back to the Palace, which was a damn good thing because I was healing way too slowly for my liking.
My shoulder had been bandaged up when I’d been unconscious, and it wasn’t bleeding, but it still ached like hell, and my headache was taking a long time to dissipate.
I needed to raid the kitchen, and then I needed a few good hours of sleep.
You could see about finding Iannis, a voice in my head suggested as I trudged up the Palace steps. He’ll want to know you’re safe, and he’d probably be happy to heal you.
The idea lifted my spirits momentarily, and a quick consultation with my serapha charm told me that he was in the West Wing, maybe even in his rooms. But then I remembered he’d been up for close to forty-eight hours, and that he’d used his magic to bring down a rainstorm and heal who knew how many injured civilians.
Iannis was powerful, but even he had limits. He probably needed a recharge by now.
The kitchen staff was gone at this time of night, the lights turned off and the ovens shut down, so I raided the pantry, loading up on dried meat, cheese, and bread.
After all, it wasn’t as if I had anything to fear since there were no Privacy Guard employees in the Palace to try and jump me anymore.
They’d done that the last time I raided the pantry, on my first night here, and nearly killed me.
Of course, I doubted they’d have the balls to do it again now that I was an official apprentice, but still.
I’d made sure to stay away from the kitchens when they were closed after that incident, until now.
I hauled my load to the little table in the corner and started scarfing it down, heedless of manners since there was no one around. I was halfway through a round of cheese when I heard footsteps on the stairwell. I paused, my senses going on high alert. Then I relaxed as I recognized the scent.
“Fenris,” I called. “Come to share a midnight snack with me?”
“Something like that,” he said, smiling as he emerged from the darkness.
I’d turned on the lights, and his yellow wolf-shifter eyes squinted for a moment as they adjusted.
As he stood there, I took a moment to study him.
Fenris looked well enough, his dark hair and beard shining from a recent shower, but there were smudges of fatigue beneath his unusually heavy-lidded eyes.
As usual, he was dressed in one of his old-fashioned tunics, this one a dark grey, but unusually, he had a short sword strapped to his waist.
“Can you even use that thing?” I asked as he approached the table.