The Leopard by K. Johansen

Author:K. Johansen
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781616149048
Publisher: Pyr
Published: 2019-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

They had to hide twice more from patrols of street guard, but at least no further Red Masks passed them on their slow and halting progress back to the Doves. Ghu did not want to be going to the Doves, but for the moment, he could only drift, rudderless.

“Smoke,” Nour said uneasily, as they staggered their way along a narrow street overhung with buildings. Ghu blinked, waking out of a nightmare doze. Yes, smoke. Nour dragged him on a little more swiftly.

They hesitated on the edge of an empty openness, the Sunset Ward market. Not empty enough, though stalls and carts and awnings were gone. Lantern-light bobbed a pallid yellow, flung back at them by puddles and the slick, clean-swept stones. The street before the Doves was crowded, guards in red, with spears and swords, guards in grey with short staves, lanterns on poles, several flaring torches. The door of the Doves stood open, gaping dark. Behind the pierced window-shutters of the upper floor, though, firelight flickered red.

It was all strangely still. No crowd of clamouring folk, no urgent calls for water, for buckets. No onlookers at all, though the weight of them pressed, huddled fearfully behind shutters, on rooftops, behind doors just ajar. Still, but not silent. Grey tunics and red seemed to be arguing. A grey tunic with black ribbons trailing from his helmet turned away. He wore a sword, which the other greys didn’t. He said something, and a slim girl in grey took off running, crossing the square, disappearing down the broad main road towards the gate-fort.

“I forbid it, I said I forbid it, Captain Jugurthos, I’ll have you dragged before the bloody Voice herself if you interfere in this—leave it to the Revered Red Masks!” That was a red tunic, also with black ribbons on his helmet, shouting.

“And I’m not standing by to see my ward burnt down!” the grey roared. “What did you want to go starting fires for?” He said something further, not shouting quite so loudly, and waved his sword around at his guardsmen, who scattered to begin banging on doors. “Fire!” they called, men deep, women shrill. “Curfew’s lifted, fire, in the Lady’s name!”

“Anyone sets foot out of doors will be arrested for curfew-breaking!” shouted the red captain. “This is temple business!”

A child’s wail pierced the night, and it came from the Doves. “Oh gods, oh Great Gods,” Nour breathed, and took off running. Ghu, dropped and abandoned, almost fell. He caught himself on the corner of a house and took a few tentative steps after Nour, but he couldn’t hope to overtake him, or to fight his way through those clustering temple guards, waiting to arrest anyone who fled out, he had no doubt.

Nour hit them with a shout. They yelled and scattered back, taken unawares, till they saw he was only one. Then they closed in, but Ghu saw a temple guardsman go down, punched in the face, and another kicked in the belly, before Nour vanished through the dark doorway.

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