The Thief Who Went to War by Michael McClung

Author:Michael McClung
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: sword and sorcery, gods and demons, magic, noir fantasy
Publisher: Michael McClung
Published: 2019-08-09T16:00:00+00:00

THE THING ABOUT LUCERNIS’S docks was they were full of exactly the kinds of folks who made coin doing the kinds of things most would disapprove of.

From smugglers to crews whose specialty was lightening loads, to the kinds of folk who watched comings and goings and sold what they saw to interested parties, to working girls and boys in dockside taverns that watered the wine and ale, to the patrons who made a living in them cheating at cards and dice, the docks were just eaten up with all sorts of shenanigans. Normally I’d’ve felt right at home, but considering my situation, all I felt was exposed and tired.

“You’re all right waiting?” I asked the greybeard as he tied up at Chalmers Quay, on the Ose side of the dockyards.

“Aye. Nobody’s waiting up on me.”

“Could be a while.”

“Could be you’ll have to wake me up, then, when you return.”

“Fair. Watch out for bears while I’m gone.”

That got a half-hearted grin, which was probably more than it deserved. “I live among these southroners so’s I don’t have to,” he replied.

I wouldn’t be boarding any ship. Even if I did, it would never make it out of the bay with me on it. Visini wasn’t going to let me just sail away, and I didn’t want to in any case. Well, I did. What sane person wants to be hunted across a city by competent, violent bastards, driven on by a godling? But I wanted to destroy this fucking Blade more than I wanted to piss off. A lot more. So I had to make it look good.

I didn’t know which of my pursuers would be the ones next to show their faces. It was almost even money between Mister Hope’s employers, the gentlemen and the watch – but considering it was the docks, I gave Lucernis’s underworld the edge. Which was something of a pity. They’d be wise to a lot of dodges I might try, and they’d know the territory even better than the watch.

Outside the Old Sailor’s Home was a big-ass slate that listed the tides, and every ship in port. Most of them had their next destination listed as well, and the day they were due to sail. Once they weighed anchor, they were wiped from the slate. The salty old farts kept it as a public service. It gave them something useful to do, and in turn the community pitched enough coppers their way to keep them in food and grog.

It would have been a terrible idea back in the day when pirates sailed openly in the bay, but Morno had made a very public, very messy end to them the first year of his governorship.

Commerce is a deadly foe.

Anyway, I checked out the slate. Seven ships were slated to sail that day, and high tide was in about three hours. Any ship that didn’t want to be towed out of the bay by galleys before then, which would be all of them, would sail as the tide went out.

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