The Fire Waker by Ben Pastor

Author:Ben Pastor
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: 284-476 -- Fiction.
ISBN: 9780312353919
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur
Published: 2008-04-14T21:00:00+00:00

Perhaps Sido was satisfied that Aelius had followed procedure in order to be received by him, or else he was in a good mood. He freed his spacious office of the underlings who occupied the other desks with a curt "Out," then gave a pleasant nod to the visitor.

"How is the wrist, Commander? Are we on the mend?"

"Yes, thank you."

There was no chair on this side of the desk, likely because the majority of those brought here had no hope of being treated as guests. Sido came around the paper-strewn table and stood at arm's length from Aelius. He was armed, an unusual detail in a man of his rank, in a secure office, within such a well-guarded imperial residence. A blade narrower than, but as long as, an old-fashioned army sword emerged from a plain leather sheath at his belt. Its ivory handle was actually closer to a sword's grip, carved in the shape of an eagle's head and feathery neck.

Careful not to stare at the weapon, Aelius explained he had come to hear whether there was news about his attackers. "I appreciate your assurance that I would be notified. Still, what can I say, I am anxious to hear your professional evaluation." Saying the words without sounding sarcastic was something he had practiced in his bedroom several times upon awakening. Sido's suspicious gray eyes searched his face, although composing his features to serene neutrality had been Aelius's second exercise.

"It's a rough area around the inn," the policeman said, rocking on the fores and soles of his boots, relaxing enough to clasp his hands behind his back. Why not? He had no reason to fear, since Aelius had been thoroughly searched not once but twice before reaching this office. "They fish corpses out of the canal now and then, Commander. Men with assignments like yours may come to see themselves as privileged and distinct, and assume that what befalls them is also special. Believe me, despite our efforts on behalf of the good citizens of Medi-olanum, what happened at the Faunus's Fortune happens virtually every night in one or the other of the city's inns. Even if we should find a connection between the branded thief and the attack against you— well! A thief is a thief, and does what thieves do. When we climbed to look for traces in the attic, we also checked the roof above. No corpse lay there at that time. How do you explain it?"

I don't, and I think you're lying, Aelius said to himself, without elaborating. "Those who first saw the body say his neck was broken."

Sido looked behind Aelius; he made a sign to someone standing at the door, or out in the hallway—a dismissive wave that meant things were under control. "Affirmative. The fact that my men did not discover him during their search, the morning after the attack, tells me he had nothing to do with your accident. And even accepting the possibility that he ever was on the roof, clearly he slipped and killed himself by falling.

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