Lioness of Kell Read online

  Maud chuckled as she retraced her steps, and entered the opposite street. It ended in a blind wall, with a willow tree growing against it. She stood motionless and listened. It was quiet here. A slight wind brought the stink of the harbor to the east. Soon, her trained ears caught anxious breathing. Gotcha! She walked to a dark porch. Something moved, and she grinned.

  ‘Oh no, you don’t.’ She grasped the threatening knife-arm and pulled the pale boy from the shadows. ‘There you are.’ Damn, it’s him! The Spellwarden. She took the knife from his unresisting fingers and looked him over. No, he’s different. The same pale beauty, but more muscled. Not a rat at all. We must be of an age, too.

  When he saw she was alone, the fear went out of his eyes.

  ‘Let me go,’ he said quickly. ‘I .... I’ll make it worth your while. A whole gold giffon for you if you let me run free.’

  Maud laughed. ‘Nice try, mate. You don’t have giffons. Even if you did rob that merchant, he wouldn’t have kept gold in his house.’

  ‘Blast!’ the boy said and he smiled a quick smile. ‘You’re a pretty girl; can’t you just let me go?’

  ‘When I came to this miserable hole to find you? Not bloody likely.’

  The boy froze and opened his eyes wide. ‘You came for me? What are you saying?’

  ‘I got your description. A very great person contracted me. He needs your help and offers to pay well.’

  ‘How much?’

  ‘A hundred giffons.’

  He blinked. ‘That’s crazy. I don’t believe you.’

  Maud tightened her grip.

  ‘Ouch,’ the boy said. ‘That hurts.’

  ‘I’m a Kell. Never even think of a Kell lying.’

  ‘Sorry. But who would want to hire me? What for?’

  ‘Your face.’

  The boy acted nauseated. ‘Pandering for a faggot, are you? Ouch!’

  She relaxed her grip on his arm. Don’t blame him; you thought the same for a moment. ‘No Kell would take a job like that. The gentleman needs you to double for his son. You’re that one’s spitting image.’

  ‘Then I’m to be an assassin’s target? No thanks.’

  Maud had to laugh at the disgust in his face. ‘You are a suspicious guy, aren’t you? My client won’t have told me all, but it didn’t sound dangerous. To someone like him, a hundred giffons is nothing.’ She smiled fleetingly. ‘You have two choices. You come voluntarily and you’ll get the gold, or I will drag you to my client and you won’t get as much as a half-cent.’

  ‘Nice choice.’ The boy growled derisively. ‘I’ll take the money.’

  ‘Wise of you. Look,’ Maud patted the gun at her belt. ‘It’s loaded and I’m good with it. I want your word you’re not going to run or do anything foolish when I unhand you. If you do run, I’ll shoot you in the leg.’

  ‘I won’t run. You’re sure you are a girl?’ the boy said.

  Maud laughed. ‘I’ll willingly prove it to you, but not here and now.’ She let go of him and handed back his knife. ‘I’m Lioness Maud of the M’Brannoe.’

  ‘Jurgis, son of Isaudor, thief,’ the boy said, rubbing his arm. ‘You have hard fingers, Lioness.’

  ‘I know,’ she said. She looked around the dead end. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  ‘How did you come to Brisa? By ship?’

  ‘I’ve got a dirigible waiting at the field outside the gates.’

  Jurgis gaped at her. ‘You’re kidding. A dirigible? To fetch me?’ All of a sudden he looked uncertain. ‘Who is your client?’

  ‘I’ll tell you when we’re on board. I’d rather not have you shitting in your pants.’

  ‘Oh, that’s very reassuring. Let’s go. This town and I have seen enough of each other. Besides, the money interests me.’ He looked at Maud. ‘You follow me. I know a shorter route.’

  Maud lifted an eyebrow at his sudden show of force. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘Show the way, thief.’

  ‘Can you climb? We must go over this wall first.’

  She snorted. ‘Can an eagle fly?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know,’ Jurgis said, studying the wall. ‘On the other side is a cemetery. I go first; I’ll call you when it’s safe.’ Without waiting for Maud to protest, the young thief jumped, gripped the top of the stone wall and pulled himself up. In a swift move, he swung his legs over the wall and sat motionless for a moment.

  ‘All clear,’ he whispered.

  Maud backed away a few steps and then took a running jump. With the ease of a hunting wildcat, she came up beside Jurgis.

  ‘Hi,’ he said, with a smile that tore at her heart. ‘Well done. Let’s join the dead.’ He jumped down between two graves.

  ‘Stand or I’ll spit ya,’ a rough voice said from the shadows. The moon glinted off a long sword, pointing unwaveringly at the boy.

  Jurgis froze. ‘Damn, a crimp!’

  ‘Recruiter, pretty boy. Rejoice; you’ve just joined the Brisan Privateers.’ The man stepped forward into the light of the moon. Maud saw the rusty breastplate of a sea soldier he wore over a patched blue tunic, his gaunt, dough-colored Garthan face under a dented helm, and the sword pointing at Jurgis’ breast.

  ‘No!’ the boy cried in a convincing show of panic. ‘Don’t take me! Please! My poor mother .... She needs me! She ....’

  The crimp laughed harshly enough to frighten the dead he walked upon. ‘Then she’ll have to find a lover, little cock. Or a pander. Come here.’ He reached out for Jurgis’ arm, and the boy shrank back, trembling.

  Up on the wall, Maud lifted herself on her hands and swung both legs free. She smiled to herself and pushed off. Feet first, she crashed into the crimp, who went down and out with a clatter of metal on tombstone. Maud knelt and checked the fellow’s breathing.

  ‘Curse it,’ she whispered. ‘The guy’s dead already.’

  Jurgis looked from the spread-eagled ruffian to the girl with chagrin clear in his face. ‘Damn! I didn’t see or hear the crimp.’

  ‘What’s a crimp?’ Maud said.

  Jurgis growled deep in his throat. ‘A recruiter for the local pirates. They drag you aboard one of their clapped-out bumboats as food for enemy cannons. They’re low; even in Brisa, they’re very low.’

  What was he doing here?’ Maud asked, looking around at the tombstones and the sad trees. ‘I’d say he’d be combing the taverns for victims.’

  ‘This is a quiet spot. People like me come here to sleep,’ Jurgis said. ‘The bastard was just checking, I guess.’ He shivered. ‘Let’s go, before the night watch catches us.’

  Together, they hurried from the cemetery into the maze of dark alleys beyond it.

  ‘You’re a lioness,’ Jurgis said after a while. ‘What’s that?’

  Maud blinked at the unexpected question. ‘You don’t know? As a lioness, I’m a Queen’s adjutant. Almost, that is; I’m a trainee. Once I’m ready, I’ll command with the voice of Kell herself. What about you? You don’t look like a burglar; why are you living like one?’

  Jurgis shrugged. ‘I had no choice.’ He was silent while they crossed an intersection, turning his head from left to right, alert for danger. Only when they were in the next street did he continue. ‘I was the adopted son of Isaudor the Merchant. My father was a great man, with many connections and a seat at the Table of Brisa—that’s the city council. We lived in a large house with servants. I don’t remember much of it, just that it was very grand. Then my mother died and Isaudor seemed to lose his zest. When a competitor accused him of cheating on taxes, he didn’t have the spirit left to fight back. To keep it short, they kicked him from the Table. Then the merchants’ guild fined him for all he possessed, which left us without a penny. Isaudor died not much later. That was nine years ago and ... Alert!’

  They hid in the darkness of a deep porch as a quartet of city guards marched past.

  ‘Phew,’ the boy said when the soldiers had disappeared down a side street. ‘They know me. If they find us here, it’ll cost you days to explain what
you were doing.’

  Maud didn’t think so. She was a lioness of Kell, not a burglar. Besides, she carried her orders. ‘Go on. Your life story is fascinating.’

  ‘Yeah, sure.’ Jurgis laughed, unbelieving. ‘Well, there I was, eight years old and on the streets. An old acquaintance of Isaudor’s found me. He was a past master in the field of stealth, and he taught me a lot, Old Ghost did. Last year he died. I stayed living in his cellar and started on my plan.’ Again he paused at a street corner, but it was a thin dog that had caught his eye. ‘There was something I had to do. And when I bumped into you, I had just done it.’ His bleak eyes belied his grin. ‘You saw that gray-haired fellow in the nightshirt running after me? That was him. The man who had ruined us. I’d crept into his house and stolen his trading book. I know he, unlike Isaudor, did cheat, and a lot more villainy than that. The book betrays all.’ They had come to a tall, narrow house, and here Jurgis halted.

  ‘I need to see someone,’ he said. ‘You must stay out of it. He is a suspicious sort, and a heavily armed Kell would make him nervous. I won’t be long.’ Before Maud could react, the boy disappeared around the corner.

  Curse it! Maud thought. Do I believe him? She folded her arms and leaned against the wall of the house, all her senses on the alert.

  She didn’t have to wait long, for Jurgis reappeared within ten minutes. The satisfied smile on his face widened as he saw her.

  ‘Glad you trusted me.’

  ‘Had you betrayed me, they would’ve found your pretty head on a stake in the market square,’ Maud said harshly.

  Jurgis cocked his head. ‘You’re too beautiful to betray.’

  Maud bit her lip. Every time he looked at her like that, her body reacted. ‘Stop that,’ she said. ‘What have you been doing?’

  An expression of unholy satisfaction crossed the boy’s face. ‘I gave the trading book to this business relation. One of Isaudor’s old friends. He will make good use of it. Our false accuser will swing before the week’s end. I can leave with a clear conscience.’

  Maud looked at him. Revenge was a sentiment she understood. ‘I like that. Are we finished here?’

  ‘Yes. Let’s get out; I hate this place. By the way, you haven’t told me your client’s name yet.’

  Maud smiled. ‘I think you’re brave enough to know. The prince-warlock.’

  ‘Argyr of Winsproke?’ Jurgis looked at her in astonishment. ‘I know Isaudor did business with him in the past; he even visited the Winsproke tower several times. You say I’m supposed to look like Argyr’s son? That ....’ His voice died away, and it was in thoughtful silence they hurried on.

  The route Jurgis took passed through the meanest part of town. Its alleyways were narrow and unpaved, littered with refuse and slippery with the slime of human excrements. Crooked dwellings on both sides clutched each other like staggering drunks, and the all-pervading stench was breathtaking.

  Maud got the funny feeling of being watched. She glanced at her companion and saw that Jurgis, too, was wide awake. She opened her mouth but then a movement caught her eye. Three ragged men stepped from the shadows and barred their path. Feet shuffled behind them, and a quick glance told Maud that three more footpads closed off the way back.

  ‘You shouldn’t have come here, thief,’ the leader said. ‘This is our territory. Now you’ll die.’

  Jurgis faced him calmly. ‘We were just passing through; we’re leaving town. No need to get rough, friends.’

  The leader laughed. ‘Friends? Don’t think so. We’ll kill you, take your stuff and boil your bodies down for the soap makers. After we’ve had some sport with the black cow beside you, of course.’

  ‘You must be really ignorant to say such to a Kell.’ The amusement in Maud’s voice startled the Garthan. He opened his mouth, but before he could give an order, she had grabbed him. Without visible effort, she lifted the man above her head and threw him hard into his two mates. Then, sword in hand, she whirled around. The second threesome closed in on her, knives at the ready, but they didn’t get far. Maud’s sword swept down in a large, deceptively slow arc, and the three footpads tumbled down, spurting blood all over the place. Turning back, she saw the last two Garthans taking to their heels, panic clear on their dirty faces.

  ‘Oh no!’ In a few strides Maud caught up with them. Both men lost their heads and fell kicking in the muck.

  Behind her, the leader had risen to his feet and turned on Jurgis, his face a mixture of rage and despair. ‘At least I’ll take you with me, thief!’

  ‘No chance, friend,’ Jurgis said with a mocking grin, brandishing a knife in each hand.

  The ruffian showed his teeth and sprang.

  ‘Amateur.’ Jurgis stepped aside and kicked at the man’s knee. His attacker stumbled and with an underhand stab, the boy rammed his left-hand blade deep under the man’s ribs. The Garthan cried out and staggered. Jurgis grabbed the man’s greasy hair and dragged his head back. With his right hand, he slit the Garthan’s throat, sprang back and kicked the man to the ground. ‘You’re dead, bastard.’

  ‘Nice work,’ Maud said, gazing around with satisfaction.

  The boy recovered his first knife from the body and wiped it on the dead Garthan’s sleeve. ‘They’re nothing,’ he said, his face gray. ‘Must have been desperate for money, to attack us.’ Then he swallowed and shivered. ‘I’m not used to killing.’

  ‘Neither am I,’ the lioness said. ‘You’re my first job outside Kell.’ She blushed. ‘To be honest, it’s my superior’s job. For me it’s field training.’

  ‘Some training.’ Jurgis looked down his body. ‘Damn, the bastard leaked all over me.’ He gagged as he pulled the blood-soaked tunic over his head and threw it aside. ‘Come, we’re nearly at the gates.’

  Maud looked at his bare chest and took a deep breath. Divine Gorm! He is beautiful. She clenched her fists and with a curt move of her head, motioned for him to lead the way.

  The poor quarter ended in a narrow alley running past the back of the inns near the town gates. It was quiet, and for a moment, Maud wondered if her earlier action had chased all revelers away.

  After a few minutes, Jurgis halted.

  ‘Wait. I see my new shirt.’ Beside a tavern was a small, weedy garden, where laundered clothes hung out to dry. He went over and waited. When nobody came, he snatched a clean shirt from the line. ‘My need is greater,’ he said, as he slipped his catch over his head. ‘Besides, those tavern keepers are all crooks anyhow.’

  ‘It’s a bit too large,’ Maud said critically. ‘Bit way too large.’

  Jurgis shrugged. ‘It will do.’

  An angry cry made him start. The fat taverner’s wife had spied Jurgis stealing her clean laundry and came storming out, waving a large cleaver and screaming a series of insults as the boy spurted away. Then she snatched the other garments from the line and went back into the inn.

  Maud hurried on and found Jurgis waiting for her around the corner, smiling broadly.

  ‘No pursuers?’

  ‘Not this time,’ Maud said. ‘The poor woman would’ve had a heart attack, had she gone after you.’

  ‘Poor woman?’ Jurgis lifted an eyebrow. ‘She and her man Atark are recruiters for the slave trade, Lioness. They’re even worse scum than that crimp, drugging travelers and selling them to the local pirates, to end up on the continent.’

  ‘Atark? A belly with a beard?’

  Jurgis grinned. ‘Don’t say you know him. He has a nasty reputation and most women avoid him like the plague.’

  ‘They can rest easy,’ Maud said, and her face was grim. ‘He shan’t bother them anymore.’ She told him how she’d destroyed the big fellow’s manliness earlier that night.

  Jurgis stared at her. ‘Gods,’ he said. ‘You unmanned him? With your hand?’ He shuddered.

  At the town gates, Maud squared her shoulders, but there was another guard on duty and unhindered, they walked out of Port Brisa.

  As they crossed the field to the mooring
tower, Jurgis halted and stared. ‘Dammit, there is a dirigible.’

  Maud glanced at him. ‘I said so, didn’t I?’

  ‘Yes, but .... Keep your hands to yourself,’ he added quickly. ‘It’s just that I’m a suspicious sort. Trusting thieves die young.’

  ‘We warrioresses are the same, so I won’t blame you. Now, up with you; the veteran will want to see you.’

  ‘What veteran?’ Jurgis said, as he ran up the stairs to the platform.

  ‘Veteran Hala, my superior. She’s in charge, but she is sick; bog fever. Mind how you address her; she’s worthy of respect.’

  CHAPTER 4 - SABOTAGE

  The veteran was asleep, snoring stertorously. Her black skin had an ominous hue that frightened Maud. ‘How long has she been like this?’

  ‘She passed out when you left,’ the first officer said. ‘I didn’t know what to do, so I let her sleep.’

  ‘We must get her to Winsproke as fast as possible. Tell the captain she can sail, will you.’

  The first officer gave a small smile. ‘We’re off already.’

  ‘Oh,’ Maud said. ‘I hadn’t noticed.’ She wiped Hala’s forehead, still dripping with sweat. ‘Is there anything to drink on board?’ But the first officer had left.

  ‘I’ll ask,’ Jurgis said.

  Maud looked up; she had forgotten he was there. ‘Thanks.’

  A short while later, the young thief returned with an opened bottle of wine and a glass. ‘Engineer’s compliments,’ he said. ‘Not that he knows it; he was busy, so I didn’t bother him.’

  Maud poured half a glass and forcing the veteran’s mouth open, poured some wine inside her. Automatically, Hala swallowed.

  ‘The engineer is worried,’ Jurgis said.

  It took a few seconds for his words to penetrate. ‘Why?’ Maud emptied the last of the wine into the veteran’s mouth and put the glass down.

  The thief shrugged. ‘His engines are acting up. He wasn’t in a talkative mood, so I didn’t ask.’

  ‘Curse it all!’ Maud looked at Hala’s face, and she wanted to scream with frustration. Why now?

  Then Jurgis jumped aside as the captain rushed aft through the narrow corridor.