The Sword of Wisimir

Chapter 8: Coincidences (Part 2)

Urin rubbed his eyes and stood up from the table. The blonde Watchman was all business, blue eyes like ice chips and lips set in a straight line. Something serious had happened.

"How many men did Commander Tenneth bring with him?"

"Ten sir, makes fourteen of us in all," the Watchman said tapping his chest.

Urin turned back to Serice. "Stay here, I'll find out what's going on."

"I'm afraid, sir, I have orders to bring you all upstairs."

Urin frowned. "What's your name?"

"Jarno sir."

"What's going on up there Jarno?"

"There's a mob in the square sir, they've set fires outside the building," Jarno said.

Urin was astonished. "All that, because we stopped the executions?"

"No idea sir, but you need to come upstairs."

"Fine." He went back to the table and helped Serice to her feet. Her leg irons made her stumble, but she was able to walk to the door. "Can you help her up the stairs Jarno?"

"Yes sir."

Urin went past him and into the passageway. He could smell burning from here. "Sergeant, get the others, we're going back up," he shouted and headed for the stairs.

He got to the lobby and found Commander Tenneth. "My apologies for dragging you out here," he said.

Tenneth shrugged. "We're here to keep the peace, Minister, so right now I'd say it's them folk outside who should be apologising."

Urin nodded. "Very well, what's the plan?"

"When message got to my tower you needed us, we sent for others, so pretty soon they'll be breaking up the crowd out there. But, the fire's a problem. We'll leave it a little bit see if things die down. If not, then we head out through the front door, my people all around your staff and the prisoners."

"They'll move faster if your men undo the leg irons." Urin said.

"If it comes to that, we'll sort it," Tenneth replied, though it was plain he didn't like the idea. His eyes flicked over Urin's shoulder. "Aster, anyone else down there?"

The Sergeant shook his head, "Jarno's bringing up the last of 'em now."

---

"It's my fault."

Jarno stopped in the passageway, the woman leaning heavily on his shoulder. "What did you say?" he asked her.

"The fire, the riot, they'd taken me to the chopping block. The Minister spared me and that's what caused all this," the woman said.

"People like a killing," Jarno said. "But they don't mob like this just because they don't get their day's blood."

"They do when people tell 'em to," she replied, her hands gripping his arm like claws.

"What d'you mean?"

"Just that, powerful folk want me dead for what I seen."

He held her close. She smelled faintly of piss and shit, but he ignored that. In front of them, the others were heading up the steps. "What is it you know?" he whispered.

"I was in a cell, next to Master Brenner when the Magister visited an' killed him" she whispered back.

Brenner? Jarno tried to recall the name and failed. "You'll have to tell me—"