Secrets of the Swords, Book 1

Chapter 26: Out-Surprising the Other

It came down to two options, Ulsper decided, as the sun sank lower on the horizon. As he darted down a narrow alleyway, he kept his ears pricked for sound of pursuit behind him. Sure enough, he could hear a faint splash-splash of footsteps behind him, unusual now that the rain had forced most pedestrians to retreat inside. Though Ulsper was certain Kalasha hadn't seen his face, he knew she had a keen eye for things that were out of place, and he was sure that his cloaked figure had raised some suspicion in her mind, enough for her to follow.

He knew what she was doing—it was one of the first basic elements of pursuit everyone in the Imperial Guard was taught. Rather than chase him down, she would follow him at this steady pace, wearing him down until he either slipped up in his fatigue and gave himself away, or let his nerves get the best of him and try to run. In the latter case, she would most likely shoot him with some sort of stunning pistol from a Forgeborough guild she doubtlessly had already prepared beneath her cloak.

Again, Ulsper thought over his two choices: either he could give up now and confront Kalasha head on, or continue at this steady pace until night completely fell and curfew begin. Then things would get a bit trickier with the clockwork soldiers on guard.

Ulsper cast a quick glance at the horizon after ducking under a clothesline. It was difficult to tell with the rain, but it didn't look as though the sun would be up for much longer. Already, the blue stones that charged the soldiers seemed to glow brighter with every clockwork box he passed.

He'd seen what the soldiers were capable of, back when he'd been sent by the Imperial Guard to mediate the fighting between the New Patriots and old Loyalists at the beginning of the Rebel King's reign. The clockwork soldiers weren't a general Forgeborough guild's tinkering creation. These were machines perfected over years of craftsmanship and design, made all the more powerful by the mysterious blue stones taken from the heart of Andilir's abundant mountains. They were quick, intelligent, and impartial, made to follow the will of whoever bore the Andilirish crown. And they were certainly able to identify anyone currently or previously on a wanted poster, like himself.

Ulsper chanced a glance backwards as he rounded the corner of a building. He might have better luck with Kalasha, after all. He just needed the right opportunity.

Time passed in a slow trickle, as Ulsper continued to wander seemingly nonchalantly and aimlessly through the city. The meeting with Seolosu and Saer Lon had been at the outskirts of the city, but he was now reaching the city center, usually just as dirty but more from all the people living on top of one another than from any cows and soil-streaked farming carts.  Now with the rain, however, the grime and grease had been somewhat washed away, and the muddy paths of the outer neighborhoods had changed to slick stones beneath his feet.

Ulsper paused, pretending to admire a shopkeeper's wares. A glance from under his hood told him that Kalasha had given up discretion in favor of confronting him directly. Rather than hold back and wait for him to make his next move, she was still striding towards him.

She wanted confrontation then, did she?

Ulsper set off again, this time at a slightly faster pace. Doubtlessly, Kalasha had studied up on his strategies—knew he preferred high vantage points, was skilled at blending in with crowds, and preferred knives over fancier Forgeborough-made weapons. But he was also skilled at adapting to challenging situations, and that was more difficult to specify what all that entailed in the Imperial logbooks.

An older woman gave a small yelp of surprise as Ulsper nearly bumped into her around a sharp corner. Wordlessly, Ulsper continued down the new street, scanning the shop doorways and parked carts for any potential obstacles or new threats. If he ran into any of Kalasha's lieutenants now, he'd be in trouble for sure.