The Nameless Assassins

Bazso's Townhouse

"I'm fine. Seriously, I can take care of myself. I'm just fine!"

Irritably, I tried to bat away Faith's and Ash's hands so I could sneak off and make my own way to Crow's Foot. If I could just reach his home, Bazso would make everything all better. He'd answer the door, take one look at me, and help me inside. Then he'd sit beside me while Sawbones patched me up, holding my hand and chatting matter-of-factly about Lampblack business to take my mind off the pain. Best of all, he would never, ever embarrass me by fussing over my injuries.

However, he might feel a lot less inclined to help if I popped up on his doorstep with a complete stranger – plus Faith. Even if his address were an open secret in Crow's Foot, that didn't mean I could just hand it out at will.

"I can get to a doctor by myself," I insisted. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"No, you really aren't. You can't even stand up on your own," Ash pointed out, kneeling on my left and slinging one of my arms over his shoulders.

"Of course she's perfectly all right," objected Faith with a saccharine smile, taking my other side. On Ash's count of three, they stood, hoisting me to my feet. A little yelp escaped my lips when they jostled my legs, and Faith practically radiated earnest belief. "She's just staggering and swaying and slipping in pools of her own blood. I've never seen her better!"

Well, no one said I needed to walk all the way to Crow's Foot. I could crawl if I had to.

Overriding my protests, the two flagged down a cab, carefully maneuvered me into it, climbed in after me, and then stared at me expectantly. With a sigh, I gave the driver the address of Bazso's townhouse.

"Crow's Foot, miss?" asked the cabbie, sounding a little alarmed.

"It's the nicer part of Crow's Foot," I snapped, in no mood to coddle him. Despite their best efforts, Ash and Faith had banged one of my legs into the bench and that hurt.

"What my dear friend means to say," explained Faith innocently, "is that there are the murderous parts of Crow's Foot, and then there are the slightly less murderous parts of Crow's Foot, and we're going to the slightly less murderous part even if we have to pass through the murderous part to get there, but regardless you don't have to worry because you probably won't be murdered!"

It might have been more convincing if she hadn't phrased it quite that way.

"Plus we'll pay extra – but only if you hurry," added Ash, which probably contributed a lot more to the cabbie's decision to whip his goat into motion.

As we rattled down the streets of Six Towers, I could swear that I felt every single pothole and every last cobblestone. Somewhere during that drive, I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, I was dangling between my crewmates on a familiar doorstep and Faith was declaiming loudly enough to wake the whole district, "Disaster and tragedy have struck! Isha has been gravely injured. I'm afraid that scars will mar her beauty forever!"

With an effort, I tilted my head upward and met Bazso's startled look. He was still wearing his shirt and trousers, so at least we hadn't rousted him out of bed. "I told them I'm fine," I sighed. "They insisted on coming."

Assessing me from head to toe with a professional air, Bazso didn't even bother to dignify that with a response. He immediately moved out of the doorway and pointed at what passed for a parlor in his bachelor pad. "Bring her in here," he directed Ash and Faith, then called over his shoulder at an urchin dozing nearby, "Bug, get Sawbones."