Coin's Messages

Finding the Rats

I slid off the wet roof and crashed into the low roof garden of the abandoned building, pain flaring through my ankles and wrists. Cursing under my breath, I checked my pocket  – the messaging bottle was unbroken. Luckily. My heart pounded as I looked around the soggy dead plants. Rain poured mercilessly from the dark sky.
   I hoped, desperately, that I had found the Rat-speakers' lair this time. It wasn't like I was good at navigating London Below anyway, and the bloody rain didn't make jumping along the rooftops any easier. I vowed to myself that this was the last time I'd deliver a message from the roof dwellers.
   Around a corner I found an empty doorway, and soon a staircase leading down. Trying to balance carefulness and haste, I skidded down the damaged stairs. My wet steps rang out loud in the still and dead building.
   Another set of footsteps joined mine. I spun around, hoping to see a rat-speaker. Instead I stared into eyes as dark as night. The Gargoyle hovered over me, its grin showing each of its sharp teeth. A shriek tore through my throat. I ran as fast as my feet could take me, down the corridor, around the corner, faster, faster. My wet shoes slid on the smooth ground. I couldn't hear the creature over the drumming of my heart. Then, I glimpsed salvation: a smashed window. Pale daylight. Rain. Ignoring the screaming in my head, I bounded over the window ledge, clutching onto it as hard as I could. Below me, there was only air. I tried to keep still, even as my breath went hard and the glass shards cut into my skin. Rain ran down my face. I waited – the rain was loud. Where was the Gargoyle? Had it already passed? I didn't dare to hope.
   The Gargoyle's grin appeared above me and fear flooded my body. Could I survive a fall?  I let go and fell. Air rushed around me, suffocating me. Before I could think, I hit the ground.
   The crash took all air out of my body. I couldn't move. The sky above me was blinding and my whole body ached. Then, the building came into focus. Two stories overhead, I spotted the broken window. It was empty. The Gargoyle was nowhere to be seen.
   Sense overtook me, and I painfully pushed myself off the ground. I needed to get to the Rats before the Gargoyle found me. As fast as I could, I limped towards the nearest door of the building.
   To my surprise, it opened for me. A dark figure pulled me inside and pinned me against the shut door. Pain seared through my chest.
   "Who are you? To whose fiefdom do you belong? What do you want here?" he demanded. In the dim light I could make out matted hair and a bulky coat.
   "I'm Coin," I choked out. "I'm one of the Theydon Boys. I bring a message for..." Damnit, what was the rat called? Lord Pinktail? Blackhair? I cursed my bad memory. I didn't know if he'd believe me. "Anyways, it's from Narvarrak. You know, from the roof dwellers, their leader. And it's for a rat called– Something with tail. And he had a title. I don't think it was Lord, though."
   "Master Longtail?" he asked, warily.
   I quickly nodded. "Exactly."
   "Show me the message."
   "But it's for Master Longtail!" I protested. The ratman pressed me against the wall harder, making pain erupt from my bruises, and I quickly fumbled for the bottle in my pocket. "Here."
   He took it with his other hand and examined the small glass bottle and the crunched newspaper inside it. The sigil of Narvarrak was scrawled on the green glass with red paint.
   After a few seconds, he let go of my collar and wiped his hand on his coat. Then he handed the message back, and his gaze slid over me with a suspicious frown. "You look pretty banged up for someone of the best messengers this part of town."
   I looked down at myself. My clothes were torn and drenched, and blood ran from the cuts in my palms. "I'm new on the job," I said, and ignored the voices telling me I was an embarrasment and a failure.
   The rat-man shrugged. "Follow me."
   He walked through a series of dark corridors and descending stairs. I had to jog to keep step with him. The air was cold, I was wet, and I envied his dry, patchy fur coat. As we walked, I wondered what he'd say if I told him where I really was from, before I joined the Theydon's. He probably wouldn't be offended – after all, the Raven's Court and the rats had a content relationship of ignoring each other if possible. He'd probably ask if I was mad, giving up my life there.
   The smell of smoke distracted me from my thoughts and I looked up.
   Warm light of fire flickered through a door and the ratman steered towards it.
   A big, vaulted hall opened up around me. It was filled with the Rat-speakers, fur-clad figures huddling around campfires. I smelt cooked meat and smoke and the murmur of a hundred hushed voices filled the hall.
   "This way," the ratman said, and lead me through the crowd towards a tighter gathering of people. As we got closer, I could glimpse a decorated crate standing next to a big fire barrel. It was a throne. The ratman pushed me forward and left me standing directly in front of a big, black rat.
   "A message for you from Narvarrak of the Roofs, Master Longtail," I said, bowing low and offering the small bottle. "It is an honour to meet you."