sword-belt. Alone of all the constables, she carried a cutlass in a plain black sheath.
âPrefect Levasto,â said Jean, âis a wise woman, and she leads wise men. They happen to enjoy money, which I am now providing as a consideration for the hardship and tedium of their duties. If anything should chance to happen to me, why, they would lose a new source of the very thing they enjoy.â
âIt would be heartbreaking,â said the prefect.
âAnd it would have consequences,â said Jean.
The prefect set one of her boots on an empty wine bottle and applied steady pressure until it shattered beneath her heel. âHeartbreaking,â she repeated with a sigh.
âIâm sure youâre all bright lads,â said Jean. âIâm sure youâve all enjoyed the prefectâs visit.â
âShouldnât like to have to repeat it,â said Levasto with a grin. She turned slowly and ambled back out the door. The sound of her squad marching away soon receded into the distance.
The Brass Coves looked down at Jean glumly. The four boys closest to the door, with their hands behind their backs, were the ones wearing livid black and green bruises from before.
âWhy the fuck are you doing this to us?â grumbled one of them.
âIâm not your enemy, boys. Believe it or not, I think youâll really come to appreciate what I can do for you. Now shut up and listen.
âFirst,â said Jean, raising his voice so everyone could hear, âIâd like to say that itâs rather sad, how long youâve been around without getting the city watch on the take. They were so
eager
for it when I made the offer. Like sad, neglected little puppies.â
Jean was wearing a long black vest over a stained white tunic. He reached up beneath his back, under the vest, with his right hand.
âBut,â he continued, âat least the fact that your first thought was to kill me shows some spirit. Letâs see those toys again. Come on, show âem off.â
Sheepishly, the boys drew out their weapons once again, and Jean inspected them with a sweep of his head. âMmmm. Gimp steel, broken bottles, little sticks, a hammerâ¦Boys, the trouble with this setup is that you think those are threats. Theyâre not. Theyâre insults.â
He started moving while the last few words were still coming out of his mouth; his left hand slid up beneath his vest beside his right. Both of his arms came out and up in a blur, and then he grunted as he let fly with both of his hatchets, overhand.
There was a pair of half-full wineskins hanging on pegs on the far wall; each one exploded in a gout of cheap Verrari red that spattered several boys nearby. Jeanâs hatchets had impaled the wineskins dead center, and stuck in the wood behind them without quivering.
âThat was a threat,â he said, cracking his knuckles. âAnd thatâs why
you
now work for
me
. Anyone else really want to dispute that at this point?â
The boys standing closest to the wineskins edged backward as Jean stepped over and wrenched his hatchets out of the wall. âDidnât think so. But donât take it amiss,â Jean continued. âIt works in your favor, too. A boss needs to protect whatâs his if heâs going to stay the boss. If anyone other than
me
tries to shove you around, let me know. Iâll pay them a visit. Thatâs my job.â
The next day, the Brass Coves grudgingly lined up to pay their taxes. The last boy in line, as he dropped his copper coins into Jeanâs hands, muttered, âYou said youâd help if someone else gave us the business. Some of the Coves got kicked around this morning by the Black Sleeves, from over on the north side.â
Jean nodded sagely and slipped his takings into his coat pocket.
The next night, after making inquiries, he sauntered into a north-side dive called the Sign of the Brimming Cup. The only
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