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Authors: Mark Charan Newton
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pointed out what looked like a torso emerging from the refuse. Lowering myself to get a better look, I noted that it was missing both its arms and its head.
‘What happened to the other arm?’ Leana asked. ‘Only one arm in two pieces has been found.’
‘It might be here, somewhere.’ I gestured to the detritus surrounding the torso.
What little clothing remained was sodden, smeared with grime. In this light and without a head it was difficult to tell who it might have been. The body’s boots had been removed, too, though that could have been done by anyone. Anything that could be learned from this corpse was going to be highly dubious due to the nature of the scavenging culture here.
‘If you think I am carrying this thing back, you can think again,’ Leana said. ‘Give your friend here another coin to do the hard work.’
‘That might not be a bad idea,’ I replied.
I didn’t want to ruin the body as so much had been lost already through natural decay. So we wrapped the body up carefully, in several layers of hessian, which we’d bought from a woman who made her living scavenging the site. We never did find the other arm.
Our scavenger friend didn’t seem to mind helping to drag back the remains of the bishop. In fact, the chore appeared to relax him somewhat, and he began to sing a surprisingly tuneful melody.
When I asked him how he had found out about the corpse in the first place, he replied only: ‘People say his body here.’
‘Which people?’
‘Everyone. Tavern talk. They say someone left the body here, yes, so I follow, I follow. Always follow the talk. Some other find it first, but I fight, fight good. Got myself good offering for the shrine, yes. The best kind. A bishop himself!’
‘There were people who got to the body before you?’
‘Yes, but who wants a body? Some too scared to touch it, but I know I make a fine job of my shrine.’
‘Was his head attached to the body when you found it?’
‘No. Already separated. Clean cut. Relieved ’bout it. Heads very hard to remove. Very hard. Had to search nearby – nearly made its way into the river!’
The man, still half-clothed, exhibited surprising strength. He held the torso in front of him, like an offering, as we headed towards the gates to the Sorghatan Prefecture.
He laid down the sack and knelt next to it for a moment, an imploring expression upon his face. I paid him more than was strictly required, because he had been incredibly useful, and it was obvious he had tried to overcome his lack of conversational skills in order to help. Though they were not much to me, he was awed at the coins I placed in his palm. He continued stroking them and looking back and forth at the sack as he rose to his feet.
Soon he scurried away into the darkness.
Leana liaised with the guards through a hatch in the gate and, within a moment, the immense doors opened. Lantern light shone our way. The guards stepped forward and said, with great uncertainty, ‘You were the two who left earlier, right?’
‘Excellent observation,’ I said, kneeling down and beckoning them closer. ‘Now, can either of you help me out? Do you know who this fellow is?’
I opened the bag and let them see the severed head. One of the guards immediately turned to the wall and vomited against it. The other looked across at me and gave me the answer I was looking for.
‘That’s the bishop, aye,’ he groaned. ‘The missing one.’
‘Well, there you go,’ I said to Leana. ‘A bit of perseverance does wonders.’
I turned to the guards, one of whom was still leaning against the wall. He realized suddenly what he’d done and a look of deep shame came over his face.
‘Now,’ I said, ‘which of you brave fellows would like to give me a hand with this corpse?’
Morning in the City
We decided to store the fragments of the bishop in a couple of large sacks deep in Jejal’s cellar, where the temperature was cold, and they were safely away from
‘What happened to the other arm?’ Leana asked. ‘Only one arm in two pieces has been found.’
‘It might be here, somewhere.’ I gestured to the detritus surrounding the torso.
What little clothing remained was sodden, smeared with grime. In this light and without a head it was difficult to tell who it might have been. The body’s boots had been removed, too, though that could have been done by anyone. Anything that could be learned from this corpse was going to be highly dubious due to the nature of the scavenging culture here.
‘If you think I am carrying this thing back, you can think again,’ Leana said. ‘Give your friend here another coin to do the hard work.’
‘That might not be a bad idea,’ I replied.
I didn’t want to ruin the body as so much had been lost already through natural decay. So we wrapped the body up carefully, in several layers of hessian, which we’d bought from a woman who made her living scavenging the site. We never did find the other arm.
Our scavenger friend didn’t seem to mind helping to drag back the remains of the bishop. In fact, the chore appeared to relax him somewhat, and he began to sing a surprisingly tuneful melody.
When I asked him how he had found out about the corpse in the first place, he replied only: ‘People say his body here.’
‘Which people?’
‘Everyone. Tavern talk. They say someone left the body here, yes, so I follow, I follow. Always follow the talk. Some other find it first, but I fight, fight good. Got myself good offering for the shrine, yes. The best kind. A bishop himself!’
‘There were people who got to the body before you?’
‘Yes, but who wants a body? Some too scared to touch it, but I know I make a fine job of my shrine.’
‘Was his head attached to the body when you found it?’
‘No. Already separated. Clean cut. Relieved ’bout it. Heads very hard to remove. Very hard. Had to search nearby – nearly made its way into the river!’
The man, still half-clothed, exhibited surprising strength. He held the torso in front of him, like an offering, as we headed towards the gates to the Sorghatan Prefecture.
He laid down the sack and knelt next to it for a moment, an imploring expression upon his face. I paid him more than was strictly required, because he had been incredibly useful, and it was obvious he had tried to overcome his lack of conversational skills in order to help. Though they were not much to me, he was awed at the coins I placed in his palm. He continued stroking them and looking back and forth at the sack as he rose to his feet.
Soon he scurried away into the darkness.
Leana liaised with the guards through a hatch in the gate and, within a moment, the immense doors opened. Lantern light shone our way. The guards stepped forward and said, with great uncertainty, ‘You were the two who left earlier, right?’
‘Excellent observation,’ I said, kneeling down and beckoning them closer. ‘Now, can either of you help me out? Do you know who this fellow is?’
I opened the bag and let them see the severed head. One of the guards immediately turned to the wall and vomited against it. The other looked across at me and gave me the answer I was looking for.
‘That’s the bishop, aye,’ he groaned. ‘The missing one.’
‘Well, there you go,’ I said to Leana. ‘A bit of perseverance does wonders.’
I turned to the guards, one of whom was still leaning against the wall. He realized suddenly what he’d done and a look of deep shame came over his face.
‘Now,’ I said, ‘which of you brave fellows would like to give me a hand with this corpse?’
Morning in the City
We decided to store the fragments of the bishop in a couple of large sacks deep in Jejal’s cellar, where the temperature was cold, and they were safely away from
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