Read Online The Bird of the River by Kage Baker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kage Baker
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Epic, Orphans, Fantasy Fiction; American, Teenagers, Assassins, Pirates, Barges
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served fine food and drink. Under the sign bodies were laid out in a row, covered with an assortment of curtains, blankets, and one charred tapestry.
The owner of the premises sat on his front step, staring dully into space with one eye and occasionally fingering the bandage that covered the other eye. Eliss was surprised to see Krelan sitting beside the innkeeper, looking sympathetic. The innkeeper was speaking in a monotone:
"No, they didn't batter the door down. The bastards had a key. One of my keys. Can't think how they got one, but they had it. They wrenched it off its hinges afterward and took it with them. They must have thought it was made of gold, because of the gilding. What kind of idiot does something like that except a demon? It weighed a ton. That was a good door. I hope they carry it for miles before they realize it's gilded iron. I hope they all get hernias."
"I expect they went straight for your wine cellar," said Krelan. "Being demons."
"No, actually," said the innkeeper. "They went straight upstairs for my guests." He swiveled his eye at the bodies. "The first I knew of anything was hearing one of them scream. I was sound asleep in my own room. Come out on the landing and here's all these thieves throwing luggage about. Mr. Meltsilver had five cases of merchandise he'd bought for his shops in the cities, a fortune in jewelry, and the cases broke open falling downstairs, just raining gold bangles.
And Mr. Touchfire, he was a banker, he had a crate of gold ingots ... and ... Mr. Smelter was a gem dealer, he'd brought stock with him to sell ..."
"What evil fortune," said Krelan. He reached into a pouch at his belt. "I hate to impose on you on this black day, but I wonder if you'd look at something and tell me if you recognize--"
"Come on," muttered Alder, tugging at Eliss's sleeve. "Wolkin is sick. Let's go back."
"I just ate some bad fish, that's all," said Wolkin as they walked on. But there were more bodies laid out in the town square, visiting prospectors who'd been robbed and had their throats cut, and Wolkin clutched Eliss's hand as they passed them. He was crying silently by the time they reached the river gate.
THAT NIGHT ELISS LAY AWAKE in the tent, trying to forget what she'd seen. Both the town and the river were quiet--the mourners had fallen silent at last--but the heat was stifling. Mr. Turnbolt and the town's night watchman were having a conversation in low voices, and the sound carried clearly enough for Eliss to hear every word.
"No, they got in through the sewer. No one can tell how they got the grate off. Came just before dawn. At first we thought it was only a handful, but they kept swarming, like beetles."
"Ugh! One comes out of a crack, you kill it, and three more run out?"
"just exactly like that. Except we couldn't catch them. Not until the end. We fought them off all day. They kept setting fire to roofs. It was like a war in the streets, I can tell you. And there were more of them in the woods! All hiding in the trees, like Yendri."
"Were any of them Yendri?"
"No. Not that I saw. But they were in the trees. Not all demons, either. Some of them were us."
"Shellback's one of us."
"The bastard. He was the one gave the order to set fire to the trees. Cover their retreat."
"Now, I heard it was your people fired the trees, to drive them off."
"Who told you that?"
"Landing master."
"Doesn't know what he's talking about."
Eliss turned over and tried to pull her blanket over her ear, to shut out the conversation. Krelan's bag had slid forward, in danger of toppling on her face. She shoved at it. Something small fell out of the bag, landing with a clatter beside her.
Eliss picked it up and peered at it. It was a miniature portrait, done on an oval of ceramic. She couldn't make out any details in the darkness. Shrugging to herself, she thrust it back in Krelan's bag and pulled the drawstring tight.
THE NEXT DAY DAWNED BRIGHT; a wind had risen just before morning and swept
The owner of the premises sat on his front step, staring dully into space with one eye and occasionally fingering the bandage that covered the other eye. Eliss was surprised to see Krelan sitting beside the innkeeper, looking sympathetic. The innkeeper was speaking in a monotone:
"No, they didn't batter the door down. The bastards had a key. One of my keys. Can't think how they got one, but they had it. They wrenched it off its hinges afterward and took it with them. They must have thought it was made of gold, because of the gilding. What kind of idiot does something like that except a demon? It weighed a ton. That was a good door. I hope they carry it for miles before they realize it's gilded iron. I hope they all get hernias."
"I expect they went straight for your wine cellar," said Krelan. "Being demons."
"No, actually," said the innkeeper. "They went straight upstairs for my guests." He swiveled his eye at the bodies. "The first I knew of anything was hearing one of them scream. I was sound asleep in my own room. Come out on the landing and here's all these thieves throwing luggage about. Mr. Meltsilver had five cases of merchandise he'd bought for his shops in the cities, a fortune in jewelry, and the cases broke open falling downstairs, just raining gold bangles.
And Mr. Touchfire, he was a banker, he had a crate of gold ingots ... and ... Mr. Smelter was a gem dealer, he'd brought stock with him to sell ..."
"What evil fortune," said Krelan. He reached into a pouch at his belt. "I hate to impose on you on this black day, but I wonder if you'd look at something and tell me if you recognize--"
"Come on," muttered Alder, tugging at Eliss's sleeve. "Wolkin is sick. Let's go back."
"I just ate some bad fish, that's all," said Wolkin as they walked on. But there were more bodies laid out in the town square, visiting prospectors who'd been robbed and had their throats cut, and Wolkin clutched Eliss's hand as they passed them. He was crying silently by the time they reached the river gate.
THAT NIGHT ELISS LAY AWAKE in the tent, trying to forget what she'd seen. Both the town and the river were quiet--the mourners had fallen silent at last--but the heat was stifling. Mr. Turnbolt and the town's night watchman were having a conversation in low voices, and the sound carried clearly enough for Eliss to hear every word.
"No, they got in through the sewer. No one can tell how they got the grate off. Came just before dawn. At first we thought it was only a handful, but they kept swarming, like beetles."
"Ugh! One comes out of a crack, you kill it, and three more run out?"
"just exactly like that. Except we couldn't catch them. Not until the end. We fought them off all day. They kept setting fire to roofs. It was like a war in the streets, I can tell you. And there were more of them in the woods! All hiding in the trees, like Yendri."
"Were any of them Yendri?"
"No. Not that I saw. But they were in the trees. Not all demons, either. Some of them were us."
"Shellback's one of us."
"The bastard. He was the one gave the order to set fire to the trees. Cover their retreat."
"Now, I heard it was your people fired the trees, to drive them off."
"Who told you that?"
"Landing master."
"Doesn't know what he's talking about."
Eliss turned over and tried to pull her blanket over her ear, to shut out the conversation. Krelan's bag had slid forward, in danger of toppling on her face. She shoved at it. Something small fell out of the bag, landing with a clatter beside her.
Eliss picked it up and peered at it. It was a miniature portrait, done on an oval of ceramic. She couldn't make out any details in the darkness. Shrugging to herself, she thrust it back in Krelan's bag and pulled the drawstring tight.
THE NEXT DAY DAWNED BRIGHT; a wind had risen just before morning and swept
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