“Some lucrative cleaning up, I daresay.”
“I daresay,” said Glokta sourly. “But his Eminence feels our talents will be better used elsewhere.” Like watching fake wizards. “Hope you didn’t lose out on your little property by the docks.”
Severard shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you need somewhere away from prying eyes again, before too long. It’ll still be there. At the right price. Shame to leave a job half done is all.”
True. Glokta paused for a moment, considering. Dangerous. The Arch Lector said go no further. Very dangerous, to disobey, and yet I smell something. It niggles, to leave a loose end, whatever his Eminence might say. “There might be one more thing.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but keep it subtle. Do you know anything about banks?”
“Big buildings. They lend people money.”
Glokta gave a thin smile. “I had no idea you were such an expert. There’s one in particular I’m interested in. Name of Valint and Balk.”
“Never heard of them, but I can ask around.”
“Just keep it discreet, Severard, do you understand me? No one can know about this. I mean it.”
“Discretion is what I’m all about, chief, ask anyone. Discreet. That’s me. Known for it.”
“You’d better be, Severard. You had better be.” Or it could be both our heads.
Glokta sat, wedged into the embrasure with his back against the stones and his left leg stretched out in front of him—a searing, pulsing furnace of pain. He expected pain of course, every moment of every day. But this is something just a bit special.
Every breath was a rattling moan through rigid jaws. Every tiniest movement was a mighty task. He remembered how Marshal Varuz had made him run up and down these steps when he was training for the Contest, years ago. I took them three at a time, up and down without a second thought. Now look at me. Who would have thought it could come to this?
His trembling body ran with sweat, his stinging eyes ran with tears, his burning nose dripped watery snot. All this water flowing out of me, and yet I’m thirsty as hell. Where’s the sense in that? Where was the sense in any of it? What if someone should come past, and see me like this? The terrifying scourge of the Inquisition, flopped on his arse in a window, barely able to move? Will I force a nonchalant smile onto this rigid mask of agony? Will I pretend that all is well? That I often come here, to sprawl beside the stairs? Or will I weep and scream and beg for help?
But no one passed. He lay there, wedged in that narrow space, three-quarters of the way up the Tower of Chains, the back of his head resting on the cool stones, his trembling knees drawn up in front of him. Sand dan Glokta, master swordsman, dashing cavalry officer, what glorious future might he have in front of him? There was a time when I could run for hours. Run and run and never tire. He could feel a trickle of sweat running down his back. Why do I do this? Why the hell would anyone do this? I could stop today. I could go home to mother. But then what? Then what?
“Inquisitor, I’m glad you’re here.”
Good for you, bastard. I’m not. Glokta leaned against the wall at the top of the stairs, such teeth as he had grinding against his gums.
“They’re inside, it’s quite a mess…” Glokta’s hand trembled, the tip of his cane rattling against the stones. His head swam. The guard was blurry and dim through his twitching eyelids. “Are you alright?” He loomed forwards, one arm outstretched.
Glokta looked up. “Just get the fucking door, fool!”
The man jumped away, hurried to the door and pushed it open. Every part of Glokta longed to give up and sprawl on his face, but he willed himself upright. He forced one foot before the other, forced his breath to come even, forced his shoulders back and his head high, and swept imperiously past the guard, every part of his body singing with pain. What he saw beyond the doors almost broke his veneer of composure however.
Yesterday these were some of the finest rooms in the Agriont. They were reserved for the most honoured of guests, the most important of foreign dignitaries. Yesterday. A gaping hole was ripped out of one wall where the window should have been, the sky beyond blinding bright after the darkness of the stairwell. A section of the ceiling had collapsed, broken timbers and shreds of plaster hanging down into the room. The floor was strewn with chunks of stone, splinters of glass, torn fragments of coloured cloth. The antique furniture had been smashed to scattered pieces, broken edges charred and blackened as if by fire. Only one chair, half a table, and a tall ornamental jar, strangely pristine in the middle of the rubble-strewn floor, had escaped the destruction.
In the midst of this expensive wreckage stood a confused and sickly-seeming young man. He looked up as Glokta picked his way through the rubble round the doorway, tongue darting nervously over his lips, evidently on edge. Has anyone ever looked more of a fraud?
“Er, good morning?” The young man’s fingers twitched nervously at his gown, a heavy thing, stitched with arcane symbols. And doesn’t he look uncomfortable in it? If this man is a wizard’s apprentice, I am the Emperor of Gurkhul.
“I am Glokta. From his Majesty’s Inquisition. I have been sent to investigate this… unfortunate business. I was expecting someone older.”
“Oh, yes, sorry, I am Malacus Quai,” stammered the young man, “apprentice to great Bayaz, the First of the Magi, great in high art and learned in deep—” Kneel, kneel before me! I am the mighty Emperor of Gurkhul!
“Malacus…” Glokta cut him off rudely “…Quai. You are from the Old Empire?”
“Why yes,” the young man brightened slightly at that. “Do you know my—”
“No. Not at all.” The pale face sagged. “Were you here last night?”
“Er, yes, I was asleep, next door. I’m afraid I didn’t see anything though…” Glokta stared at him, intent and unblinking, trying to work him out. The apprentice coughed and looked at the floor, as if wondering what to clean up first. Can this really make the Arch Lector nervous? A miserable actor. His whole manner reeks of deception.
“Someone saw something, though?”
“Well, erm, Master Ninefingers, I suppose—”
“Ninefingers?”
“Yes, our Northern companion.” The young man brightened. “A warrior of great renown, a champion, a prince among his—”
“You, from the Old Empire. He, a Northman. What a cosmopolitan band you are.”
“Well yes, ha ha, we do, I suppose—”
“Where is Ninefingers now?”
“Still asleep I think, er, I could wake him—”
“Would you be so kind?” Glokta tapped his cane on the floor. “It was quite a climb, and I would rather not come back later.”
“No, er, of course… sorry.” He hastened over to one of the doors and Glokta turned away, pretending to examine the gaping wound in the wall while grimacing in agony and biting his lip to keep from wailing like a sick child. He seized hold of the broken stones at the edge of the hole with his free hand, squeezing them as hard as he could.
As the spasm passed he began to take more interest in the damage. Even this high up the wall was a good four feet thick, solidly built from rubble bonded with mortar, faced with cut stone blocks. It would take a rock from a truly mighty catapult to make such a breach, or a team of strong workmen going night and day for a week. A giant siege engine or a group of labourers would doubtless have attracted the attention of the guards. So how was it made? Glokta ran his hand over the cracked stones. He had once heard rumours that in the far south they made a kind of blasting powder. Could a little powder have done this?