“You think I’m afraid of a little needle like that?” He grasped her wrist and squeezed, twisting her arm backward and forcing her to drop the dagger.
It fell to the ground a moment before she twisted in his grip and thrust an elbow into his gut. Doubled over, he gasped for breath as he fell to his knees. Liane darted past him, eyes focused on the door, but he grasped the hem of her dress, tripping her. Crashing to the ground, she wriggled onto her back, hands fumbling for her fallen dagger just out of reach as he crawled over to her, pinning her hands to the ground, leering down at her.
“You Nameless blighted whore. I’ll make you pay for that.” He raised a hand to strike her.
Behind him, Ludwig’s florid face popped up at the top of the stairs, and she must say, he had impeccable timing.
“A little help?” she said, interrupting the swing of the lackey’s hand.
He turned a second too late, as the hilt of Ludwig’s rapier struck him on the top of the skull, and he crumpled like a rag doll on top of Liane. With his dead weight on her, she shoved him aside, wiping away the dirt and imaginary stains he’d left behind. Repulsive. But all in all, that had gone smoother than she’d anticipated. Back on her feet, she turned to head for the door, but Ludwig caught her by her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
“You’ve had your fun; now let’s alert the City Watch and be done with it.”
“And tell them what? That you’ve knocked a man unconscious? By the time they get here, the buyer and stardust will be gone. Without proof, he’ll get away like last time.”
“It’s nearly curfew. Do you want to spend the night in a jail cell?”
As if to emphasize his point, the eleventh bell tolled. One hour left. At the twelfth bell, the palace guards closed the gates, and the City Watch rounded up and arrested anyone caught out after hours. From the Velvet District to the palace, it took twenty minutes on foot, less if by some miracle they caught a carriage, but few were out this late, and there’d be even less available with all the pilgrims in the city. That didn’t leave her much time to catch Niklas and drag him to the magistrate’s office, but she liked a challenge.
“You worry too much.”She shrugged free of his grip.
“It’s my job to worry about you.”
“Then I take it back; you’re doing an excellent job. Let’s not waste time arguing, when you know I’m going to do as I like.” She flashed him a smile and scurried down the hall before he could try and convince her otherwise.
Pressing her ear against the rough wooden door, she heard two men talking. Their words were indiscernible, but at least they were easily matched. Liane held up two fingers to indicate two people, and Ludwig nodded stiffly as he unsheathed his rapier. Though he was slower to action, he wanted Niklas and the Onyx Gang to pay as much as her. Their eyes met, and he nodded.For Elias, she thought.
Weapons at the ready, she grasped the doorknob and threw it open. It slammed into a broad back, less dramatic than she’d hoped. The man blocking the door moved out of the way, and the door swung fully open, and three confused men stared back at her. Niklas, behind the handsome man from the bar, narrowed his eyes as he looked her up and down. She recognized him by his portrait and reputation. He reached up to stroke his close-cut beard, and a smile curled his dastardly lips. She should say something or do something, shouldn’t she?
“City Watch, no one move!” Liane shouted and pointed her dagger at him.
Her battle cry had the opposite effect, however, and Niklas flipped the table between them, rushing toward her. Swerving to avoid him, she crashed into the big man who pinned her arms to her side, and she rocked her head back, slamming her cranium into his jaw. It stung the top of her head, and blood dripped onto her forehead. Hers or his? No time to check because Niklas had a knife in hand that he swiped at her but missed when the buyer kicked out his legs from beneath him.
Amidst the chaos, their eyes met; his were a deep brown, and the edges bordered in liquid gold.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
Liane reached up to touch the blood dripping down her scalp and shook her head, though she couldn’t be certain. Her scar pulsed, not the painful itch from before, something deeper, a pleasant warmth that seeped out from deep in her bones, flushing her skin.
Footsteps pounded down the hall, and she tore her eyes away, seeking Ludwig. He’d knocked the big man flat onto his back and headed for her, ready to retreat, and for once, they agreed.
But Niklas blocked the exit, eyes blazing. His mouth formed a word that she couldn’t hear because of the chaos behind him. People wearing gold and black uniforms of the Midnight Guard swarmed in, filling the space. Hands grasping, fists flying, and her lungs closed in. Ludwig tried to reach her, but a Midnight Guard yanked him back, and she was jostled between bodies. Voices turned to buzzing in her ears, and she was flung forward, colliding with someone’s chest. Glancing up, she met the startling brown eyes of the buyer, moments before someone’s elbow caught him in the chin.
Had he taken a blow for her?
They were yanked apart and dragged out into the hall, where they forced her to kneel. Head buzzing, and shocked beyond words, she stared mutely as a female Midnight Guard lined her up amongst the criminals. What were they doing there? Smuggling and other such crimes were outside their jurisdiction; they dealt with corrupted and stopping the spread of corruption magic. Unless...
“I am a member of the Royal Guard, and you will unhand me this instant,” Ludwig said as he struggled against the pair of Midnight Guards.
“You can speak to the magistrate, like the rest,” said a burly male guard, forcing him to kneel beside Liane.
“If you’d just look at the documents in my pocket, you’ll see I’m telling the truth,” Ludwig said.
Fortunately, he was willing to humor Ludwig and allowed him to retrieve papers from his pocket. The burly guard scanned them, then looked to Ludwig and then to Liane and did a double take. His face paled, and he signaled for the female guard holding her to let her go. She helped Liane to her feet much gentler than before, but as soon as they were free, Ludwig stepped in front of her assuming the role of protector and guard.
“I assume we’re free to go then?” Ludwig asked, glaring at the guards as if they’d greatly inconvenienced him.
“Take an escort with you. This part of the city isn’t safe,” the burly guard said as he handed Ludwig his documents, and looked sidelong at Liane, probably wondering what she was doing so far from the palace.
