Lapis watched as Dachs put the finishing touches on the barricade around the Eaves, annoyed she could not help. Her shoulder ached dreadfully, even worse than the night before, so the act of hammering was a no-go. Instead, she sipped tea with numbing meds to alleviate the pain.
Damn mercs and their poor aim.
At least Brander gave her a handheld Minq weapon that she could aim without bothering her left arm too much. He also forced her into a marching shirt, which touched her because he cared, and bothered her because he thought she might need the protection. Too bad she had not worn one to the Lells; the beam would not have torn through her shoulder after hitting the shirt designed to reflect it.
The wind picked up, and she finished the tea before pulling up her cloak’s collar. Brander insisted she wear the woolen outerwear, so she had freedom of movement but warmth at the same time. It fell to her knees and encased her in heat, enough so that she planned to needle Patch into buying her one.
A rumble met the final nail. The barkeep brushed his hands together and looked at Vali. The terron, wrapped in thick furs, had arrived to protect the Eaves while Mint and Tia brought strength to the front lines. Lapis was grateful for her presence, as the rats hid inside.
She signed, and Dachs tapped the barricade lightly with the hammer. “Yeah, I think it will. We’re not in the thick of the fightin’, so it should be enough to keep out the average shank lookin’ to take advantage.”
Creak. She noted a nose peeking out of the doorway. “Gabby, upstairs.”
“But—”
She turned and sternly regarded the rat. Behind her stood Scand and Brone, though no one else; good. She folded her arms as Vali rumbled. She signed at the rat, and all three drooped.
“But—” Gabby said.
Vali rumbled.
All three widened their eyes to plead silently with an equally stern Dachs, who raised his hammer and pointed to the second floor. Lapis gave Gabby her cup.
“Put that on the bar on your way up.”
With annoyed sighs, they retreated. Lapis watched until they trudged up the stairwell, then returned to duty. She knew one or two rats, despite the danger, would fall to their curiosity and take a peek around; she needed to tell Rin to keep a better watch on them. Getting into trouble right now could prove deadly.
Vali rose, peering over the barricade, then resettled. Frowning, Lapis withdrew the tech and went to the opening; a group trotted down the street, guarding a horse and wagon. She recognized the rearguard carrying leather bags and giant jugs of wake juice—Patch and Dagby, and neither looked like they had seen action.
When they woke that morning, Midir sent Patch out despite his rib. Her fury rose—his injury!—but the heir raised an eyebrow and told her they needed guards at the Eaves. The tavern was an entry point into the tunnels for Meint clinic doctors bringing wounded to the mansion for medical care—out of sight, out of mind—and protecting it was essential. That did not placate her, as she felt she got coddled, but her partner had to go on a mission. Realizing that neither Midir nor Varr looked happy enough to entertain her complaints, she sullenly accepted the task and sought out Brander.
The rebel felt the same about not fighting on the front lines, but sending out runners with equipment and info was an important job, and he had a lot to keep track of without help.
The wagon stopped, and the walkers slid the stretchers transporting the wounded from the bed. Dachs waved them in, and Lapis stepped back for them to hurry past, her heart clenching at the sight of blood and the young Meint frantically trying to staunch wounds. Good thing the barkeep and Path had built makeshift ramps to take the place of the stairs leading to the basement and the tunnels. Stairs were one less thing the stretcher bearers had to worry about while hurrying to the wagons waiting below.
Vali rumbled and signed. The driver of the vehicle nodded.
“I don’t think it’ll be much longer,” he said. “It’s true, the Beryl joined the mercs and the palace guard and sent out a call, but it didn’t go well.” He huffed a laugh and readjusted the red cloth tied to his arm, the mark used to distinguish doctors from fighters on the battlefield. “Double Catch got the message just as he was getting back to our base. Told the courier he wasn’t joining with the guys who just tried to execute him and sent his own couriers to the major syndicates and rings declaring his backing for the rebels and the Minq. No one wants to cross a coalition of rebel, Minq and Ram, so they’ve either joined us or called in neutral.”
“Who went to the Beryl side?” Lapis asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “Hoyt.”
She smashed her lips together. That was the least surprising thing of the last couple days.
“My thoughts exactly,” he said drily. “Word is, Klow’s calling in debts and the debtors are telling him to piss off. When was the last time anyone told an assassin’s syndicate to piss off, let alone a city’s worth of underground bosses?”
Patch chuckled, and she eyed him, annoyed. “You’re going to knock that rib out of place, and then you’ll need surgery,” she snapped.
“I know how to work injured,” her partner told her, though he sounded as if he expected her reaction. He bent down for a kiss. “And this is all I’m doing, other than going through the papers in here.”
Vali peered at the bags and signed.
“It’s a combo of the stuff Gall had with him in the carriage, what Chiddle took off Kale, and what I retrieved from the mercs tryin’ to evac him,” Dagby said. “Midir wants to know what’s in them as soon as possible, so we’re readin’ this afternoon.”
He sounded so thrilled. “If you want, I can read, and you can stand guard at the door,” Lapis offered. “It’s boring, though. So far, no one’s been in the street, not even shanks.”
“Can’t blame them for that,” Dagby said. “I’d be hidin’, too. They’ll be back out after the fightin’, though, to see the ‘shroud if nothin’ else.”
Vali signed, and he took a deep breath as he rubbed at his chest. “Yeah, saw Green Castle from the top of a buildin’. Smokin’ ruin. All those pretty mansions, buried under black metal, and slides annihilatin’ the rest. No one’ll believe the king or any of his court survived. It’s smart, Midir and Faelan actin’ fast. People’ll want someone to promise stability, and as the heir and rebel leader, they’re the ones who can provide it—if our side can put down the other fast enough.” He jerked his chin at Lapis. “I’ll stay,” he said. “Could use a warm drink and a sit.”
“Rats might be down. They’re in the rooms upstairs waiting, and they’re bored.”
Bored was a nice way of putting the combination of fear and ennui the kids felt.
Dagby smiled. “I can handle a scared kid or two.” He glanced into the interior as the stretcher carriers bustled out. They got back in the wagon, and the driver flipped the reins at the horse, turning around and heading back for more wounded. They passed another wagon headed for the Eaves, and Patch slipped his hand into hers.
“Let’s get back to the mansion,” he said.
