11
Fletcher stood up and squared his shoulders, tipping the imp on to the floor. It yelped in protest and darted into the back corner of the mausoleum.
‘Is that you, Fletcher?’ asked Didric, squinting into the darkness. The entrance was the only part of the chamber that was visible in the dim moonlight, so Fletcher was likely just a dark shape in the shadows. Didric began to walk towards him.
‘What do you want, Didric? Isn’t it past your bedtime?’ Fletcher asked, his voice filled with confidence he did not feel. It was better he announce himself now than allow Didric to come closer to investigate. He wanted to keep the tombstone in between them.
‘The little sneak is in here!’ Didric called out, but there was no need; Jakov and Calista were already standing behind him. Their black silhouettes were stark against the moonlit graveyard, giving Fletcher the small advantage of knowing where they stood. But the fact that they were barring the way out definitely did not help his chances.
‘Caught like a rat in a trap,’ Didric said with sadistic relish. ‘Not so clever now, are you, Fletchy?’
‘I see you’ve brought your two nannies with you,’ Fletcher said, wracking his brains to think of some way out of there. ‘Three against one is it? Why don’t you fight me like a man? Oh wait . . . we’ve already tried that.’
‘Shut up!’ Didric snapped. ‘You sucker punched me. If it had been a fair fight, I would have beaten you into a pulp.’ His voice was taut with hurt pride and anger. Fletcher knew his only way out of this was to take Didric on, one on one.
‘So fight me now. Let Jakov and Calista see what would have happened if I hadn’t,’ Fletcher said with as much conviction as he could muster. He clenched his fists, and took a step forward. There was silence for a moment, then a chuckle.
‘Oh no, Fletcher. I know what you’re trying to do,’ Didric laughed. ‘I won’t be fighting you today.’ His cackling echoed in the chamber, sending a shiver up Fletcher’s spine.
‘Fine, don’t fight me. Let’s hurry up and get this beating over with. I have things to do,’ Fletcher challenged over Didric’s laughter. He ran his hand along the lip of the stone covering the crypt entrance, frantically calculating. He knew that there was another entrance to the catacombs below, in an abandoned chapel just outside the graveyard. If he could somehow get this entrance open, he might be able to get out through there. He felt the telltale crack underneath that told him that a heavy tablet sealed the entrance. It was a long shot, but he would need to lever the lid off in slow stages so the others didn’t notice. It was a good thing Didric loved the sound of his own voice.
As Jakov and Calista joined in the laughter, Fletcher eased the tablet a fraction away from him, flinching as he heard the scrape of stone against stone. This was going to take longer than he thought.
‘You idiot, we aren’t here to beat you up either,’ Didric said with glee, barely containing his mirth. ‘No, we’re here to kill you, Fletcher. How perfect that you chose a graveyard to come to tonight. Hiding your body will be easy.’
Fletcher’s blood froze as he heard the rasp of swords being drawn from their scabbards. He gritted his teeth and heaved, succeeding in pushing the tablet back another inch, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more time.
‘Kill me? With Pinkertons in town? You’re more of a fool than I thought. Berdon knows where I am, he will go straight to them if I’m not home soon,’ he bluffed. But Didric ignored him and took a half-step forward.
Fletcher tried again. ‘Half the village saw our fight last night. You’re going to spend the rest of your lives in prison over a disagreement that only started two days ago?’
He spoke loudly, trying to cover the grating sound as he managed another few inches. Didric paused and laughed.
‘Oh, Fletcher. My dear father has the Pinkertons wrapped around his little finger,’ Didric said, unconcerned. ‘They’d sooner arrest each other than the son of their new business partner.’ Fletcher paused and tried to think. Business partner? What was Didric talking about?
‘In fact, perhaps I will tell you what transpired over dinner a few hours ago, just so you know what is going to happen to your precious village after you’re six feet under,’ Didric continued, blocking Jakov and Calista with his arms as they began to stride past him. ‘You two are going to learn why sticking with me is a good career move.’
‘Go on then. Enlighten me, why don’t you?’ Fletcher said, pushing the stone tablet far enough so that there was a crack of empty space below it. He caught a waft of trapped air from the crypt below, stale as old parchment.
‘As I’m sure that fraud soldier has told you, convicted criminals are going to be press-ganged into the army. A pessimal idea in my opinion, but where others see stupidity, my father sees opportunity,’ Didric boasted, leaning on his sword. ‘The prisoners will be transported by day, bedding down in each city’s prison at night, where they are safe and secure. Yet when they reach the northern-most city of Boreas, it is another two days to the elven front lines. That means they will have to overnight in the forest, not ideal at all. Why, any band of marauders could attack the convoy in the dead of night, and there would be no jail cells to keep the prisoners from escaping. But do you know what stands right between Boreas and the frontier? Our fair village of Pelt, of course.’
Fletcher was getting sick of Didric’s pretentious tone, but he knew that his life depended on the boy’s bragging.
‘So what? They can’t stay here. It’s too small. What are you going to do, hire out some of the spare rooms in your house?’ Fletcher said. He managed to slide his hands into the crack and grip the bottom of the stone lid, getting more leverage. He might be able to throw off the lid in one motion and dive in, but he would rather wait until Didric was in full flow and get a silent head start. He was probably going to need it, as the tablet covering the other entrance would need removing too.
‘You miss the point, as I knew you would,’ Didric said with exaggerated exasperation. ‘We’re going to call in our debts, Fletcher. Seize everyone’s houses and turn this whole village into a prison. Imagine charging the same price as a luxurious inn, whilst serving gruel and bedding made of straw. Full bookings every night, all payments guaranteed from the King’s treasury. Think of the profits! Our redundant guards will become the warders, the palisades will keep people in, not out! And if a prisoner escapes, the wolves will take them, if they don’t get lost in the forest. The Pinkertons have already signed the agreement. Even if the law doesn’t go ahead, our prison will be the most remote and secure ever made, away from the good people of the city.’
It took a few seconds for the words to sink in. Their beautiful home, hundreds of generations old, made into a prison. Most of the townsfolk would have their properties seized, unable to pay the debts that were ten times more than they had borrowed. It was too horrific to even contemplate, yet he clung on to one hope, a glaring problem that Caspar must have overlooked.
‘It will never work, Didric. The elven front doesn’t need conscripts. They send the dregs up to wait there until retirement. And even the chaffed don’t visit Pelt, travelling through the night or making camp in the woods to save paying for an inn,’ Fletcher pointed out, pushing the tablet far enough that he could now climb through the gap. But he waited – he needed to know more. The villagers had to be warned.
‘Not so stupid after all, Fletchy. But you’re wrong. Dead wrong.’ Didric chuckled at his little joke and gave his sword a threatening swing. ‘You see, the elven front is the perfect place for a training ground. Get them prepared for war in a relatively safe place with experienced warriors to teach them, then ship them down to the south when they’re ready. No, Fletchy, this plan is going to be perfect. But there’s one thing I haven’t told you. I think you’ll like this.’ Didric paused, waiting for Fletcher to ask him what it was.
Fletcher’s heart sank. Of course, if the prisoners went directly to the orc front, it would be chaos. The King’s army couldn’t fight a war and try to contain thousands of freshly released criminals at the same time. If there was a riot, the soldiers would end up fighting on two fronts. Better to teach the new recruits discipline and indoctrinate them up here, before sending them to reinforce Hominum’s beleaguered army in the south.
‘What is it, Didric?’ Fletcher snarled. He could feel anger bubbling, caustic and hot in his chest. Didric’s family were like ticks, sucking the life from Pelt. Now they were infecting it too.
‘Just before the deal was done, I remembered you, Fletchy. You and that great oaf, Berdon. I reminded my father that the new recruits were going to need to be equipped, then suggested a rather elegant solution. So the Pinkertons made an addendum to the agreement – giving us exclusive selling rights to the new conscripts on the elven front. Only weapons and armour sold by our family can be purchased by their quartermasters. We begin shipping from Boreas within the week, and trust me when I say that, in the quantities we will be buying, our prices will be half what Berdon is charging. So, you see, as that redheaded fool mourns your death, he will become penniless. Who knows, maybe we will let him work as a stable boy. That’s all he’s good for, after all.’
Even in the darkness, Fletcher could see the satisfied grin on Didric’s face. The rage inside him burned like Berdon’s furnace, quickening his heart until he could almost hear the blood rushing in his ears. Hatred throbbed in his body with each heartbeat, pulsing at his temples. He had never wanted to kill someone before, but now he understood the compulsion. Didric needed to die.
With that thought, he felt the link between him and the imp, as if it were a house spider hanging from a thread of gossamer. His anger flowed through it with a potent ferocity, and he felt the demon’s consciousness fill with the same intent as his own. Didric was an enemy, a threat.
‘Nothing to say? That wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would be.’ Didric sighed to the others, lifted his sword and stepped forward. ‘Right . . . let’s kill him.’