1????????Soul Bound

  1.3??????Making a Splash

  1.3.3????An Unrequited Love

  1.3.3.6? Guilt

  Captain Farinacci: “Time’s up. You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you? You think you’re safe? You think you can get away with disrespecting me and stick together to keep plotting, rather than running away in fear like you ought to have done? I’m here to keep you in your place, make sure you keep your heads down and don’t cause trouble. And what you’re doing is trouble. Really smart people would know that. But animals like you?”

  He spat a large gob of phlegm on the ground.

  Captain Farinacci: “There’s only one way to teach a lesson to animals. That blue haired witch cast a spell at Fra Meschino. That’s a crime, that is, and I’m going to ‘arrest’ her, good and proper, know what I mean?”

  He leered and Kafana felt her stomach twist. No matter what happened, she was not going to let him take her captive. Even if that meant abandoning Torello. She entrusted Pierrot with a basket of buff food, ate some herself, and then started casting every combat buff she could think of, layer upon layer of them, until all six Wombles were crackling with energy.

  Captain Farinacci: “The rest of you I suspect of sheltering a known criminal, and hereby order you to come out of there with your hands empty and kneel down in an orderly row along the second track out from the building. Anyone still inside there by the time my lads arrive is going to get a lesson.”

  Bungo: {Is that legal?}

  Wellington: {Unfortunately, yes. The Count’s Guard doesn’t need an invite to enter private property inside the Count’s district. It was still worth trying, if only to make them look bad and get these people moving, but that doesn’t help us now. Bulgaria and Tomsk? It’s now your area of expertise. What do you want us to do?}

  Kafana: {Alderney spent more time in here than the rest of us put together. Anyone know where is she? I hope nothing’s happened to her.}

  Bulgaria: {She’s turned off her location on the shared map. We’re just going to have to trust she’s got a good reason and do without her for now. I’ve marked four possible routes on the overlay. Alpha goes through the door by the Juggernaut and out the back. Beta is the chute used for disposing of ash from the furnaces. Gamma involves using magic to break through to the neighbouring building. Delta is up the walkways and then over the rooftop, but less than half the people are light enough to manage that safely.}

  Tomsk: {Good. Bungo, take anyone old, slow or injured along Alpha, and ten burly volunteers to delay and decoy if needed. Wellington, take any small enough for Delta, and use your magic to hide and protect them. Bulgaria, pick some fit volunteers, use Beta and then distract and delay the guards any good opportunity you spot - you’re our eyes and ears. I’ll set off my traps while Kafana makes a hole in the wall and then take them along Gamma. Let’s move!}

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  It was as if a switch had been flipped, turning him into a different person. His voice was now decisive and his manner was that of a seasoned general who’d done this a hundred times before and who considered any opposing force smaller than a battalion to be small fry barely worth getting out of bed for. It wasn’t magic, or even a trick. As far as Kafana could tell, he really did feel that confident and comfortable in the role. Wow. She was scared spitless.

  Not that she’d let Tomsk know that, if she could possibly help it. She braced her shoulders and tried to look like she knew what she was doing as she walked over to the spot on the wall indicated by the map.

  Bungo: {Bad news. There’s two dozen guards covering the back exit, and they’ve got a mage. I think he’s using mind magic to track the location of everybody in the building. I’m holding in position.}

  Wellington: {Rooftop’s still clear so far. If I work with Kafana, I think we can ward an area against scrying or at least fuzz the signal. Hang on, someone’s running towards us very fast across the neighbouring roof. Contact in 10 seconds.}

  Wall. Wall. What did they tell her about collapsing the Segreta where the assassins had lurked? Oh yes, Alderney had given Tomsk a massive enchanted CheonGo drum, and Wellington had tuned it to a frequency that resonated with the building’s foundations. They couldn’t spare Tomsk or take time to set up his drum, but perhaps there was something else she could use? She looked around. Nothing.

  Tomsk: {They’re nearly at the barricade. They’ll be inside the building in 30 seconds. Having to avoid killing any of the guards is limiting my options, and I suspect some of them are protected against sleep and stunning. I need an exit. Kafana, how much time do we need to buy you?}

  She looked up. Crucibles! Lovely heavy hanging crucibles.

  Kafana: {Wellington, have you got any apprentices with you who know how to move the crucibles? If you can get them to swing one as fast as possible towards the wall, I think I can ensure it will shatter.}

  Wellington: {Contact friendly. I repeat, roof runner is Columbina and is descending rapidly. Warn workers. Kafana, trained apprentice team en-route, estimate wall impact in 90 seconds.}

  But, as it happened, few people paid any attention as Columbina slid elegantly down a support pole, or appreciated the artistry with which she posed on the lip of an active furnace, balanced on one foot, just a silhouette against the fiery glow behind her.

  Because another figure, dressed in a dark ragged cloak that billowed about him like a raging storm, and a broad brimmed hat that concealed his face in the deepest of shadows, stepped onto the barricade just as the shield wall reached it. He bowed a mocking bow, and his voice was intimate yet carrying, like a breeze in the night. There was only one person it could be, and Bulgaria had been correct.

  When least expected, she’d finally met the Raggedy Man.