Page 67 of Company of Thieves
“Alan, eh?” The man behind me gave a loud and extremely piercing whistle, one that had me wincing, and to my surprise, the men who were still fighting with Alan’s men suddenly stopped and turned toward us.
“Hallie!” A roar came from behind a couple of men, both of whom went flying as a man stalked forward, blood splattered across his armor, obscuring the symbols on it.
“Dammit,” I swore, pulling my lay off so I could wipe the blood from his armor, knowing no one else but Alan would sound so furious. “Who messed up your armor? You know I need to be able to see that!”
Alan seemed to stumble when he got close enough to get a good view of the man who held me. “I ... William? What—uh ... you appear to be bleeding. And also, using my wife as a shield.”
“I shot him,” I told Alan, unable to keep a bit of pride from my voice.
His eyebrows rose. I smiled.
“Yourwife?” The man behind me sounded mildly bemused. “I don’t believe I was informed of your wedding, let alone received an invitation to the event. Perhaps the fact that you and your lady appear to be wearing garments more suited to the Moghuls than a diplomat in my service might have something to do with the current state of affairs? Also, you appear to bear a startling resemblance to the imperator’s son. What’s his name? Abdul? Abrahim? Although I do believe he has a mustache the size of a small lapdog.”
I was about to argue that Alan’s mustache hadn’t beenthatbig, but decided it was better if I kept that bit of information to myself. Instead, I wriggled my way out of the grip of William VI, emperor of the British Isles and Prussia, and hurried over to where Alan stood. His men gathered behind him, while William’s soldiers, at a gesture from him, regrouped in front of the storehouse.
“Are you in trouble?” I whispered to Alan when he pulled me tight to his side. I used the long tail of my lay to wipe the blood off the decoration of his armor so that I could make out the lion and the birds.
“I suspect I am,” he said, but there was a note of humor in his voice that relieved the biggest worry in my mind. He said to William, “I suppose you’d like an explanation of just why I’m looting your storehouse.”
“Oh, I think I can guess what’s going on,” William said politely, then with an irritated click of his tongue, pulled off his scarlet coat and white shirt underneath it, carefully examining his shoulder. The wound was fairly gory, making me avert my eyes. “Just look at what you’ve done. Now I’m going to have to have stitches. Do you know how much I hate having stitches? It’s very unpleasant, and I’m already in a bad mood because a former lover, a woman whom I have gone to great lengths to aid despite the fact that she has pillaged my goods nonstop for the last year, is even now trying to lure my airships away from where I want them.”
“Ah,” Alan said, his arm tightening around me. “About that—”
The emperor turned back to his men and ordered one of them to come forward, swearing profanely when the man bound up his shoulder.
“I will now go have this sewn shut,” William said with flared nostrils, and a very pointed look at me. “As well as having the other men you left alive patched up. When that is done, I will expect to see you, Alan, as well as Octavia and that American she married.”
I pursed my lips, hoping Alan wasn’t thinking of doing what the emperor ordered. If ever there was a trap being set for him, that was it.
Alan gave a little bow. “When and where would you like to see us?”
William put his good hand on his hip and glared at the groaning men scattered all over the street. “Two hours. At theConstanza. And I expect to find anything that was in the storehouse intact.”
Then he simply turned on his heel and marched off, calling for his horse, and for the wounded and dead to be cared for.
I looked at Alan. “That was ... bizarre.”
He scratched his chin where a bit of blood had dried. “But interesting. You weren’t hurt?”
“Of course not. But did you see how many men I took down?”
“Yes,” he said slowly, giving me an unreadable look. “And I’m going to want to talk to you about that, but right now, I believe we would do better to consult with Octavia and Jack.”
I cast a glance at the man who had been covered with a red coat being lifted onto a steam wagon, my heart heavy, but at the same time I knew I would go to extraordinary lengths to save the man I loved.
“You look troubled, little dove,” Alan said, glancing at the body, and moving so that he blocked my view of it. “Are you feeling ill? Is it the babe?”
“No,” I said, swallowing down my grief and guilt, my gaze skimming him, looking for any signs of injury. Thankfully, the blood on his armor didn’t seem to be his. “I’m just a bit ... befuddled by the whole thing with William. You aren’t going to trust him, are you?”
“That is a very complicated question to answer,” he said, his hand warm on my back as he escorted me back through the streets to where theNightwingwas hidden. “And not one I’m sure I know the answer to. I believe we are going to have to have a council of ... well, not war, but perhaps preparation.”
I nodded, saying nothing more.
Adventure, I decided as I looked out into the dark soul of the night, was not for the faint of heart.
