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Tunstall and the lady knight had come to the last pair of foes. Neither Rat looked sharp, but seemingly they were clever enough. With no friends left, they ran.
The lady looked at Tunstall, then at Goodwin and me, and leaned on her club. “Well,” she said, a little winded. “This was refreshing. That’s a fighting Pup you have there, but she nearly got killed. I know better than to take a squire into a fight where I’m outnumbered seven to one. It’s one thing to dice with your own life and another to dice with that of someone you’re training, Master Dog.”
Tunstall scowled at her. “Cooper can take care of herself, and if she can’t, we can take care of her, whatever your name is.” Then he took a look at me and cursed. “Ox’s eggs.”
I swear it was the blood loss that made me say, “I am fine,” loud enough that even the lady heard me. As a lie it was pitiful. My head spun in the speaking of it.
The lady threw back her head and laughed. It was no well-bred laugh, but a full-throated guffaw. “A fighting Pup indeed.” She strolled over to Goodwin and smiled. “I am Sabine of Macayhill, lady knight.”
“Clara Goodwin of the Provost’s Guard. My partner is Matthias Tunstall, and this is Rebakah Cooper.” Goodwin smiled up at the lady. “Thank you for helping us deal with this lot. I’m curst if I know why no one responded to my whistle – “
Four Dogs walked in the front door, none of them people I knew well. Tunstall was coming toward us, so I could hear his mutter of “Pig scummer.”
“Some ‘un said they heard a Dog whistle a-blowin’ down this way. We come as fast as we could,” the biggest of the four said, looking around. “Seemingly you didn’t need us, then.”
“Change of the watch,” Goodwin said, and sighed.
Now it made sense. It must have been later than we thought. The fellows of the Evening Watch were on their way to the kennel or already there when Goodwin blew her whistle. Night Watch is made up of the district’s dregs, the slow and the sullen or the plain lazy. Someone carried the word of our alarm to the kennel because they got a copper for doing it, and the Dogs of the Night Watch took their time in coming.
For a moment the anger rose up so bad it choked me. I didn’t know about dying, but these scummernobs could have saved me a beating. If I’d had the strength, I don’t know but I would have flown at these four lazy scuts and tried some nap tapping of my own.
Pounce fluffed his fur out until he looked three times as big as normal. He jumped at the lummox Dog’s chest. He howled like something from the Realms of Chaos, scaring the Dog and his friends so bad they went scrambling to get away from him. They tripped and fell over the river dodgers on the floor. Sadly for them, those folk were waking up, and they were vexed.
“Quick,” whispered Lady Sabine. She pointed to a side door.
Before I knew what happened, Tunstall had scooped me up in his arms. He, Goodwin, and Lady Sabine ran out into the alley. Behind us we could hear a new fight break out.
Pounce caught up with us on Rovers Street. He took the lead, his tail a flag. He was very pleased with himself.
Once the healer had seen to me, Goodwin, Tunstall, and Lady Sabine walked me back to Nipcopper Close, Pounce riding on either Goodwin’s or Lady Sabine’s shoulders. The three of them wandered off to find a meal. It seemed that Tunstall had forgiven the lady her disapproval, at least enough to eat with her. My cat and I went in search of my bed.
Sunday, April 5, 246
This morning I opened my door to Kora, Aniki, and the wonderful scent of heated pasties from the basket on Kora’s arm. Despite my weariness and the pain of my half-healed bruises, I smiled to see them. They looked full of mischief, and I have a sad liking for mischief. Why else would I prefer to live in the Lower City? My lord says that the best Dogs are half crooked at heart.
“Breakfast?” Aniki asked. “We heard you were dancing with river dodgers last night. You will need to build your strength back up.”
“That’s a splendid black eye,” Kora said. “I like the cheekbone bruise, too. Before or after healing?”
“After,” I said. My belly growled. I was always starved for a day after healing. Kora handed me a mutton pasty. I ate it then and there, standing aside to let them in. “How did you hear?” I asked them as Aniki put down the cloth and Kora laid out my plates.
“I was at Dawull’s,” Aniki said. “We got the news straight off. Some of our rushers wanted to go help the river dodgers, but Dawull wouldn’t allow it. He won’t let his people take on your Dogs if he knows about it beforehand, I found out. He says they’re too tough.”
I confess it, I was flattered. Aniki and Kora have plainly lived a hard life. To have them speak of my bruises and my Dogs as if I belong to that world – it seems as if I am accepted into it. As if I wear a Puppy’s trim but have a Dog’s standing. And I have paid a hard price for those bruises. Even with healing, they will linger on my face for days. It’s good to get respect for them in the wake of the pain.
I found the bottles of twilsey and barley water from yesterday and put them down, then opened my shutters. The pigeons with the ghosts of the dead diggers waited for me. I fed them their corn as Rosto arrived with more food.
“I’ll kiss them and make them better,” he said when he saw my bruises.
I slid one foot back to balance myself and raised my arms, hands fisted, into blocking positions. “Try and I’ll bruise you.” I actually said it out loud. “Then Aniki and Kora can kiss you better.”
Kora smiled. “Aniki can do the kisses. Rosto, don’t pull Beka’s tail. She doesn’t like it.”
Pounce wandered over to Rosto and stood, reaching up delicately between his legs. He said, “Mrt?” just loud enough to make Rosto look down, then patted the inside of Rosto’s knee.
Rosto sighed. “I was being friendly,” he complained. “Modern times are cruel when a cove can’t be friendly.” He stepped around Pounce and settled on the floor cloth. “See if I bring you a treat tomorrow, Master Cat.” He looked up at me. “Is there a tomorrow? I think this little breakfast idea is quite nice, even with threats and the nasty birds coming and going.”
The “nasty birds” ignored him, being too busy fighting over the corn on my ledge. I eased off my fighting pose, dizzy from healing, and sat on my stool.
“Not tomorrow, Tuesday’s my day off. I leave early to visit my family,” I said. “And tomorrow is our day in Magistrate’s Court. It starts the hour after sunrise.”
“Ugh!” Rosto said, grimacing. “They don’t pay you enough, sweetheart.”
I scowled at him. I’ll never tell him that I like his company. The extra food is nice, of course, particularly at the start of the day. I’d bite my tongue off before I said it, but Rosto is funny.
Very well. The truth, since I am the only one who reads this.
He makes my skin, my peaches, and my other parts tingle in an agreeable way. Naught will come of it. He
’s clearly meant to be more than an ordinary rusher, which means that one day he and I will be on the wrong sides of an argument. Besides, he’s got Aniki and Kora. I’d druther be their friend than their rival.
But it’s good, after the dark and the scares of night duty, to sit in daylight with food and interesting folk. Clever folk, who know how to laugh. Who know how to make me laugh, when doing so doesn’t make my cheek hurt.
Ersken and Verene came not long after Rosto with sausage rolls and gossip. One of the barons in Unicorn found out his lady wife was canoodling with an Earl. Rank or no, a challenge had been issued. Mistress Bircher, wife of the head of the Silversmiths’ Guild, presented her man with twins. That was Flash District. Flash Dogs would have the joy of guarding that celebration when it happened. We would have a quiet night, as many of our foists and thieves went to help themselves there.
“Remember Alacia?” Verene asked me. To our crooked friends she said, “She’s another Puppy, named in tribute to His Majesty’s first Queen. Well, till yesterday she was on Day Watch in Unicorn. Then my lord of Olau got word that his youngest and only son has been flirtin’ with a pretty Puppy.”
“Fast work,” Aniki said with respect. “You lot have been on duty, what, five days?”
“Four, not counting today,” Ersken said. He’s a stickler for numbers.
“Anyway,” Verene said. She hates it when wonderful gossip is interrupted. I never interrupt, because she has better gossip than most Dogs. Her mother is a barmaid at Naxen’s Fancy, where they hear everything as soon as it happens. “Anyway, the lad’s noble father pitched a fit at the Unicorn kennel, and they switched Alacia with Clarke. He was on Night Watch at Prettybone. So now she’s on Night Watch.”
Rosto rubbed his chin. “So this Alacia’s a sweet armful? I’ll look out for her, Dog or not.”
Aniki gave him a hard elbow. “Don’t you have enough women in your life, Rosto?”
