We turned a corner onto one of the main streets. Streetcar tracks ran down the middle, flanked by five- and six-story buildings, illuminated by the amber glow of street lamps every thirty paces. Neat, cold, yet the company made it feel cozy.
“By the way, I assume you know which way we should be going,” I said.
“It would be rather silly of me not to know the way to my own home, Mister Thistlewood.”
“A home you moved into today in a city you moved into a month ago.”
“Two and a half months.”
“I meant no offense. Just thatIwon’t be of much help. I don’t even know if there are sections of the city to avoid at night.”
She fell silent a moment.
As I glanced into the shadows of an alley, my imagination began to act up.
“The count never mentioned any sort of criminal activity,” she said. “And I never considered the idea that some areas of the city might be unsavory.”
“I don’t know either. My home city of Thorncove is too small to really have distinct districts. In Arania, there are definitely places to avoid at night. Here?Halamar always had the reputation as a clean, safe, well-organized former imperial city.”
“Reputations are often exaggerated. The count would certainly see to it.” She gestured down a side street. “This way.”
“It feels like we’ve already walked more than two kilometers.”
“Perhaps it is three, I did not wish to concern you, Mister Thistlewood.”
“Please call—” I froze in my tracks.
“Call what?”
“The street lamp is out oddly close to that alley.” Things did break, even in a city like Halamar, but this was the only one I recall seeing out all evening.
“Now that you mention it.” Her hand fell to the hilt of her saber.
I slid my second hand to the shaft of my scythe-axe, grasping it like a weapon rather than a walking stick. “Is there another way to reach your place?”
“Most certainly.”
We spun to face a trio of thugs who’d managed to approach from behind much more stealthily than their appearance and size would suggest.
Oof. And smell.
“Well, it looks like a princess and a dandy. Aren’t those cute little uniforms.” The apparent leader was a touch taller than I and as wide as Sephimara and I put together. He was human, perhaps late 20s, and I caught flashes of leather and chain mail armor beneath adamp cloak. Neither he nor his two companions brandished weapons, but I had no doubt they were there somewhere.
So, first, three elves berate me for being out of uniform, now these three… “Yes. Wouldn’t have been my first choice of colors.” As I sidestepped, Sephimara moved with me.
“I thank you gentlemen for your insightful comments,” she said. “We will leave you to it.”
The three spread out to block us.
“The thing is, what you need around here… isprotection.”The leader flipped his cloak over his shoulders, revealing half a dozen scabbards. Being right about him carrying weapons wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been. “Them uniforms don’t look like they do much good against the slash of a cutlass.”
“Or the smack of a mace,” said the second.
“Or a little poke from a crossbow,” said the third.
Damn! Where was Brenda and her ceremonial shotgun when you need her.
Three versus two. They were bigger than we were. And with at least one carrying a ranged weapon, running could get us shot in the back.
