Night of Knives/Chapter 6

Resolutions

Seal's house

Kiska awakens in the front room of Seal's home, its door still smashed from its hinges. Her attempt to stand is painful but she manages to limp to the table. Seal says he had to mend her sprained knees, bruised kidney, and torn muscles, but with some rest she will mend. Her clothes, however, were a total loss and had to be burned. She demands to know what happened to the men who were with her. Seal replies that both will live, although the Seti required much skilled healing. He insists she has something to eat before telling her where they are. Having eaten, Kiska guesses that the men await her at the wharf and Seal admits she is right, giving her credit for being so astute.

Malaz City harbour

Kiska limps down to the harbour where she finds a bandaged Hattar shaving on the deck of the message cutter. She calls out to the ship and Tayschrenn comes out on deck appearing fully rested. She pleads for him to take her with them. Tayschrenn turns to his bodyguard who says Kiska has potential but little discipline. Perhaps with several years of training she might make a successful bodyguard. Kiska hides her displeasure poorly. Finally, Hattar says their ship is leaving in two bells, with or without her. A beaming Kiska rushes to gather her things and say farewell to Agayla and her mother.

Agayla's Shop

Agayla sits exhausted in her shop with the beginnings of a cold. Kiska has never seen her ill, but Agayla chalks it up to one of the most trying night's she has ever known. Kiska says her goodbyes and as she departs Agayla tells her not to keep Artan waiting.

Mock's Hold

Temper makes his way to the Hold where a panicked crowd congregates outside calling for Sub-Fist Pell. Temper awakens Lubben to allow him through the side entrance. The fortress is a beehive of activity. He stops Wess, a new recruit, to ask for Larkin, but Wess breathlessly tells him Larkin has been arrested for refusing to stand his post during the night. At the barracks, Temper feigns ignorance of the previous night's events with Lieutenant Chase, who chastises him for his ignorance and drunken devotion to the bottle. Chase confides that there has been an assassination attempt in the tower but the garrison did not find out until it was over, and Temper has a bit of fun at his superior's expense.

Up on the walls overlooking the harbour, Temper feels satisfied for the first time in a long while. Once again, he has stepped into the gap and held the wall. He hopes Corinn will stay as he suspects that he will spend a long time on the Island and at the Hanged Man Inn. He watches the message cutter from the previous day swiftly leaving for the open sea and idly speculates what it was that brought it to the island.