Page 65 of Inferno
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“Blimey, the square’s busy today,” Stanley said aloud, as they finally pulled into the centre of the city.
“Everyone coming out to see the demon,” Yorin said, aware that every word might be overheard, and so he had to stick to the official public script, where Nerik was concerned. Even so, it pained him to use the word.
Head over towards the cage,Stanley instructed Rimdolen, making a show of ‘steering’ the unicorn through the crowd. From where they were, the cage was in the same direction as the entrance to the barracks.Then stop just past it, and I’ll walk from there.
Rimdolen did an admirable job of guiding them through the crowd, stopping less than five metres from the cage. While they’d been crossing the square, Kit and Gosta had ‘accidentally’ got in Rimdolen’s way, while they continued muttering between themselves and pointing at the cage. Keeping up appearances, just like Stanley and Rimdolen.
“Great gods, is this the bastard?” Stanley said to Kit as he climbed down from the cart, looking over at the cage. Yorin followed him, slotting in beside Kit. Nerik was much as he had been before, sitting in the centre of the cage and doing his best to ignore the spectators.
“Strange and new things happening in Minia,” Kit said aloud. Telepathically, she said,Thank you so much for coming,to Rimdolen, and it took Yorin a moment to realise that the link he had to Rimdolen’s mind had just got both wider and louder. He also quickly realised that he was going to be following two conversations at the same time – their spoken one, for the public’s benefit, and their telepathic one.
But a moment later, Yorin realised that Kit and Gosta weren’t the only ones to have joined the conversation.
You’re wasting your time.The words were strong and firm, and Yorin’s knees wobbled as he recognised Nerik’s voice.You can’t save me. Don’t risk your own safety trying.
I will not be abandoning you,Yorin told him forcefully.
Nor will I,Rimdolen immediately backed him up.
“I say, what a day it is!” A new voice broke into the clamour around them. “Kit, is that you? Fancy running into you here! And they’ve caught a demon. What a lark!” Yorin turned around to see a middle-aged woman coming their way, with Mintesh following at a discreet distance behind her. The woman’s brown hair was tied in a long braid, and she wore plain clothes – a brown skirt that reached to her ankles and a cream shirt. Both were designed for practicality, rather than style, and Yorin privately thought that he could make something far more flattering for the woman.
“Beetie, how lovely to see you!” Kit rushed over to the woman, embracing her in a tight hug, and Yorin recalled that she was the extra witch that Kit had called in. “How’s everything at the shop?”
“Busy, busy, as it always is this time of year. Everyone’s rushing to enjoy the end of the summer season before all the flowers die for the winter.”
Beetie’s a florist,Kit filled Yorin in.Yorin is Nerik’s boyfriend.Yorin blushed at that, this being the first time their relationship had been acknowledged in such a public way.He’s a human.
Oh gods, what a terrible situation this is for you, then,Beetie said, keeping her beaming smile on her face. But there was no mistaking the genuine sympathy in her tone.We’ll find a way out of this, mark my words. Come on, then, fill me in on all the details. What are we dealing with here?
Wait a moment, Forlegard’s coming,Gosta interrupted.No point telling the whole thing twice.
Tschecee’s already here, Kit informed them.He just went to buy a pastry to give him an excuse to hang around. He’s not the type to just stand and admire the view.
“Where on earth did they find this creature?” Beetie asked, looking Nerik up and down.
“Hopefully not too far from the gate,” Kit replied. “Not sure how it got past the warriors in the first place.”
Rimdolen, how far is your range for this conversation?Yorin asked.
About six metres in any direction,came the reply.
“Zandro! Come here, boy. Over here… Good boy,” Yorin called the fire-dog to him.Sorry, I know you’re not a pet.
Zandro came trotting over.Pretend pet. Just for today. Hi, fancy unicorn!
Greetings, Zandro,Rimdolen replied, with admirable forbearance.
“I might go and take a seat on the bench,” Yorin told Stanley. “It’s a bit loud over here. But please let me know what you decide to do with the unicorn. The whole thing’s thoroughly fascinating.”It’s going to look odd if we all stand around in a big group,he told the rest of them.Can we find discreet places to spread out a little while we have this conversation?
There shouldn’t be a conversation,Nerik said.None of you should be here.
Thankfully, everyone ignored Nerik for the moment. Yorin and Zandro went to sit down on a bench next to a picnic table, while Stanley busied himself ‘checking’ the harness on Rimdolen, and Kit dragged Beetie over to another table, Mintesh joining them, where Kit started showing Beetie her collection of bracelets.
“Gosta, is that you?” A huge man came striding over; tall, as well as thick with muscle. Then again, if this was the blacksmith that Maky had been sent to collect, it was little wonder he was that size. “What are you doing out of the hospital? With you it’s usually all work and no play.”
“They do let me out now and then to eat,” Gosta said. “How’s your wrist, by the way? Still giving you trouble?” She led Forlegard off to the side, ostensibly to have a closer look at his ‘injured’ wrist.