Perilous Portents

“Verik … he’s upstairs … with Sven,” the badly wounded ex-guardsman gasped, barely clinging to consciousness. Tomas’ arrowheads still protruded from his chest, and his blood was pooling rapidly on the floor around him. Wren quickly tended to his wounds, more intent on just keeping him alive than doing any real healing. Nat pulled the door quietly closed behind them, worried about another wave of attackers rushing down the stairs.

All The World’s Meat

“What now?” Jax asked as they left the Gray District. They had just left Madame Zellara’s head in the care of the clerics of Pharasma and the day was still young. “Should we head back to the Citadel, to see if Kroft has another assignment for us?” He had not been in favor of joining forces with the Korvosan Guard, but so far their work for them had been lucrative, and the weight of coins in his pockets helped overcome any other qualms he might have.

What’s Lost is Found

“Oh man, it’s good to have my stomach full again!” Nat sighed. When they’d returned the missing marine to the Sable Company at the Great Tower, Commandant Endrin had insisted they eat at the Company’s mess, and had given them several days rations to tide them over until things settled down. All the marines had been excited to see their returned comrade, and had slapped the party’s backs and congratulated them on his rescue, but Nat had noticed that none of them spoke to Tomas; in fact, they wouldn’t even make eye contact with him. He wondered what that was all about.

But for now, all he cared about was getting off the streets. They were making their way back across town from the Great Tower to Madame Zellara’s. They were in the nicest area of the city, literally in the shadow of Castle Korvosa, but there was still evidence of recent violence, even if things were quiet now. Shadow stopped at a street corner, and the rest of the group halted with him. “You know,” he said, pointing down the street, towards the castle, “the jeweler who made that brooch we found at Lamm’s is just up this street. Maybe we should go there and see what he can tell us about it.” Nat still wondered how Shadow knew where the Queen’s brooch had been made, but he didn’t ask. He’d decided there was probably quite a lot about his new comrades he’d be better off not knowing.

Hippogriff Down!

“Die, dandy!” someone shouted. “Death to the false Queen!” The party found their way blocked by a mob of rioters. They were surrounding a beardless young nobleman and a gruff-looking Korvosan Guardsman. “You all go on home and sleep it off, and no one will get hurt. Otherwise, you’ll spend the night in a cell, or worse!” the Guardsman warned, his sword drawn protectively, but the mob was uncowed. “You can go to hell, Queen’s Man!” someone shouted, and the circle began to tighten around the pair.

Jax was looking for an alternate route out when Nat spoke up. “Hey!” he exclaimed, peering at the guardsman in the light of the streetlamps. “I know that guy!”

 

Just Missed Him!

“Do you see anything?” Nat hissed in a stage whisper from the dock outside. He and Shadow had stayed behind while the others delivered Lamm’s Lambs to the orphanage, and Shadow had somehow convinced him to explore the derelict ship moored behind Lamm’s hideout in the old fishery. Now there was a huge dead spider on the deck (at least he hoped it was dead – the legs still twitched occasionally), and Shadow had gone into the ship’s cabin to explore.