of his homeland, so far beneath ground that we had to crawl down a tunnel to reach him."
Fear and discomfort silenced angry murmurs among the crowd. Brenden stepped forward, backing Ellinwood away.
"If anyone doubts that this town was plagued by the undead," Brenden called out, "he can go dig up my sister and see what was done to her. Thieves and murderers don't leave teeth marks. They don't drink blood."
By this point, he was standing among the crowd.
"This coward you call a constable has known of these creatures for years, and he's done nothing to protect you! The warehouse may be gone, but at least your children are safe. You should be thanking this man behind me. You should be thanking that woman." He pointed past the crowd.
When Leesil looked beyond the dockworkers, he saw Magiere standing alone in the street. He'd never seen her resemble a warrior so vividly. Tall and lithe in her leather armor, with her falchion hanging casually from her waist, she stared at the mass of people through haunted eyes.
Grime and smoke streaked her cheeks and hands. A thin red line stood out on her throat.
No one spoke. Then one of the guards, with a cold look on his face, stepped away from the crowd, walking toward her.
Leesil watched Magiere closely. There was no way he could get through the crowd to her in time if this guard tried to take out his anger on her, and she'd been through too much.
The young guard stepped up to her. Everyone in the street became silent, waiting to see what would happen. He just stood there quietly, looking her in the face.
"My brother disappeared two years ago," he said. "I'm not arresting anybody."
He said nothing more, but turned and walked away. The other two guards paused, and then followed him.
Ellinwood puffed three breaths, and Leesil knew the constable had lost his hold. If his guards refused to take action, he himself was useless. But why was Ellinwood so angry? He wasn't posturing here for the benefit of pretending to do his job. And the fleshy beast certainly did not care about any of Miiska's working-class families. So what caused this surge of venom over the lost warehouse?
Magiere moved straight through the crowd. Leesil quickly stepped aside to let her in. She didn't speak.
Brenden was still bristling at the constable. Leesil faced the dockworkers and shook his head.
"Go home, please. If you want ale or a game of cards, we open at dusk." He glanced at Ellinwood. "Cheer yourself. There's nothing for you to hide from now."
The first stab of real pleasure he'd experienced in days washed over him as half the crowd regarded their constable with open disgust. People began to break off and walk away. Ellinwood, however, wasn't finished.
"Amends will be made," he said, in the most serious voice Leesil had ever heard him use. "If I have to confiscate your bank notes and sell this tavern and the smithy to do it."
Brenden's fury increased, and Leesil feared his friend might attack the frustrated and equally enraged Ellinwood.
"Don't kill him," the half-elf said tiredly. "Or you really will be arrested, and I don't have a copper left to bail you out."
Dry humor was the only tool he had left, but it worked. Brenden held his ground, relaxing slightly.
"You do what you have to," Leesil told the constable. "But I somehow doubt the town council will allow you to sell anything that belongs to us over this."
Ellinwood looked shocked at these words, and Leesil decided the conversation was over. He reached out for Brenden's arm and pulled him into the tavern, leaving Ellinwood and the few remaining townsfolk out in the street. He then placed a wooden bar in the door's metal bracket.
"Let him knock if he wants to." But no sound came.
Inside, the common room was empty. Magiere must have gone upstairs. He and Brenden were alone.
"Someone needs to clean out those claw marks on your face," Brenden said matter-of-factly. "They're going to scar as it is."
Leesil sighed and ignored the comment. "How did that rabble get started?"
"I went to see the warehouse, to make sure it collapsed. When Ellinwood and his men showed up, the dockworkers started demanding action. I tried to be honest about what happened, about why you did what you did, but they just wanted someone to blame. He used you and Magiere as scapegoats, got everyone worked up. I couldn't stop them before they reached the tavern."
Leesil stoked the fire. Well,