The first man to notice him took a step back in surprise, his mouth opening to cry out, but no sound came. Marn darted out from behind him, leaving her leading sword in his throat. She pivoted around the man and slashed across the face of the next penitent to turn her way. The group had barely registered her presence when Capan danced forward from the other side, his blades swinging in unison. One fell, then another in the next swift stroke. Venn himself was already moving, slicing across a wrist, dodging sideways around a spear, cutting across a man’s mouth . . .
He didn’t wait to watch the penitent fall but kicked the one he’d winged and drove him back into the last man standing. Before either could recover their balance Marn had finished them both off with an elegant double swipe.
Venn didn’t see any point in hanging around waiting for more temple troops to arrive. He led the Harlequins into the tight, twisting streets and on to find Kail. As they arrived, Kail stepped out from a covered walkway, dragging with him a woman with dyed coppery hair and a split lip, cradling a broken arm.
‘Your instincts were correct,’ Kail informed Venn with a bow.
‘A devotee of the Lady?’ Venn wondered aloud. ‘What is your argument with us?’
The woman spat on the ground at his feet.
Venn could see she was trying to fight pain and shock. ‘I do not have time for this,’ he declared. ‘Bring her.’
Kail grabbed the woman by the arm, but without warning her legs went from under her and with a gasp of pain the devotee collapsed onto the ground, protecting the arm Kail had broken to subdue her.
Venn frowned. She hadn’t passed out, so the fall was intentional.
‘Going nowhere,’ the woman hissed through the pain. ‘You want to kill me, do it here.’
Venn had to laugh at her defiance, however short his humour was. ‘All I want is to know why you were following us.’
‘Piss on you,’ she snapped, ‘whoever you are. I was sent watchin’ the merchant.’
‘I can hardly let you go now,’ Venn said, drawing his sword once more.
‘That blood on your sword?’ she asked derisively. ‘Oh sure, an injured devotee of the Lady’ll run to the guards as quickly as she can when murder’s been done. Bloody love gaols, me.’
Venn thought a moment, then sheathed his sword and gestured to the others to move on. The woman looked up in surprise, but it was short-lived. He slapped away her raised hand, gripped her head and twisted it violently. There was a sharp snap as her neck broke and she fell limp.
‘Nice try,’ Venn muttered as he smashed her head against the ground, then arranged her broken arm underneath her body, ‘but I prefer not to gamble.’
He looked up at the buildings above them; the fall was easily high enough to be fatal. Quickly he climbed up on top of the walkway and stamped hard onto the overhanging tar-covered boards covering it, enough to snap a pair of them and send the pieces down to lie on the ground beside the body.
‘Plausible enough,’ he announced quietly as he lowered himself to the ground. ‘And now we must lose ourselves in night’s embrace.’
Capan gave a curt nod. ‘These deeds are done,’ he said, recognising the play Venn had quoted, ‘let the veil of darkness be our only witness.’
‘And so the game changes once again,’ Ruhen said softly. The unnatural boy was standing next to Ilumene at a high window, looking down at Byora. The room was pitch-black, lit only by the pale light of Alterr shining through the windows. This was how they both liked it, caught in the embrace of the concealing night.
‘A change too far, maybe,’ Ilumene added, idly balancing a stiletto on the back of his scarred hand.
‘How so?’
The big soldier squatted down at Ruhen’s side so he could look into the child’s shadow-laden eyes. ‘This is all happening too fast, you can’t deny that.’
‘Change is inevitable.’
‘Don’t give me that,’ Ilumene said firmly, trying to restrain his growing impatience. ‘I’m not Luerce or even Venn - I won’t swallow that without question.’
‘Good.’
Ilumene waited but Ruhen’s gaze was unblinking and eventually he realised the child was expecting him to provide the reasons himself. He sighed and sat down on the floor. With the stiletto he pointed out over the city. ‘Since he was Chosen, the Farlan boy accelerated this war with every breath he took - it’s burning hot,