They avoided eye contact and did their level best to ignore Anatoly and Magda.
Shouts of alarm filtered through the frigid morning air from their pursuers, but they were fading into the distance as Anatoly and Magda moved deeper into the city. Closer to Whitehall, the slums gave way to homes and shops constructed from stone with stout wooden doors, yet none were made from the white marble of Zuhl’s fortress.
“We need a place to hole up until nightfall,” Anatoly said.
“I agree,” Magda said. “Perhaps that house would do.”
“Judging from the smoke coming out of the chimney, I suspect someone’s home,” Anatoly said. “I’d rather not kill anyone who doesn’t have it coming.”
“Again, I agree,” Magda said. “Give me a few moments to prepare and I can subdue them without bloodshed.”
Anatoly nodded and she began casting another spell.
He knocked forcefully on the door. “By order of Lord Zuhl, you are commanded to open this door,” he shouted.
A woman timidly opened the door, her eyes wide with fear. Before she could utter a word, Magda reached out and touched her on the forehead. The woman’s eyes closed and she slumped to the floor. Anatoly entered quickly, followed by Magda. An elderly man sat by the fire eyeing them suspiciously, two children peeked around the corner of the doorframe leading out of the main room of the house. Magda closed and barred the front door.
“We won’t harm you if you don’t give us cause,” Anatoly said, pointing his war axe at the old man.
“I’m old and frail,” the man said, rocking in his chair, “you have nothing to fear from me, but my son will be home this evening. If you’re still here when he returns, he’ll gut you both while his sons watch.”
“Come, children,” Magda said to the two young boys in the other room. They stayed where they were.
“It’s all right, boys,” the old man said. “Our guests won’t harm you.” He fixed Anatoly with a look that was both a command and a desperate plea.
“Is there anyone else in your household?” Anatoly asked.
“No, just the four of us,” the old man said, as the two boys went to their grandfather.
“I think I’ll have a look around just to be sure,” Anatoly said.
“I thought you might,” the old man said, looking into his tea.
Anatoly returned a few moments later. “Three rooms and a cellar. Just the one door in the front and a window in back that’s barred. I think we’re good.”
Magda nodded.
“What did you do to my mother?” demanded one of the boys.
“She will wake in a few minutes,” Magda said.
Anatoly slung his axe, carefully picked the woman up and gently laid her on the couch.
“We have no quarrel with you,” he said. “We just need a place to stay for a few hours.”
“What did you do?” the old man asked. “Speak out against Lord Zuhl? Or are you just common criminals?”
“That doesn’t concern you,” Magda said.
“Fair enough,” the old man said, “the less I know the less I can tell the soldiers when they question me.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Magda said.
The woman woke with a start, sitting up and looking around frantically. “Who are you? Why have you invaded our home?”
“We mean you no harm,” Magda said. “All we need is a place to hide for a few hours, then we’ll be on our way.”
The woman looked at her boys, the beginning of panic spreading across her face. “And then what? Will you kill us? The soldiers will surely question us about your whereabouts. How can you afford to leave us unharmed knowing that we’ll go to the authorities the moment we can?”
“Hush, Kayla,” the old man said. “Why don’t you make us another pot of tea? My cup has grown cold.”
She looked from him to Anatoly, then back to the old man and nodded, getting up and going to a cabinet.
“You’re not from the Isle of Zuhl, are you?” the old man said. “No, I thought not. You are clearly a seasoned warrior and you carry a weapon of rank, yet you treat this woman as an equal. That is not our way, so I can only surmise that you have come from another isle. That makes you an enemy of Lord Zuhl.”
He fell silent and nodded to himself, smiling slightly. “There was a great explosion early this morning. Such a thing would make an excellent distraction, don’t you think?”
“Stop speculating about us,” Anatoly said. “You’re an old soldier and you’re trying to gather information.”