clean. He imagined a jumper would make quite a mess when they finally splattered onto the streets hundreds of feet below. He had no intention of ending his own life, but the boredom was starting to get to him.
‘I just don’t understand it,’ he said, deciding that if Three-Finger wasn’t going to participate in this discussion then he might as well talk for both of them. ‘All I’ve ever wanted is to make the world a better place. I risked my life trying to save an old man from the Black Lottery, did you know that? A waste of time that was.’
Three-Finger said nothing.
‘Even among the Shards I never seem to receive the recognition I deserve.’ He sighed and stretched out his muscles. It was another mild evening, at least.
‘The problem is envy,’ he said quietly. ‘Sometimes I wish I wasn’t the son of a legendary hero. If I was just a common sort – like you, Three-Finger – no one would begrudge me respect. I’ve worked so damned hard to become the man I am. That’s what people don’t appreciate.’
Three-Finger grunted and shifted slightly. He took that as an encouraging sign.
‘I’ve faced prejudice throughout my life. I suppose others might have become bitter long ago. Me, I’ve always seen it as a challenge. Just one more obstacle to overcome. Like when I became the youngest Shard in our history.’ That wasn’t strictly true – Sasha had been seventeen when she was inducted into the group, a good few months younger than him – but she was a girl and therefore didn’t really count.
Three-Finger fidgeted again and made a growling noise that sounded suspiciously like a fart.
‘Did I ever tell you about Sasha? She has eyes you could lose yourself in. I knew from the moment we met that she was the one.’
He stared out across the city. Torchlight flickered far below like fireflies, illuminating very little from this height. Other towers loomed in the darkness here and there, like ghostly fingers in the starlight. For a moment Cole thought he could hear distant screams. He cocked his head and listened intently, but this time he heard only silence.
He sighed. Being stuck on top of this tower was making him paranoid. ‘When I finally make it back to Dorminia, I’m going to tell Sasha how I really feel about her,’ he ventured. ‘She isn’t like other girls. I think something bad happened to her when she was young. She’s hard work, but I’m slowly winning her around.’ He grinned suddenly. ‘It would take a girl like Sasha to keep a man like me in check.’
Three-Finger finally rolled over to face him. His head was hidden underneath his cloak, but he sounded exasperated. ‘I can’t take much more of you talking bollocks, kid. Give it a rest.’
Cole frowned. ‘I’m just trying to stave off the boredom,’ he replied. ‘Maybe you should have a walk around and stretch your legs. You’ve been huddled up like that for hours.’
‘What’s the point? It’s not like there’s anything to see.’
Something had been bothering Cole. He decided now was the time to bring it up. ‘You know what the White Lady said – about you being a rapist. It’s not true is it? The Watch just made up those charges against you, didn’t they?’
Three-Finger looked up at him. The corner of the convict’s mouth twitched slightly. ‘Of course it ain’t true. Do I seem like that kind of man to you?’
Cole frowned thoughtfully. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You don’t.’
‘Well then. There you are.’ Three-Finger stuck one of the fingers of his maimed hand inside his ear, wriggled it about, and then withdrew it to examine the contents. ‘Get some sleep, kid.’
That night the weather took a turn for the worse. The gusting wind set Cole’s teeth to chattering, and he warmed himself with thoughts of Sasha and their eventual reunion. He would have some tales to share with her and Garrett and the rest when he returned to Dorminia. Whenever that might be.
The following night his captors came for him.
The metal grate in the roof shifted slightly. Cole watched it glumly, expecting two meagre platefuls of bland food and a jug of water to be shoved up through the bars. Instead, he was shocked to see the steel hatch spring open and two of the White Lady’s pale servants climb out onto the roof. They were followed by a third figure, this one wearing a cowl that completely hid its face.