Necrophobia (33 page)

“Good session.” Claire offered the water canteen over and Hayley took it gratefully. “Again sometime?”

“If you can handle another thrashing.” She drank deep and wiped her mouth off. “I’m good for something at least eh?”

“Inspector Thorn doesn’t seem to like you much.” She watched the Night Guard with interest.

“He doesn’t like anyone much and that’s the truth.”

Sensing she’d touched a nerve Claire nodded and offered a smile. “True. He’s been civil enough to me so far.”

“As well he might.” Hayley snorted. “If it weren’t for us he’d still be strapped to that mad woman’s operating table.”

“Any sign of her since?” Sevaur asked. He’d been sat at the sidelines watching from a bench he stood up and walked towards them.

“Nope. And we’ve got little from Natascha before Inquisitor Pietas took over.”

“Every time we get close we lose the trail.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“We’ll get them don’t you worry. It just takes time. Thorn’s combed through the warehouse and we’ve got people investigating the leads your brother found. Something will come up.”

“You sound certain.”

“I am.” Hayley nodded with a sly grin. “I’ve been doing this a while. All we need to do is be ready when trouble strikes.”

“Whatever they’ve got planned it’ll happen tonight.” Sevaur looked towards Claire for reassurance. “I’m sure of it.”

“They’ve lost at least two hideouts. There’s only so many places they can hide.” She turned her gaze back on Hayley. “I just hope the Night Guard are ready. If we back them in a corner they’ll lash out.”

“Let Isobel and Veronica worry about that.” Hayley drew her sword and turned towards Sevaur sword aimed at him. “Let’s see what you’re made of Soranus.”

With a meek shrug he drew his own blade and donned a protective mask. “As you wish.”

She replaced her protective mask with a grin and their blades met before parting. Hayley opened with a jab towards his face with viper speed. Sevaur moved aside and batted the blade away with his own sword but kept his distance. He’d made a point of studying her technique as she duelled Claire and was now putting that to good use. Each time she struck, stabbed and slashed at him he either moved aside with impressive grace or parried the sword away. Claire watched as her friend circled around the Night Guard evading her attacks and always keeping just out of reach. He preferred a defensive approach; goading the officer to overextend and leave herself open to attack. Despite her wealth of experience it was working, she struck faster and harder to catch him but each time he evaded and redirected her momentum where he was not. Each time she got close he’d whirl around and be just outside of her reach. As she lunged forwards he stepped inside her guard and held his sword to Hayley’s throat.

“That’s one.” Claire said, her voice almost lost over their heavy breathing and the sounds of other sparring sessions around them. She felt a vicarious thrill after her own humiliating defeats but kept her tone as neutral as she could. It wouldn’t do to antagonise Hayley over a practice session. She refused to be that petty.

Hayley nodded in acknowledgement and the two fighters stepped back ready for a second round.

“Not bad.” Hayley conceded. “I recognised the heraldry on your shield Soranus.” She pointed with the tip of her sword towards the discarded shield. The Soranus family crest was an escutcheon bearing distinctive stylised wolf heads. “A family of respected knights as I recall.”

Sevaur’s gaze lingered on the shield. “We were.”

A chuckle escaped Hayley’s throat. “Worry not. Thanks to me the Rosenfelds are a dirty word around here.”

Sevaur nodded but remained silent, the expressionless mesh of the protective training mask stared back at her. Claire never found out exactly what it was that brought dishonour to the Soranus family but she’d pieced together that it was something their parents had done. Reiner responded by pursuing greater accomplishments in the Caelites to compensate. Whilst the weight of responsibility became too heavy a burden on Sevaur’s shoulders. He’d become a Knight-errant, a black knight. A knight without a master or a cause.

“What’s done is done. You ready?” Sevaur raised his sword and tapped Hayley’s in preparation. With a mutual nod they stepped back and the fight began.

Hayley opened again holding her sword with both hands slashing forwards forcing Sevaur back. He grunted with exertion as the tip scratched the dull metal of his breastplate. Once again the Night Guard was a flurry of brutal jabs and swings she fought to overwhelm and destroy. Each block and parry forced Sevaur further and further on the defensive as Hayley’s momentum forced him back. Claire recalled her own attempts at defending herself against such raw aggression, the intensity of Hayley’s fighting style. Even clad in protective armour and under the guise of training she’d felt exposed and vulnerable as Hayley smashed through her defence.

“Don’t let her back you into a corner!” Claire shouted over the clashing of blades. She circled the two warriors watching for foul play and wishing she could help more.

“I won’t.” Sevaur grunted in response. He launched himself forward smashing aside Hayley’s sword and regaining his ground.

He retaliated in kind with a cunning feint followed by a downward swing that Hayley threw herself to one side to avoid.

“You’re getting better.” She managed through gritted teeth.

Still inside his reach she kicked out with her leg her boot catching him in the chest. He grunted as his stumbled backwards and Hayley moved in with another heavy handed blow to his exposed chest. Unable to bring up his sword in time Sevaur cursed and a dazzling flash of blue erupted from his hands and caught the Night Guard’s sword. The translucent blue shield fizzled and crackled with energy as the iron training sword bit deeper into it. The natural anti-magic properties of iron biting their way through his makeshift shield. It bought him enough time to rally and throw himself forwards. His pauldron caught her in the chest and forced her backwards with a grunt of amusement before the shield disappeared as soon as it had appeared. With his curly black hair and ramshead pauldrons Sevaur reminded her greatly of the rams and yaks back home head-butting each other for dominance.

“You trying to kill me?” He breathed as he bought himself some breathing room from the unrelenting fury of the Night Guard officer.

“Trying to help you.” She managed in response as she parried another of his blows to one side. “You didn’t mention anything about magic.”

He chuckled and with his free hand blocked her retaliatory strike with his magic. Hayley stepped back and circled around him as his shield flickered.

“It’s not against the rules.” Claire consulted the list she’d received earlier. “Defensive magic only.”

Sevaur held up his left hand and flexed the metal gauntlet. As a magic user and a knight platemail, often interfered with magic casting. Iron blocked and disrupted the natural flow of magic and was difficult to alter or forge with magic at all. Some got around this by wielding a bladed staff made from magically-reactive materials and woods; others like the Caelites took a different approach. Sevaur’s gauntlets were asymmetrical. His left gauntlet made from steel and Spellstone alloys to facilitate the use of magic and inlaid with fine runic circuitry.

“My brother had this made for me.” He said with a twinge of pride in his voice. “It’s based on the Caelite’s own armour.”

Hayley nodded with interest. “I’d always wondered how they could work such magics in their armour.” She patted her own breastplate for emphasis. “Silver’s better for magic.”

Hayley resumed her assault testing his shield for weakness and probing for an opening with lightning-fast jabs and slashes. Her strength was impressive, Claire was no slouch either — a lifetime of bow hunting required far above average strength. She’d underestimated the Night Guard’s strength until her bone-crushing technique wised her up, a mistake she wasn’t keen to repeat.

Sevaur advanced closer expanding his reflective dome of translucent blue to cover more of his body. His sword meeting Hayley’s with greater ferocity, each trying to redirect the others momentum rather than block the strike directly. That way lead to shattered swords and the tip snapping off as Claire had been quick to discover.

“If it’s magic you want.” Hayley lowered her sword and raised her free arm. “It’s magic you get.” A torrent of water erupted from her gloved fingertips and struck Sevaur in his face. The metal mesh was far from waterproof and he coughed and shielded his face with his arms. Hayley moved in quick and kicked his legs out from under him throwing him to the floor. As he coughed and spluttered she tapped his chest with uncharacteristic gentleness with the tip of her sword and removed her helmet.

“One to me.” She grinned towards Claire.

Claire shook her head. “Defensive magic.
Defensive!
”

“That is defensive. It doesn’t harm you unless you’re a vampire, which—” She looked down at the young Knight-errant struggling to remove his protective mask. “Our friend here isn’t. No harm done.”

“Says you.” He managed. He brushed aside the damp locks of hair out of his eyes and looked up defiantly. “That’s cheating.”

“Cheating? You fight to win, to survive.” Hayley looked down at him with a glacial expression. “The Night Guard tombs are filled with the bodies of those who fight fair.”

Sevaur scowled and grabbed her blade with his left hand. Flames erupted from his finger tips and consumed his hand without burning him. The metal blade began to glow red and smoulder forcing Hayley to drop it with a clatter. The molten and brittle blade snapped in half as it hit the stone floor. He extinguished the roaring flame in his hand with a snap of his fingers. “As you wish.”

Claire extended her hand and pulled the fallen Knight-errant up with a grin. “You did well.”

Hayley’s expression and tone softened. “I just wish to impress upon you the seriousness of this situation. Fight to win, don’t fight fair. A moment’s hesitation and you’ll end up either dead or turned.”

Sevaur nodded and rubbed his sore shoulders. “You sound like Adrian. But I take your point.”

“Let’s call that a draw.” Claire said watching them lock eyes. “We came here to learn and I’ve learnt a lot.”

“Good. You’ve both got a lot of potential but you lack the instincts you need to see it through. That’ll come with time and training.” Hayley bent down and retrieved the cooling fragments of her training sword. “It took me a while to learn those. That’s normal. I am pleased with your progress.”

The distinctive clacking of metal upon stone entered the sparring hall and Isobel hurried towards them. In the little time she’d known the retired Inquisitor she always seemed to be in a hurry; always rushing off without warning or concern. She refused to allow either age or injury slow her down, unwilling to accept her declining health. She looked tired at all times, nowhere more so than her eyes. Behind her forced determination and will she seemed to be running on empty and liable to stop at any moment.

“There you are.” She rested herself upon her cane and scowled between Claire and Sevaur. “You’re shielded.” Her blunt and confrontational demeanour still took some getting used to.

Claire reached under her outfit and pulled out the psychic-nullifying pendant Adrian had given her. As Isobel drew closer the stone grew colder and colder upon her bare skin.

“If we’re trying to fight a telekinetic madman we’ll need all the help we can get.” Claire replied perhaps more defensively than she intended. “I remember the last time all too well.”

“You realise that means you’re also shielded from me?” It was difficult to meet Isobel’s stare. Even protected from psychic intrusion it still felt as though she could see right through you. Years of experience as both an Inquisitor and interrogator bored into Claire.

“I couldn’t resist compulsion yesterday either.” She held Isobel’s stare as best she could. “Morana had me at her mercy.”

“That’s true.” Hayley conceded. “We’ll work on that once we get more time.”

“Time is a luxury we don’t have.” Isobel rounded on Hayley. She leaned in closer upon seeing the nearby Night Guard sparring throughout the great hall. “Haures may shield himself from my senses but his followers cannot. There’s a mass of activity near the noble quarters.”

“Pavlovich.” It wasn’t a question.

“Of course. We’ll need to reinforce security here. It’s possible they might attempt a breakout.”

“A few days ago I’d have questioned whether they’d attack such a well defended building but I saw what they did to the Caelite stronghold.” Sevaur stared into the distance sizing up the hall as water dripped down his face and nose. “Is the morgue secure?”

“Secure as it can be.” Isobel replied.

“If I had to guess I’d say it’s better defended than your Caelite’s mortuary. We anticipate body-snatching, evidence tampering and vampiric sedition here. The morgue can be locked and reinforced.” Hayley grabbed her nearest bag of supplies and handed him a towel as way of apology. “No slight towards the Caelites intended. We get all sorts around here.”

“I’ve cross-referenced the information your brother shared with us with what I know. We’ve got the advantage in that we’re expecting trouble.” Isobel shifted her weight on her cane and grumbled.

“They might have spies and traitors planted within the Night Guard.” Claire lowered her voice even further. “Captain Falkner was one of the Caelites’ best and brightest.”

Isobel nodded in acknowledgement. “A strong possibility.”

“So what do you want us to do?”

“We’ve turned up a number of documents and maps within the warehouse that suggest a possible assault on Lord Strigoi’s manor. I want all of you and the Caelites close by whilst we confirm. It might just be nothing. Traitors and insurgents are common as rats in some parts but I don’t like taking risks.” Isobel’s gaze lingered on Claire’s pendant and she realised she’d been idly fiddling with the stone as they spoke. She tucked it back under her armour and felt the ice-cold touch of rock once more. “It is better for us to treat this as a serious attempt. Veronica and I are in agreement on this. It’ll take some time for Chief-Superintendent Warren to allocate us more resources. The plague has us stretched thin.”