Authors: Tamora Pierce
Bloodhound (10 page)
They carried Tunstall to the Mother of Healers' temple. Goodwin and I reported at last to Jane Street. Ahuda was still there, waiting for all of us from Evening Watch to report in. She ordered us home.
I came home to free Achoo from her rope tie in the garden. She slobbered and jumped up, pawing at my weapons belt, all because she was glad to see me. Pounce, though, was different. He stood on Mistress Trout's chicken coop, staring at the sky. I spoke to him three times before he so much as looked at me.
"Are you all right?" I asked. "Are you missing the other constellations?"
Pounce jumped down and walked inside ahead of me.
I do not miss them
, he told me.
They are troublesome, and some of the young ones misbehave. You look like you have been fighting
.
I frowned. Pounce
always
knows what I have done, even if he is not with me. Finally I told him, "It was nothing. Just a small riot," as I unlocked our door. "Tunstall got both legs broken."
That
got his attention. I told him what had happened as I fed him and Achoo dried meat I'd left to soak before I went out. Then I tried to write up the night's events, but I was too weary to finish. I dragged myself to my bed to sleep.
I remember trying to turn over, to find myself up against a warm body. My face was buried in coarse fur that smelled of roses. Kora's soap is rose-scented. I shoved Achoo. My arms gave me warning twinges of pain. "I don't recall saying you're allowed to sleep on this bed," I told her. I could as well have talked to a sack of flour. "There's scarce room for me and Pounce." I pushed at the hound again. Achoo moaned. I pushed harder and she yelped, fighting to sit up. She planted a paw in my eye in the doing. I brought away a hand covered in greasy ointment. I'd hit one of her sores by accident.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I told the hound, scratching her ears and gentling her, talking in my softest voice. "I never meant to hurt you. Easy, now."
Achoo washed the goo off my hand. Then she washed my face.
"Pounce, tell her there's only room for the two of us. She'll do fine on the floor. None of my lord's hounds sleep on a bed," I reminded the cat.
This bed was comfortable enough for three while you were asleep
, Pounce told me.
Let the poor creature be. You ought to be happy she still likes humans after the way she's been treated
.
"I
am
happy Achoo still likes humans," I said. "I just wish she didn't like sleeping with them. It's too hot!"
I was about to give Achoo the order to get down when I saw that she slept once again. I pushed, taking care not to touch her sores, but it was no good and it made my arms hurt. In the end, I put my back against hers and went back to sleep despite the heat. I must track Phelan down and learn the proper words to command a hound.
I had the burning man dream again. It's like it was four months ago. I see that cove run into the curst Cesspool building with his torch. I hear the bang as he slams the door and the clack as he bars it. I'm blowing my Dog whistle as hard as ever I can, but no sound's coming out. And I'm trying to run to the building, trying so hard my legs ache, but I'm too gods-curst slow, no matter how hard I push.
Then all of a sudden the whole thing is on fire. Flames stream out of all of the windows. Even though I couldn't see the faces of them that were jumping out of the building the night it happened for real, in the dream I always see them. They're burning just like the real dead burned that night, and in the dream they wear faces I know. Today it was my sisters and my brothers. They were burning alive. I was running hard to save them, but my feet hit the mud so slow, one at a time, and the burning building was moving away from me. My brother Willes was getting ready to jump. I reached out to him, my mouth open to scream.
That's when I woke. Pounce was kneading my shoulder hard. Achoo pawed my ribs, whining. I'd sweat clean through my nightdress. I always do when I have the burning dream.
"Did I shout?" I mumbled.
You never do
, Pounce said.
"Good." I stumbled to my washbasin and splashed water on my face. I'm glad I don't scream. I don't want anyone to know I have such babyish nightmares.
Achoo trotted over to the door and sat beside it, looking at me. I stared at her for a moment before I understood what she wanted. "Can't you just magic yourself out, like Pounce?" I asked. There was no answer, not from the hound. I pulled on breeches and a shirt and took Achoo outside. Then we returned and went back to sleep.
I woke around ten. Filling out the rest of last night's events had to wait until I'd taken Achoo outside, fed her and Pounce, then dragged my aching body to the bathhouse. Only when I'd returned, slathered on that special balm for my sore muscles, and eaten a cold pasty could I fix my mind on writing.
And here are Kora, Aniki, and Rosto with food. It is just after noon and they are eager to give me the news they gathered while I was getting bruised from head to toe. I will write my proper Sunday journal tonight.
One of the morning, after watch.
Rosto, Kora, and Aniki had all kinds of news, not to mention a basket with a proper lunch. It is strange – Achoo was glad to see Kora, who had cared for her wounds, and gladder still to see food, but she kept trotting back to me to sniff my hair, my neck, and my hands. It was as if she wished to reassure herself that I was well and present. At last I had her lay down half in my lap as we all sat on the floor between Rosto's and Kora's rooms to eat. All the windows and doors there were open to catch the tiniest breezes. The others had already told me the sun was far too bright for us to sit outside, and the open windows did create a wind of sorts through the house.
While my friends shared out hot pasties, crocks of soup, buns, new-made jellies, and fresh apples, they told me the latest news of the Bread Riot. It was hard to eat around Achoo, with her head sticking up between my arms, but she was polite and only sniffed my food. Her main concern seemed to be my health. She ought to weigh ten or fifteen more pounds than she does, all of it to cushion her elbows and ribs so they don't jab my poor bruises so much. As soon as my own belly stopped growling I fed her and Pounce. The others mostly talked.
The Nightmarket was cleared and closed until notice was given by the Crown, they told me. Soldiers stood on guard to make sure of that. Night Watch, with Day Watch assisting, was still on duty, hobbling those who'd been up to murder and theft when the freezing spells were put on them. For them as weren't assigned to clean up after the riot, there was extra work, too. The city's Rats always tried to take advantage of the Dogs being distracted.
"I went to see Tunstall at Mother of Healers," Rosto told me as he peeled an apple with his dagger. "I knew you'd want word. There's a basic healing in place on his legs, and magicked splints, but the healers won't let him go. No bouncing on home right away this time, like he's used to doing."
"Pox," I muttered. "Any word on how long?"
"Now, they wouldn't tell the likes of me that kind of news. Hard mots, those goddess healers." Rosto offered me a chunk of apple.
"There's army all over the riverfront, standing guard on the grain warehouses," Aniki told me, rubbing Achoo's side. "Word's gone all over the city about the price change at Two for One. A lot of bakers didn't open this morning."
"The harvest isn't that bad!" I protested, though I remembered the problem with the rye crop. "The bakers are panicking over naught! There was no need to raise the price."
"Perhaps, perhaps no," Kora said, looking at me sidelong. I sometimes think mages practice some kind of mysterious look. That was Kora's, a slide of the eyes to her left or right, shielded by brown lashes over brown eyes. "Everyone knows the Crown went into the storage granaries to serve bread for the Prince's celebrations this summer. I hear the northeastern rye crop has the poison mold. The King
says
there will be plenty for all over the winter, but he'll be sure to feed his nobles first, won't he?"
"That's why we've been picking up grain loads from the Copper Isles and the Yamanis, love," Rosto told her calmly. "Kings look after their own people, be they crowned or Rogue."
I looked at him sharp. "You've been laying up foreign grain." I said it to be sure of what I heard.
Rosto smiled just a little. "It's my second year as Rogue. My newness is wearing off. Folk are remembering I'm a stranger to Corus, to Tortall. This is a bad time for me to forget it's a Rogue's duty to feed his people in hard times."
Aniki kissed Rosto noisily on one razor-sharp cheekbone. "There's my clever lad!"
"You can't trust kings and nobles," Rosto said, looking at me. "Only them that know how real folk live."
"You're one to talk of trust," I said. "If you knew aught of the colemongering, would you even tell me?"
"Some of my people have been bit, but it's at gambling. Especially that new card game from Port Caynn, Gambler's Chance," Rosto said. "And we were able to get some of the money back." He and Aniki both gave me hard smiles. "I'll tell you this for nothing. The coles are coming on the boats from Port Caynn."
"I'd've done better if you'd given me
living
gamblers," I snapped. "We need to question them, find out where they got the coin!"
"We
did
question 'em, while you were dancing with mad-brained cityfolk last night," Rosto told me.
"We
weren't tearing up our own shops."
"They told us they got it gambling – dice, horse or dog racing, dogfights, cockfights, cards." Aniki fed Achoo some pasty. With what I'd given her, Achoo had a round bulge in her belly. "And you'll know who they are as soon as you find them."
Rosto got to his feet and stretched. "Had them branded, we did," he said lazily, as if it were a courtesy he'd done the colemongers. "A coin with an X through it, on their right hands. So every time they shake a dice box or pick up a card, folk will know. And here you thought we'd killed them, Cooper. Not very trusting, are you?"
He sauntered out of my rooms, clearly pleased with himself. I struggled not to throw something at his head.
"He did it for you." Aniki gave Achoo a second pasty. "I was worried folk would think him weak if he let them live, but he wanted to leave you a trail to follow. It's too bad they all ran for Port Caynn on the first morning boats."
I rubbed my head. It ached, along with the rest of me. "I'll let them know, when the search goes to Port Caynn," I said, feeling tired all over again. "The Dogs there can look for gamblers with brands on their fambles. We'll be busy enough nabbing them that lose their coles here in the city."
Aniki and Kora began to clean up. "It's not so bad if it's just gambling, surely," Aniki said. "Rosto bears down on the dens, folk grumble – "
"Or they'll find a reason to get rid of him," Kora interrupted, lifting Pounce to her shoulders. "Gambling's one of those things folk
have
to do. They're always saying they'll win enough to buy a snug house, or a new mule, or training and a proper job for one of their children. Work is for every day, but they gamble for the future."
"And they
lose
," Aniki said bitterly.
"However it may be, folk won't stand for it if Rosto interferes," Kora told her. "If the danger's in silver coles, they'll gamble in coppers."
"It's not poor folk gambling that sweats me," I told them as I checked my supplies of pigeon food. I knew I ought to write up my official report to keep Ahuda from nattering at me, but I'd yet to feed the birds that day. "Poor folk don't win that much silver. But if it gets into the hands of the nobles – if
they
start gambling coles like they gamble silver – "
"We're cooked," Aniki said. "The treasuries will be rotten with the stuff."
"We'll stop them," Kora said firmly, like there was no question of the outcome. "The Rogue and the Dogs, you'll see. Stop fussing, Beka. What do you have to do before muster?"
I smiled at her. Member of the Court of the Rogue or no, Koramin Ingensra is a good friend. "I want to get Ahuda's report writ up so she won't be pestering me for it all night."
"All right. Me and Aniki will walk Achoo and bring her back after I've seen to her sores. You get to writing, and whatever else you must do." Kora finished packing up the leftovers and leashed Achoo.
I will go with Kora and Aniki
, Pounce said. They understood, because they nodded.
You are not fit to be around when you must write long reports
.
At least I had the details of the night before in my mind from writing it up in my journal, and reports for Ahuda were much more direct. I spread out my paper and ink and went to work. I left spaces where I would need to add those things done by Goodwin and Tunstall that I had not seen. I'd collect that information later.
I was nearabout done when Kora brought Achoo and Pounce back. Achoo danced over and gave my hand a small lick. I rubbed her ears gently, touched by her greeting. "The army's everywhere," Kora told me. "You should have a quiet night. Everyone's scared to budge." She nibbled her lip for a moment, then said, "With the army here to keep the peace, all the Lower City bakeries have raised prices. By the time the army goes, folk will be used to the change."
It was no more than I'd expected. "By how much?"
"The same as Two for One, mostly. Day-old bread at a copper before now costs two. Fresh bread is three coppers, not two. But worry about that later," she added, striving for cheer. "Look who I found." She opened the door wider to show me Phelan.
Achoo barked at him and wagged her tail, but she did not go to him.
He smiled. "I heard you'd been promoted to scent-hound handler."
Since Achoo was then trying to climb into my lap, I glared at him. "I'm not sure it's a promotion." I looked at the hound. "Since when are you so fond of me?"
"Tell her
dukduk,"
Phelan said. Achoo went stiff and looked at him.
It sounded like
dook-dook
. "What in the Mother's name is that?" I asked. "You frightened her." Achoo looked up at me and whined a little.