It was a good day to kidnap a Watchman.

  I took a sip of water, a little irritated at the taste. Unlike many establishments in the Quarter, Edwards actually cared about age when he sold his alcohol, and since no one who lived here had any sort of record, that meant it was up to the bartender to judge. I was tall for my age, but it was clear I wasn’t even sixteen yet, so no mead for me.

  I could just steal one of Daver’s bottles when we get back.

  I sat in a corner of the Hells’ Own, sipping my water as the evening crowd came in, people with the coin they’d either earned or robbed here for a drink and some food to enjoy and let the stress of the day melt off. Raucous conversation nearly overwhelmed the small band pying in the tavern. Not quite a music hall performance, but the fiddler, piper, and pianist were doing their best to not let the crowd overpower them. Tantalizing smells of cooking meats were drifting in from the kitchen, occasional dishes being brought out to supplement the steady flow of booze being served.

  Hell’s Own was in good spirits for the evening, which meant nobody had started a brawl yet. Edwards had only fired his shotgun into the ceiling once, both barrels discharged with a deafening roar to silence an argument between two drunks in a gambling circle on the floor.

  I kept to my corner, occasionally smiling and politely declining the offers of people to sit in the only other chair. Luckily, none of those distractions had taken my eyes off the roughly-dressed human sitting at the bar.

  Fool. Yes, draw even more attention to how you were one of the ten customers who weren’t an Infernal. Sure, sitting on the outskirts or a corner would still get people looking your way eventually, but sitting right at the bar? Immediately noticeable.

  He’d made some efforts at blending in, rugged street clothes, days of unshaven stubble on his chin, brown hair filthy, and his nails unclipped, but it was too much and in the wrong pce. Anywhere outside the Quarter, oh it would work fine for a lower-css bar I think. But here? Lower-css people didn’t drag themselves into the Quarter for a drink. You didn’t go among the Infernals for a cup of mead when you can get one safely outside. You came to the Hells’ Own to have a safe pce when doing business with Infernals, and even the lowest of those people didn’t wear coats with half the sleeves torn off.

  Pieter was working with amateurs like this? My disappointment in my old friend was growing. It was good he’d tried to bring me into this, if only so I could get him out of this. Seriously, he’d decided to go to the Watch, already as good as a death sentence in the Quarter, never mind in the Fme, and he’d picked some of the most incompetent members of it?

  Time to reel him out of this mess. He’d approached me lowkey enough I hadn’t been sure of what this was. Just little probing questions about how I felt of the Fme, was I really sure about this?

  I still didn’t know, but I knew it was better than the alternatives. And certainly better than the Watch. Not that I’d known about that until I’d tailed him one time and overheard enough. After that, it was straight to Golvar as the lieutenant directly in charge of us. He hadn’t seemed shocked, and as I’d expined more of what I’d found out on my own, I’d gotten the sinking feeling he knew all of it already.

  Hells of a way to cap off our first three months in the gang.

  Speaking of Pieter, here he entered Hells’ Own, struggling his way through the crowded entrance area, looking around with those wisps of a beard he was trying to grow hanging off his chin.

  I didn’t move, hoping not to catch his eye, but his wandering eyes eventually spotted me.

  The other Bck Fme member was just a year older than me, and looked at me in shock as he changed course towards me, weaving in and out of the crowd.

  “Malvia,” Pieter said when he got close enough that I could hear, looking down at me. “What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting on a pork skewer!” I said cheerfully. “What are you doing here?”

  I wasn’t even lying, I’d ordered one a few minutes ago when the smell of roasting meat had proved too much. Unfortunately, so many people had ordered it was taking forever to actually get it.

  “I’m here to meet with someone,” he told me, sitting in the empty chair. “Seriously Malvia, why are you here?”

  Needed a gentle touch for this, I couldn’t spook him. If I did he might clue off the Watch officer.

  “After-job celebration with some folk,” I told him. “You noticed me missing at night? Caldredtch, the guy who's the point person on the docks? Got a tip about some illicit cargo being sent across the Nover in barges. Nothing serious, but something if it went missing, well, they couldn’t really compin about the authorities. Been running test runs with a boat we scavenged together. It held up, and we got the goods. So, celebrate whenever Caldredtch comes by confirming our cut sizes. Morder, Kirkenwald, Csizo. All supposed to be coming ter. I just came early because I was getting cooped up underground.”

  A job that had been pulled off before, so believable enough, and risky enough to be kept a secret. Infernals weren’t supposed to have boats. Infernals weren’t supposed to be on boats. Either way, a one-way ticket to the Coffin.

  Pieter nodded slowly. “I was wondering why you’d been out a few evenings.”

  He might have noticed a couple I’d done so he wouldn’t question a story from me. Most evenings I’d been ‘out’, he’d been out as well. And probably thought he was much more successful at hiding that fact.

  “Yeah. I got a little advance money, and was feeling hungry so figured, been a long time since I had actual meat real people can get,” I said, waving at the crowded Hells’ Own. “Course, so many people are here it's going to be a while before I can get it. Just gotta endure the atmosphere and the air until then.”

  I coughed slightly, pying it up, but the amount of cigar smoke building up was irritating. No drugs so it was all a harsh tobacco smell that fought the smell of grilling meat for dominance.

  “Golvar’s coming as well,” I said. “Wants to discuss arranging a meeting with Varrow. Figured might as well do it here so I could gnaw on something tasty while we talked. He didn’t talk to you about it?”

  Pieter shook his head. “No, although not a surprise. Why do you have any patience for that ragged conman?”

  “He gave us work and got us here,” I said. “Considering where some of us started, it’s worth something.”

  “Not all of us made it here,” Pieter said, tone low. “Some of us might still be alive if it wasn’t for him.”

  My smile faded just a little. “It wasn’t just him responsible for people not making it here.”

  His eyes widened just a little, some of the anger leaking out. “Malvia, sorry, I didn’t mean to imply-”

  “It’s fine,” I said quietly. “We made it out. We made it here, and it’s a step up. Golvar’s looking at getting a few others out as well, which I think is worth maintaining some connection to the old gang for that.”

  Not much of the old gang is left these days. Me, Pieter, and no one else from our loose group of urchins. Varrow was drawing together a new set to aid him in his pickpocketing and cons. Now that I thought about it, that lie I’d just said to cover for Golvar’s arrival wasn’t something that should remain one.

  “You’re here for business?” I asked. “Private or reted to the job?”

  “Private,” Pieter said after thinking for a second. “Potentially job-reted, but I need to feel it out first.”

  “Anything you want to clue me in on?” I asked him coyly. “It’s not that idea you had before we left Varrow’s? The entire Infernal pretending to be a human pretending to be an Infernal idea?”

  “No,” Pieter said quickly. “Look, it was a dumb idea.”

  “It was a fun idea,” I said with a grin. “Honestly, I’ve heard of some nobles stupid enough they might actually try to look like Infernals, we could have made it work. I’m still game if we can find something that doesn’t make me break out in hives this time.”

  He smiled a little bit. “No, but maybe another time. Doesn’t the Fme have a Biosculptor anyway?”

  “I heard they’re looking for one,” I said quietly, keeping my voice low since this was actual gang business. I could trust Pieter with it, we’d have this entire mess cleaned up and he’d be back in everyone’s good graces by the end of tonight. “Boss wants Daver focused on his own craft, same for most of the other mages. Heard they’re going to start doing tests for magecraft.”

  Pieter’s eyes narrowed. “You still haven’t mentioned it to anyone else?”

  “I uh,” I shrugged, leaning back, tapping a hoof on the floor. “I will. When it comes up. If Varrow didn’t already tell them but what I’ve got is.”

  “It was an accident, Malvia,” Pieter said. “I’m sorry for accidentally prodding the same wound twice, but you let that get you down far too much. Bme yourself far too much for that. It’s not like you intended to do it.”

  “Intention doesn’t matter, I think,” I muttered. “I…can we drop it?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yeah. And I think I need to do my meeting. Enjoy your pork skewer, Malvia. Talk ter?”

  “Of course.”

  He got up and weaved around the crowd for a bit, and I kept my eyes off him, just sneaking peeks at the Watchman at the bar. After about ten minutes, Pieter finally ended up on the stool next to him.

  I enjoyed my water for another five, and cursed the Hells for not letting me have my pork skewer when Golvar came in.

  Golvar entered through the front, at the tail end of a group loudly talking with each other as they made a beeline for the bar. He split off, moving towards me through the crowd, yellow eyes gring.

  Not the first person I’d recognized tonight coming in through there. Other members of the Fme had trickled in individually over the st hour. Even if the Watch recognized any of them, the slow trickle should make it appear to be people coming here on their own to enjoy a drink for the evening.

  The Bck Fme always had a presence here anyway, so a few being noticed wouldn’t seem unusual. Five of them were currently set up on the far side of the tavern away from the bar, there to provide a nice, easy threat that any additional Watch would need to keep an eye on.

  A second person came beside him as Golvar made his way to me. Morder, having come in earlier.

  “Heyo,” I said cheerily to both of them. “Sorry, Morder, I didn’t save you a chair.”

  “He’ll be leaving soon anyway,” Golvar said, sitting down. “What’s happened?”

  “Well, our two targets are here, so is the one Watch partner I know of, and pretty much nobody else who isn’t a regur,” I told Golvar. “Pieter saw me, and came to chat.”

  Golvar grunted. “Unfortunate but not much we could do. Did you give him any hints?”

  “No,” I said. “And I came up with a reason for you to be here too, before you ask. He might not have believed me, but both he and the Watchman are still there.”

  Those two were actually in the middle of a conversation in a couple of gnces I’d snuck.

  “Knock that off,” Golvar told me. “You aren’t anywhere near as subtle as you think, don’t spook them.”

  “Sorry,” I said, swinging my gaze back to him.

  “Whose the partner?” Golvar whispered to me.

  “Half-orc in the corner,” I replied.

  Pieter hadn’t told me much about the Watch members he’d met with. Cautious and understandable, especially with how I’d taken to this more than he had. But he should have waited longer to say anything at all. Not when I knew now him leaving during the night wasn’t to meet someone else in their cot.

  I’d stalked him here, crept into a corner, and made a note of everyone inside, then matched that against the list tonight after discounting people Golvar told me were regurs.

  Only two matched, and Golvar nodded, whispering something to Morder.

  “Got something pnned for him?” I guessed.

  “A nice little distraction when we make our move. Could you not look at him?”

  The half-orc had swung his gaze our way for the first time in the night. A nice but cheap suit, which he strained against, muscles pushing against the sleeves, an intense look in his eyes. Honestly, looking at how much that suit showed off what was underneath without revealing skin? Pity he was a copper. He hadn’t paid attention to me, his gaze split between the regurs and Edwards. Now his gaze was pointed at Golvar, before flickering to me.

  I waved at him, earning an indignant look from Golvar.

  “Don’t draw attention to us” he snapped.

  “I think you being here already drew it,” I said. “Maybe you should have waited outside? Also, I’m just acting friendly, nothing to give us away. Unlike if he can read lips, which would have given it away just now. If you want, I can go talk to him, see if I can py down some of that-”

  “Don’t question your superiors,” Golvar said harshly, and I immediately went quiet.

  I wanted to make a good impression. We’d only been here a month, and it meant people who didn’t know about me beforehand. A fresh start, new people, and less baggage from before. I would not mess this up.

  “Just wait,” Golvar said.

  And so we did, and I tried not to tap my hoof as my pork skewer failed to materialize.

  Possibly the only pce in the Quarter where they could come without looking out of pce.Well, unless you dressed like this one Watchman had. If you had business in the Quarter, you came to the Hells’ Own, enjoyed a few drinks, and waited for whoever you were dealing with to come here. Edwards and his staff kept things from getting dangerous, which means less chance of double-crosses. Also meant a pce non-Infernals could go close to the Quarter’s outskirts and not risk getting stabbed, abducted, or eaten wandering around the the Quarter proper.

  Edwards’ reputation would normally ensure you could make it and out safely. You didn’t besmirch his name and reputation by killing a customer on the way to or from the Quarter. Unless you were us.

  Oh, the Fme was probably going to get banned from the Hells’ Own again for this, but we’d been banned before.

  Well, I’d heard we’d been banned. I was still new, and this was pretty far above our heads in Varrow’s crew.

  “So, they’ve been talking a while,” I told Golvar. “Do you think they’re going to actually head out to talk further? What do we do if they finish their discussion and go their separate ways?”

  “Then we snatch them,” Golvar said. “Two separate people, three if we include the Half-orc, is more difficult but still possible. Might even be better to not piss off Edwards, but eh, his temper dies down after a while. And he ain’t a massive fan of the Watch. He’ll forget about it once he realizes what our absence is doing to his wallet. Especially if we start leaning on others to come less. Hold on.”

  I gnced at the bar, just in time to see Pieter and the Watch officer moving.

  “Don’t get up yet. Wait until we’ve got some cover in between us…up.”

  My stomach growled just a little as I realized what I’d be missing.

  “My pork skewer,” I muttered, looking back at the kitchens where that savory scent crept from.

  Golvar mouthed the words, looking between me and the kitchen, his eyes narrowing.

  “Your pork skewer?” He hissed in disbelief.

  “I’m actually making money for once,” I expined hurriedly. “Not that I was unsuccessful with Varrow, just not enough to get actual meat that wasn’t you know, rat , cave centipede, or those giant roaches that are in the alleys. More than me and my mom made in a whole month, so I ordered a pork skewers while I waited for you.”

  He stared at me one second, then two, then got to his hooves and moved towards where Pieter and the disguised Watchman had disappeared.

  I was right behind, hurrying slightly to catch up.

  “I know we get food at the hideout every day, but it’s day old and it’s still mostly rat. Not that I don’t mind rat but there’s not a lot of meat on those bones. And well, it smelled really good when I came here. I used to have some, before all of this, and I have coin, so I figured why not and-”

  “Would you be quiet?” Golvar muttered angrily. “You ordered pork skewers? Did you give them your actual name?”

  “Uh,” I said intelligently. Did he mean my real real name, or the real name I’d taken since coming here to the Quarter? Because I’d used the tter.

  “This is a hit,” he said as we weaved our way through the crowd, keeping his voice low. “You ordered food?”

  “Killing on an empty stomach, well,” my mind bnked a little, thinking of times when circumstances had forced someone to try and come after me. Some of those had ended in death, but those had always been assholes. Not worth dwelling on.

  The times I’d killed friends were in the past and would never happen again. Sure, Daver might be drunk, and most lessons might consist of fetching him another bottle, but he’d taught me enough that the worst would never come to pass.

  We’d continued walking now, halfway across the floor.

  “Don’t do anything that leaves your name,” he hissed.

  “We’re getting banned anyway,” I said. “And does anyone even know I’m in the Fme yet?”

  I had the tattoo after one painful session where they’d cut it and poured in the devil’s bde. It felt like fire ignited in my veins and even now there was heat in the traced outline of the fmes. I usually kept it hidden underneath a glove unless needed, no need to fsh it around like so many others in the Fme seemed to think.

  “It doesn’t matter if they know or not, don’t spread your name,” Golvar hissed as we continued. Pieter and the Watch officer had just exited the tavern, and the half-orc was getting up.

  Golvar whistled.

  With a cheery roar, the brawl to distract the other Watchman started. He managed to stay out of it for two seconds before Morder hit him over the head with a chair. As we moved out of the common room towards a side entrance, Edwards was yelling for things to calm down as Morder and two others kept the Watch officer busy.

  As we rounded the corner, the sound of Edwards’ shotgun bsting both barrels shot through the room, a hammer blow to the ears.

  “We have a couple of minutes at most,” Golvar said. “Tick and Delmonte’s group should keep these two penned in so they don’t leave. Keep your friend under control while we handle the Watchman, and with luck, all of us should be underground without issue. Let it get violent, and-”

  “I understand,” I said, sobering up in tone. They were hardly going to stick their neck out for Pieter, not after he tried making this fool deal. I’d arranged a way out for him, but it meant keeping him from pulling iron on Golvar when the ambush was sprung.

  Out the side entrance, nodding to a staff member in rough leather armor keeping anyone from coming in. A problem if this ever came to an investigation, but it was the Quarter. A copper disappearing would draw a response, but it just meant needing to keep our heads low and below the ground. You learned quickly to always be ready to run anyway if the Watch was ever here in force. Even if they just snatched you because they needed a body to fit the crime, they would stick anything they could prove on your head as well. Might mean the difference between having a hand chopped, your horns shorn, a silver nail through the foot, or finally a pair of silver spikes driven through your eyes.

  Down the alleyway a bit. They wouldn’t go far. The Watch wouldn’t want to meet too far from Hell’s Own, and even leaving the tavern was a risk. Edwards’ protection ended at the door. Same time, Pieter wouldn’t want to make any kind of deal in pin nguage where someone could overhear, and going into one of the private rooms for a meeting would be just as suspicious.

  A nearby alleyway where most would be reluctant to irritate Edwards by vioting the spirit of his rules? Where there might be a Bck Fme member passing through but not the assurance of one like inside the Hells’ Own?

  “-the fuck was that? We need to get out of here.”

  “Calm down. We wait a couple of minutes for my partner, then we get going. I’m not letting you lead me back into a brawl-”

  “Wait here, don’t get in the way,” Golvar said as a couple of Infernals moved towards us, assuming a formation with Golvar at the head. “Tick will be on the other end, but if anything goes wrong? Run and get Morder. Alright!”

  Govr let out a shrill whistle, and they rushed forward. Leaving me nervously tapping my hood on the ground. Come on, Pieter, be smart about this. Put any weapons on the ground, and let them deal with the Watch officer. Don’t do anything stupid.

  Yells, shouts, and a scream that made my nails press into my skin. It hadn’t sounded like Pieter, but it still made me tense. A few more seconds, then Golvar yelled for me to get over here.

  I practically sprinted down the alleyway, almost tripping over my own hooves as I came to a halt. The Watch officer was down, trying to yell through a gag while several Infernals held him down. Tick stood over him, whistling as he wiped a bloody knife clean with a rag. Pieter was up against a wall, restrained, Golvar’s own knife against his throat. Golvar eased a bde out of Pieter’s pocket, tossing it at my feet.

  “You got ten minutes,” Golvar informed me. “Tick, let’s get our new friend stowed away.”

  The group left, and the muffled yells of the Watchman carried away with them as Pieter eyed me.

  “Malvia, what is this?” He said, eyeing where Golvar had tossed his knife at my side.

  I leaned down, one eye on him. He tensed as I grabbed the bde, only to rex a little as I just put it in my pocket.

  “You weren’t as subtle as you thought you were, Pieter,” I told him, tone somber. “I put it together. Truth be told, I think they might have known ahead of time and were just waiting to see what would happen. Listen, we should head back. Have this conversation somewhere else.”

  “I’m not going back,” Pieter rasped harshly. “You think there is any coming back from this Malvia?”

  “You had some doubts,” I said. “We py it like that. The only one who knows the full story is Golvar, and if we bring in the Watch officer, I think they can overlook a bit of doubt in return for the gain.”

  “Malvia,” he said, eyes narrowing. “I ain’t going back there.”

  “Why not?” I asked him, eyes on where Golvar had dragged off the Watch. “Pieter, you cannot tell me you’re a fan of the Watch all of a sudden. They fucking spike our souls.”

  “I know,” he hissed. “But you think Versalicci’s way is gonna be better? All he’s going to do is get us killed and make everyone hate us more. He talks a big game, but I don’t think he pys with a hand worth bluffing with.”

  “He isn’t bluffing,” I said pleadingly. “You’ve seen what’s down there.”

  “I have!” Pieter snapped. “Devils, Malvia! Do you think that’s going to make things better? Getting those things involved means a lot worse than the Watch when they find out! It means the Imperial Government, it means Her Majesty! And it means anyone who does know is killed before they tell anyone else!”

  “Then why would you ever-” I started, only for him to cut me off.

  “So it’s just them that go down, not the entire Quarter, when this gets found out. I tried telling the Watchmen, but they want proof! They were convinced I was bullshitting them for some reward, for a scam, for anything! Said it was impossible for anyone to summon the damn things anymore! But if I proved it, it’s only the Fme that gets destroyed, not the entire Quarter, executed because they wanted to mess around with those things!”

  “So you’d bring the Watch on them?” I said. “Everyone would be soul-spiked, at minimum, and you think they’d just stop at the Fme? You think they’d restrain themselves-”

  “They have so far,” Pieter snapped, taking a few steps closer to me, eyes cold. “You haven’t lived here your whole life Malvia, but you’ve been here enough to know things could get a lot fucking worse. At least the Watch isn’t as bad as it could be! Do you think Versalicci running a devil gang is going to change that? Robbery and smuggling are going to solve things? Or building up a devil army, cause that’s worked brilliantly for our people in the past. You think kicking off a war we can’t win is the way?”

  “I don’t know!” I yelled back, pleading. “But we can’t just sit around while they whittle us to pieces either! Do you think they’ll stop at the Fme if they find out the Devils are involved? No, they’ll go after any Infernals until they’re sure we’re all dead! Please, let’s just go back to the Fme, and we can talk this out, Hells, get some answer out of Golvar, out of Versalicci himself-”

  “I said I ain’t going back!” he roared, hands seizing my pels. “They’ll kill me, do you not understand-”

  His yelling cut off as my hand moved reflexively, reacting as he shoved me roughly against the wall.

  “I…oh,” I said, staring bnkly at the dagger piercing the bottom of his chin.

  He stared at me, eyes wide, shocked as his jaw opened, trying to say something, only for the bde to cut further, warm blood dripping down onto my hand. Then shock turned to anger, and he moved forward, dagger pushed out of his mouth as his jaw opened wide, pointed teeth bared, and heading right for me and-

  I beat him, teeth biting into flesh, cutting through his neck. The jugur severed, blood flooding my mouth. He gasped and tried to say something, but my jaw was already closed, cmping down till they met, and I pulled back.

  He colpsed onto the ground while I backed away, breath coming back to me.

  He y on the ground, unable to even breathe as blood poured out of the massive chunk I'd bitten out of his throat. Panicked eyes met mine, lips twitching but unable to make a sound as I looked down, his blood dribbling down my chin.

  What could I even do? Apologize? Try to stem the bleeding? Finish him quickly so he wouldn’t suffer? Yell for Golvar? I did none of those things.

  I swallowed.