Chapter 3 - 3. Thursday night

Thursday, one and a half hour before sundown, at the Blind man's Joker



Joanna Umber was sitting in the almost clean room with most her new team mates. They had all sleep a while after the initial meeting with the captains but now almost all seemed to be up. Empty soup bowls were standing before them but everyone except a man named Kaled was finished. He was now on his third bowl.

Joanna rather liked the company of some of the men. There was Simon, a nineteen year old with big blue eyes and reddish hair. He was not very tall but one of his over arms was as broad as some men's tights. He often had a sort of sheepish look on his face that made him look dim-witted, which wasn't the chase at all. He had may have been a blacksmith's apprentice but he had also spent all his free time at the common`s library.

Other than him the person Joanna liked best were Madison Servian. He had been some kind scientist. He said he had joined up by his own freewill but Joanna doubted it. This didn't seem the kind of company you just joined. Everyone seemed to have a past they for some reason didn't like to talk about.

She didn't really dislike anyone except Marius. He reminded her why she had become a cop in the first place, to keep people like him of the streets.

She looked out and saw that it was getting darker and darker. After looking out the window for some minutes she turned to face Madison again.

“So how did it go for you, who did you face?” She hadn't gotten time to ask before but found it rather interesting if anyone had succeeded in winning over either of the captains.

“Nay, no winning for me friend. First I faced the big one, Derek, with the sword. He was frighteningly good if you asked me, wielding that great sword as if it was a toothpick. After than came the obstacle course with captain Silvers who seemed to run upon the walls. I tell you, when he faced me he didn't even break a sweat, and I am not that bad. How did it go for you then? Any luck?”

Joanna shock her head, “nope, and I faced them in the other order. Captain Silvers with the blade, you know. He wasn't even that good, just so fast that you didn't have a chance of winning. On the obstacle course I was faster than Captain Johnson but I fell several times and he didn't fall once. At every obstacle he faced it calmly and continued in the best possible way. He never even picked up his pace nor slowed down.” Joanna slowly shook her head.

“Then I guess we do have something to learn here… not that I doubted it before but Silvers looked awfully young in my eyes.”

Joanna thought on that for a second. He had looked young but he had also had the sort of authority that only comes with age or great skill. Maybe he was older than he looked…

She said that much to Madison.

He nodded and then he leaned forward. Before he spoke he stole looks on the men sitting beside them but no one was interested in their conversation. “I have heard rumours about the Captain. They say that he isn't wholly human, I am not backing it up but that is what I have heard.”

Now it was Joanna that tried to see if anyone was listening before she spoke. There might be persons in the group who would tell the captains what they said for advantages.

Even if no one was obviously listening she leaned as close as she could to Madison without seeming suspicious. “Why would he be anything but human?”

“Well, you know that they have been robbers before they joined the king.”

“But all that was over long ago, so what… oh, I see.” And she did see. It had been somewhere around twenty years ago Derek o' the Sword and Caleb Silvers had scared half the rich population to death with their impossible thefts. She also knew of many police officers that still could work themselves to tears over the fact that neither Caleb nor Derek had been caught. The Caleb Silvers she had met today had barely looked old enough to have been alive then. Derek had also been younger than she had anticipated. By his looks he had to have been nineteen tops when he joined the king. That of course might correspond with reality.

“He might of course just be some guy that took on a famous name after the real Caleb Silvers died.”

“Sure,” neither of them believed it but that didn't mean that it wasn't true. He could be an impersonator, a really, really good one.

Joanna leaned back from Madison again to put an end to their conversation; she had already gotten much to think about.

Even Kaled was finished now with the food and the sun was almost down. The Captains had said that they would meet them there so al they had to do was to wait. Only twenty two was there, Joanna absently wondered if the one missing was going to be late.

They where all dressed in dark grey clothes from head to toe. They had even gotten a scarf that could be warped around the face. The clothes felt too big after the tight police uniforms she was used to but she had been assured that she had the right size. One more thing that was different form what she was used to was the fact that they didn't have a cape. All copes had a short, bright coloured cape swung across their shoulders. They had it not only to keep them warm but also so that people could recognise them. Now Joanna was dressed in a grey overcoat. It went all the way down to her knees but could only be buttoned to the waist. They all looked as nameless nobodies and if anyone saw them they would be forgotten the next minute.

The only thing Joanna worried about was that they may demand that she cut of her hair. It was the only thing that made her special, at least in her own mind. It was chestnut coloured and when she kept it in a braid, as she often did, the braid went all the way down her back. But it put her out from the rest of the group and looking at them all in their grey clothes, standing out didn't seem like the thing they where trying for.

The door opened inwards and let in a great gust of wind. Caleb and Derek entered with one sack each over their shoulders. They were dressed in the same grey clothes as the rest but somehow they didn't look too big on them.

“The same as usual Cal?” Asked the bartender.

“Not today Jeff, we are going out with all your grey dressed customers.”

“Knew you would be bad for business,” the bartender answered and got a grin from captain Silvers in return.

Joanna was surprised that the bartender was so familiar with her new captains that he didn't use their whole names but mentally shrugged at the thought. It had after all been they that had told them to meet them here; of course they knew the owner.

Captain Johnson had now turned to the gathered recruits. “We will split you into two groups again, first group will go with Captain Silvers and second with me. You will also get a partner; with exception for extreme circumstances you will have the same partners the first weeks. Some of you may have noticed that you are only twenty two here, that mean's one has already been found wanting and have left. This person had to leave because he didn't obey orders and by that put both himself and everybody else at risk. You might think on that. Now, the names I say will go with Captain Silvers: Jackson, Miller, Swan, Polson, Jacobson, Umber…”

He continued for a while but after having heard her own name Joanna stopped listening.

Then he said who was going with him but Joanna didn't listen to that either. She was busy studying Captain Silvers, thinking on what she and Madison had said before. He didn't look any less human than any other men she had seen. He had dark hair that ended halfway down his neck, deep brown eyes and visible cheekbones. Other than that he was lean in a muscular way and taller than most. All in all he was a pretty good looking man; she thought and then reproached herself. Thinking like that about her superior wasn't appropriate and certainly no good way to start over, which was the point of the whole transfer.

Apparently all had now heard their own name now for Captain Johnson was leaving. Madison gave her a nod when he left, apparently they where in different groups. She felt a bit sorry about that but got over it; at least Simon was in her group and there no use being sad over a guy she had meet some hours before.

Captain Silvers waved them forward and made them sit down by the big table that stood along the left wall.

Self he took one chair and turned it around so that he sat with one leg on each side of the back of the chair. “Tonight we are going to try a little teamwork exercise to see of you can work together. We are going to travel on the highway. I understand of some of you don't know what it is so I will explain it as simple as I can. The highway, or the thieves' highway as it also is called, is a connection roofs. It is not a strait road like the ones on the ground but more like a spider's web. Some places are what we from now on are going to call hotspots and some places are homes. There are two types of hotspots, anyone who know which?”

Three hands were in the air when he was finished. He pointed at a man with a big beard that partly hid the scar he had. It ran from his right temple down to somewhere under the beard. “Yes Fickels?”

“The first it is the police houses and the secondly it means places that can be worth to rob several times. As the palace, the library and Lady Bronzer's manor.” Even through the beard hid his mouth Joanna thought that he smiled as he said that. She had never known how organised the thieves world was.

“Very good and excellent examples.”

Joanna could see that the Captain smiled as he said it.

“Homes are thieves and the like's hideouts and guild houses. During the coming week you will learn how to find the most important homes and hotspots, how to get in and how to manage when you are there. You will also learn how to climb walls in any circumstances. Questions? No? Good, then let's begin. You will do this two and two, here are the teams: Swan and Williams, Polson and Smith, Umber and Jacobson, Landchester and Olin, Jackson and Miller. That is all. Team up and stand in a line.”

They all found their partners and stood in a little crooked line. Joanna's partner was a onetime thieve and about four years younger than her. He seemed a bit cocky and insubordinate, but most thieves were and she still felt lucky. If they were going to climb and run over roofs this was at least someone that had done it before. There was some mumbling and whispering by those who was first in line but then they where finished with what they where doing they went out so Joanna didn't get a chance to see in they had gotten something. When it at last was hers and Tim's turn Silvers pulled up handcuffs from the sack he had been carrying. They had a little bit more chain that normal, maybe two thirds of a meter, but besides that they looked as handcuffs should look. When he fastened it on her left and Nick's right hand it locked with a click just as it should do. Everything was right except who was in them.

“This exercise is quite simple, it is to take this map,” Silvers said and gave the map to Nick, “and arrive at the red spot in two hours. The only rule is that you must keep to the highway, that is to say the roofs. You may see some of Captain Johnson's teams, their mission is to catch you. I will be around so if you get into trouble there is a good chance I will be able to solve it. But if I am not there take this sword and defend yourself.” He gave the sword and belt to Joanna. She fastened it around her waist with some help form Nick; she was already cursing the chains silently.



Thursday, one hour later, somewhere in the city



“You said that this was going to be a shortcut! It was a way that only thieves knew about and now we are lost in one of the most dangerous parts of town!”

“I know what I said, you don't have to tell me,” Nick muttered back at her.

Joanna tried to pull a hand threw her hair as she usually did when she needed to calm down. But not today it would seem. The chain stopped her halfway.

This whole operation had been a total failure, at least on their part and she hoped that all the others hadn't done much better. That would certainly put her and Nick in a bad light if they had managed. After three quarters of an hour had gone by without they seemed to get any closer to the target she had begun to curse Nick in her mind for he had been to one leading. Now she saw that maybe she should have taken the lead, but he had seemed so sure of himself.

A quarter later she had been cursing him out aloud. Now they only had an half hour left and she was even past cursing Captain Silvers for making up this stupid exercise. The last ten minutes they had been lost and as she just had pointed out, this wasn't the best part of town.

Joanna snatched the map from Nick's limp hand. She tried to make sense of it but it was too dark and she had to confess to herself that it wouldn't have mattered. She didn't know were they where. She turned around but the streets she saw didn't give any clue. All the shutters were closed and not a single light was showing. On top of all this it was now starting to rain.

It was a soft downpour that wasn't especially cold for this time of year. But the wind was picking up and Joanna's face and hand where already cold. The clothes where dry enough through so maybe the coat was impregnated by something.

“Well we can't just stand here, we have to go somewhere. Let's try that way,” she said and pointed to their left thinking that this may even have been the way they had come. If it was, she was sure that they would soon face some familiar sight that could point them in the right direction.

Nick just nodded gloomily and followed as she moved forward.

Travelling over the roofs in this part of town was easy ay least. All poor people living here were packed like rats and that meant that the buildings was close to gather, often they were even the same height.

They had been moving for about ten minutes when the silence was broken and it wasn't by a sound Joanna wanted to hear. She recognised it as soon as she heard it; it was the sound of a sword leaving its sheath. She and Nick turned around as one man and for once the chain didn't get in the way.

Joanna couldn't really see the men facing them but she could count them. Five men, five men with what looked like sharp swords in their hands. She could easily enough decide not to pull her own sword with this kind of odds.

“So little rat, the word is that you got caught and now you are working for the pigs.”

Joanna didn't know which of the men it was that had spoken but she didn't like the tone one bit.

Nick was shacking franticly on his head. “I am not working for the pigs, just pretending a bit. Anyway, what would they do with one like me? I swear that I haven't done anything outside the rulebook!” He talked so fast that Joanna had problem understanding the words. She wasn't sure the men had heard all Nick had said but one thing was clear; Nick was only all too eager to please.

The men seemed to think about what he had said for a second but it was hard to tell in the dark and rainy night.

“Well we might let you go for now if you pay your tribute to the General.”

Nick seemed to shrink when he answered. “The… they took all my money…” he swallowed in the middle of the sentence and that made his nervousness even more apparent. “We weren't allowed to keep any possessions.”

One on of the men stepped forward and Nick seemed to shrink. “They took everything you say? What about the thing you have,” he stole a shot on Joanna, “you know what I am talking about.”

“Well they have it now but I am sure I can get it soon. They don't know what it is, don't worry.”

“I am not worrying; it is you who should be worrying. I think you need a little lesson so that you don't forget so easily and I know we can fit you little friend into the schema, we don't want her to feel left out.”

Joanna couldn't remember one time during her whole careered that she had felt so hopeless. Sure she was wearing a sword but what was the point?

She thought about screaming but before she could even open her mouth there was a hand over it. She couldn't believe that they made it look so easy, these men where practically dancing over the roofs. They didn't take one wrong step. Joanna could never have done it even on a clear night, never mind the rain and the wind.

When the men saw that their hands were bound they laughed but didn't say anything more, not even when Nick started to plead. Joanna cursed her gift at that moment. She herself was terrified but because of the mind gift she could also feel Nick's feelings and now all she felt was fear. The men that held them felt… joyous.

Joanna tried to bite the man that held her but that only resulted in an almost casual slap over the face. But even after the slap the men seemed a bit unsure on what to do next. Then the man that held Nick freed one of his hands and hit the boy in the face.

Seconds later Joanna got what was her second punch in the face. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks but hoped that they couldn't see it, that way she felt that she kept some of her dignity.

The punches were raining over her; legs, arms, torso and face and soon the only thing that was keeping her up was the man that held her. Ironically enough she was grateful about it, without him she would now be laying with her face in the dirt, possibly being kicked on. At least she didn't feel it all as keenly as she should have done. One part of the mind-polices training had been to shut out their own feelings, this technique could be used in many ways. As Joanna used it now she shunted out her own pain and fear. It only worked to a certain point but at least it gave some relief.

She floated in a kind of calm, only partly aware of her own body. The one problem with this state was that she had to focus outward. She could feel Nick as if he was a part of her and by that she could feel that she was getting the easy treatment. He was barely consciousness and there were nothing suggesting it would all be over soon.

Then Joanna begun to feel something else, or someone else. It was a rage travelling against them and it was two things that chocked her especially. Firstly her talent weren't very great so that she could feel anything from a person at the distance her mind was comprehending was incredible, just the thought that someone could be that mad…

The second thing was the speed with the person was moving. It wasn't normal to say the least.

Suddenly the rage was there and the man holding Joanna was ripped away. She sank down on her knees and when she hit the ground the calm she had felt escaped her. She could feel her brushed body with such a force that she almost let out a scream of pain; only stopping it in the last minute. When Joanna looked at their saviour again she saw that the men had let go of Nick and was to closing in on her rescuer. She could still feel his rage but strangely enough he didn't feel the least afraid. The next minute she understood why.

The man moved in fluid motions and spun around the men that had hit them; their rescuer wasn't even still for a moment. Mostly he seemed to kick and hit them, he moved so fast that it wasn't before one of the other men fell that Joanna realised that he has some kind of knife in his hand. It was almost over before it begun. Three of the men had fallen and with a kick their rescuer sent them rolling of the roof; the last two ran. Joanna didn't believe what she just had seen. One man, one man with a just knife, had beaten five men with swords!

When the man put away the knife and bended over her she didn't know if she should be grateful or scared, but she felt a bit of both.

He put a hand on her face and first she wondered what he was doing but then she understood that he was trying to see how badly hurt she was. He did the same to most of her body and even if she winched when he touched one of the brushes that were beginning to show he was very careful. She tried to protest when he pulled up her tunic, but soon stopped because she was too weak to stop him from doing anything he wanted. He pulled of a glove that she hadn't even realised that he was wearing and put his hand on her stomach.

The hand was cold but not uncomfortable, very soft, Joanna thought, to be a man's hand. He felt all over her stomach, sometimes just softly pulling it over it but often enough he pressed down to feel if anything was broken.

When he was finished with her he moved on to Nick. “How bad is it?” Joanna asked, not sure if she meant the question for her or for Nick.

The man shrugged, “you will both survive given a little rest.”

She knew that voice but in her beaten state it took her a while to find the person it belonged to. “Captain!”

He turned slightly on his head to look on her, “yes, recruit?”

He continued to look questioning at her, waiting for her to say something. In the end she said lamely “thank you.”

He just nodded and went back to Nick.

What strangely enough surprised Joanna the most in this moment was how different her new captain was from all her previous commanders. Some of them she at least thought had cared about their men but this was something else. They hadn't been Silvers responsibility for a whole week yet, actually not much more than a day and she could even now feel the anger burning in him, only partly smouldered. Continuing Joanna had heard of self-discipline but this was nothing but amazing. A person with the feelings that she felt in him shouldn't work with such easy gestures. Silver shouldn't be able to examine both her and Nick so methodically. There was nothing rushed about him and when she looked at him she saw that no-one without her ability could even tell that he was angry. None of this made any sense.

After that he locked up the chains and Joanna suddenly realised that she had forgotten all about them.

When he was finished he lifted Nick, carrying him over his back and neck. After that he helped her up.

One of Joanna's feet was hurting horribly when she tried to support herself on it. The attackers hadn't done anything to the foot so it had most likely been hurt when she fell. “Captain?” She said, uncertain of how to approach him. This wasn't really a rulebook-situation.

“Yes?” He answered. Listening to his voice you could believe that this was a everyday situation for him, in closer consideration, maybe it was…

“I don't think I can walk sir…”

“Well then you will have to lean on me, it won't be very far so we will manage. I know a place where we can try to wake Jacobson here.” He stepped closer and laid a hand over her back. Joanna leaned as little as she could on Silvers and felt totally useless. Hadn't the captain found them they would have been as good as dead by now and how were they thanking him? By letting him practically carry them both. On the same time she was hoping that the place he had been taking about really was close by, because she didn't know for how long they could keep going. Even if Nick was not much more than a boy he must he heavy by now and Silvers weren't exactly what you would call a big man and she wasn't making it better.

As it turned out they hadn't been moving for a quarter of an hour yet when the captain stopped. He knocked on the roof in front of him and said something Joanna didn't catch, then a hatch opened and they went inside. She was momentarily blinded by a light.

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