Roland tossed and turned through the night, struggling to find a comfortable position for his stone hand. So, when the sun finally did find its way through the bedroom window, he was already awake and getting ready for the day. He sighed off the exhaustion. At least, he thought, the persistent pain in his shoulder and thigh had eased, and the bleeding had stopped.

  Downstairs, Holsley and Merhim were snoring near the once-smouldering hearth. They must have lit shortly after he’d gone to bed. The soft glow of the fading light illuminated their faces, and through a cracked mirror on the other side of the room, he spotted his friend. Roland stood there for a moment. A thought crossed his mind, and he took a few minutes to think on it.

  He could just leave right now.

  Roland hadn’t discussed how he’d contact Fox to retrieve the ruby so they’d never find him. Holsley was a good person, but he didn’t know the truth about Roland. What Roland had done. If Holsley were ever to find out, then he’d lose what could be considered his only real friend. If he left now, however, their relationship would remain intact. Perhaps they’d even meet again one day under different circumstances.

  He turned his head.

  The door was close, and he was quiet enough to get to it without making a sound. He glanced between the two of them, caught for a moment in an unending loop of indecision. Roland didn’t truly think he’d be better off without Holsley, but he knew for certain that Holsley would be better off without him.

  Holsley let out a snore.

  The bard woke up with a start, rattling himself out of sleep as if he hadn’t quite expected to wake up. That was it, Roland knew. The decision was out of his hands. It took Holsley a few moments, but his eyes eventually landed on Roland’s in the mirror. He smiled and rose to his feet with an infectious yawn that caught Roland out a moment later.

  ‘I don’t think much of those chairs,’ he said, stretching his back. ‘I’ve had better sleep on shop stoops.’

  ‘The bed wasn’t much better,’ replied Roland. ‘Have you ever slept on the stoop of a bakery before? Now there’s a smell to wake up to.’

  ‘I have!’ Holsley exclaimed. ‘In Petty’s Nest, I set myself up right outside of one for that very reason. Gods, you’ve got my stomach rumbling now.’

  ‘I hate to interrupt,’ Merhim grumbled from his chair. ‘What exactly is the plan for today then, eh?’

  Roland narrowed his eyes at him.

  ‘Roland knows a way out of the city,’ replied Holsley. ‘We’re going to check it out and make sure it’s accessible for when we want a quick escape.’

  ‘Oh?’ said Merhim. ‘We’re not going to use it?’

  ‘Not until we have that ruby,’ said Roland. ‘There’s a part of the sewer that leads to a hole in the cliffside. It allows the sewage water to run into the ocean. There’s a ladder we can use to climb down and a walkway that’ll lead us right into the Hidden Docks. From there, we can sneak aboard a ship Holsley hired.’

  ‘The Square-Jawed Dragon,’ said Holsley proudly. ‘Krell is already waiting for us. Though, have to say, he’s a bit of a character. Not sure what to make of him.’

  ‘He’ll be fine as long as we pay him, which is the problem…’ Roland looked over at Merhim and crossed his arms. ‘Krell doesn’t come cheap, that’s why I need that ruby. I need to get it back from Fox, but I’m fairly certain of a way how.’

  ‘Could we find someone cheaper?’ Merhim shot up then, rubbing his clearly aching back. ‘Would this Krell character accept another form of payment? A trade perhaps, eh?’

  ‘Krell’s trustworthy enough at the right price. Someone else might just turn us over to the tubheads, and besides, with my face on every wanted poster in the city, we won’t get a good price,’ replied Roland. ‘As for trading, we don’t have anything. Plain and simple.’

  ‘We have a fancy-looking rapier.’ Merhim motioned to the sword tucked in Roland’s belt. ‘I bet that’d sell for a good price.’

  ‘We’re not selling the rapier,’ Roland warned.

  ‘Should we head off?’ Holsley barged in between them, cutting off their eyelines to each other. ‘Don’t suppose we could get some breakfast first. After which, it’s a quick stroll into the sewers so we know where to go if we ever get separated. You know, when things inevitably go south.’

  ‘I’ve got some hardtack biscuits in my bag,’ replied Merhim. ‘Help yourselves.’

  ‘Where’s the cat?’ Roland’s eyes roved over the room. ‘It didn’t escape, did it?’

  As if in answer, the crate near the fire rattled and shook as the feline inside of it moaned and hissed in outright rage

  ‘Are we leaving Tiacat here?’ asked Holsley. ‘I gave her some food last night, but she didn’t seem too happy to be stuck in there.’

  ‘Yeah,’ replied Roland. ‘We’ll check in on her when we get back.’

  ‘Oh!’ Holsley sparked, preparing the redrose lute. ‘Did you want me to heal you?’

  ‘No,’ said Roland, rolling his shoulder. ‘I’m fine. Might as well save your magic for something important.’

  Merhim was already at the door. ‘Are we ready, eh?’

  ***

  Roland pried the manhole cover off by utilising the blade of his dagger. The three had found it just a few streets away from the old flower shop. Below the metallic disk was a crooked old ladder that led into a foot of rancid water. The smell assaulted them first, and they choked at it.

  ‘Why does it always smell so much worse on this side of the city?’ Holsley moaned, wiping the tears from his stinging eyes.

  Roland covered his nose with his shirt. ‘I don’t think you want to know the answer.’

  They clambered in. Roland first, Holsley second, and then Merhim. Of course, it wouldn’t do to have Merhim end up in the sludge, being as short as he was, so Holsley offered the gnome his back. Gratefully, the gnome accepted the offer and hopped aboard.

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  ‘Have you got your light, Holly?’ Roland asked, rushing up the ladder and closing the grate behind them.

  ‘Pull out your rapier,’ replied Holsley. He whistled a short tune after Roland had done so, and the familiar glowing orb appeared, this time stuck at the end of the sword’s point. It was bright in this overwhelming darkness but didn’t give them much sight beyond about twenty feet.

  ‘Let’s march.’

  The rogue led the way, trudging through the foot-high sludge. Merhim covered his nose, making Holsley giggle. Sleeping on street corners, Holsley had often smelt worse than what was in these stonework tunnels. He also knew it just took some getting used to and that the gnome would be fine in a few minutes.

  They continued regardless. Every now and then, Roland would inspect the walls with his rapier, grunt with annoyance, and then move off. Finally, after minutes of searching, he found something he was looking for.

  Holsley hopped closer to the light, and the three peered at a symbol crudely etched into the stonework. It looked like an arrow, but beneath it were two skulls and what looked like a sun. Roland seemed pretty sure, however, as he grinned when he stood and marched off with a newfound confidence.

  ‘How do you know it’s that way?’ Holsley called to him, shifting the gnome up a little higher.

  ‘It’s complicated,’ replied Roland. ‘Thieves have their own secret language, but it mostly consists of codes and symbols. I was taught how to read it when I was a kid, and those symbols on that wall just told me where the exit I’m looking for is and how to avoid the dead ends.’

  ‘That’s…impressive,’ said Holsley.

  ‘Problem is that all the thieves know about it. Any with even half my skill could read that wall and find their way.’

  ’Why is that a problem?’ asked Merhim.

  Roland hesitated. ‘I’m not on good terms with the Whispers of Tressa. They might be looking for me, and if that’s true, they might try something. Unfortunately, they know these exits better than I do.’

  ‘What makes you think that?’ Holsley jogged a little to catch up; by the Gods, the gnome was heavy, and the sludge was thick. ‘I thought they were done with you?’

  ‘You’re never done with the Whispers,’ Roland replied morosely.

  ‘We’ll have to keep an eye out then,’ said Holsley, once again shifting the gnome up. ‘Jeez, how much do you weigh, Merhim?’

  ‘It’s the jewellery,’ said Merhim.

  ‘No, it bloody isn’t!’

  ***

  Holsley didn’t have to wait much longer to shed himself of the gnome’s weight. As they trudged the dark passages, the sewer floor steadily rose beneath them until they eventually reached drier footing out of the muck. At that point, Holsley shifted Merhim off.

  It had been a long walk through a system of interconnected tunnels with hundreds of turnings. Holsley realised, though not for the first time, why tubheads were reluctant to come down here. People got lost in these sewers, and then they died when they couldn’t find a way out. They hadn’t passed by any skeletons of long-dead fools, but he knew they were there.

  There were also monsters — plenty of them. Holsley had heard about them when he was a kid and wasn’t keen on meeting any of them. Giant rats, half-fish beasts, and all manner of creatures lured by the lights of civilisation but stayed lurking in the unkind darkness. It made him shudder around every corner.

  Roland had ventured further into the tunnels, which were becoming simpler to manoeuvre through.

  ‘Does he know how he’s going to get that ruby?’ Merhim whispered from Holsley’s side.

  ‘Yeah,’ Holsley replied in the same cadence. ‘He’s going to try and trade the ring for it.’

  Merhim sighed. ‘I don’t know why he doesn’t just quit while he’s ahead. He’s already done something no one else in Tressa ever has. Survive a hanging. Ain’t that enough, eh?’

  ‘Doesn’t surprise me,’ said Holsley with a shrug and a smile. ‘He was always just as determined when we were kids, too. Nothing ever really got in his way, especially when it came to the stuff he’d stolen. Roland never liked giving them up. He said it always made him feel sick.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘I remember once, Roland fancied a steak and kidney pie from the markets, but it was the end of the day, and the bakery was all out.’ Holsley chuckled at the memory. He hadn’t thought about it in years. ‘That didn’t stop him. After hours, he broke into the bakery and tried to make the pie himself. When that didn’t work, we found the baker’s address and went to it. Gods, the man was angry but changed his tune when Roland offered him a gold necklace. An hour later, we were back at New Leaf devouring a batch of oven-fresh pies.’

  ‘How were they?’

  ‘Just about the best thing I’ve ever tasted.’ Holsley licked his lips, then he stopped and stared down at Merhim. The gnome looked back up at him patiently. ‘I know what you’re thinking. You don’t trust him, and I suppose I can’t blame you for that. I probably wouldn’t trust him, either. Except I do. He’s my closest friend, and I know he wouldn’t hurt me.’

  ‘He was going to leave,’ Merhim said after a moment. ‘I caught him in front of the mirror this morning just before you woke up. He didn’t say anything, but I knew the look. I knew what was going through his head. He was seconds from abandoning you.’

  ‘That sounds like you don’t know for sure,’ replied Holsley.

  ‘I wish that were true, eh,’ said Merhim. ‘He didn’t leave because you’re useful, Holsley. I’ve done business with people like him before. Trust me, he’ll ditch you and leave you with all the trouble when the time comes.’

  Holsley steered away from the gnome. ‘I’m done talking about this. Again.’

  Roland’s voice called out to them as if on cue, echoing down the tunnel. ‘Hey, I found the exit.’

  Around the next bend, they could see natural light pouring down the corridor — a very promising sign. Stepping around it, they caught their first glimpse of the outside world after the hour or so spent trekking through the dark and damp. It was the end of the sewers, leading to a circular hole secured with rusty iron bars.

  Its purpose was apparent immediately. Sewer water would run through it and into the ocean. When the weather was bad, it probably also helped drain the city streets.

  Holsley saw the opening and sighed with relief. Sure, it was sealed off by an old grate with rusted bars, but at least there was a way out. Upon stepping closer, his spirits lifted even higher. Some of the bars were missing, while others had been purposely stretched and bent, suggesting that others had put in the work to allow them to come and go as they pleased.

  Roland poked his head through a gap and peered down.

  The waves raged below him, smashing furiously against the rocks. The promised ladder was right below the grate. Leaning over, Roland could see that it was less of a ladder and more of a series of planks bolted into the stone. It led right down the side of the cliff to a short walkway that he knew would take them to the docks.

  It occurred to him then that they really could just escape. If they followed the worn-out planks down, they could be at the docks within the hour, and maybe Roland could pickpocket the money they needed to leave Tressa behind. By the end of the day, this could all be over.

  Would it really be so bad to leave the ruby behind?

  A growl from his stomach was the answer. A gut-wrenching ache that made him feel as if he’d been struck by a wooden club. Roland doubled over with a groan. This had happened before. The very idea of leaving behind something so valuable was painful. He couldn’t do it, especially after all he had been through. That ruby had been bought with blood, sweat, and tears.

  His blood, sweat, and tears.

  ‘Gods!’ Holsley rushed towards him. ‘Roland, are you okay?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Roland replied with a nod, straightening up. ‘Must’ve been that hardtack biscuit I ate earlier.’

  Holsley stopped a few feet away from the rogue, suddenly stunned. Roland eyed him and recognised that immediate change in expression. It was the same look the people wore when they saw pirates heading for the coast — when an incomprehensible danger was close, and they needed to choose between fight or flight.

  Roland turned and took a step back from the grate.

  ‘Of course,’ he muttered.

  Lengths of rope wormed their way down the bars on the grate like living vines. Holsley saw that they didn’t have eyes or mouths but somehow slithered like snakes. Holsley would have cried out if the supernatural sight hadn’t taken him aback.

  Roland leapt backwards just as the ropes lashed out like whips. He ducked gracefully into a sideward roll and came back up on his feet with his rapier out and ready to strike.

  A figure emerged from the grate. It stepped through as if the iron bars were nothing more than a trick of the light. He was a dark figure, kept warm in a tattered cloak with a face hidden beneath the moth-eaten cowl. Ropes writhed around his body, particularly on his arms, and Roland didn’t miss the sight of the noose hanging around his neck.

  There was no mistaking what the trio had stumbled upon. Holsley and Merhim stood there, mouths agape, unsure of what to do, but Roland had met this supernatural figure before and remained unparalysed.

  ‘It can’t be?’ Holsley forced the words up his strangled throat. ‘I-Is that…?’

  ‘The Hangman of Tressa,’ Roland finished for him, raising the point of his rapier. ‘It is.’