“But what’s so important about those questions?” said Hawk. “Every tourist in the Street asks questions like those.”
“And they end up with tourist answers. But a sorcerer and a member of the God Squad might just get an answer that meant something....” Fisher sat up straight suddenly. “Hawk, I think I’ve got it! Remember the Being who was stabbed to death—the Sundered Man? That priestess of his, Sister Anna, was really bitter about his death because it meant she’d wasted her life worshipping something that wasn’t really a God after all! I don’t know about the last death, the Lord of the New Flesh, but both the other dead Beings died when the Exorcist Stone removed all the magic from their vicinity. The Dread Lord fell apart, and the Carmadine Stalker aged to death. That’s what Bode and his employer were looking for on the Street of Gods: proof that a , Being wasn’t a God after all but just a supernatural creature with magic powers and a following.”
“Not quite,” said Hawk suddenly. “Turn it around. They weren’t looking for Beings among the Gods; they were trying to find one real God among the Beings, and killing the ones who failed the test.”
“But why would Tomb or Rowan be so desperate to find a real God?” Fisher’s eyes widened suddenly. “Because one of them needed a miracle cure. It’s Rowan; it has to be! It all fits together. The killings only started after she joined the Squad. She went to Bode when her potions couldn’t control the cancer, probably hoping he’d have something that would help her. After all, he was an alchemist as well as a sorcerer. He didn’t have a cure, but he did have the Dark Men. Which was just what she needed to investigate the Beings. She must have been getting pretty desperate by then. She couldn’t ask questions on the street herself, so she got Bode to do it for her, and sometimes did it herself in one of the homunculus bodies. Every time she thought she’d found a real God, she’d go to them and beg for a miracle cure. If they couldn’t or wouldn’t help her, she destroyed them, using the Exorcist Stone and the strength of the Dark Man. Presumably out of revenge for wasting her limited time.”
“No wonder she’s spent so much time in bed recently,” said Hawk. “Her mind was out and about, attacking us in a Dark Man body. But why did she kill Bode?”
Fisher shrugged. “Maybe he found out about the God killings, and wanted to call it off. She couldn’t allow that. She killed him the same way she killed the Beings. She must really have panicked when she found out the same two Guards who investigated Bode’s murder had been seconded to the God Squad. That’s why she tried to get rid of us when we first arrived. And why she kept attacking us through the Dark Men. We were so close to the answer all along, and didn’t know it.... But then, why did she tell us she had cancer?”
“Trying for sympathy, I expect,” said Hawk. “Hoping that would distract us from seeing her as the killer. It almost worked. You don’t expect a dying woman to be a murderer. We’ve got to get back to the Squad and confront her.”
“What’s the hurry? She’s not going anywhere in her weakened condition.”
“Oh no? What’s to stop her leaving her dying body behind and living on in a healthy Dark Man body?”
“A woman living in a man’s body?” Fisher wrinkled her nose. “That’s kinky.”
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. Now let’s go. I wouldn’t put it past Rowan to have a few more tricks up her sleeve. And we can’t afford another dead God.”
7
RETURN of THE DARk MAN
The Street of Gods was unusually quiet. The riot had cleared the air somewhat, and most people were licking their wounds and waiting to see what would happen next. Guards and sorcerers walked the length of the Street, keeping the peace, backed by armored contingents from the Brotherhood of Steel. But in the side streets and back alleys, the dark and shadowed places of the Street of Gods, plots were hatched and plans were whispered. The God War drew steadily nearer, awaiting only one last deadly spark. Anticipation filled the air like the smell of spilt blood, feared and desired in equal measure, as man and God looked each to his own position and saw how it could be worse or better. Change had come to the Street of Gods, and whatever happened, nothing could ever be the same again. Four Beings had been proved to be merely mortal, and no God could feel entirely secure after that.
Hawk and Fisher trudged wearily back to God Squad headquarters, following the shortest route the Street allowed. Hawk yawned continuously, too tired even to raise a hand to cover his mouth. Given the Street of Gods’ eccentric attitude to the passing of time, he’d long ago lost track of what hour of which day it was, but it had been a hell-of a long time since he’d last had any sleep. His feet were like lead, his legs ached, and his back was killing him.
Getting old, Hawk.
He smiled sourly. He always got gloomy when he was tired. Still, the sooner he and Fisher wrapped up this case, the better. The more tired you got, the more likely you were to make mistakes. And making mistakes on a case like this could get you killed.
The few people still out on the Street gave Hawk and Fisher plenty of room. Word of their victory over the rogue Being had spread, and priests and worshippers alike kept to their best behavior while the two Guards were around. Even the street preachers lowered the volume a little as they passed.
God Squad headquarters finally loomed up ahead, and Hawk allowed himself to relax a little. The small nondescript building, with its old-fashioned lamp shining brightly over the door, looked actually cosy. Almost there, almost over. All they had to do was face Rowan with what they knew, and she’d crack. They always did, when you had them dead to rights. Some villains even seemed relieved as you took them off to gaol, as though they were as tired of the chase as you were. And anyway, Rowan shouldn’t be too difficult to handle. When all was said and done, without the Exorcist Stone in her hands she was nothing more than a minor league magic-user with a side line in potions. With the suppressor stone to protect them from her magic, they should be safe enough. As long as they didn’t drink anything she offered them. A sudden thought struck Hawk, and he stopped dead in his tracks, his mind working furiously. Fisher stopped too, and looked at him.
“Hawk? What’s the matter?”
“I just thought of something. We’ve been assuming Rowan transferred her mind into a Dark Man, then used the Exorcist Stone against the Beings. Right?”
“Right.”
“But if the Exorcist Stone banished all the magic from the area, it should also have affected the homunculus Rowan was inhabiting. After all, that’s how we beat the original Dark Man, remember? You fired up the suppressor stone, and he went out like a light. So if Rowan had used the Exorcist Stone, it would have knocked out the Dark Man she was using and thrown her back into her own body. Which means our whole theory has just gone up in smoke!”
“Don’t panic,” said Fisher. “The Stone doesn’t work that way. It isn’t designed to affect everything in the area, or it would end up affecting itself, destroying its own power. It has built-in safety guards, like our suppressor stones, so that they don’t affect themselves or the people using them. It’s only common sense, after all. If you’d paid attention at the morning briefing when the suppressor stones were handed out, you’d have known that.”
“Sorry,” said Hawk. “You know I’m never any good with technical stuff.”
“And you have the nerve to complain because I won’t let you carry the suppressor stone... ,”
“All right. No need to rub it in. Anything else I ought to remember about the stone?”
“Yes ...” said Fisher slowly. “Unlike the Exorcist Stone, our stones have only a limited amount of magic, and we’ve been using our stone a hell of a lot just recently. And before you ask: No, there’s no telling how badly we’ve drained it, or how much magic there is left in the stone. These things are prototypes, remember?”
“Great,” said Hawk. “Just great.” They looked at each other. “If we try and arrest Rowan, and the stone doesn’t work, we’re going to be in real trouble. Without the stone’s magic to counteract hers, she’ll just transfer her mind into a Dark Man body and disappear.”
“Then we’ll just have to hope there is enough magic left in the stone to hold her,” said Fisher.
Hawk looked at her. “This case just gets better and better.” He thought hard for a moment. “Look. How about if we get one of the others to use the Exorcist Stone? That should prevent her leaving her body.”
Fisher nodded. “All right. Who do we ask?”
“Buchan. We can’t trust Tomb. He’s too close to Rowan.”
They continued on their way, frowning thoughtfully. Passersby gave them even more room than usual. The two Guards finally reached God Squad headquarters, and Hawk hammered on the door with his fist. Not the politest way to knock, but Hawk wasn’t in a polite mood. There was a long pause, and then Buchan opened the door, sword in hand. He relaxed a little as he saw who it was, sheathed his sword, and nodded politely to them.
“I was wondering what had happened to you two. Officially, we’re still on emergency status, but things seem to have calmed down a lot now. The Street’s quiet, and the Guard and the Brotherhood of Steel are out in force to make sure it stays that way.”
“I’ll drink to that,” said Hawk. “Is everyone here?”
“Sure. Tomb and Rowan are talking upstairs. Want me to give them a call?”
“Not just yet,” said Hawk. “I think the three of us ought to have a word first. In the drawing room. It’ll be more private.”
Buchan looked at him, and then at Fisher, his face cold but composed. He nodded stiffly, and led the way into the drawing room. Fisher closed the door behind them, and put her back against it so they wouldn’t be interrupted before they were finished. Besides, she didn’t want Buchan to have the option of leaving. He wasn’t going to like what they had to tell him. Fisher couldn’t blame him. It always comes hard to find someone you’ve trusted and fought beside is a traitor. Buchan looked at the two Guards evenly, his gaze firm and unyielding.
“This is about Annette, isn’t it?”
“No,” said Hawk. “Your secret’s safe with us. It’s irrelevant to our investigation. We need to talk to you, sir Buchan. We know who the God killer is.”
“You do? Who is it?” Buchan looked eagerly from Hawk to Fisher and back again. “Do you need my help with the arrest? Is that it?”
“In a way,” said Fisher. “You’d better brace yourself, Buchan. You’re not going to like this.”
Buchan frowned uncertainly. “What’s going on here?”
“It’s Rowan,” said Hawk. “She’s the God killer. She killed all four beings, and the sorcerer Bode, too. Probably because he wouldn’t go along with her plans.”
For a moment, Buchan’s face was absolutely slack and empty. Then he shook his head in a dismissive gesture and laughed shakily. “You’re crazy. You’re out of your minds, both of you. It can’t be her! She’s one of us. Part of the God Squad. Has been for years. Besides, she’s been ill; it couldn’t be her.”
“It’s her,” said Hawk. “But she’s not going to surrender herself easily. There might be trouble. We could use your help.”
“Do you have proof? Hard evidence?”
“Some,” said Hawk. “Enough. Now, will you help us?”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” said Buchan. “If I don’t, you’ll tell everyone about me and Annette. Right?”
“No,” said Fisher. “We don’t work that way. Your secret’s safe, whatever you decide. But we really could use some backup on this.”
“You were right,” said Buchan. “I don’t like this. What do you want me to do?”
“First,” said Hawk, “go up and tell Rowan and Tomb we’re back and want to talk to them. If they ask what about, you don’t know. Wait till they’re safely downstairs, and then while we’re having our little chat, you get hold of the Exorcist Stone and activate it. Hopefully our suppressor stone will be enough to hold her, but I’ll feel better knowing you’re there.”
“There’s not to be any rough stuff,” said Buchan. “I won’t stand for any rough stuff. Rowan’s done a lot of good work with the Squad, in her time. She even saved my life once. She deserves better than this.”
“She brought it on herself,” said Fisher. “How many Guards died out there in the riot tonight, do you suppose? The riot she helped bring about?”
“That’s enough, Isobel,” said Hawk. “He knows.”
Buchan turned and headed for the door. He opened it and stepped out into the hallway, then stopped and looked back at Hawk and Fisher. “You’d better be right about this. If you’re not, if you’re only guessing ... I’ll break you. Rowan is God Squad. We look after our own.”
He shut the door firmly behind him, just short of a slam. Hawk and Fisher looked at each other, and then moved as one to the drinks cabinet. They both felt very much in need of a stiff drink, or two.
“He means it, you know,” said Fisher.
“Damn right he means it,” said Hawk. “This could easily turn very nasty, lass. It wasn’t until Buchan asked about proof and evidence that I realised how thin our case actually is. We can show motive and opportunity, and demonstrate how it
could
have been done, but we’d be hard pressed to prove any of it in Court.”
“It’s a bit late for second thoughts,” said Fisher. “We can’t put this off; we have to confront her now. All it needs is one more dead Being and all hell will break loose on the Street of Gods. Probably quite literally. We’ll just have to face Rowan with what we know, and hope she’ll break down and confess.”