Chapter Six

Framed

Riki's denials ended in a grunt as Captain Coppelli's fist pounded into her stomach. Coppelli's other hand was twisted into the collar of Riki's shirt, holding her steady and providing extra purchase, but the third punch was hard enough to unbalance the stool Riki sat on. With her hands tied behind her, and her ankles bound together, she was unable to break her fall. Riki and the stool hit the ground hard. The impact jarred every bone, adding to the burning spikes in her stomach. Her cheek cracked against the stone floor and she tasted blood from a bitten tongue

Coppelli grabbed another fistful of Riki's shirt and hauled her into a sitting position. "Why did you do it?"

"I didn't do—"

The backhand swipe sent Riki crashing to the ground again. She lay where she landed, trying to suck enough air into her lungs to clear her head, but every movement of her rib cage provoked fresh darts of pain.

They were in the cellar of the council building in Westernfort. The small room had no windows. Its only light came from two oil lanterns and its only furniture was a desk and a bookshelf full of ledgers. A wooden flight of stairs in the corner led up to the ground floor. A doorway in the wall opposite gave access to a corridor with storerooms leading off. One of these rooms had doubled as a jail cell, where Riki had been dumped after arriving in Westernfort two hours earlier, and from which she had just been dragged for an interview with Captain Coppelli.

Gerry Baptiste, Sasha Li, and Loke Stevenson had provided her escort for the journey to Westernfort and would also be acting as witnesses in her trial. However, Captain Coppelli had clearly heard their evidence and already made up her mind.

"Why did you do it?"

A rough shove from a boot rolled Riki onto her back. She looked up at the woman towering over her. Every muscle in Coppelli's body was knotted with tension. Her fists clenched and unclenched. Her face held an expression of crazed fury, demonic in the lamplight. She was not going to hear a word Riki said that did not fit with what she already believed.

Riki gave up. What was the point of telling the truth when it would only get her a worse beating? She carefully drew a shallow breath and said, "I hated her."

"Just that?"

Riki closed her eyes. Was a confession not enough? Did Coppelli want imagination as well?

"There has to be more!" Coppelli shouted.

Riki flexed her stomach muscles; the hot stabs had dulled to a general burning. Breathing was getting easier. She scrabbled among her thoughts for something to say, because it was clear that the captain was not going to give up until Riki had said what she wanted to hear.

"I was angry she outranked me. She was better at archery than me. Never bought me a drink. She insulted my new haircut. Her horse was prettier than mine." Riki knew that she was getting inane, but what else could she say? "Her nose was too small. I couldn't—"

A savage kick stopped Riki's flow of words. More followed. She tried to roll away, to protect her body from the battering, but there was no way to avoid the succession of blows. Each one triggered a fireball explosion in muscle and bone. Riki heard her own voice whimpering, groaning, and screaming. The echoes filled the basement room, punctuated by the thud of impacts, but it all felt distant. Everything else was irrelevant behind the wall of pain and panic.

The back of Riki's head cracked on something hard. Her body dissolved into water. Sparks swam in the darkness. Her thoughts drifted away with the echoes, and for a while there was peace, but then the sounds flowed back. Riki found herself still lying on the floor in the cellar, but the kicking had stopped.

A new voice was speaking. "Chip, I understand. Believe me, I understand. But it won't help Tanya, and when you come to look back on this, you won't be proud of yourself for beating a prisoner to death."

"I...she...that little shit. She's not even sorry. She—" Coppelli's words stumbled to a halt and were replaced by sobs.

"Chip. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But we'll do this the right way."

Riki stayed motionless, struggling to restrain any sound that might draw attention to herself, but cautiously, she opened her eyes a slit.

The only other person present in the cellar was Kimberly Ramon, the elected leader of the heretics. Riki knew that Ramon had been a Ranger and that she and the captain were close friends of many years standing. So far, Ramon had played no part, but now she had clearly decided to intervene. She had her arms around Coppelli, holding her while she cried.

"Tanya should've..." Again Coppelli's words were lost in sobs.

Ramon rubbed her back. "Oh, Chip. This is tough. I wish I could say something to help."

Coppelli's arms tightened around her friend and for a while she just cried, but eventually her sobs subsided and she pulled back. "You do help. Just being here."

"I still feel useless."

"If you weren't here, I'd—" Coppelli drew another deep breath and moved away, wiping her eyes. She scowled in Riki's direction. "I want to rip her to pieces. But you're right. It won't help. She's not worth feeling guilty about afterward."

Coppelli leaned back against the wall, pressing the sides of her head with both hands.

Ramon watched her for a while, and then asked, "How's Katryn taken the news?"

"On the face of it, better than me. She's busy being strong for our other kids. She's not asking any questions. I think she's blocking a lot out. But we both know, in Landfall, the Intelligence Corps will—" Coppelli broke off again and she fixed her eyes on the ceiling, clearly struggling to maintain her newfound composure.

"I know. It's what they'd do to any of us," Ramon spoke softly. "And I know it's a trite thing to say, but Tanya knew the risks. It was her choice to become a Ranger. And she'll continue to do her duty, as well as she can, for as long as she can."

"I know. But the Guards know she's my daughter, which might make them take a bit more care with her, and not in a good way." Coppelli's tone was battling to stay even.

"I heard the Guards left a letter for you. Was that one of the threats in it?"

"It was nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing I'm going to give any thought to."

"Would you like me to give it some thought on your behalf?"

"No."

Ramon studied her friend. "Now you've got me wondering what it could have said."

Coppelli groaned and turned her face away. "They offered to swap Tanya for Lynn."

"Ah."

"I don't want you to even pretend you're giving a split second of thought to it, because I haven't."

"I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't."

"And you wouldn't be our leader if you did. That Tanya's my daughter and Lynn's your partner is irrelevant. Tanya's just another Ranger. Lynn's our only Imprinter. She's far more important to us. And the Guards know it."

"Yep." Ramon sounded regretful. "Actually, most of the split second thought I gave was to do with the offer only being intended to create divisions here."

"Exactly. Which is why I don't want Lynn or Katryn to know."

"I don't think Lynn would do anything stupid."

"But she'd feel guilty. Anyway, I bet the Guards wouldn't give Tanya back. They'd find some loophole to break their word while pretending they hadn't." Coppelli's face crumpled again. "There's nothing we can do. Tanya's gone. I just wish she'd died cleanly."

Coppelli pushed herself away from the wall. Riki forced herself not to react as the boots stopped, scant centimeters from her face, hoping the captain would not take one last kick if her victim was already unconscious.

"We'll have our trial tomorrow. And then we'll string this bitch up by her neck. I wished I'd had her dumped on the border the first day she set foot in Westernfort. It was what I wanted to do. But I was the one who put her in Tanya's patrol. I set all this up."

"Hindsight is the bitch. You can't blame yourself for not knowing the future."

"How many times do you think I'll need to tell myself that before I believe it?"

"Come on. Let's go. Katryn will need you."

"And promise you won't tell Lynn about the letter?"

"Yes."

Riki heard the sound of feet on the wooden stairs.

"I'll get someone to throw Sadiq back in the storeroom and stand guard. I know that even doing it properly won't help much, but I'm so looking forward to watching her swing tomorrow."

 

The straw-stuffed mattress on the ground was the only item in the cell. Riki eased herself around on it, trying to lie more comfortably— not easy with her hands tied behind her back. Her bruises were sore and stiffening, and her head ached, but nothing appeared broken. The narrow room was in complete darkness. Riki was sure that it was after nightfall, although she had no way to check. She had missed seeing her last sunset.

Persuading anyone of her innocence on the next day was a hopeless task. To be fair, with the way Loke had set her up, Riki could not blame them. She doubted that she would believe her own story if she were hearing it from someone else. Her situation was not helped by Tanya's popularity. At the moment, people were more interested in revenge than justice. Everyone knew she and Tanya hated each other. In addition to providing Riki with a motive, although a weak one, it meant that she was an especially fitting target on which the town could take out its grief.

Apart from Loke's testimony, the only evidence against Riki was the incriminating footprints and the torn cloak, but it would be enough. Loke had judged her ploy with the lost glove well. Not only had it resulted in the false clues, but it had taken Riki away while the Guards returned to camp. If she had seen that they held Tanya as a prisoner, Riki would have been more alert and might not have sleepwalked into the frame-up so blindly.

Riki turned her face to the ceiling, staring up, though she could see nothing in the darkness. One of the offices overhead would be used as the courtroom tomorrow. From there she would be taken out to the town square and hung from a gibbet. At least she would get to see the open sky one more time.

The sound of a key in the lock made Riki tense and look down. A thin line of light shone through the gap beneath the door. Who was coming to see her now? And were they also interested in some impromptu pre-trial retribution?

The door swung open. Riki was temporarily blinded by the lantern shining directly into her eyes. She averted her head, while listening for footsteps. Just one pair of feet. Whoever it was had come alone. This was not a good sign. One person could inflict as much damage as a mob, and there would be no calmer heads calling for restraint.

The lantern was put down in front of Riki's face and then whoever had entered the room knelt behind her. Riki's bound hands were pulled back, straining her shoulders. Riki clenched her jaw, bracing herself, but to her surprise, the only thing she felt was the rope being loosened. Riki looked over her shoulder. The lamplight showed Loke, frowning in concentration as she worked on the knots.

"What?" Riki was bewildered.

Loke glanced up. "Look. I'm sorry about all this. I didn't mean it to go so far. I didn't mean Tanya to get caught. I'm sorry. I...I can't just let you hang, when I know—" She ducked her head and returned to the rope.

"You're going to tell the truth?"

"No, I can't. It wasn't my fault, but Captain Coppelli won't believe it. She's going to want to hang someone. If not you, then me. But I'm giving you a chance to escape."

"Doesn't sound like much."

"It's the best I can do for you."

The rope fell away and Loke moved to Riki's ankles. Riki rolled over and gently rubbed the chafed spots on her wrists, then flexed her hands to get the circulation back. As she did this, her thoughts bounded ahead.

"Why did you give Tanya to the Guards?"

"The Guards cornered me and caught me by the rocks. They said they'd take me back to Landfall for the Intelligence Corps to play with unless I helped them catch somebody more important. Tanya was the only person around who'd count. I hoped when she arrived we'd be able to sort something out and escape, but the Guards had everything covered."

"You mean you sold Tanya out to save your own skin?"

"No. It wasn't like that."

Riki was not convinced, but getting the truth out of Loke would take more time and coercion than she had access to. The last knot loosened, and Loke stood up. Riki also got carefully to her feet, with her hands braced on the walls. She tried not to wince as her bruises complained.

"Okay. So you've untied me. Now what?"

Loke licked her lips. "I'm the only one on jail watch down here, and there's just a couple of clerks in the office upstairs. When I leave here I'll go and chat to them, which will be your chance to sneak out. Just give me two minutes, and then you're on your own. If anyone sees you escaping, I won't help. I've done my bit for you."

Riki made a show of massaging and flexing her knees. The first thing was to get a bit more time to work with. She did not trust Loke or the offer to create a diversion. "Can you make it ten minutes? I've been tied up for ages. I'll stand a better chance if I get my legs working properly before I try moving."

"All right. Ten minutes." Loke nodded and picked up the lantern. At the doorway she paused and glanced back. "Sorry, again. And good luck."

"Thanks."

Riki listened to Loke's footsteps departing down the corridor, and then the sound of the door at the end opening and closing. She shook her head scornfully. Just how gullible did Loke think she was? Okay, she had been played for a fool once, but she was not going to be caught out again so easily. Riki was sure that she was reading the signs right.

Tomorrow, at the trial, she would get the chance to tell her version of events, clearly and in full. Of course, nobody would believe her. She would be found guilty and executed. But in a month or two, when everyone had calmed down a little, surely a few folk might start to wonder why a Ranger skilled in bushcraft had left her footprints behind so carelessly. Some would come to realize that it really had been just Loke's word against hers.

The rethink probably would not be enough for a retrial, or a posthumous pardon, but it would have people looking slightly more suspiciously at Loke. When you considered what she was like, it would be amazing if Loke did not have her full share of enemies, eager to believe the worst of her. This was why she did not want Riki to stand up and lay out the whole story for everyone to hear. And for her part, Riki was not greatly interested in anything that might happen posthumously.

Riki crept into the passageway, alert for signs of a trap. The door at the end was outlined by lantern light from the room beyond. Riki caught her lip in her teeth. She was prepared to stake her life that Loke was waiting there, sword drawn, ready to cut down the escaping prisoner, who would thus never get her chance in court.

Riki had ten minutes to find another way out of the cellar.

The room she had been locked in was halfway down the corridor. It was too dark to tell how many other doors there were, but the reduced risk of Loke hearing was as good a reason as any to start with those farther away from the exit.

The first door Riki tried opened easily, but touch revealed that the room contained only crates and barrels, stacked floor to ceiling. The second door was locked, and forcing it would be too noisy for anything other than a last resort. Riki crossed to the other side of the corridor and began working her way back,

As soon as she opened the next door, Riki saw the faint glimmer of moonlight in a far corner. Moving carefully so as not to bang into anything and knock it over, Riki edged past piles of sacks. The air was full of dust and the scent of grain. The ground felt gritty underfoot. Many farmers paid their taxes in goods rather than coin; this presumably was where their payments were stored.

Soon Riki was directly under the source of the moonlight. She grinned. A trapdoor. She guessed that the room extended beneath the street outside. The trapdoor allowed farmers to deposit their goods without having to lug the sacks and barrels through the council building. The moonlight was squeezing in through the crack by the hinges. It would be too faint to be seen were it not for the otherwise total darkness.

The ceiling was just low enough for Riki to reach. She ran her hands around the edge of the trapdoor. It was locked, of course. Otherwise the cellar would not be a secure place to keep a prisoner. The key was probably in the room with Loke. Riki examined the lock mechanism.

Even working by touch, she recognized the type immediately. One advantage of her youthful misdemeanors was a familiarity with such things. Although the lock was big and heavy, as if hoping to impress by its size, it would be easy to pick—but not with bare hands. Riki needed a metal spike, and time was running short.

Riki slipped across to the room opposite, the first one she had tried. People were always careless when opening crates and rarely tidied up afterward. Riki knelt and ran her hands over the floor. In under ten seconds she found what she wanted, a discarded nail. In fact, she found several. Riki selected the straightest two and returned to the trapdoor.

The lock surrendered without a fight, but Riki was still nowhere near tall enough to push open the trapdoor. Possibly there was a ladder or removable ramp somewhere nearby, but Riki did not have time to hunt for it in the dark. Instead, she assembled a pile of grain sacks and then clambered on top. Riki placed her hands on the underside of the trapdoor, but then paused, listening for movement above. She thought she could hear faint voices, but no footsteps.

Cautiously, she raised the trapdoor a few centimeters and peered out. No more than twenty meters away, a group of women were huddled in conversation—undoubtedly discussing the next day's trial. Riki chewed her lip. With gossip like that, they could be nattering away for hours, and she could not afford to wait until they went. Not that the gossipers were showing any sign of being on the lookout for escaping prisoners. Their heads were clustered close together, and fortunately, the spot where Riki was emerging was in deep shadow.

Even so, she did not want to throw the trapdoor fully open. Apart from the extreme visibility of such an action, it would fall back with a crash. Far safer to squeeze herself out through a gap, although this was not without pain. The heavy wooden boards raked her back, even through her clothes, but worse was where her bruised stomach was dragged over the metal frame around the opening. Riki clenched her teeth, ignoring the protest of her battered body. Once she was nearly clear, she caught hold of the trapdoor, pulled her feet free, and then lowered it back into place. Throughout all this, the group of women did not miss a beat of their intense debate.

Riki took a deep breath. She was out, but far from being safely away. She reckoned that Loke would give her the full ten minutes and a bit more, then search the entire cellar, before panicking for a while and finally raising the alarm. At most, Riki had half an hour to get out of Westernfort. After that, she would have a long trek across the wilderness, pursued by every Ranger at Captain Coppelli's command, before she could reach the relative safety of the Sisters' Homelands. She was going to need supplies and horses, and she did not have time for stealth. Her only hope lay with speed and nerve.

At the moment, nobody would expect her to be walking brazenly across the town. So that was what she was going to do. Riki shoved herself to her feet and set off at a crisp march, quick, but nothing that would attract attention. Only one moon was in the sky—Hardie at a shade off full. As far as she could, Riki kept it at her back, so her face was in shadow, and adjusted her route to keep as far from others as she could without making the avoidance too conspicuous.

The streets of Westernfort were quiet. Nobody gave a second glance to the woman in Ranger uniform marching across town. Most folk were in groups, walking slowly and talking together. The few loners were striding along purposefully, probably in search of home and someone to discuss the news with. Riki was just one more.

Soon she reached the patrol barracks. This was the most critical moment. If anyone was inside, they would not fail to spot and recognize her, but opening the door cautiously and peering round the edge would be too blatantly furtive. Riki glanced at the moon, judging the time. Three of the patrol were still out in the Wildlands. Loke was in the cellar. With luck, Gerry Baptiste would be making the most of the chance to catch up with her family, and Sasha would be in the tavern, telling everybody how evil Private Sadiq had handed Tanya over to the Guards. Surely nobody would be in the barracks.

Riki pushed the door open and stepped inside. As she had hoped, the room was empty. The only light was the dim red glow from the stove. Nobody lay on the bunks. Riki hurried to her locker and pulled out her pack. Then she went to the next one. Now was not the time to worry about stealing from your comrades. At the thought, Riki gave a sarcastic grin. When had that scrap of ethics entered her conscience?

Within a few minutes, she had everything she needed. A new cloak was wrapped around her shoulders and a broad-brimmed Rangers' hat was pulled low over her face. A sword and trail knife hung at her side.

Riki carefully hoisted the full pack over her shoulder, trying not to strain her damaged muscles, and turned to leave. At the door she stopped for a last look around, checking off her mental inventory for anything she had overlooked. The corporal's single bunk caught her attention. Tanya would never again sleep there.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have stuck the bitch for you. I didn't have the chance. I—"

Riki was surprised at the unexpected surge of emotion that choked her throat. They had not liked each other. Their relationship had started off on the wrong foot and gone downhill from there, but it had not all been Tanya's fault. She was, in Riki's estimation, no worse than any other officer, and regardless, no Ranger should be sold out by her supposed comrade and handed over to the Guards. Loke deserved to pay, but there was nothing Riki could do. She wished things were different, that she could let Tanya know her outrage over Loke's treachery and take revenge on behalf of them both. For once, they were on the same side. Riki's jaw clenched. Wishing was pointless. She gave a small formal nod of solidarity to Tanya's bunk and returned to the night.

The gate guarding the path down to the stables was less than half a kilometer away; five minutes' walk. How much longer did she have? Riki set off, wishing she could run without attracting attention. However, the adrenaline was kicking in and she felt a grin settling on her lips.

At last, the wall rose before her. Riki could see Rangers on duty, silhouetted against the backdrop of stars over Westernfort. Torches burned on either side of the gate. When she passed them, she would not have the benefit of shadow for concealment. Riki was sure that the sentries had seen her approach, but if their suspicions were not aroused, they would not watch her every step. She shifted the pack as if to settle it more comfortably on her shoulder, while incidentally obscuring slightly more of her face, and raised a hand in greeting.

"Evening, all." Riki kept on marching, fighting not to limp from her bruises.

"You going?"

"Just dropping this off." She was under the gate and still walking.

"See you soon, then."

"Right."

Now, Riki was on the path down and the torches were behind her. She heard soft voices from the sentries.

"Who was that?"

"I thought it was Julie."

"Oh."

Each step down the pathway felt like a new barrier passed. Riki raised her eyes to the moon. Well over twenty minutes had elapsed since Loke left her in the cellar. By Riki's reckoning, she had only a few minutes more before the alarm was raised, but now she was ahead of any pursuit with nothing left to block her way. She was not yet safe, but the feeling of triumph was growing.

Riki reached the lowland, and still no shouts sounded from the wall. The patrol stable was less than twenty meters away. Riki crossed the space, expecting chaos to erupt from the upper valley at any moment. She reached the door, pulled it open, and stepped inside. The warm smell of animals and hay enveloped her. Now at last, she could run.

Riki raced to her horse. She grabbed the saddle and flung it over its back, and then ducked to grab the girth strap. Never had her hands performed the task quicker. The pain of her injuries was forgotten. Within minutes, her horse was ready.

Riki turned to the stall next door. Taking Loke's horse was not much by way of reprisal for her crimes, but Riki liked the thought of annoying her. She slipped a halter over the horse's head, and tied the loose rein to her own saddle. A second mount to swap with would increase her speed dramatically, as well as providing insurance should one go lame.

Riki led the horses to the door and paused. Still no shouts broke the quiet night air. Was Loke being even slower at raising the alarm than expected? Or was she playing the innocent, now that she had discovered that her scheme was not going to plan this time? Maybe she hoped to cover her own involvement. At that moment, was Loke looking for a way to fix the blame on the Ranger who took watch after her? It was the way her mind worked.

Riki paused, wondering if she might even have until breakfast the next day before the pursuit started, but then shook her head. Maybe. Maybe not. She should not rely on it. The sentries would see her ride off with two horses. It would alert them that something was wrong, but they would know that soon enough. Speed had served her so far and would serve her again. If she could get clear of Westernfort and into the wilderness, then she could slow down.

Riki smiled and looked up. Hardie shone overhead, bright enough to see by, and small Laurel was rising in the east. She led the horses into the open and swung up into the saddle. Another five kilometers and she would be clear of the animal pasture. Then she would see if any other Ranger could match her in bushcraft.

Laughter bubbled in Riki's throat. She dug her heels into her horse's flank and urged it into a canter.

 

Eighteen days later, Riki stood on the northern foothills of the Longstop Range. She had made good time, pushing the horses in the effort to stay ahead of any messengers from Westernfort. She was now close to the point where Tanya had been captured, and in the region patrolled by Coppelli's Rangers. Slipping by would be easier if they did not know they were supposed to be looking for her.

Riki pursed her lips. In truth, she was sure enough of her abilities to think that she would have no problems anyway. She even toyed with the idea of finding a patrol, letting them know she was there, and then giving them the slip, just so they would know she had the edge on them. But it was not a sensible idea. She had seen quite enough trouble for one month. Now was the time to play it safe. Riki grinned at her own expense. Avoiding unnecessary risk? Maybe she was finally starting to grow up. People had been telling her to do it for long enough.

From where she stood, Riki could see the land ahead flattening out into the plains around the Coldwater River, still four days' ride away. Somewhere between the Longstops and the Coldwater, the Wildlands ended and the Sisters' Homelands began, although no map would show the line.

The Sisters claimed divinely sanctified dominion over all the planet and would consider it blasphemy to concede control anywhere to the heretics. They would never draw a line on a map to show where their power ended. For their part, the heretics were not bothered with claiming land and concentrated merely on keeping the Guards away from their settlements.

Riki looked back. She had never wanted to join the heretics and had never been happy with them. Now she was leaving their Wildlands for good. Would she get on any better in the Homelands? Surely she would be able to make a life for herself. The risk of Guards arresting her as a heretic was small. After all, she had never fully renounced her belief in Celaeno. When she left, she had been only twelve. Who now would recognize her with certainty?

Riki's expression softened. Of course, there were some people she wanted to recognize her—her sisters and her gene mother. She could reclaim the family she had never wanted to leave. Riki urged her horse forward, wondering why the idea did not make her quite as happy as it should.