The God Tattoo: Untold Tales from the Twilight Reign Read Online Free PDF Page B

king’s justice—’
    ‘The king’s justice has been done,’ Nimer said sharply, cutting me off, ‘and there will be no word of his identity ever revealed, do I make myself clear?’
    ‘What? How dare you dictate my job to me? The Watch is the king’s justice, not some sanctioned assassin . . .’
    ‘Oh my dear Captain,’ came his cool, mocking voice. ‘I’m most appreciative of your help in this, and let me assure you your efforts will not go unrewarded,’ he
said, holding up a hand to ward off my protestations, ‘but for a man of such insight you are extraordinarily naive.’
    To my look of bewilderment he merely laughed and sat back on the steps, sword resting against the wall within easy reach. He pulled a silver cigar case from an inside pocket and selected one,
then offered the case to me. Defeated and baffled, I took one of the slender cigars, all thoughts of violence evaporating from my mind.
    I numbly permitted Nimer to take the lamp and light both cigars from the flame. He puffed ponderously at his, the satisfied air of a man whose onerous task was now complete, while I stared and
tried to form coherent thoughts.
    ‘If you want this kept quiet, why are we enjoying a cigar while the crowds assemble?’ I asked, sinking down onto an oak casket. ‘Someone must have heard that woman scream, or
she’s gone to fetch help. For that matter, where’s my sergeant?’
    Nimer waved his cigar dismissively, leaning back with the poise of a man utterly at ease. ‘Oh, Coran will keep people away, I left him back there somewhere.’
    ‘Coran? The king’s bodyguard?’
    He smiled as if to a child. Offering the silver case once more, but closed this time, he showed me the engraved emblem and initials. A bee with initials inscribed on the wings. Emin Thonal
– King of Narkang.
    My throat closed dry. I stared first at the case, then him, then the corpse – all in a drunken haze as the world lurched treacherously beneath me. Nimer nodded at the look on my face and
removed his hat, pulling off the eye patch to reveal a healthy eye as cold and arresting as its twin. He scratched at the thin beard and moustache.
    ‘Strange how a few tweaks to one’s appearance can make all the difference, especially to people who’ve only ever seen you at a distance. I was a little concerned I might be too
old to wear a silly little beard like this, but I suppose no one is likely to mock a King’s Man for affectations of youth.’
    ‘This has happened before, hasn’t it?’
    ‘Oh yes. Not so dramatically I’ll grant you, but my city grows so quickly and chaotically it is by far the best place for madmen to hide. People are missed less often and neighbours
rarely know whom they live next to. And that is precisely why these murders were not the deed of some public servant but a vampire. One you caught and killed all alone.’
    ‘I, I don’t understand.’
    ‘Very well, I shall explain. I am building a nation and it grows at a rate I can barely control,’ he smiled frostily, ‘despite my special talents. We do not have the luxury of
a common heritage, only our own endeavour and unity. We cannot afford to wonder whether a killer walks amongst us, to live in fear of our own kind, not when we have enemies out there who would
exploit such a thing. The city is one step from revolt each and every day; this you know only too well. But when plagued by vampires, werewolves, daemons and the like, we know our enemy.
    ‘Such creatures are rare in these parts, most of the time nothing more than a story to keep the little ones in hand. But they are not the only monsters in this Land and it’s those
that are indistinguishable from men you meet every day that are truly terrifying. A vampire is a banner to the population, as the Gods or the tribes of man are. You can see my busy bee waving from
half the flagpoles in the city, but it is my enemies that fly the most important banner.’
    ‘What madness was this?’
    ‘How to