Bitter Cold Truth: A Tale of the Everburning City

(5-3) Unable to flee

"I, uh..." Angela stammered, as she stood up and tried to find her bearings. Samuel found himself both amused and bitter at her reaction. But it wasn't a strong feeling. The man who strode into the room was one of the City's legends, a name uttered with the same awe held towards Starvald Denerim, Olivia Polden, or Tabitha a'Loria.

"Yes, Captain," Bertram said, with a certain reserved civility in his tone that bordered on being curt. "The stairwell door has been welded shut by our quarry. He also cut the elevator cables. Inspector Angela Ostal took it upon herself to request your assistance."

As Bertram explained the situation, Captain Raeth took a slow walk through the room, examining some of the paintings and the awards displayed on various shelves.

"You're hunting a reject in Nursery Tower? Like looking for Coldstone in the river," Captain Raeth reflected, as he pointed to one of the small statues on a shelf. "Particularly in the home of a Parliamentarian. Rosemary Miller, unless I've really missed my mark."

Samuel glanced around the room, impressed. There were enough clues on the shelves to suggest that the home belonged to a parliamentarian, particularly in tributes to distinguished service and other medals, but to piece it together so quickly was no small feat.

"Captain, as appreciative as we are," Bertram said testily, "the details of an ongoing hunt are shared only as we need to. Oversight would appreciate it if you didn't pry."

"Evaluator," Captain Raeth replied. It was subtle, but the tone shift in the Captain's words reminded Samuel of cold water being poured over hot steel. "This is the second airship Oversight has interrupted in the course of our regular duties."

"Apologies, Captain. But it is urgent, and time sensitive. Our-" Angela began to say, but she didn't manage to finish her explanation.

"Not only time sensitive, but sensitive," Bertram cut Angela off. "We don't share this with anyone we don't have to."

"Shadow," someone said from the door. Samuel turned to see a tall woman in the military's field uniform stride through the door, her right hand resting on her sword and her face twisted in a scowl.

Something about her made Samuel nervous. Her posture, her stride, the grip on her sword that somehow resembled a metal vice, all of it reminded Samuel of the Fury's first officer.

"What Captain Raeth is too polite to say," the woman with her hand on her sword said in a voice ringing with authority. "Is unless he and I are satisfied that your need is dire, the three of you are under arrest. Pending a military tribunal for mischief. And Oversight will be censured."

"Only the one in black is a shadow," Captain Raeth said, looking at an object resting on the wall. "And they're hunting Rosemary Miller's child."

"How the burning hell did you figure that out so quickly?" Angela asked.

"I can sense Coldstone, and shadows would leave their pants before forgetting their knives," Captain Raeth explained, as he held up a piece of glasswork in the shape of a ball. "Now, what I'm holding here is a memento. Making one is part of an apprentice's training, and is one of the most technically difficult things an apprentice does before they're given the coat. I could explain what it is, but it's quicker to show you."

Captain Raeth turned to Samuel and held his gaze. "May I?"

Samuel stood, and shrugged. "I can't imagine you need my permission, sir."

"I do, actually," Gerald replied with a strange smile. "I am a reject. The City has judged me unfit to use my power at my own discretion."

Samuel shook his head and wondered about the absurdity of the situation he found himself in. That a hero of the Sixth, a decorated captain trusted with the lives and obedience of soldiers and the most precious invention of the City, should have to ask him for permission to craft...

Instinctively, Samuel found it ridiculous. But there was another layer to Captain Raeth's smile, something beneath the rueful amusement that Samuel didn't understand.

"Thank you, Captain. If it can help, please proceed," Samuel said.

Captain Raeth nodded and extended his hand, holding the ball in his open palm. A moment later, the ball glowed, scattering light across the room.

And along the ceiling, written in glowing orange letters flickering with light, were the words 'To Live is to Burn'.

"That's not bad work," Captain Raeth said. "The control is impressive, and I like the artistic streak. Complicated script is actually tough to draw this way."

"So our quarry passed his first year," Samuel reflected.

"Wait, how recently did this reject trap you on up here?" Gerald asked.

"Fifteen minutes, roughly," Angela reported.

"Mind if I look for him?" Captain Raeth requested, his tone betraying his excitement.

"You can look for him through the flame?" Samuel asked. He recalled the crafter who spied on them earlier this morning, at the Red Crucible.

"I can. Do I have your permission?"

"Yes," Samuel said.

"Describe him to me," Captain Raeth said, as his gaze became distant and unfocused.

"Fairly tall. Black hair, distinctive haircut. Shaved on the sides, the top almost reaches to his shoulders," Samuel said. "Gold embroidery on a wool coat dyed black, knife wound on his right shoulder."

"I can work with that. Let's see... Elevators? Nope, not even the small one leading directly into the Undercity," the Songbird's captain trailed off, mumbling to himself.

"Apologies, but I didn't catch your name," Samuel asked the woman who had followed him inside. He hadn't noticed before, but the woman's sword had two bars running through the hoop on the pommel.

"This is Captian Amelian Rustov," Angela said. "The Golem killer."

"Angela? I didn't realise you had joined Oversight, no..." the woman said, holding her finger up. "Orderlies. Did you make inspector already? Valen would be impressed."

"I couldn't imagine," Angela said, looking busily at something along the walls.

Samuel looked at Amelian, who was staring at his partner disbelievingly.

"No luck," Gerald said, blinking a few times. "He's not in the building, he isn't in the crowds near the building in Lower Central, and he isn't waiting for a train. Now, inspectors, where were you planning on heading next, to continue your investigation? Unless it's well out of my way, I'm happy to give you a lift."

Samuel looked to his partner and deliberately stared at her until she gave him a small, nearly imperceptible nod.

"Thank you, Captain. We are hoping to get to Research. Our quarry was asking about a woman who works there," Samuel said.

Captain Raeth nodded slowly, his gaze quizzical. "Okay," he said after a moment. "I can take you there. Rustov, would you get them aboard while I fix the door?"

"Aye sir," Amelian Rustov said, waving as she strode back towards the balcony. She leaned over the edge and waved in a small circle as she pulled on one of the cables.

Samuel followed Bertram and Angela to the balcony and waited while Amelian hooked a small harness up to Bertram before instructing him to hop over the balcony.

Bertram stepped over and swung into the air for a moment before the rope pulled him up, and out of sight.

"Ang, you next," Amelain said, taking the other cable and wrapping it around Angela's waist. Angela nodded wordlessly and imitated Bertram's graceful climb over the balcony and into the air.

Samuel approached for his turn, just as a cable attached to an empty harness was returned to Amelian's hand.

"Inspector," Amelian said, holding the harness out to him. "I can't say Angela and I were close, but I respected her. The anger she seems to have, is there anything I've done that you know of?"

Samuel smiled as kindly as he could manage, as Amelian checked his restraints. "It's only partially you. I'm just starting to realise it. But the thing is, you're everything she ever wanted to be. Everything she can never be."

And saying that, Samuel stepped over the balcony, and for the first time in his life, took to the air.