With the sun high the streets were blinding white and impossibly clean considering how many people travelled them. Bedeckt felt filthy, like he somehow soiled this beautiful city with his presence. Judging from the looks he received, a fair number of the city’s population felt much the same. Some part of him wanted to scuff a cobblestone with his boot and then hide somewhere to see who came to clean it and how long it took before they arrived.
“It’s a gorgeous city,” said Zukunft, riding alongside Bedeckt. Her skirt, hiked up to allow her to straddle her horse comfortably, showed more thigh than Bedeckt felt ready to deal with. “I’ve never seen anywhere quite so…clean.”
“It’s their damned godling. He’s obsessed with cleanliness. Used to wash his hands until they bled.” Bedeckt, thinking of how Stehlen would react to the new Selbsthass, spat at the street earning himself a fresh batch of disdain and disgust from those around him. He laughed at them and they found something else to be disdainful about. If he wanted to mark one small cobblestone, Stehlen would want to drown this place in blood and filth. Gods pity anyone dumb enough to show her their disapproval.
A squad of Geborene priests in clean white liveries watched Bedeckt and Zukunft, eyes hooded and suspicious. When the two passed and the priests made no move to intercept, Bedeckt released the breath he held. It’d be damned typical to get thrown into jail before they even made it out of the city.
Bedeckt imagined Wichtig saying, That’d pretty much rut your stupid plan, wouldn’t it old man?
What the hells was he doing? Running off to rescue some child so… So what? So this deranged Mirrorist would continue helping him?
You know that isn’t the reason. At least not the entire reason. Damned list. Why don’t you cross those last few things off? Why not embrace the foul shite you are and admit there is no crime you aren’t willing to perpetrate? Stehlen would be disgusted with him. He knew what she’d say: You’re afraid this pretty piece of arse will think less of you if you don’t rescue the boy. You’ve gone soft. And then she’d call him an idiot and she wouldn’t be wrong. Bedeckt ground his teeth and growled under his breath. Without Zukunft, he had no chance of stopping Morgen, no chance at undoing the damage he did the child. No chance at—he killed the thought. One step at a time. Rescue this damned child so she’d show him what he really needed to be doing. He could only hope she hadn’t lied about everything. His gut soured at the thought.
Zukunft remained impervious to his mood, stroking her horse’s nose as she rode and cooing nonsense at it. “I’m calling him Pr?chtig.” she announced. “What are you calling yours?”
“Arsehole.”
Zukunft pursed her lips as if contemplating his answer. Finally, she nodded and said, “Great name.”
“We didn’t have enough coin to buy much food,” said Bedeckt, changing the subject. “We’ll have to hunt.”
“I’d wondered why you bought a short-bow,” said Zukunft. “Are you skilled with it?”
He wasn’t. He hated the damned things. More often than not they broke before he killed anything or the bowstring got wet or stretched. This one looked more like a piece of tree than a real bow, but it would have to do. The arrows, sharpened sticks at best, would be useless for anything bigger than an underfed rabbit. Even then Bedeckt didn’t relish the thought of chasing a wounded animal if he didn’t land a killing shot. A real bow and iron headed arrows were beyond their means.
“I’ll do the hunting,” said Bedeckt. “You’ll do the cooking.”
“I will? Why?”
“I figured—”
“Figured what?” No expression marred her features.
“Cooking is woman’s work.”
She tilted her head to one side, examining him like he was something unpleasant she’d stepped in. “Do you know how to build a house?”
“What? No.”
“But that’s man’s work.”
“I’m not that kind of man.”
“Well, I’m not that kind of woman.”
Bedeckt decided not to ask what kind she was. “So I’ll do the hunting and the gutting and the cooking?”
“Yep.”
“And you?”
“I’ll watch.” She smiled sweetly. “And critique your cooking. If it’s red meat, I prefer medium rare.”
“Do you know how to start a fire?”
Zukunft raised an arm, wrist bent at a dainty angle. “Ring the bell.” She pretended to shake a small bell.
“Huh?”
“And then when the servant arrives, instruct him to prepare a fire.”
Was she joking? Bedeckt had no idea. He knew nothing of her past. No reason she couldn’t have come from a family of wealth and means. It would certainly explain a lot.
The Geborene priests at the southern gate let them through without comment or question. If anything, they looked pleased to see them leave.