The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 22

Fiona took her two flintlock pistols, now reloaded, and fired both together. The giant’s knees popped like crushed tomatoes, and the monster collapsed in a pile of limbs. She tossed the pistols to Vincent, who set about reloading both without a word. Fiona retrieved the spear that Vincent had acquired earlier. She walked across the carriage and dropped off the back to face the giant. 

“Get out of the vehicle and unhitch the horses. If this battle reaches the carriage I do not want anyone going over the edge.” Fiona said as she approached the giant. 

The giant rose to its knees. It tried to stand, but its knees wouldn’t support it. 

“It’s still dangerous.” Laila called as we exited the carriage.

“So is she.” Vincent said as he unhitched the horses, pistols held in the crooks of his arms. 

As soon as Vincent freed the horses from the harness, they bolted. The horses disappeared into the night. We turned to face Fiona and the giant. Fiona circled the giant, trying to get to its flank. The giant moved with Fiona, struggling to stay facing her. 

“It knows what she’s doing.” I said.

“Can giants think like a human?” Amy asked.

“We don’t know.” Vincent shook his head. “They use simple tools. But they don’t wear clothes. And they have the mannerisms of an animal.”

“I did notice the lack of clothes.” Laila said. “He’s a big boy.”

I blanched. “I hadn’t been looking. Thank you for that.”

The giant lunged at Fiona and she skipped back out of range. The lunge fell short, and the giant lay sprawled out in the snow. Fiona leaped forward with the spear. The giant raised its arms and blocked the spear thrust with its forearms. Blood sprayed and the giant screamed. It ripped its arms wide and the spear splintered. Fiona went flying and rolled to her feet, saber drawn. 

Vincent finished loading the pistols and fired them in rapid succession. Both rounds hit the giant in the right hip and the giant crumpled on that side. Fiona darted in and slashed at the giant’s exposed right wrist. Vincent immediately began reloading a pistol. Amy scooped the other pistol and began to reload that one. 

Feeling a bit useless, I turned back to look at Fiona and the giant as they sparred back and forth. Fiona was faster and had a blade. But the giant had her beat on range. Fiona could only cut at the giant’s hands and anger it. I had my clasp dagger, but not the clasp it came with. I had an empty pistol. And I had my cane. 

I spread my legs wide for balance and then took a step and hurled my cane. The cane went spinning towards the fight and I crashed down to the snow. The cane bounced off the giant’s right shin. The giant turned to look at the new attack. And Fiona lunged in, driving her saber up through the giant’s chin and into its skull. The giant spasmed and then collapsed, dragging Fiona’s saber from her hand. Fiona cried out and clutched her right hand as the giant fell. 

Vincent ran to Fiona, as Amy and Laila helped me to my feet. We made our way over to Vincent and Fiona. She still held her right hand. As we got close I saw that the hand looked wrong. The shape was off. Her saber being torn from her hand had crushed something or dislocated something- or both. 

“How are you?” Amy asked.

“My hand is useless until I can get a healing potion. And we do not have any. So I am in pain and less useful in combat than normal. How are you three?”

“I hurt a little from my fall, but I’ll be fine once I get my cane back.”

“That was an accurate throw. Thank you, Beloved.”

“I feel responsible for that injury.”

“No. I was careless. I focused too much on the kill and not enough on what would happen after that. Amy, Beloved, are you unhurt?”

Amy nodded.

“And you, Laila Adasdottir?”

Laila shrugged, “Nothing new. So I guess I’m fine.”

“Now what?” Amy asked.

I considered this. “We need a place to lie low. We need healing potions. And we need people who can investigate things for us without arousing suspicion.”

“We must prove your innocence now, and we must do so in a way that Hyperborea cannot use to declare war on Ys.” Fiona said.

“Don’t we have to prove all of our innocence now?” Amy asked. 

“She has a point. Duke Xander saw us all.” Vincent said.

“Right, we’re all on the run now.” Laila kicked some snow as she spoke.

“I’m sorry we dragged you into this.” I put a hand on Laila’s shoulder.

“I got me into this. Her grace- that is- nobody has ever defended me from an angry nobleman before. Baroness Octavian is amazing.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yes, she is.” I agreed.

“My family longhouse isn’t far from here.” Laila pointed. “We can hide there. I am sure my mother would help you. She likes you.”

After Vincent retrieved my cane, we moved off from the carriage. The longhouses clustered together outside the commercial district of the city. The city looked like cities I'd seen before, if a little more muddy and with less stonework. But the longhouses, gave a more primitive look. I had the distinct sense that Hyperborea was an iron age culture. And trade was dragging it into the early modern era. 

“City guards.” Laila hissed the words, and held out a hand to stop us. 

Four guards passed between two longhouses, torches in hand. We waited in the shadows as they passed. 

“They usually travel in twos. Something is up.” Laila said. 

“We're up.” I said. “Three nobles have been murdered. A foreigner has been arrested. And now that foreigner has escaped. Of course the patrols are heavy tonight.”

“This makes things difficult. But we will manage.” Fiona said.

“Will we?” Amy asked.

“Fiona doesn’t fail.” Vincent said. 

We made our way through the maze of longhouses. We stayed in the shadows. The lack of gas streetlights in Hyperborea was proving a godsend. Laila had pointed out her longhouse in the distance, when I heard a horn sounding in the distance. 

“What’s that?” I asked. 

Laila flinched, “It’s a general alarm horn. Somebody is panicking.”

“I bet the guards from the menagerie found their way out of the tunnel. They may have even found the giant.”

Fiona nodded, “Quick then. To the longhouse. We must hide before everyone is in the streets.”

We started moving again, but I found I was stumbling even more now. Amy and Laila were having to carry me. 

“Ren, what’s wrong?” Amy asked.

“I don’t. Don’t know. Feel like sleepy.” I was slurring my words. “Feeling numb. Can’t feel legs.”

Vincent nodded. “That will be the hypothermia, right on time.” 

“Will she be okay?” Amy asked.

“We need to warm her up. It’s still in the early stages.” Vincent said. “If we stay out here, she’s going to be in trouble.”

“Can’t walk.” I managed.

“I will take her.” Fiona said. And for a third time, my fiance hoisted my body into her arms. 

“We have to hurry. I’m seeing more torches already.” Laila said.

And we carried on through the snow and mud-filled streets.