Night Patrol

A Tale from Heartvale

Fara waited for the torches to pass. They couldn't see her pressed against the wall, so she had a chance. The Watch presence in the Grasp had increased since the Gathering. Even a year ago, the Watch wouldn't bother to patrol the Grasp at night, but ever since they dragged Hadran down from his podium and beat him to death, they'd been keeping a closer eye on the workers who lived here.

Hadran had the courage to say what others were thinking: the Drift had the right of it. Why shouldn't the people have a say in who leads them? 

The Watch officer for the district claimed it was an act put on by disgruntled workers, a desperate ploy to create a false martyr who would undermine the bedrock of society, but the residents of the Grasp knew the truth. 

That truth was why Fara was here, now, hidden in shadow. She wasn't the only one, lurking in the dark, across the Grasp. Those killers who murdered Hadran walked the streets every day and every night, and if the Watch wouldn't account for their own misdeeds, then it was up to the people to settle the score. 

She recognized him, standing amidst a group of other Watchers, lighting a pipe, his rough features illuminated in flame. They were the same features that twisted into a sadistic grin as he pummeled Hadran into the stones. He finished lighting the pipe and took a draw, letting out the smoke and commenting to one of the others that he needed to find a new source.

The Watchers lingered there, at the crossroads, laughing and smoking. They had nothing to fear. She readied herself, drawing up the crossbow and taking careful aim. They had no idea she was there.
The bell rang, signalling the hour. Fara inhaled a breath, held it for a heartbeat, and exhaled, squeezing the release. The thwang of the crossbow and the thud of the bolt striking home were drowned out in the bell's clanging.

The Watcher hit the ground and Fara was gone before the others thought to look for her. As she fled through the night, she prayed to Lupercas that the others succeeded as well. For her part, Hadran was avenged, and now the Watch would know that the people of the Grasp would not be so easily beaten down.