Best Served Cold

He was up at the window when he heard keys rattling down the corridor, and he almost smiled at the relief of knowing it was time. He hopped down from his pallet, right leg still stiff where Friendly had stuck his knife in it, stood up tall and faced the metal gate.

He hadn’t thought she’d come herself, but he was glad she had. Glad for the chance to look her in the eye one more time, even if they had the jailer and a half-dozen guards for company. She looked well, no doubt of that, not so gaunt as she used to, nor so hard. Clean, smooth, sleek and rich. Like royalty. Hard to believe she ever had aught to do with him.

“Well, look at you,” he said. “Grand Duchess Monzcarro. How the hell did you come out o’ this mess so fine?”

“Luck.”

“There you go. Never had much myself.” The jailer unlocked the gate and pushed it squealing open. Two of the guards came in, snapped manacles shut round Shivers’ wrists. He didn’t see much purpose in making a fight of it. Would’ve been just an embarrassment all round. They marched him out into the corridor to face her.

“Quite the trip we’ve been on, ain’t it, Monza, you and I?”

“Quite the trip,” she said. “You lost yourself, Shivers.”

“No. I found myself. You going to hang me now?” He didn’t feel much joy at the thought, but not much sorrow either. Better’n rotting in that cell, he reckoned.

She watched him for a long moment. Blue eyes, and cold. Looked at him like she did the first time they met. Like nothing he could do would surprise her. “No.”

“Eh?” Hadn’t been expecting that. Left him disappointed, almost. “What, then?”

“You can go.”

He blinked. “I can what?”

“Go. You’re free.”

“Didn’t think you still cared.”

“Who says I ever did? This is for me, not you. I’ve had enough vengeance.”

Shivers snorted. “Well, who’d have fucking thought it? The Butcher of Caprile. The Snake of Talins. The good woman, all along. I thought you didn’t have much use for the right thing. I thought mercy and cowardice were the same.”

“Mark me down a coward, then. That I can live with. Just don’t ever come back here. My cowardice has limits.” She twisted the ring off her finger. The one with the big, blood-red ruby in it, and tossed it in the dirty straw at his feet. “Take it.”

“Alright.” He bent down and dug it out of the muck, wiped it on his shirt. “I ain’t proud.” Monza turned and walked away, towards the stairway, towards the lamplight spilling from it. “So that’s how this ends, is it?” he called after her. “That’s the ending?”

“You think you deserve something better?” And she was gone.

He slid the ring onto his little finger and watched it sparkle. “Something worse.”

“Move, then, bastard,” snarled one of the guards, waving a drawn sword.

Shivers grinned back. “Oh, I’m gone, don’t you worry on that score. I’ve had my fill of Styria.”

He smiled as he stepped out of the darkness of the tunnel and onto the bridge that led away from Fontezarmo. He scratched at his itching face, took in a long breath of cold, free air. All things considered, and well against the run of luck, he reckoned he’d come out alright. Might be he’d lost an eye down here in Styria. Might be he was leaving no richer than when he’d stepped off the boat. But he was a better man, of that he’d no doubt. A wiser man. Used to be he was his own worst enemy. Now he was everyone else’s.

He was looking forward to getting back to the North, finding some work that suited him. Maybe he’d make a stop in Uffrith, pay his old friend Vossula a little visit. He set off down the mountain, away from the fortress, boots crunching in the grey dust.

Behind him, the sunrise was the colour of bad blood.