A loud, crunching boom echoed around the plaza, battering its way past her eardrums into the centre of her head. The ball of flames and smoke spread out, reminding her of ink dropped in water, and engulfed the platform and the people on it. With no breeze, the smoke lingered, adding to the hazy, unreal quality that had taken over the day.
Jessa shook her head, trying to clear the sound which still bounced around inside her skull. As her hearing returned and the smoke dissipated a little, shocked exclamations erupted from all sides.
Half the platform had gone, reduced to pieces of blackened and splintered wood littering the paved ground, some still on fire. Jessa could see several bodies lying among the debris like discarded children’s toys. The remaining sections of the platform seemed to be aflame.
Jessa’s mind only had room for one thought.
Betharad!
Her sister had been up there, near the front. Was she now lying on the ground, injured—or worse?
“What the...?” gasped her twin brother Sarnd between coughs.
Jessa was unable to make any response to his unfinished question, because she was choking on a mixture of smoke and ash, shock and anger.
Most of the horrified crowd had risen from their seats, but a collective paralysis took hold. The only movement came from the Town Protectors who rushed around with buckets.
Her eyes searched the prone bodies and smouldering wood, hoping not to see her sister among them. Betharad had stood out from all the others in the sombre black steward’s robe, with her long brown hair unbound for once. But fires and smoke obscured the view, and Jessa’s mind still reeled from what she’d seen and heard.
Elian gripped her arm, hard enough to leave bruises. Her grandmother’s eyes were wide and her face devoid of colour.
“Can you see her? Is she hurt? I can’t see anything from here.”
Jessa shook her off and pushed forward through the motionless spectators, her brother at her shoulder. Their progress stirred others into action and soon the whole plaza was abuzz. She aimed straight for the steps, mercifully still intact. But only five paces from her goal, her momentum was halted by someone standing in her way.
“Stop! What do you think you’re doing?” a voice said, as Jessa drew breath for a curse. She looked up at the lined face and grey hair of Pavena, Kavilas’s deputy.
Elian joined them, her voice trembling as she protested, “Betharad might be—”
“I know,” Pavena replied in a calm tone Jessa found infuriating. “We’re doing our best to account for everyone. We do not need anyone blundering in and getting in the way.”
Their chance was gone now, with a ring of protectors forming around the platform and the fallen bodies. The smoke was thicker here, making Jessa’s eyes water, and she was close enough to see the flames eating one section of wood at an alarming rate. She almost cried out when a protector finally threw water over it.
“I need to—,” began Jessa.
“No.” The deputy’s voice was unsympathetic. “We’re working as fast as we can, and the healers are already dealing with the people who have been injured. If anyone attempts to go nearer before I say they can, I’ll not hesitate to use force.” She stared at each of them, daring them to test her resolve.
Jessa stole a quick glance at the stairs. Pavena’s arms were long, but if she could just—
The deputy fixed her gaze on Jessa and growled, “Do you want to find out whether I’m serious?”
Sarnd often came up with clever ideas, but her brother shrugged when she looked his way. At least he refrained from making some flippant comment that would only annoy her more.
Jessa glared at the deputy marshal. She recognised the stance of someone who wasn’t moving, and she had no argument that would convince Pavena to let her pass. Jessa was not going anywhere, and she formed her own stance to show she would remain here until she’d seen Betharad. She crossed her arms, looking around at every flicker of movement. She would stay as long as she could, but it was going to be hard. There must be something useful she could be doing. Sarnd and Elian waited next to her, which went some way to quieten her twitching nerves.
A knot of people appeared at the top of the stairs, and Pavena stepped aside to allow a couple of protectors to help them descend. Betharad was one of them, and Jessa’s heartbeat finally began to return to normal. Her sister’s face was pale and she was leaning more than usual on her walking stick, but appeared otherwise unscathed.
The instant Betharad reached the ground, Jessa threw herself into her arms, almost knocking her off her feet. Jessa’s squeeze must have been tighter than she intended, for Betharad shifted in her embrace. Jessa made way for Elian to have her turn, more delicate but no less fierce.
“Are you hurt, my dear?” Elian asked as she stepped back, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from Betharad’s face. A smear of soot marred her cheek, and shock lingered in her eyes. “Do you need to sit down?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Betharad assured them as she looked around. “Has anyone been seriously injured?” An urgent note crept into her voice.
“There’s no need for you to worry. Our healers are very capable.”
Jessa kept her own doubts silent on that point. The healers were good, but those motionless bodies resembled the aftermath of a massacre, mirroring the events the Deliverance Ceremony was supposed to commemorate.
Kavilas had gone to survey the rest of the nightmarish scene, and when he returned his face was grimmer than usual.
“Marshal. Is the structure likely to collapse further?” asked Pavena.
“Not as far as we can tell,” he replied. He had a worried edge Jessa had never witnessed before; it was no surprise, given he was responsible for safety and security in the town. “We had to be careful coming down, but the chief carpenter says it will stand for the moment, now the fires are out. But we must stop people getting too close.”
“Good. The healers could do without any more accidents adding to their workloads.”
“You’re right.” Kavilas ran a hand through his short, brown hair as he turned his attention to where the casualties were. A group of bystanders blocked Jessa’s view, and she envied the marshal’s height; it could be annoying to be shorter than most other adults. No doubt the spectators were only there gawking at whatever gruesome sight they could lay eyes on.
Jessa could hold back her welling anger no longer. “So what happened, Marshal?” she demanded, glaring at Kavilas. Betharad frowned again, and Elian pursed her lips in disapproval. “I thought you were responsible for making sure everyone is safe!”
“Jessa,” Betharad said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “the marshal hasn’t had a chance to investigate yet.”
She knew that, but if she kept her emotions stoppered up inside she might explode too. She turned to Sarnd for some support, but his face was blank. She understood how he was feeling, but it was a bad time and place to have one of his quiet panic attacks.
“Marshal?”
One of the protectors approached. Jessa knew him by sight rather than name, and he looked young, maybe too young for the role. His eyes were wide, and his face had a greenish tinge.
Kavilas turned towards him. “Yes, Oreno?”
The man appeared to notice Betharad for the first time. “Oh, Coun—I mean, Steward, I’ve been sent to inform you about the people who fell from the platform.”
“And?” prompted Kavilas.
Oreno coughed. “Two councillors have been taken to the infirmary with burns and cuts, but both should make full recoveries.”
“And the rest of them?”
The man started; he can’t have been a protector for long. “There... there are a few other injuries, none too serious. The worst is Councillor Caldos, with a broken arm. But also...” Oreno’s voice trembled and he looked at the ground.
“It’s been a traumatic morning for us all,” said Kavilas, with an expected amount of empathy in his voice. “But it is the job of a Town Protector to face up to whatever has happened, so we can deal with it together.”
Oreno straightened his back and met his marshal’s gaze. “Councillor Haveld is... well, he was killed.”
The three short words had the impact of another explosion, blotting out all sound and vision for a second. It was unbelievable, though when Jessa thought back to the scene that had emerged from the clearing smoke, it should be no surprise. She could appreciate why Oreno had been hesitant to tell them.
Betharad’s eyes widened and she swayed a little, her hand gripping her walking stick so hard her knuckles went white. She had spoken many times of how much she admired the councillor.
While Jessa had had little to do with Haveld, like everyone she had known who he was. He seemed to have been a councillor forever, an immutable fixture of Naerun. Now gone.
Kavilas was the first to regain his voice, though his face was pale under his tan. “Thank you for the news, Oreno. Now go back and see what other assistance you can offer. I’ll need to speak with Haveld’s family, and then we’ll gather the Council to consider what to do after that.”
“What should we do about the ceremony?” asked Elian.
The answer was obvious, at least to Jessa. How could they think of going ahead after all this?
The others didn’t respond straight away. Betharad and Kavilas, two people she envied for being able to control how they showed their feelings in public, seemed to be struggling with some big emotion. Indecision? Guilt? That made no sense—neither was responsible for this, despite Jessa’s earlier outburst. Betharad had been looking forward to today, and it was understandable she would be shocked and disappointed. Same with the marshal, Jessa supposed, after all his hard work to prepare the town for the ceremony. But that was no reason to hesitate at making the right decision. It was unusual for Jessa to be the sensible one.
She held her breath. It was one technique to stop herself saying what was on her mind. Such a shame it often failed.
“You have to cancel it,” she said, trying to stop the words from bursting out of her mouth in a garbled rush. “There’s no question it can go ahead.”
She was surprised when her sister stared at her, mouth open. “Why didn’t we—” Betharad began, a strange, plaintive note catching her voice. But Jessa had no time to work out what was wrong, because Sarnd interrupted.
“No, we can’t do that!” Her brother’s voice rose in pitch on the final word. “So many people need the ceremony to make them feel safe. That’s even more important this year!”
Oh, great. Perfect timing for her twin, who most of the time went along with whatever she suggested, to decide to argue over this. Jessa turned to him, feeling the heat of anger rise in her chest. She knew he was upset, and she should try to exercise some restraint, but she was beyond caring. “Safe? Is that what you call this?” She gestured at the mess around them.
Sarnd flushed, but instead of backing down like he always did, he drew himself upright and glared back at her. “We all know how much you hate the ceremony, how you find it embarrassing. But I’m sure there are very few people who agree with you. You should try to think of other people’s feelings for a change!”
“That’s enough!” exclaimed Elian. “You’re both twenty-three—far too old to be squabbling in the plaza like schoolchildren. Look at what you’re doing to poor Betha.”
Jessa turned to her sister, the familiar feeling of guilt soaking through her. She had allowed herself to be controlled by her need to release her ire at the first available target. And what’s more, with no regard to whoever might be listening, at a time when Betharad needed her to behave with decorum. A few heads were already turning towards their small group, and Jessa wished she could tell them to mind their own business.
Betharad blinked once, gave her head a little shake and stood up straighter. Wherever she’d been, she had come back to herself. “Thank you, Eli. It’s understandable we’re all feeling emotional today. I’m sorry Sarnd, but I have to say, I agree with Jessa about this. Holding the ceremony today would be disrespectful to Haveld’s family.”
Kavilas tilted his head in agreement. “We also need to start our investigations before any crucial pieces of evidence become lost or damaged. But I agree there is value in holding the ceremony sooner rather than later—the Council will make it a priority to find a new date as soon as possible.”
Sarnd took a breath, but then he shook his head and turned away. Jessa caught a bleak look in his eyes, and felt a sting of regret for her words to him. She knew she should apologise to him more than anyone, but this might not be the best time. And anyway, their arguments usually faded away without any intervention by either of them, and the matter was never mentioned again. This should be no different.
“You could try not to look so relieved,” Elian whispered in Jessa’s ear, making her jump. She hadn’t realised her grandmother was standing so close.
“I... I’m not,” she said, but Elian’s arched brow showed she was unconvinced by the lie.
Her grandmother drew her away from the others. “Do you think I haven’t noticed how you cringe every time someone so much as mentions the ceremony?”
It was futile to deny it. Everyone in Naerun might think Elian was a forgetful and harmless old woman, but Jessa knew how shrewd and perceptive she really was. She braced herself for the usual scolding.
To her surprise, Elian smiled and squeezed her arm. “Look, my dear, I do understand why you might find the traditional speech tedious—I remember when I was your age, and the past seemed so remote and irrelevant. But over the years, I’ve learned the past has a way of reaching out when you least expect it.”
Jessa might not remember her father Veric at all, but she ought to have more sympathy for her grandmother. Veric had been her son. While Jessa struggled to find the right words to say, Elian went on, “Whatever we might think of it, your sister draws strength from the ceremony, and this year she needs all the support we can give her.”
Jessa nodded. “I think I can do that.” She would try, anyway.
“Good.” Her grandmother turned back and said, “Kavilas, we were wondering... can Betha still be steward if she hasn’t been formally invested?”
The marshal started a little, as if his thoughts had been far away. “Ah, yes, I think so. I’d need to check the Council byelaws. But it does make sense for her to take on the responsibilities if she can. In the meantime, I think we should encourage everyone to go home now.”
It would have been nice to not be the one who kept raising complications, but there were other matters to consider. “What about all the food and drink?” Jessa asked, attempting to keep her voice calm and supportive.
Betharad looked at her as if she’d uttered some unspeakable profanity. “What about it?”
Jessa found it hard to muster a reply. Many people had laboured for hours to prepare today’s celebratory feast. Jessa herself had been up since before dawn. Betharad had a lot on her mind, but it was unlike her to be so uncaring. “It will be ready soon,” Jessa said, struggling to maintain her smooth tone. “And none of it will keep in this weather. We’d just have to throw it all away.”
“Jessa’s right,” said Elian. “I’m sure you know more than we do, how much it cost the Council. It would be such a waste not to let people have some.”
Betharad sighed and put a hand on Jessa’s shoulder. “Of course. I’m sorry, my mind is all over the place. We should allow people to take as much as they want.”
Pavena nodded. “Makes sense. They can take the food and drink home with them. I can also assign a team of protectors to watch over the platform, and hold back any curious people who find it hard to control themselves.” For some reason she directed this remark at Jessa.
Jessa was turning to head over to the food tent when a whispering, ringing noise echoed in her ears, the sound of metal sliding over metal. In fact, she realised she’d been hearing it for a while now. Nobody else reacted to it, so it must be one of those stupid headaches coming on. Not good timing on her part, at all.
As she searched for somewhere to sit for a while, to gather the energy she’d need to get through the rest of the day, a voice cut through the commotion swirling around in the restless crowd. “Marshal!”
What now?
It was another of the Town Protectors, her face white with shock as she ran towards them. She skidded to a halt before Kavilas and gasped, “We’ve discovered a body—in the small alley behind the Council building. It looks like he’s been murdered.”
That was too much. Jessa kept walking away.