War of Shadows by Gail Z. Martin

“That’s one way I make sure the people in my ward stay loyal when the other gangs come around trying to push into my streets. My people don’t go hungry. They work for me and stay loyal, and I’ll make sure they have clothes on their backs, shoes on their feet, and food in their bellies.”
    “Will your supplies get flooded?” Blaine pressed. “If the storms hit like we’re expecting, it’s going to be a while before you’ll be able to get new provisions.”
    Folville shrugged. “Some might. If we’ve got a day or two, my men can move most of what might be in danger. Most of what we’ve got should be safe.”
    Outside the Rooster and Pig, Blaine could hear the wind howl. A loose shutter banged against the wooden walls. Above the wind, Blaine heard the sound of chanting, and what sounded like a large crowd singing. Some of the patrons in theRooster and Pig shifted to see out the pub’s windows. Folville gestured to one of his bodyguards, and the man took a few steps to look out the window. He returned a moment later, scowling.
    “It’s those damn Torven troublemakers,” the burly man growled. “Got a big crowd down by the water.”
    Folville looked up at the bodyguard. “Go get some of the other men. Run those bastards out of my territory.”
    The bodyguard nodded. “We’ll get it done,” he promised, and shouldered his way out of the crowded pub.
    “What do you know about them?” Blaine asked Folville.
    Folville cursed. “Very little, and even that’s too much. They showed up a couple of weeks ago, around Torven’s main shrine. Pretty soon, there were more of them, and then even more. Next thing I know, they’re causing problems.”
    “What kind of problems?” Kestel asked.
    Folville spat on the floor. “We caught a couple of them trying to break into one of our storehouses. They’ve been causing disturbances, making prophecies. We don’t need that. My men roughed them up plenty good. Maybe the others will get the message.”
    “Anything else?” Blaine asked.
    Folville muttered a few more curses under his breath. “Nothing I can prove, but every time there’s trouble, those damn Tingur have just left. Had a warehouse catch on fire. One of my men saw two of those robed men nearby just before the flames caught. We’ve been having more problems than usual with the Badgers and the Blades, and I can’t shake the feeling that the Tingur have something to do with it.”
    “Rumor has it Karstan Lysander might be using the Tingur, giving them aid,” Blaine said.
    “What in Raka does Lysander have to do with a bunch of loonies?” Folville asked.
    “We think Lysander’s using them to find the weak points,” Blaine replied.
    Folville let loose a string of curses. “I knew it! I figured those blighters for trouble. My men run them out of my ward whenever they show up, but they keep coming back. I always thought they were planning something.”
    Just then, a tremendous crash shook the Rooster and Pig. The floor shook hard enough to send tankards tumbling and beer sloshing. Women screamed and men got to their feet in startled alarm. Kestel drew her sword, as did Folville’s bodyguard. Blaine and Folville were on their feet, expecting an attack.
    They followed the crowd to the door. “Damned if the old shipworks didn’t collapse,” one man said as the tavern’s patrons shoved to get a better look.
    Blaine was tall enough to see over most of the people in front of him. He remembered the old Donderath shipworks, a large building that before the Cataclysm had been the pride of the kingdom, turning out the majestic sailing vessels that made up Donderath’s cargo fleet and navy. Since the Great Fire, the building stood empty and abandoned, hunched on the edge of the waterline.
    Now the old shipworks was a pile of rubble, with dust still rising from its sagging walls and splintered beams.
    Just in the time they had been inside the Rooster and Pig, the sky had turned an ugly shade of gray. The