City Guardsman
Copyright© 2026 by Ka Hmnd
Chapter 6
We were sitting with Peter and Mona in front of the tavern. Mona was feeding the baby as Sam tried to get our son to eat. I turned at the approach of a woman; she looked like one of the poor, but the look in her eyes was what drew me. I nodded as she bowed: “My lord, Kristin, I came to beg your help.”
I gestured: “What is the problem?”
She wouldn’t look up as she began: “My son is missing, and no one has seen him.”
I looked at Peter: “How long has he been missing?”
She slowly went to her knees: “Two days, lord.”
I glanced at Peter again, and he turned and gestured for Teresa. I glanced at Mona: “Do we have any other reports?”
She nodded: “If it were just girls, we might have an idea what was happening.”
I sighed and turned to a pregnant Adelia as Tim waited on her: “Watch our son.”
I stood and gestured to Edward and Dett and frowned as I looked at Chris and his new wife, Tammie. She smiled and pushed her husband, “Find the children, Charles.”
I smiled and nodded before looking at the woman, “Show us the last place your son was seen.”
She stood and turned to walk towards a street. Dett and Edward moved forward to walk beside her and talk. I glanced at Sam, “Let us go through any doors first.”
She looked at me before nodding. The street we stopped in wasn’t too bad. I glanced around as Dett and Edward split up. Peter and Chris both went into a building to talk to other families. I shook my head, “What is missing?”
Sam almost whispered, “The children.”
I nodded as I thought about the city map and walked a little further down the street. I looked at a narrow alley and turned to look for Dett. He seemed to read my mind and headed towards the alley. Chris and Peter returned looking grim. I waited and Peter finally broke, “Six children and that is in just those two buildings.”
I looked at Chris and he nodded. Dett came back holding a scrap of rag, “A sleeping draught to put the kids to sleep before they took them away.”
Edward had disappeared and then we heard a fight before he was shoving a man out into the street. I nodded to Peter, “Bring him.”
Peter growled as he started for the man and I looked at Dett, “We are going to need to watch the street.”
He nodded and walked off and I smiled at Chris, “Find me a street rat that wants a gold piece and some action.”
He grinned and left and I turned to Peter and Edward. Peter’s big hand held the man by the back of his neck with his feet barely touching the ground, “Who took the children?”
He shook his head, “I don’t...”
Peter shook him like a rat, I waited and finally nodded to Peter, “Have him put in the plague cells. We’ll see if he wants to talk tomorrow.”
I turned to the woman that was wringing her hands, “We will find your son or what happened to him.”
I looked at Sam, “Why don’t you go with her and have her help draw a sketch of her son?”
She smiled and kissed my cheek before letting the woman lead her to a narrow building. I turned to look around and shook my head, “They may have moved to another street.”
Edward grinned, “There are more kids here. Their mothers are just keeping them indoors.”
I smiled, “Check the neighboring streets.”
He nodded and walked away as I turned towards Dett. He was beside a narrow doorway not too far from the alley. I hesitated as Chris returned with a young lad that walked with a swagger. I explained what I wanted him to do and he nodded. I liked the young rogue and headed to Dett while Chris seemed to disappear into another building.
Slowly other kids came out to join the boy as he played in the street. Peter returned and slipped into another building while I saw Sam peek out before stepping back into the building. Dett shifted and I followed his look. The street rat had chased a ball of rags to the entrance to the alley. As he bent to pick it up two men rushed out.
Dett and I were moving as was Peter and Chris. The street rat was more than ready and one man screamed and doubled up as he fell to the ground. The other man turned to run only to be hit by Edward who came out of the alley behind him. Dett knelt to secure the man on the ground as Edward slammed the other one into a wall.
I waited until they were turned to face me, “Where are the children you took?”
They just glared and I nodded and looked at Peter, “Have two strangle poles struck.”
The two men gasped and the one the boy had taken down blurted, “But you can’t prove...”
Peter slapped him and his head snapped back as I stepped closer, “I saw you try to take a child. That is all I need to see. You refused to help me further so I don’t need to waste anymore time.”
I gestured and they were pulled up and turned. The other man jerked as he tried to look at me, “Wait!”
I nodded and Edward turned him. He licked his lips, “He will kill us if we talk.”
I smiled, “And if you don’t, I will have you strangled slowly.”
He looked around and almost whispered, “Merchant Pellman. He has a workshop next to the tannery outside the southern gate.”
I nodded to Peter, “Have them put in an isolated cell, and you and Edward meet us by the south gate.”
He nodded, and Edward yanked the man around, and they were marched off. I smiled at the boy as I tossed a gold piece, “How would you like to be a city guard?”
He blinked and looked at Dett and then Chris. Sam came out of the building and walked up to stand beside me. The lad finally grinned, “Does it come with a place to sleep?”
I smiled and looked at Sam, who sighed, “We can put you up.”
He grinned and stuck out his hand, “I’m Allen.”
I took his hand and looked at Chris and Dett, “Let’s take this to the south gate.”
We started walking, and Sam fell back to talk to Allen. The gate guards stiffened when we walked up, and Chris frowned, “Tell us now if you are part of those taking children.”
The guards blinked, and a narrow-faced one shook his head, “No, Kristin, we sometimes let some of the farmers in early that...”
Allen laughed, “That have daughters.”
I smiled as Dett snorted, “Give them a kiss for us.”
Chris was grinning, “My wife used to flirt with the guards too.”
Sam was grinning, “Just out of curiosity, how many guards have married one of the daughters?”
I laughed with Chris and Dett as the guards blushed. I pulled her close to kiss her, “That’s where we lose half the guards.”
I nodded to the guards, “Normal business. We will be outside for a while.”
The narrow-faced guard cleared his throat, “Kristin?”
I looked at him, and he looked at the other guards, “You are after someone taking younglings again?”
I nodded, and he straightened, “You know we don’t inspect wagons going out the gate. There have been a lot more than normal, and they seem to have the same bundles they brought in. If someone is taking younglings, we want to help.”
I smiled, “How many guards are here, and have you seen anyone watching the gate?”
He looked at the other guards, and one shrugged, “There used to be a watcher, but he stopped a week ago.”
I nodded, “How many guards can you spare?”
The narrow-faced guard grinned, “All but one until evening.”
I turned as Peter and Edward jogged towards us with a double line of guards following, “Fall in with the other guards.”
I looked at Allen, “Do you know where this Merchant Pellman has his workshop?”
He grinned, “Just a block down the street.”
I waved, “Go scout around it, but don’t get close. Keep your eyes open and don’t stop moving. Come back after you get a good look.”
He nodded and trotted out the gate. Sam sighed, “I hope he doesn’t try anything.”
I grinned, “He lives on the street, Sam. He will do exactly what I told him.”
We waited, and several minutes later, Allen walked back with a swagger. Sam grinned, “Arrogant isn’t he?”
Peter laughed, “Wait until Mona starts teaching him.”
I smiled and waited until he stopped in front of me, “He has three watchers on the street.”
I glanced at Peter and then Chris, “Think you can keep one busy?”
He grinned, “Yes.”
I nodded, “Okay, tell us everything about the place.”
Allen looked at Peter, Chris, Dett, and Edward before nodding and starting to describe a warehouse in great detail. I was impressed but didn’t say anything until he was done. Sam had been taking notes and glanced at him, “Did you see anyone up on the roof?”
Allen blinked, and I smiled, “Always look up, kid.”
He closed his eyes and seemed to be murmuring to himself before opening his eyes, “There was one man on the roof.”
I nodded and looked at Edward, “You take the roof.”
He nodded and slipped away. I nodded to Peter and Chris before looking at Allen, “Go distract one of the street watchers.”
I watched them walk away and turned to Dett, “Get around to the other side in case one gets out and runs.”
He left quickly, and I nodded to the guards, “Let’s go visit with the merchant Pellman.”
They chuckled as we started walking. A minute later, I saw the watcher arguing with Allen. The two others seemed to have disappeared, and Peter and Chris walked towards the one lifting his hand to strike Allen. I glanced up to see Edward waving and ignored the man dangling from Peter’s hand.
Four guards rushed forward, and the large double doors were kicked open. I walked through the open doors as the guards surged around me with an echoing growl. I glanced at Sam, “Pull the children aside and watch them.”
She looked at me but finally nodded as I headed towards the back of the warehouse. Long tables stretched down the center aisle with a lot of frightened children beside them. One look told me they were being used as slave labor to make clothing. Guards held several men against an office wall as I walked up.
I glanced at the young girl huddled on a bare mattress before looking at the men, “Which one touched the girl?”