Late at night, February 12. Somewhere in the Piers

The six Glass Knives were given a wide berth as they stormed into the shanty tavern that was too small and too poor to give a name. All six were heavily armed, scarred, tattooed. Their faces had a whole deck's worth of card suits on them-hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs. Exactly what those symbols meant, no one outside the tribe knew-but everyone knew that those tattoos were worn by the deadliest among the Glass Knives-the reasons you didn't rob a Glass Knife if you were smart. The fact that their fury was so intense it was palpable was just one more reason to give them as much space as possible. The broad, tall man with a shaved head motioned the bartender for a bottle of vodka and six glasses.

The six sat, and drank two shots in quick succession before anyone spoke. The small, dark man with impressive mutton chops spoke first. "I think we all know why we're here, and what we need to do. Only question is, is you in? Can't blame none of you if you want to take your family out to Kanapolis and keep 'em safe."

The older woman with scarred face spoke first. "Hazel...we're all as angry as you. By writin' what he did....he took food out all our kids' mouths. But this ain't you. You was always the voice o' reason. You was always the one keepin' her out o' trouble."

The dark man sighed. "An' what good did that do her? She starts bein' somethin' any city folk could praise, an' because she protected the family, they're gonna hang her, Annie. And it's because he decided that what little family ties he has to us ain't even enough to admit that Alex turned out to be a damn good woman tryin' to do the damned right thing. You wasn't there when they took her baby from her an' Jack. They ripped a little one from her family."

The bald man rubbed his face. "Yeah, but Hazel....we're talking goin' against a cop."

"A cop that knew better, Book." The younger of the women, a blonde with short cropped hair, poured herself another drink. "He grew up with us. He knew what was at stake. Alex did as much or more in a couple years than anyone did in the last ten. She wasn't the best at business...but all those things she did, all that influence she got for goin' and bein' heroic. All those doors she opened just been slammed shut in our faces because people are sayin' she's a traitor."

Hazel sighed. "An' things is just gettin' worse, Lills. Our people been gettin' turned away from regular shops and tradin' posts. Even with those registration papers an' all. There's folks sayin' we're supplyin' the Fulmene army. We can't do nothin' for Alex. But we can warn that little worm on what happens to people who hurt the family." He turned to the last two at the table, a pair of gawky looking young men not far out of boyhood. "Shell, Benny...you don't got the same stake in it as the rest of us. She was ennobled and carryin' her baby before you two got initiated in. Damn, if only you'd seen what kind of a sister in arms she was, at her peak. That woman, she'd die for the tribe, and she'd kill a whole raiding band while she did it. Still would. But now we gotta remind ourselves o' the old ways. Of how we watch out for each other. Of what we do to traitors to the tribe."

"We never fought along side her...but we know what she done for the children o' the tribe. An' we don't mean to let that traitor take it from us without a consequence." Shell leaned back, stroking the beginnings of a beard.

"Alright, then. If we're all in agreement...then we'd best get to sendin' our message. I done told Bounces to have some street doctor type walkin' past at the right time. I want that sumbitch to suffer. Death's too good for him."