by Thomas Green
18
Collward
“Dad! I am scared!” The voice of his daughter woke Edward Collward up.
He blinked to focus his vision. The abrupt awakening threw his head into a pounding headache. He turned to smile at the little, blonde girl standing by his bed. “What’s wrong, Elizabeth?”
The grip on her plushy cat tightened as she shouted, “there is a fire outside! It looks scary!”
“Don’t worry, it will be all right.” Edward got up and put his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s go check it out.”
She approached him, hid behind his leg and pointed forward. “That way.”
He walked to her room, a pink-painted chamber besieged by toys and flowers. Before they reached the window, they passed her little bed, fashioned, so the beddings looked like clouds. Across the long street, they could see the burning mansion of Francis Woonard.
Elizabeth’s grip returned to his leg while she spoke, her voice shaking. “I hope Billy is alright.”
Collward’s chest tightened. “Don’t worry. He is sure to be fine. They must have had enough time to escape before the house caught on fire.”
“And Mrs. Woonard too, she is always so nice. I hope she is okay.”
Edward conjured the most confident tone he could. “Be at ease. I am certain Adam, Bobbie, Mr. and Mrs. Woonard are all right.”
Her grip over his leg strengthened as she stared at the ground with wide eyes, her breath quick and shallow. “We should go check on them!”
He closed the curtains. “I will visit them in the morning. Now, you need to return to the bed to be fresh for tomorrow’s school.”
Elizabeth looked like she wanted to protest but didn’t.
He took her to the bed and tucked her into the cloud-fashioned sheets. “How about I read you a story?”
“Mmhm.”
He lit an oil lamp, withdrew a book from the shelf and read her a legend of a warrior princess until she fell asleep. When she did, he kissed her on the forehead and went to dress.
***
Edward Collward left the house under the shroud of darkness, for dawn was at least an hour away. He would go reach the other members of the Union to regroup them, but first, he had more important matters to attend to. When he was crossing the main city square, he saw the four bodies hanging from the clock tower. Two large, two small, their intestines spilled down all the way to the ground. The fire devouring them was still burning.
His stomach turned while his heart froze. Farewell, Francis, you were a good friend. I am sorry I couldn’t help you or your children, but I will avenge you. He paid a minute of silence to his deceased ally and his family. The city streets started swarming with people. Edward weaved through them until he stood before a stone gate with a giant symbol of a sword with wings etched into its center, the symbol of Palai.
He approached the soldiers standing on guard. “Tell Lucas that Edward Collward is here to meet him.”
They looked at each other, confused. “We can’t let you in.”
Edward kept an impassive face. “Are you sure you want to tell your commander his meeting with me got delayed because you didn’t let me past the gate?”
The soldiers shrugged, and then one of them opened. “Please, follow me.”
He did. The soldier took a company of four more men along the way and led him across the courtyard into the vast, stone building of the Palai barracks, into the guest room. One soldier disappeared, but the four others remained, trying to appear as invisible as they could.
Edward sat down. The room was undecorated, featuring a cabinet, a table, and half a dozen comfortable chairs. After a few minutes, a man appeared in the door. He was dressed in black and had silvery hair to the shoulders.
Edward threw him a stern glance. “You are not a bad fake, but I am here to see Lucas.”
The man opened his mouth to protest but changed his mind before he spoke.
Edward smiled. “Since you had failed your job, how about you get me some tea to shorten my wait?”
The man turned red and left.
To Edward’s surprise, another man brought a kettle with tea and two cups. Collward enjoyed the confusion on the faces of the soldiers watching him. He poured himself a cup. While the drink was cheap, it had a strong flavor that pleased his tongue. A few minutes later, another man dressed in black appeared.
Edward didn’t as much as look at him. “I said I am here to see Lucas. You are a better fake than the first one, but not good enough.”
“Leave us,” a calm voice commanded from the shadowy corner of the room. The eyes of the soldiers and the man who entered turned wide, but they obeyed without questions.
Lucas took a seat opposite Collward. “You put my men to shame.”
Edward poured the tea into the second cup. “I see you intend to turn our ideological differences into a straight-out war.”
A vicious smile split Lucas’ face. “What was your first hint?”
“Woonard’s children were innocent. When did you stop caring about that?”
“You know how this works, Edward. There are no innocents beneath the heavens.”
Collward shook his head. “Is that what you will do? Kill every slaver and all of their family members? They are people who picked a legal line of business like any other. Who’s next, the tailors?”
Lucas’ face remained impassive, his voice cold and emotionless. “Your enterprise is about to end, and I won’t pursue those who get the point.”
“Is that what you want? To destroy the largest industry on the continent and scatter all the connected souls into the wind?”
Lucas nodded. “I will destroy everything you have built and annihilate all else that stands before me.”
Edward sighed. “Millions of people will lose their living and ten times more their way of life.”
“Faith knows no compromise.”
Edward forced his voice to stay calm, despite the burning rage flaring up within his chest. “When did you abandon reason for fanaticism? Where did you find this hatred for your own kind?”
Lucas laughed, but it was joyless, painful laughter. “At about the same time I was made to be a slave.”
“Kinslayer and a traitor, that’s what you are. What have you become? I guess my belief you could, so to speak, turn it around, was naïve.”
Lucas chose silence.
“So that’s it? Now we wipe each other out and see who stands when the dust settles?”
Lucas drank his tea, remaining silent.
Collward shook his head. “I will not go down without a war.”
“I know. The only way for you to preserve your legacy is to fight through this to the end. If your people scatter, I will make the city lords ban slavery, and hunt you all down one by one.”
“There is no negotiating with you, is there?”
“No.”
The coldness and surety in Lucas’ voice made Edward’s skin crawl. There was no hint of doubt, no shadow of remorse or regret as if the heavens themselves had decided that such shall the future be and he was merely making it happen. Collward gazed at his friend, searching for a sign of humanity he knew to have been hiding within him. Yet he saw none. “What happened to you, Lucas? You were the greatest of us. You were supposed to lead us into the future.”
He shrugged. “I will be content to be the last man standing.”
“Does it mean that much to you? This illusion of freedom you cling to?”
“You already know the answer to this one.”
“And so you will slaughter us, your own kind, your own family.”
Lucas stayed silent, revealing nothing.
His calmness made Collward’s blood freeze in his veins while the emotionlessness reminded him of inhuman could Lucas be. It wasn’t the first time he had seen him like this and the memory of the last time this happened still haunted his dreams. “You will… you want to wipe us out, without a shade of compromise or mercy.” Edward swallowed the dread that crept up his
throat. “Is this how little our past means to you? Together, we escaped from hell, and we created life. Does that mean nothing to you?”
Lucas’ face didn’t soften for even the tiniest bit. “Is your daughter cut off?”
Collward’s heart shot into his mouth. “Of course she is. I wouldn’t make a child only for it to become a slave to the Red God.”
“Up in Zaraguza Highlands live the clans of the Daughters of Dreams, the Sil Haen. Find Zerae Hellwind and convince her to take Elizabeth into her clan. If you do, I will give your daughter the benefit of a clean slate. That is the only mercy I will offer you, my old friend.”
“Seeing you still possess a heart makes it even worse.” Collward’s heart calmed down with relief, and the black tea started tasting ever so better. He didn’t want to thank him, but he was grateful. The business empire he had built was dear to him, and he cared for all his coworkers, and colleagues who stood with him for the past decades. Yet his daughter meant more, so much more he had no words to express it. Collward allowed himself a faint smile. “I look forward to meeting your assassins.”
Lucas laughed. “Nice bait. We both know that’s not how it works.”
Collward smirked. “Shame, for I was hoping I could return the favor for Francis Woonard.”
“That doesn’t mean I won’t kill you.”
“Likewise. This war ends the moment either of us dies.”
Lucas arched an eyebrow. “Sate my curiosity, what made you so sure I wouldn’t end your life within this building?”
Collward shrugged. “You are a man of principles, ones upon which you built your reputation and your entire Order. Your integrity is worth more than whatever you could gain by killing me. It’s the same reason for which you wouldn’t use my daughter to blackmail me, not without giving me a chance to get her away from our war.”
“I did murder Woonard with his family.”
Collward rose. “After you destroyed his army, business, and mansion. In a strange, twisted way, you haven’t changed at all. You are still the man you had always been, no matter how much you hate it.”
Lucas got to his feet as well so they could shake hands, their grips firm and unrelenting.
“May the best of us win.” Edward turned toward the door. Lucas didn’t reply, and Edward Collward walked out of the barracks.
***
The rest of the Union could wait. They would all be running like a headless chicken until his arrival, so he dove into the streets aiming for a different direction. The city was in an uproar. While the guard removed the bodies from the clock tower, the rumor was already in the air, and the burned down house stood as its proof. Collward didn’t have to check on the secret army they had hidden beneath the arena complex or the lumber mill slave camp, for he knew they were all gone. In any case, I first need to send Elizabeth to school.
Collward walked home and prepared breakfast, a small collection of fruit, honey, ham, and bread before he woke her up. Since she did not sleep for the rest of the night, Elizabeth kept yawning when they sat at the table.
He didn’t blame her. “The apple will help you feel better.”
She raised her chin. “But it’s sour!”
“It’s healthy, and you can’t live on bread with honey.”
She bit into the fruit and didn’t spit it out, so Collward guessed it wasn’t that sour. She pierced him with an inquisitive look before taking another bite. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
He raised an eyebrow, keeping a calm mask on his face. “Where does that come from?”
“You wear armor under your suit. You don’t do that unless it’s bad.”
Collward smiled. “Awfully perceptive, aren’t you?”
“I am almost twelve! You can’t fool me so easily!”
He sighed. “Yes, things are not going well. I have to deal with bad people who want to destroy what I have built.”
“I want to help!”
“You will,” he said without a smile. “You will go on a diplomatic mission to help me negotiate with a special group of people.”
Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled with interest. “What people?”
“The Daughters of Dreams, or as they call themselves, the Sil Haen. They would only speak with a woman, so you must be the one going to them.”
“When do we leave? I have to pack all my things!” Elizabeth shouted, her eyes wide with excitement.
“First, you need to go to school.”
He took her to school before continuing the morning trip.
***
Collward passed through the crowded streets, all the way to the market district. Soon he glimpsed the sign of the Nine Heaven’s Smithy. He walked to the side door and knocked.
The answer came a minute later. “The entrance to the store is at the other door.”
“I am here to meet Jean Pierre Castagnet.”
“Mr. Castagnet is busy, so I am afraid you will need to schedule an appointment like everyone else does.”
Edward sighed. “Can you at least tell him a short message? It would be the noblest of you.”
“I might.”
“Please inform him that Edward Collward stands at his door and has an offer he will not be willing to repeat.”
“No promises.”
“I will wait here.” Collward smiled and stepped back to the side alley. The noise from the crowd outside was almost insufferable. Apparently, the brand of his new set of armor, Raven and The Beast, was something everyone wanted.
The door opened a few minutes later, beyond which stood a tall, fair-haired man with a sword by his waist. He smiled at Collward in an emotionless, professional manner. “You may enter.”
Collward said nothing and walked in. As he scaled the wooden stairs, he crossed a surprised group of merchants who were kicked out of Mr. Castagnet’s office a mere moment ago. Edward couldn’t help himself but spare them a smirk.
The assistant introduced him as he opened the door of the Nine Heavens Smith’s office. Jean Pierre Castagnet sat at his large, mahogany table with an inquisitive gaze. They exchanged greetings, and Collward took a chair.
Jean Pierre examined him with a long glare before he spoke. “I heard your conflict with the Palai Order isn’t going as planned.”
“I see rumors spread fast.”
Jean Pierre smiled. “Like a wildfire. Pray tell me, what is the offer you bring, Mr. Collward?”
I don’t have time for lengthy negotiations. Collward stretched his neck. “You may call me Edward. I have found myself in an urgent need for liquidity and pondered whether you would desire to expand your enterprise, Mr. Castagnet.”
“Call me Jean Pierre. Yes, I do, which ones are you willing to part with? Let’s say I am well informed about the structure of my competition, direct and indirect alike.”
He appeared to possess the same mindset. Every minute he was not selling his brand was a minute of lost profit. Collward returned his smile. “Are there any parts you would be interested in?”
“Your line of smithies and metal casting companies with their full supply chain, whatever construction companies you have and I can send you to the man who would be delighted to lift the weight of your monster and slave hunting enterprise off your shoulders.”
Collward did what he could to hide the surprise, but he knew he did not manage. Jean Pierre dealing in construction was news to him. How many more brands and enterprises did Jean Pierre own without anyone knowing? He might have been much richer and more capable than Collward had anticipated. Oh, and his intelligence agency needed to be fired in its entirety. “That’s almost a half of my empire, which would be obscenely expensive.”
“I am more than obscenely rich,” Jean Pierre said with a wide smile, “and I can also run and preserve this empire, which I believe to be the main reason we have met here today.”
“Do you have children, Jean Pierre?”
“I do.”
“How old?”
Jean Pierre smiled. “Answering the question wo
uld require me to signal how many I have and I possess no intention of doing so.”
Capable, indeed. His intelligence office had been watching him for a few decades and had no knowledge of his personal life or the actual size of his enterprise. “I want an unofficial, irremovable and indefinite partner position with forty-five percent share in each company I sell you. In addition, I want an official oath you will not make any direct or indirect attempt to undermine my remaining enterprises or as much as threatening my life or my family, not now, not ever. Should I meet an untimely demise, my partner position will be transferred to my daughter Elizabeth. Should the opportunity arise, you will do anything and everything in your ability to protect her, which includes you doing whatever you can to stop her from attempting to avenge me.”
Jean Pierre’s face remained blank. “Why have you come to me with this? You have an entire army of contacts and subordinates, almost all of whom you know better than me.”
“I know all of those will betray me the second they get a chance. You have the benefit of doubt plus an exceptional record of keeping whatever treaties you sign and playing my intelligence office for fools.”
“And I have an excellent relationship with the Palai Order since I’m their main weapon’s supplier,” Jean said. “If I accept these conditions, I will expect the price to be equally less obscene.”
Collward nodded. “Obviously.”
“We have a deal then. When can we meet at the local branch of the bank of Xona to do the paperwork related to the transfer and finalize the price?”
The arrangement came much easier than he had expected. To go to his most persistent competitor was the correct call. “I will have it ready by the evening. About the man who might take over the hunting part of my enterprise, of whom might you be speaking?”
“He goes by the name James, and I think you know what James I mean.”
