The Veil of Trust

by S. Usher Evans

  We had time, so I spent the ride to the city teaching both Jorad and Luard the basics of Celia's whistle language—starting with the warning codes, numbers of riders, friends, foes, and everything between. Before the first hour was over, Jorad was able to correctly identify each combination I gave him, while Luard was hopelessly lost.

  "Why do you have so many options?" he said. "What do you care if a friend is coming into the forest?"

  "Celia liked to know what was going on at all times," I said. "If anyone set foot in the forest, she'd know about it."

  "You'd probably also want to keep all the other scouts apprised of it," Jorad said. "So there's no mistaken identity."

  "True," I said. "As much as I disagree with Celia's overall philosophy, she did have the right idea on how to use the youngers. They're practically invisible when they want to be." I cast my gaze southward toward Forcadel, where Elisha and Aline were hopefully still causing trouble. "It's why Elisha is so invaluable to Aline, as well. But I don't like that we haven't heard from them."

  "I'm sure it's difficult to get messages in and out of the city," Jorad said. "And with only two of them, I don't think Aline would want to lose Elisha's help just to send messages."

  "Perhaps I should send more down there," I said, chewing my lip. At the time, I hadn't anticipated that I'd be gone long. But it had been a few weeks now. With thoughts of Elisha and Aline came the now familiar wave of regret over leaving Felix and Katarine in the castle. I had no clue what the latest was down in Forcadel. Felix could've been…

  I exhaled shakily. No use in thinking that way until I knew for sure.

  "You couldn't have picked a better person than Aline," Jorad said, breaking the silence. "I've known her since we arrived at the castle for training as children. She's probably the most capable, brilliant, feisty soldier I've ever met. A hair too rebellious for my tastes, but she was always looking to prove herself."

  "Do you know what Beswick had her family doing?" I asked.

  "Aline never said, but I don't think it was anything criminal." He shook his head. "Perhaps just criminal adjacent. She always felt guilty that they'd given up everything for her, and never seemed to get ahead with him."

  "Beswick's victims never do," I said. "At least she can get a little revenge."

  "If I know Aline," he said with a grin, "she's enjoying the hell out of it."

  The city of Galdon was on the Ash river, which connected Niemen to Forcadel. As we crested another hill, the Niemenian mountains became visible to the north. We were getting close.

  "This seems awfully convoluted," Jorad said. "The Niemenians took the ond out of the mountain, but instead of bringing it down the river through Skorsa to Galdon, they brought it via the underground road, over the border with Kulka, then through the forest, and now back to the river? Doesn't that seem odd to you?"

  "Not particularly," Luard said. "See, it may be a longer path, but it's the one of least resistance. Once they're out of the mountain, they just have the Kulkans at the Niemen border to contend with, and they're easily bribable. Plus, they thought they had an easy path through the forest. If they'd gone through Skorsa, they would've had to deal with the influx of Niemenian soldiers."

  "The hard part is getting into Forcadel city," I said, looking south. "I'm not sure how Beswick's planning to get it through the docks. Unless he has a ton of gold."

  "Doesn't he?" Luard asked. "He seems like a rich fellow."

  "Not as rich as he used to be," I said with a devilish smile. "Especially after Aline gets through with him."

  We came into Galdon as dusk fell, stabling our mares near the city entrance and continuing on foot. Here, there were no curfews or increased security measures. The guards were the local sort, Forcadelians who knew everyone in the town. Children ran through the streets as dusk fell, none of them worried about what might happen once the darkness arrived.

  "What a quaint little place," Luard said with a smile. "I can see why they would've wanted the handoff to occur here. I don't see a Severian amongst them."

  A girl came running up to us, a smile on her face—and it took me a moment to realize it was one of the two scouts we'd sent ahead, Mab.

  "Hi," Mab said, grinning at us. "Mister Ivan told me I had to come greet you and tell you what we're expecting."

  "Excellent," I said with a smile.

  "I…" She made a face. "Hang on, I forgot."

  "Perfect," Jorad grunted.

  "Take a breath," I said, used to the exuberance of the youngers. "See if you can't remember."

  Her eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! He told me to tell you that they're in position. They haven't seen any other travelers in town that've asked about the ond. But he said you guys should get into position in the tavern, but that Misses should hide her head."

  "Why?" I asked.

  "Because." She pointed behind me to a poster of my face, surrounded by candles and flowers. "They know who you are."

  "Thanks," I said slowly, walking toward the poster with a mix of curiosity and awe. It was from my coronation, the one where the artist hadn't quite figured out how to draw my nose. The surrounding homages seemed a mix of old and new—candles that had been burned to the bottom had been replaced by newer ones, flowers that had died lay underneath fresh ones.

  "You're missed," Luard said, coming up next to me.

  I nodded and followed him, pulling the hood of my cloak over my head. It wasn't my vigilante one, but a regular traveling cloak, and I still felt naked. Jorad peeled off to watch the front door of the tavern, and Luard and I continued inside.

  Almost immediately, I recognized our team already in place. Hagan and Nils were seated in a back corner. Jax was at the bar, making conversation with the tender. The other two Forcadelian soldiers I'd sent with them were playing cards. No one in the room had a red handkerchief in their pocket, but they probably wouldn't display it until the exact meeting time anyway.

  "Shall we?" Luard asked, pressing his hand to the small of my back.

  I followed him to an empty table and he went to the bar to get us some drinks. I glanced at the clock on the wall—nearly eight. My pulse quickened and I licked my lips in anticipation. Who might Beswick send? Ignacio, his favorite lieutenant? Someone who'd been caught in his web and unable to escape? Or a new player?

  Luard placed the tankard of beer beside me and took a long swig. "This is disgusting," he said. "What I wouldn't give for a dark Niemenian brew right about now."

  "Don't drink too much," I said, glancing at the door as it opened. Ivan and Asdis walked in, keeping their gazes down. They sidled up to the bar and ordered a meal, Ivan glancing behind him as if to look for his contact. He locked eyes with me for a second then looked away.

  Beside me, Luard kicked back, taking my untouched beer and starting on it. "You look like you're about to be sick."

  "I just hope all of this wasn't for nothing," I said. "Otherwise, we'll be—"

  The door opened once more. It didn't even matter that he wiped his brow with a red handkerchief. I would've known it was our target even without the signal.

  Without a word, I walked over, pulled him off the barstool, and punched him square in the nose.

  Chapter 33

  Kieran fell backward out of his seat, and Sarala reached for her weapon to protect him. But I was faster, pulling my knife and pressing it against her throat.

  "Back. Off." I snarled, baring my teeth at her. She dropped her weapon and took several steps back, falling right into Ivan and Nils' grip.

  I turned to the pirate, still stunned and staring up at me from the ground. A red trickle of blood was coming from his nose, and he gingerly tapped it. Finally, he caught up with himself enough to look at who had socked him and his eyebrows went up.

  "What the…? Veil?" He sat up. "What in the Mother's name was that for?"

  "Take your pick, you son of a bitch," I said. "You sold out Felix. You brought that garbage ond into my country. And now you're here bringing more?"

  "I
don't understand," Kieran said as Hagan and Jax pulled him to his feet. "What are you doing here? Are you…?" His eyes widened. "Oh."

  I pointed my knife at his throat. "You have exactly one minute to start talking about ond and Beswick or else I start cutting off bits." I dropped my knife to his groin. "Starting here."

  "Yes, I'm the one who's here to get the ond for Beswick." He cracked a grin tinged with blood from his nose. "But as for your precious Captain Llobrega, I had nothing to do with his arrest. I didn't even tell Beswick who he really was. Cross my heart."

  "And what are the promises of a pirate?" I snapped, advancing again. "That ond killed people in the city. Innocent people. And for what? Trying to make a living?"

  "I also had no idea what the ond was for," Kieran said.

  "It's an explosive Niemenian ore. What the hell else was it going to be used for?"

  He worked his jaw, buying himself some time. "I had no idea."

  "Bullshit."

  "Well, holy Mother, what do you want me to say?" he said, anger flashing on his face. "I did it. I brought the stuff into the city. But I sure as shit didn't use it on your people. That, you're going to have to take up with Beswick."

  "Oh, you bet I will," I said. "Where is he?"

  "Back in Forcadel," he said.

  "How many other shipments are coming?" I asked.

  "I don't know."

  "Kieran, I swear—"

  "I'm telling the truth, promise," he said, holding up his hands. "All I know is that Beswick was having a lot of trouble getting it, which is why he paid me handsomely to do it myself. Apparently, it makes it all the way into the city before disappearing." He tapped his nose gingerly. "To be honest, I thought you might be the one causing all the problems. Supposedly some masked vigilante is pissing him off."

  Some of my anger ebbed away. Way to go, Aline and Elisha. "No, I delegated that to someone else."

  "Look at you, being all queen-like." He grinned, then wilted under my murderous stare. "I'll tell you everything I know about who brought it here and who I was supposed to meet. Just please…lower your weapons. And tell your guards to do the same."

  I glanced behind me. There were no less than ten swords pointed at Kieran.

  "Stand down," I said. "I think it's time we have a little chat, pirate."

  Working with Beswick once, I could understand. Kieran dealt with criminals all the time, and he could've brought the ond in without knowing what it was. But now, clearly, he knew what it was and was still complicit. That I couldn't forgive.

  I had my soldiers tie him up and let him sit while I considered what I'd do to him. He, like always, seemed completely unbothered by all of this, and was cracking jokes to the Forcadelian soldier with a sword pointed at his neck.

  "Brynna?" Luard asked quietly. "Would you like to begin? We probably shouldn't sit here all night."

  "Yes, Brynna, Veil, Princess," Kieran sang from his perch in the center of the tavern. "Queen? You look like a queen now."

  "Quiet," I snapped at him. Then, in one fluid movement, I stormed from the position at the window and pushed him backward in the chair, pressing my knife to his throat. "Now, talk."

  "But you said…" He gulped when I dug the blade in deeper. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

  "Everything."

  "Be more specific, please."

  I growled and let him go. "Start with Beswick and the ond. How long has he known about it?"

  "Ages," Kieran said. "I mean, we all have. It's one of those beautiful myths that exist in the criminal circles. You didn't think I got all those Nestori Veil goodies for you through legal channels, did you?"

  "How did he get it into the city the first time?" I asked.

  "Well, after Ilara invaded, Beswick got it into his head that he wanted to fight fire with fire, so to speak. So he set wheels in motion to get some ond past Niemenian defenses in the mountain. It took him a while to figure it out, but he did."

  "How?" Luard asked.

  "No idea, Prince," Kieran said. "Assume his usual methods of bullying, bribing, and stealing. Once it was out of the mountain, he had to contend with Queen Ilara's lovely border closings on both sides. Getting anything past Skorsa was impossible, thanks to Mayor Kelsor."

  "Wait a minute…" I said slowly.

  "Yes, dear Veil, you unwittingly had a part in this," Kieran said with a sheepish grin. "A few months ago, Beswick's man offered me a large sum of money if I'd be willing to pick something up from the northern climes of Niemen. Normally, I would've jumped at the opportunity, but I was completely out of gold to pay my way out of the docks. Then a little princess vigilante showed up and begged me to take her to Niemen."

  I worked my jaw, resisting the urge to deck him again. "So you used my gold to get yourself out of the docks?"

  "It wasn't just the gold, Veil. Skorsa was impassable unless you had Kelsor's special favor. But you, of course, have a way of getting anywhere you want." He flashed a smile. "And you didn't disappoint."

  "So after you dropped me off in Aymar, you continued upriver," I said coolly. "Picked up the ond then came back through Skorsa?"

  "And not a moment too soon," he said. "The day after we passed, Ilara had a new mayor installed. Poor Kelsor was hanging in the square by midday. No more nightly border crossings."

  I tried not to think about that. "What about Felix? How does he play into this?"

  "Ah, well." He cleared his throat. "See, we brought the ond back to the city, but I wasn't going to give it up without assurances that I could get as far away from Forcadel as I could. Again, I was stuck in the docks, but this time, I needed signed exit papers from Queen Ilara herself. Then your Captain Llobrega showed up during a routine inspection."

  "And you forced him to help you?"

  "Forced? I wouldn't call it that." He shrugged. "More like… I told him that I'd help him if he'd help me. He was mucking everything up, asking the wrong people the wrong questions and not making any headway. I thought you might want me to do him a favor."

  "As long as he did you one in return," I reminded him. "What was the favor?"

  "I got him in touch with John from Stank's Bar," Kieran said. "Who was massively unhelpful, by the way."

  John, too? "But you still got your exit papers and got out of town, leaving Felix to be arrested."

  "Again, I wasn't the one who handed him over to Coyle," Kieran said. "How that happened, I have no idea. I didn't tell John who he was. I merely facilitated a meeting and allowed them to have a chat."

  "And now?" Luard asked.

  "I told Beswick's man where I was going to be next, just in case he needed me to get another shipment into town. About a week ago, I received a message from him asking him to meet a group in this bar so I might transport the ond into the city again. As luck would have it, I have a legitimate shipment of food that I'm bringing in from the border cities, so it would be easy to hide. But here you are instead…" He flashed me another smile. "Does that answer all your questions?"

  I walked to the window, furious at my own unwitting role in the ond attack on my own people. But more furious that I hadn't been told any of this. Kieran had always had his secrets, but I'd started to trust that he was a good person. And it turned out he was just as crooked as the rest of them.

  "So what now, Veil? Are you going to rough me up? Send me packing with my tail between my legs?"

  "You'll be packing," Luard said. "But you'll be coming with us to Niemen. To stand trial for the illegal conveyance of ond."

  "No," I said, narrowing my eyes. "He won't. He's going to continue down to Beswick."

  "I'm sorry, what?" Luard straightened. "We had a deal, Brynna. You promised me a body."

  "And a body you shall have," I said. "Beswick's the one behind all this. He's the one you should be putting on trial. Kieran's just the transporter. He's got no real stake in this, other than gold. And now," I turned to the pirate, "he's going to pay for what he's done by taking a message to Beswick."

  Anyo
ne else might've been terrified at the prospect of going to Beswick empty-handed, but Kieran simply smiled, as if he'd been expecting as much. "And what shall I tell our mutual friend?"

  "Tell him that his supply of ond is permanently cut off," I said. "If he wants to negotiate, he can meet me in Celia's camp. I'm willing to listen, but my patience is growing thin."

  "Yes, ma'am." Kieran grinned. "Look at you, being all queen-like."

  "You don't get to speak to me again," I said. "What you've done is unforgivable. And if I ever see your face again, rest assured that it won't be connected to your body for much longer."

  "I don't believe that was the smartest move," Luard said, catching up to me downstairs. "What's to prevent the pirate from wandering off? How do we know he'll even deliver the message?"

  "He will," I said.

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because he wanted me to know he tried to help Felix," I said. "He knows he's on my bad side, and I think he'll do what he can to change my mind. He's still angling for pirate king."

  "Pirate…" Luard shook his head. "This is an awfully big gamble. We're not sending anyone with him to ensure the information gets where we want it."

  "It doesn't really matter," I said, casting a long look behind me. "Beswick doesn't have unlimited funds—not anymore. Aline and Elisha have been cutting off his supply down in Forcadel, and now we're cutting it off in Niemen. Even if Kieran doesn't make contact, Beswick will come to us eventually." I smiled at him. "Trust me on this. I know how he operates."

  Luard made a noise. "That could take months."

  "It won't. Beswick's clearly wanting to make a move, or else he wouldn't have asked Kieran. He's not cheap, so Beswick must be getting desperate. I'd wager we'll have news in the next two weeks."

  He put his hands on his hips, staring up at the house with contempt and conflict on his face.

  "Luard," I said softly. "Do you trust me?"

  He turned, surprise on his face. "Of course I do."

  "Then trust me when I say that if you let this small fish go, we'll get the big fish," I said. "And when he comes, we'll be ready."