Skulduggery 8: Building a Criminal Empire

by Logan Jacobs

  When I had been inside the wall, I had been so sure that the tree moved. Maybe I imagined it, or even worse, maybe I had wanted there to be a problem, just like the elven officials here always joked about me.

  No… that couldn’t be it.

  I was not a madman. I was an elven general, one of the sacred night elves, chosen by the Ancients and blessed by the temple priestesses. I knew what my eyes had seen, even if there was no sign of that now.

  I lowered my sword but kept my grip tight around the handle. There was only one sure way to prove that everything was alright, so I strode forward until I stood directly under the assassin’s tree. The branches were too close together for me to see anything when I looked up, but that was exactly how I wanted it to be. That way, if my assassins needed to strike anyone, their targets would never see them coming.

  “Is everything okay up there?” I called out. “I thought I saw some movement.”

  “Oh, yes, everything’s fine,” a voice called back down.

  “Then what was all that movement?” I demanded.

  “Sorry about that, but, ah… I just had this terrible itch on the middle of my back,” the voice responded, “so I had to scratch up against the trunk like an animal.”

  “See that it doesn’t happen again,” I said. “I’m paying you to keep still and keep watch, not to scratch every itch that strikes your fancy. Oh, and one more thing-- I’m starting nightly checks, so I’ll need you to throw down some proof that you’re my assassin.”

  “Proof?” the voice asked. “What kind of-- oh, right. Here you go.”

  A single coin plunged down from the top of the tree and clinked against the pavement at my feet. I picked it up, examined it, and immediately knew that it was an authentic assassin’s coin, the kind that they always kept handy so they could lay them on their targets’ eyes and send them into the next life.

  I slipped the coin back into my pocket and looked up into the tree again. The assassins that I’d hired were slippery little things, but then again, that was their whole job, so I couldn’t complain too much about it.

  I just wished that I’d paid a little more attention to their voices when I’d first hired them, because there was something about this particular assassin’s voice that seemed painfully familiar, but I couldn’t imagine any reason that I would know an assassin in the Gold City. After all, it wasn’t like I ran in the same circles as fucking assassins.

  “Very good,” I said. “Carry on, and be sure to raise the alarm if you see anything suspicious. I don’t want you to try to take care of any trouble on your own, do you understand?”

  “Perfectly,” the voice floated down.

  “Alright, then,” I sighed, pivoted on my heels, and then strode back toward my front gate.

  Once I was back inside my walls, I told the lieutenant to return his soldiers to their normal positions. I had just crossed the threshold of my front door when I paused and shook my head again.

  I didn’t know who I was trying to fool. There was no way that I would ever get any sleep, and there was nothing inside my house that would hold my interest for very long. All I could think about was that voice in the tree and how familiar it had sounded.

  And just because I couldn’t place it didn’t mean that I was crazy. That tree had moved, just like there had been some red-haired bitch at the bar who suddenly disappeared into thin air. Everything seemed very out of sorts, so I decided to do the only thing that I could.

  I decided to go back out into the city and start to ask questions.

  After all, tonight had been the celebration in my honor, so that should have earned me a little fucking respect around here, or at least enough that I could ask a few questions without raising too many eyebrows.

  And even though I knew it was ridiculous, I was determined to ask about Wade. While I took care of the wild orc problem, I had been gone from the city for the last few weeks, so it wasn’t completely out of the question that something major could have happened during the time that I was gone.

  If anyone had come to town with a connection to Wade, I needed to find out about it. If Wade himself had somehow tricked his way into town, even though his city was several months of travel away from here, then I certainly needed to know about it.

  If I had learned anything from that piece of human scum, it was that just because something sounded impossible, it sure as hell didn’t mean that it was.

  When it came right down to it, I never would have imagined that I could be kicked out of my own city because of a drunken orc attack, just like I never would have thought that Golierian would manage to slink his way into my fucking job. But here I was, in the goddamn entertainment capital of the elven empire, and all I could think about was Wade and that fucking pixie who was always with him.

  “I’ll be back later,” I growled to the elven lieutenant as I headed back toward the front gate. “Hold your positions, and keep an extra eye out tonight.”

  “Yes, sir,” the other elf replied.

  After I left my estate, I thought briefly that I might return to my party, but I decided against it. If I could have learned anything there, then I would have before I left. Instead, I headed toward one of the casinos that was a decent way past my celebration venue, but it overlooked the massive lake beside the city.

  I had gone there a few times when I first came to the Gold City to interview the owner about his experience with the wild orcs on his last business trip, but I was willing to talk to anyone who had information, not just the elven owner. By this time of night, everyone’s lips should be quite loose, so I might actually be able to get some answers for myself-- even if it meant that I might have to speak with a member of one of the lesser races.

  When I reached the casino, I gave my name to the security guard at the door, but the pudgy dwarf just stared at me.

  “Don’t you recognize my fucking name?” I demanded. “They held a party for me tonight, you fool. The wild orcs? The elven general who defeated them? Does none of this sound familiar to you?”

  “Ah, right,” the dwarf replied. “That’s mah mistake. Go ahead inside. Nice bathrobe.”

  I ignored his comment, pushed past the stocky dwarf, and started to make my way through the crowds of people inside the casino. I had planned to ask anyone about Wade, regardless of their race, but my interaction with the dwarf at the door had changed my mind.

  I would only talk to a non-elf if I absolutely had to, and besides, the lesser races were usually just a bunch of liars and thieves, anyway. So it wasn’t like they could possibly know very much valuable information, and even if they did, I had a feeling that we might not find the same kind of information valuable.

  So instead, I pushed my way through the crowds of people and made my way toward the VIP section. It was obvious enough where it was, since there was only one section of the casino that was more heavily guarded than any other, and that section just so happened to be the doors onto the balcony that overlooked the lake.

  I strode right up to the security guards posted at the balcony doors and declared myself, but this time, the elven guards immediately recognized my name, just like they should. They opened the doors for me themselves, and I passed through onto the balcony and into the open night air.

  Almost right away, I wondered if I should have come here.

  I had expected the balcony to be an elven sanctuary, but it was quite the opposite. Of course, there were plenty of elves here, but we were hardly alone. As the elves all lounged around in view of the still lake, they smoked, sipped their drinks, and laughed with women of all the other races.

  A group of human women performed some exotic dance for a cheering group of elven nobles, while another noble had two halfling women hanging on his arm while he told them some elaborate story about his own prowess.

  It was fucking disgusting.

  I knew the officials in this city were corrupt, but I had no idea how bad the situation was. At least back in my hometown, the elves who dallied with other ra
ces did it behind closed doors. But this was right out in the open for everyone to see, and the sight of it turned my stomach.

  After all, none of these women were anything like Madame Rindell. They were miserable and crude, and nothing at all like my own madame back home. As soon as I thought about her, I wondered if I would ever see her again. Surely, if I sent for her, she would come to me… wouldn’t she?

  I steeled myself and started to scan the crowd to find the elven owner of the casino. As soon as I saw him beside the balcony railing, I breathed a sigh of relief that he was by himself. At least I wouldn’t have to shove aside some halfling whore to speak to him alone.

  “Tevian!” the owner laughed when he saw me. “I didn’t think I’d ever catch you here in the VIP section, even if your life depended on it.”

  “Good to see you again, Marcel,” I said with a nod. “I’m actually here on business.”

  “Oh, don’t tell me,” Marcel chuckled. “Have the wild orcs gone on another rampage? Will they murder us all in our beds tonight?”

  “You know damn well that I tried to explain this all when I came back,” I said. “The wild orcs aren’t completely eradicated. They’re just conquered for now. I drove them back with--”

  “You don’t need to rehash all the details for me,” the other night elf sighed. “You were victorious, so let’s just leave it at that, shall we? I can’t bear to be dragged down in all those details.”

  “Very well,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “My business tonight doesn’t actually have anything to do with the orcs.”

  “Really?” Marcel smiled and waved his hand around the balcony. “Does your business have anything to do with this? You could have anything that you want, you know. You’re the man of the goddamn hour.”

  “There is nothing here that appeals to me,” I sniffed.

  “You’re so old-fashioned, Tevian,” the casino owner said. “But let me see if I can get you to change your mind. Here, have a drink of this.”

  Marcel reached down to a small table beside him and poured a thick dark liquid into two glasses. Before he finished pouring, I decided to go ahead and ask my question. I didn’t have time for delicate rules of elven politeness or to wait for Marcel to finish fixing his refreshments.

  “Have you heard of anyone new in town?” I demanded. “Someone by the name of Wade? He’s a human thief, and he might be traveling with a red-haired pixie bitch named Penny.”

  “I didn’t know your taste ran toward threesomes,” Marcel snickered.

  “They don’t!” I said. “They are enemies of the elven empi--”

  “Take a breath, Tevian,” the other night elf sighed. “You’re so easy to mock, it’s hardly even fun. But, no, I haven’t heard of a human thief named wade or a bitch named Penny. If they’ve come to town, they haven’t come here.”

  “And you’re sure that you would know?” I asked.

  “I know everyone who comes through my doors,” Marcel snarled. “But this is a big city, my friend, and there’s no way to track everyone who comes in and who goes out. That’s part of the beauty of the Gold City, don’t you think?”

  “It’s part of its weakness,” I said. “If I was in charge of this city, I would reinforce all entrances and exits, and I would make everyone sign a ledger when they entered that stated their name, their origin, and their occupation, and then I would make them sign out again when they left.”

  “Then it’s a good thing you’re not in charge of this fucking place,” the casino owner laughed. “That kind of strictness would dry up business in a heartbeat.”

  “But it would--” I started.

  “Enough,” Marcel said with a roll of his eyes. “I haven’t heard of Wade or Penny, so you’ll have to try your luck elsewhere. But before you go, you must have a drink with me. It’s the least you can do, since I was kind enough to answer your questions.”

  “Fine,” I said as I took one of the glasses from the other night elf. “What are we drinking? Some kind of thick spiced tea?”

  “Just taste it and see,” Marcel said with a wink.

  I took one sip and immediately spewed it over the railing. As I set the glass back down on the low table, I had to control the tremble of my hands, but they shook with so much rage that it was hard to focus.

  “That’s fucking blasphemous,” I growled. “That’s fucking temple wine.”

  “And it tastes terrible, too, doesn’t it?” Marcel laughed. “But I promise you’ll feel much better about everything if you finish that glass-- and then maybe have one more.”

  “This wine is sacred,” I said. “Or doesn’t that matter to you?”

  “You really need to loosen up,” the casino owner sighed. “Especially if you want to make it in this city.”

  “I just defeated the wild orcs for you,” I said. “Isn’t that enough?”

  “Oh sure, that’s enough for today,” Marcel said, “but what about tomorrow? If you haven’t figured it out by now, the Gold City has a short memory. So they may love you today, but they’ll forget all about your victories and good deeds the second that you try to be the moral police.”

  “But what kind of example does that set for the other races?” I asked. “If they see us drinking our own temple wine to get drunk, they’ll think it’s not sacred, and if they think it’s not sacred, then they’ll think none of our traditions are. And even worse, they’ll start to think that we aren’t sacred-- that we weren’t chosen by the Ancient Lords to rule this empire.”

  “You sound like a priestess,” Marcel said as he rolled his eyes. “And in that nightgown you look like one, too.”

  “But if they start to question our right to rule, that could lead to rebellion,” I growled. “Don’t you see?”

  “Can’t you just take it easy?” Marcel asked. “Who cares what the other races think? We fucking conquered them, and they’re so submissive that they wouldn’t even be able to rebel against us, and that assumes the thought would ever cross their minds in the first place.”

  “I think you underestimate--”

  “And I think you overestimate their intelligence,” the other night elf snapped. “Just look around you! The lesser races fucking worship us, and they’re just so grateful for any chance they get to serve us. That’s power, my friend. They’re obedient, they’re pacified, and they’re grateful.”

  “But if you only--”

  “I mean it,” Marcel cut me off again. “We battled them for long enough, and now that they’re docile, we can finally sit back and enjoy our empire, understand? So just sit back and try to fucking enjoy it.”

  I bit my tongue before I said anything that I might regret. I wanted to say that Marcel wouldn’t know what a battle was if it slapped him across the face, but that sounded rude, even for me. He had clearly already made up his mind about the other races, and nothing I said would convince him otherwise.

  It didn’t matter that I understood the lesser races better than anyone. It didn’t matter that I realized they were clever enough to exploit any signs of weaknesses on our part. It didn’t even matter that I knew we should always be ready to fight because at least in the Gold City, I was in the minority.

  So if Marcel and the other elves like him wanted to deny reality, then they were more than welcome to. I would just make sure to add their names to the list of people I kept outside my fortress if the other races ever tried to rise up against their rightful rulers here in the Gold City.

  “Take the drink, Tevian,” the casino owner sighed. “It’ll make you feel better.”

  I curled my lip but raised the glass of temple wine again like I would actually drink it. But just before it touched my lips, I stepped forward to the edge of the balcony and then flung both glass and sacred wine so far out that they fell into the lake below.

  “I’ll be damned if I compromise my principles now,” I said as I turned back toward the other night elf.

  “Suit yourself,” Marcel said. “But remember what I said, because your refusal
to compromise just might be your own fucking funeral.”

  “Then so be it,” I snarled, pivoted on my heels, and then stormed off the balcony.

  I would find out what I needed to on my own, and then I would take care of it on my own, too. The elven empire would recognize my good work, and they would reward me. The priestesses would vouch for me, and they would make sure that I earned my rightful rewards.

  And no one, not Marcel, not Penny, and sure as fuck not Wade, would get in my way.

  Chapter 8

  As soon as Tevian disappeared around the corner, I had to force myself to hold my breath until I was absolutely certain that he wasn’t in earshot anymore. Then I couldn’t help it. I just burst into laughter until I thought I might laugh myself out of the top of this fucking tree.

  I couldn’t believe that he had fallen for that and I really couldn’t believe he came outside in that nightgown.

  When the night elf had called a question up into the tree, I had immediately elbowed Dar so that he would answer, and my halfling friend had done a perfect job. While Tevian might have been able to recognize my voice, I didn’t think he had heard Dar’s voice enough to know it that well, so it made more sense for him to answer than me.

  And Tevian had bought the whole thing. Of course, there had been a moment when he asked for proof where I thought we were finished, but Ava had quickly managed to slip her hand into the dead man’s pocket and pull out an assassin’s coin.

  Apparently, that was all the proof that Tevian had needed because as soon as he picked it up from the ground, he had seemed satisfied and then wandered back around the corner to return to his own personal compound in his nightgown.

  I was just glad that we had all made it up into the tree before the elven general had come around the corner. Dar had barely managed to scramble up into the branches after the girls, but luckily, the tree was big enough, and its leaves were thick enough to hide all of us, plus the dead body.

  If Tevian had thought to actually stick his head up into the branches or to pull himself up a few limbs into the tree, our whole game might have been over. Still, even if he had, the worst case scenario would have been for me to use the Opalstone amulet, freeze him in place, and then allow ourselves a quick getaway.