Skirmish (The Stork Tower Book 8)

by Tony Corden

  “Last are the stunt scenarios. These involve jumps and wheelies, riding on bridges the width of your tire, loops, you might need to do a nac-nac, and you get the gate when your front tyre hits one edge of the gate at the same time your foot hits the other. You have to be able to do an airplane, a hart attack, a cliffhanger or a holy grab. There are hundreds of tricks to learn, and most people can only do eight to ten of them if they’re lucky. Meredith knows most of them and can land half of those almost every time.

  “Almost every one of these is best run on what used to be called an enduro or dual-sport bike. The bikes need to be heavily tuned differently for each type of race and sometimes for the particular scenario. I’ve picked the best bikes, from my perspective, for each of these race types and want you to get used to these in the next two-and-a-half-hours. Let’s start with the KTM 2034 750 CEO-X.”

  PNEUMATICA - AEROPILE

  After finishing with Jenny, Leah took the S.P.I.D.E.R. to the Pneumatica portal to meet Lady Gwendoline Hamstead, Countess Cotton, the woman she’d identified as high up in the Assassin’s guild. After exiting her suite at the Herrington, she took the carriage Billy had arranged and arrived outside the Chesterton’s Tea House at five minutes to twelve. Leah checked the area and found watchers on most buildings surrounding the tea house and suspected they belonged to the guild.

  Lady Gwendoline wasn’t on the premises, but Leah entered anyway and was shown to a small secluded alcove in the garden area. Three minutes later, she felt Gwendoline approaching. She stood as the Countess was led into the alcove and said, “Lady Gwendoline, thank you for taking this opportunity that we might become more acquainted. It was with some pleasure that I found myself introduced to you, for I’d dreaded the thought of meeting without a suitable introduction.”

  “G: It is I who should thank you, your Grace. I must admit that even despite your hurried message, I had yet to isolate exactly whom I would be meeting this day.”

  “Please, you must feel free to call me Charlotte. I’ve not had the privilege of sharing tea at the establishment before, is there some tisane you might recommend?”

  “G: Then you must call me Gwendoline. I have found the peppermint tea to be most calming. Perhaps you might permit me to order a small pot with some small refreshments as it approaches that time of day when a small meal brings added vitality for a busy afternoon.”

  “I bow to your experience. I daresay that in my new position within society, I must learn the appropriate ingredients to each occasion.”

  “G: From all accounts, Charlotte, you have already amassed some significant experience for one who, if I may be bold, is still young in years.”

  “Indeed, Gwendoline. My parents did not come from plenty and in those early years I discovered that to achieve that which I desired I must be prepared to take every opportunity and hold on with all the might I could muster. Still, as I find myself becoming able to take a more leisurely approach to life, I have found it still behoves me to hold fast onto my course lest life itself and the circumstances within which I find myself do drag me into waters in which I do not wish to go.”

  The two chatted amiably for about ten minutes then Gwendoline said, “G: Charlotte, I must say that your message yesterday caught me somewhat unawares. I have, in my varied dealings and responsibilities, not had recourse to hear of your name. Outside of my responsibilities I had certainly heard what happened to Hugh Westmorten and I did rejoice with all Aeropile at the return of our citizens. Still, it seemed to me that you intimated a more direct involvement?”

  Leah took a breath and said, “Indeed, Gwendoline. I would, out of courtesy, ask if you are satisfied that our conversation here is secluded enough for your purposes.”

  “G: Indeed, it is sufficient.”

  “Then let us, out of necessity, be bold and direct. Two days previously, while I was meeting with Lord Emerson at his mansion, more than half a hundred assassins sought to kill us. However, I suspect their target was Princess Caoimhe. Later that morning, an assassin did enter the palace and attempt to kill either the princess or the queen, or both. I had thought that the throne would be out of bounds for the guild. My message then was this. If these are the work of the guild then your training is abysmal and your honour in tatters. If it was not you, then who has the temerity to poach upon your area of control? I would also ask what role Duke Cassius played within your organisation?”

  Gwendoline took a sip of her tea as she considered Leah’s questions. Finally, after allowing the silence to draw out, Gwendoline said, “G: After your short message yesterday and once I knew it was you, I learned of the attack on the manor. None of those were members of the Aeropile chapter of the guild, although some were known to us. The assassin in the palace was part of the guild here in Aeropile, and they were on a sanctioned mission to kill who we now know is the Princess Caoimhe. If that had been known earlier, the mission might not have been sanctioned.

  “The assassin concerned is under discipline and judgement, for it seems she was asked by the client to add Her Majesty to the assignment in contravention of all protocol. We are able to act against the royal family under certain conditions. Cassius was trained by the guild but operated separately under the direct control of the crown.”

  Leah sat and looked at Gwendoline for a moment, then said, “Might I ask a question on your protocols?”

  “G: You may, although I might not be able to answer.”

  “Are you permitted to take a contract upon a previous client?”

  “G: We are.”

  “I see. Then I thank you for this opportunity to clear the air.”

  “G: My mistress asked that I check whom you have told that I have some connection with the guild?”

  “Lady Gwendoline, I make it a practice to respect the private affairs of others until they interact with my own. I have little concern for the mechanisms whereby the Assassin’s guild does its business. Should we meet for tea at some future occasion, I shall perhaps seek your advice on other matters such as how best to manage my affairs as Countess Coal. This aspect of your affairs will only be a matter for comment should I meet someone from the guild in their official capacity, and then I will dig until I find your mistress that I might convince her in person that I am not one who accepts being a contract for any reason.”

  “G: That sounds like a threat, your Grace.”

  “Wonderful! Sometimes I think I might be too obscure in everyday dealings and it is comforting to understand that the message was received as intended.”

  “G: I’ve also been asked that you leave the discipline of those who entered into this city against protocol to us.”

  “Ah, unfortunately that is not something wherein I can offer you much hope. If it was not you, then there are only a few other options wherein such a number of assassins might be trained. If you wish to deal with them, I suggest you be quick for I shall pursue this to its conclusion with much haste.”

  “G: Perhaps we might join forces. We do not wish to come into conflict so soon after your elevation as a hero of Aeropile. Still, we reserve the right to take direct action.”

  “The idea has merit but I hesitate, for I suspect the client who wished for the death of Princess Caoimhe is also actively working toward my own demise. I am wary of letting more than a few of you get too close.”

  “G: If we are agreed to work together, then you are off-limits until our business is concluded.”

  Leah had been keeping some of her attention on those watching the garden and said, “Then let us reach such an agreement with some haste, for several of those you set to watch over our meeting have just been eliminated.”

  39

  December 28, 2073

  PNEUMATICA - AEROPILE

  After letting that sink in, Leah continued, “I would hope that simple manners might prevent an assault until we’ve finished our tisane, but then, perhaps this is better dealt with away from public scrutiny. I will agree to a sharing of resources.”

  Gwen
doline said, “Then it is agreed. From which direction do they approach?”

  “They seem to have us encircled. I suspect they are here for me, so perhaps you might exit safely.”

  “G: What of our agreement? It would be somewhat mean spirited to leave you here without allies.”

  “Indeed! However, it is always useful to have an encircling body unaware of opponents outside their cordon.”

  “G: If they tarry, I shall have assistance here within five minutes.”

  “Then let us end our most excellent rendezvous, and I shall sit momentarily and contemplate these events.”

  As Gwendoline turned to leave, she said, “G: As we are now allies, let me suggest that the adversaries are almost certainly from Scardosia.”

  Leah waited five minutes, then as Gwendoline passed beyond her awareness, she motioned for the bill. Once she’d paid she considered her options for a few minutes then stood to leave. As she did, one of the servers approached to collect the used crockery. Leah waited until she was a few paces away and said, “While I do not believe you will have the opportunity to benefit from my advice, it should be pointed out that no servant in an establishment such as this removes the meals’ leavings until the last participant is out of sight.”

  The assassin didn’t acknowledge the statement except by removing two knives from her black leather cummerbund. She held one in her right hand with the knife in the forward position using a sabre grip, and the other in her left in the reverse position with the edge out.

  Leah reached behind her and removed two knives from the sheathes in her corset and took a ready stance. She held both in the reverse position, and they were both dual-edged. Leah waited and let the image of the assassin wash over her. As the assassin thrust forward with her right hand, Leah brought her right arm toward her. As she stepped towards the assassin’s right side, she used her right arm to drive the assassin’s hand and knife down towards her knees. With her left hand, she slashed the blade across the assassin’s right bicep even as she let her right arm continue moving down and brought it up and sliced through the woman’s femoral artery before swivelling her hips and slashing the woman’s carotid.

  The assassin was twice dead, and Leah retrieved the woman’s knives and money pouch before stepping toward the exit of the tea house. She could sense that some of the assassins had firearms aimed at the exit. She waited until the door opened to admit a patron, then dove through the opening at shin height and after a forward roll, pushed off her left foot and raced toward the shops on the other side of the boulevard. Several shots came close, but she’d chosen correctly as most snipers expected the first dodge to be on a quarry’s dominant side.

  Once she was safely out of view, Leah watched as people shifted position. The movement brought them into range of the Aeropile Assassin’s guild. Two tried to escape down a small alleyway near Leah, and she killed one and wounded the other. As she stepped closer to unarm the assassin, he clenched his teeth together and died. She checked them both for weapons, money and ID. As the last of the assassins she could sense was already dead, Leah waited until one of the Aeropile assassins made his way to the street. Leah waited for him to speak. Finally, he stepped toward her and said, “Your Grace, my mistress has appointed me as your contact. I am called Grim and stand ready to serve.”

  His face was hidden, but Leah ignored that and said, “Hmm, my next objective is to discover what holdings I have within Aeropile because of my newly appointed titles. I suspect they are varied. Is it more appropriate for you to be seen or unseen?”

  “3: G with a spark ☇ is for Grim.”

  “G☇: Either, Ma’am. I can follow in the shadows, or perhaps accompany you as a bodyguard.”

  Leah sensed half a dozen figures watching from various vantage points. She said, “What of those with you?”

  “G☇: They serve as messengers and an early warning system. They will remain hidden.”

  “Please have them ignore those that have been assigned to a similar task by my friend Mr Bartle.”

  “G☇: They have already been told to let them be.”

  “Thank you. Where might I inquire concerning my holdings?”

  “G☇: It is most appropriate to have these transferred officially at Her Majesty’s Ministry of Lands.”

  “Then lead the way from the shadows. I will need to take possession of said holdings before too long, and for that I suggest you might be more suitably attired as a bodyguard. Perhaps on the morrow?”

  “G☇: As you suggest, Ma’am. How far do you see?”

  “I do not see at all, Grim. I am blind. I can follow with some clarity if you take care not to get more than fifty paces from me.”

  Grim didn’t move for a moment before saying, “G☇: The Ministry is perhaps two thousand paces from here, Ma’am.”

  “I believe I shall walk. It will give others time to set their agents upon my trail.”

  “G☇: As you wish, Ma’am. Please follow me.”

  As Grim disappeared towards the roof, Leah could sense the other assassins tense as if preparing to move. Besides them, she recognised three of Billy’s people following at street level. She kept Grim in range as she stepped into the street and headed towards the centre of the city. It took twenty minutes to walk the distance. Besides the polite attention from those who recognised her, she also noted several others who followed in the shadows.

  Once she arrived, she went inside. The lady behind the main reception desk said, “Your Grace, welcome to the Ministry of Lands. How may I help?”

  “I would see someone to get a clear record of those holdings which are mine now through the application of the titles bestowed by Her Majesty.”

  Without any delay, Leah was ushered in to see the Minister of Lands, a Lord Harold. “H: How may I help you, Your Grace?”

  “I desire a clear accounting of those holdings which are mine now through the application of the titles bestowed by Her Majesty.”

  “H: I see. Her Majesty has appointed you Duchess of Mont-Noir, Marquess of Dark River, Earl of the Black Forest and Countess Coal. In addition, she has bequeathed you all the personal property that belonged to Duke Cassius before his demise. That which was his by right of peerage and was held in trust for his title is yours. Only the coin held within his personal accounts has been transferred to the royal treasury. Mount Noir is on the far edge of Aeropile’s dominion, and the duchy is bordered on the far side by the River Masray. On the opposite bank is the start of the disputed territories with Scardosia. From the slopes of Mount Noir on the Aeropile side is the headwaters of the Dark River which runs through the Black Forest until it enters the mighty River Pneuma upon which this great city is built.

  “Your land includes the mountain and its slopes, the river, its produce and the forest. Lord Cassius has been somewhat harsh in his dealings with those tenants who over the years had been granted freehold in his dominion. As a result, almost all land is now back under the duchy’s control. One Baron, Lord Julian of Ebony Ridge, has held onto his freehold titles. However, there is a motion before the courts to force him to renounce his claim in favour of the duchy.

  “Lord Cassius has several homes within Aeropile. I will give you all the relevant documents that you might view them at your pleasure. Lord Cassius also has freehold titles on dozens of properties scattered throughout the other duchies. As Duchess of Mount Noir, you hold title to the Midnight mines and are responsible to care for the prisoners you lease from the crown. As Countess Coal, I suggest you visit the Ministry of the Exchequer to discuss your responsibilities. It would also be both appropriate and advisable to indicate your acceptance of these titles by adding your personal device to each coat of arms.”

  When Leah finally left the Ministry, she waited on the steps until she could pick out those who’d been following her. She recognised Grim, who was waiting in a nearby carriage. She waved to it, and as she entered said, “Let us proceed to Noir House.”

  The Embassy of the Mount Noir duchy was wi
thin the city. It was more appropriately called a castle, albeit one made from stone and steel. It was slightly smaller than the queen’s. From what she’d read, Leah understood the game mechanics would have removed almost all trace of Cassius from the Embassy but expected there to be clues left behind to open the door for future quests. Guards stopped her carriage at the entrance, but as the captain looked inside, he bowed and said, “Welcome’s to Noir House, Your Grace. I am Captain Lawrence, commander of your personal guards.”

  “Please join us, Captain. I must retire shortly but would get a measure of my employees before taking my rest.”

  Once the captain was aboard, the carriage continued along a wooded boulevard until it approached the main house. It took Leah fifteen minutes to meet the main staff and check that there were no urgent things she needed to deal with. Once she was comfortable with staying the night, she sent messages to Billy and Captain Baker, then retired to her suite and logged out.

  REAL WORLD

  Back in the Tower she entered TRAX and did another five tutorials on the gravity skates before logging out to the Tower and then again into the real world. Leah found her family having breakfast and took the opportunity to sit with them and just chat for a few minutes. A lot of the discussion was about little Saoirse and teasing Conner about the deal he’d made. As she was finishing, Three said, “3: You have a message from Warrior. They’ve arranged three times with Ascendent and Meredith for today. The first is in virtual thirty minutes. More times are available in the next week.”