by Jackson Lear
“The deal was the loser goes off the side of the castle,” I said.
The twig squirmed, his hands protecting his face.
The blue-eyed woman walked over. “If I may?”
“I’m keeping the sword.”
“He wanted to meet you.”
“Then the pleasure was all his.”
The woman waved her hand towards the edge of the roof. “I’m not going to throw you over. I just want a discussion in private.” She spoke without much of an accent at all. Odd.
I glanced back to the twig. “I want his name.”
“Ilmar of Elridge.”
“How do I find him?”
“About two hundred miles east of here is a river heading north. Follow that for twenty miles.”
“Is he the head of his family?”
“Yes. The sword, please.”
I tossed it onto Ilmar of Elridge’s chest. He scrambled, the blade slicing through his fine clothing and clanging to the ground. I followed the blue-eyed woman for a few paces.
“You are no stranger to the north, are you?” she asked.
“No.”
“Vasslehün?”
“Galinnia. A couple of times. This is my first time here.”
She nodded towards Mikael who remained on his knees at the far end of the castle rooftop. “Your friend was desperately trying to get someone’s attention during your meeting with Draegor. Anyone’s attention, really.”
“I asked him for a little help.”
“And help has come.” She wore mismatched clothes, just like me. A pair of fine swords against one hip and no doubt a dagger in her boot. Her gloves bulged considerably across the knuckles. Thick leather with threads of steel running throughout. Armored gloves. “You are not like the others who came with you. They are soldiers. You are not. The woman by Lady Kasera’s side is similar to you but she is still a soldier. You are different. A mercenary.”
“Once upon a time, yes.”
“Still a mercenary.”
“Not really.”
“Are you a soldier, then? A sergeant? Lieutenant?”
I held my tongue.
“Your time in Galinnia was spent earning money by killing people or things or threatening to kill people or things, is that right?”
“I was there as a mercenary, yes.”
“You worked with the same company on all these occasions?”
“Yes.”
“But not any more?”
“No.”
She gave me a quick nod. “We inspected your weapons. Thirty one swords, all Isparian, all army. Did you lose someone?”
“One of our cavalry was sent as a messenger.”
“Ah. Eight bows. Identical. Army. One belt with a blade – I presume that turns into a spear?”
“Possibly.”
“And a long dagger. Or short short-sword. Yours. I’ve seen that kind of weapon before. I know your type. I know the look of calm as you walk into a lion’s den. I know the look of confidence that comes from experience, not just bravura. You’ve done this before. Do you know who I am?”
“I heard a story a few years ago of a blue-eyed mercenary queen in the north. Is that you?”
She gave me a gentle smile. “Elizandria.”
“That was it.”
“You forgot my name?”
“We never met.”
“It’s a shame our paths didn’t cross earlier.”
“Why am I here?”
She got back on track. “As you wish. I want you to leave the north as soon as you can. Now, in fact. Take Lady Kasera with you, take your soldiers friends. No games. No tricks. Just go.”
“Not until Lady Kasera says that our time here is done.”
“She won’t win.”
“She might. You knew we weren’t going to be leaving based on my word alone so why are we up here wasting each other’s time?”
She didn’t take the bait. Instead, she gave me some decent courtesy. “I knew about Agnarr’s meeting with your Lady Kasera some time ago. I sent two messengers: one to Agnarr himself, the other to you.”
“Me?”
“To the fort in Anglaterra.”
“We didn’t receive any messenger.”
“I didn’t hear back from Agnarr, either. Neither messenger has returned.”
“When were they due back?”
“Ten days ago for yours. Four days ago for the one I sent to Agnarr.”
“What was the message?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “‘I don’t always work for the highest bidder.’”
“Who do you work for now?”
“That one’s a little tricky. We’re on retainer with a lot of the nobles here, the king included. Having multiple employers can get complicated so we usually side with Draegor whenever there is a conflict.”
“But now?”
“Your arrival has made things a little more complicated.”
“How so?”
“Draegor has no heir and refuses to appoint one. This has kept the nobles on edge, their weapons sharp, their spies busy, and their minds in a constant worry. Decades of worry, in fact. The moment he dies they need to act fast to protect what’s theirs, to stop whoever hates them from rising in power, and maybe even to make a move for the throne themselves. I’m sure you can see how that has created an unsettling few years for the nobles.”
“My heart breaks for them, especially since no one has had the balls to make a worthwhile move against Draegor in years.”
“It’s called ‘peace.’ Trust me, your Lady Kasera understands the Isparian version. You have, what, six hundred senators? Most of whom with their own armies?”
“That’s what I hear.”
“And there are a hundred northern families up here, each with their own dedicated raiders. How often does someone risk everything they have to strike at one of your emperors?”
“Fair enough. How has our arrival made things more complicated?”
Elizandria glanced over the city of Brilskeep. “No one wants an Isparian-backed king on the throne. They’d rather die than live under those terms. But your Lady Kasera said something interesting. If we break the alliance with the vampires then Ispar is no longer interested in the north, is that right?”
“I believe so.”
“And that’s the problem. The alliance with the vampires exists through Draegor, not with anyone else. If he dies the alliance should be over. Ispar would no longer be as big a threat to us as it is right now. But Draegor isn’t going to let you leave so you’re going to have to find your own way out.”
“Miss Kasera Lavarta isn’t going to want that.”
“Which is why I’m speaking to you and not her. She’s here for diplomacy. She’s not going to get it. Tensions have been too high for too long and your arrival has forced people to a point of no return. Something is going to happen. Tonight. Because of her.”
“A coup?”
Elizandria nodded. “More of a massacre, I fear. I don’t expect even half the nobles here to survive it.”
Whatever happens, it’s going to be fast. No one wants a prolonged war. If there is, Ispar will make a move against us. Thanks to Agnarr it’s now looking a lot more likely. So whatever erupts has to be done completely before the winter fully takes hold. Ispar won’t send their troops across the lake while there’s snow but they may be tempted to cross in early spring. If there is no vampire alliance then you won’t need to invade.”
“So you’re open to a civil war but not an actual war?”
“Of course. If we have a new king, we want him to be one of ours, not one of yours.”
“Even though you sent Agnarr a message?”
“I like to find out as much of what is going on as possible before siding with someone. And besides, he might’ve made a tempting offer.”
“And the threat of having an imperially chosen king …?”
“I don’t want Ispar here either, despite spending a long time learning your language.
”
“You speak it well.”
“Thank you. I’m sure you know that mercenaries can make a decent living by being paid not to fight someone.”
“So you would tell whoever replied to the message you sent to Anglaterra that you are willing to provoke a coup, fall back, and return to Vasslehün to safeguard the people here and ensure that there is no vampire alliance anymore?”
“Exactly,” said Elizandria. “My understanding is that you simply want the alliance to be over. If Draegor dies, you’ll have your victory. If Agnarr sits on the throne then you’ll have your victory. No need for your people to keep any presence here unless the vampires come back, am I right?”
“You’ll have to talk to Lady Kasera about that. What’s Desdola’s influence in the alliance?”
“Minimal at the moment but it is increasing, which is why it’s important to strike soon. Draegor has been using her visions to keep everyone from striking at him or the vampires but she needs vampire blood to maintain her sight. The vampires don’t really like being used to strengthen someone they genuinely fear. So, if there’s no Draegor the vampires will leave. If the vampires leave then Desdola’s visions will soften. She won’t get far with a new king on the throne.”
“Speaking of which, the vampire standing beside Draegor. Lord of Fellgarden. Cute title. Who is he?”
“I know him by the name of Razoz.”
“Not his birth name, I take it.”
“I doubt it. Like I doubt your name at birth was Raike. Even Draegor was not born with such a name. He chose it for himself when he was crowned. Draegor the Terrible was the first. Draegor the Bloody was second. The one we have now is the third.”
“And he threw Agnarr’s son off the side of the building?”
“He did. He held him prisoner for three hours beforehand so what Draegor now knows is anyone’s guess.”
“It looked like Johnan hearing the truth about his father came as much of a surprise to him as to most of the guests.”
“To most of them, yes.”
“His death did not please Lady Kasera.”
“It wasn’t supposed to please her, it was supposed to punish Agnarr and his son, and he deserved it. He is a citizen of Vasslehün. Draegor is his rightful king, yet Agnarr was caught aiding the enemies of the king. Johnan knew what would happen to him if you were caught.”
“It looked like he didn’t know at all.”
Elizandria arched an eyebrow. “How likely is it that Agnarr’s heir knew nothing of his father’s plans?”
“I’m sure I’ll never find out. Where are the crew who brought us here being held?”
“Why?”
“Lady Kasera is a stickler for not letting people under her protection die.”
“They don’t belong to her.”
“They might be convinced to help us leave, unless you want to steal the ship we came in on and row us to safety.”
She turned eastwards, glancing down beyond her chin. “Third courtyard down. You see it?”
“Looks like a death trap.”
“Which is why you should leave them. They too are citizens of Vasslehün.”
I drew in a deep breath, plotting a number of potential escapes. “How long do we have until the massacre?”
“Could be any moment now but no one will dare make a move until the vampires are gone.”
“So we still have some time?”
“Not exactly. Draegor knows that Agnarr is actively plotting against him. In all likelihood he’ll send his vampires out to kill him. All of the nobles’ eyes are on the gates, waiting for the vampires to leave. No one will dare make a move before then. But as soon as the vampires are gone, my people will disappear and Draegor will be largely undefended.”
I looked over to Zara and the rest of the vanguard prisoners. “So why does it look like you’re threatening to kill all of them?”
Elizandria shrugged. “I convinced Draegor to let me interrogate you all. This isn’t a friendly chat. This is you promising to leave before an Isparian lady is caught in the bloodshed.”
The door to the rooftop thumped open. Everyone froze. The bear and six of his cubs marched up, weapons in hand, seething like they were desperate for a blood bath.
“Are we too late?” I whispered.
Elizandria sank in stature. “Maybe.”
The bear bellowed, spittle flying from his mouth as he raised his ax, pointing from one mercenary to another.
“Don’t fight me,” whispered Elizandria. She turned away from the bear, drawing her short sword and prodding the tip against my spine.
The bear turned his ax towards me, barking a, “You?”
Elizandria nudged me forward. “You need to leave as soon as you can.”
“I need help.”
“I can’t. Draegor has just put Kaymor in charge of the prisoners.”
“A signal, then. A warning before the massacre starts.”
The bear thumped his way across the rooftop, enraged and still screaming bloody murder.
“Otherwise the north will be turned into an Isparian wasteland.”
The bear swung, using his ax as a club. I ducked. Rolled. Sprung to my feet with my hands up defensively.
“Easy, big guy.”
Elizandria called out to him. He spun onto her, shouting at her for being out of bounds with a prisoner who didn’t belong to her. She shouted back, using Draegor’s name a lot.
The bear huffed. Indicated for his cubs to take me back downstairs. I caught one last glance from Elizandria.
“I’ll do what I can,” she said.
Chapter Eleven
Loken stared back at me, looking somewhat amazed that I was still alive. “Well, you certainly gave us all a scare. Just how many times did you try to leap off the side of the castle?”
“A couple. You were watching?”
“Saskia was. Haven’t heard her swear that much in years. What happened?”
“The bear, the vampire, and three cubs roughed me up a little. I roughed them up a little more. Threats were made. No one died. I was escorted away to see Alysia.”
He nodded, suspicious about some of the details I may have left out. “How is she?”
“Holding up pretty well, actually.” I filled him in on how her meeting went with Draegor, then on my return to the roof.
“Who did you see up there?”
“Zara, Berik, Vyfred, Ivar, Magnus, and Jarmella.”
Loken grumbled. “That means we have Odalis and Leif unaccounted for. They were taken at the same time as Zara and the others.”
“Sounds like standard practice for up here,” I said. “They like to separate people and then separate those who have just been separated. Disorientate them, reward some but not others. Your usual run of mind games.”
“How are they going to reward us?”
“Probably with food. Has anyone been fed yet?”
“No.”
“Alysia said that she had secured food for us. I imagine we will be fed while everyone else upstairs misses out. The more they can divide us the better.” We could see it in effect already. Everyone in the dungeon was exhausted after the adrenaline and from a lack of sleep. Their spirits faded, their reactions dulled. There was some fight left in them still but we were all losing effectiveness with every hour that passed us by.
I thought back to Zara and the others on the rooftop. “Why were they chosen?”
“It looked like it was done at random,” said Loken. “Some from this side of the room, some from over there. Do you see any link between them?”
“Not sure. They have at least one member from the cavalry, infantry, archers, and mages. Six men, two women. Where’s everyone from?”
“All over. Odalis and Berik are Gereran. They could probably understand enough of the northern tongue to fumble their way through it. Jarmella and Magnus are from Arlo. The rest are from Syuss.”
“Except Zara.”
Loken nodded. “Except her.” Loken turne
d his back on the rest of the vanguard so no one could see him ask a painful question. “You’ve broken people, right? Turned them from their side to yours?”
“Some.”
“And you’ve had your allies break and join someone else’s side?”
“A few.”
“How do you stop it? Or how do you see it in someone before it’s too late?”
I shook my head at him. “You’re going to have a hard time finding out who it is in this bunch. Everyone’s on edge and ready to crash. That’s the perfect combination to turn anyone. And it won’t take much from this point on. Desdola has already left her mark on people and it will continue.”
“How so?”
“I saw a ghost up on the roof. My father. I don’t think he’s actually dead yet and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard his voice, but it looked and sounded an awful lot like him.”
Loken raised an eyebrow. “You saw a ghost?”
“Yeah, but I was talking to Desdola. Not him.”
“How?”
“They forced blood wine into me. I knew drinking vampire blood has some unusual effects but I didn’t know that it could show you someone else’s visions. I’m guessing Desdola has found a way to tap into the spirit world to have a long distance conversation that the other humans up there couldn’t see or hear.”
“Then we can prepare against that. Let everyone know that their visions may be tainted so that they’re not seeing who they think they’re seeing.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. She’s going to try to find your weakness and who it is will probably surprise you. I don’t recommend saying who you think yours is right now since that will help her if she’s listening. It’s likely going to be someone who has a strong connection to you, someone who you would bend or even break the rules for.”
“Even so, if we know what we’re dealing with then we can prepare against it.”
“Perhaps, but bear in mind it doesn’t take much to get into someone’s head. I think we’ve all met that someone who was utterly enchanting, right? Their smile lights up your heart, they seem to pay attention to you and you alone. You build a bond. You believe it’s equal. They don’t. One day they come to you because they have a problem with one of your friends. It’s nothing severe, the friend just rubs them the wrong way. It’s no big deal but it sticks with you. Now your friend is tainted. If you defend your friend, your enchanting darling is wounded so you try to cheer her up. She gets a little friendlier than you were expecting and it’s nice. You may not realize it but you’re being rewarded for apologizing. Ever had that?”
