The Poisoned Quarrel: The Arbalester Trilogy 3 (Complete Edition)

by Duncan Lay

“These three dresses are free. Now the nobles are gone he wants to be known as the man who dresses the Ruling Council. So take care of them, because we can’t afford to buy any more from him.”

  “If we have perhaps finished discussing clothing choices, perhaps we could get this underway. As it is we’ll be hearing cases until dusk,” Gallagher said pointedly.

  So Brendan was sent in to announce them and they followed him, walking in to a packed throne room and taking their places at the table, Fallon in the center, Bridgit to his right, with Brendan and Nola on her side, then Riona to Fallon’s left, followed by Devlin and Gallagher.

  Fallon had seen the throne room filled before, many times, but the crowds then had not been dressed like this. Now they were almost all in ordinary clothes. Even those who obviously had money were not displaying it as ostentatiously. Jewels no longer sparkled on fingers or hung from ears or other places. There were still guards as well, although they weren’t in surcoats. Fallon had not liked the idea of too many guards but there was always the possibility one of Swane’s men was in this crowd and he would not risk his friends, let alone Bridgit.

  “The first session of Gaelland’s Ruling Council is now in order! Come forward and be heard!” Brendan roared into the throne room, thumping the handle of his hammer on the floor both to call for silence and remind everyone that Aidan might be dead but there was still punishment on offer.

  “Let us begin!” Fallon called.

  The first case could have come straight from Cavan’s days. A poor family accusing a rich landlord of building extra stories on the homes around them, so close that, when it rained, the water seethed from his roofs into their home. In Aidan’s time, of course, Fallon knew that the case would have been decided instantly. A tidy sum of money paid in exchange for the decision and move on to the next case.

  But it was different now.

  “We must see the permits to build these extra levels,” Fallon ordered.

  The smirking landlord, whose face looked familiar to Fallon, handed over a scroll to Bran, who in turn placed it on the table. Fallon picked it up absently, glancing instead at the landlord. He looked suspiciously like one of the crowd who had confronted them at the home of the Bankers’ Guild leader.

  “Are you going to read it or just pretend?” Bridgit whispered and Fallon unrolled the scroll to see it was a simple approval to add extra rooms, stamped with the King’s Seal.

  “As you can see, everything is in order,” the landlord said smugly.

  “Not quite,” Fallon said. “There is no address here.”

  The landlord’s smile faltered a little. “But that does not matter! The King’s chamberlain told me I could use it anywhere I liked!”

  Fallon rolled the scroll back up. “Do you have that in writing?”

  “No, but—”

  “You are ordered to pull down the top stories on all your houses around the Ciaran house. You have a quarter moon to do it or you will forfeit all those homes and we shall do it for you,” Fallon said.

  The landlord’s face went white. “But you can’t do that! This is an outrage!”

  Fallon tossed the scroll back to Casey. The youthful officer caught it deftly. “And a fine of ten silver pieces is imposed. You must pay it before you will be allowed to leave. Half will go to the city treasury, half to the Ciaran family.”

  “You can’t do that!”

  “The fine is now fifteen silver pieces. Do you have anything else to say?”

  The landlord opened and closed his mouth like a fish but nothing came out and he finally shook his head.

  Fallon slapped the table with his hand. “Next case!”

  There was a tentative cheer from at least half of the room as the landlord staggered out and the Ciarans – a father, mother and five children – bobbed their heads excitedly, bowing their thanks.

  Behind them, scribes hurriedly recorded the judgment and Gallagher stamped them with the new seal of the Ruling Council, which Fallon was particularly proud of. A shillelagh and hammer were crossed, with a fish above and a sheep below, signifying all four of them, as well as the main symbols of Gaelland.

  “You are having fun,” Bridgit accused him quietly.

  “By Aroaril, yes I am!” Fallon said with a grin.

  He was not sure of all of the law, particularly about property, but he remembered much of what Cavan had told him when they had discussed the cases while Aidan ignored the laws and chased the bribes. Of course, there was also common sense and he was quick to seek Bridgit’s thoughts, as well as the advice of the others. Nola, in particular, knew all about the laws of getting money out of customers, having done that for years in the face of men and women who knew Brendan would never resort to violence to get paid.

  They were particularly harsh on merchants who had tried to cheat with their scales or delivered faulty goods or rotten food. The cheers from those who had come more in hope than expectation grew with each ruling against the rich and powerful, while the other half of the room was getting angry and indignant.

  “Next case!” Fallon called but nobody stepped forwards, although dozens still waited around the sides of the throne room.

  “And where is the next case?” he called.

  Finally a young man in finely cut tunic and trousers stepped out, a thick woollen coat around his shoulders.

  “This is not a fair hearing,” he announced loudly. “I shall not plead my case when I already know you will never rule in my favor. So I am leaving and I would advise anyone who does not have six snotty-nosed brats or more than two silver coins to rub together to leave also.”

  He turned around flamboyantly but Fallon signaled to Bran and a pair of soldiers barred his way, while four more sealed off the doors.

  “Anyone who wants to leave can go when I have finished talking. But you will go knowing that we shall immediately rule in favor of whoever you are in dispute with. And we shall send soldiers to your home to enforce our judgment,” Fallon shouted.

  He paused to let that sink in, then signaled again to Casey. The soldiers stepped aside, leaving the way open.

  The young man looked around defiantly. “Come to my home. Drag me out and steal all my money, if you will. But that makes you the criminal, not me. I shall not have any part of this biased court.”

  He strode out and when he was allowed to go, a score more of the rich and powerful joined him, hurrying away.

  “This does not look good,” Bridgit warned. “We should get them back and at least hear their stories.”

  “They know they are guilty, that is why they go. And we can’t drag them back at swordpoint for judgment,” Fallon hissed.

  “And going to their homes is better?”

  “Of course. We can double the penalty!”

  As he had expected, all of the cases where half of the petitioners had walked out were simple enough. Rich picking on poor, as they had always done. Names were taken and Brendan given the task of tracking them down the next day.

  Although the sun was sinking fast and a glance along the table told Fallon his friends were struggling to concentrate, he insisted on hearing the last case, a boundary dispute between merchants in the marketplace. Both had papers claiming the site and nobody had any suggestions so he ordered it divided in half, leaving neither of them happy.

  “Thank Aroaril that is over,” Brendan said with feeling as the last two stormed out and Bran had the doors shut behind them, the sound echoing around the now-empty throne room.

  Fallon leaned back and rubbed his hands together. “The message will be all round the city by tomorrow. There is a new ruling council in Berry and they will be fair to all,” he declared.

  “Although that message will not be too well received in some parts of the city,” Devlin pointed out with a yawn.

  “Let them tremble. It might make them stop stamping down on everyone else,” Fallon said.

  “Well, I am sure we are going to see even more people next time. Everyone who has nursed a grievance but nev
er dreamed of getting a judgment will be first in line when next we hold a Petition Day,” Bridgit said.

  “And I reckon we made at least two hundred and fifty silver pieces for the treasury. Even King Aidan would have been quite happy with that,” Gallagher added.

  “But let’s not hold these too often, my collar is trying to choke me,” Brendan announced. “Meanwhile my stomach thinks the collar has actually cut my throat.”

  “You think you have a problem,” Riona said, putting her hands in the small of her back. ‘I can’t wait to get out of this dress.”

  “I never thought you’d ask!” Devlin said, which had them laughing all the way out of the throne room.

  CHAPTER 13

  “Today you need to inspect the men, sire,” Dina said, brushing hair away from Swane’s brow. “Time to get up. I have ordered bacon and eggs brought here and your favorite cloak has been cleaned, ready for you to wear.”

  She watched with satisfaction as he moved to obey her. He was now hers. Completely. Zorva might have his soul but she had his body and mind. He was in thrall to her while thinking he was the one in charge. It had been quite a feat and she was delighted with how he followed her commands, while thinking they were his own. It had come at a price but one she was used to paying.

  As he turned to face her, she quickly composed her face into an expression of loving adoration. Well, she was pretty sure that was what it looked like. She had spent half a turn of an hourglass practicing it in a mirror. It was a delicate act, being around Swane. He had to be tantalized and teased, but not too much could be revealed. Only by regular applications of Kottermani powders and lip stains could the tracery of fine lines around her face be hidden. Her own room was cool and empty, having been used only to dress and change for the last few days. But, like her old house in Lunster and her townhouse in Berry, she had a collection of mirrors set up so she could view her face from every angle. Nothing could be left uncovered, everything had to look perfect.

  Swane stuffed his face but she did not. As the summers crept by, it became more and more important to watch what she ate. Men like Meinster or her old husband Kinnard could fill themselves with rich food until their bellies swelled and their jowls swung low and as long as their purses were fat with coin they were attractive. But it was different for her. The moment she let things go, they would turn from her. So she wrapped herself in corsets, went hungry at banquets and used up pots of expensive powders.

  Instead she fussed over Swane, making sure he ate well and dressed quickly. Soon, orders from her would be considered orders from Swane himself. Meinster had already accepted it. Ryan was a different matter. He was the voice Swane was used to listening to. Yet that was being washed away in a tide of Swane’s passion. Until now, Swane had thought his pleasure could only be taken. She had shown him something different – in fact many different things – and he now could not bear to be without her. Just how she had planned it. And today would seal the deal and finish off Ryan. Again, just as she planned.

  “Come, sire, you need to make sure your officers have done their job.”

  “But of course they have,” he said. “I left it in the hands of Ryan and Meinster.”

  “Yes, but sire, you have to be sure. Remember, I have seen Fallon’s men in action. They are not simple peasants armed with pitchforks. They have been training hard and not only have great discipline but are all well-armed, thanks to your father’s misplaced trust in Fallon as a general of his army. Worse, you saw how Fallon fights. He can be despised but he must not be underestimated.”

  Swane’s face darkened at that. “You are right. We must be ready. Let us inspect them.”

  She led him outside. This was not just to humiliate Ryan and Meinster and create distrust between them and Swane. She had seen this army training from her window and they were useless compared to Fallon’s men.

  The mercenaries they had scraped up would always be a rabble but she had higher hopes for the guardsmen they had assembled. Yet, without a strong leader like Captain Kelty, they lacked discipline and would be easy meat for Fallon.

  Getting them had been easy enough. Using Finbar and the other wizards, every noble and their little band of guards had been transported to Meinster, using a magical gateway opened within an oak tree. She had asked Finbar how it worked and he explained that oak not only had far stronger magical properties than any other tree but “knew” where the next one was, so they could pollinate each other. Using that, he could “jump” from one to the next, holding the gateway open, like so many doors in his mind, then physically take that step, to arrive dozens, even hundreds of miles away. She had at first hoped that would be a far easier way of travelling across the Spine and imagined armies appearing where Fallon least expected them, but Finbar showed her the cost in energy to the wizard was terrible. Each time it drove one of the Guild’s most senior wizards to their knees and she had reluctantly concluded it could not be done for everyone. A small party could be sent over, however, to prepare a camp and food for when the main army got across the mountains and that was enough.

  Meanwhile, it meant while they had more than a thousand guards, each noble had brought their own officer, all jealous of each other. They were less like her husband’s old Captain Hagen and much more like his greedy, foolish Lieutenant Keverne, who had been easy to manipulate and seduce into doing her will. There was a place for such men but, when it came to destroying Fallon, she needed more.

  A comfortable carriage took them outside the town, to a common area that was normally used for grazing sheep. The animals had been cleared away this morning to leave space for Swane’s army. The trip out, with Ryan and Meinster in the carriage, was slightly uncomfortable, for both Ryan and Meinster were eyeing her resentfully, but she let that wash over her. She had been hated with far more passion and by far more dangerous men before.

  The guardsmen were waiting, mismatched in dozens of differently colored surcoats, their mail polished and their horses steaming in the cold air.

  “Don’t they look good, sire?” Ryan said warmly.

  “Magnificent!” Swane said excitedly.

  “Surely nothing can stand against them,” Meinster agreed.

  “So what will be the strategy? A charge by the cavalry here and then send in the men we have assembled thanks to the lure of gold?” Dina asked innocently.

  “That is the easiest way to achieve victory and was the method used at the original battle of Lake Caragh,” Ryan said loftily. “Even if Fallon’s men form a shieldwall, our lances will reach over the top.”

  “Excellent!” Swane rubbed his hands together.

  “You should see them charge, sir. Anyone can look good just sitting on a horse,” Dina said mildly.

  She smiled sweetly at a glowering Ryan as Swane instantly agreed with her and the orders were given.

  Almost immediately the perfection of the guardsmen was destroyed. The careful ranks dissolved, men got in each other’s way and the lines kept bumping into each other. When they did try and charge, some went into the gallop right away, while others held back, so what went past was not a line but a series of ragged groups. Worse, most were not able to control their lances. Some were still pointing up in the air, a dozen or so dug into the ground and had to be dropped, while a pair of horses were also accidentally stabbed.

  “Fallon will destroy them,” Dina said flatly, when the last group had trotted past, some of them yelling at each other.

  “Ryan, Meinster, this is disgraceful! Were you going to let me take these idiots into battle?” Swane raged. Dina kept her face blank as the pair of them shrank from his anger.

  “Of course they were going to keep training on our journey west,” Ryan said.

  “In the mountains? Surrounded by snow?” Dina inquired and enjoyed watching the pair of them squirm further under Swane’s gaze. She let the silence grow and grow, becoming more uncomfortable until Swane finally broke it by turning to her.

  “What do we need to do?” he asked.
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  “Appoint one captain, instead of having a host of them. The others can be his lieutenants. Then have them train for making a charge, again and again. But against Fallon they will not charge first. Instead, we shall send in the rabble we have assembled,” she said, making her voice both brisk and confident. There was no trace of purr or coquette now. He could not think of that.

  “We will?” Swane said in astonishment.

  “Fallon can use up his crossbow bolts on them. And each one he kills saves us coin, because we only pay them after we get to Berry,” she said. “Once we have drawn Fallon’s teeth, then we send in our real men. We shatter Fallon’s army with our charge and the remaining rabble can help chase down his survivors.”

  She fixed Swane with a confident stare and he gaped at her.

  “Perfect,” he breathed.

  “Send the officers to me and I shall choose the best of them for you. Then I shall set them to training. Half a moon and they shall be ready,” she said.

  “You do that. And then come and report to me,” Swane said, giving Ryan and Meinster a glare. “Now, let us get out of this damned cold.”

  “Of course, sire. And I know how to warm you up,” she said, letting her voice get deeper now.

  He held out a slightly shaking hand and she took it.

  “Ryan, you and Meinster can find your own way back,” he said.

  She smiled sweetly at their shocked faces and made sure she swayed ostentatiously as she went up the steps into the carriage in front of Swane. The trip back to the castle was not a long one so she would have to work fast but, all in all, it was a very good morning’s work. If the officers she appointed worked just as hard, then Fallon was as good as strung up already.

  CHAPTER 14

  “What’s this?” Devlin asked as Riona and Nola whipped the cloth off the table.

  “This is the people’s rations, what we are going to give them,” Bridgit said.

  Fallon walked around the small table, looking carefully at the food. There was a small sack of oats, a slightly larger sack of potatoes, a handful of carrots and parsnips, a chunk of cheese, a little salt and a hunk of bacon.