He smiled, “Wouldn’t dream of it, Celes.”
She winked mischievously then seemed to notice his shirt for the first time. Before speaking, though, she poured him a beer and put it in front of him. Damn, I could get to love this woman, he thought. “What happened?” She asked worriedly, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said, waving it away, “nothing I can’t handle. Anyway, I’d love to talk more, Celes, but there’s something I have to take care of. Is she in?”
She studied him, her face serious, “You working, Silent?”
He shrugged, “I guess you can say that. I’ve only got a couple of questions for her, that’s all. I won’t be long.”
Celes hesitated for a moment then nodded, “Alright.” She raised a finger above her head and in the time it took Aaron to turn and look, a man had walked up to the bar.
“Go and tell her Silent’s here.” The man nodded and hurried away without a word.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She said once the man was gone. “Word on the street is Hale’s not too pleased about you refusing his offer.”
Aaron grunted, “Yeah, I got that impression. I mean to have a meeting with him soon, have a little talk about it.”
Celes snorted, her dainty nose turned up, “Whenever you talk with someone, they have a tendency of winding up dead.”
Aaron shrugged again, “Some words can kill.”
Celes nodded, “Yeah,” she said, eyeing his sheathed blade, “Swords too.” She looked past him, “Ah, there she is. It really was good seeing you again, Silent. Come back soon. And don’t end up dead if you can help it.”
“Not if I can help it.”
He turned to see May approaching from across the room. She was a heavy set woman with a jovial face, and a motherly air despite the fact that she wore a sparkling gem-studded green dress and enough ruby rings to bankrupt a nobleman. Her long red hair seemed to blaze in the soft warm glow of the overhead lighting, and when she saw Aaron at the bar, she smiled widely, hurrying forward. Two thickly-muscled men followed behind her, scanning the crowd who parted before her, bowing their heads to her as if she was some visiting dignitary.
“Silent,” she said, pulling him into a tight embrace and squishing him against her massive bosom, “by the gods, but it’s good to see you.”
He winced at a fresh pain in his side as she held him out at arm’s reach, a mother checking on the health of her favored son. “What’s happened? And how bad are you?”
“I’m fine. It’s good to see you, May.” he said, impressed by how quick she’d caught on despite having known her for years. The woman might seem like some kindly mother, but she was one of the most cunning and resourceful people he’d ever met. There was a reason why even Hale and Grinner were said to be wary of May.
She tsked, “Oh, there’s no reason to be a tough guy, not with me. How bad is it?”
He shrugged, “I’ve had worse. Probably.”
She rolled her eyes, “Nancy’ll see to you. It’s not like she hasn’t done it before.”
Aaron shook his head, “I’m sorry, May, but I don’t have the time. I just need to ask you a couple of questions and—“
“And you can ask me as many as you want,” she said, “while Nancy sees to you. I won’t have any arguing.”
He sighed and allowed himself to be led across the room. May gestured to a woman sitting at one of the tables and the woman cut off what she’d been saying to a young man in midsentence, got up, and followed after them, her companion looking after her with a disappointed expression.
May led him through a door and into a small room. One of the guards posted up outside of the door while the other followed May, Aaron, and the woman inside. “Silent,” the other woman said, nodding her head to him, “It’s good to see you.”
He nodded back, “You too, Nance. How’s everything?”
“Oh, you know, same old same old. This’d better be good, I was just getting ready to have some fun tonight.”
May sighed, shaking her head, “I’ve told you before, Nancy, you have to make them work for it. Too easy, and they won’t appreciate it once they’ve got it.”
Nancy and Aaron shared a smile at that, and May snorted, “Lift your shirt, you bastard.”
Aaron tried again, “Really, May, it’s not—“ he broke off, noticing her expression, one that said she’d have her way even if she had to tie him down to do it. “Alright,” he said, “but I’m in a hurry.”
“Well,” May said, “while Nancy does her work, you tell me what happened, and we’ll see just how much of a hurry you’re in.”
He took off his shirt, deciding it was better to get it over with, and Nancy frowned, “Whoever bandaged this did a shitty job.”
He grunted as she pulled off the bandage, “I was in a little bit of a hurry.”
Nancy looked at the wound that was leaking blood again and whistled. “Well, that’s a nasty one. I’ll have to stitch it.”
“Fine,” Aaron said.
“I have some Alera root extract. Help numb the pain.”
“No thanks. I’ve had just about as much numbing today as I’m prepared to take.”
“Oh?”
He sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid telling them. “I was drugged.”
“Was it Hale?” May asked, her tone angry.
“No,” Aaron said, gesturing at his side, “this was Hale. The drugging came later.”
“Wow,” Nancy said, walking to a drawer and taking out needle and thread, “you really know how to have a good time.”
Aaron nodded, thinking of the woman, Dayna, who had his mother’s necklace, “Fun’s not over yet.”
“I’m so sorry, Aaron,” May said, scowling at Nancy who wisely pretended not to notice, “I just heard about Hale coming for you a few hours ago. I sent a man to your room to warn you but ….”
“Yeah,” he said, “I wasn’t there. I was at the Maiden’s Haven. One of the women drugged me and Grinner’s men attacked the place. From what I gather, it was a shakedown gone wrong. They killed everyone.”
May gasped, and Aaron gritted his teeth as Nancy began her work. “Are you sure?” May asked, “Benjin’s dead?”
He knew it shouldn’t surprise him that May would know of the man—it often seemed to him that she knew about everything that went on in the Downs. “Yeah.”
May growled deep in her throat, “Benjin was a good man. A friend. Grinner should know better.”
Aaron shook his head, “I don’t think Grinner planned on killing anybody. Some of his men just got out of hand.”
May sighed, “Oh, poor Benjin. And he had a daughter,” she hesitated, “oh, damn my memory. What was her name?”
“Anna.”
“That’s it! And what of her?”
Aaron hesitated. He knew what would happen if he told May the truth. There were certain things she wouldn’t abide, and the kidnapping of a young pretty girl was one of them. She would bend all of her considerable resources to getting the girl back, would even cause a war with Grinner if that’s what it took. But as intelligent and resourceful as she was, May and her people weren’t warriors, or, at least, not many of them were. She had a few body guards and bouncers, but mostly women worked for her, women taken in off the streets and given something better. They wouldn’t last long against the kind of killers Grinner employed. He couldn’t be responsible for that, so he did something he’d never done before—he lied to May. “Yeah, they got her. She’s dead with the rest.”
“Damnit,” May said, slamming her hand on the table and making Nancy—and as a result, her needle—jump. Nancy murmured an apology, and Aaron waved it away, gritting his teeth at the fresh stab of pain. May paced the room, her eyes flashing with anger, “You can stay here, of course. I’ll talk to Grinner and Hale both. Get this settl—“
“No.”
May turned, looking at him as if he’d gone crazy, “No?”
“No, May,” he said, his voice stern. “I won’
t be the cause of a war between you, Grinner, and Hale, and I won’t be staying here, as much as I appreciate the invitation. I’ve got to finish this. I don’t want you putting yourself between me and them. You’d be crushed, you and I both know it. Besides, what good is a sellsword that can’t fight his own battles?”
She stared at him for several seconds then gave a reluctant nod, “Fine, I won’t get involved. But why won’t you stay here? Surely, you need some time to re—“
“They took my mom’s necklace. I’m going to get it back.”
May stared at him, her eyes wide. Then the iron came back into her gaze and she nodded again, “What do you need from me?”
“I need to know where Grinner is.”
May sighed, “Oh, Aaron. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“May—“
“No, Silent,” she said, shaking her head, “it would be suicide. Grinner’s got hundreds of men working for him. You’re good, but you’re not that good. You’d be dead before you even got inside whatever hole he’s hiding in.”
“I’m not planning on dying, May. And I am going to find Grinner, with or without your help. I appreciate your concern, but frankly it’s none of your damn business. If I have to pile the corpses of Grinner’s men so high that he’ll have to climb them to take a shit, that’s what I’ll do to get back what’s mine. If you can’t handle that then stay the fuck out of my way.”
A dangerous silence descended as May met his gaze, her eyes blazing. Nancy finished her stitching and stepped back. She looked between the two of them and swallowed hard. “Ma’am … if there’s nothing else….”
“Go.” She turned to her bodyguard, “You too. Wait outside.”
The big man raised an eyebrow, “Ma’am?”
“Was I unclear?” She asked, her voice suddenly low, dangerous.
Despite the fact that the man was a head and a half taller than her, he paled at her tone. “No ma’am. I’ll be outside if you need me.”
She waited until they were gone before turning back to Aaron, “Nobody talks to me like that, Silent. Nobody. And you can be sure they don’t in my own club.”
He remained silent, matching her gaze and finally some of the anger in her eyes faded. After a time she sighed, “You’re going to do this no matter what I say, aren’t you?”
“Yes ma’am.”
May ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “Alright, I’ll help you as much as I can, but I have to tell you that not even I know where Grinner stays. Nobody does.”
Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but May held up a hand forestalling him, “Nobody knows where to find Grinner, but there’s a chance I know someone who could get you a shot at that sick dog of his.”
Aaron felt hope rising in his chest, “Claude?”
“Don’t get too excited,” she said, “I said there’s a chance.”
“I’ll take it. Thanks, May. I appreciate it.”
She grunted, “You might not be thanking me once you hear who it is. You remember Lucius?”
“Lucius?” Aaron asked incredulous, “He’s still alive? I thought someone would have laid him horizontal by now.”
May shrugged, “It’s the cockroaches that are the hardest to kill. But you know who he works for, don’t you?”
Aaron sighed, “Hale.”
She nodded, “And as I understand it, you and Hale aren’t on the closest of terms right now.”
“Any closer and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“Right. Well, word is that Lucius has been digging into Grinner for Hale, trying to get anything on him he could. Say this for the little bastard; he keeps his ear to the ground. He was in the club not a month ago, bragging to one of my girls about how he could take down Claude and Grinner too, anytime he wanted.”
Aaron snorted, “He’s about as likely to take down Grinner as I am to marry a princess, and the man would say anything if he thought it would get him laid. That’s pretty thin, May.”
May arched an immaculately shaped eyebrow, “Well, then I suppose you’ll just have to follow one of your other leads. Assuming you have one, of course.”
Aaron sighed, “You know I don’t.”
She smiled a humorless smile, “And so?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
She waved a hand dismissively, “Last I heard, Lucius was staying at the Whistle.”
Aaron rubbed at his temples, “The Wetted Whistle?”
May smiled at his discomfort, “That’s the one. Not the most … extravagant of brothels, shall we say, but, then, Lucius is not the most extravagant of people, is he? Oh, and, in case you didn’t know, that’s one of Hale’s. Which probably means it’ll have a dozen of his men inside—not, of course, that such a trifle would matter to you.”
“Thank you, May,” Aaron said, grabbing his shirt and putting it on, “I owe you.”
May rolled her eyes, “Pay me back by staying alive. Oh, and Aaron?”
He turned to find her staring at him, her expression grim. “The next time you disrespect me in my own club, you’ll have worse things to worry about than Hale or Grinner. Are we clear?”
He nodded, a cold sliver of fear pricking his heart, “Yes ma’am.”
He started for the door, and she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, “Your parents did a lot for the people around here, Aaron. I know you think they were fools to throw in with Prince Eladen, but he’s the only one of the Royal Seven that’s done anything for the people since King Marcus died. If it wasn’t for his damned blood thirsty brother Belgarin ….” She waved a hand, dismissing it, “Your parents may have not picked the winning side in the war—it’s still too early to tell—but they did pick the right one. They were good people.”
“And now they’re dead ones.”
May sighed, shaking her head, “Good luck, Aaron. And see Celes on your way out. She’ll get you some new clothes. If you’re going to your death, you might as well go properly dressed.”
Aaron nodded, thoughts of his mother and father too close to the surface for him to trust himself to speak.
***
Aaron passed the beggar outside of the Rest and noticed absently that it was a different man than the one who’d been there before. As for the two men that had been following him, there was no sign, only a fresh spot of what looked like blood on the dirty cobbled alley.
Dressed in the new black tunic and trousers Celes had given him, his wounds seen to, Aaron felt better than he had in a long time and despite what he had to do, he felt his spirits buoyed as he made his way through the Downs.
He looked up at the sky, noting that it would be daylight in a few hours, and regretted the amount of time he’d spent at the Rest just as he regretted how abrupt he’d been with May. The club owner had done a lot for him since he’d been in Avarest, a lot she didn’t have to, but he didn’t want her involved any more than necessary. The more involved she was, the more likely she would end up in danger because of him, and he wouldn’t have that.
There weren’t many people out in the streets, but there were a few. Sailors mostly, come to spend a night ashore drinking and carousing in the Downs, one or two men and women that were obviously shopkeepers returning from a late night and, of course, the professionals: whores, pickpockets, muggers. Men, women, and oftentimes children, out to strip the unwary of their coins in the best way they knew how.
As he drew closer to the Whistle, less and less people shared the street with him until, finally, he was alone. Even in the Downs, some places were safer than others and the roads he traveled now were deep in the heart of Hale’s territory. Residents of the Downs knew to avoid such streets and visitors learned the lesson quickly—if, that was, they were left alive to learn anything at all.
It didn’t take him long to come to the brothel, a tall, two-storied building. While the other homes and shops on the street were dark, their windows and doors closed and latched against the darkness, the inside of the Whistle was bright, shin
ing in the darkness like a beacon. Or a flame, maybe, and did that make him the moth too stupid to know it was going to get burned?
He shook off the morbid thought and from the relative safety of the darkened alleyway, he considered his options. Two men stood at the front of the Whistle, swords at their sides. Hired men ready to kill anyone that didn’t belong. Anyone like him.
He could sneak around the back of the building, maybe, see if there was a way in there, but he knew they wouldn’t have left the back unguarded. Aaron gritted his teeth, feeling time slip away, feeling the necklace get further and further out of his reach with each passing moment. Fuck it. He walked out of the shadows and into the street. These men would be expecting anyone that attacked them to try to take them by surprise. They wouldn’t expect him to walk right up to the door—or so he hoped.
One of the guards noticed him before he was halfway across the street. He turned and said something Aaron couldn’t hear to his companion, and they both peered into the darkness, their hands on their swords.
“Who’s that now?” The second man asked.
“Aaron,” he said as he drew closer, moving to within five feet of the men and standing in the light pouring out from the brothel, his hands held up above his shoulders, “Aaron Envelar. I’ve got a message for your boss.”
“Aaron—“ the guard paused, shooting a glance at the other one, “but you … you’re supposed to be dead.”
Aaron shrugged, stepping closer. Only a few feet away now. “What can I say? It didn’t take.”
He was watching for the moment, expecting it, so when both men went for their swords, he used the second it bought him to dart the rest of the way forward, ramming his fist into the throat of the first. Something crunched under his knuckles, and the man made a strangled, choking sound in his throat, stumbling backward. Aaron was already turning to the other man who’d just freed his blade from its scabbard.
The Silent Blade: A Seven Virtues Novella Page 3
