“Oh no, not him,” Alyssa said, nodding toward the far wall, and Seth tracked her eyes to see what she was referring to.
Kaylor approached Seth as if he knew exactly where the man would be. “Greetings, Master Seth. Do you have a moment to spare?”
“I do, if it’s only a moment. The governor will be addressing the crowd soon, and I have work to do,” Seth said.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Alyssa offered, turning to leave.
“Actually, I would not mind your time as well, Lady Alyssa,” Kaylor said, motioning toward the far edge of the compound that overlooked the bay.
Seth smiled inwardly as Alyssa’s cheeks went a tad red. She was definitely not used to being called lady, and it appeared the Kesh wizard, smart as he was, seemed unaware of the private joke that they shared. Alyssa smiled at the man. “You may have it, then.”
The trio walked over to the edge of the courtyard where there was a waist-high wall preventing people from falling off the cliff edge that protected the complex from the south side. Below the edge, the wall of the cliff continued, and Seth could see the soldiers patrolling on top of it.
“Over there, do you see that woman with the two northerners?” Kaylor motioned almost imperceptibly with his head toward the far edge of the railing.
Seth looked, resisting the urge to turn his head in that exact direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alyssa doing the same. They were professionals, and they would not make the observation obvious. “I do,” Seth answered. “They are hard to miss.”
Kaylor had his back to the other trio, two large barbarians that reminded Seth of the wizard’s bodyguard Graz. “Do you know them?”
Seth looked the Kesh in the eye. “I don’t. Wouldn’t your man Graz know?”
“I have asked him,” Kaylor responded.
“And?” Seth prompted.
“He has heard of clans near the sea, far to the north, but has not heard of them before.” Kaylor nodded.
“Do they have one of your invitations?” Seth asked.
“They do. Jayrel has been managing access for us.”
“Are there other representatives here that you personally don’t know about?” Seth asked.
“Several,” Kaylor said.
“So why does this group interest you?” Seth asked.
Kaylor seemed taken aback by the question, bringing one hand up to his chin and stroking his long grey beard. His bushy eyebrows bobbed up and down once before he leaned closer to both Seth and Alyssa. “Let us say that as Kesh we have our own ways of learning things involving other people. This group has managed to conceal themselves from us.”
Seth understood now why the wizard took a moment to respond. The admission that this invited group was somehow mysterious to the Kesh demonstrated a clear sign of weakness in their abilities to divinate. That was not something a Kesh wizard would normally dare to admit, disclose, or confess.
“How can we help?” Seth asked, noticing Alyssa leaning in closer as well.
It appeared this was what the man was looking for as he smiled ever so slightly and then responded. “Could you use your services to find out more about their realm? I would be most grateful for your assistance.”
Seth didn’t respond but nodded and moved off to approach the other group. Alyssa followed, and Seth made another subtle hand gesture to his colleague indicating that the man was to maintain observation on the Ulathans.
The two large northerners wore a bit more than Graz did, exposing less skin. They had fine leather jerkin vests as well as leather pants and large belts with ornate buckles attached to each other. Both wore broad baldrics which held knives and a large sword that dangled at each waist.
Seth knew that in a more lawless society such as Balaria, it would be literally impossible to disarm the guests, and the Kesh didn’t seem to mind thinking very little of weapons in general. A sure sign of arrogance, but Seth had seen what a wizard could do with a group of armed men and it wasn’t pretty.
“Welcome to Balaria,” Seth said as he approached and gave a curt bow of his head to the woman and the two northerners.
The gesture was returned, and the woman also gave a nod at Alyssa who stood next to Seth. “Are you official greeters from the governor?” she asked, in a mild accent.
“We are not, but we reside in Balax and we do occasionally assist the governor in some official duties,” Seth responded.
“I am Alina of Elos, from the north,” the woman said, again a small nod of her chin.
“I am Seth of Balax, and this is my associate Alyssa.” Seth again gave his curt nod.
The other woman’s eyes narrowed, and she took her delicate hand and rubbed her nose, which appeared to be irritated. “You’ll excuse me, I seem to have a small illness with my breathing. Perhaps we can enjoy a lunch or dinner together sometime soon?”
“Yes,” Alyssa said before Seth could respond. “We’d enjoy the pleasure of your company very much.”
Alina nodded her head and retreated to the rear of the complex where several open air patios were located next to the personal rooms. She entered one of the rooms, shutting the door. The two northerners never spoke and were never introduced. They crossed their arms across their massive chests and stared at Seth, ignoring Alyssa.
Seth nodded to the men and then departed with Alyssa by his side. There was a gathering near the podium, and a small aide of Governor Richtor stood upon the raised dais and addressed the crowd. “I’d like to introduce to you Balarian Governor Richtor.”
The man stepped down, making way for Richtor. Several people murmured, and Seth always understood that the lack of first names or last names was unsettling to some realms. Most knew and understood the customs of Balaria, but not all, especially the smaller ones, and they enjoyed a good gossip and joke at the governor’s expense.
Seth moved to the railing far from the podium where he could view most of the crowd easily. Alyssa joined him. “Well, she was rather abrupt.”
“Perhaps we surprised her or she isn’t feeling well,” Seth said. “She seemed polite enough. I’m sure we’ll be able to discuss matters with her at length at a later time. Our timing could have been better.”
Alyssa nodded but didn’t respond as the governor addressed the group. “Thank you for coming such great distances for the Kesh conclave. We’d like to invite you to enjoy our entertainment and refreshments. Our staff of servants and administrators will be happy to assist you and to answer any questions you may have during your stay here.
“The conclave will start at noon tomorrow. We’ve decided to give you all time to receive plenty of rest after our festivities this evening.”
Several people laughed, and Seth watched the Balarian courtesans mingle in the crowd. Jayrel would reap a windfall of information this evening once the wine started to flow, and indeed, a couple dozen servants were already offering cups of wine with pitchers to refill empty ones.
The hairs on the back of his neck began to rise, and Seth’s internal sense told him that something was wrong. He casually glanced behind him, down the small cliff face to the complex’s walls on the terrace below him. He knew if he wanted to break their security, scaling the cliff face would be a good place to start.
“What is it?” Alyssa whispered to him, leaning toward him but continuing to look at the governor across the crowded courtyard.
Seth resumed his casual stance, not bothering to look at Alyssa as he responded. “Probably nothing. Just a feeling, you know?”
“I’ve had more than one of those,” Alyssa said, folding her arms and trying to look as if she cared what the governor was saying. Seth resumed his position, scanning the crowd intensely now, looking for signs of trouble.
“So one of our first entertainers will arrive shortly. Please do let me know if you or anyone in your party requires any assistance.” Richtor nodded and was about to leave.
Someone in the crowd yelled out, “Has the Kesh arrived?”
Seth loo
ked around but saw no sign of Kaylor as Richtor was pulled back to the podium to answer the question. “Yes, the Kesh representative has returned and the conclave will begin tomorrow on time. Now, if there are no further—”
Richtor was cut off by another question. “What about the alarm this morning?”
“Well, there was a false alarm, nothing of import to note,” Richtor began, taking a moment to clear his throat, putting his hand over his mouth for a second and then removing it and gripping the podium with both hands tightly. “I can assure you that we have the finest security here and your safety is of our utmost importance. You are in no danger in Balix—”
The governor was cut off yet again, but this time by a gasping crowd, and Seth spotted the reason instantly. From high atop the inner wall, an armored body plummeted toward the ground and quickly landed on the paved stone tiles of the large terraced courtyard just feet from Governor Richtor and the podium.
The sound was loud as the armor smacked hard against the tiles, and both seemed to give way in a terrible thud and cracking sound. Several women screamed, and Seth noticed at least two men fainted. Before anyone could move, Seth began to sprint, pushing people away when he could not dart between them. He didn’t bother to see if Alyssa followed, and within seconds, he arrived at the body at the same time as several guards.
There, lying face up in a small pool of blood, eyes open but glazed over, was the fully uniformed and armored body of Captain Eiry.
Chapter 9
Attack
“Well, that’s just great. Who else will be leaving?” Richtor asked as he paced back and forth from on top of the inner wall, just above the podium far below.
“Baron Umbrey along with Lady Rowena from Tallist,” the governor’s chief aide said, standing with his eyes downcast, hands folded in front of him.
“Where is the Kesh wizard?” Azex asked.
“Word is that he has secluded himself in his tower,” Jayrel said. As chief gatherer of information, he was the last to arrive at the scene and had been briefed by his confidants and informers.
Seth watched the trio’s reaction, much as he had done in the morgue earlier that day. He stole a glance below and saw several servants with buckets of water and brushes cleaning the blood from the stone tiles below. By morning, there would be no sign that anything amiss had happened this night.
The drop had been nearly thirty feet, and Seth could feel the gentle tug of vertigo in his mind as he looked over the parapet’s edge. The courtyard was mostly empty; other than the servants, there were, of course, guards and a few aides of the governor’s running hither and tither on late night errands.
“The last word he sent was that the conclave should be postponed a day until we could provide ‘proper’ security,” Jayrel said.
“The arrogance,” Richtor exclaimed, pausing in his pacing to look at the men. “We wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for them.”
“Actually it was the Ulathans, if you remember correctly,” Seth began, “who refused the conclave in Keshtor and insisted it be held on neutral ground.”
“Yes, but it was the Kesh who chose our city,” Richtor shot back, turning his back on Seth and continuing with his obsessive pacing, rubbing his hands together like a man would do warming them over an open fire.
“I think we have a bigger problem,” Azex said.
“Go on,” Jayrel responded, seeing that Richtor was still in a tizzy.
Azex, however, was patient and remained silent, allowing the governor to pace back and forth three more times before the man finally became aware of the awkward silence. Stopping and facing the grandmaster, the governor nodded but continued his hand wringing.
“It’s no coincidence the captain was murdered—” Azex said before being interrupted.
“No, not murdered. Let’s say he fell and it was an accident,” Richtor said, seeming as usual not to notice how much he irritated the grandmaster of assassins.
Azex narrowed his eyes before resuming. “As I was saying, these murders are not random. The good captain was thrown from the wall. The real question is who is doing this and what is their motivation?”
Richtor returned the gaze, finally seeing the irritation on Azex’s face, and, not having the good sense to restrain himself, he raised his voice. “You of all people should know. How is it that an unauthorized contract could be executed under your very nose, here in our very own city? You should not correct me, Master Assassin, not when you fail to control your own sphere of affairs in our own capital.”
Seth realized the words rang true, but that didn’t make them any less reckless. He marveled that Azex tolerated these occasional slights. The only time Seth had pressed him on the issue, Azex had simply said it was better to deal with a fool you know than an unknown one. This made the governor a known commodity, and Azex most likely felt he could manipulate the ruling class easier with Richtor at its helm.
Azex’s next words were very measured, and Seth felt that perhaps for the first time, his patience was wearing thin. “At the end of the day, the safety and security for this conclave and indeed the entire city falls on the elected official of Balaria.”
Seth understood that the term elected was rather arbitrary. More accurate would be the fact that the governor’s appointment was done more at the hands of the ruling merchants as the common citizen was easily influenced by the rich traders, business owners, and tradesfolk. The message, however, seemed to sink in finally to the denser governor.
“Let’s not argue amongst ourselves,” Richtor said, his voice calmer and his tone level. Gone was the borderline hysterical comments and hand-wringing, and they were instantly replaced with the competent politician. The man had found his composure. “What do you suggest, Master Azex?”
Azex stole a quick look at Seth with his eyes darting so quickly, one had to wonder if it had even occurred. “We need to find this assassin and stop him.”
“Or her,” Jayrel said.
“Are you thinking of someone in particular?” Richtor asked, turning his attention to Jayrel.
“Well, the one realm that harbors a distinct dislike for the Kesh”—Jayrel raised his hands up to stop the forthcoming verbal protest by Richtor and quickly continued—“would be the Ulathans, and indeed we find ourselves here due to their demands. How hard would it be for most of these events to be tied to their hands? They did bring a Fist of Astor, did they not?”
“You mean that large, tall, ugly woman?” Richtor asked, completely losing his tact with his question.
“Yes, that large, tall, ugly woman,” Jayrel responded, using Richtor’s own words against him, “is a competent fighter, one of the best in all of Agon, and I wouldn’t underestimate her or any holy warrior from that order. They could do much damage if they wanted.”
Seth felt he had to clarify what he saw that evening. “Master Jayrel, I had my own associates watching the Ulathan party tonight, and the holy female warrior was with their judge and ambassador in the courtyard when . . . when Captain Eiry fell. I also doubt that members of that order would engage in this kind of activity. It is . . . beneath their honor.”
Azex looked to Seth and then back at his comrades. “Seth speaks correctly. The Ulathans would not do this, at least not covertly. It must be someone else.”
Jayrel nodded, putting his hands back to his side. “Fine, I’d still keep a close eye on them, and until one of you can suggest a more suitable candidate, I’d keep an open mind on who could have done this and why.”
“Agreed,” Azex said.
“So what do we do, then?” Richtor asked.
“Find the assassin,” Seth said without hesitation.
“Well, that was rather more excitement than I think our good historian is used to,” Orwell said, sipping his cup of wine and looking across the table at his guests.
“To think this could happen in their own secure compound,” Toray said, shaking his head.
“Are you all right?” Orwell asked, looking at Diame
des.
“I’m fine. A rather abrupt end to this evening’s festivities,” Diamedes answered.
“Not as abrupt an end to that officer’s fall,” Lord Arwell said. Having been invited back to the Ulathan villa, the representative of Baron Sonrey had accepted.
“Now that’s in poor taste,” Toray said, continuing the head shaking, “and how in Agon do you know it’s an officer?”
Arwell chuckled despite the looks he received from Toray. “The man wore a plumed officer’s helm. It was clearly visible as he fell.”
“Yes, Master Arwell is correct and observant. The man who fell was a senior officer. You’d know this, Ambassador Toray, if you had spent any time in the military.”
Toray sat still, setting his cup on the table and pondering how best to take his chastisement. “I apologize for my lack of knowledge in military uniforms and customs; I was merely commenting on the levity of the lord’s comment.”
Diamedes coughed, clearing his throat and getting everyone’s attention. “All matters of military protocols aside, don’t you find it odd that these things are happening right before the Kesh’s meeting? And it would also appear that the Balarians are concealing something. I know I would like to find out what’s going on . . . for the history books, of course.”
“For history, of course,” Orwell said, looking around the table. “I think our historian has the crux of the matter in his sight. We should be focusing on the why of all this, and, if I might add, my lord Uthor would want to know if these events were related to whatever news the Kesh hold so dear. I would think the two related.”
“Perhaps, but we’ll have to wait yet another day to find out,” Toray said. “I received word before we left the festivities that the meeting would be postponed a day in order to provide us with time to organize.”
“That’s odd that our delegation received no word,” Orwell said.
The Blue Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book (Dragon Series 2) Page 8
