by H. M. Clarke
“Whatever the buggar wants, it won’t be good. A Magister is only called in when things go to shit,” Bron muttered.
“Come now Bron, Magisters aren’t usually requested by name,” said Vannik.
Dagan noted that the brothers had reverted to their ‘working attire’, no damask or silk, but plain wool and linen. He was in his usual black and the Constables were all in their Blackwatch armor and cloaks. Dagan’s attention kept drifting to Kathryn, who seemed to be back to her usual self, but through the Link, he could feel the weariness tugging at her bones.
“I’ve been acquainted with the King Regent before. I helped him with a…. personal matter.”
“Anything we should know about?” Banar leaned forward, his eagerness apparent to anyone looking for it. Considering their talk the other day, Dagan will need to be very careful about what he said and did around Banar. The man was out to collect any information he could use to further his career.
“No.”
A cheeky grin split Banar’s face. “I had to try.”
“We are not going to find out what the Regent wants standing here are we?” Kathryn piped up, her impatience dripping from her voice.
“Ah, looks like she’s eager to run into something pointy again,” Donal jibed.
“That’s not funny,” Kathryn’s face dropped into a scowl.
Dagan’s lips parted to say something, but Ashe jumped in before him.
“Come on Donal, that joke is starting to get a little old.”
Now it was Donal’s turn to scowl.
“Let’s go, best not to keep the Regent waiting,” he said before the two could get into a running banter.
They walked quickly through the city, making their way to the main thoroughfare that lead straight up the hill to the main entrance to Aileach Palace. As they walked, the crowded buildings began to grow further apart before disappearing to make way for the royal parks and gardens that formed a ‘buffer zone’ between the city villas of the equestrians and the Caestor families and the King Regent.
Dagan pointedly ignored Bron’s grumbling about having to walk there. Over the Link, he could feel Kathryn’s spike of annoyance. She, more than anyone here, had the right to complain about walking considering what she had just recovered from. Now and then, he would hear Lily murmur her sympathy to Bron in an effort to keep him happy. As they walked, the cobblestone road through the manicured lawns and gardens, the sounds of the lower city became lost to the breeze blowing through the leaves of the maple and birch, the sounds of bird song and the tinkle of wind chimes and windpipes. People were strolling around on the lawns and around the gardens, enjoying the only place in the city where you could get peace and quiet and be able to listen to the sound of your thoughts or the whispers of the heart. Dagan did his best to ignore the murmuring of his own heart. Especially with Kathryn walking next to him.
He did not know what to think about her. His open reaction the other night had taken him completely by surprise and he chided himself. He was more controlled than that. He was just lucky that Kathryn did not remember it. She seemed not to feel for him in the same way anyhow. To her, they were a Pair, one of a group of trusted friends. If Kathryn learnt of his feelings and rejected them…
A bump on his arm brought Dagan’s thoughts back to his current situation. He turned his head and saw that Banar walked on his other side, keeping up the pretense that he was Dagan’s Pair. The man’s eyes were on him though, as if he knew what he was thinking about. Banar bumped him on purpose.
Then, past the last manicured hedge came the white walls of Aileach’s Palace. A wide set of marble steps lead up to the main entrance of two, large intricately carved oak doors that were covered in gold and silver leaf that glittered and glinted in the noonday sun.
The group was admitted through the main gate by the Royal Guard and they were met by an impatient aide who had been waiting for Dagan. After a glare and a curt welcome, the man lead them through the opulent winding halls of the Palace to the King Regent’s suite of offices.
“The King Regent is waiting for you within,” the man said with a sniff as his eyes moved over the group and arched an eyebrow at Dagan’s travel-stained clothes. He raised a hand as the group moved to follow Dagan. “Only Magister Drake has been requested.”
Dagan turned to the group. “Wait out here with this nice gentleman. He will keep you entertained until my business with the King Regent is done.”
“Yes, Magister,” was the reply in unison from the group with a grumble from the aide.
Dagan gave them all a trite smile and let himself through the office door.
This room did not mirror the opulence of the rest of the Palace. Not that what was in there wasn’t nice, but it was plain and well made. Books filled bookcases along one wall and the large, open windows let in enough sunlight to pick out the gold inlay on the spines. A desk dominated the middle of the room and it was covered in piles of books and papers. And behind the red padded chair stood a middle aged man that stood a hand shorter than Dagan. He wore a simple shirt and trousers around which was draped his red toga bordered in purple as his mark of office.
“Finally, you’re here,” The man’s hard face relaxed in relief when he looked up from the desk at the sound of the door closing.
“It’s nice to see you too, Emrick,” Dagan grinned at him. “I’m sorry our last adventure together did not…I still remember Annis.”
Emrick held up a hand, stopping Dagan from speaking. “Annis died doing his duty. My Pair gave up his life to save mine. It was his choice and there was nothing you or I could have done to stop it.”
“I could have fought my way to you both sooner.”
“And you could have died yourself.”
“Seeing you after Annis’s dead made me hate the Blackwatch and their Proving.”
“And now I hear that you are a member now, with your own Pair.”
“It happened quite by accident…and I now understand why you defended it so much.”
Emrick Auten came around to the front of the table and leaned back against it, shoving back a large pile of books to make room.
“I’m glad you’ve finally come round to my way of thinking. But that is not why I have called you here. I wouldn’t lean on our friendship like this if the matter wasn’t important,” the King Regent replied. “A Dharman Dymarki emissary and his entourage paid me a visit. It was civil, tentative. Hopeful. They left my chambers, but were not reported by the palace’s outer guard. They are missing almost literally from my doorstep. What, do you imagine, will be Dhar Etha’s reaction?”
Dagan blinked. Was this why Wotha and the others were in town the other day? And now they are missing? “Etha won’t like this very much. We need to get out in front of this, and fast.”
“I feel like I’ve been trying to turn a stampede for a long time, now. Public opinion has slowly turned against the cats and the poor bastards have done nothing to deserve it. They want a grant of land close to civilization to relocate to since most of their brethren have returned to their homeland. They don’t have the population or resources left to sustain them where they were up north. Someone in Kaldor is pushing very hard to stir up trouble between them and us. I don’t know who would benefit from fighting the Dymarki, but it will eventually cost all of us.” Emrick sighed and ran a hand through his short cropped peppered hair. “Or at least cost me the rest of my hair.”
He dropped his hand and pushed away from the desk. “I’m sorry to have to ask this of you, but you are the only one I can trust with this. Speak with Siford Guinn, the man who showed you in. Then you will see why I cannot trust anyone else with this.”
“Very well, Emrick. But I will ask that you allow my team to assist with this.”
“You have a team?”
“Yes. Two Blackwatch Pairs from Brookhaven along with some ‘deputized’ help from the Tribunal, along with my new partner.”
“Ha! I would like to meet whoever has been cursed to listen to
your endless jokes.”
At that moment a door opposite the one Dagan had entered through opened and a man’s head popped around it. “Your Grace, your next appointment is here.”
“Thank you, Gerog. Tell the Finance Minister I will be with him shortly.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The man nodded and closed the door.
Emrick turned back to Dagan. “It seems there is no rest for the wicked. I have a rather important appointment otherwise I would stay and chat.”
“I understand.”
“Once this is dealt with, come and see me again with your Pair. I would very much like to meet them.”
“I will. As long as you don’t tell her anything embarrassing about me.” Dagan gave the King Regent a slight bow. “Your grace.”
“That doesn’t leave me much to talk to her about then.”
“I don’t want her to think me an ass.
Emrick lifted an eyebrow at this, and Dagan waved it away. “It’s an in joke which I might get Kathryn to explain to you.”
The King Regent smiled. The door opened again. “Your Grace?”
Emrick closed his eyes and sighed. “I’ve got to go. See Siford, he’ll tell you what information we have. Report back to me once you know what happened to them.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” Dagan then turned on his heel and left the office.
“You have information about the missing Dymarki?”
Dagan stood in Siford Guinn’s little office with the rest of the group standing just behind him. Except for Kathryn, who stood beside him close enough that her shoulder brushed against his. “Emrick has authorized my team to be briefed as well.”
“I am to help you, yes. King Regent Emerick Auten would appreciate discretion in this matter. I would prefer that you were not involved at all, but that is neither here nor there.”
The man was short and slight, but stood with his chest puffed out like it should be full of medals. His nose was held in the air as if their mere presence tainted the atmosphere of his office.
“Dhar Etha maybe pushed into growing violent; he might want an excuse to end this peace and make his bid to get his own lands by force.”
“I suspect that if the Dhar wanted to take over, he simply would,” Siford said with a shrug of the shoulders. “For all we fear that unfathomable honor of his, its demands have done more to keep him in check than any of our efforts. Besides, would the Dymarki stoop to trickery? There is no precedent, but there is unfortunate evidence of influence on our side.” The man sounded officious and uncaring.
“It sounds like you don’t want them found.” Dagan tried not to let the disgust for this man’s attitude show in his demeanor. Not one ounce of understanding or empathy colored his voice.
“I must think of what is best for the King Regent’s Office. Bringing attention to such an incident benefits no one.”
“You would have Emrick do nothing?” This time Dagan did not hide his disgust, and he could feel the same emotion rolling through his Link from Kathryn.
“The Dymarki are neutral hostiles at best. There is no relationship to salvage by overextending ourselves on their behalf.”
Obviously the man was not a proponent for letting the Dymarki stay. He felt the frown try again to mar his countenance, and he schooled his features to hide his emotion. Something that Siford could learn to do.
“I’m having a hard time picturing the abduction of a Dymarki entourage.”
Siford’s mouth moved into an uncomfortable grimace. “Unfortunately they were not at their best, their weapons were tied into their sheaths as I advised, and I asked for them to be gloved... to secure their claws. It seemed a respectful compromise.”
“Gloved?” Kathryn asked, her confusion evident on her face, but over the Link Dagan felt the disgust growing into something more.
“You may have noticed that the Dymarki have long, sharp claws on their hands?” Kathryn nodded. “Well, when the Dymarki first appeared on these shores, their size and natural weaponry made people uneasy, so to facilitate negotiations on a more even basis, thick, leather gloves were created with hardened metal finger caps to ensure that the Dymarki keep those weapons sheathed.”
“What about their fangs, they could be weapons? Don’t tell me you tried to muzzle them as well?” Donal spat out.
“Did you?” Dagan looked at Siford, who squirmed harder under the gaze.
“I did think about it, but it would demean them in the eyes of the population by sending the signal that they are nothing but animals. It is not the policy of the crown to treat an emissary in that way, but we must ensure the safety of the King Regent.”
Dagan’s gaze did not waver as the man spoke, and to his eyes Siford seemed sincere in his loyalty to the King Regent. Nevertheless…
“Has anyone reported this to the Dymarki?”
Siford jerked back, startled, and started to wave his hands as if that was all that was needed to shove Dagan’s words back into his throat. “Bellus, no! I’d be signing the messenger’s death warrant. The Dhar will find out soon enough, of course, and when he does, the King Regent is rightly concerned that the illusion of peace will dissolve.”
He had a point there, Dagan thought. Etha could be a bit high strung and would take any slight as a direct insult to his honor, and he would consider this more than a direct insult. Best we find these missing Dymarki as quick as possible.
“I’m sure you have suspicions about what happened. A man as well connected as yourself should have an inkling of how this could have happened under your roof?”
A frown formed across the man’s brow at Dagan’s hidden jibe. “My concerns are well founded. This could not have escaped the notice of the Palace Guard…unless they were involved.”
“Have any that were on duty when the Dymarki were here failed to report in?” Kathryn butted in.
Dagan did not need the Link to feel her consternation at someone insinuating that a fellow soldier of the Crown would be capable of dirty deeds. He imagined he felt the same glare coming from Ashe behind him.
“Several,” Siford replied. The irksome man’s eyes flicked back to Dagan. “You should start with one of them.” The man pulled out a piece of paper from a small pile on his desk and handed it to Dagan, who in turn, glanced briefly at the names and handed the paper over to Kathryn. “Although,” Siford continued. “Where you’ll find a guardsman, so eager to sell his honor and duty, I’m sure I don’t know.”
“The Broken Sword.” Bron’s voice responded immediately.
“The Broken Sword,” Banar said in agreement.
“The Broken Sword, even I know that.” Ashe said with a mix of bashful relief in his voice.
“Right, then you have an idea of where to look first.” Siford looked toward the door, plainly wanting them to leave, but the man could not help but mutter as Dagan waved a hand for the group to move out. “I can’t imagine that this ‘incident’ has occurred without notice. There is always a weak link. Please keep this quiet from those in Kaldor. The King Regent is under enough scrutiny as it is.”
“Emrick has my word we will.” And with that parting line, Dagan left to join the others.
CHAPTER Seventeen
“What are we doing here?” Ryn whispered at Dagan through the corner of her mouth. “I thought we were going to the Wharf district to that Pub?”
“We are here doing the right thing, Kathryn,” Dagan replied.
Ryn scowled and looked about her. They were being led through the Dymarki camp by a large, hulking Dymarki whose shoulder width would still be bigger than both Banar and Ashe together. He was one of the sentries from the camp entrance, which would explain why the bustle of the surrounding area did not extend to the street leading into the camp. No one but a lunatic would want to start something with a Dymarki.
“Looks like the ‘right thing’ is to get our heads bitten off. Literally,” Ryn heard Donal mutter. She noted that the black-tipped ears of their Dymarki guide flicked back toward them. He probably
had heard him.
“He says that you all think so loud that half the camp can hear you.”
Ryn jumped at Dagan’s voice and she cocked her head as she glared back up at him.
“You enjoy scaring me, don’t you?”
“There’s got to be some perks to being Paired with a ‘scaredy cat,’ Kathryn.” Dagan’s face was happy and relaxed, and Ryn got the distinct impression that he was enjoying this.
Ryn scowled and looked away.
She found her eyes wandering over the tents and cook fires of the Dymarki. The camp was neat and orderly considering the amount of space they had to live in, and as they walked further into the camp, she could see a large group of Dymarki children - cubs, gathered around, attentively watching the large form of an adult who was obviously teaching them.
