by Sam Ferguson
“Why would you do that?”
“Kai, how many times have you heard me say that I believe in second chances?” Lador chuckled to himself and shook his head. “Besides, now that you are involved, it would be beneficial for us both to turn you loose.”
“What do you need?” Kai asked.
“I want you to sneak into the governor’s manor and find evidence for me. If the governor is involved, like I believe he is, then I will need proof to take to the queen.”
“I see, and you think it would work to use me as your spy so that the governor can’t trace it back to you,” Kai deduced.
“That is precisely right. If Governor Gandle orders me to execute you, I will schedule the event for the day after tomorrow by convincing the governor that I need a day to publicize the execution, but in reality you will already be let loose to investigate the governor’s mansion. On the other hand, if he agrees to imprison you instead of hanging you, then it will be even easier to let you out. We just have to make the governor believe that you are here.”
“It will be tricky,” Kai said. “If I am caught, then what is our play?”
Lador sighed. “If you are caught, I will have to claim that you have gone mad and wanted to seek revenge on the governor for your sentence, or for allowing a sex slave ring in the city, or something else. Either way, we will both likely lose our heads- so don’t get caught.”
“Fair enough,” Kai said with a nod.
“I will do what I can to keep Rasselin’s gates closed to prevent the criminals from escaping before you can uncover their identities. I will also send word to Hart’s Bridge and close down the crossing there between the two kingdoms. At least that way we know the perpetrators will be stuck in our lands and we can go after them with full force.”
“What about letting me out tonight?” Kai proposed.
“No, the city guard is out scouring the city for other suspicious persons. Some witnesses claim a pair of dwarves might be involved.” Lador arched his brow and studied Kai’s face.
“They are allies, I think,” Kai said. “They joined in the fight and helped me at the Tiger’s Eye Inn.”
“I see,” Lador said. “Interesting that you forgot to mention that detail before.”
Kai shrugged sheepishly. “Do you know anything else about these dwarves?”
“No, before the inn, I hadn’t ever seen them before. I believe they came in with the merchant caravan from Kobhir about a week ago. We haven’t seen dwarves very often, and we certainly don’t have any that are permanent residents, but there were a pair on the travel charters from Kobhir. Either way, Stefan and Mandhar came in with the caravan from Valiv, so I don’t think they are connected.”
Captain Lador nodded slowly and knitted his brow. “Maybe I can track them down before the city guard. I’ll see what I can do, so long as you say they are friendlies.”
Kai nodded. “If they had been enemies, there were plenty of opportunities for them to show it. Either way, I owe them.”
“Understood.”
“Then, I will wait for you tomorrow,” Kai said.
“First thing in the morning. Just hang in there.” Lador patted the bars on the cell door and walked back down the long, dank hallway.
*****
Kelden slipped into the open door leading to the throne room and saw the queen at the far end of the chamber. She did not see him right away, or notice his approach. Queen Dalynn paced back and forth in front of her throne. The wooden, high-backed throne seemed to tower over her upon the dais. The carved antlers protruding from the top only accentuated the effect. Her feet pit-patted along the green marble floor just soft enough not to echo through the large, empty throne room. She was looking to the floor and her hands alternated between flattening the front of her red, silken gown and wringing her fingers together as she mumbled to herself.
Kelden had not seen her like this before, except for once, when he had identified Theodorus, her former Minister of Trade, as the mastermind behind an assassination plot against her. What could have her so upset now? Kelden wondered to himself. He approached as politely as he could, clearing his throat as he neared her. She looked up and smiled faintly.
“Captain, I have been expecting you. I wish to speak with you about something.”
Kelden knelt before her. “I am at your service.”
She produced Gandle’s letter from a pocket in the side of her dress and unfolded it. “My cousin believes me to be overbearing,” she said. “What do you think?”
Kelden shook his head slightly. “I think you are concerned, but not without cause.”
Queen Dalynn nodded and patted the letter to her lips. “You should know best,” she agreed. “You were in the thick of it all.” She placed the letter back into her pocket and smoothed the front of her dress once more. She sighed and walked back to her throne, turned and sat upon the front of the seat, keeping her back straight and her hands folded before her in her lap. “Captain Ferryl, recent developments have given me much reason to think.” Queen Dalynn drew in a deep breath and bit her bottom lip ever so slightly. “Please rise, Kelden.”
Kelden did as she asked.
“I needed to send someone that I trusted to my cousin. I fear for his safety. I knew that if something was amiss, you would be able to handle it. Forgive me for giving you this duty so soon after your last mission, but it had to be you.”
“I understand, your majesty,” Kelden replied with a bow. “I am always at your service, whatever you may need.”
“Perhaps you should not be so hasty to commit to that,” she said. Her eyes scanned the room before returning to Kelden’s gaze. “Kelden, I grew up with Theodorus. Fifty years ago my parents owned land adjacent to his parents’ estate. We learned how to ride horses together, we were tutored by the same scholars, and we both entered the royal court in the same year.”
Kelden stood silently, nodding to show he was listening.
“We had always been the best of friends. I confided in him even after I became betrothed, and when my new husband soon lost interest in me, it was Theodorus whom I turned to for advice and comfort.” She arched an eyebrow. “We never did anything improper, mind you, we were just friends.”
“Of course, milady,” Kelden agreed.
Queen Dalynn shook her head as she fought off the tears welling up in her eyes. “Our only argument was over a game of jacks when we were seven. After that we never spoke ill words to each other. So, tell me, Kelden, how is it that Theodorus was at the head of this…” her words trailed off as a tear slid down her cheek. Kelden was about to speak but Dalynn raised her hand to silence him. “Let me put this differently,” she said with renewed resolve. “In a world where even my best friend wished to take my life, I have realized the importance of surrounding myself with men of real integrity. I need men like you, men I can trust.”
“I don’t understand, your majesty,” Kelden interjected.
“I have watched your career progress Kelden, ever since you first started in the Merchant Guard. Do you remember when you saved my nephew from a burglary?”
Kelden nodded. “Yes, milady, I do. It was my first week with the Merchant Guard, I was fresh out of training.”
“I have kept tabs on you since that night. I have found you to be a man unsullied by power, or rank. You have not let your advancing authority make you haughty, and what’s more, you have not become greedy or covetous for more power.”
Kelden fidgeted with his toes in his boots. It wasn’t that he disagreed with her, but having the queen describe his character to him was a bit unnerving.
“Theodorus was corrupted by power. He let his lust for wealth and authority cloud his judgment. How else can a man forget his childhood friend?” Queen Dalynn rose from her throne and moved close to Kelden. She laid a hand on his shoulder and looked intently into his eyes. “I need to know Kelden, can I trust you to guard your integrity?”
Kelden furrowed his brow. “I will remain true, milady, but I am af
raid I don’t understand why you are asking,” he replied.
Dalynn nodded. “The border disputes in the south are increasing in frequency. Reports of criminal elements operating within my kingdom are growing. Diplomacy with Shausmat has all but failed, and it would not take much to plunge us all into complete war.” She squeezed Kelden’s shoulder a bit and leaned in a little closer. “Given recent events, I can only believe that with such chaos, there will be more like Theodorus, who will jump at the chance to advance themselves, by any means necessary.”
“What would you have me do?” Kelden asked.
“It is time for us to go on the offensive,” Queen Dalynn said coolly. “I am creating a special unit of individuals with particular talents. It will be something similar to the Rasselin Rangers, but the unit will answer directly to me, and be responsible for rooting out organized crime, and uncovering threats to my government.”
Kelden unconsciously stiffened and almost pulled away from the queen. “With respect, a unit like this could be extremely dangerous, if not directed by the right person.”
“I know,” Queen Dalynn said with a nod. She let go of Kelden’s shoulder and clasped her hands in front of her waist. “There is no one in my court whom I could trust with such authority, and that is why I have summoned you. Kelden, I want you to lead this unit.”
Kelden opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“Don’t worry,” Dalynn continued. “This unit will not be like the secret police that former rulers of Zinferth used to round up enemies of the state and cart them away in the middle of the night. I have no intention of using it that way, and I am putting my hope in you that you can continue honorably as you have in the past. Officially, you will retain your current rank in the Merchant Guard, but you will secretly head this new unit of special soldiers. You will ensure that the members recruited into the unit don’t go beyond necessary measures in carrying out their duties. This unit will be used to investigate threats of a special nature as the need arises. Remember, I am placing a lot of trust in you, Kelden. Aside from my family, you are the closest and truest friend that I have left.” Her smile faded and her brow drew close together. “King Sarito will not heed my diplomatic envoys. War continues, and I will need you to cull threats that will arise from other, less distinguishable origins.”
Kelden nodded soberly.
“Will you accept this position, Captain Ferryl?”
“It would be an honor, your majesty,” Kelden replied.
“We will have much work to do. I have not established all of the details yet. We will need to decide how large the unit should be, allocate funding for special operations, and create a list of qualified individuals to join the unit.” Queen Dalynn clasped her hands together and pressed her knuckles to her mouth. “For now, there is a matter that demands your attention.” She reached into her sleeve and pulled a small piece of paper. “A man is waiting for you at Harm’s Way armory.” She unfolded the paper and showed Kelden the symbol drawn on it.
Kelden took the paper and noted the symbol as he tucked it into his sleeve, just above his left wrist. “I assume he will approach me?”
Queen Dalynn nodded. “He will ask you whether you have been fishing lately, and then you will hand him the piece of paper. The symbol is your first target.”
“Is this an arrest, or are we gathering information?”
Dalynn sighed. “More the latter. Your contact will fill you in on the details, I would rather not discuss them here. Follow his lead on this one. Things will become clear fairly quickly.”
“As you wish, your majesty,” Kelden said.
“One more thing, Captain Ferryl, this is something we need to keep a close hold on. Speak of this to no one, and do be careful.”
Kelden nodded and bowed as he turned to leave. As he walked away, he felt as if a large boulder had just settled upon his shoulders, threatening to crush him into oblivion.
*****
Kelden entered Harm’s Way armory and glanced around. A few racks stood in the middle of the floor with swords and pole-arms glistening in the sunlight streaming in from the windows. A bit of dust swirled on the floor planks as a light breeze snuck in past Kelden and ran through the shop. Shields and war-hammers lined the walls, with a couple suits of armor on display toward the back of the shop. One was a brown suit of metal plate armor with golden lilies painted on the pauldrons and chest plate, the other was black metal with red dragon wings across the chest plate.
A few men mulled about the shop. None of them paid Kelden any mind. By the looks of their frames, they were likely regulars in the army or small time mercenaries. Harry, the shop’s owner was busy showing a young man how to properly balance a greatsword on the battlefield and didn’t even bother acknowledging Kelden’s presence. Kelden closed the door and started to walk to the right, staying close to the front of the shop. It was then that a man in the back corner of the shop pulled a pipe from his mouth and blew a circle of smoke from his mouth as he winked at Kelden.
The man cupped his pipe in his left hand and grinned wide, his red stubbly beard glinted in the sunlight as he approached Kelden. Nothing spectacular stood out to Kelden. The man was a couple inches under six feet tall, with light brown, reddish hair cut short and three-day growth along his chin and jawline. He wasn’t heavily muscular, but not frail either. As he got closer there was something in his green eyes that unnerved Kelden. Something about the way he smiled made it impossible for Kelden to get a read on the man. He wasn’t sure if this was a man he would get along with or not.
“Been fishin’ lately?” the man asked.
“Yeah,” Kelden replied evenly, still trying to decipher the grin on his contact’s face. “I caught something you might be interested in.” Kelden pulled the paper and gave it to the man.
“The name is Yeoj,” the contact said as he unfolded the paper.
“Yeoj?” Kelden repeated. “I’m not familiar with that name, where is it from?”
“Heh, my dad lost a bet,” Yeoj said as he clapped Kelden on the shoulder.
Kelden glanced around, a bit unnerved by Yeoj’s apparent lack of discretion. “You never thought to change it when you grew older?”
“Nope,” Yeoj said with a shrug. “It grows on you.” He looked at the paper for a moment and then tucked it into his pipe. “C’mon, I’ll explain as we walk.”
Kelden nodded and motioned for Yeoj to lead the way.
The two stepped into the street and Yeoj turned left with a determined, yet measured gait. Kelden moved quickly to keep pace, but remained just half a step behind on Yeoj’s left so Yeoj could lead.
“Do you know Zobella Arno?” Yeoj asked casually.
“The tax auditor? Sure, I know who she is.”
“I need to pick something up from her office, and then we will move on to finish our task.”
“What exactly is our task?” Kelden asked.
Yeoj smiled and smacked Kelden’s shoulder again. “Don’t worry. Normally I will be under your direction and you will have full visibility on everything we do, but for this one the Queen thought it best if I not bother you with too many of the details.”
“Still, I would feel more comfortable if I knew what our objective was,” Kelden pressed. “Are we after Zobella for something?”
Yeoj shook his head. “Not exactly. I am after a ledger she keeps. It has a list of names.” Yeoj pointed left and the two turned down a dusty alley, cutting over to the next road before turning right again and continuing onward. “The list contains individuals who are cheating the tax system. You know, they only file textiles for taxes when really they are bringing in a few crates of textiles and the rest of their crates have something more valuable. Others simply don’t report all of the sales they make, and so they avoid paying taxes that way.”
“So we are after those people?” Kelden guessed. “That isn’t what I expected.”
“No, we are going to use the list to blackmail an individual into helping us find som
eone a little more sinister than tax evaders.”
“Who are we after?”
“Dunno,” Yeoj said with a shrug. Suddenly he stopped and motioned for Kelden to stay put. “We’re here.”
Kelden looked around. “This isn’t her office?”
“Did I say her office?” Yeoj said teasingly. “I meant her study at her home, my mistake.” Kelden sighed. Things were not off to a good start.
“Make it fast,” Kelden said.
“Aye, boss,” Yeoj said with a wink. He pulled a slim dagger from his boot and pried his way into a window facing the alley. He disappeared from view within seconds and was only gone for a minute or two before he reemerged, grinning as wide as ever.
“Admit it, you missed me,” Yeoj said as he slid the window back into place.
“Not hardly,” Kelden said. He shook his head and motioned to Yeoj. “Let me see the book. Yeoj pulled the ledger from the back of his pants and handed it over. Kelden noticed a gold bracelet on Yeoj’s wrist that hadn’t been there before. Kelden took the ledger and thumbed through the pages. “Nice bracelet,” he commented. “You gonna put that back?”
“Hadn’t planned on it,” Yeoj said.
“I’ll look through the ledger, you go put it back,” Kelden said. When Yeoj didn’t move Kelden snapped the ledger shut and arched an eyebrow. “We will not become that kind of unit. Go put it back or I will drop you in prison and find someone else to take your place.”
Yeoj nodded and patted the air with his hands. “Alright, I’ll slip it back in there, but it was likely a bribe for her anyway.”
“Just go,” Kelden said. He looked through the pages as Yeoj disappeared again. A minute later he came back and held his hand out for the book. Kelden shot him a questioning look.
“You don’t know the informant, and I do. I will make the approach with the ledger while you guard my back.”
Kelden nodded and handed the book back. “Where are we headed now?”
“The Soup Bowl,” Yeoj said. “The informant who made the list should be there. He hustles information for a living to the highest bidder.” Yeoj tucked the ledger back into his pants and smiled as he led the way. They walked for several blocks before arriving at the one-story tavern.
