Lose A Princess, Lose Your Head (Merchant Blades Book 2)

by Alex Avrio

“One of the last Great Emperors, Constantine, built a new city, Chrysopolis, in an easily defensible strategic location. The city had great walls that have yet to be breached. The gilded palace and temple roofs gave the city its name. Constantine moved the capital of the Empire there along with the officials, the priests, the scientists and everyone of note. He saved everything that could be saved, leaving the rest to the raiders. For thousands of years the Eastern Empire shone, a beacon in the darkness.”

  “He left us to fall into darkness,” Regina whispered. “Merrovigia, Eressia, the southern peninsular. Only the eastern provinces were saved.”

  Demetrius gazed solemnly into the water. “He saved what he could. It is a lesson you should already know. You cannot always save everyone. You must make do with what you can.”

  Regina leaned over the water and her fingers came close to the surface. Demetrius grabbed her hand and pulled it back.

  “Never disturb the water,” he said.

  Regina turned to face him. “Why show me this?”

  “So you understand what was lost. And the effort that was required to bring civilization back. The world was fractured. These creatures feed from pain and suffering. From chaos. We suffered greatly and it took a titanic effort to rebuild. To help Merrovigia, Eressia and the southern Duchies emerge as civilized and lawful nations.”

  “Who is ‘we’?” Regina asked.

  “You will soon find out. For now, know this: It took great pain and effort to keep the southern Duchies out of the war. I have protected them and I will not let them get dragged into anything of the sort. If you have any such designs, I warn you now that you will find me against you.”

  “Why in the Mother’s name would I want to start another war? I fought through the last one. If I never see that kind of fighting again it will be too soon.”

  Demetrius looked at her intently. Then his expression softened. “I see you speak the truth.” He rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. “It is difficult to balance the two worlds we live in. I have seen the currents of the future in my mirror. There are a few futures that hold a war so great as to make the last one seem a child’s argument in a playground. It is that which I strive to avoid. We– I– have been working for a very long time to unify the continent as far as possible. The ultimate goal is to rebuild the Old Empire, to have one country, one Emperor, peace and prosperity for all.”

  “A noble cause,” Regina commented. “Except I have seen terrible carnage done in the name of the noblest causes.”

  33 THE CURRENTS OF THE RIVER

  "IT is difficult, what we do," Demetrius said. "We inhabit two worlds, separate. When, on occasion, as now, they intersect, we must walk a fine line."

  "I don't understand," Regina said.

  "I think you do," Demetrius said. "Maybe not fully, yet you do." His lips curled into a cruel curve. "Did you really think you were the only ones?" The mockery in his eyes made Regina look away. “I ask again. Why are you here?"

  Regina quickly evaluated her options. "To find certain missing ladies," she admitted.

  Demetrius smiled. "Finally, we are getting somewhere. You should be north of here, where Mother Spider is feeding her children too keenly. The lost princesses, they are here. Plans are being made for them. But this affair also affects the other world."

  "How so?"

  "The two worlds meet at certain places and certain events. This is one such. There are many ways this might turn out, many unseen consequences."

  "Why? What happens, happens."

  "You really don't know anything, Regina Fitzwaters," Demetrius said, without a trace of humor this time. "The past is immovable, a tablet written in stone. The future is a river. Strong currents run deeply, influencing the course. A pebble is thrown in. The ripples may have no effect, or may result in cliffs crashing down. The course may change forever. Or the river may turn and twist, white waters turbulent and dangerous, and the torrent return to its original course – continuing serenely to the sea, as it was always meant to."

  "So what you're saying is, what happens depends on what people do?" Regina said, unimpressed.

  "It's not as simple as it sounds. The effect of people like us is far greater. It is even more difficult to predict or change."

  "What do the princesses have to do with all this?"

  A cruel laugh. Regina hoped never to need Demetrius's mercy.

  "Are you simple, Captain? The princesses are important in their own right. They are a junction, that will determine how the next hundred years will unfold. There are different paths: some eventually converge; some diverge in terrible ways. One, to a great war among nations. Others to different outcomes. It all begins here."

  A shiver ran down Regina's spine. Until yesterday it was just the two of them caught in a bitter and exotic curse. Now a whole new world opened up: new rules, new players, and new dangers.

  Demetrius took an ornate crystal jar from the top shelf of his bookcase. Bright sparks danced within. "Let us observe these futures."

  Regina was mesmerized by the sparks, their movements in such close quarters resembling a dance.

  "I need something from you," Demetrius said. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "I need the ghost of something that never was." He put his hand on Regina's abdomen.

  A tingling sensation permeated her body; the hairs on the back of her neck stood erect. Dreams and desires, unfulfilled and unrequited, swirled in the crystal. Paths untaken and roads untraveled. For the first time she felt sadness for the child that never had been. She shook her head. Were Demetrius's incisors now longer, sharper, stronger?

  "No," she said.

  Demetrius raised his eyebrows. "A drop of your blood, then."

  Every folktale and fairy story warned against this sort of exchange.

  "I'll give you some spit," Regina replied, "given freely, to be used once, and only for the purpose of this reading."

  Demetrius looked impressed. "And you say you don't know anything about magic?"

  Regina didn't reply. She thought best not to reveal that this was knowledge from legal papers and dealings with solicitors stemming mostly from the untangling of their inheritance between her brother and the rest of the family. Its application different, but still–

  Demetrius pointed to the water and Regina did what was required. Demetrius unscrewed the lid from the jar.

  "My beautiful stars, my glistering sparks. Show us all that might be."

  Sparks rose gracefully from the crystal container and hovered in the air, as if in disbelief at their new freedom. Then they dived into the water, streaking it with soft pastel colors. Demetrius gestured for her to come closer and look.

  "The Hunters are here and so are their hounds. The Hunters always have their pack, and they will always be drawn to you. But why are the Hunters here?" He moved his index finger over the water, tracing an invisible ideogram. "Fortunes great and small dance and intertwine like ribbons about a maypole."

  "Can't you just tell me about the important ones?" Regina grumbled.

  "My dear, not all lives are equal, but we don't know which are important. A princeling might do nothing of note his whole life, while a peasant girl's actions might change the course of history."

  He passed his palm over the still surface of the water. "Such an impressive change in fortunes. A dark star rises, high indeed. The higher they rise, the further they fall. There are more things to consider than the currents. Ripples sweep through. Different sizes. Sometimes the effects can be seen immediately, others require patience.”

  “I see someone's home." Demetrius's mouth twitched with amusement. "Is it yours or his? He can't return and you won't." Demetrius's eyes glinted maliciously. "I have much sympathy for you, my dear. What kind of idiot gets his brains blown out three weeks before the wedding?"

  Regina curled her hands into fists to hide their shaking. "I thought you were going to show me the future of the continent. Not the past of a captain," she said with some measure of bravado, but inside felt numb.
/>
  "Of course, my dear." Demetrius waved his hand over the water. Colored lines swirled like the long tendrils of a jellyfish.

  "Our two princesses. One will live her life exactly as planned. For the other, the road forks. She shall make a choice and the tide of the river will turn. There are four men surrounding her. Two will be very dark. One will bring peace. And one will bring great things.

  “The winds will blow you over the broad white-crested sea to the lands of the feathered serpent. A new queen will be born and an old one found. The scarred one will one day hold a king's life in their hands.

  “One of you will die for love and another's heart will be broken. One will need saving and one will know the truth but won't be heard. It is a misty maze you must navigate, with danger at every corner. Balls are such dangerous affairs, don't you agree? The most bloodthirsty arena. No glass slipper shatters so beautifully as a heart, the tiny shards cutting a thousand times over. You will encounter mercy and wish you hadn't. Tell your lover that dancing with beautiful women will get him killed."

  "It's all very cryptic. I don't understand."

  "It's half the fun, dear, that you don't."

  "Well, that was all very helpful. Thank you."

  "You're welcome," Demetrius replied, missing the irony, deliberately or not. He gave Regina a fat envelope of very good quality. "Here are invites for the Duke's Ball."

  "Why?"

  "It sets things in motion." He gave her a dangerous smile. "Know this, Regina Fitzwaters. In this other world we are allies of a sort, but in the visible world my allegiance is to the Duchy of Korthi. I will hurt you if I have to."

  Regina looked at him, surprised. Demetrius came closer. He softly put his hand under Regina's chin, tilted her head upwards and kissed her.

  "Not all your friends will help you, not all your enemies hinder you. One day you will understand."

  34 A ROOM IN A HOUSE OF ILL REPUTE

  REGINA was deep in thought when she walked out of the palace, and more than a little confused. She spotted Jaeger sat at the base of a fountain in the middle of the square, facing the palace entrance, legs outstretched, cutting pieces off a pie and feeding them to a stray dog. A large clay bottle of a spirit of some description rested at his side. As Regina approached the dog raised her head and looked at her questioningly. She scratched its ears.

  "I hope you haven't actually eaten any of that pie."

  "I know better than to eat pies bought from wandering salesmen." Jaeger tossed the last piece to the dog and brushed his hands together, getting rid of the pie crumbs. The dog wolfed down the last piece and looked at Jaeger expectantly.

  "Sorry, sweetheart, it's all gone. There's no more left." The dog wagged its tail expectantly. "There's still no more," he said. The dog lowered its tail and walked away, stopping a few paces away to sniff a cobblestone.

  "All females are the same," Jaeger said to Regina. "They take what they want and when you don't have anything left, they leave."

  Regina rolled her eyes. She picked up the bottle. "I've been fighting a duel and you've been drinking?"

  "I have been sitting here for hours on end, Fitzwaters. That would cause suspicion. But if I was waiting for, say, a lady, no one would think too much of it. Wait and wait and, when she doesn't show up, despair and get drunk." Regina weighed the bottle in her hand. At most a quarter was missing. Jaeger usually washed his mouth with that amount.

  "I almost forgot!" he said theatrically, and with a magician's sleight of hand produced a flower and gave it to her with a slight bow. "For my lady who is so late."

  Regina hoped that her blush didn't show.

  "And I won't even ask why my bottom hurts. This sharing pain thing is a pain in the–"

  Now Regina's cheeks flared red. "I fell on it when I was dueling Ten’Daertha," she said crossly. "Not to mention that I met a man who was quite intent on sleeping with me."

  Jaeger's eyes flashed amber. His smile had a mocking edge. "I'm glad I didn't ask for details about that particular ache."

  Regina resisted the urge to smack him over the head with the bottle.

  "I'm sure you'll also appreciate something else I picked up while I was waiting for you to finish your– er, dueling."

  Before Regina could answer, Jaeger produced a pamphlet from his coat pocket. "This is the next instalment of the Merchant Blades and the King's Harem. It’s slightly different from the Eressian edition.”

  "How so?" Regina asked despite herself.

  "For one, it's spicier."

  Regina's eyebrows arched.

  "Explicit, Fitzwaters,” he clarified. “And it has pictures."

  "What? Let me see." Regina grabbed the pamphlet out of his hand and thumbed through. After a few pages her eyes widened. "It seems they have a special edition in Korthi," she managed to say. It dawned on her that Jaeger was making small talk and had spotted someone watching them. She handed the booklet back and whispered in his ear: "We need to talk."

  Jaeger nodded. "I know just the place."

  They meandered the well-kept streets of Korthi, past shopkeepers in the doorways of their shops shouting the praises of their merchandise, then down darker, narrower allies where tall houses cast deep shadows. In these shadows a different sort of people thrived. Jaeger stopped in front of a three-story house with paint peeling from the front in long strips. A doorstop carved as a gargoyle holding its huge breasts in its hands wedged the door open. Inside, the stench of spilt beer, unwashed bodies and cheap perfume assaulted Regina's nostrils. Buxom, large-hipped women sat on the laps of laughing drunken men. A rat-faced fellow approached them.

  "No rooms left for tonight," he stated. Regina shuddered at the thought of sleeping there.

  "I only want a couple of hours," Jaeger said with a wink. The man gave him an oily smile. Jaeger put some coins in his grubby palm. The man closed his dirty fingers with even dirtier fingernails over the money.

  "I'm sure I can find something for you and your– lady."

  As Regina and Jaeger climbed up the stairs, a man with the frame of an ox and the face of a bear barred their way.

  "You." He jabbed a finger at Regina. "Get out. Or give me the coins for this one." He nodded at Jaeger. "I can't have strays walking in here stealing clients."

  Regina drew her sword a few inches out of its scabbard. "This is real, friend. If you don't want it to enter your gut and come out between your shoulders you'll find someone else to bother."

  The man took a step back. "Apologies, ma'am," he said. "I thought you was a dress-up one, not a client yourself." He moved out of their way.

  Regina turned to Jaeger. "You sure know how to take a girl out," she commented wryly. He just gave her a charming smile.

  In the room Jaeger lit a candle and Regina glanced around and quickly decided she'd rather not touch anything. He moved closer to the door and then said something so obscene that it took her a moment to realize that he'd put a finger on his lips. She nodded and gave a grunt of half-hearted agreement. They heard the faint noise of feet walking away down the corridor.

  "Now we can talk," Jaeger said.

  "I'm not even going to ask how you know about this place," Regina said. "And, for the record, I don't even think that what you said is anatomically possible."

  "You, my dear, are limited by your imagination. And a lack of willingness to try new things."

  Regina's face flushed again. "I do not have a limited imagination, but don't hold your breath for trying that. Weren't we supposed to be discussing our plan? Do you know who the Young Duchess of Korthi is? Bianca di Angelo."

  "Shit," was all Jaeger replied.

  "There's worse."

  Jaeger rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What could be worse?"

  "A man named Demetrius. We're not alone, Max, caught in this curse. There's a whole hidden world out there, and now we're part of it."

  The color drained from Jaeger’s face. "Who is this Demetrius?"

  "I don't know if he's a Messari or a mere ma
gician but he said that we are at a crossroads for the future of the whole continent."

  "There's nothing mere about magicians. Now wind back a bit and tell me everything. From how the audience with Ten’Daertha went to this Demetrius and exactly what he told you."

  Regina left nothing out. By the time she finished, Jaeger was slumped on the bed with his head in his hands.

  35 THE WORST LIES

  REGINA ignored the sounds from the neighboring rooms and sat down next to Jaeger. His visible distress worried Regina more than Demetrius.

  She put her hand on his knee. “So what now? This is your command.”

  Jaeger took a deep breath and massaged the vertical worry line on his forehead with his fingers. “That’s just it. This is my command. I have led all of you into danger without a moment’s thought.”

  “You couldn’t have known about any of this.”

  “No, I couldn’t. But I never spared a moment to think about this thing we are burdened with. You wanted to talk and find solutions. Like a child, I thought that if I ignored it, it would go away.” He turned his face towards her. The candlelight reflected in his eyes.

  “I took this assignment blindly. I thought anything I could do to help Eressia would be a good thing. I didn’t stop to consider the implications. Or that my team are all Merrovigians.”

  “Just because you’re Eressian doesn’t mean that you know what every Eressian noble is plotting and scheming. Even your friend, Morgenstern, didn’t have a clue and he’s been moving in those circles much more than you recently.”

  “That doesn’t excuse anything. I’ve let myself grow apart. I didn’t keep in touch with any of my fellow officers.”

  “Merchant Blades are mercenaries, we move around.” The rest was left unspoken. Both knew Jaeger's time in Gold's employ was the main reason he had kept away.

  Jaeger shook his head slowly. “Border Town is an open sewer. I spent too much time in it. My fellow officers caught a whiff and stepped back. In this strange upside-down world we serve villains and hound good folk. I spent too much time in the filth, Fitzwaters, until good advice sounded like bull and bull like good advice. Bad men seemed good in their ways and good men were weak victims to be exploited.”