“No, but I healed his wounds,” Nellise replied with a half-smile. That, Aiden thought, was most reassuring. If she could still smile and even make a joke, she wasn’t doing too badly at least.
“Alright, I might as well turn in as well. We’re going to need all our strength in the coming days, I suspect.”
The ladies bid him good night, and headed off through the crowd, leaving him to ponder the weight of the task set before them.
Chapter Six
Several hours passed before Aiden relaxed enough to fall asleep, but for once, his dreams were undisturbed by the terrible things he’d seen nor any strange, dragon-related messages.
Pacian was still sound asleep and Aiden was reluctant to wake him so he crept to the door and opened it slowly. By the dim lantern light streaming in through the gap he noticed that the extra pallet that had been set up on the floor for Ronan to sleep on was still empty. Aiden’s mind was still too clogged with sleep to think on this, so he resolved to ask around to see if the sailor had been seen during the night.
Walking downstairs, Aiden noticed the common room of the inn was almost deserted at this hour, with most patrons apparently preferring to wait until at least dawn before rising. Still, the staff of the Fair Maiden were already preparing for the morning service, stoking the fireplaces and wiping down the benches as the aroma of hot food wafted through the establishment.
So it was with some measure of surprise that Aiden saw a man sitting at a table just ahead of him, dressed in practical black clothing and gesturing for him to sit down in the chair opposite. Curious, Aiden walked forward to see what he wanted, all the while wondering if this was some sort of trap from their enemies.
“Be at ease, Mister Wainwright, I’m not going to bite,” the man informed him dryly.
“Well, you never can tell these days,” Aiden replied mildly. The mysterious stranger had neatly combed grey-streaked hair, weathered features and brown eyes that seemed to take in everything around them. Despite his relaxed appearance, a certain tension could be seen in his posture, as if he was prepared to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
“You are right to be cautious, though my patience is limited, Aiden,” he explained, his manner completely professional. “If you would be so kind as to sit down, we can proceed.”
“I’m guessing you work for the Crown,” Aiden surmised, doing as he was bid, and received a slight nod in response. “What do I call you?”
“I am referred to as Mister Kinsey, though that is not my real name,” the man confided. “I am primarily here as a liaison, but I am also charged with keeping an eye on your progress as the investigation develops.”
“Does the duke not have full confidence in our abilities?”
“He does not,” Kinsey replied bluntly. “His Grace cares a great deal about Princess Criosa however, and he values her opinions. You must understand that you are from a small country town, new to the city and little more than a youth, if I may be completely honest. Your experience at hunting those who do not wish to be found – experts in blending into an urban environment, if you will – is somewhat lacking.”
“Is the princess well?” Aiden asked, eager for news of her condition.
“Though I have not seen her directly I am assured that the poison has been cured, and she is resting comfortably,” Kinsey assured him.
“I’m pleased to hear that,” Aiden said, hiding his relief. “So, you’re offering to help?”
“I am His Majesty’s spymaster, though I find myself bereft of competent staff at this time,” Kinsey answered. “Ordinarily, you would be working directly under my aegis in these conditions, but Her Highness has vouched for your capabilities, so I am content to merely keep an eye on you and your associates.”
“I find your faith in me refreshing,” Aiden deadpanned.
“I am not here to bandy words with you, Mister Wainwright,” Kinsey stated flatly. “Prove your worth and you may gain my respect. Be it known, however limited my capabilities at this time, that I am doing my utmost to uncover this plot and I intend to keep you up to date on any developments on my part. Now, here is an official document bearing the duke’s seal that will provide you with some measure of authority.”
“Should it prove insufficient, bring this to the attention of Sir Godfrey and he will inform me. I will then do what I can to aid you should the situation warrant.” Kinsey handed over the short note and Aiden placed it into a pocket in his longcoat after a brief examination.
“Your lodgings have been paid for by the crown,” the spymaster continued, “and I have opened an expense account under your name to cover any additional costs you may accrue. Simply go to the royal bank on Oak Street and withdraw what you need. These funds have been provided to you despite our extremely challenging financial situation, so do not squander them.”
“I understand and thank you for the trust, however limited it is,” Aiden replied soberly.
“Finally, the man you are most likely searching for is known as Holister, sometimes rather pretentiously known as Holister Swiftblade, who led this band of killers the last time they showed up in the city and was never caught. Experience tells me that men and women of poor character tend to congregate – birds of a feather, flock together, as it were - so you might want to ask Ronan about the location of his old associates, collectively referred to as ‘the thieves’ guild’.”
“If he can learn anything about the possible return of Hollister or his associates, you may be able to track down their current location,” Kinsey finished. Aiden made a mental note to remember all of this information, and then pondered a question that the King’s agent might take offence to.
“You seem to be quite intelligent, Mister Kinsey, and certainly you’re young enough to still be in active service, so I have to ask - why didn’t the King steal you for his army?”
“I have already done my service in the name of King and Country, Mister Wainwright, and have paid the price for doing so,” Kinsey replied grimly, awkwardly standing up and leaning heavily on a cane. “Go about your task with utmost discretion, Aiden, and remember that time is short. Even now forces are moving against us, and we have precious little information as to their plans. Good day.” With that, Kinsey limped towards the door.
It was a sobering thought, that even in this day and age where clerical healing was available some injuries could not be healed. Once again, Aiden considered himself extremely lucky to have Nellise along to help them, and briefly thought of what would have happened were it not for her talents.
Before long, Aiden was joined at the table by the rest of his companions, with Pacian appearing to have made a full recovery from his grievous injury. More than once Aiden caught him glancing fondly at Nellise when she wasn’t looking, and Aiden sighed inwardly as to the fruitlessness of his friend’s pursuit.
As they ate, other guests came down and ate their first meal of the day, until the inn was bustling with activity and light chatter. Aiden took the time to explain his meeting with Kinsey, although he declined to mention the account that had been allocated to them, fearing that Pacian would take advantage of the generosity. Nellise asked about Criosa’s health, but all Aiden could tell her was what he had learned, in that she was resting well. Further news would have to wait.
As they were finishing off some hot buttered toast, Ronan came through the front door of the inn, his longcoat covered in dirt and his boots leaving a trail of mud as he strode towards the table.
“Okay, so, it turns out that some of my old contacts don’t like me very much anymore,” the sailor blurted out as he sat down, looking thoroughly dishevelled from what must have been a long night.
“Are you alright?” Nellise asked, somewhat taken aback by his appearance.
“Yeah I’m fine, although I could probably use a bath and a meal,” Ronan shrugged. “Anyway, things didn’t go as I planned last night, but I did manage to find a couple of people who might be able to help us out. I’ve told them to come here
so you can meet them, and I expect they’ll be arriving shortly.”
“I hope they’re acquainted with the city more than we are,” Sayana mentioned as she wolfed down an extra helping of stew.
“Actually, they’re not local,” Ronan replied hesitantly. “I had hoped to locate some old ‘friends’ who would be of use tracking down a hidden group of killers, but they’re not really talking to me anymore. So, as far as figuring this whole thing out goes, it’s up to us.” He reached over and wiped his hands on a napkin, then grabbed a hunk of bread and tore into it.
“So these people you found, what exactly do they do?” Pacian asked suspiciously.
“Well,” Ronan answered between mouthfuls of bread, “One of them is a warrior from the southern mountains, you know, those Akoran tribal folks?” Nellise’s expression froze and she turned pale as Ronan kept talking. “She’s made quite a reputation for herself in the past week, and well, I think we’re lacking some fighting strength.”
“‘She’?” Nellise asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
“Yep, and she’s pretty impressive, if you ask me,” Ronan said with a wink. “You’ll see what I mean when she gets here.”
“And our other prospective ally?” Aiden asked, keeping an eye on Nellise all the while.
“She’s a druid,” Ronan answered, and received incredulous looks from all around the table.
“A druid,” Pacian smirked. “In the city. A druid, of all people. Are you sure you couldn’t find anyone less useful?”
“I know, not exactly what you were expecting,” Ronan continued, ticking off fingers as he spoke. “Trying to find someone willing to help us was harder than you might expect. Couldn’t ask any of the City Watch, all the caravan guards have been hired by the King for his army, local wizards don’t hire themselves out to anyone at any price, my underworld contacts apparently want me dead and my fellow sailors on the Redoubtable are busy repairing the ship. These two women are from outside the city, having only arrived here in the last week, and so they’ve got no ties to any local factions.”
“I know what you’re saying, but she’s not what I was expecting,” Ronan added. “Just meet with her before you make up your mind, that’s all.”
“I won’t make any promises,” Nellise warned. “My prior dealings with so-called ‘nature priests’ have been less than pleasant.”
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Ronan advised her with a wink. Nellise merely shrugged and continued eating, while Aiden spotted Sir William moving through the crowd to their table. His appearance was substantially different to last night, having discarded his regular attire in favour of steel armour engraved with what Aiden guessed was his personal standard, a majestic eagle with something indistinct grasped in its talons.
Worn gold trim weaved its way around the edges, and the entire ensemble appeared to be quite old. The sword hanging from his belt and shield strapped to his back gave him the appearance of a proper knight, which had been lacking the night before, and the effect was startling.
“Bracing weather this morning,” he grumbled, dusting snow off his shoulders and taking the last remaining seat at the table offered by Nellise.
“Sir William, nice to see you properly caparisoned for action,” Aiden greeted him respectfully. “This is Pacian and Ronan, whom you haven’t met, and we’re soon to meet two other potential allies as well.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Sir William offered in his sonorous tenor, shaking hands with each of them. “You look as though you’ve been running through the sewers all night, Ronan. I would have thought you’d have the good grace to clean yourself up before sitting at the table with women of quality.”
“I like him already,” Sayana remarked.
“Yeah I should go do that, and probably get some sleep, too” Ronan sighed. “I just wanted to make sure the ladies knew who to talk to when they get here.”
“Just tell us what they look like and we’ll take it from there,” Pacian shrugged.
“Okay,” Ronan agreed, standing up and wiping his hands on his filthy coat. “The akoran woman’s name is Valennia, and she’s about six feet tall so you probably won’t miss her. The druid you’re all so keen to meet goes by the name Margaret and though you might have trouble finding her, you’ll recognise her easily enough since she’s a little raelani lass and tops out at just over three feet. Bye now.”
“Wait, what?” Aiden blurted as Ronan disappeared off into the morning crowd. Pacian chuckled at the sailor’s laconic sense of humour, leaving the last little detail until he was safely out of questioning range.
“We shouldn’t be judging her by her race or height,” Nellise mentioned casually. “Her religion, on the other hand…”
“What’s a raelani?” Sayana asked, somewhat puzzled.
“You’ve seen those half-sized people walking around the city, right?” Pacian said. “One of those.”
“I thought they were children,” the wild girl wondered.
“Only at a glance, but if you get a close-up look, you can see they’re fully grown adults,” Pacian explained. “The main difference is you can easily stuff one into a sack and carry him around like luggage.”
“Which is something we’d never actually do, right?” Aiden asked him pointedly.
“No… never,” Pacian answered with a straight face.
“Now, I’ll have none of that talk when our guest arrives,” the knight barked. “We have a thriving trade with the Rael islands, and I won’t have you impugning the honour of this lady simply because of race.”
“That would be a bad thing,” Sayana added quietly, and Aiden was once more reminded that she had a difficult life in her early years dealing with racism from her own people.
“Let’s just do as Ronan says and see what they have to say for themselves,” Aiden said to end the discussion. “We’re not so overwhelmed with allies that we can be afford to be picky.” Hearing no dissension, he finished off his breakfast while keeping an eye out for the two ladies, and soon spotted the tall akoran woman striding in through the door.
Ronan’s estimate was pretty accurate – Aiden judged her to be just a shade over six feet in height, and even had she been shorter her attire would have set her apart from all the other patrons. A combination of cured leathers and heavy animal skins adorned her impressive frame, and the handle of a large weapon secured on her back could be seen over her shoulder.
Her face was quite striking and her raven-black hair swept over her shoulder, flowing halfway way down to her waist. Her eyes were dark brown like most of her people, and a certain hardness was set into her jaw line, giving her the look of someone used to struggling daily for survival. Aiden caught her attention and waved her over to their table, watching with some amusement the reaction of the ladies and gentlemen of means at her passing. If Valennia noticed their raised eyebrows and whispered words, she paid them no heed.
“You are the ones Ronan suggested I meet, yes?” she stated, standing at the edge of the table and looking down upon them as if ready to strike them dead at a moment’s notice. Her voice wasn’t as deep as Aiden thought it would be, but it was harsh and throaty as if from shouting a lot.
“Yes, we’ve been awaiting your arrival,” Aiden replied, taking in her appearance. “We don’t seem to have any spare seats at the moment…” Sir William instantly stood up and appeared to be offering his seat to the akoran woman.
“Please tell your elderly servant that I do not wish him to strain himself unduly by fetching another chair,” she told Aiden with no hint of sarcasm in her voice. Sir William appeared to choke on his own tongue while Valennia reached over and took an empty seat from a nearby table.
“I am no servant, Madam,” Sir William informed her diplomatically, his face turning red as he sat down in his chair once more. Aiden interrupted any further comments from the Valennia by introducing himself and the others, before getting to the important part of the conversation.
“My name is Aid
en. Ronan tells me you’re interested in providing some assistance,” he began, reluctant to mention any part of the real reason behind their need for allies. “To be honest, we could use a strong warrior like you.”
“This does not surprise me, Aiden, since your group appears to consist of young boys and girls, protected only by a feeble old man in worn-out armour.”
“Yes… yes,” Aiden agreed hesitantly, cautiously watching Sir William from out of the corner of his eye. “And that’s why we need you. What we don’t need is someone looking to start fights just to appease their boredom.”
“When I fight, it is because the situation demands it,” she responded harshly. “The pathetic dregs in this place hardly qualify as worthy opponents. I listened to Ronan and came here at his request, for I was growing tired of the drunken men in the last ale house trying to seduce me. If you plan to test my resolve, I will walk away right now.”
“Those are some brave, brave men,” Pacian murmured under his breath, receiving a nudge to his ribs from Nellise for his trouble.
“If you’re looking for work, we can cover your expenses,” Aiden continued.
“I do require coin to keep my belly full, and the hunting in this ‘city’ is terrible. How can anyone live on those tiny beasts that scamper around the back streets?”
“…Do you mean rats?” Pacian asked.
“Yes, that is what someone called them.”
“Right, I just wanted to make sure,” he said, nodding to himself. “Aiden, could I have a word?”
“I’ll be just a minute,” Aiden told Valennia, stepping away from the table to confer with Pacian. “What is it?”
“This woman is clearly some sort of idiot,” he whispered loudly enough to be heard over the clamour of the inn’s patrons. “Who the hell goes hunting rats like they were wild boar?”
“She’s not burdened with a tremendous intellect, that’s for certain,” Aiden was forced to agree. “Still, she looks like she knows how to swing that… whatever it is. Axe? I didn’t get a good look. Anyway, if she can fight and follow orders, that’s all we need. And if she’s not too bright, we don’t need to tell her too much about what’s going on with this conspiracy. We just point her towards whoever needs killing and off she goes.”
In Defence of the Crown (The Aielund Saga Book 2) Page 10
