Lady Henterman's Wardrobe

by Marshall Ryan Maresca

  “Follow the trail of bodies,” Verci muttered.

  “Verci!” Raych admonished.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Asti said.

  “Thank you,” Mila said.

  Asti pulled her aside. “You tangled with a mage.”

  “How can you—”

  “The shoulder. I’ve seen things like that before.”

  She nodded. “Looks worse than it is. He only grazed me.”

  “He being Treggin?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I got a good look at him. We’ll be ready next time.”

  He admired the attitude, but she had to be putting on a brave face. If that mark on her shoulder was a graze, she was lucky to get away alive.

  “All right, get some rest.” He turned out to the rest of the room. “Tomorrow morning, eight bells, we’ll all go to the safehouse. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

  “What’s tomorrow?” Raych asked.

  “It’s Saint Jontlen’s day,” Asti said.

  * * *

  Verci woke in his own bed, nestled between his wife and his son, and for a moment, everything was right with the world.

  “Someone’s downstairs,” he said. He could hear someone thumping around down there.

  “Many people are downstairs,” Raych muttered. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “It’s Saint Jontlen’s day, yes?”

  “Right,” Verci said, worried about what Asti still had in mind right now. Of course Asti wanted to drive forward.

  “I’m not opening the bakery today, in observation. Plus there’s such a mess to clean up downstairs.”

  “I’ll help with that.”

  She propped herself up on her elbows on his chest. “Oh? I thought today was a big day, Asti has a whole plan for you.”

  “I’m sure he does, but I won’t leave you in a lurch.” Verci smiled. “Besides, if anything has been drilled into my head in the past few days, it’s that I’m not much good to the rest of the crew with my foot like this.”

  “What are you talking about?” Raych asked.

  “Last night. Asti was out there on his own to rescue Ken. Mila got beat hard, and you were only saved because Helene was nearby. Meanwhile all I did was sit in Kimber’s and fret about things.”

  “Well, I would rather have you sitting and fretting in here, so you could have done something brilliant and clever when those boys showed up.”

  “Like get beat as well?” he asked.

  “Bah,” she said. “Verci Rynax with a broken foot is still worth twenty of those boys. Your strongest tools are right here.” She tapped his forehead.

  “Let’s go see what’s going on down there,” Verci said.

  Washed and dressed, Verci hobbled his way down the stairs with Raych right behind him, Corsi in her arms. “Who’s up?” he called as he got to the bottom.

  “Morning.” Asti was by the front door, Verci’s tools neatly arranged around him.

  “Are you fixing the door?”

  “I do have some skills along those lines,” Asti said. “I know it’s remarkable.”

  “Asti, did you sleep?” Raych called out from the kitchen. Verci hadn’t failed to notice that it was now pristine—absolutely no sign that the place had been vandalized and three people killed in there.

  “Too much to do,” Asti said, getting to his feet. He opened and closed the door, showing that it now was fixed. “We’ve got a busy day ahead, and I couldn’t let this stuff tie you up when I could take care of it.”

  “You . . . you still want to do the ball and everything?” Verci asked.

  “Blazes, yes,” Asti said. “Golden chance, brother. Pop always said—”

  “I know what he said. Didn’t he get killed on one of those?”

  Asti nodded. “And that won’t happen to you.”

  Verci grabbed his brother’s face, pulling him in close. “You think that’s the only thing I think about?”

  “I’m just saying, if the choice is ever between me and you, choose you.”

  Raych came over. “I’m impressed. You never would have guessed—”

  “Three people were killed here?” Asti asked. Raych flinched a bit at that, and nodded. Asti shrugged. “I may not be much for the honest life we all want, but I know how to clean that up.”

  Raych looked down at the floor and stammered for a moment. “I have some pastries from yesterday, we should bring them down to everyone. With some tea and preserves?”

  “That sounds capital,” Asti said.

  There was a knock on the door—Almer Cort.

  “You all ready?” he asked as Verci opened it. “Asti told me to come by around eight bells.”

  “Last night you did that?” Verci asked.

  “Like I said, we’ve got a busy day. I’ve been at it all night—checked in with Almer, brought a message to Win, came here and cleaned up.”

  “Pilsen? Tarvis?”

  “Pilsen made it to his flop with Vellun. He seemed addled, nasty bruise on his face, but . . . he’s safe. Tarvis . . . kid went into the air.”

  “What do you think he’s gonna do?”

  “Same thing I’d do,” Asti said. “Kill every bastard he finds.”

  Verci nodded. “So now?”

  “Now, we need to get everyone over to the safehouse and crash into readiness for tonight.”

  Raych sighed. “And what are you all doing tonight?”

  “We’re going to a fancy party in a manor house,” Asti said, a little too flippantly for Verci’s taste. “We’re invited by the lady of the house, an old friend of mine.” He was clearly being a bit too condescending to Raych.

  “Oh, this thing, and her,” Raych said.

  “You told her?” Asti asked him.

  “No secrets from her,” Verci said. “That’s the rule.”

  “Fine,” Asti said. “Let’s feed the crew and get moving.”

  Everyone else downstairs was in surprisingly good spirits, despite the bruising on Mila’s face and black scarring on her shoulder. Even Ken was a bit more joyful than Verci had expected.

  “You all right?” Verci asked him.

  “I’m not thrilled that I’m a wanted man,” he said in a hushed voice. “But . . . look, I’ve always respected you and your brother, but I figured when the number came, I’d be the one alone in the cart.”

  “Is this an Oblunic idiom?” Kennith had grown up in eastern Druthal.

  “Probably,” Kennith said. “I’m just saying, the last thing I expected when I was put in that lockwagon was for Asti to pull some crazy play to get me out. So . . . I don’t know, I’m just sorry I had any doubts about you two.” He grabbed Verci and embraced him.

  “If it makes you feel any better, Ken, I frequently have doubts about us as well.”

  Once everyone was ready, Asti led them all through the door to the safehouse. “I’m going to remember that one,” Raych said to Verci before they left. “You’re going to teach me every secret this place has.”

  “Every one,” he told her with a kiss.

  Asti helped him walk down the tunnels as they made their way to the safehouse, where they found Josie alone in the kitchen.

  “I was wondering when you all would show up,” she said. “I heard there was quite a bit of excitement.”

  “Where did you hear from?” Asti asked as he brought Verci over to his chair at the planning table.

  “I still have a few sources,” she said. “I’m still Josefine Holt.”

  “That you are,” Asti said. “All right, tonight is gig night, and we are deeply behind, so let’s talk about what we need to do. Do we have the forged invites for Mila and Pilsen?”

  “Yes,” Josie said, joining them all at the table. “And are the girls ready?”

  Asti shrugged. “Hel? How’s your accent?”r />
  “It hurts when I hold the ham in my hands over my head.” She overemphasized her h’s, but it sounded passable.

  “Good enough,” Asti said. “When Pilsen gets here, he can keep working with you.”

  “Of course, we don’t have anything to wear,” Mila said.

  “How’s that?” Verci asked. That sounded like a critical detail.

  “We were out to get the dresses when everything went crazy last night,” Mila said.

  “There was also an issue with the money at the creditors,” Helene said. “Pilsen tried to play it off, but something’s wrong. What’s going on there, Josie?”

  “Why did you go to the creditor?” Josie asked. She sounded quite put off.

  “To pay for the dresses we need to buy,” Helene said. “It’s a fancy party.”

  “How do you even know where he is?”

  “Pilsen brought us,” Mila said. “Where is he?”

  Josie sputtered. “He shouldn’t have—he knows he shouldn’t—”

  “We needed the dresses,” Helene said. “And you weren’t here.”

  “Fine, fine,” Josie said. “Just next time let me know what you need.”

  “Speaking of,” Asti said. “Almer was saying something about not getting covered for his supplies. Josie, I know we have to look clean, but we also need to have his expenses covered.”

  “My supplies aren’t inexpensive,” Almer said.

  “I’ll figure it out,” Josie said curtly.

  Verci saw Asti’s eye twitch. Something didn’t sit right with him, and Verci had the same bad feeling in his gut.

  “Figure what out?” Verci asked. “Josie, just move the money to where it needs to be so we can pay these things.”

  “Yes, but it’s a complicated—” She shook her head, looking very annoyed. “Stupid Pilsen. If I had known, I could have covered it.”

  “Josie,” Asti said sharply. “Where is our money?”

  She looked up at him, and that annoyed face melted into calm. A facade Verci had seen too many times to trust. “It’s tied up, being cleaned, covering—”

  Asti stood up. “No, Josie. I know your stories, I know your tells.”

  “It’s fine, Asti, you just—”

  “What did you do?”

  Verci was up as well, as best he could be on one foot.

  “Josie, tell me you didn’t do anything stupid.”

  “Saints above, Rynaxes. I’m the only smart one here.”

  “Josie, what does that—” Asti reached out toward her, and she sprang up defensively.

  Then her face betrayed everything. Verci saw it, and it was clear Asti did as well.

  Asti leaped on her, but before he got close, she pulled something out of her pocket and threw it on the ground. The room was suddenly filled with choking, yellow smoke. Asti’s eyes bulged out and he collapsed. Everyone else fell to the ground, coughing. Verci felt his body seize up, and he dropped down. He couldn’t move a muscle, despite wanting to crawl across the floor to claw Josie’s eyes out.

  “You foolish boys,” he heard Josie say as his world went dark. “You always want to do things your way.”

  Chapter 23

  ASTI WOKE WITH THE contents of his stomach emptying out of his mouth and nose. Hands held his shoulders to the ground, despite his vain attempts to thrash and fight back. Those same hands turned him onto his side and cleared his mouth out.

  “Breathe, Asti.” Asti’s vision was still a fog of blurs, but he recognized Almer’s voice.

  “Wha—how—” was all he managed to say. His head was full of questions. What the blazes just happened? What did Josie do? Why the blazes did she do it? And where was she now? That last part was crucial, as he wanted to know exactly where she was so he could slice her open.

  “Come on, get it out,” Almer said, pouring water on Asti’s face.

  Asti coughed and heaved some more, but there was nothing else in his system to get rid of.

  “You with me?” Almer asked. A strong scent hit Asti’s nose, bringing a wave of clarity to his head.

  “Here,” Asti said, his eyes focusing on Almer. “What—what happened?”

  “Talk while you help me,” Almer said, pulling Asti to his feet. Surrounding the table, everyone else was on the ground: Verci, Helene, Mila, and Kennith, all of them unconscious and a decidedly unnatural shade.

  “What do I do?” Asti said, going straight to Verci, as Almer went to Mila. Almer tossed him a small vial.

  “Get that down his throat first.”

  “What the blazes happened?”

  “I should have known,” Almer said, pulling open Mila’s mouth. Asti only now noticed Almer had a bleeding gash across his forehead. “I saw it, and I thought you did as well.”

  Asti pried open Verci’s mouth and poured the potion into it. “I didn’t, not like this—did you sell Josie something?”

  “She bought it from me—or said she was going to pay for it—a few weeks ago,” Almer said. “The callit smoke and the immunity. Said she needed it for personal protection.”

  Verci shook violently, vomiting up everything he had eaten. Mila was doing the same.

  “I thought it was sketchy,” Almer said, holding Mila down as she shook. Asti grabbed hold of Verci. “Water on the table, get their mouths clear so they don’t choke.”

  “You thought she might use it on us?”

  “You said not to trust her, you had your eye on her. So I thought it would be a good idea to dose myself with the immunity, keep the counteragent on me. Just in case.”

  “You . . .” Asti wasn’t sure what to make of this. “You thought she would do this?”

  “I wanted to be prepared if she did.”

  Verci was coughing. “What . . . Asti?”

  “Shh, you’re all right. Next, Almer?”

  “He’s good. Move to someone else.”

  Asti went to work on Helene, while Almer went to Kennith. Verci tried to pull himself up to a sitting position.

  “What was that?” Verci asked.

  “You didn’t notice, Asti, how cagey she always got when the money came up? I noticed, because she would dodge and change the subject when I asked her.”

  Mila crawled up onto her chair, wiping off her face. “I thought it was strange, about the account being empty.”

  “Do you think Pilsen knew?” Asti asked. If he was Josie’s accomplice, then Asti wanted answers. If Pilsen had them, Asti would have to do something drastic. “Almer, what the blazes would have happened to us if you hadn’t been prepared?”

  “We’d have woken up in a few hours, with the worst headaches of our lives.”

  “I think I have that,” Mila said.

  Kennith and Helene were roused, hacking up terribly. Asti went to his cabinet to get some knives.

  “Where are you going?” Mila asked.

  “To find Pilsen. I want to talk to him.”

  “What the blazes?” Helene asked.

  “That’s what we’re all asking,” Verci said. “Almer, I’m guessing from your head that you confronted Josie?”

  “She clobbered me with her cane. Sorry I’m not good with the physical stuff, boys. She sent me foggy for a minute while she went into the office.”

  Verci hobbled toward the office, pointing at Asti. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll check it out.”

  “Oh my saints!”

  All heads turned to the door, where Vellun and Pilsen had just walked in. They looked utterly appalled, which made sense, given the floor was covered with vomit.

  “What happened here?” Pilsen looked shocked, but faking his way through things was what he did. He also had a great gash across his head, which had been inexpertly bandaged. Asti put the knife in his belt and came over.

  “Hey,” Asti said, as gently as he could manage. Hi
s gut told him Pilsen knew something, but it was possible Josie had also played him. Blazes, Asti hadn’t suspected this from her. As much as he knew—knew—not to trust Josie within an inch of her life, he had been presuming she was fully together with him on this.

  He had let her fleece his whole crew.

  “Asti,” Pilsen croaked. “What happened?”

  “Josie had a trick up her sleeve,” Asti said. “We were asking her about the money—”

  “You’re talking about the empty accounts?” Pilsen asked.

  “You knew, then?”

  “I knew things were wrong with the accounts, but—” He looked up at Asti, his eyes filled with honesty. Blazes, either he was legitimate or this was an excellent performance. But Asti had to remind himself that Pilsen was an excellent performer. “I—I had done a few things for her, delivered some messages, played some parts. Paid a few bribes. She was definitely concerned with reclaiming her hold over this neighborhood.”

  “Which Lesk and Treggin were taking.”

  “Treggin!” Mila said excitedly. She moved herself in between Asti and Pilsen, as if to prevent Asti from getting too violent. “I actually squared off with him last night. You were right about him.”

  “Is he a mage?” Pilsen asked.

  “Blazes, yes,” Mila said. “That was some scary sewage.”

  Helene stumbled around the room, still working off the effects of the smoke. It seemed to hit her harder than most. “Let me understand something. Rutting Josie Holt, the Old Lady of North Seleth, just poisoned us all and ran off, because she had stolen all our money?”

  “We think she did,” Asti said.

  “So that whole, keeping it safe, keeping it clean thing? That was sewage?”

  “No, I think that was a real thing,” Pilsen said woozily. “But she used that as an excuse to keep hold of it. I think—I think—” He looked off in the distance. “What was I saying?”

  “Josie taking our money, Pilsen.”

  “She did? Is that why the credit accounts were empty?”

  “Yes, Pilsen!”

  “I was afraid of something like that, but I—what did she do? Where is she? Do we have the dresses?”