Silver Serpent

by Michael DeAngelo

  “Keep talking,” Brielle ordered. “Do whatever you need to do to distract yourself.”

  “Without the Silver Serpent, who would dare oppose us? It isn’t like there’s a competent officer anywhere in Argos.”

  The woman waited no longer, popping the lid off that whisky and pouring it on her friend’s wound.

  Thoro screamed loud enough that everyone in the next room heard him, and Brielle wasn’t sure the sound of that agony hadn’t escaped into the rest of the city as well.

  *****

  The lad shook out his hands, wary of the climb ahead of him. Kelvin knew that he couldn’t pass through the front gates of the palace, but there were other, more discreet ways of gaining entrance to his home—though he would never mention that to his family.

  He could hear the waves crashing below and knew that those treacherous rocks below would shred him to bits if he fell. There was no hesitation, though, and he grasped hold of the stone wall ahead of him, locking his fingers into place wherever he could. Though he was aware of how perilous that climb was, he never considered against it.

  Halfway up that cliff face, he realized that after the tumultuous night he endured, perhaps the more traditional way would have been more than appreciated. Kelvin looked up to see the end of that climb where his father’s council had their meetings. That late at night, though, the area would be empty—merely a beautiful view overlooking the western sea. But even from there, so far below, the young man could tell that light was coming from that platform.

  It only took a few moments more for him to hear the voices that spoke softly in the night.

  “I’m telling you, we don’t have the money to spare on training more soldiers. We have to make do with what we have. Instead of policing the island of Norkoth, perhaps we should bring our men back here to the island we do live on. The lagano are no threat to us, but the fools from Peritas have been testing our borders for the past several months. It won’t be long before they find a place to break through, and when they do, we’ll all suffer because of it.”

  “You’ve always been stingy with the coin, Bellweather,” another man there said. “Why do you think the lagano aren’t a threat to us? It’s because we have men on and around their island who are making sure they don’t mobilize. The second we pull out of there, we invite them to rekindle the flames of our history. The things that our children believe are just fairytales with happy endings will be ripped open into the nightmares they really are. Put the damned money to good use and get me more men.”

  That first man—called Bellweather by his peer—arched an eyebrow at the request. The man wore a plain outfit. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except for the silver chain around his neck. There at the bottom of that chain hung one copper coin, a reminder of where he had come from.

  “It’s because I’m frugal with our coin that Argos has any to speak of. We have other things that need to be taken into account, Jonathan. Buildings in our city need repair. Trade must be established with other ports. And the ships that we rely on for our livelihood need to be constructed and protected.” He looked to the man across the table and beside Jonathan Kiernan for some sort of agreement. Gerard Purdell was, of course, a renowned marine within the king’s navy for some time. But when his attention remained fixed on that pocket watch, he knew it was not meant to be.

  “Let’s circle back to that,” the eldest of the men at the table bade. All eyes turned to Edmund, his long gray hair looking distinguished in that darkness. The sun was sure to be rising on the other side of the castle grounds, but that room overlooked the western sea. Even with the torches on the far side of the room, not enough light entered to show all of the old fellow’s wrinkles and fatigue. He lifted his hand to his carefully groomed beard, tracing his fingers down both sides, smoothing it down to a point. “What of the upcoming festival? Greenboro, do you have any news on that?”

  Their youngest nodded. Timothy Greenboro wore a dazzling blue robe, a stylish pattern sewn into it, with sashes running down the length of the garb. “I have news, of course. It seems the performers have extended their stay in Daltain. With all the talk of the dangers of the seas these days, it seems they’d rather wait on the continent and try their luck with visitors and a recurring crowd.”

  Edmund sighed. “Between pirates and sea creatures, I can’t say that I blame them. The Cirque de Malorum hasn’t risen as far as they have by being foolish. We need to try and establish some kind of alliance with the port cities of Daltain. Perhaps we could develop some kind of safe trade route that would allow people a wide berth from any of the dangers of the open sea.”

  “I’ll have an envoy sent out to a few of them,” Jonathan said. “Sungarden isn’t exactly known for its military status, but they might be able to provide us some coin to take ownership of the route in these troubled times.”

  “That would solve several of our problems,” Bellweather agreed. “And as I understand it, the nobles of Sungarden are a bit looser with their purse strings than we are.”

  The military advisor couldn’t shield his grin then. “I think that puts us all on the same page regarding a few of our problems. Now, perhaps we can address an issue I heard about earlier this evening.”

  “Last night,” Edmund corrected. “We burned the midnight oils this time.”

  “There was much to talk about,” Jonathan went on. “But you’ll be happy to know, this last bit is our last order of business—and it’s perfectly suited for our new constable.” When Gerard remained fixed on the trinket he carried with him, Jonathan cleared his throat and tapped his knuckles on the table. “I said, this task is perfectly suited for our new constable.”

  The former marine shook his head, and looked up at the rest of the council. Those men each wore teasing grins, except for Jonathan who sank back into a scowl. “Apologies, my lords. It seems I was caught in a distant memory.”

  “It’s a wonder none of us fell asleep,” Timothy said.

  Jonathan scoffed at the notion. “I’m aware that you’re keen on the sea, Purdell. It must be strange being free of her allure. As a former captain, I know the pull the open water has. More than once, I tried to convince this lot we should hold our meetings there not far from the harbor.”

  “He said it would keep us farther from the ears of spies,” Bellweather said.

  “In any case,” the military counselor went on, “you’ll soon learn to love your position on dry land, surely. As the new constable in Argos, all the strangest happenings will fall to your hands. We have a case for you that I had introduced to me last night: a woman went missing down in Tanner’s Row. Her family isn’t well-to-do or notable, but we do what we must to keep our city safe and our people faithful that we have them well-protected.”

  “I’ll get right on it.”

  “You can get home and get some rest first,” Edmund said. “The gods know I’ll be in my bed the moment I return to it. The king can come find me himself if he needs me for anything!”

  The rest of the men at the table laughed at that account, but Gerard just waved the idea away. “If I was out on the sea, I’d be up odd hours. This is no different. And if we help one family rest easier, it’ll be worth it. What’d you say her name was?”

  “Esme Humber,” Jonathan revealed. “She lives on the south side of the Row.”

  Gerard nodded and tapped his knuckles on the table. As he rose, he slipped his pocket watch into his trousers and turned toward the sturdy oak door of the council room. The other men remained behind, but once he cleared out, Edmund offered a subtle nod and rose from his seat.

  “Well, gentlemen, I think we’re in capable hands here. I sense our constable is going to bring some big changes to Argos.”

  “Adjourning the meeting, are we?” Jonathan teased.

  “These issues will be here in the morning, and I have a comfortable bed waiting for me at home,” the eldest of them returned, a grin on his face. “I recommend the rest of you do the same and find your own quiet corners of
this city to rest in. With so many happenings unfolding in Argos in these next few months, there is plenty to be done.”

  One by one, those men rose from their seats and proceeded down those stone steps that led from the council room.

  When he heard no more footsteps echoing across the area, the lad who eavesdropped just beside the dais hoisted his body up and over, blowing out a sigh as he stretched his arms. He let the older advisor’s words roll about in his mind then.

  A comfortable bed sounded lovely indeed.

  *****

  The smell of Tanner’s Row took some getting used to. He wasn’t exactly new to the place, but his time on the sea had kept him away from most of the city, let alone the more poverty-stricken neighborhoods. As a marine in the King’s navy, Gerard spent most of his time on land at the barracks. When his time aboard a ship was drawing to a close, a modest house in a wealthier district was purchased, just near the water. A place like Tanner’s Row was never quite a part of his daily activities.

  The constable spent some time moving through the district, acquainting himself with the sights and sounds. A canal ran through the center of the area, and it didn’t take long for that investigator to understand that it had something to do with that powerful odor that pervaded the rest of the district. How happy he was for tall, sturdy walls then. If that scent had traveled to the rest of Argos, he thought of how much worse off the rest of his fair home would be.

  As he crossed a bridge that passed over the canal, Gerard found himself in the southern end of Tanner’s Row. He had thought to canvas the people around the area, questioning anyone and everyone about Esme. His task would be far simpler than that, he realized.

  An entire street was bustling with activity, people shouting and crying with scraps of parchment in hand. Gerard marched up to those folks, remembering his position in the King’s council.

  “What’s going on here,” he asked the nearest woman.

  She turned to him and gazed at him with reddened eyes. He could see the emotion wracking her body and her face, and he knew before she spoke that he was in the right place.

  “It’s my sister Esme,” she croaked. “She’s been gone three days, and the guards haven’t been able to do anything for us.”

  Gerard looked over her and the rest of the folks on that street. They were all there for the missing woman, no doubt. She may have been lacking in some of the luxuries the nobles enjoyed, but she was wealthy in friends and family. Esme’s sister looked ragged—even if it hadn’t been for the potential tragedy that befell her family, she was homely by nature. She wasn’t unattractive so much as unremarkable, with uneven strands of dark hair hanging past her shoulders, and clothes donned that weren’t quite the right size.

  The constable shook his head. He wasn’t there to investigate some poor girl’s appearance. He was there to discover what would make a woman go missing. With as many people distraught in the streets as there were then, she must have been well-liked.

  “I am Officer Purdell,” he informed. “I’m the new constable in Argos. I work with the guards, but I’m a bit separate from them. My job is to help out with situations like your sister’s.”

  “Oh, thank you!” the woman cried. She lunged forward and grasped the man in a relieved embrace.”

  He was nearly caught off guard, but he threw his hands to the side before he was enfolded in her arms. He rolled his eyes and nodded but only allowed her that emotional reprieve for a moment before he pushed her back with a gentle nudge.

  “I don’t want to get your hopes up,” he said. “There’s no telling what happened. I have far less information than I’d like, and from an outsider’s perspective, anything could have occurred to make sense of her disappearance. I’ll try to get as many clues into Esme’s life as I can to help distinguish what happened, but…” He placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder and offered as sympathetic a gaze as he could muster. “There’s no telling whether or not this story has a happy ending.”

  The poor woman closed her eyes, squeezing out one last tear.

  “Maybe you can give me some details,” Gerard speculated. “What’s your name?”

  The name was caught in her throat for a time, and he wondered if she would ever be able to spit it out. “Helen,” she finally croaked. “Mister Purdell, no matter what happens, it means the world to me that you’re out here. She’s been gone for three days and…”

  As her words trailed off, another woman came up beside her and sneered at the well-dressed fellow. “What’d you say to the poor girl?”

  Gerard stood up straighter at that tone. The woman who snapped at him was an old crone, reminding the constable of all the stories he’d heard of witches his father had told him to keep him on his best behavior. Scraggly silver hair grew out from her head in awkward patches, and a few small, coarse hairs sparkled in the morning sun, just beneath her chin.

  “He didn’t say anything, Thea,” Helen insisted. “He’s here to help.”

  The constable noticed that her voice had grown stronger again as she sought to defend him. She stood straighter, and she wiped away those leftover tears that were beneath her eyes.

  “About time they sent someone here to ask questions,” the grumpy crone spat. “We’ve been asking for help for days now. What’s took you so long?”

  Gerard arched an eyebrow and waved that question away. “Let’s focus on figuring out what happened to Esme, shall we? Can either of you tell me some basic details about her? Was she married? Did she have a job? Any children?”

  All those inquiries wore on Helen, who took a deep breath and stepped back, as though they had weight to them. “She’s got three babies at home. All under five.”

  “Her husband died a little over a year ago,” Thea added. “She’s had to take care of the little ones alone since then. She does a bit of work at home, sewing fabric when her children are asleep. It doesn’t keep her afloat, but the rest of us try to help when we can.”

  “She’s been having a hard time of things,” Helen said. “Her oldest is starting to get to that age where he needs constant supervision, and since his father isn’t with us anymore…”

  “Did she by any chance leave a note or speak to anyone before she left?”

  “She didn’t leave,” Helen said. “She would never abandon her children.”

  Gerard took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m just trying to come up with as much information as I can while I’m here.”

  While he made his apology, Thea nudged the other woman with her elbow. “Tell him about Ormund.”

  Helen waved that notion away, but Gerard was already intrigued. “Who is Ormund?”

  Helen sighed. “When her husband died, Esme was…”

  “Pursued,” Thea said.

  “There was another man from Tanner’s Row who told her he had always admired her, and he started sending her flowers every day.”

  “He didn’t wait long enough after Rorrick was gone, if you ask me,” Thea opined.

  “Every day for a year, those flowers would be at her door. For whatever reason, Esme just wasn’t ready,” Helen said. “Just over a week ago, those flowers stopped coming.”

  “And this Ormund,” Gerard pressed, “is he still here in the city?”

  “Nobody’s seen him for a time,” Thea mentioned.

  “But that doesn’t mean anything,” Helen argued. “Ormund would leave the city for weeks at a time. Besides, he would never do anything to Esme—not with so many people aware of his affections.”

  The constable nodded at all the new information he received. “You both bring up some good information,” he said. “Perhaps Ormund would be a good next step. If he’s had his eye on your sister for as long as he has, maybe he knows more than anyone here does. Even if he’s not guilty of cruel intentions, he may still know if someone else could be. You said he lives in Tanner’s Row?”

  Helen nodded. “He has a shop on the north side of the canal. It’s a small buil
ding with a thatched room and yellow shutters. There’s a garden in front. It’s the only place in this whole area that doesn’t smell like a gutter.”

  “Thank you, ladies,” the constable said. “I know this is a hard time, and answering questions like these don’t make things any easier, but this will give me a good place to start. If I find anything out, I’ll be sure to keep you apprised.”

  Both of those women offered thankful nods, even that wiry, tall crone. Gerard bowed and turned about, his next clue in hand.

  *****

  Every footstep in the place seemed to echo, and when the lad landed upon that long, plush carpet, he breathed a sigh of relief. His room was just up that hall, and none would be the wiser.

  As he reached for the ornate handle on the door to that sanctuary, he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye. When he glanced in that direction, he saw something that made him more fearful than at any other point that night.

  “What are you doing up so early?” a concerned voice cooed from the end of that hall. The woman it belonged to was tall and regal and ready for the day, a purple dress draped over her body, embroidered in golden thread and emblazoned with intricate shapes along the hemlines. “Or should I ask why you’re up so late?”

  Kelvin blanched but took a deep, steadying breath. “Good morning, Mother,” he ventured. “It’s a bit of both, actually. Mistress Cortes assigned me some work I planned on doing at first light. I guess I was eager to make sure it was done, because I woke ahead of the sun this morning.”

  He wasn’t sure if his lie would be so readily believed. Selene Drakos was not one who was easily fooled, and as he spoke, her eyes narrowed. Kelvin did his best to disguise the swallowing of the prominence in his throat.

  “Don’t forget, my son: One lesson always begins when another ends.” The queen crossed the distance to her child and opened her arms for a warm embrace. As she wrapped her arms around his back, she reached up and patted him on his golden mane. “Make sure you are rested, Kelvin. Marin’s lessons are not to be taken lightly. She’s a good teacher, but she’s also rigid. She’ll expect much of you, no doubt, but you’ll learn much from her.”