by Billy Wong
"I never confirm plans until the last minute," Alicia declared proudly. "But his mother had been writing me about it for months. Three, to be exact."
Rose turned to Finn and exhaled. "Looks like we should have questioned him further before. Now he's dead and can't tell us anything. I guess we'll just have to find his killer, then."
"You suspected George?" Carl asked.
Finn nodded. "I did. Something I didn't like about the way he told his story. It came out so clean and clear, like he rehearsed it or something."
"Just to check," Carl asked Alicia, "what were you doing when George was murdered?"
"Wrestling a wild bear outside town." And though there were probably no witnesses to this event, Rose rather easily believed her. Besides, it'd be easy enough to check if anyone saw her leaving and coming back.
"So who could have stolen your dagger?" Rose asked. Last she checked, the redhead kept the little knife between her breasts—not the easiest thing to pilfer.
"I think I'd know if somebody took it while it was on me. But then, if they got it while I took a bath, I would've noticed it missing..."
"Well, what'd you do since the last time you saw it?"
Alicia thought about it for a second. "I put on my clothes, had breakfast, then went for my morning arms practice-"
Rose stopped her right there. "Wait. You practice wrestling too, don't you? I remember the bouts we had back then—you were quite skilled."
"Yeah, of course... meaning of course I practice and of course I'm skilled. You're trying to say whoever I was grappling with might have taken my dagger, eh?"
"That's a strong possibility."
Alicia's face took on a confused look. "But the only man I wrestled today was my old friend Kestrel, who saved me from loneliness after I severed ties violently with Gordon of Lathar." Her lover then, apparently. "He wouldn't try to frame me, would he?"
No matter how well you thought you knew a person, one could almost never rule out the possibility of betrayal, Rose knew. Sympathetically, she said, "I hope it isn't true, but we've got to ask him. Where is he now? If he's innocent, I'm sure that'll come out in the end."
"If he's not out he might be in his room, in the north tower. Don't hurt him if at all possible, alright? And, I'm coming with you."
#
They went to Kestrel's room together, only to find the former mercenary not there, and Alicia said, "I guess he went out. We should probably just wait for him. He has to come back sooner or later."
After a few hours' worth of banter—Finn and Alicia exchanging jabs, Rose rating each one, and Carl mostly keeping quiet—a tall, rangy man in his mid-thirties opened the door. "Why are you all here?" Kestrel asked. "Is something wrong?" He stepped inside and Carl reached for something at his belt. Before he could get it, Finn punched Kestrel in the side of the head, making him slump down senseless.
Carl blinked repeatedly, eyes huge, and Alicia snapped, "What are you doing?! He could be innocent!"
Finn's response made Rose shake her head. "Yeah, maybe. But I didn't feel like chasing him if he ran."
"You guys had better not mess up my floor," Alicia groaned some time later as Finn lightly slapped the now-bound Kestrel to wake him in the middle of Alicia's cellar. Carl had retired to his room, having been struck with chest pains that forced him to rest. "And this is really necessary? We have no idea if he's guilty and you're already preparing to torture him."
Finn gave her a hard look and said, "We can just release him if he's innocent, no harm in having him snugly tied up. And what does a stupid wine cellar need to be that clean for? You're not such a neat lady yourself, Duchess."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh, lay off her. The only reason you're acting sour is because you lost the last round of taunts before he got back."
Coming to after the latest slap, Kestrel's eyelids fluttered while he tried to focus his vision. "Ah, what the hell... feels like I got hit in the head with a sledgehammer."
"Sorry, Kestrel," Alicia said. "Rose's husband is a lazy oaf."
"Hey! Fat smelly Red Sow!"
Alicia was reaching towards Finn to grab him when Rose put herself between them and raised her hands. "Kidnapped king and dead accomplice take priority, yes?"
The warriors returned their collective gaze to Kestrel, who said, "So you're Rose. Alicia, what is your student doing here?"
Now it was Rose's turn to ask an irrelevant question. "You've been telling him you're my teacher?"
"I did show you that crossbow swatting trick."
"That's barely a trick. All you need is speed to do it."
Alicia pouted. "Anyway, let's get to the point. Kestrel, did you steal my dagger or not?"
"Yes, I stole it." Rose and Finn exchanged looks; then he added, "But I didn't hurt anybody!"
Finn sneered. "Does killing someone count as hurting them?" But Rose was already deflating with the thought that he likely was innocent, for he only looked confused upon seeing them in his room, and shown not a trace of the fear he should have had he been guilty.
"Alicia's dagger was used to kill somebody? B-but it should be in my..."—his voice trailed off to a whisper—"room..."
Finn looked back and forth between the women. "He could still be faking," he argued without conviction. "Though he's a damn fine actor if he is."
"He doesn't even have a good motive for doing it," Alicia said. "Except maybe money, but it'd be a mighty big risk to try and ransom the king over nothing but that."
Rose wasn't totally ready to abandon the possibility of him being the culprit, though. "So why did you steal the dagger, if you're not involved in these crimes?"
"I stole it to impress Alicia, and show her what I could do." At his words, anger flashed through the duchess' eyes, but relief swiftly replaced it.
Finn sighed. "And I bet you're going to tell us somebody stole it from you in turn?"
"No, I left it in my room after the match. I was going to surprise Alicia tonight at dinner, but I guess if it was found in somebody..."
"Near him, according to Carl," Alicia clarified. "Apparently the killer discarded it a short ways away to look like they were making some effort. You got me pretty worked up with this stunt. Best not do it again."
"It was only meant to be a fun-"
Rose interrupted. "And can you prove you weren't the one who killed George?"
"You can ask everyone in the tavern, I was there all morning after practice—unless his body was found there." She doubted he would lie about something that could be disproved that easily. She considering untying him, then decided to leave him bound until they confirmed his alibi. There was no such thing as being too careful in a criminal investigation. "Sorry about all this," he whispered. "I should never have listened to that guy who suggested I try the dagger-stealing..."
"So you listen to other people's suggestions that you poke around between my breasts," Alicia said acidly. "Why I ought to have you arrested just for-"
Finn butted in. "Hold on! Somebody told you to do it? Who?"
Indeed, whoever did that could have been planning to use the dagger all along. "I'm not sure who it was," Kestrel said. "I don't think I know him—he met me yesterday in the tavern. We talked and the topic of how to impress Alicia somehow came up, though I think he was the one who brought it up, which was strange... He was wearing a big cloak, so I couldn't really see him."
"So you trust men concealing their identities with cloaks enough to talk about the details of our relationship?" Alicia spat. "You're smart."
"I had a lot to drink."
"If he was the one who killed George right here in this house," Rose reasoned, "he must be someone who was inside today. Do you think he was one of the servants or guards, Kestrel?"
"I'm not sure. I don't know everyone that well, and I think he was trying to disguise his voice and doing a pretty good job, but still... he had a bit of an accent none of the employees do."
Finn looked at Alicia. "Have any male guests in town, especial
ly ones that Kestrel doesn't know about?"
She scowled at the meaning implied by the way he said it. "Right now only you and Carl, who he knows about."
Rose suddenly had a thought at once wild and yet plausible, and asked softly, "Was anybody watching Carl conduct his investigation?"
"I'm just a warrior duchess and no detective, so I figured maybe I shouldn't disturb him." Alicia's face fell with understanding. "You don't mean..."
"Yes, I think it might be so."
#
Having climbed the outer wall of the inn and snuck around to Carl's window, Rose took a peek inside and saw him pacing back and forth, showing no sign of the "chest pains" he'd complained of. Now she knew why he had reached for a weapon as if to kill the suspect before Finn ruined his plan with his, um... boldness—he'd wanted Kestrel dead, in order to have an easy scapegoat. Glancing over his room, she saw that his bags were packed as if he soon planned to leave—and that beside the bed, there lay a large sack with air holes in it. After staring for a moment, she saw it move a bit. Poor kid, how long had he been in there?! She hoped that young Matthew was resilient enough to recover fully from this ordeal.
Climbing in through the open window when Carl's back was turned, Rose let out a loud, dramatic sigh. "Oh Carl, say it isn't so."
He turned to regard her without speech, but his eyes told her he knew the game was up. Finally he said, "It looks like you have me cornered. Fine, I confess—I am Matthew's kidnapper. I just wanted some gold."
She walked around to the bag, opened it, lifted out the boy just slightly older than her twins and removed his gag. He looked pale, shaken and disoriented, blinking rapidly from the now unaccustomed light, but he seemed not to have major injuries. His whimpering however made her feel quite angry at Carl. She also figured he hadn't been fed well while being kept in the inn room, given that ordering for two would draw suspicion, and felt desperately hungry by now.
"No, you didn't," she snarled at the kidnapper. "Why would you take such a risk, when there are hundreds of wealthy targets who carry far less? Your instructions come from a higher power, and we know it."
"Maybe you're right. But I'll never tell." He drew his dagger and turned it around as if to drive it into his own throat. Before he could, Rose threw her sword, severing his arm at the shoulder. The sword stuck into the wall behind him as he screamed and fell grabbing the stump. Because other ways to stop the bleeding would be unreliable, she chanted a spell that summoned a small flame to her hand and used it to sear the wound.
"You'll tell," she said. "Finn and Alicia will make you."
Chapter 8
After hours of shrieking agony in the cellar at the hands of Finn and Alicia, Carl finally spewed out the name "Victor." Rose had impassively watched it all. She thought herself a meaner person now after what The Lost did to her, and especially denied her empathy to those willing to harm children. Carl must have pretended to help to divert suspicion from himself, and planned to leave with Matthew after "sadly" giving up on an unfruitful investigation. But Finn's punch first, talk later style had ruined his day good.
"Should we finish it?" Finn asked with a wave at the slobbering wreck that was left of Carl.
"Let Alicia do what she will with him," she said with a nod at the other woman. "As for us, we should pay Prince Victor a visit."
"Why would he want to kidnap his own nephew, anyway? They already spend time together, don't they?"
Alicia's eyes smothered with anger. "Despite not being of age, the boy still has the right by law to decide who serves as regent. If Victor got Matthew alone with him, without anyone to take Lawrence's side, he'd surely be able to convince him one way or another to choose him."
So he wanted to take the reins of the country. It made sense to Rose; with his need to control things, he must have decided Lawrence unworthy of his position and that he would suit it better. But that didn't make what he did right. Being named Lord of the South had probably nudged him towards this path, too.
"You should come with us, Alicia," she said. "We need to report this to Prince Lawrence, and since our last meeting with him didn't go as well as it could have, it might help to have another voice supporting our case."
"Fine, I'll come. After I have that arm wrestle with Finn."
"What?! Even now you care about that?"
The duchess grinned. "We might not have access to a table for a while."
"All right," Rose said exasperatedly, "go ahead..."
An hour later, Finn and Alicia were still locked in a stalemate over a thick stone table in her garden. "Go down, damn you!" Finn growled through teeth clenched with effort. "I'm not going to lose... to another woman!"
"You lose to Rose? Gods, that's embarrassing."
"What? Did you ever beat... her?"
Alicia flashed him a cocky look. "Not every time, but I have."
He shook his head as if in denial. "She was smaller then, and you were younger!"
"I'm still younger than you."
Finn shouted and tried to put more force into powering Alicia's arm down, but to no avail. She seemed to gain confidence and pushed back harder, yet though she kept her forearm upright readily enough, she couldn't move his any closer to the table either.
Rose sat watching with her face in her hands. "This is getting awfully boring. Can't we just call it a draw and move on?"
"What's the matter?" Finn asked. "We've had longer contests before we—ugh—decided a winner before."
"Yeah, but we didn't have other things to do then."
"It's going to take days to travel back to Gustrone anyway. A couple hours or so delay won't hurt much."
"Yeah, let me and your husband settle this," Alicia said. "That way, we can finally settle who's the strongest—ack—redheaded warrior in Kayland."
Rose sighed. "Except that whoever wins, you guys will probably go for a two out of three to settle it. Or three out of five, or four out of seven, or-"
"Okay, fine! I swear I'll be satisfied with this one contest if you just let us finish it. For now, anyway."
"Just hurry..."
All of a sudden, Amber ran from Rose's side towards the straining duo. "Daddy will win!" She grabbed Alicia's wrist. The toddler might not have had enough strength to contribute to insure the desired outcome—but her touch broke the duchess' concentration, and in that moment, Finn slammed her hand down.
She jumped up. "Cheaters! No way I'll acknowledge the result, when it was two on-"
"Okay, it's not acknowledged," Rose said, shaking her head. "Can we just go?"
Alicia looked to Finn, who now tossed a gleefully laughing Amber up and down in celebration, and a smile came over her face. "Yeah, I suppose we can."
On the boat ride back, Alicia mused, "So what do you think'll happen if Victor refuses to be removed?"
Finn looked from her to Rose and back. "Well, we have three of the four best warriors in Kayland here, and he's what, fifth at best? So..."
"You should let me take him. Always wanted to prove I was better for sure."
Rose observed her husband and friend with bemusement. They were well suited to being friends, whether they admitted it or not. "Let's just hope Lawrence gives our story enough credibility to remove him."
They arrived in Gustrone and dragged Carl with them to the castle, where Rose felt uneasy as she entered the large throne room and her guilt came flooding back. She'd killed many men who didn't deserve to die here, and though the floors had long been washed clean, she felt like she stepped over their blood. Her feet were even unsteady as if they slipped and slid through it. Seeing Prince Lawrence seated in his imposing chair, eyes warily focusing on her group, she figured to let Finn and Alicia do most of the talking.
"Your Highness," Alicia said, "we have great reason to suspect your brother Victor plots against you." She shoved Carl to his knees before her. "This man was caught trying to kidnap King Matthew and holding him in a manner most cruel, and confessed to acting under his orders."
&
nbsp; "No I didn't, Your Highness!" Carl cried. "They're lying!"
Finn kicked him. "Shut up, we did our research. You're a known cohort of Prince Victor, so who more likely to ask you to deliver him the boy who could make him king?"
"Regent," Rose corrected him. "Matthew would still have been king."
"But what if Matthew later had an accident?"
"That's a point," she said, her voice taking on an edge.
"I believe you that this man is an associate of Victor's," Lawrence said. "But this is a very serious accusation towards my brother. How do we know the kidnapper was not working for someone else who was trying to frame him?"
Rose couldn't be completely sure Victor was guilty, either. It remained the most likely possibility, though. She cleared her throat and mustered the nerve to speak up. "What if we could get him to confess?"
He frowned at her. "If you got him to confess, that would be rather damning evidence. But confess to who, you? If that was the case, how would you prove he actually did confess and not just have it be your word against his?"
She stood there, at a loss what to say until Finn whispered something into her ear. "Um, I'm not sure he'd go for that," she replied.
"Do you have a better idea how to prove it to him?"
"You propose it, then. It's your plan."
Finn opened his mouth without hesitation as expected, and she couldn't help admiring him for it. "I know how you can see Victor's guilt for yourself, Your Highness. It might be a bit undignified for you, though..."
#
Some days later, Rose, Finn, and Alicia walked through the halls of Victor's manor, dragging along their captive with a sack bound over him. "Move it, Carl," Finn said as they entered the dining hall, lightly kicking his rump. "You don't want to keep your boss waiting, do you?"
Fixing sharp eyes on each of them in turn, Prince Victor greeted them with a glower. "And what brings you here again? I see you have a prisoner."
Finn smirked. "I think you know who he is, too."
"I have no idea."
"Of course you do. Carl here already confessed to getting orders from you, right Carl?"
"Mmm hmm hmm mmm!" came Carl's response.
