Duke of Minds (Master of Monsters Book 4)

by Stephen L. Hadley

  “You can’t be serious!” Nicolo exclaimed. “Leo, as your friend—”

  “As my friend,” Leo growled. “You will support me in this.”

  Nicolo bristled, drawing himself up haughtily.

  “Fine,” he snapped. “Then, as an alderman—”

  “As an alderman?” Leo thundered. “As an alderman, you will support me in this all the more! Every last member of the Council of Aldermen will do likewise! Refuse and I promise the consequences will be worse than any of you can possibly imagine!”

  “Ridiculous!” Nicolo snapped. He crumpled the paper and hurled it over Leo’s shoulder at the foot of the throne. “You’ve lost your mind, Leo! I’m no friend to Grey or any like him, but if you think the other aldermen will endorse this plan of yours, you’ve lost your fucking wits!”

  Leo glared at him. He couldn’t blame Nicolo for reacting in such a fashion, not really, but he had hoped the man might at least consider Leo’s decree.

  “I suppose we’ll see,” he said. “Guards!”

  The men answered at once.

  “Escort the alderman back to the Council chamber,” Leo ordered. “Neither he nor anyone else is permitted to leave until I arrive. Arrest anyone who disobeys.”

  From the look the two men exchanged, they were every bit as surprised by the orders as Nicolo. But, saluting, they hurried forward to execute them.

  “Gods help you, Leo,” Nicolo murmured. “Because I certainly can’t.”

  Leo said nothing in reply. He watched stone-faced as the guards gently but insistently grasped Nicolo by the arms and led him from the chamber. It was only once they’d gone that he finally moved.

  Shaking his head wearily, Leo sighed.

  Chapter Eight

  Leo had scarcely made it out the door and was halfway down the Ministry’s exterior steps when Cirilla spotted him. She called his name, shoving past her guards and hurrying toward him.

  “Leo!” she shouted, sounding exasperated. “Wait!”

  He did, gesturing Nyssa, Sann, and Karran away. The rest of his company, some thirty men and elves he’d scrounged from the survivors of the ducal guard did not even need to be ordered aside. They retreated obediently, though they made no attempt to feign disinterest.

  Cirilla was out of breath by the time she reached him. The shallow cut on her neck had been cared for and the bandage hidden by a hastily donned shawl. Moving so quickly was clearly painful for her but she pressed a hand over the wound as she reached Leo’s side and struggled to compose herself.

  “Yes?” he asked. It was an honest question, though it came out a tad colder than he’d intended.

  “You’re going already?” she asked. “I thought—I thought you were planning to wait? Lucius—”

  “There’s no time,” he explained. “And Lucius will be here at any moment. I’ve already sent a runner with updated orders.”

  “But… this…” Cirilla straightened, exhaling slowly. When she spoke again, it was in her typical, thoughtful tone. “This is bold, Leo, even for me. Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

  “I can’t,” he said. “I already informed Nicolo what I plan to do. He’ll have reported it to the other aldermen by now.”

  Cirilla gawked at him. Then, sighing, she shook her head.

  “Fool,” she muttered, though not unkindly. “In that case, I’m coming with you.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “You think to command me?” she growled, eyes narrowing. “We wouldn’t be here if not for me. And I don’t plan on staying home barefoot and pregnant while you run off to play politician.”

  He glanced at her feet. Or, rather, at the elegant slippers she’d slid on them.

  “Don’t say it,” she snapped, before he could decide on the right joke. “I’m coming with you. It’s settled. Besides, it’s important we present a united front.”

  “It could be…” he trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought. Cirilla, however, finished it for him without hesitation.

  “Dangerous?” She smirked a bit, canting her head toward the Ministry. “As opposed to our impregnable home?”

  Leo rolled his eyes. “Very well,” he said. “But don’t blame me if you get blood on your shawl.”

  “It’s a stole, actually.” Slipping her arm through his, Cirilla pulled him close. “Not that I’d expect you to know the difference.”

  He didn’t, nor did he much care. It wasn’t the clothing that mattered. Cirilla could have been wearing rags straight from the gutter, and it wouldn’t have made a lick of difference. The important thing was that she’d come to him.

  Her company was welcome. It distracted him from his grief as he walked. The Council of Aldermen worked in a large, white-stone auditorium less than a minute’s walk from the Ministry plaza, but it took a determined effort to keep his thoughts from wandering in that time. A part of him almost wished they could. However painful the loss of Brigit and Delia was, at least it made it easy to do what needed to be done.

  Another dozen members of the ducal guard joined them as they neared the building. From their grim-faced expressions, they obviously had some notion of what Leo intended, though he doubted they had even guessed a quarter of the scale.

  The aldermen had posted their own guards outside the broad arch that led into their chamber. There were only two, both members of the Watch by their garb and profoundly uncomfortable to be standing between the Duke and his prey by their expressions. Nevertheless, they saluted stiffly.

  “Greetings, Your Excellency,” said the older of the two men.

  Leo did not even glance at them. “Open the doors,” he instructed.

  The two men exchanged glances and swallowed nervously.

  “Sincerest apologies, Your Excellency,” said the same man. “But the Council has—”

  “Report back to your superior,” Leo interrupted. “Inform him that I wish to speak with Macnair or another senior officer. My men will take over your post until he arrives.”

  Again, the guards looked at one another. Neither appeared convinced. But then, it hardly mattered whether they believed him. No member of the Watch would dare refuse a direct order from the Duke, especially not when so outnumbered.

  The men saluted then practically ran.

  Leo waited until they were far enough away to be ignored then turned to one the nearest of his ducal guards.

  “Break it down,” he ordered.

  The man grimaced but nodded. He gestured—unnecessary, given how Leo’s voice had carried—and immediately four elves stepped forward. They carried a small, iron-headed ram carved into the shape of a fanged beast. It looked to be an ambrosian of some kind and Leo glanced at Karran to see if her expression had changed. It had not.

  It took only three blows from the ram before the door gave way. The iron latches on the inside of the double doors had evidently been fastened and reinforced but stood no chance against the elves’ efforts.

  A full dozen of Leo’s men charged forward as the doors cracked and swung open. They’d barely crossed the threshold before they were intercepted, however. Another dozen men waited to greet them, dressed in the livery of private, household guards rather than the matching uniforms of the Watch. The defenders crowded together inside the narrow, portrait-lined hall, brandishing enough halberds to form a thoroughly intimidating wall of steel.

  “Hold,” Leo ordered. Pulling free of Cirilla’s arm, he stepped forward. Nyssa, Karran, and Sann joined him immediately. And, without needing to be asked, the foremost row of Leo’s men parted to make room for them.

  “You know who I am,” Leo called. He turned his gaze from one would-be foe to the next. “And you know what I’m capable of. Lay down your arms, and I’ll allow each and every one of you to leave now, unharmed. You can go home to your families. If any man refuses, every last one of you will die here and now.”

  Karran crouched beside him, her claws and fangs bared. Sann did likewise on his opp
osite side and punctuated her threat with a threatening hiss.

  The men hesitated and Leo knew instantly that he’d won. The only thing that surprised him was how long it took his victory to be realized. The men murmured in low voices for more than a minute. Then, slowly, they lowered their halberds to the ground.

  “Thank you,” Leo said. He raised his voice. “Allow these men to leave. Any man who lays a finger on them will hang.”

  The men shuffled forward, their shoulders hunched and their faces downcast. They did not make eye contact with anyone.

  “Now then,” Leo murmured, once the last of them had gone. “Let’s begin.”

  The exterior of the Council building was roughly square but its interior formed a near-perfect circle. The narrow entrance hallway grew progressively wider as it neared the chamber proper. The torches interspersed between the portraits of notable aldermen of past eras disappeared too, giving way to natural, evening light from the high-windowed chamber itself.

  Leo expected the jeers and complaints that assaulted him as he stepped onto the floor of the chamber, though he was unprepared for the sheer volume. It appeared that the walls and distant ceiling had been deliberately constructed to magnify the voices of those speaking within it. That this might render all but the most demure of conversations public was either an oversight or a stroke of pure genius; he wasn’t certain which.

  Leo held his tongue as the aldermen’s abuse continued. Two of the chamber’s walls were lined with chairs in rough semi-circles, while the head and center of the room sloped downward into an open space lined with tables and low bookshelves piled deep with folios. The latter spaces were empty, the aldermen having fled to their spots along the walls to greet him.

  Leo lifted his arms to ask for silence. Instead, the shouting doubled. Here and there, a handful of aldermen cast rude gestures alongside their curses.

  Sighing, Leo scanned the sea of faces. There were nearly forty men present, but it took only a second to spy Nicolo among them. He was the only man seated and not shouting, though he gripped the arms of his chair so tightly they looked as though they might splinter any moment.

  Smiling weakly, Leo extended a hopeful hand.

  Nicolo sighed, closing his eyes. Then, after a moment, he rose.

  “Quiet!” he bellowed. He had to repeat himself a half-dozen times before his fellow aldermen began to comply. “My honorable peers, please. Could we have a bit of silence? I know we’ve cause to shout until morning, but it’s getting late, and if this headache continues I’ll get no sleep at all. Can we not simply hear the Duke out and be on our way?”

  A few lone aldermen hurled insults in Nicolo’s direction, but his words had calmed the vast majority. And soon, the lone holdouts were grudgingly silenced as well by those nearest them.

  With an audible sigh, Nicolo waved dismissively in Leo’s direction and sat.

  Leo bowed to him. It was a futile gesture—they would resume their howling soon enough—but if it bought him even a few extra seconds of quiet he would consider the act well worth the price.

  “Honorable aldermen,” Leo began. His words drew a chorus of scornful laughs, which he ignored. “I come to you with grave tidings. As some of you may know, a few short hours ago, the Ministry of Justice was attacked by a host of armed miscreants. These murderous bastards invaded the ducal residence itself, the very symbol of Ansiri’s authority in the Isles. They slew many loyal sons of this fair city, murdered innocent women, and even dared an assault on the Duchess, herself.”

  Murmurs broke out among the aldermen. Though few looked outright surprised, the precise details still came as a shock to many. More than a few faces turned past Leo to the entrance hall, presumably eyeing Cirilla.

  Leo did not look back.

  “This is only the latest insult perpetrated by the former Count Grey and other renegades like him. I know that many of you do not approve of me or the steps I have undertaken to defeat this threat. But I trust that none of the honorable men present would ever stoop so low as to slaughter innocents.”

  Here and there, a few of the aldermen were beginning to look thoughtful. They were vastly outnumbered by the scowls, of course, but the development was nevertheless encouraging. Lifting his chin, Leo continued.

  “No doubt many of you have been affected by the recent troubles. And to that, I can only offer my assurances that I will bring to justice those responsible. We will have peace. And we will have it soon.”

  He was about to continue when one of the aldermen rose. Leo didn’t recognize him, but the frail-looking, bearded man clearly held great sway among his peers. More than a few broke out in whispers and nudged their neighbors.

  “Your Excellency,” rasped the man. He looked old enough to be Leo’s grandfather, but unlike Leo’s grandfather, he had nearly lost his voice from shouting. “Pardon the interruption. But I believe I speak for all of us when I say that your words come a mite too late. It is well and good to speak of delivering peace and justice. But what of justice for the esteemed Baron Rudd? This very morning, his lady wife appeared before this Council to plead her husband’s cause and speak of his unjust imprisonment. How can your trite assurances possibly outweigh her tears?”

  “The esteemed Baron Rudd is a traitorous scoundrel,” Leo replied icily. “It was by his orders that baseborn thugs rioted in one of Ansiri’s marketplaces. I cannot allow—”

  “And who told you such things?” interrupted the man. “I have it on good authority that you rely often on the advice of one Davin DiMartes—as baseborn a wench as those you so freely condemn. And what of your own misdeeds, Excellency? You decry the baron as a traitor and a scoundrel for employing those outside the law. Yet, you yourself are commonly known to utilize such foul tactics! Such hypocrisy is—”

  “Enough!” Leo snarled. He stalked forward and gestured venomously at the bearded man. “What is your name?”

  The alderman hesitated, his eyes narrowing. “Butler,” he said. “I am Deputy Chief Alderman and leader of—”

  Leo turned his back on the man. He eyed Karran and Sann, one after the other, then jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

  “Bring him to me,” he said.

  The pair leaped into action. Unfurling her wings, Sann hurtled into the air. Karran, on the other hand, lunged from her ready crouch and raced across the tables and bookshelves, spilling paper in every direction. They reached Butler in the same instant, Karran seizing the elderly man and throwing him roughly over her shoulder. Sann hissed in displeasure, evidently wishing to be the one to fulfill Leo’s command, and contented herself with driving back the alderman’s would-be rescuers with brisk, warning swipes.

  Leo said nothing as Karran returned and dropped the aged man in a heap at Leo’s feet. There would have been little point in speaking; the chamber was again filled with vociferous protests and cursing. He waited until the noise died down a little, then crouched and raised the man’s chin.

  Butler’s eyes were filled with indignation and pain, but he held Leo’s gaze firmly.

  “You were saying something of hypocrisy,” Leo said. “I couldn’t quite hear you. Perhaps you’d care to repeat yourself?”

  The man’s eyes burned with loathing, but he did not speak.

  Leo straightened, folded his arms behind his back, and once more faced the outraged aldermen.

  “The rule of Ansiri is mine,” he announced. “Mine to shape, protect, and judge. If I decree that Baron Rudd is a traitorous scoundrel, no one may countermand that order but me.”

  From all over the chamber, growls and murmured curses arose. Leo ignored them, meeting each glare with one of his own and daring them to challenge him again. They did not. And so, he continued.

  “I do not believe that any singular nobleman could have hired, equipped, and dispatched the force that assaulted the Ministry,” he said. “I captured many and plan to learn the identity of their employers. But until that information is obtained and verified, I m
ust treat each and every nobleman and lady as a suspect.

  “Therefore!” his voice swelled until it boomed throughout the chamber. “I have instructed Baron Lucius, the ranking officer in the army of Ansiri, to return with a force of one thousand soldiers. Over the next two days, every man and woman of noble rank will be detained until I can ascertain their guilt or innocence. Or, until Grey’s rebellion is crushed, and I can be assured of peace within the city.”

  Stunned silence greeted this announcement. And then, it ended.

  If Leo had thought the din that greeted him the first time had been deafening, it was nothing compared to the resulting cacophony. The aldermen rose as one, red-faced and bellowing at the top of their lungs, like a swarm of wasps from a kicked hive.

  Leo did not attempt to speak over them. It would have been pointless. Instead, he turned just far enough to meet Nyssa’s eyes and waved her forward with a subtle flick of his fingers. She approached promptly, one hand on the hilt of Mihal’s sword and her eyes darting warily about the chamber.

  He muttered an order, cupping his hand around her ear to make himself heard over the frothing aldermen. Nyssa’s eyes widened at his words, but she nodded and drew her sword. And then, stooping, she pressed its blade to Butler’s throat.

  The screaming aldermen fell silent almost immediately. Their eyes were wide and frightened. Even those who’d seized hats or gloves to hurl in Leo’s direction froze, their arms cocked.

  “I came here hoping that you would see reason,” Leo said quietly. “I had hoped that we might work together to ensure the safety of this city. But I see now that such a thing is impossible. It’s a shame. Ansiri deserves better than to be ruled by a Council of children throwing tantrums.”

  His voice grew softer still, forcing the aldermen at the rear of the chamber to lean forward to catch his words.

  “I hereby order this Council suspended. Each member will return home and remain there until the war’s end. Any man found on the streets or another public place will be declared in league with our enemies and arrested on the same terms as Ansiri’s noblemen. Once Grey is defeated, however, those who comply will be allowed to retain their seats on this Council.”