by Radu Aldea
This was his usual way of attacking and reminding her exactly where she came from. Philip didn’t need to repeat the story, but he did. She’d never met her father, who is or was a senator, because her mother certainly wasn’t. Maya wasn’t raised like a senator, didn’t have a senatorial family, and that made her the lowest of the low in their exalted opinion. She could control a little more than one hundred and fifty humans and that put her in the upper-middle senator class if you considered only the power. That should’ve counted for something. It didn’t. In the eyes of other senators, she was lower than the plebs. Robert thought she had potential and gave her shelter, but that came with a price, like having to deal with Philip.
Now she was alone. The village where she and her mother lived was burned down when a human lord chose that way to resolve his dispute with another human lord. She could leave, but there was nowhere to go. There was always the Guild, yet that prospect was not that attractive. The Guild was an organization of senators who were not part of families and it had its own rules. Being a member of the Guild was not any better than being in a family.
“I don’t know my father and my human mother is dead. You know that. I may be nothing to you, but consider this a warning. If you ever enter any of my rooms without my permission there will be consequences,” Maya said and looked him directly in his eyes.
She didn’t know what Philip was going to do. One of his hands was clenched on his short sword and the other closed on her throat. If he was going to do anything else she would react. As things were now she could give it a little more time. Suddenly, his hand let go of her throat. “My father thinks you are useful. When that ends, you are mine.”
She snickered. Only after he left did she start breathing again. He had backed off. She had won. The victory, however, would not be long-lived. Robert would not be very happy she had threatened his son and he might do something. Maya was prepared for that. She got dressed quickly and went in search of Robert Castus. She couldn’t delay this conversation any longer. When she found him, Robert was not alone, but with his brother Roger Castus.
“Is she really dead?” Robert Castus got directly to what interested him. No small talk.
“You sent your son to get me and he entered my bathroom while I was taking a bath. I thought I had proved my worth, but apparently I didn’t. I have carried out your orders and I don’t think I have ever failed you. If you want me to leave, and I don’t know how else to interpret sending your son in my bathroom while I am washing, you only have to say so.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic. He was available and he wanted to get you.”
“Don’t you think I see his lecherous looks? I know you do. So if you want me to stay here, you keep Philip away from me. Otherwise I will leave you.”
Maya was under no illusion Robert Castus would let her go. She knew too much, so he would most likely kill her. She just hoped she was valuable enough and that would force Robert to keep Philip away. If he didn’t, blood would be spilled and she’d make sure it wasn’t hers.
“My brother gave you a home, when nobody else would have you,” Roger Castus hissed at her. “Perhaps you should be more grateful for that and show it.”
“Believe me, your brother gained more than I did out of this arrangement.”
Robert Castus fixed her with his eyes. “You know I can’t let you go. I like you too much.”
Of course she knew. And she wasn’t ready to leave. Maya hoped Robert didn’t know that. Right now, he was probably weighing her worth against the danger she posed.
“Where would you go, anyway?” His question made sense, at least to him. He thought she had nowhere to go. That wasn’t exactly true, there were always choices.
“I will figure something out!”
Robert laughed and it really irked her. “I protect you. Without me you would suffer abuse from just about every senator with a family. You should think about that the next time you come to me with some perceived slight. Now, answer my question. Is she dead?”
“I’m very sure she’s dead.” Maya knew of whom he was asking.
Roger Castus seemed confused and Robert answered the unasked question. “Maya here picked up some rumors about a force from Essland moving east. Since it was a significant force I decided it was a good idea for her to investigate. You see, brother, she can be quite useful. What she found out was that this army was heading to Western Suttland to kill Kara Arvillia. Since I have found no reason to stop them I thought it prudent to send Maya to follow them and report if their mission was successful. Maya just returned from Suttland.”
Robert was lying to his brother, but she didn’t say anything. What he decided to share with his family was not her problem. Besides, she did return from Suttland. That was true.
“That is a very dangerous game you are playing, brother,” Roger told Robert. “If they find out you knew about the attack and did nothing, they may hold you responsible. Marcia’s armies are already roaming in our province and Julia is just across the mountains.”
“Those two bitches had been a thorn in our side for a while now. If not for Lucian, our heads would be on pikes right now. Thank the gods Lucian and Kara hate each other,” Robert told his brother and then turned to Maya. “What do you mean you are very sure she is dead?”
“I mean she was drained of power and surrounded by hundreds of soldiers. They were starting to search the woods so I decided to get away while I still had the chance. I think that human servant of hers might’ve escaped, but I am not sure,” Maya answered.
“How many soldiers were left?” Robert asked and she understood what he meant.
“Too many for me to take over and kill Kara myself, then get rid of them so nothing could be traced back to me. Besides, I thought you only wanted me to observe, not interfere.”
“I did, but I thought it would be obvious that you should kill Kara if you had the chance.”
“Well, I didn’t! I barely got out of there, anyway. Their hunting parties almost caught me a few times. She was dead anyway, so I thought it was more important to hide my presence.”
Robert was considering if she had failed, Maya was sure of that. She had been seen around him by others, so if she had been captured his involvement would be revealed.
“Marcia is looking for these soldiers, isn’t she?” Roger Castus asked. “Where are they?”
The brothers expected an answer from her. “I have no idea!”
“How can hundreds of soldiers just disappear?” Roger Castus did have a point.
“Marcia was looking for them, so I guess the human servant is alive and she told them. When I got Marcia’s message, I ordered our people to form a net. I have found no sign of them. Either they chose another way to leave Suttland or they are all dead somewhere.”
“Still, hundreds of bodies are just as if not more difficult to hide,” Maya said.
“Weren’t you supposed to follow them and report back?” Roger Castus accused her.
They both acted like she had done something wrong. Robert blamed her because she didn’t make absolutely sure Kara was dead and Roger because she didn’t know what happened to the soldiers. She had done everything right, but they didn’t seem to care she was trying to protect them as well, not only herself. In truth she had an idea what happened to those men and she was going to keep it for herself. They were too many to bury or to burn, unless you wanted to leave a big, fat sign they were there, if you threw them in a river they would pop up somewhere, a pit or some inaccessible hole would attract scavengers and you could track them right to the mouth of a cave if you chose to hide them in one. The only explanation she could think of was to burn them to ashes where it wouldn’t attract attention. And the quantity of fuel you would need was almost inconceivable unless… That unless constituted the only possible explanation. The brothers could figure it out for themselves. They could think, couldn’t they?
“I don’t know who killed Rufus,” Maya tried to change the subject.
“W
hat do you mean you don’t know?” Roger blew up. He did have a temper he should watch. “It was the same guys. It can’t be a coincidence he and his daughter were killed at the same time. How stupid can you be?”
Maya forced herself not to laugh. “Well, obviously they are connected somehow, but the soldiers I followed had only one mission, to capture Kara if possible, otherwise to kill her. What remained of their force couldn’t possibly take the villa, anyway. They didn’t split, either.”
“So what you are saying is they sent two groups who were not aware of each other.”
“I have no idea who they are, but that’s what I am suggesting. The group I followed came from Essland, sent by a human count from there and they weren’t under the control of a senator. I found this a little disturbing and I think you should worry too.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. It seems somebody believed Kara’s propaganda, that’s all. Kara was the most important target, but killing Rufus would destabilize the family.”
“What propaganda would that be?” Maya asked Robert although she knew the answer.
“Well, I’m talking about what Kara and Julia claimed about their powers. We all know about them, it was the stick they kept waving to keep us in our place.”
“I am not so sure it’s just propaganda, brother,” Roger tried to caution Robert.
Maya knew it wasn’t just propaganda. She was there and she saw how Kara crushed the first wave of attackers. It was so beautiful in a way. Six hundred wills extinguished by Kara’s in a brilliant flash of power. She was not sure how many humans Kara had taken over. It was more than three hundred, surely. It was probably closer to three hundred and fifty. Maya had also noticed the distance and she had to agree Kara was truly impressive. She had never seen anything like that. If the Suttland senator had known about the second wave of attackers she would’ve probably won that battle. She hadn’t and she lost, but even so, the redhead was still really impressive. Robert didn’t even ask about the battle and Kara’s abilities. He was so arrogant. If he didn’t ask she was not going to volunteer any information.
“Don’t tell me you believe everything the Circle of Five spits out about their powers.”
“I would advise you to go north until Julia learns of this human count from Essland,” Maya told Robert. “We have no idea what they know and suspect or what are Julia’s abilities.”
“She makes sense brother. They are not harassing Essland, they are harassing us. I assume those soldiers passed through our province and Marcia tracked them here?”
“Yes, that’s probably true. What can I do if they are stupid and can’t follow hundreds of soldiers? I thought they would catch them immediately. Imagine my surprise when they didn’t.”
“Marcia may be many things, Robert, but stupid is not one of them. If she hasn’t found anything that means there is nothing to find. And it does look like killing Rufus was unnecessary as Marcia took firm control of the family. Whoever planned this has miscalculated!”
“She has the control of the family for now,” Maya replied. “It will implode soon enough. It is unlikely Reyna and the other powerful clients would submit to her.”
“Is there a way we could let them know about this Essland count without letting them know we were aware of his plan? I mean, who else knows about this?”
This was the question Roger Castus had been waiting to ask for a long time. Depending on the answer they would either try to kill her or let her go on another mission.
“The three of us and Philip. He kept pestering me with questions about Maya and I told him. Truthfully, I didn’t think those soldiers would get anywhere near Kara.”
Maya was smiling on the inside. Philip would brag to anybody who would listen and exaggerate his involvement in Kara’s death, which was zero. And the brothers knew Philip couldn’t keep his mouth shut, so she was no longer a liability. If only the three of them had known, Roger and Robert would’ve decided it was too dangerous to let her live.
“I could return to Suttland and figure out what happened to those soldiers or…”
“It is too dangerous for you to return there. I doubt you could even get in.”
She probably could, but she didn’t want to return there. She wanted to go somewhere else, in fact. She just offered that option knowing what Robert would answer.
“Or I could go to Riffland. I heard a rumor there is a man there who claims the Sun God made him immune to senatorial power. He says he is a priest of this Sun God and he is willing to teach others to follow in his steps. This could be potentially very, very dangerous.”
“I have never heard of this Sun God. Where does he come from?” Roger asked.
“Nor have I. I think he is worshipped somewhere in the east, outside the empire.”
“There’s probably nothing to this and Riffland senators will squash this priest and his false god. But it might be a good idea for you to go and investigate,” Robert told her.
Maya smiled. Robert was getting rid of her and was happy to let her go in a worthless and futile mission. Or at least he thought so. She gave more credence to the rumor and it really bothered her. “That’s why I’m in a hurry. Riffland senators will squash him regardless. I want to get there before it’s too late and make sure there’s nothing to this priest and his Sun God. After all, the White Goddess made senators. I would like to leave as soon as possible, now even.”
“Yes, go and investigate. Return when you have the information,” Robert dismissed her.
Maya took her leave and pretended to go back to her room. She didn’t. She had the nagging suspicion the brothers would discuss her next and she wanted to hear what they had to say. There was a perfect spot where she could hide and listen. Robert didn’t know his villa as well as he thought. And she was a very good spy and a very good spy spied on everybody.
“Are you sure that’s wise, sending her on a fool’s errand. Because that’s what it is. We both know there is nothing to the priest. Even she knows that,” Roger told Robert.
“She wanted to leave and she found a reason. I guess her encounter with Philip didn’t go as she planned.” Robert chuckled and it was an evil little laugh that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. If she had any doubts about Robert’s intention, they were gone now.
“It didn’t go as you planned. You thought Philip would break her so she would give you complete obedience. She isn’t broken. Philip has failed. Do you trust her?”
“She’s truly competent and better than I could’ve hoped for. She hasn’t failed me yet!”
“Until now, Robert! She hasn’t failed you until now.”
“I am not so sure she did. Her assessment of the situation could’ve been correct. Then she did the right thing. You and I were not there so we can’t know for sure.”
“There’s something about her I don’t like. Senators are hierarchical, yet she doesn’t respect hierarchy. She didn’t back down with Philip and she didn’t back down with you.”
“She wasn’t raised like the rest of the senators, you know that.”
“I know that’s what she’s saying and that would explain her lack of respect for hierarchy. I don’t have to tell you there is another explanation. Even if she tells the truth we don’t know who her father is. There is no way we can test the extent of her abilities.”
“I checked her story, as much as I could. There was a village that burned, her mother lived there and the woman had a daughter. You really think she is really powerful and that’s why she defies hierarchy? That she might be the daughter of someone like David Mettelus or Rufus Arvillius? We would know if she was the daughter of someone powerful, wouldn’t we? My guess is she is less powerful than she claims. That would make a lot more sense.”
“Or someone like you and me! Besides, David and Rufus were in Suttland at the time.”
“Well I haven’t broken the rules. Did you, Roger?” Maya knew the rule. Male senators kept control of the females they had sex with until they were sure they weren
’t pregnant or they got bored with them. Senators weren’t that fertile and they couldn’t ignore any children.
“You know I haven’t. I doubt any senator would. That’s my problem, Robert.”
“Maybe her father died and that’s why she was lost to us.”
“Maybe, but I still think you should be really careful with that one.”
Maya had heard enough. It was time to go pack and travel to Riffland.
Chapter fifteen
The tavern was badly lit and the patrons were horribly drunk. It wasn’t that late and one would presume they had something better to do. The clients were mainly men who amused themselves by trying to pinch, grope or kiss the barmaids. They were successful more often than not, as there was nobody there to stop them. Members of the imperial guard were present, but did nothing to protect them. Some of them even joined the amusement. In all fairness, they probably wouldn’t have protected the emperor either. They just liked the perks that came with being a soldier of the imperial guard. They would fight a human lord if they were not at a disadvantage, but they were useless against senators or sorceresses.
So they were not there to protect anyone or maintain order. Quite the opposite, they were bullies and brutes who liked to intimidate and abuse people. Most of them hadn’t fought any real battles and probably never would. So the barmaids would most likely end their day in a dark street or corner under a sweaty, smelly man or more than one, whether they were willing or not. If they were willing, they might get paid. If they weren’t, the result would be the same, the only difference was they would be beaten. Veneguard was an unforgiving city.
It was also the imperial capital and the largest city in the empire. Located on top of a large plateau and at the confluence of two rivers it was superbly defensible, which was probably why the place was chosen to build a city. There were more crimes in Veneguard than anywhere else in the empire, even taking into account the large population. In the rest of the territory senators did nothing to stop their own abuses, but they usually stemmed all other kinds of violence, especially if it threatened their income. Predators don’t like other predators in their territory and senators were at the top of the food chain. But senators were not allowed in Veneguard. It was one of the stipulations of the peace treaty that ended the war twenty years ago. Present there to enforce it were the sorceresses of the imperial guard.
