The City of Veils

by S. Usher Evans

  "You and me both," I muttered. "What was your goal? Just to give your congratulations?"

  "No." She sighed. "We need help. My country is dying from famine, exacerbated by our trading partners' harsh policies."

  I swallowed. "Such as?"

  "The closest trading route is the Ash River, and to get there, we must enter Forcadel at the border city of Skorsa," she said. "We must pay five gold pieces per shipment to cross the border. Then another five gold pieces at every checkpoint. To enter the city, ten gold pieces. And we stand to make maybe twenty-two pieces per box, assuming our shipment hasn't been damaged."

  "That sounds grossly unfair," I said.

  "It is standard for shipments from all countries," Felix said from behind me. I practically felt his gaze burning a hole in the back of my neck.

  "I suppose it is," I said with a smile.

  We walked out to the front of the castle, where the glittering blue bay spanned out before us, filled with ships and activity. Ilara's boats were still surrounded, but it appeared the guard around them had lessened somewhat.

  She inhaled deeply. "The salt water smell is exhilarating. And the wind is so refreshing. Not at all like in Severia. Here, the air is moist. There, your lips bleed from the dryness."

  "It sounds terrible," I said.

  "But it's not all bad," she said quickly. "At night, you can see every star in the sky. The sand glows, practically, shifting and moving in the night winds. It's absolutely magical." She turned back to me, looking up at the castle that rose above us. "This place, though. It's more incredible than I could have dreamed."

  I followed her gaze, squinting as the bright sun reflected off the golden accents. "Tad ostentatious for my tastes, but I suppose it has its charms."

  "A castle must be opulent, for it represents the best of its people," she recited. "Or that's what my tutors used to say. Have you been able to explore every inch of it?"

  "Not really," I said. "Felix keeps a close guard on me at all times."

  "Mm," she said, turning to me thoughtfully. "You know, my siblings and I used to explore our castle when we were young. Look for secret entrances and tunnels. Old castles, you know, they always have them." She turned to me. "Do you know of any?"

  I shook my head, if only to keep from smiling. "Not particularly."

  "You should look for some," she said with a devilish look. "Maybe one day you and I can give our handlers the slip and go out to explore your wonderful kingdom on our own."

  "I doubt that," Felix said from behind us.

  "Felix," I said. "Space, please."

  Felix glared at me, but turned and walked to the castle entrance.

  "He seems as overbearing as Jozef," she said with a giggle.

  "He thinks he is," I replied, turning back to the ocean view. "But I know how to handle him."

  "Jozef believes my health to be very delicate. You can't even imagine the tinctures they force me to drink every night."

  At that, I had to smile. "I understand the sentiment. But you look fine to me." Sure, she was a little on the thin side, but I chalked that up to a hard life in the desert.

  "I feel like we're kindred spirits," she said. "You're what? Eighteen?"

  I nodded. "You?"

  "Twenty. Jozef and the rest of my ruling tribunal think I'm too young to make any decisions on my own. They coddle me as if I don't see everything around me, as if I'm not observing what they say and how they say it."

  "You're telling me," I said with a half-laugh. I was already warming up to her. Barging in unannounced, talking crap about her handlers. We might as well be sisters. "I wish I could help you."

  "I appreciate that," she said, patting my arm. "But I have a feeling all parties would be much better served if we did our negotiations in full view. For now, I suppose I need help finding the best inn in the city to stay in."

  "You can stay in the castle," I replied with a wave of my hand. "There are a thousand rooms and most of them are empty."

  Felix cleared his throat loudly behind me, but I ignored him. I failed to see how letting her stay in the castle would cause an international incident.

  "I don't wish to put you out," she said.

  "You absolutely aren't," I replied. "And if my so-called 'handlers' get mad at me for inviting someone to stay in my own castle, they can just deal with it."

  We returned to the receiving hall, where just two of Ilara's soldiers remained, along with Jozef, who cast me the meanest look he could get away with. The Council had already dissipated, but Garwood and Godfryd remained in the room.

  "Lord Garwood, General Godfryd," I said, guiding Ilara over. "Queen Ilara. Ilara, two members of my Council."

  They bowed their heads slightly and Ilara curtseyed. "My humblest apologies for barging into your kingdom."

  "Indeed," Garwood said, glancing at me with a promise that we would discuss this later. "Princess Brynna, I believe it's time for the queen to return to her ships to rest."

  "Yes, about that," I replied. "I think it would be best if she remained in the castle." Garwood's eyebrows shot up, so I added hastily, "If only temporarily, until our nations can conduct discussions formally."

  "Ah, well…" He scratched his nose and glanced at Godfryd, whose face was unreadable. "It's unorthodox, but I don't suppose there's any harm."

  "Felix," I said, glancing behind me at my red-faced captain, who was most assuredly going to lay into me once we were alone. "We have a few hundred rooms here, right?"

  "Seventy-five."

  "Can we spare, I don't know, three or four?"

  He exhaled. "I'm sure we can make arrangements."

  "See? Perfect." I beamed at Ilara, who was staring at the floor. "Ilara, I will leave you in the capable hands of my captain while I speak with my Councilman. And if you'll do me the honor of joining me for an early dinner with Lord Garwood, we can discuss the tariff situation further."

  Before anyone could argue, I grabbed Garwood by the arm and led him away.

  "Very interesting," he said. "What did she say?"

  "She came hoping to talk to August," I said. "She wants us to give her a break on tariffs."

  "We can't adjust our tariffs," he said with a shake of his head. "Unless we lower them for everyone. And I don't see a reason to do that. The Severians should just charge more for their goods."

  "But then they won't be competitive with Forcadel glassmakers," I replied. "I just think we should consider it at the next meeting. Perhaps there's something we could do to help them."

  "I understand your concern," Garwood said, patting my arm. "But your focus needs to be your own people. Let Ilara do what she must to help hers." He paused as I gave him a pleading look. "I'm not saying it's a no, but it's a no right now."

  "So what do I need to do to make that no a yes?" I asked.

  "I'd say," Garwood rubbed his gray beard, "you should work on Vernice. She sways Godfryd and Octavius."

  I scowled. "She hates me."

  "Then change her mind," he said, putting his hat on his head. "If it's that important to help the people of Severia, I have no doubt you'll figure out way to do it."

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I pouted at his retreating back. I already had enough on my plate between The Veil and preparing to be queen. Getting on Vernice's good side seemed like one too many tasks. But Ilara's complaints hung in the back of my mind. Perhaps if I dealt with Beswick quickly, I could free up some time to help her out, too.

  Dinner was less about tariffs and more about Ilara's harrowing journey to Forcadel. Garwood, clearly glad I'd invited him to dine with the queen, was a vociferous dinner guest. When we parted, it was already dark out, and I was itching to put this odd day behind me and get back to the business of treason hunting.

  Felix was already waiting for me at the secret exit to the garden with his mask and frown in place. "How was your dinner with your best friend?"

  I slowed, resting my hands on my hips. "Jealous?"

  "Cautious," he replied. "Don't
trust everyone you meet. Especially a queen from a foreign nation."

  "Felix, I saw a girl about to be crucified, and I thought I might save her from that humiliation," I replied. "It's clear she didn't mean to just drop in."

  "Uh-huh. You really believe that?" Felix asked.

  "Everyone's been telling me what a horrible kingdom Severia is, how nobody can live there, everything's difficult. It does not surprise me that she would've gotten news a few weeks late."

  "And perhaps, perhaps, she's telling you a sob story so you'll give her special treatment," he said. "I can't believe you offered her a whole wing of the castle. We're trying to get ready for your coronation, we can't be dealing with this many guests."

  "Felix, come on." I rolled my eyes. "The coronation is in—"

  "Two months," he replied. "Eight weeks."

  I shuddered. "It's fine. I didn't tell her she could stay until the coronation. We'll just see what we can do for her then send her on her way."

  "And I don't like it one bit," Felix said, glaring at the ground with all the animosity he probably felt toward me. "There's something fishy going on."

  "You just don't like any of my friends," I said with a mock look.

  "Oh, so you're friends now?"

  I turned to him, batting my eyes at him and pouting. "Felix, you will always be my number one sidekick."

  "Funny," he said with a sneer.

  I grinned and nudged him. "At least we know what that big shipment was here for."

  "Yes, although I'm not convinced that it was just Ilara," Felix said. "There've been an awful lot of Severians arriving on our shores of late."

  "Probably because it's summer, we're having a festival, and they could use some money," I replied. "Isn't that what you said the other day?"

  "That was before the queen herself showed up unannounced."

  "She's a kitten, Felix," I said as we walked through the grate. "Poor thing is half-starved and desperate."

  He gave me a long, piercing look that warmed my cheeks then shook his head. "I think we shouldn't take what she says at face value. Maybe we should go back to Stank's and find out the real reason she's here."

  "I'd much rather focus on Beswick," I said. "Considering he's the threat to the kingdom at the moment, and not Ilara."

  "You don't know that," he said, stopping in the middle of the road. "I understand that you've got a one-track mind about things—"

  "I do not."

  He crossed his arms and quirked his brow—a feat considering half his face was obstructed by the mask.

  "Look, Princess Brynna is monitoring the situation," I said, uncrossing my arms and sticking my hands on my waist. "The Veil is focused on Beswick and his treason."

  "So now you're two people?" he asked with a teasing smile as we headed out into the dark streets.

  "Well, if you're so concerned, why don't you go to Stank's and ask around? Let me focus on Beswick." I shrugged. "After all, we are two people."

  "What? And let you walk right up to Beswick and get yourself killed?"

  "First of all," I said, elbowing him in the stomach, "I don't make moves that will get me killed. And second, as I've been telling you, all I want to do is listen to him."

  "And as I've been telling you, it's impossible to listen to him without being in the room with him, and that's too dangerous."

  "Oh, is it now?" I twirled on my heel to face him with a smirk as an idea came to me. "How about this, Captain? If I show you that I can get close to Beswick without him being the wiser, I'll lend you the gadget so you can listen in on Ilara. That way we both get what we want."

  Now both his eyebrows went up. "Go on."

  Chapter 22

  We returned to the bell tower, and I made a beeline for a trunk in the back of the room. It was where I kept my lesser-used toys, specialty gadgets I'd picked up over the years.

  "So how are you planning to listen to him without him knowing?" Felix asked, standing over me.

  "Here," I said, pulling a round metal cup attached to a string from the bottom of the trunk. The string was made of a special material, and on the other end was a small metal tube.

  "What's this?" Felix asked, as I handed it to him.

  "You put that tube inside the room and you can hear what's going on," I said, running my hand along the bottom of the trunk as I searched for the other half of the contraption. "I think it's Niemenian ore, or some kind of ore from the mountains. Kieran got it for me."

  "Hmph," Felix said, pressing the cup to his ear. "And how are you going to get this little tube into the room without them knowing?"

  "Ah!" I pulled a small hand drill from the bottom corner of the trunk. "Here. You use this to make a hole in the window pane, then slip the tube through. And then you can sit on the ledge and listen all you want."

  "Hm," Felix said, reaching into the trunk and grabbing a pair of gloves. "What are these for?"

  "Climbing walls," I said, snatching them out of his hand and tossing them back in the trunk then closing it. "C'mon, we've got to find him before we can eavesdrop on him."

  Beswick owned many clubs in the city, and while it wasn't a guarantee that he would make an appearance at any of them, he'd never be caught dead in an establishment he didn't own, and he was very careful not to mingle with the crowd. His managers were also paid a lot of money to make sure to know every face—thus infiltration was always difficult. And now I couldn't play the part of faceless patron as Beswick would recognize me.

  "But I'm getting ahead of myself," I said, glancing at Felix. I was yammering on like an excited child, but I didn't care. "We need to find out where he'll be first. And for that, we're going to visit Ruby again."

  The town square was still bustling, although the later-night crowd was mostly drunks wobbling home from the tavern and some beggars and thieves trying their luck against them. There, as usual, I found Ruby standing in front of her coffee shop, grousing and talking with clients as she flirted her way to higher tips.

  I took a seat at the farthest table and waited for her to come find me.

  "Ruby, how are you this evening?" I said.

  "Fair to middling," she said, leaning over the chair. "It's been a while since you've come to see me. Been busy saving the kingdom?"

  "You could say that," I replied. "What's the good word?"

  "Celia has a bone to pick with you, as you picked a bone with her favorite lieutenant."

  I snorted. "Then maybe her lieutenants shouldn't be threatening innocent girls in my city."

  "My dear, you don't want to pick a fight with Celia unless you're ready to take her on."

  "Celia isn't my focus tonight," I said. "Curious where Beswick is spending his nights."

  "Aren't we all." She rolled her shoulders. "Beswick keeps his movements fairly tight. But I know things. Hear things. For a price."

  I dug into my pocket and handed her five of the gold coins in my pocket. "Will that suffice?"

  "Oh, my sweet love, it's very expensive information I have. It's not every day you come asking about my employer."

  "You work for Beswick?" I said, struggling to keep the surprise out of my voice.

  "Everyone works for him down here," she said, gesturing to the surrounding buildings. "But my loyalty is worth a price. As long as you don't speak my name."

  "I won't." I pulled another ten coins from my pocket then thought better of it and added what else I had. "Enough?"

  "Oh, yes, I believe so," she said, gathering the coins in her hand. "Beswick isn't really well known for staying in the same spots. He likes to inspect his clubs himself, usually by surprise. But there's always someone who knows, and you'll always see a flurry of cleaning at the club he's visiting." She smiled. "Tonight, the Bird's Nest, over near the docks, was getting a good scrub down."

  I nodded. "Thank you for this."

  "Don't come back to me if my information is incorrect. Sometimes they clean for no reason."

  "I have no reason to doubt you," I replied.

/>   I filled Felix in as we made our way down to the Bird's Nest, another seaside bar popular with sailors. Tonight, though, the place was mostly empty, and none of the inn's windows spilled light. That boded well for Ruby's information, and for me.

  Felix and I swept around to the back of the place, keeping out of the moonlight to peer into the windows. The taproom was empty, save a few regulars at the bar and a bartender. So we continued around to the back, spotting a lone light coming from the top window.

  "I'm going to get up to the second floor," I said to Felix. "The room next to him may be empty, and I can listen in from there."

  "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

  "Felix, trust me," I said with a grin. "And give me a leg up."

  I found some foot holes in the brick and shimmied up the side of the building with my knife between my teeth. Instead of going to the lighted window, I moved to the darker one, one room over. With one hand on the window ledge, I stuck my knife through the joint where the pane met wood and carefully cut through the glue. With a small suction device, I pulled the pane out and stuck my hand through, unlocking the window. Once inside, I pressed the pane back into its spot, reattaching it with a little glue in my pocket.

  As I'd suspected, this top room was merely a storage place, filled with boxes of glassware from Severia, the royal seal imprinted on the boxes. Taking extra care not to lean too hard on any of the floorboards, I crossed to the other side of the room and knelt down to the floor. From my pouch, I pulled the small drill and pressed it against the wall, slowly rotating the handle to turn the bit. Once I'd reached the other side, I carefully pulled the instrument out and threaded the metal tube to the other side. Then I pressed the cup to my ear and listened.

  "…my good man. Excellent nosh tonight."

  I smiled to myself. Beswick was speaking, none the wiser that he was being listened to.

  "I was just at the Night Horse, and it's a total shitbox. They've really let it go. May have to fire everyone on the staff. But you, Terrence, you've run a tight ship, even with, well…" He chuckled. "All the shipmen here."