Abuud: the One-Eyed God (8 page)

"Thank you, Fabel," said the voice. "To what do I owe a visit from three of Tagaret's finest?"

"Thank you for admitting us," Duke Graves said before either of the other councilors could reply. "We wanted to welcome you to Tagaret."

The voice was silent, and Duke Graves peered at the turbaned shadow in an attempt to gauge the person beyond the silk screen.

"Your reputation precedes you, Sir," Duke Graves continued. "While I will not presume to use your name, others in this city have done so. Frankly we seek to validate or invalidate the claims of another."

"What do I care what common people say?" questioned the voice.

"There is a person in this city who claims that you are dead and that she has inherited your wealth," Duke Graves continued. "She now seeks a seat on the Council and her ancestry certainly is being considered in a positive manner. I would think that you would detest a fraud using your good name."

"Clearly you can be ascertained that I am not dead," the voice responded. "Be assured that unless it is by ill means, I shall never be dead."

"Preposterous!" exclaimed Duke Tredor. "Nobody lives forever."

"Really?" chuckled the voice. "What good is wealth if you cannot obtain that which matters most to you? Specialized magics are outrageously expensive, but some are well worth the great expenditure. As for your Council, I could care less what politicians do. It is no concern of mine."

"There are those on the Council who will wish to make it your business," retorted Duke Graves. "While your mercenaries are impressive, the Council controls the army. Surely a few words from you are worth the potential trouble these sinister people can create?"

"Very well," sighed the voice after a long pause. "Why can't people let me be? Do not ask me about my family or lack of one, but I will tell you that I have no relatives living in Tagaret. Anyone who purports to be my heir in this city is a fraud."

"As I thought," declared Duke Zalski. "What do we do about her now?"

"Your Council is an interesting device," commented the voice. "It would seem to me that you should desire to fill your vacancies with people who do not bring any alliances with them. If the Council continues its current path, all of you will die like Duke D'Ales did."

"You already know about Duke D'Ales?" questioned Duke Tredor. "I did not realize the news was released yet."

"I do not wait for news to be released," responded the voice. "I presume that Duke Engar has already been arrested?"

"At the Council meeting this morning," nodded Duke Zalski. "Not more than an hour ago."

"He will not be the last," declared the voice. "You three should really look into the use of mercenaries. They are expensive, but do you wish to save your money as Duke D'Ales did?"

"How could you possibly know about Duke Engar?" inquired Duke Graves. "We are councilors and just found out about it. In fact, Duke Everich just found out this morning himself. You could not possibly know unless you were involved."

"Be careful of your accusations in my presence," warned the voice. "While I may not care much for your Council, I am a law-abiding man. In fact, it was I who alerted the authorities about the assassination. That they failed to act in time to save Duke D'Ales is not my responsibility."

"You reported the assassination before it occurred?" asked Duke Tredor.

"I felt it was the duty of a good citizen," answered the voice. "Mind you I am not the type of person who offers information to others, but this situation did appear to be unsettling. Duke Everich and Duke Jiardin appeared to be thankful, and I fully expected them to take immediate action. This Contest of Power you play is very destructive. I am glad that I have no desire to be involved in it."

"So they knew last night," scowled Duke Tredor. "We should have words with them."

"Your attitude needs work," berated the voice. "There are ground rules for dealing with me, so let me state them now for those of you who do not know. Never, and I mean never, allow others to know that your information comes from me. I will not allow it. While I am a lawful man, I have learned many ways of legally destroying a man. If you affect my reputation by using information that I give you, rest assured that your destruction will be swift and permanent."

"Nothing we learn here will ever be attributable to you," promised Duke Graves. "I think the rash response of my colleague stems from his frustration, but I am sure he would never compromise you."

"What are we do about the nominations now?" Duke Zalski asked his fellow councilors. "We cannot continue to promote Niki."

"We need someone who has no connection to Duke Everich," snarled Duke Tredor, "and that will be hard to find."

"And someone who is not likely to be persuaded by him after being accepted on the Council," added Duke Graves. "Perhaps you have a suggestion, Sir?"

"As I said, before," responded the voice, "I am loathe to get involved in politics. Were I you, I would nominate someone of considerable station, but preferably someone new to the city. Seek out someone who has not been here long enough to get involved with the other players."

"Do you know of such a person?" inquired Duke Zalski.

"There are several," replied the voice. "I have files on all of them."

"You keep files on everyone?" asked Duke Graves.

"Of course," chuckled the voice. "One does not get wealthy by leaving things to chance. When I make a deal with someone, I like to know whom I am dealing with. That requires extensive information on everyone. I will not share this information with you or anyone else though. That is not the purpose for which it was obtained. I do not use information to gain an advantage over anyone. I use it to assure myself that I am not being the victim of misrepresentations. I value honesty in my trading partners."

"If we were to ask you for the names of nobles who were honest and without ties to families in the city," asked Duke Graves, "would that be permissible? Surely that is not asking you to betray any real information or sources."

The voice was silent for a long time and the councilors fidgeted as they waited. "There are two honest nobles that I have dealt with in the past few years," the voice finally offered. "Both are from Sordoa and are new to the city. In fact, they came to me for financing for their homes and guards. I readily agreed as I have had long-standing relationships with their families and have always been treated honestly by them. I do not know if they will want to be bothered by politics though. They have come to Tagaret to avoid the devastation that is gripping Sordoa."

"That sounds promising," nodded Duke Graves. "Is Lord Wason one of them?"

"No," answered the voice. "I have not had any financial dealings with the young lord from Cidal. I did deal with his uncle, Amos Alrecht. The old sea captain was an honest man. Now I am afraid that I must end your audience. I do have tasks that require my immediate attention. I will have Fabel show you out."

"Sir," Duke Graves quickly called out as he heard a distant gong sound probably meant to summon the servant, "May we have the names of the two nobles?"

The lights behind the silk screen flickered out. "Lord Clava and Lord Markel," the voice said as it rose from the chair behind the screen. "I doubt they will play in your game though. Both are men of high honor and value truth above all else."

Duke Graves rose and saw the old servant enter the room. Without a word, the servant waited for the three councilors and then escorted them to their carriage. The carriage exited the estate and returned to the Palace Shadow. The councilors returned to the dining room and ordered a bottle of wine.

"Can we trust him?" Duke Tredor finally asked.

"Trust him?" echoed Duke Zalski. "What is there to trust? He did not ask anything of us, and he appeared reluctant to even offer any information. The real question is, if it is advisable to take his advice."

"One piece of his advice I am certain to take," offered Duke Graves. "It is time for me to get serious about my security. These young army lads that we have moonlighting as security men are not sufficient for our protection. I plan to get some well-trained mercenaries for my estate. I will not be the next victim in the Contest of Power."

"How expensive are they?" asked Duke Tredor.

"One hundred crowns a day per man," frowned Duke Graves. "They are not inexpensive, but neither is my life. Stafa Rakech was correct about Duke D'Ales valuing his money more than his security. That is why he is no longer with us."

"Interesting that Duke Everich knew about it beforehand," interjected Duke Zalski. "Why do you suppose he didn't act upon the information?"

"D'Ales never agreed with Duke Everich," Duke Graves pointed out. "Capturing the assassin was important, but stopping the assassination was not. I always suspected that Duke Jiardin was Everich's man."

"Certainly not his only one either," added Duke Tredor. "I think we should interview Lord Clava and Lord Markel this afternoon. Perhaps they can be talked into sitting on the Council, and they will favor our views because we brought them in."

"There are no shortages of people begging to be on the Council," sighed Duke Graves, "but after the events of this morning I am hesitant to nominate anyone who has lived in this city for long. I fear the Contest of Power is about to go through one of its bloodier phases. Choosing two Sordoans who are new to the city may well aid our longevity. Count me in."

"And me," added Duke Zalski. "At least we will be able to eliminate a couple of councilors from the suspect list when the next assassination takes place."

"And what about Niki Forloe?" questioned Duke Tredor. "She cannot be allowed to get away with her deception."

"She does not even have bodyguards," commented Duke Zalski. "I suspect that she does not have long to live."

***

"Tell me that we are not staying at the Empty Keg again," Tanya pleaded as the ship docked in Tagaret.

"No," laughed Alex as the gangplank was put in place. "We will be leaving by land this time. Tanya, you will join Jenneva and I at the Golden Sword. The boys can get a room at the Falcon's Hood. Don't forget to check the Pawn Shop for messages. I am not sure when we will be leaving the city."

"I have to go check on my army," chirped Prince Midge as he launched himself off of Arik's shoulder. "I will rejoin the Bringer at the Falcon's Hood."

"What does the Sword of Heavens say?" Jenneva asked Arik.

"Almost due west," Arik answered. "About as far as the fairy village was from the pass in the West Mountains."

"That places the diamond near Klandon," suggested Alex as he adjusted his wig to cover the rear of his neck where his long braid was tucked under his cloak. "Let's move out and get off the streets."

The Alcea Rangers split up and made for their respective inns. Alex left the Golden Sword as soon as he got the room for Jenneva and himself. He moved swiftly through the streets of the city until he entered the Sword and Shield Inn. He followed his secret procedure for getting a room overlooking the street and sat on the floor to wait for Larc.

"You are becoming a frequent visitor," greeted Larc as he slipped through the door and sat on the floor near the window.

"I go where the Sword of Heavens directs me," smiled Alex. "Tell me the state of affairs in Tagaret."

"Mercenary guards are a big seller today," informed Larc. "One of the councilors was assassinated last night. Another councilor was arrested for the assassination. We have managed to get quite a few Rangers into the city as mercenaries."

"Are we going to manage to get our people on the Council?" Alex inquired.

"We don't really know," admitted Larc. "It seems unlikely, but nothing is ever certain with the Council. There are hundreds of nobles making the rounds today to try to influence the councilors. It would have been better if we had had more time before this happened."

***

Prince Midge darted in the window of the Falcon's Hood and settled on Arik's shoulder. "There is great trouble, Bringer," he reported. "We have to move now. Get your weapons."

"What is the problem, Midge?" Arik asked as he grabbed his sword.

"Niki is to be assassinated today," Midge said nervously. "I do not know how much time we have."

"We can't just run off and rescue her," protested Tedi. "If they mean to kill her then we have to get her out of the mansion. Just disrupting one threat will not save her."

"More likely, we must get her out of the city," frowned Arik. "They will be looking for her if the first attempt doesn't work. I wonder if she will even see us? Get all of our gear packed and see if you can buy a horse for her. I will go with Midge now and he will come back to tell you where we are."

"What about the rest of the Rangers?" quizzed Tedi as he grabbed their belongings.

"It would not be safe for Alex and Jenneva to be seen," frowned Arik. "This is something we will have to do ourselves. Prince Midge can tell them later where we are."

"Alright," agreed Tedi. "I will hang around the stables waiting for Prince Midge."

"Let's go, Midge," prompted Arik as he headed out the door. "Lead the way."

Arik mounted Chaco and Prince Midge perched on his collar as they navigated the streets of Tagaret. When they got to Niki's mansion, Arik dismounted long enough to swing the gate open and then rode to the front door. He dismounted again and walked up the steps while trying to appear calm. He banged on the door and waited impatiently, wondering if Niki would even see him when she found out who was knocking. After what felt like an eternity, the door slowly opened.

"Arik!" exclaimed Niki. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would visit," smiled Arik. "May I come in?"

"Certainly," frowned Niki. "I don't know what happened to the servants tonight. This is so embarrassing. Your first visit to me, the next councilor of Tagaret, and I can't even find a servant to answer the door. I shall have to have them severely punished tomorrow."

"Let's not dwell on the servants," suggested Arik as he slipped through the door and Prince Midge took to the air. "Niki, I heard some very disturbing news tonight. Your life is in danger."