The Veil of Trust

by S. Usher Evans

  "I thought you were done doling out advice," I said, returning to the trunk.

  "Not advice. A question."

  "Then I'll make myself valuable to him," I said, after a moment. "But first we need to figure out what he's up to—and find him. Most of these are businesses, which means we'll need to investigate during the day—"

  "You can't leave."

  "There are hundreds of names here," I said. "You can hardly expect to go through all of them by yourselves."

  "And about half the city has left for greener pastures," he said, plucking the journal from my hand. "Remember what I said the other day about delegation? This ain't something a queen needs to handle. Especially a queen everybody recognizes. Do you think you can just walk into these places and ask them what they've been up to?"

  I scowled. "Well, no, but—"

  "Just stay here during daylight hours," Jax said, lying down to sleep on the floor he'd claimed the night before. "Because I can only do one thing at a time—babysit you or go through this list. Your choice."

  In the end, I opted to stay behind. Jax was clearly being motivated by money, and taking his job seriously. So instead of moping, I spent my time crafting arrows from raw material I had and searching for the names of alternate Nestori suppliers. It distracted me from the gnawing feeling that the two of them wouldn't do as good a job as I would. That they'd ignore certain details or wouldn't understand context.

  At dusk, Jax and Elisha returned together with a loaf of mostly-stale bread and loud complaints about how they'd been on their feet all day.

  "How much of the notebook did you get through?" I asked.

  "All of it," Jax said, throwing it at me.

  "R-really?" I opened the notebook to find nearly every name scratched off. "All of it? There's a bunch of names in here. Are you sure—"

  "Your Queen Ilara made it real easy. Half the businesses in the city are shuttered," Jax said. "So all we had to do was walk around and mark them off."

  "Oh." I put the notebook down. "How many are left?"

  "Fifteen or so," Jax said. "Couple businesses, couple seafaring merchants. A few I couldn't figure from looking at them."

  My conversation with Vernice became a bit clearer. "Apparently, Ilara's ordered all Forcadelian merchants to bypass the city. They're picking up whatever produce they can from the farms along the border and sending it straight to Severia via the eastern ports. The merchants have been instructed to return with glass."

  "And why do I care?" Jax asked.

  "Well, in the first place, it means less food for Forcadel, which will further inflame tensions," I said. "And it means that the merchants are effectively losing money on every shipment, because they can't make the same from glass as food." I put my hands on my hips. "Any who don't follow orders will join Felix in the dungeons."

  "I think Ilara is severely overestimating the number of prison cells she has," Jax said.

  "Perhaps," I said. "Or perhaps she'll just expedite the executions."

  I let Jax and Elisha sleep away the final hours of sunlight while I thumbed through the very short list of targets for the night. Some were spread out, but a cluster was within a few blocks. It would be safer to hit those first then see what information we'd found.

  After darkness fell, Jax, Elisha, and I headed toward Merchant's Quarter. There, every other building had been boarded up, and those that remained seemed to have let maintenance go. Forcadel was dying.

  "I liked that place." Jax pointed to a boarded-up sweet shop across the street. "Wonder what happened to her?"

  "Hopefully, she just decided there were greener pastures," I said, but in the pit of my stomach, I knew otherwise.

  The first stop was a man who owned a few parcels of land around the city. Although Beswick had built his wealth obtaining property and charging exorbitant amounts of rent for it (and when the tenants couldn't pay, blackmailing them into helping with his criminal empire), he'd allowed a couple of other landlords to thrive in the city—if only to hide his more heinous crimes and disloyal dealings.

  This particular landlord, Waldemar, had ten properties in the city, but his own house was modest in size. Like its neighbors, the windows were dark and the hedges overgrown. So while Elisha played lookout, I picked the lock and the three of us slipped inside.

  "This doesn't look promising," Jax remarked, gesturing to the sheets over the furniture. "How long you think he's been gone?"

  "You said he was still around," I replied, walking to one of the sheets and lifting it.

  "I said his tenants were still sending him money." He opened an empty china cabinet. "Either they're sending it pretty far, or they ain't sending it to him."

  I filed that idea as another thread to pull, and Jax and I went upstairs to find something we could use. On the second floor, there were two small bedrooms—both empty—and an office overlooking the street. The office was small, with a large desk in the center facing the window, and stacks of wooden drawers lining the wall.

  "Jax, Elisha, go through the drawers," I said, nodding to the wall. "I'll work through the desk."

  I sat down on a squeaky chair that was stiff from disuse and rolled forward. There were a handful of papers on the desk, but all of them were dated at least six months before—prior to the invasion. The drawers on the side were similarly empty—just pens and a few jars of ink. But I did find a list of his current tenants, fifteen in all.

  "This is a dead end," Jax said, after going through the first drawer. "And this place gives me the creeps."

  "Fine, we'll go," I said. "But this isn't a dead end. If they aren't sending their rent checks to this guy, smart money says it's actually going to Beswick. So we follow the money and we'll find him."

  "Tonight?"

  "Later," I said, getting to my feet. "If the other leads don't pan out. Always good to have some backup plans in mind."

  We set out for the next target, Halbert, one of four shipping magnates on the list. His home was dark, but there were two guards outside.

  "Are you going to take them out?" Jax asked as we watched from a nearby rooftop.

  "I don't know if I want to announce myself just yet," I said. "Check the notebook. Weren't there two addresses listed for him?"

  "Yeah." He squinted in the dark. "This one's a little closer to the water."

  The second address turned out to be Halbert's office, which was unguarded. It was a small two-story building overlooking the docks and fairly easy to break into. The first room was a clerk's office with about five desks crammed with papers and thick books.

  "Fan out," I said to them. "I'll go upstairs to see if I can find anything up there."

  "What am I looking for?" Elisha asked.

  "Shipping manifests, employment ledgers," I said as I walked to the back. "We need more names and addresses of people to investigate, and I want to know what's come into Forcadel over the past six months—and what's coming."

  Much like at our first stop, Halbert's office offered very little of value. Still, Elisha did unearth a shipping schedule buried in one of the many drawers of papers, including one that would be coming in the next week.

  "Hang onto that," I told her.

  We continued to the next house, which belonged to the owner of a shipbuilding operation to the south of Forcadel. The entire top floor of her fine townhouse was lit up, and the merchant herself paced in her office. On the floor below, her two children were playing in their bedroom. I didn't feel right about breaking into her house with her kids there.

  "Oi," Jax said, pointing to the street. Two large men sat on the stoop, curls of smoke coming from their lips. "Seems to be a pattern for those still in the city."

  "Indeed," I said, although the security was probably more for her kids' sakes than hers.

  Our next mark was a Niemenian-born ore trader named Goossen. He helped facilitate business deals between Forcadelian businesses and Niemenian metalworks, and per my notes, did most of his business from his house. His townhouse was t
wo blocks over, but unlike the shipbuilder's, this place was dark and deserted.

  I easily picked the lock on the front door and quickly discovered why. Someone had ransacked the place. Tables were overturned, and a desk in the corner had all the drawers pulled out and dumped onto the floor. Yet all the fine china and gold place settings were still intact in the china cabinet.

  "They weren't after this," Jax said, pocketing one of the gold forks and a spoon. "What were they after?"

  "This guy was Niemenian, right?" I said. "Maybe it was the royal guards. Ond is from Niemen, after all. Maybe they thought this guy was responsible for getting it into the city."

  "I doubt he'd be so dumb," Jax said. "More likely, they were looking for a scapegoat."

  I walked into Goossen's office, sitting down at the desk and drumming my fingers on the wood. Those who worked with Beswick didn't worry about the repercussions of their actions—not from the royal guards, at least. Something had spooked him enough that he'd left all his worldly possessions behind.

  I came back downstairs to find the china cabinet empty.

  "Jax…" I called behind me. "Where's the gold?"

  "What does it matter?" he said, adjusting the visibly heavy slingbag on his back. "He's not gonna be using it anymore. And we need gold if you don't want us stealing food. We can't just make bread and meat magically appear."

  I couldn't argue that point. Besides, most of the finery in the house had probably been purchased with money stolen from the citizens of Forcadel.

  "Just…don't be greedy," I said with a look. "I'm going to go check the back rooms."

  I ignored his comeback as I gently pushed open doors along the back hallway. Closet, closet, small sitting area, then, I supposed, the master bedroom. And on the floor, bleeding out of the side of his head, was our merchant.

  "So…still think it was the royal guards?" Jax asked over my shoulder.

  "No, this was Beswick," I said, walking over to the guy. His skin was slick with sweat and his color was pale, but as I knelt down next to him, he moaned.

  "He's alive," I said, pressing two fingers to his neck. "Maybe he'll talk with us—"

  "Erm, you guys?" Elisha called from downstairs. "We might want to get out of here."

  "Why?"

  "Remember that stuff we used to blow up the gate? There's some of it in the kitchen…and the bag is on fire."

  Jax and I shared a wide-eyed look as my heart stopped in my chest. "We have to get him out of here," I said.

  "Are you mad? Leave him!"

  "He's a lead!"

  "He's as good as dead, and so are we if we don't get the hell out of here!"

  I hesitated, but Jax grabbed me by the shirt and practically dragged me out of the house. Elisha was already waiting on the other side of the street, wringing her hands.

  "Jax, we have to go back for—"

  The house exploded in a fireball, sending debris flying. I grabbed Elisha and pulled her to the ground, shielding her head with my hand and waiting for the initial blast to die down. Across the street, doors opened and people ran out, gasping and pointing at the explosion. In the distance, more shouts—perhaps the Severian guard on their way.

  "Go back for him, my ass," Jax said, wiping soot from his face. "We nearly got ourselves killed. And I'm not getting paid if you're dead."

  I stared at the burning wreckage of the house as the twin emotions of relief and guilt swam through my mind.

  "He was already dead," Jax said. "What was the point in blowing him up?"

  "Because it wasn't about him," I said darkly. "It was about sending a message to all the others in Beswick's circle. If you cross him, that's what'll happen to you."

  "And you're sure you want to keep poking that monster?" Jax asked.

  "If he continues unchecked, more people will die," I said, as five Severian guards ran down the street. "Let's get out of here."

  Chapter 10

  Katarine

  My anxiety for Felix was a constant hum in the back of my mind. I'd taken the name he'd given me to Ilara and it had bought him a temporary reprieve. But the woman refused to talk and was promptly put to death. I'd thought for sure the gallows would shake her tongue loose, but she'd died silently. Whomever she'd sworn allegiance to was clearly more terrifying than death.

  More importantly, she'd been a dead end, which meant Felix was back in Ilara's crosshairs. When I asked if I could visit him again, she was clear: my one chance to get him to talk had been used, and I wouldn't get a second.

  Still, Felix and Ruby had proven a nice distraction from Beata's departure. In my private moments in the mornings, I would roll over to the space beside me, expecting to find Beata there. When she wasn't, the hole in my heart ached. I wasn't a crier, but I found myself on the verge of tears more often than not. I had to hope she was safe and far from Forcadel. Perhaps even with Brynna, giving her a stern lecture for almost dying.

  Jorad had given me some hope that Brynna was moving in the right direction, and Ariadna's letter (spring is coming) was similarly optimistic. But it was hard to maintain the hope when Severian forces marched everywhere I looked.

  How in the Mother's name could Brynna fight such a thing? And would Felix last long enough in the dungeons to see the light of day again?

  I calmed myself, pressing my hand to my heart. Brynna had been a masked vigilante for years, and before that, a feared thief. She was smart and capable, and had clearly learned the value of delegation and teamwork. If she could only put her ego aside, she would be unstoppable. I also had faith Beata would put Brynna in her place if need be. That woman could tame a fire with a glare if she had a mind to. And Felix was too stubborn to die.

  There was a soft rap at my door. "Lady Katarine, a message for you."

  I pushed myself out of bed and walked to the door, running my hand through my disheveled hair and smoothing my nightgown before opening the door. A young Severian messenger had a note on a silver platter. I didn't need to open the invitation to know who it was from.

  "Tell Her Majesty I will be down as quickly as I can," I said, placing the opened letter back on the tray.

  The messenger bowed and walked away, and I hurried back to my boudoir to finish my makeup. Ilara wouldn't wait for very long, so I quickly applied my eye and face creams and swept my hair into a simple braid down my back. Without Beata here to sew me into a dress, I had to opt for a looser version, a periwinkle blue number that slipped easily over my shift.

  After a final look in the mirror to check my mask, I met the servant in the hallway and accompanied him to the throne room.

  When I arrived, someone was already there—a Severian woman wearing a light yellow dress, her hands folded neatly in her lap. I'd never seen her before and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

  "Good morning, Your Majesty," I said, curtseying.

  "And a wonderful morning to you, Lady Kat," Ilara said. "I'm so glad you're here. I have wonderful news for you."

  Wonderful. "Oh?"

  "This is Luisa," Ilara said. "Since Beata's left, I thought it prudent to give you a new assistant. Lady Luisa was my closest confidante in Severia and was handling business for me there. She arrived just last night."

  Odd, as Beata had only been gone a few days now. It took at least two weeks to reach the eastern cities of Forcadel, let alone get a letter all the way to Severia. This move had been planned for some time.

  "I appreciate the offer," I began slowly, "but I'm confident Bea will be back soon. It was only a small quarrel."

  "I share your confidence," she said with a simpering smile. "But in the meantime, it's not right for you to manage all your duties by yourself, on top of keeping your home running. Luisa will merely stand in until such time as Beata returns from her journey."

  I curtseyed a little, even though I didn't want to. "Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you for your generosity."

  "The two of you should get to know one another," Ilara said. "Luisa, please take care of Lady Kat as you
took care of me."

  "It would be my honor," she said. "Come, Lady Katarine, shall we go for a walk?"

  Even if I didn't want to, I had a feeling I wouldn't have a choice. "Lead the way."

  The Severian walked in lockstep with me, clearly used to this role. She was older than Ilara—closer to my age, in fact. Her walk was confident, yet demure, and although her focus was straight ahead, she was observing everything. I couldn't trust her, but I would have to bring her closer than I would've liked to keep her from raising the alarm.

  "So," I began, "tell me about yourself, Lady Luisa."

  "Please, Lady Katarine, just Luisa," she said. "I'm not sure what there is to tell. I grew up in the capital in Severia as the fourth daughter of a pair of councilors."

  "How long have you served Her Majesty?" I asked.

  "Since we were children," she said. "I was her playmate first, and when it became clear she would not accept just any servant, I stepped in and offered my services. When she assumed the throne, she asked me to continue as her confidante and advisor."

  And was it you who guided her to invade Forcadel? "You must be quite close. I'm sure you're glad to be back with her."

  "I would prefer to be back in Severia, but this place will become home soon enough," she said. "It's been nearly a year since I've seen my queen. She has truly grown into her role."

  "She has," I replied.

  "And you, my lady? How did a Niemenian arrive at the Forcadelian palace?"

  "I was married to Prince August in a treaty between our countries," I said. "I have lived in this castle since I was thirteen."

  "How is it that you fare so well here in the south?" she asked, tilting her head toward me. "It must've been such an adjustment."

  "I certainly had help," I replied. If she wanted to poke around in my relationships, I would offer a little taste, just to sate her. "When I first arrived, August noticed my dresses were all wool, so he had a brand new wardrobe commissioned in cotton and linen. It was the first time that I really felt I would be at home here."

  "August seems like he was a wonderful man." Luisa's smile was anything but genuine. "Your capacity for forgiveness is incredible."