The Veil of Trust

by S. Usher Evans

  "And your soldiers? Do you think they'll just stay up there and wait for you?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't be surprised if half of them left already."

  "As soon as I make contact with Beswick," I said, my face flushing, "I'll meet up with the soldiers."

  "And tell them what?"

  My cheeks grew warmer. "I haven't figured that out yet. But if you want to earn some more gold from Celia, why don't you come up with something I can use to find Beswick?" I walked to the open trunk where my mask and cloak were waiting. "And in the meantime, I'm going out."

  I hadn't meant to snap, but my patience was growing thin. It wasn't just that the soldiers up north needed my attention; it seemed everything I was trying lately was failing. I sat on the roof next to the church, looking at the castle and wishing for the umpteenth time that I'd been able to get Felix and Katarine out. I would've liked to hear their opinion on things. I missed Luard, too, and the unique way he'd managed to keep me both laughing and on track.

  But more than anything, I wanted to see Beswick get justice for all he'd done.

  I paced the city aimlessly, but I ended up down at the docks, perched on a roof across from the dock master's house. Three guards stood in front of the house, watching the empty streets. They hadn't been there before, but perhaps all of the shippers dropping dead in their houses had been cause for alarm.

  That, or they were hoping to intercept something. The minutes passed slowly. Every fifteen minutes, another patrol passed by, waving at their compatriots and chatting quietly before moving on.

  "Riveting," Jax said, sitting down next to me.

  "Better than nothing," I said. "How much gold is Celia paying you, anyway?"

  "Enough to put up with you," he said.

  I waited for another volley, but he just sat quietly with me. Perhaps he'd said all he wanted to say back in the bell tower. Or he was keeping silent to avoid being seen by the guards. Either way, I was glad for the time with my thoughts.

  "I hear what you're saying," I began after a moment. "But I disagree with your assessment of the situation."

  "That's fine. You're wrong, though. But I ain't wasting any more energy on this."

  "I—"

  One of the three guards coughed, then pointed to a clock nearby. His compatriots murmured to themselves, then adjusted their swords and turned to walk away, leaving him alone.

  Not three minutes later, a wagon rolled up to the dock.

  "What is it?" Jax said, squinting in the darkness.

  "Delivery of some kind," I said. "Maybe more ond?"

  "If that's ond, we're in trouble," Jax said, his eyes widening.

  In the dim light, I could just make out the shapes of men walking off the docks. But unlike the previous night, where a single bag had been handed off, today's shipment contained large crates that required two men to carry.

  My mouth went dry—a small bag was enough to level the gates in Neveri. That couldn't be ond, could it?

  They offloaded the cargo in minutes, perhaps knowing that they were carrying explosives. Just as the last box was put on the wagon, the coachman snapped the reins and off they went.

  "C'mon," I said to Jax.

  I kept in close pursuit, marveling at how the wagon driver seemed to know when a Severian guard would be patrolling so they'd stop in an alley and wait them out. But perhaps Beswick had ingratiated himself with the Severian guards as he'd done with the Forcadelians.

  When the wagon stopped in front of a familiar building, a grin grew on my face.

  "This is one of Beswick's old clubs," I said to Jax.

  "Seems odd he'd use a known place," Jax said. "If I were him, I would've bought a new building and stashed whatever I was smuggling there."

  I couldn't disagree. When the cargo was offloaded inside the building, all seven guards jumped back on the wagon and rode off into the night. By the looks of it, the place was completely unguarded.

  "Wait," Jax said, taking my arm. "It may be—"

  "If it's a trap, we'll get out," I said. "But something's off about this. I want to see where they're going."

  I patrolled the perimeter for a moment, listening. When I was positive it was safe, I worked the lock while Jax kept my crossbow pointed above my head. The door creaked open to reveal…

  A room filled with boxes. And nothing else.

  "Odd," Jax said, handing me the crossbow.

  The faint metallic smell of ond was missing, but they could've just packed it tightly. "Maybe the ond is buried in one of these boxes," I said, craning my neck to take in the stacks.

  "Only one way to find out," he said, walking to the first box.

  My hands shook with anticipation. Would I even know what it was? Or would it be like ond, a simple weapon but potent under the right circumstances?

  I cracked open the top of the first crate and found…bread? Thick, brown, crusty loaves that were just a little stale, but still edible.

  "Huh," Jax said, holding up an apple from his crate. From the color, they appeared to be Kulkan.

  I dug to the bottom of the crate, but there was nothing but more loaves.

  "What in the Mother's name is going on here?" Jax said, pulling out a large potato from another set. "Did Beswick grow a heart or something?"

  "I sincerely doubt that," I said, shaking my head. "He doesn't do anything without it benefitting him first. I bet there's ond in here somewhere. Why in the Mother's name would he go through all this trouble to smuggle in food?"

  "Because food's illegal now," Jax said slowly. "That queen just put out another edict. All shipments of food go to the east, toward Severia. Ain't nothing supposed to come here first."

  I barked a laugh. "Sure. That's a smart move."

  "Nobody said she was smart, but Beswick sure is," he said, tossing the potato back in with the others. "If he's here doling out food like a saint, the people might be more likely to follow him into a rebellion against Ilara."

  "But why would Ilara cut off food to Forcadel?" I asked, more to myself than him. "There are hundreds of Severians here, too. That's a recipe for disaster." I shook my head. "There has to be ond in here somewhere."

  "You're free to spend the night opening every box in here," Jax said. "But the writing's on the wall, if you ask me."

  There was no sign of the food in the market square for the next few days. Both Elisha and Jax reported nothing but moldy and overripe produce. But I'd expected that. The guards were quick to arrest anyone who had anything that looked remotely edible.

  So what was Beswick doing with it all?

  "He's got to move within the next week," I said, pacing the bell tower. "Or all that food is going to rot."

  Jax snored in response. Elisha had gone out again to watch the tenants, although even she was starting to question the brilliance of it. But I had no other good options. What I wouldn't have given for Luard's advice right now.

  You know what he'd say. You should be up in the camp with your troops.

  Jax snorted, waking himself up, then fell back to sleep. I glared at his sprawling body, annoyed that he wasn't being more helpful. But every time I asked for his advice, it was more or less the same. He wanted me to go back up north. Clearly, he considered this investigation a dead end. I wondered when the sum of gold Celia had promised him would be less tantalizing than putting up with me.

  Footsteps echoed on the stairs below, followed by Elisha's whistle.

  "She's early," I said to an asleep Jax. "You clearly care so much. Glad it wasn't anyone here to kill us."

  "I would've gotten up if it was."

  I took the stairs two-by-two, hoping Elisha's early reappearance merited something good for us.

  "Is everything okay?" I asked. "You're back early."

  "Kind of," she said, looking up at me. "I know you said to watch the tenants, and I was doing that, but I saw something odd. A guy with a pencil-thin mustache came to visit the lawyer guy. He gave me the creeps, you know?"

  My pulse skipped
. Sounded very familiar. "Did you get his name?"

  "No," she said. "But he really freaked me out, so I followed him."

  "Good girl," I said with a smile. "Where'd he go?"

  "He went to a couple other tenants, and some people who weren't on your list, too." She shifted uneasily. "I couldn't hear what he said to all of them, but I did sneak into one of their offices to listen. Was almost caught, but I got out."

  "Glad you didn't get caught," I said with a half-smile. "What did you hear?"

  "He said there was gonna be a meeting tonight," she said. "He said 'the usual spot' but I don't know if we know what that means. Do we?"

  "No. Beswick had a ton of places all over the city during his heyday," I said, chewing my lip. "But we can follow the tenants. You go back to the lawyer, Jax and I will take another. Hopefully, we'll all meet up at the same place."

  She nodded. "So I did good?"

  "You did great, kid," I said with a smile. "You'll make a vigilante yet."

  Chapter 13

  Jax and I went with Elisha to stake out one of the tenants she'd seen, which was a feat considering it was the afternoon and he lived on the other side of the city. But Jax threw a cloak over my head and pretended I was his old mother, so we walked by Severian guards without any trouble.

  It was well after midnight when our target finally left his house, wearing a black cloak and leaving through his backdoor. We kept our distance, dodging the same soldiers he did, until he disappeared into a dilapidated bar that used to belong to a friend of mine.

  After making sure the coast was clear, I crossed the street to the abandoned building. Luckily for me, I knew the inside well, having been in more times than I could count to interrogate people. The large dance hall was in the back, which was probably the site of the meeting, as the private rooms were too small.

  I used my sticky gloves to climb the walls to a second-floor window. As carefully as I could, I pulled the drill from my slingbag and made a tiny hole in the wooden window pane. Then I slid the metal tube through the hole and pressed the cup to my ear.

  "…very well. Captain Coyle is, if possible, more inefficient than Llobrega. So I have faith that our operations will continue undeterred."

  "Excellent."

  I actually smiled—finally, someone I recognized. Ignacio was Beswick's favorite second, and as ruthless as his boss. If he was here, this was almost as good as Beswick himself being there. Almost.

  "Our supplier hasn't been able to get back into the city, however," the other speaker said. "We may have to obtain the material in Neveri and get it down some other way."

  "Neveri?" Another man scoffed. "Good luck getting in there. The gates are closed."

  "Not anymore," Ignacio said. "Apparently, someone claiming to be Princess Brynna destroyed them using ond. She then turned around and handed the city to the Kulkans. Prince Ammon is there now, running things."

  "Claiming to be Princess Brynna?"

  "Yes." Ignacio paused, and I could almost see him stroking his chin. "I don't believe it. The real Brynna is too noble, too upstanding to do anything like that. My guess is that it's a Kulkan spy made up to look like her."

  I had to smile. I hadn't known that Ignacio thought so highly of me. But perhaps that wasn't a compliment, coming from him.

  "I've heard rumors that she's back in Forcadel."

  "I've heard the same rumors," Ignacio said. "But even if it is her, she's nothing but a nuisance. She's bumbling her way around and not making any progress. If she took the ond the other day, she's wading into deeper waters than she anticipated."

  I scowled. So much for his compliments. Clearly, my attempts at making myself worthwhile were failing. I'd have to step up my efforts.

  "In the end, whoever was responsible for the attack in Neveri, it's in our favor that it happened," Ignacio continued. "You are all here because you serve a purpose to Lord Beswick, and that purpose will be to deliver this food to the people of the city. We have bread, produce, even clothing and textiles, everything. You will bring the money as part of your rental payments, and we'll deliver your next shipment."

  "These prices are…high."

  "A whole gold piece for a loaf of bread?"

  "I think you'll find that Lord Beswick's prices are more than fair compared to what's in the town square tomorrow. The people in this city are starving, and we're just doing what we need in order to keep them fed and clothed."

  "Bullshit," I muttered. If he was, he'd be giving the food away for free instead of enriching himself. This was how he was bankrolling his operation. Son of a bitch.

  "And what's Lord Beswick planning to do with all this money?" asked one of the male voices.

  "That is, of course, Lord Beswick's business. And if you'd like to continue to conduct your business and live in your homes, you'll support him."

  The meeting ended shortly after that, as no one could argue with Ignacio's threat. I pulled my listening cups and climbed down, rejoining Jax and Elisha on top of the roof.

  "Sounds about right," Jax said when I told him what I'd heard. "Are you surprised?"

  "Disappointed," I said. "But it appears working with Beswick isn't going to work. We'll have to figure something else out."

  "Which is what?" Jax asked. "You, the kid, and I try to take down his empire?"

  "No," I said, mulling over some options. I still wanted things to come into the city, but I didn't want Beswick to profit off it. A tricky situation.

  "Ignacio's on the move," Jax said, pointing below where Beswick's second was climbing into a carriage. "What do you want to do?"

  "I want to have a chat," I said.

  "I think that's a bad idea," Jax said. "First of all, he's got more guards than we have people. Second, Beswick's not going to want to listen to you."

  "I have to try," I said.

  Ignoring whatever Jax might've said, I jumped to my feet and ran after the carriage. I had spent so long trying to find Beswick that I wasn't going to let the opportunity to find out where his second was hiding slip away. Even if it took me all night.

  "When are you planning on engaging him?" Jax asked, bending over to catch his breath. "Now might be a good time."

  "No," I said. "I want him to get to his destination."

  "Why?"

  "Ignacio's men might come looking for him if he doesn't show up on time," I said. He looked confused, so I explained, "Once, I tried to intercept Beswick before he reached his destination. But he—"

  "Sent his goons and they beat the shit out of you?"

  My cheeks reddened. "Almost."

  Ignacio's carriage rolled through the front gates of a stately manor in the center of Mariner's Row—fitting for a man who pocketed too much from the citizens of the city. The carriage itself had its own house in the back.

  "So…" Jax said, finally catching up with me. "We lost the kid a while ago."

  "It's all right. She'll meet us back at the bell tower."

  "Are you sure you want to do this? Especially after the aforementioned ass kicking the last time you did something like this?"

  The concern in his voice made me pause. But the overriding need to have a win—any win—kept me going.

  "Keep a lookout," I said. "I'm going in."

  I gathered the edges of my cloak and jumped off the roof, floating gracefully to the ground. I stalked through the garden, waiting for the man himself to leave the carriage house. When he finally appeared, he was alone.

  I stepped out of my hiding spot, making myself visible in the scant moonlight.

  Ignacio didn't look surprised to see me—but he didn't seem pleased, either.

  "Such a shame to see you," he said. "It was so much nicer around here when you were dead."

  I smiled. "I want to speak with your boss. It's rather urgent."

  "He doesn't want to speak with you, not after you got Ruby executed."

  I started, my mouth falling open. "Ruby was executed?"

  "Apparently, she refused to tell the queen
anything about our operations, and Ilara's patience is rather thin." He showed no emotion as he spoke, but he'd lost his veneer of calm. "We'll be sure to take that out of your hide."

  "Or, alternatively, why don't we talk about the ond that went missing a few days ago," I said, thinking quickly. "I'd be happy to return it to your boss, if he'll meet with me."

  "You can keep it," Ignacio said. "We've made other arrangements. Water transport is evidently very unreliable."

  "Probably because you keep killing your associates," I said darkly.

  He smiled. "They failed to perform to our expectations. But it doesn't matter. We're already getting more ond in via alternative methods, and now, with our new line of business in food smuggling, we'll win the hearts and minds of the people in town."

  "Yeah, except that you seem to be misinformed about some things," I said, blocking him from walking into his house. "I have very powerful friends of my own these days. I can get the Niemenians to cut off your ond supply, and I can have Prince Ammon stop all shipments from Neveri."

  "And let your people starve?" Ignacio said. "The only person offering salvation is Lord Beswick. Surely, you wouldn't be so evil as to prevent that."

  "Perhaps I'll just deliver the food myself," I replied, bluffing a little. "Cut out the middleman. I'm not in the business of gouging my own people for personal gain."

  He laughed, his amusement grating on me. "And where, pray tell, are you going to find the money to move all this produce if you're just going to give it away? You seem to think the world works on hopes and dreams. It runs on money, my dear, and if you have none, you have no way to reclaim your throne." He shrugged and snapped his fingers. Two shadows appeared out of the darkness. "But perhaps Ilara will give us a nice ransom when we deposit your dead body on her doorstep."

  The hair rose on the back of my neck as shadows moved toward me. I reached into my slingbag for something—knockout powder, anything that could grant me a hasty escape. But there was nothing except lint. Perhaps I should've prepared more for this trip.