Kingdom of Ash and Soot

by C. S. Johnson

  “And it does help that they are apparently well informed of the city’s secrets and news. Imagine the surprise when people find out there is an actual heir to the Bohemian throne. Tulia confirmed the report.”

  When she saw my troubled look, she added, “I told you earlier, Eleanora, I had a few questions for her. When you left, I asked them.”

  “So you know the truth, then?”

  “Yes. Empress Maria Anna was pregnant when your mother arrived in Prague. That was the reason she was worried about the kingdom, primarily. She did not want the Revolution to claim her son’s life, even if he could not inherit the throne.”

  “It also makes sense that she called for the Pope then,” I said. “She would have been very concerned about her situation, as a Catholic mother.”

  Lady Penelope shrugged. “All mothers worry for their children. I know your mother must have worried for you.”

  There was no doubt in my mind that Lady POW was right. I was not happy with Tulia and my mother’s deception and secrecy, but I was sure of their love for me.

  “You suspect Karl Marcelin is the heir,” Lady Penelope said, changing the subject.

  “He is the right age, and Lord Maximillian, the Duke of Moravia, is interested in working with him. Karl told me that His Grace wants him to marry Lady Teresa Marie. And it makes sense, from what I heard, if their plot is to free the kingdom from the empire.”

  Lady Penelope snorted. “Freedom from the empire would only lead to its death. But I commend them on their vision. It is a noble goal, even if it carries great risk and flawed methods.”

  “If Karl does get the position of Minister-President,” I said, “he would be able to push for his election as King of Bohemia, wouldn’t he?”

  “In theory.” Lady Penelope looked down at the scribbled mess before her. “The king would have to be ratified by the constitution of Bohemia, which would require acceptance by the Upper and Lower Houses, including the Bohemian and German Diets, and by the Reichsrat. That is a lot of votes.”

  “Is there any way he could do it without all those?” I asked. Karl did not seem like someone who would worry about defeat when it came to getting what he wanted.

  “Only if the majority of them were killed,” Lady Penelope said. “As many people have died from recent string of murders, it is unlikely he would be able to continue in that. If, indeed, he is behind the murders at all.”

  “If he is the heir, and working toward the crown, it is something to consider.”

  “To consider? Absolutely. To accuse? Maybe. But judgment at this point is early. We would need something that directly links him to the murders.”

  The door to the library swung open, and I was surprised to see Harshad enter. I had not seen him much over the past few weeks, and when I did, it was only for moments, if not seconds, at a time.

  “Well, Pepé, you know what the Scriptures say,” Harshad said, as he made his way over to the desk. He held out a small square of linen before her. “Ask and you shall receive.”

  “You know who it belongs to,” Lady Penelope cheered. She stood up in triumph, snatching the handkerchief out of his hand. “Tell me who the unlucky bastard is.”

  “The man in question was a worker in the household of Mr. Roman Szapira,” Harshad said. “While John was not able to follow your enemy into the house, he did see our culprit go into the servant’s entrance at the Szapira mansion across town.”

  “Szapira?” I repeated. The name sounded familiar. Only a second passed before I remembered where I had heard it. “That’s where Karl is staying for the season, until the Advent Ball.”

  “Well, then, we have our proof.” Lady Penelope smirked. She clapped her hands together eagerly. “It seems that Mr. Marcelin is determined to gain his throne, no matter what he has to do.”

  “I don’t think he is like that,” I said, suddenly flushing over as I thought of his sincerity and eagerness in wanting to dance with me. There was nothing sinister about him that I had seen. “Maybe there is another reason why our attacker was at Mr. Szapira’s house.”

  “I do not believe in coincidences,” Lady Penelope said. “And that is not just because of location. There is timing to consider, too, and opportunity.”

  Harshad met her gaze, and rather than switching to another language, I watched as they communicated with their eyes. I saw the thrill of discovery in Lady Penelope’s, and the grim hesitation in Harshad’s eyes.

  “I give up,” I groaned. “I can’t read your minds, as you two apparently can.”

  “Roman Szapira has recently completed renovation of Prague Castle’s wine cellar,” Harshad said. “He would know his way around the castle very well. And he would be able to infiltrate it. Marcelin has only recently struck up a good friendship with him since he returned to Prague.”

  “That minimizes Szapira’s role,” Lady Penelope said. “Marcelin must have a plan to take care of his adversaries at the Advent Ball. That is when Count Potocki is supposed to announce his official last day as Minister-President. He told me so himself at the Summerhouse Ball.”

  I had been wondering if Count Potocki gave Lady Penelope any useful information after Karl escorted me out of the ballroom.

  “We have received more than one invitation for the Advent Ball,” Harshad said. “So we will be there without cause for suspicion.”

  “Good.” Lady Penelope pursed her lips together. “Now we just have to plan what we will do once we are there.”

  That is also when Lord Maximillian wants to announce Karl’s engagement to Lady Teresa Marie. I thought about what Karl told me when he had escorted me out to my carriage the previous night.

  As Lady POW and Harshad continued to discuss the likely scenarios, I was briefly taken aback, realizing it had been less than a day since I found out Karl was the heir to the Bohemian throne, and that he was infatuated with me to the point he was almost risking his political future.

  It had also been less than a day since I had seen Ferdy—and less than a day since I had kissed him. My cheeks burned at the thought of him and my heart began to beat faster inside my chest.

  And then, just as quickly, all color and blood drained from my face as I realized that if Karl did do something at the Advent Ball, Ferdy would be there, too. He was going to be in danger.

  I can’t let anything happen to him.

  My heart lurched, imagining Ferdy poisoned, his body still like Father Novak’s, surrounded by any number of other corpses. Or maybe it was possible he would be stabbed, I thought, thinking of Dr. Artha.

  I stood abruptly, so fast even Lady POW and Harshad turned to face me.

  “What’s wrong, Eleanora?” Lady Penelope asked. “You have a strange look on your face.”

  “It’s ... it’s ... ” I stammered, trying to put my thoughts into words properly.

  Before I could manage, there was another knock at the door, and Ben poked his head inside. “Tulia’s awake,” he said. “She’s ready to answer more of our questions.”

  Ours, not yours.

  Lady POW looked at me once more, silently asking me if I was going to say anything. She wanted to know what concerned me, and I did not want to share with her the newfound fear in my heart.

  While she had just commended me for my quick thinking, I did not want her to see me as weak for caring so ardently for a boy like Ferdy. From what I had seen of her, she would only see it as an unnecessary complication.

  I could not risk losing him to Lady POW any more than I could willingly risk his life at the Advent Ball.

  I shook my head, and Lady Penelope allowed me to keep my silence on the matter. As we walked toward Tulia’s room, I decided to talk to Ben once we were able to learn more from Tulia. Between the two of us, I knew we would be able to come up with a plan to save Ferdy.

  *21*

  ◊

  If Tulia was upset at the small crowd of people that appeared in her bedroom an hour later, she handled the situation with enough grace I did not notice.
r />   It was possible I did not want to notice. I was too distracted by other things; I was worried for Ferdy, for one, and I was also concerned for Karl. As much as Lady Penelope was ready to believe he was involved, I was still hesitant to think he would murder anyone, let alone his own parents and colleagues.

  If Tulia had any information that could save Ferdy and distance Karl from suspicion, I wanted to hear it.

  She was propped up on her pillows, sitting up. There were new bandages around her arms, but those on her fingers were unraveled. I could see several cuts and scrapes sticking out from the strips.

  “Let’s start this from the beginning,” Lady Penelope said. She narrowed her cold gaze at Tulia. “Feel free to chime in when something comes up you can contribute.”

  “Please, Madame, have mercy,” Amir said. “I have not yet removed all the wine bottle shards from her skin. She is still in a great amount of pain.”

  “The laudanum should be enough for that,” Lady Penelope insisted, although her tone softened ever so slightly. “She has already proven she can handle—”

  “Enough, Pepé,” Harshad interrupted. “The beginning, if you please. Or I can start, if you prefer.”

  Lady POW turned her ire on him, while I said nothing. I was content to watch out for Tulia, but I was beginning to enjoy watching Lady POW and Harshad torment each other. It was a poetic sort of justice, and it made me feel better about all the irritation the two of them caused me.

  “Let me begin,” Amir said, before either Lady POW or Harshad could start a new argument. “We were called here by Her Imperial Majesty, Queen Victoria, when she asked the Order of the Crystal Daggers to secure this area. There were rumors of deep political division, and there were enough mysterious occurrences to give her cause for concern.”

  “You’re not part of the Order,” I said, remembering what he had told me before. “Why did you come along?”

  “He is my confidant and medical advisor, even if he is not part of the Order,” Lady Penelope replied. “Amir has proven himself to the Queen separately, so he is an honorary member of the League of Ungentlemanly Warfare in her kingdom.”

  “The Order has more of an international reach,” Amir said. “And it is fitting for me, as I will never be a citizen, nor a gentleman, in Her Imperial Majesty’s court.”

  I felt the sadness in his words, before Lady POW let out an impatient groan.

  “I am also a member of the League, Eleanora,” Lady Penelope said. “It often works with the Order for assignments such as these.”

  “Oh. I see.”

  “It probably makes it easier for Queen Victoria to fund you if you work in both,” Ben said.

  Lady POW nodded, giving Ben a smile.

  I still did not know a lot about politics, but I knew money was at the heart of a lot of debate in the Bohemian government. The Diets especially fought over budget deals and spending, and the only thing they could consistently agree on was increasing their own fortunes. Ben’s explanation gave me a good idea of why Amir and Lady Penelope had both come.

  “Her Majesty is more concerned about unrest in India,” Harshad said, “but she does not want this area to collapse while she pursues other international settlements. When we agreed to investigate, we headed for Prague, where several of our contacts were able to provide information.”

  Tulia flicked her fingers, signing out a name. I saw the letters she made and deciphered it for the others.

  “Dr. Artha included,” I said.

  “Yes. Sigmund was very well informed of political division, being an instigator of sorts,” Lady Penelope said. “He had great friendships with all parties, and even collaborated with the Jews from time to time. Needless to say, the Bohemians and the Germans did not like this, even if they liked him.”

  Tulia nodded in agreement.

  “And then he was murdered,” I said. “And that led to Father Novak’s murder, too, at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows.”

  “What information did he have that made him a target?” Lady Penelope asked, turning to Tulia.

  For several long moments, I watched her as her fingers and facial expressions spelled out her story.

  “He was working on creating the antidote recently, especially after discovering the herb had been used for political deaths in the past.”

  “Did he find out who was purchasing it?” Lady Penelope asked.

  Tulia shook her head, before running her fingers over my hand.

  “There is another seller, but not an enemy of the Order.”

  “Who is it?” Lady Penelope’s eyes glittered. “Tell us.”

  Tulia shook her head, shrugging, and Lady POW let out a frustrated groan. “You should know this, Tulia!”

  She gave a few more signs, and I knew that she did not have a name for us.

  Our clues were leading us nowhere.

  I thought of what Ferdy had said. “Dr. Artha was stabbed by a man outside of the church, dressed in a servant’s coat. Some people thought it was a thief, but it wasn’t.”

  “I wonder if that was our fire starter last night?” Lady Penelope looked back at Tulia, who exhaled slowly.

  “After Dr. Artha was murdered, Father Novak was, too,” I said. “Someone knew he had left a trail of information that led to you. It makes sense it would be the same person.”

  “The attacker was young,” Amir said. “Youthful and energetic. He is a good fighter, which is why he was able to slip away. But he is not a seasoned fighter. I landed several blows of my own before he escaped.”

  “If he is that agile, it would explain why he was able to get such good information, too,” Ben said. “It would have to be someone who was used to finding information. Especially since we were the only ones who could make the connection to Tulia.”

  “He might have other sources,” Lady Penelope said, and Tulia nodded.

  While the others debated the identity of the attacker, Tulia met my gaze. She peered at me intently, and I remembered what she had told me earlier.

  The Order of the Crystal Daggers has many enemies.

  “So if Dr. Artha is dead,” Amir said, “we must find the new source of the silver thallis herb. Whoever it is, he will be able to lead us to the people trying to kill off the politicians with it.”

  “We have tried to find someone all over town,” Ben said. “Harshad did not find anything, either.”

  “Xiana has contacted me,” Harshad said. “She is coming here to help investigate, as this is her area of expertise. But she will not be here for another week at best. She did tell me that Dr. Artha was our only contact with the silver thallis in his reserve. He told her that there was only one other person in Prague who would sell it.”

  “If he was able to tell her that, it must be true,” Lady Penelope said. “Benedict, this is a good task for you.”

  “What I want to know is how this connects to Lord Maximillian and Karl Marcelin,” Ben said. “Lord Maximillian would have known about the silver thallis from my father’s funeral. He does not live in Prague now. He is just visiting.”

  “Visiting while he arranges for Lady Teresa Marie to marry the heir to the throne of Bohemia,” I added.

  “Karl Marcelin’s ambition does play an interesting role as a catalyst,” Lady Penelope said. “He finished his schooling in the summer, before he headed back here. That is when the politicians began to die strange deaths and others were elected.”

  “He does appear to be the mastermind,” Harshad said, remaining still as Lady POW moved around the room restlessly. “Lord Maximillian would not have known about him until he came here, correct? Why murder other politicians beforehand?”

  “Maybe he found out about Karl later on,” I said. “He could have been considering a political career before. Karl told me he was a good friend of Count Potocki’s, and he is staying with Lord Hohenwart right now.”

  “If he found out about Karl this season,” Lady Penelope said, “he could have made some adjustments to his plans.”

&
nbsp; “Yes, precisely!” I said. “I don’t think Karl would actually murder anyone.”

  “And Lord Maximillian would?” Ben scoffed. “Come on, don’t tell me you’re serious? You can’t let feelings influence your opinions on Karl and this case, no matter how much you might like him.”

  “I don’t like him,” I insisted, blushing slightly. Of all people, Ben should have been the one to know that I did not like him. At least, not in that way. “But I’m the one who knows Karl the best out of all of us.”

  “You know the image that he has striven to project to society best,” Lady Penelope said.

  “It doesn’t matter. He wouldn’t have done that. And we just agreed the murders and threats started before he returned to Prague.”

  “So that means he’s paying someone to do it,” Ben said darkly.

  “Maybe Lord Maximillian is doing it. He’s the one with the money, remember?” I fought back.

  “That’s enough, you two,” Lady Penelope interrupted. “There is no need to fight about it. We need proof.”

  “Lady Cecilia should be enough proof,” I said. “She was the one I overheard talking about how Lord Maximillian found King Ferdinand’s son.”

  “Maybe we should go and get her,” Lady Penelope murmured. She tapped her fingertips together thoughtfully.

  “We would be better to watch her,” Harshad said. “There is no telling if she would tell the Duke of our interest if we question her.”

  “That is true.” Lady Penelope frowned, drawing her frosty eyebrows together in thoughtful consideration. “The Advent Ball is at the end of this week. That gives us four days to find out how they plan on massacring the masses.”

  As Lady Penelope, Amir, and Harshad began to trade theories and suggest different routes of action, Tulia signaled to me again.

  She gave me a secretive look, and I took her hand, pretending to comfort her while she used her stiffened fingers.

  “The attacker came as a messenger. He had a gift for me.”

  “What was it?” I whispered.

  She cupped her hands and twitched it, moving like it was a shot glass. I saw the gleam of the glass shards, some of them still stuck in her flesh.