“Interesting,” Pacian wondered, narrowing his eyes at Merin’s bloodied corpse. “Does it say what happened to make her want to blackmail Olaf?”
“No, but I think we can safely assume that the partnership dissolved in a less-than-friendly fashion. The dates on these notes start out over a year ago, and finish a few weeks ago. Whatever happened between them occurred only recently.”
“No wonder Olaf has been under so much stress,” Nellise remarked. “His whole operation was going to be exposed.”
“He must have known we’d end up looking at these documents,” Aiden muttered to himself. “He’s clearly broken several laws, and even if he doesn’t know Pacian and myself, you two are members of organizations loyal to the Crown, so you’d be obligated to hand this in to the local guards or something, right?”
“I’m not exactly popular with the Royal Rangers at the moment, kid,” Colt admitted ruefully. “In fact, I’m sort of on a leave of absence — don’t ask me why. And Nellise is little more than an acolyte.
“Maybe he sent us here to kill these two, or maybe even get killed ourselves, giving him an excuse to have Merin imprisoned?”
Although Colt was clearly joking as he said this, the thought of it was enough to steal the humor from his words. A long moment of silence ensued as the possibilities ran through their minds. Pacian broke the spell.
“I think it’s time we had a personal chat with our friend the mayor.”
Chapter Three
They were dripping wet as they barged once more into the mayor’s office. The secretary was about to protest until a sharp look from Colt kept her quiet. Olaf was standing before the fireplace in the next room, warming himself against the winter cold.
“You’re back already, I see,” he remarked. “How did your meeting go?”
“We have what you wanted,” Aiden answered, keeping his tone neutral.
Olaf raised an eyebrow, but if he was surprised at their success, he hid it. “I presume you’ve read through at least some of it.”
“Of course,” Aiden began calmly, leafing through the papers. “Merin alluded to some interesting connections you might have, but we have a fair idea of what you’ve been up to.”
“That’s none of your business,” the mayor bristled. “I asked you to retrieve the document, and that is as far as your involvement extends. We have a deal; stick to it and you’ll be rewarded.”
“But we are involved now,” Aiden pointed out. “Merin is dead, and so is one of her accomplices. By all rights, we should turn you in to the town guards.”
“You killed them?” Olaf hissed in a quiet voice, peering past them to make sure they weren’t being overheard.
“She didn’t give us a lot of choice,” Colt grumbled, also keeping his voice low. “Just about killed me, actually. You might want to do something about the bodies if you want to keep this quiet.”
“I’ll take care of it, discreetly, but I must have those papers.”
Pacian stepped forward, taking the papers from Aiden’s hand. “First, a question,” he stated. “Did you send us over there knowing Merin would likely try to kill us?”
“You accuse me of ... of sending you to your deaths? On purpose? Outrageous!” Olaf whispered harshly. “I sent you over there because you two boys aren’t known to her, Colt lends an intimidating presence, and Nellise has a reputation for being fair-minded.
“If Merin and her associate were foolhardy enough to attack all four of you, then her demise is entirely her own fault. But I certainly never meant for you to come to harm.”
“Foolhardy, or desperate?” Pacian mused. “You had her backed into a corner, and then sent us in to force her hand. She had no other way to respond, and you knew that, right?”
He glowered at Olaf for a few moments before continuing. “This whole situation is properly shady. She wanted money to keep quiet, and now, so do I. Hand over three gold sovereigns, or I’m taking this evidence to the town guards.”
“You’re blackmailing me?” Olaf sputtered.
“I prefer to look on it as an investment in your continued freedom,” Pacian responded, with a mirthless grin on his face. “Look at it this way; she wanted five from you, and I’m only charging three, so you’ve saved two sovereigns today already.”
Aiden and the others glanced at one another, surprised by this sudden turn of events.
“You despicable cad. You bounder!” Olaf breathed in disbelief. “You’re hardly any better than that damnable woman.”
“Be careful what you say to me in future, Olaf,” Pacian purred. “It’d be a shame if this information found its way into the hands of the more honorable guards.”
“And you would be thrown behind bars for murder; I would see to it,” Olaf hissed back, exchanging a heated stare with Pacian, who for once appeared to be at a loss.
“I think we are at an impasse,” Olaf remarked, reaching into his pouch to produce two gold coins. “We had an arrangement, and we can end it now, amicably. I promised payment, and I meant it. Two sovereigns for your trouble — and your silence.”
“I’m keeping these papers to make sure you don’t turn us in,” Pacian warned, stuffing them into his coat before taking the money.
“And if you use them, I’ll make sure you hang,” Olaf shot back.
“This is simply deplorable,” Nellise breathed, rubbing her forehead with her eyes closed.
“I don’t care for this either,” Olaf assured them, “but we have a mutually beneficial agreement, yes?”
“Yes, we do,” Aiden hesitantly replied, trying to ignore his shaking hands. Not only was he involved with the murder of two people, he was now blackmailing the town mayor, two things he hadn’t seen coming when he got out of bed that morning.
The mayor turned and walked over to a small desk, pulled out a sheet of parchment and picked up a quill. “By the way, you’ve just volunteered to travel north and make sure the road is clear,” he explained, scribbling down some notes in elegant script, then handing it to Aiden.
“We’ve what?” he blurted.
“I’ve nobody else to send, and the road has to be cleared somehow. You’ve just proven yourselves in a fight, so I know you’ve got it in you; and frankly, my raw recruits can barely hold their weapons.
“At least you have the benefits of an experienced ranger with you. Get to Culdeny and have them send supplies immediately, and I’ll reward you handsomely upon your return.”
Nellise had the look of someone completely out of her depth, and Colt scrutinized Pacian as if trying to determine the quickest way to skin him. Aiden knew that as soon as they left the office, a lively conversation was going to take place.
“We each have the power to ruin each other’s lives by allowing word of these events to reach the local authorities,” Olaf added softly. “Do not test my resolve on this matter, and I will not test yours.
“Now, I suggest you set off as soon as possible. I have to arrange for the disposal of certain individuals who are no longer amongst the living, while avoiding undue attention.”
Without another word, Aiden’s companions headed for the office door, but Olaf touched Aiden on the shoulder before he could leave. “Might I have a word with you in private?”
“I suppose so,” Aiden muttered, glancing at the others, who stepped outside and closed the door. The muffled sound of arguing voices erupted almost immediately.
“It will only take a few minutes. Would you care for a cup of hot soup?” Olaf offered.
“No, thank you,” Aiden refused, rather coldly. “Make it fast.”
“As you wish. Aiden, I believe you are a practical young man, unburdened by the, shall we say, less productive attitudes of your companions,” Olaf continued. “And so, I hope you’ll accept my apologies for the unfortunate situation with my former associate.”
“I’m not going to forgive you, if that’s what you’re fishing for, “Aiden replied warily. “I don’t like being blackmailed into doing your bidding any more
than you, but I’m prepared to help the town.”
“That’s a commendable attitude,” the mayor remarked. “You are right in that we must break through the bandit forces to our north and open the highway to Culdeny if we are to restore trade. I recently received word from a ranger who was assigned to keep an eye on the Akoran tribesmen to the southeast. Apparently, they are amassing at the northern edge of their territory for raiding into kingdom lands. I can’t allow travel to the east until we have some means to provide protection.”
“My family live in Coldstream,” Aiden breathed, his voice tight with anxiety.
“I am very sorry,” Olaf sympathized, “but there’s nothing we can do for them without help from the north. Like us, they will have to fend for themselves a while longer. This is why it is imperative that you reach Culdeny and seek further aid. I have some information that may be of use.”
“I’m listening.”
“Although they’ve been only rumored until this point, I must tell you that there are indeed over two dozen bandits working along the highway,” the mayor explained.
“Two dozen?” Aiden exclaimed. “Why didn’t you bring this up earlier? The four of us don’t stand a chance in a fight.”
“Who said anything about fighting all of them at once?” Olaf said, frowning. “All you’d be required to do is neutralize their leader, and the rest would most likely disperse. I have it on good authority they are poorly equipped and trained.”
“How can you possibly know this?” Aiden asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“The document you retrieved for me from Merin’s house,” Olaf replied after a moment of thought. “How far through it did you read?”
Aiden stared at the man, wondering what he was hinting at. Although he didn’t remember the exact figures from all of the transactions, Aiden did recall that other names were on that list. Other criminal associates.
“Are you trying to tell me that you personally know who’s leading the bandits out there?” he asked, using measured words.
“They are not so much bandits as disgruntled employees looking to get paid,” Olaf finished, turning a paler shade as he did so.
Aiden was speechless for a moment, and then roughly a thousand questions spun through his mind, simultaneously. “They are your thugs, the ones who were hired to extort businesses in Culdeny,” he shouted accusingly. “This entire situation is your fault! No wonder you’ve paralyzed the town.”
“Their leader’s name is Fletcher,” Olaf explained, with only a tinge of remorse. “I had rarely dealt with thugs before, but he seemed to know what he was doing, right up until the point that he started keeping too large a cut of the takings. That’s when things started to go awry.”
“You couldn’t control him,” Aiden stated flatly, “so you want him removed too, to keep him silent about your crimes.”
“I don’t want any more deaths on my conscience if I can help it,” Olaf protested. “I know you think very little of me at the moment, but I never meant to harm anyone. The whole affair has been blown out of all proportion. Take Fletcher to the authorities in Culdeny — without proof, nothing he says can hurt me.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t want the others to hear this, because Pacian would blackmail you, Nellise would probably turn you in, and Colt would just punch you in the face — or kill you, depending on how hungover he was.”
“Something like that. You seem to be just the right amount of reasonable.”
“You expect us to take on that many men?”
“They’re hardly trained killers,” Olaf scoffed. “They’re more like street thugs with a sense of entitlement, unsuited to the rigors of forest life. If I didn’t think you and your companions capable, I wouldn’t allow you to go.
“Come now, Aiden, there’s no need for this enmity between us. I regret the incident with Merin, but it is for the benefit of everyone that this entire misguided situation be brought to an end. You wanted to go north, and now you’re armed with all the information you’ll need.”
“Fine, but don’t think you’ve heard the last of this,” Aiden growled. He looked down at the hand that was offered, but declined to shake it. Instead, he grabbed his longcoat and walked out the door.
“He had no idea how to break this news to the others. Even if Olaf didn’t think much of these thugs, it was still, at best, over twenty of them against four.
The others were in the middle of a heated argument undercover just outside, which Aiden walked right in on. “First things first, mate. Is this what you two do for a living?” Colt snarled at both Pacian and Aiden. “Blackmailing people?
“If this was your plan, you might have let us in on it before we went in there. I’ve half a mind to go grab a hammer and get creative all over your face.”
“That was most certainly not the right way to handle this situation,” Nellise scolded in a hushed voice. “Going to the head of the town guards and presenting this information would have been my preference, if you had bothered to ask me. We could have found a better way to deal with those two than simply killing them, too. It sickens me to even think about what we did.”
“They didn’t give us any choice,” Pacian hissed. “Plus, Olaf was responsible for multiple counts of extortion, not to mention hiring people to commit murder. If you brought the town guards in on this, what do you think would have happened? Justice for all, and the town freed from the clutches of a criminal mastermind?
“Not bloody likely. It would have created a huge mess, with us right in the middle of it. Like it or not, we were used to eliminate one of Olaf’s problems, and we would most likely have been detained as well.”
“He didn’t hire us to go and kill Merin,” Aiden pointed out in a hushed voice, glancing around in case anyone passing by might overhear their conversation. “I might be splitting hairs here, but I don’t think we’d be in as much trouble as you suspect.”
“You can’t know that,” Pacian contested. “We have no idea how the guards in this town were going to react, and we’re not exactly well known around here. I suspect Colt here has a bit of a record with the militia, and Nellise might have been allowed to go free, with her being part of the Church and all. But you and me, Aiden? We’d be locked up.
“Look, this way we keep his secret, he keeps our secret, we both keep an eye on each other, and we have money to feed ourselves and then some. So what if he’s forcing us to do a few jobs; I mean, we get to leave, right? Nellise, we can use the money to help get this place moving again. Who cares how we got it?”
Nellise silently considered Pacian’s words, but Aiden was more vocal with his opinion. “You better hope he doesn’t just turn us in to the guards when we’re not looking, Pace,” he warned ominously. “When all’s said and done, he’s still the mayor, and we’re a bunch of nobodies.”
“Maybe,” Pacian conceded. “But if we make it to Culdeny and get those supplies the town needs, I reckon he’d be a fool to try anything against us.”
Aiden shook his head, hardly believing the elaborate plan. It was a gamble, but it might just work. Pace had always pushed the limits of what civilized folk would tolerate, but Aiden had never considered him a criminal.
“I feel as though I have fallen in with people of questionable character,” Nellise lamented. “I find your methods utterly deplorable, Pacian, even if you believed your intentions honorable. But … regardless of what else I may feel, we still need to help the town, and we can’t do that from prison.”
Pace had the good grace to look ashamed, though Aiden couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not. Turning to Colt for his answer, Pacian was suddenly grabbed by the front of his tunic and pulled up level with the big man.
“The next time you pull a stunt like that on me, I’m gonna take you someplace quiet and beat you senseless. I’m not a crook, and I don’t hang around with crooks. Do you wanna know what I do with crooks?”
“You beat them senseless?” Pacian inquired, his face betraying his apprehe
nsion.
“I sure do, blondie.” Colt nodded. “Then I hand them over to the guards. They don’t ask how the crooks got so bloodied — they figure they’re just real clumsy and ran into a wall a couple dozen times. My point is, watch how you handle yourself, or you’ll answer to me.”
Pacian nodded slowly, and Colt lowered him back down to the ground before turning to Aiden. “What did he want?” Colt rumbled.
“Olaf? To apologize, which I didn’t accept,” Aiden answered. “He also gave me some insights into what we’ll be facing along the highway, for what it’s worth. There could be twenty men or more to face, some of his former associates, apparently.”
Nellise gasped, but Colt eyed him shrewdly. “Trained men?” he prompted.
“No, street thugs with poor equipment, from what Olaf said,” Aiden answered.
Colt rubbed his unshaven chin thoughtfully before answering. “I think I can deal with that, given the right conditions.”
“If you say so, mate,” Aiden scoffed, with a glance at Nellise.
“You’d be surprised how useless inexperienced people can be in the woods at night,” Colt explained, then held out his hand in Pacian’s direction. “Hand over the coins.”
“Why?” Pacian asked cautiously.
“Because if we’re going to make it through this, we’ll need to buy you lightweights some proper equipment. Come on; we’re going shopping.”
* * *
A brief visit to the local smithy was disappointing; despite their newfound wealth, there was little to buy. The modest workshop was a dingy affair, blackened from years of absorbing the odor of burning coal, and its walls were lined with empty racks. Once again, the king’s army had a hand in their fate, having taken all the decent weapons and armor weeks ago.
Resigned to their meager pickings, Aiden chose a sturdy short sword that he strapped to his waist and a cured leather breastplate to protect his upper body. Pacian eagerly purchased a proper combat dagger to replace his carving knife, then slipped away to secure a few supplies for the journey. Colt took a few minutes to show Aiden how to fit the armor before they headed back to the Bracksfordshire Arms with their new gear.
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