“I noticed,” whispered Ari. “I would be surprised if this wasn’t somehow related to our purpose here. I’m going to lead him somewhere nice and secluded.”
He resisted the urge to start moving with purpose, continuing the same aimless, searching pattern that he’d been engaged in before he’d found the apothecary. Ari headed further east, out of the city center and away from where the majority of Cliffhaven’s taverns were congregated.
He spotted an alleyway in between two unassuming buildings with no lamps on inside. Ari walked past it and then hesitated as though he’d forgotten something, turning the corner and heading down the alley.
He pulled Azurelight from its scabbard and quickly hid the greatsword in a pile of straw by the alley’s mouth. It was a dead end, but given that Ari had no intention of fleeing, it still suited his purposes well enough. He leaned against the wall and waited.
The man following him passed by the alley in almost the exact same way that Ari had before doubling back and following him down it. He slowed as he came within a few paces, and then surprisingly, he held his arms out to the side.
Azurelight flashed with light as Eva appeared in her incarnate form. The man flinched, but maintained his composure remarkably well. He waited until Ari had turned to face him fully before clearing his throat.
“Aye, that was well played,” said the man. “I was wonderin’ what you’d do once I made myself known.”
Ari took a step forward. “Start talking. Why were you watching the apothecary and who do you work for?”
“Ha!” laughed the man. “I wasn’t watchin’ the apothecary, though I suppose that’d be what you’d think. I was watchin’ you, Lord Stoneblood.”
“For how long, and to what end?” asked Ari.
“Since you mucked up the show at the guildhall,” said the man. “That was fun to watch, by the way.”
“I didn’t see you inside that building,” said Ari.
It was dark in the alleyway, but he could still make out the man’s general features. He was tall, with a spindly build and a bald head so shiny that it reflected the light given off by the stars and moons.
“I’m a very missable person, see,” said the man. He was grinning, and he had been since the beginning of their conversation. There were obvious gaps in between his teeth, but somehow, the expression had an open, endearing quality to it.
“Get to the point,” said Ari. “Why were you following me?”
“My employer has taken an interest in you, see,” said the man. “Sorry, let me jump back a step. My name is Skinner. I work for Lord Bruno Ogwell, son of the True Baron.”
Ari looked past Skinner, letting his eyes settle on Eva where she was at the other end of the alley. She gave a small shrug, followed by a smaller nod.
“Interesting,” said Ari. “Why does the young Lord Ogwell want to keep tabs on me?”
“You’re the talk of the town,” said Skinner. “That ain’t an exaggeration, either. Lord Ogwell got all excited when he heard that you were back in Cliffhaven and sent me off to find you. He wants to meet you, but only if it seemed like you were somebody he’d see eye to eye with. Hence why I was doin’ what I do best. Apologies for that, again.”
“Somebody that he’d see eye to eye with,” said Ari. “Mind explaining how you know that’s case here?”
“I’m sure he’d be preferring to reveal that himself, but I’ll let it slip long as you act surprised when he tells you,” said Skinner. “He’s met with ol’ Wildeye, too. Knows he’s the poisoner. One card of many Lord Ogwell has up his sleeve, ready to use against the usurper.”
Ari didn’t say anything. He stared at Skinner, trying to get a better read on the other man’s grinning face in the dark. Skinner looked over at his shoulder at Eva and then back at Ari, making a gesture with his hand.
“If it please, Lord Stoneblood,” said Skinner, “allow me to be your humble escort to the estate of my master.”
“It does not please,” said Eva, entering the conversation for the first time. “Lord Stoneblood, this could easily be a trap.”
Skinner turned to look at Eva and let out a small whistle.
“There be talk about you, too,” he said. “The fabled Sword Siren. It is as they say. Behind every great man is a… scary woman.”
“She has a point,” said Ari. “I’m not just going to follow you blindly.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” said Skinner. “My master feels similarly, which is why he sent me to watch you instead of issuing this invitation blindly. How about this? I’m going to walk, very slowly, with no sudden movements, back to Lord Ogwell’s estate. You can watch me from a distance for the sake of learning the route there, and decide when to visit at your leisure.”
Skinner held his hands palm up, as though he’d given them all he had to offer. Eva offered no further objection, and Ari summoned her to his grasp as Azurelight. Skinner flinched as the light flashed, and then whistled again.
“Scary woman, indeed,” he muttered.
“She can still hear you,” said Ari.
Skinner winced, then shuffled out of the alleyway.
CHAPTER 35
Ari followed behind Skinner at a distance of a few hundred feet, only drawing closer when it was necessary to keep him in view around street corners. He was well aware of the fact that if Lord Ogwell had one minion following him, he could have others, perhaps some that might be positioning themselves to spring a trap.
The way Skinner had referred to Eva as the “Sword Siren” made him uncomfortably aware of how Azurelight might be seen as a potential prize for a lord or noble to seize for themselves. The secret was out, which also meant that he’d have one less advantage against any opponent he went up against who knew who he was.
They weren’t headed toward the Noble Quarter, which seemed strange, given how Skinner had spoken of his master. Instead, Ari followed the bald man southeast through the winding streets, toward a section of the city he hadn’t spent much time in.
Skinner came to a stop in front of a stout-looking mansion with a yard enclosed by an iron fence. It wasn’t an extensive property, but the surrounding buildings were packed close enough together to make it clear that the space it took up was worth a premium.
Two guards in rust-red cloaks stood outside the gate, clearly privately hired, rather than those in the employ of the city, who wore grey and blue. Skinner shared a word with one of them while he waited for Ari to catch up. He didn’t rush, only slowly making his way over to the guards, keeping one hand ready to reach for Azurelight’s hilt if needed.
“We’re expected,” said Skinner.
The guards opened the gate and stepped to either side. Ari felt a sudden flare of anxiety over the idea of stepping through and placing himself in the power of a lord he’d never met. The last time he’d taken a risk like that had ended rather poorly.
He took a closer look at the fence and decided that he could probably scale it with the help of his Feathercloak. It would be made more difficult if the guards decided to give him trouble, but if he took care of them first…
Skinner made a gesture, and Ari realized he’d been silently staring at the gate for several seconds.
“Ahem,” said Skinner. “Lord Stoneblood? This ain’t a trap. It’d be a piss-poor one, if it was.”
“Those are the easiest kind to fall for, in my experience,” said Eva. “The traps that seem too obvious and blatant to catch anyone.”
“Lead on, Skinner,” said Ari.
He shared Eva’s sentiment. There was something off about the situation, though Ari couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Still, he needed to start making moves in the city, even if they were the wrong ones.
Skinner led him into the mansion through the front entrance. The building had an odd design, and the main room almost felt like a massive set of entrance stairs, with small cutaways set into the steps that led into various rooms along its three main levels.
They didn’t bother wit
h the stairs, heading directly forward through the first door instead. Ari heard laughter coming from the other side, and the smell of perfume and wine reached him as soon as they’d taken the first few steps into the chamber.
Lord Ogwell was a young man, no more than a few years older than Ari with a face that seemed to have never lost his boyishness. His hair was golden blond and cropped short, and he wore an intricately embroidered red shirt along with loose black trousers.
He was sitting on a wide, heavily cushioned chair in the back of the room, facing the door. A woman completely naked from the waist up sat on his lap, and the simple silk skirt she wore tied around her waist was in the middle of being pulled off by Lord Ogwell.
She was laughing as he pawed at her, and neither of them seemed to notice Ari or Skinner’s presence. A second woman, equally unclothed, appeared with a platter carrying a goblet of wine. She did notice the new arrivals, and she leaned over to whisper in Lord Ogwell’s ear. The posture was incredibly flattering for her, and Ari tried not to let his eyes nestle on her naked, hanging breasts for more than a few seconds.
“Oh!” said Lord Ogwell. “Skinner, you always do that. You don’t have to act like the sneaky bastard you are when you’re reporting in from a mission.”
“Aye, milord,” said Skinner. “All went well. This is the man in question, Lord Aristial Stoneblood.”
Lord Ogwell sat up a little straighter, pushing the naked woman off his lap. She made a noise and stood, coming around to the other side of the chair and letting her hands settle on her master’s shoulders.
He took a sip of his wine and seemed to take a measure of Ari, though the Baron’s son seemed unwilling to look him directly in the eyes. Ari’s first impression of the other man was less than flattering, but he forced himself to dismiss it for the sake of practicality.
“Lord Stoneblood,” said Lord Ogwell. “It is such a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Likewise, Lord Ogwell,” said Ari.
“Please, call me Bruno,” said Lord Ogwell. “I’ll call you Aristial. And just like that, a friendship was born. Kensi, more wine!”
His tone shifted on the heel, sickeningly friendly for Ari and then snapping an order to one of the naked women as though commanding a dog. The woman smiled and rolled her eyes as she left the room, and though the exchange lasted only a moment, it told Ari nearly everything he needed to know about Bruno.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for the longest time,” said Bruno. “The rumors swirling around you are just so extravagant! I include the rumor insinuating that you killed my father in that. I never believed that one from the beginning, and my investigation basically proves your innocence.”
“Yeah, about that,” said Ari. “Would you care to share some of the details of this investigation? Maybe, oh you know, share them publicly, so I can stop being hunted by the city guard?”
“In due time,” said Bruno. “I need to know, Aristial, is it true what they say? That you can steal faces and shapeshift into other people? It would make it much easier for our friendship to bear the proverbial fruit we both seek, if that was the case.”
“No, that’s just another rumor,” said Ari.
He saw no point in trying to bluff about his abilities, since he doubted that Bruno would take him at his word regardless of what he said. It was better to issue a denial that would leave the other man guessing rather than claim to be able to do something he couldn’t in an attempt to leverage his position.
“Ah, a pity.” Bruno glanced away from Ari as one of the naked women returned with wine. “Here’s the wine. Kensi, bring me mine first and then bring Aristial his.”
She did just that, leaving the serving tray on a table next to Bruno’s chair and slowly making her way toward Ari, goblet in hand. She had straight brown hair, large breasts, and hips that swayed from side to side with each step in a manner that was extremely hard to ignore.
A smile came across the woman’s face as she passed him the wine, and she arched her back in a way that made the points of her breasts seem to angle toward his eyes. Ari cleared his throat as he took the goblet from her.
“Kensi, why don’t you see if he needs anything else,” suggested Bruno.
“Ah, no, that’s alright,” said Ari.
Kensi took a step forward anyway, and Ari studiously attempted to turn away from her as she pressed her nearly naked body against his shoulder. She was smiling in a manner that told him that she probably enjoyed this part of her job more than fetching wine and running errands. One of her hands ran across Ari’s stomach, settling just above his crotch, and a single finger tested the integrity of his belt, sliding to hook underneath it against bare flesh.
Light flashed, and Eva appeared next to Ari in her incarnate form. She cleared her throat loudly and inserted herself between him and Kensi, much to the serving woman’s surprise. Bruno let out an entertained laugh and clapped his hands.
“That wasn’t a ploy, mind you,” he said. “I honestly thought it might be fun to watch you and Kensi get along and help build our friendship. It seems at least one rumor about you does bode true. The Sword Siren, in the flesh.”
Ari expected Eva to say something, but she held her silence, even as Bruno stared at her with a hungry gleam in his eyes. She gave Ari a small nod, and he took a step forward, favoring the young lord with an impatient expression.
“I’m not here to play games,” said Ari. “I came to Cliffhaven for a reason. I want to help the Ravarian refugees outside the city.”
“The poor Ravarians, of course, so sad,” said Bruno with a tone that only lazily attempted empathy. “That’s not the only reason you’re here, though. I know you tried to hire mercenaries from the Storm Scouts Guild.”
“Well, I’m juggling multiple problems at once,” said Ari.
“All with the same solution,” said Bruno. “One that would also benefit me. The reason why the Ravarians haven’t been given proper attention and the reason why you can’t show your face openly are because of one simple fact. Erwin Luka remains in power.”
Ari glanced around the chamber, noting that both of the serving girls were still present, along with Skinner and another guard clad in a red cloak. It seemed like a few too many random sets of ears and tongues to be talking about treason openly in front of.
“Hear me out,” said Bruno. “Luka was not the rightful successor to govern this city. It’s just a fact. All the former Barons, up until my father, have hand-picked their replacements. He planned on eventually bestowing me with that responsibility, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
“Maybe we should speak about this in private?” asked Ari.
“Oh, don’t worry about the help,” said Bruno, with a dismissive wave. “They have too much respect for me to breathe a word of this outside this room.”
Ari resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and did his best to keep his expression amicable.
“I already have a plan,” said Bruno. “I know exactly what needs to be done to overthrow Luka and seize what’s rightfully mine. It’s been in the making for a while now, but with your help, the final pieces can fall into place!”
“This man is an idiot,” said Eva, through the bond.
Ari knew that she was right, but couldn’t help but wonder if that might work to their advantage.
“I’m listening,” he said. “What’s your plan?”
“Tomorrow is the Season’s End Gathering,” said Bruno. “It’s a holiday here in Cliffhaven, one of the few celebrated by the nobles and commoners alike. There’ll be a grand festival throughout the day tomorrow, full of events and attractions, including the ever-popular Bout of Sacrifice. Are you familiar with it?”
Ari shook his head.
“The Bout of Sacrifice is a tradition in Cliffhaven. Eight condemned men fight in an arena, fighting for a pardon from their crimes. Each death that occurs during the bout is considered a sacrifice to the Trium in the name of fair fortune and kind we
ather for the oncoming year.”
“Okay,” said Ari.
“There’s more to it than just that. Each of the eight participants dresses up in costume, usually as a stylized version of one of the weather monsters. Yields are accepted. Nobody necessarily needs to die, though it is tradition. The Baron himself does not issue the reprieve, but the will of the people depending on how good of a performance the winner puts on. They vote with either a thumbs up or a thumbs down at the end, and—”
“Just get to the point,” said Ari.
“I want you to enter the Bout of Sacrifice as my champion,” said Bruno. “Each of the influential nobles in the city, along with the Baron, are allowed to pick a fighter from their personal jail or the dungeons to represent them in the Bout.
“I was planning on entering one of my men charged with some petty crime or another. Once they’d dispatched with the other criminals, they’d be allowed to address the crowd to lobby for their pardon. My plan was for my champion to denounce Baron Luka and call for new leadership within the city.”
Ari blinked and stared across the room at the other man. One of the scantily clad women was on his lap again. Bruno had a smug, self-satisfied grin on his face and was clearly waiting for a resoundingly positive reaction to his freshly explained plot.
“It makes sense, doesn’t it?” he continued. “With you as my champion, the entire crowd will rise up! I’m not sure you realize how popular you are amongst the commoners, Lord Stoneblood. For some reason, they see you as some sort of heroic vagabond, given the way you’ve evaded capture and affected change within the city.”
“I have a few… minor issues with this plan,” said Ari. “It just doesn’t seem like it would go as smoothly as you’re describing it.”
“My guards would help lead the rebellion,” said Bruno. “I’m sure the nobles would support me afterward, as well, in case that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Lord Stoneblood, please tell me you are not actually considering this,” said Eva.
“So, let me just make sure I’m understanding this correctly,” Ari said, in a slow voice. “You want me to dress up in a costume, fight in a sacrificial tournament against seven condemned men with nothing to lose, and then rally the crowd onto my side to overthrow the Baron immediately afterward in a city-wide uprising?”
Reborn Raiders (The Weatherblight Saga Book 4) Page 21