“And then some,” Odelia said with a delighted laugh, looking away from her assistance with Lori. “All the noble houses who’d been involved with criminal activity are panicking. Thinking that they’ll somehow be targeted. So everything has slowed down considerably.”
“Which means bounties got pulled,” Caleb said with a sigh. “Good thing I have a steady job now. And with such lovely scenery. I can’t get enough of the Billings girls.”
Alana rolled her eyes at that and shook her head.
“I’m sure the bounties will reappear soon enough,” she said, looking at Rene. “It’ll just take time for the nobles to become confident again. I would suggest avoiding another such… incident… in the future.”
“Yeah, sorry. That one… that one got away from me,” Rene admitted, looking at the cup of tea Lori had set down in front of him. The aroma hit him in the face and he immediately found himself looking forward to drinking it. “Won’t happen again.”
“Unless children are involved, you mean,” Odelia said. “And I’ve worked to spread that bit of the story as well. That it was the involvement of children that set the Black Hood off.
“With any luck, that’ll help curb the predators who were utilizing children. You’ll probably see an increase in orphans showing up at your door though.”
Grimacing at that, Rene nodded.
He’d indeed seen that already. Two or three children had been showing up at the gates every day.
Those who could be molded, he took in. Or even those who might be too old but he thought he could correct.
For the others, he wrote a letter of recommendation to the military so they could enter into service.
It wouldn’t be a grand life, but it’d be a better one than on the streets. With a better life expectancy as well.
“We’ve definitely seen an uptick in the number of people attending,” Alana said. “Rene seems to have a hard time turning away those who are possibly too old to be… corrected.”
“We can give them a letter to the military if it doesn’t work out,” Rene said. “Once they’re gone though, they’re gone.”
“I agree,” Odelia said with a tap of her fingers on the table. Then she reached across to Rene and took his hand in her own. “Better to give them a chance than to simply write them off. Right, Rene? You’re far too strict, Alan.”
Alana gave Odelia a glare.
Rene could tell that Alana’s “male disguise” was starting to bother her. She was expected to keep a certain distance from Rene and that was clearly getting to her.
Not bothering to remove his hand from Odelia’s, because any attention in her direction was simply problematic, Rene instead turned to Caleb.
“Guild leaders? Who are they?” Rene asked.
“Snakes and Ravens,” Caleb repeated, counting his coins out to himself in front of everyone. “They’re both worth the same, but only the leader, or anyone wearing a guild brand.
“Though I heard that little trend is dying out very quickly after you rounded up everyone sporting a guild mark.”
Rene shrugged.
“If they want to make my job that easy, I won’t say no,” he said. “Alright. Snakes and Ravens. And what do they do?”
“Ravens are bandits, thugs, and thieves. A lot of what you’d expect,” Caleb said. “As for the Snakes… they kind of do everything, but they’re not above killing people. Just never anyone important or rich.
“They’ll happily rob them, though.”
Right. So… probably Ravens first. That’ll single out Snakes as the last one. We can have them removed or brought into the Mask guild without a problem.
“Anything from the nobles?” Rene asked, pulling his hand away from Odelia and picking up his teacup. He took a deep inhale and then a sip.
It really was fantastic tea.
“Nothing for the Ravens, though the Snakes are a slightly different matter,” Odelia said. “Almost every noble house pays the Snakes a very small amount of coin to leave them and their businesses alone. It really isn’t much and buys security from their members.”
“Right, so… Ravens first. Then Snakes. Just in case the Snakes have someone behind them, which… I’m betting they do,” Rene said. “Alright. Start working on how we can get info on the Ravens, Caleb. Meet back here tomorrow.”
Regretfully, he downed his tea in one big gulp. He enjoyed it very much, but he had other things he needed to take care of.
Taking a silver out of his own funds, he laid it down in front of Lori.
“Thank you for the tea party,” Rene said, sliding the coin in front of her. Then he left without another word. Having Lori present wasn’t something he wanted, but sometimes meetings had to happen regardless of that wish.
***
Walking into the money lender’s office, Rene was greeted by three different people.
One was the owner of the office, who looked rather happy to see him.
The second was a heavily armed man, wearing brigandine armor with a longsword, a dagger, an actual flanged mace, a helmet resting on the head of his mace, and a small shield hanging off his hip. The man looked like a landed knight and was large in stature. His eyes were a blank blue stare, his features lax and hard, and his hair very short and black.
Third, and most definitely not welcome, was Master Junk himself. Or so Rene guessed from the descriptions given to Rene by others. He’d never met the man in person.
He was heavy-set to the point of being obese and looked to be sweating from just getting to his feet. Balding with flat brown eyes in a pig-like face.
The very man Rene had swindled out of the Delacroix contract in a way that made it look completely legal.
“Hello,” Rene said, looking around the room. He knew without a doubt all three were there waiting for him.
“Young Master Anatolis. My name is Sir Gideon. Gideon Calloway,” said the knight, stepping forward toward Rene. “My company, the Knights of the Broken Sword, bring news from your father, dispatches, and three wagon-loads of… goods. We’re officially on retainer with you for the next two years.”
Rene knew the name. They were a well-known and highly credited company.
Holy crap, he hired an entire mercenary group of landed knights to keep this office safe.
Wrong. To keep us safe. Not the office.
We need to send another letter to Father and Mother.
“And with you here,” said the money lender as he stepped out from behind his desk, “I can officially give you this paper and wish you the best of luck. I’m moving. Right now.
“Your father made me a very generous offer I plan to take him up on in Laetus. I look forward to seeing you again, Master Anatolis.”
Holding a hand out to Rene, the man gave him a small satchel.
“I’m sure you’ll understand when you look inside,” said the man, clearly not wanting to discuss the contents in front of Master Junk or the knight.
Nodding his head, Rene stepped to the side. The money lender left, looking incredibly pleased with himself.
“Can I help you, Master Junk?” Rene asked, closing the door.
Gideon turned and stared at the fat man. Apparently, the knight had picked up on Rene’s distaste. His right hand had moved from his belt to the pommel of his dagger. Which really looked more like a short sword now that Rene saw it up close.
“Ah, yes, Master Anatolis… I wished to discuss a letter of credit that seems to have somehow ended up in your possession and the note you sent me,” Master Junk said, sounding a lot like a weasel already.
“Ah, yes. The one your nephew sold to me. We happened to cross paths when I was at the magistrate’s office,” Rene said with a smile. “I got the impression he was trying to pay off some sort of fine. As we were looking to branch out into Felicie, it was a rather fortuitous meeting. Though… I did suspect he might have been drunk at the time, even though he swore that was not the case.
“I’m afraid I’m not a good judge of such things wit
h my limited years.”
Rene felt like that neatly removed the teeth from any type of argument the man might have given him. It also fit well with the timeline and made it all quite plausible.
“I… he did?” asked Master Junk.
“He did indeed,” Rene said. “I paid him directly. Took the documentation and made sure to have it all fully validated. Everything was in order. I admit I didn’t quite trust your nephew at first. Though I would happily do business with him again now that I know he dealt honestly with me.
“Was there something else I could do for you?”
“Give me the line of credit back,” Master Junk said, any type of friendliness now gone along with the slightly nervous and weasel-like man. He even took a step toward Rene.
Gideon stepped in front of Rene, his short sword pulled free of its scabbard.
“I’m afraid, Master Junk, that I paid for the document, which was correctly signed and sealed,” Rene said. “At which point, I made sure to have everything documented further, and legally recorded. I’ve also already spoken with Master Delacroix.
“If you have anything further to discuss, I would request it be done by certified letter. You’re no longer welcome in this office.”
“You’ll regret this. I’ll have you groveling for forgiveness in no time,” Master Junk said, then trundled to the door and left.
Gideon sheathed the short sword and turned back to Rene.
“I’ll have the wagons brought around tonight and the buildings secured. Your father also hired an engineer to construct a vault. That should be built this week,” Gideon said. Then he pulled a stack of papers out from his belt and held them toward Rene.
“Thank you, Gideon,” Rene said. “I’ll trust you to your work. You don’t need any type of permission from me, or directions. Your reputation precedes you.”
“Ah, thank you, Master Anatolis,” said Gideon with a smile, showing off straight white teeth. “It’s always good to be recognized. And don’t worry about Master Junk. I imagine he’s a blow-hard, or he’ll attempt to make trouble from a business angle. I wouldn’t worry about the office or your life.”
“Agreed,” Rene said. He nodded to the big knight, then decided to check out what he’d been given.
Taking the papers and the bag, Rene went around the desk and into the back office.
He sat down in a chair that was simply too big for him and emptied the bag onto the desk.
It had several heavy brass keys and a small piece of paper.
Opening the paper up, he quickly realized it was instructions on how to open a safe that was in the floor. As well as the hidden panel on the side of the safe that held a ledger of all current loans.
In other words, what’s in the safe is just the dummy contents.
He might do well working with father. Especially if he’d survived as long as he had here, with the likes of Master Junk in the city.
I fear not the fat master of theft; when done, his face will sport a cleft.
I would have his blood run from his throat and down his coat, if only to see the city rid of this slime it’s suffered too long a time.
We’ll leave him alive for the time being.
He suits as a visible enemy for me to have. If he died, it’d just make me all the more curious.
I hate intrigue. Hate it.
As do I. It seems more appropriate for people who get off on having others calling them Master, or the like.
Alright. Keys are likely the safe, the front door and… I don’t know, actually. I can check the safe later.
Let’s read the letters.
Chapter 19
Picking up one of the sealed papers, Alex looked at the desk. He found the letter opener there, grabbed it and slit the adhesive binding away.
Turning the letter over, Rene looked at the bottom first.
Father, of course.
Leaning back in his seat, he began to read the letter.
Hello son,
I’m glad to hear that everything is turning out so well for you. From what I’ve been able to learn and piece together, you’ve made quite the splash in Felicie already.
I also received several notes from a few nobles who wanted to start up a line of credit with us who didn’t wish to previously. Apparently you’re making some friends over there, who have friends out here.
Perhaps I should have expanded further, faster than I did.
With that goal in mind, I’ve sent you the money required to open up the new branch. As well as contracting Gideon’s team as a guard service.
They recently had a contract that went poorly for them. While they didn’t lose many from their numbers, they did suffer numerous injuries that will set them back considerably for a time.
Though my understanding is, that’s the way it goes for a mercenary company.
The terms I offered them were favorable to everyone involved. Their primary function is to safeguard you. Secondary to that, is the vault that’s being installed and your new home.
I understand it’s next door to the office, which will make it easy for Gideon to have both sites guarded.
Lastly, I did discover your ledger. I’m not even mad. In fact, I’d say I’m impressed. You’ve amassed quite a bit of wealth to your name.
Once I’ve got it all accounted for and packed, I’ll have it shipped over to you. Gideon left a good number of his wounded here for care. When they leave, your coin will go with them.
Beyond all of that, I’ll wish you the best, my son, with love and faith that you’ll come home when you can. It’ll be interesting to see what you can do in Felicie on your own in the meantime.
Your mother and sister send their best wishes and love, of course.
Also, I forgot to mention it till I’d already nearly closed the letter, but I sent a donation to the University of Felicie in your name. I cannot even begin to imagine they wouldn’t take you in as a student. If they give you any problems, contact the headmaster and make sure he’s aware of who you are.
If that fails, contact me.
Sincerely,
Your Father.
Smirking at that, Rene could only begin to wonder what would happen if he did involve his father should the headmaster fail to admit him.
“Suppose that explains the third key, doesn’t it,” Rene murmured, glancing at the three keys.
One for the safe here, one for the house, one for the office.
With a sigh, Rene set the letter down on the desk and then set his elbows on the arms of the chair. Steepling his fingers together, he contemplated what to do next.
We could read… play some music… start in on figuring out the accounts that… hm… I can’t remember his name for the life of me.
Well, the accounts that the money lender gave us. I’m sure his name is in the bookkeeping documents.
We should go master our domain, for with its control there’s more to attain.
That’s a good point. It isn’t like the Snakes or Ravens are going to stick their heads up today. Made too much of a splash.
It was required for the old to be retired.
Violently.
Rene rolled his eyes at that, but he couldn’t disagree. It’d been a perfect way in for him.
The world of filth and ruin it is.
***
Wearing his cracked and bloody mask, Rene walked into the Tramp’s Tail. It was here that he’d be able to find people who could help him get his work done.
Several people near him flinched as soon as they saw him. A space was cleared around Rene almost instantly. No one wanted to be near him, it would seem.
Holding his arms out at his sides as if he were long suffering, Rene shook his head. He had a role to play.
Not bothering to talk to anyone, Rene instead headed straight for the back room. Today’s goal was to better understand everything to do with his guild.
He’d only gotten the surface of everything the other day, and there were still far too many questions.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with limp brown hair, brown eyes, and a growing paunch in the middle. If the man had worked the streets in his youth, he certainly no longer showed it now.
Rene could vaguely remember this man being one of the upper-level lieutenants, but he’d forgotten the man’s name.
Standing there, Rene tilted his head to one side at a forty-five degree angle and said nothing.
“Boss! I… I… didn’t expect you so—I didn’t… that is—”
“I have a need,” Rene said, not changing the way he was standing in any way. “And what’s your name?”
“I… of course! I’m Davis. What can I do for you?”
“Snakes. Ravens,” Rene said. “Where are they?”
“Uh… hiding. They’re all hiding. Rumor was you wanted to take them over next, so… only their bottom level people are workin’,” murmured Davis with a shrug.
Hm.
Maybe I underestimated my impact.
I do hope this isn’t a long-term situation. I have enough on my plate to do. Trying to hunt down guild leaders and take over their gangs, in addition to everything else, just seems like too much right now.
“Was… ah… was that it? Was that all?” asked the lieutenant.
“No,” Rene said, straightening up. “Do we have contacts with the guards? Are we bribing them? How high do our bribes go? Are we paying them a cut?”
Blinking a few times, the man shook his head.
“I… don’t know. Only the boss knew that kind of stuff,” he admitted.
Right. Okay. So we’ll need to establish our own contacts and see what we can’t figure out.
“Any idea on who to start with in the guards?” Rene asked.
“Lieutenant Ronder always looks the other way,” Davis offered.
Lieutenant Ronder? Alright. That’ll be our first try.
“I… uh… I think you might have a contract on you, by the way,” Davis said looking rather sheepish.
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