Aiden was silently impressed, never having heard anything quite like it, even from the ancient books he used to read. Nellise was similarly thunderstruck by these sentiments, and both of them remained silent for a good long while after Sir William had finished.
“I will ponder your words, Sir Knight,” Nellise spoke slowly, looking at him with a curious expression of admiration and longing. “There may be some merit in your perspective, though it may take some time to fully digest this startling revelation.”
“You have all the time in the world, dear lady,” Sir William replied with a smile. “My heart would leap to see you unburdened from your worries at last.” The two of them continued to talk about lighter matters, and Aiden felt it was a good time to head over to the bar and order some food.
He sat alone as he ate a meal, allowing his mind to idle and simply enjoy the plate of roast chicken and potatoes in the relaxing atmosphere. The end of the bar where Aiden was enjoying his meal was dimly lit, but inside his pouch there seemed to be a blue glow. He stopped chewing his food and slowly opened the pouch, noting that the light seemed to be coming from a corner of the cube.
“There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you mate,” Ronan remarked suddenly, clapping Aiden on the shoulder and causing him to almost choke on his food. He snapped the pouch shut again and turned to look at the sailor, hoping he hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
“You scared me half to death, Ronan,” Aiden admonished him, mopping gravy from around his mouth with a napkin.
“Sorry about that,” the sailor apologised, “I tend to do that to people. Look, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about that whole thing with Sayana, and if you want me to steer clear, I’ll do so.”
“No, it’s okay,” Aiden dismissed after a moment’s thought. “I overreacted earlier, and really you’re both free to do whatever you want. She and I talked about it a bit, and in the end we both agreed that she should storm away in a huff and stop speaking to me.”
“Yeah I’m sure that was mutual,” Ronan remarked laconically. “But if you’re fine with it, so am I.” Aiden was distracted by the familiar dark-haired form of Kinsey’s associate Kara approaching from across the room, looking right at him.
“Oh, and before I forget, I should mention that I went looking around for Perry and his crew, but they’ve moved base again,” Ronan continued, a strange tightness in his voice. “Something tells me that place we met him last time wasn’t even a proper headquarters. It was probably just set up for our meeting. Long story short — I have no idea where he’s disappeared to now.”
“Does that bother you?” Aiden asked.
“No, why would it?” Ronan answered, a little too quickly. A long moment of silence ensued during which he fidgeted with his glass, before finally telling the truth. “He played me, Aiden, right from the start. The contact led me to their ‘base’ was put there to lure me in. I left on good terms, and there’s an unwritten rule that you respect former colleagues ‘cause you never know if they might come back and work for you again. But not now — he’s sold out, and probably laughing at me right now.” The glass in his hand suddenly shattered, causing a minor stir as people turned to see what the noise was.
“You’re usually pretty hard to read Ronan, but something tells me this is really bothering you,” Aiden drawled.
“It’s more than just me. Everyone who works for him is now in peril. Perry’s consorted with a bunch of mad bloody killers and they’re half as likely to murder them all just to keep ‘em silent,” Ronan spoke quietly, but through gritted teeth. “There are some good people in that guild and they’re all in as much danger as we are now, so I’ve got to find them before the assassins do.”
“So, you’re not quite through with the guild after all, I guess,” Aiden deduced.
“Just this last job, and then I can sleep at night,” Ronan assured him.
“Yeah that’s great,” Aiden replied, suddenly noticing Kara trying to catch his attention from a nearby bar stool. “We’ll have to deal with Perry later, as I suspect things are about to come to a head on this whole assassin issue. Get the others ready to move, I’ll be back shortly. There’s someone I have to speak with.”
“Not a problem, I’m raring to go,” Ronan answered. Pushing his plate aside, Aiden left a few coins for the waitress and walked over to the elusive young woman.
“Our mutual friend says that Sir Godfrey wishes to speak with you personally,” Kara confided in hushed tones. “They’re expecting you in the castle.”
“Right now? Okay, I’ll head straight over there,” Aiden replied. “Oh, and thanks for the little display at the gate to the Senate District.”
“I made a right arse of myself,” she conceded with a half-grin, “but we all have to make sacrifices. Kinsey wanted me to keep an eye on you in case you got into trouble, but I never expected you to try and walk through a guard post right after a fight. Not all the City Watch have been bribed, but I reckon enough of them have that you’d have gotten into pretty serious trouble if they’d taken you in for questioning.”
“I appreciate it,” Aiden responded.
“Now get going, Sir Godfrey is a busy man,” the mysterious spy prompted, and Aiden didn’t hesitate any longer, making his way out the door and heading towards the castle at a brisk pace.
Upon reaching the castle he was forced to wait in the cold weather however, as a royal carriage thundered across the bridge accompanied by half a dozen mounted guards in heavy armour. Aiden caught a glimpse of someone with blond hair and fair features sitting in the back of the carriage, but it might have been his imagination.
Aiden made his way past the castle guards, who waved him through at a glance. His arrival had apparently been expected, and within a minute he was within the sheltered walls of the keep. They kept out the worst elements of the weather, but it was still very cold inside.
“Mister Wainwright, it is a pleasure to see you again,” announced Castellan Hodges, striding forward to offer his hand in greeting.
“Good afternoon,” Aiden replied, shaking his hand. “I believe Sir Godfrey requested my presence?”
“Indeed he has sir, and I shall take you to him. I must say, we have heard many tales of your exploits over the past few days and I am astonished with your accomplishments. Tracking down that scoundrel Holister was a masterstroke, both for the Crown and for your own reputation.”
“My reputation?” Aiden asked as the castellan ushered him towards a pair of doors.
“There were many here in the royal court who doubted your capabilities, and those of your comrades,” he continued. “I must confess, I was one of them, but the princess was most vocal as to your talents, and so we gave you the benefit of the doubt. Please understand your lack of training or experience in this area was most troubling for us.”
“To be fair,” Aiden pointed out, “one of our number has some old contacts in the criminal world, and it was he who led us on the trail that brought us results.”
“Well, in any case, your people have certainly risen to the occasion, sir,” the castellan offered.
“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Aiden cautioned. “We still haven’t found out who the people behind all of this are, and some of Holister’s associates got away.”
“I’m sure Sir Godfrey’s assistance will help expedite matters.”
“Oh, speaking of Criosa, how has she been of late?” Aiden inquired as they stood before the large oaken doors.
“Sullen, and frankly a little frightened by the prospect of being hunted like this, though she does a masterful job of hiding her feelings,” Castellan Hodges explained fondly. “Criosa was always quite spirited, and doesn’t take well to being cooped up indoors all the time, which I think was behind her decision to speak before the Senate this afternoon. Any excuse to get out of the house, wot?”
“Wait, was she in that carriage I passed on the way in?” Aiden asked, suddenly concerned.
“Yes, but rest assured,
she is well protected,” the castellan said.
“Why is she speaking to the Senate?”
“The current bill the chamber is discussing involves the war, and our place within it,” he confided delicately. “There is a movement to cut His Majesty off from the royal treasury due to the lack of consultation with the government prior to declaring war. I suspect that businessmen with interests in the Tulsone market are outraged at losing money from trade and pushed for the discussion to happen, but surprisingly it seems to have caught on with most of the other Senators. Whether or not it passes is now down to a handful of others, so Criosa went to speak before them to beg for the bill to be discarded, so as not to abandon her father in the middle of enemy territory.”
“I had no idea there was such opposition,” Aiden breathed, remembering what he had learned about the real reasons for the war, and realising that secrecy was undermining support from the king’s allies at home.
“There has been growing dissent from the nobility in the capital ever since hostilities began,” the castellan confided, “and at times it has bordered on treason. But it is not my place to speak of such things — I am merely a servant of Aielund. Now, Sir Godfrey is awaiting your presence.”
The conversation ended abruptly as he stepped into the royal court, and Aiden had no choice but to put aside his myriad questions and follow Castellan Hodges in. Sir Godfrey was resplendent in his plate armour as he talked quietly to the familiar figure of Mister Kinsey, who stood leaning on his cane in the centre of the plush carpet that led up to the empty throne.
“Ah, the erstwhile Aiden Wainwright returns,” Sir Godfrey greeted him as Kinsey watched casually. “Sterling work you and your companions have achieved thus far, sir, though I do find the information you have uncovered to be unsettling to say the least. There are matters that require my time elsewhere, so I must needs be brief, but I wished to impress upon you the gravity of your request.”
“Do you have a problem with investigating the Senator?” Aiden asked.
“In the manner in which this is going to take place, yes,” the knight replied stiffly. “This is highly irregular, though Kinsey has been most persuasive as to the reasons for the covert nature of this investigation. To put it bluntly, the capture of Holister has shown me that you are a capable young man and have our best interests at heart so I am permitting this to proceed, though we will all be at considerable risk should you decide to go ahead.”
“If you believe Johnson is a threat, there should be no question that this action is necessary,” Aiden remarked.
“Should you be unable to find anything incriminating on his property, upon his return from the Senate, Augustus may learn of your intrusion and will be outraged. You may face prosecution,” the knight added grimly, “and the duke will have no choice but to expel me from the Order of Aielund for allowing this transgression to happen.”
“Prosecution?” Aiden asked faintly, not thrilled with the sound of that word.
“The senator is a powerful man, Aiden,” Kinsey explained. “If you fail to find evidence against him, he will destroy you, and your companions will face a similar fate.”
“So I implore you to think carefully before moving ahead with this,” Sir Godfrey pressed. “Once you enter that house, there is no turning back.” Aiden was silent as he contemplated everything he had learned, and the price for being wrong. His measure of Thomas’s character came into question, but his death only served to underscore the value of the information.
“I’m not wrong,” Aiden stated. “Johnson is part of it, and that house has the incriminating evidence. If he turns out to be innocent, we’ll deal with that when it happens. But it won’t, because I’m not wrong.”
“You are a man of conviction. Rare in one so young,” Sir Godfrey observed, locking eyes with Aiden for a long moment. “One last question — Mister Kinsey informed me that the note you found in Thomas Bartlett’s property mentioned something about assaulting the Senate. Princess Criosa has just left to address them personally, and I would ask if these people truly intend to follow through on that.”
“The note was fake, Sir Godfrey,” Aiden assured him. “Its purpose was to implicate Thomas, so I think it is safe to assume that everything in it was a fabrication.”
“I sent along four royal guardsmen with the carriage as a precautionary measure,” the castellan said. “Unless these blaggards have more than a dozen men at their disposal, they will find themselves hard-pressed if they choose to attack.”
“Very well,” Sir Godfrey nodded, satisfied with the report. “Good fortune to you, Aiden, and may you find what you are looking for, for all our sakes.”
“I will see you in an hour or two,” Aiden told them firmly, “with the evidence you need to end this conspiracy once and for all.”
Chapter Nineteen
When Aiden returned to the Fair Maiden, he saw Ronan had gathered the others together at a pair of tables on the far wall. Sensing time was of the essence, he caught their attention and gestured for them to follow him outside. The entire group was fully equipped, and Aiden was pleased to see Maggie’s injured arm appeared to be fully healed.
“We’re finishing this up in the next few hours,” Aiden told her. “Then we’ll head south and help you with your problem, as promised.”
“I look forward to getting back out into nature,” Maggie answered.
Towering over the little raelani, Valennia wore a fine steel breastplate under her heavy cloak, the front of which appeared to have been hammered outwards to better accommodate her physique. On her head was an imposing helm with a flat visor that could slide down to cover her face during a fight. Her great axe had been sharpened and its edge gleamed in the cold light of day. People turned to stare at the heavily armed woman standing proudly in their midst.
“Did the city watch give you any trouble, Val?” Aiden asked.
“The corrupt warriors of this city stood at a distance and watched me pass, but did not challenge me directly,” she replied confidently. “If they took issue with my imposing visage, they chose not to act, like the cowards they are.”
“I have no idea if we’re going to be allowed into the Senate District, looking like this,” Aiden muttered to himself as he looked over his companions, many of whom had discarded subtlety in favour of heavier equipment, no doubt as a result of their last encounter.
“Okay we’re heading north, but let’s try and be discreet about it,” Aiden instructed, leading them around the nearest corner and up a narrow alleyway beside the inn. “I still have the authority of the duke, but I don’t particularly want anyone to know where we are moving, or why.”
“What exactly are we doing?” Maggie asked, walking double-time to keep up with the rest of them.
“We’re paying a visit to our good friend, Senator Johnson,” Aiden replied with a wink. “He’s tied up at the Senate in an important meeting, and we will be taking advantage of the situation to make ourselves at home, if you know what I mean.”
“We are taking his house for ourselves?” Valennia asked obtusely. “I prefer to vanquish our enemies before taking their land, but if this is your custom…”
“Yes, it is,” Aiden answered with a straight face. “Ronan, is there any way past the guard post on the gate without being seen? And I want an answer other than ‘the sewers’.”
“Okay then, how about ‘yon aqueducts’?” the sailor quipped, followed by groans from everyone nearby. “Hey, if you want to go where nobody will follow, you can’t beat a river of shit.”
“Fine, if there’s no other way…”
“Nope,” Ronan shrugged. Aiden reluctantly let him take the lead, and within minutes they were climbing through a sewer grate, down a ladder into the turgid darkness. Once he had climbed to the bottom, Aiden and Sayana summoned their lights to show the way.
“Are you sure you know which house to head for?” Aiden asked as they waited for the last of their group to climb down. The smell was as bad as ever, altho
ugh he tried his best to ignore it.
“Yeah, it’s the First King’s estate,” he answered, as if it should be obvious.
“I heard it’s a heritage building, but does that mean it was Alaric the First’s house?” Aiden inquired, always interested in history.
“I’ll field this one,” Sir William offered, leaving Ronan free to lead them through the dark tunnels. “Fairloch was always planned to be the capital of the Kingdom, but construction was going to take a considerable amount of time, so the King had a more modestly sized estate built, to act as his court until such time as the castle was finished. It took twelve years, in case you were wondering.”
“I was, thanks,” Aiden responded. “What happened to it after the King eventually moved out?”
“He handed it over to the most loyal of his Lords, the Earl of Kingswood,” Sir William continued, seeming to take great pleasure in educating them about the city’s early days. “Since then, it has always remained with the same family, as the sons and daughters of that Earl have always felt it was their duty to continue serving the Kingdom.”
“Was it the Johnson family?” Nellise asked, walking alongside her new best friend.
“It was, and still is,” the knight replied soberly. “If that trust has been abused by the senator, his entire family will be disgraced. It would certainly play into the hands of the Lords, who want nothing better than to see this whole Senate experiment cast aside and the House of Lords reinstated as the sole governmental body within the realm.”
“I don’t get it,” Pacian remarked bluntly, matched by Sayana’s blank expression.
“Well, it’s all quite involved actually, with politics being what it is and all, so perhaps I’ll tell you about it another time,” Sir William muttered, sensing it wasn’t a good time for a history lesson.
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