“Yes, I shall try the snake,” Jasmin said with a chuckle.
Alonso gave her a deep bow and headed towards the door.
Jasmin took a deep breath and headed up the stairs. She entered the room.
Her mother was sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked up at Jasmin but said nothing.
Jasmin stood in front of her. “Mother, I don’t know why you feel you were a failure to me. You’re the best person I know, and for whatever faults I have, the blame falls solely on me. I promise to reflect on my attitudes to see where I can improve.” Jasmin paused for a moment. “I’m not sure I have the same beliefs as you about how the world should work, but I can’t think of a person with a stronger moral code, so I will endeavor to find out where our differences lie and where I need to change. I don’t want to be a disappointment to you.”
Lady Grant stood and gave Jasmin a long hug. She squeezed her tight and spoke softly in her ear. “Thank you, Jas. I love you no matter what, and these are very trying times, but this is something I think you should do. Let’s not speak on this matter again until you are comfortable with it, agreed? I’m sorry that our trip into the gardens was ruined.”
“It was only ruined if nothing good comes from our talk. I will make sure that isn’t the case,” Jasmin said as her mother broke the hug. “And I will forever remember the beauty of the gardens. Now, let’s go to dinner. I’m told the snake is a delicacy one shouldn’t miss out on.”
Lady Grant raised an eyebrow. “And who told you this?”
Jasmin blushed. “Alonso. One of Isaac’s men checked on me after you left. We ended up talking and he escorted me back to the inn.”
“I see. Well, I do agree. Although it has been so long since I’ve had it that my memory might be faded and wrong. Shall we go and find out?”
Jasmin smiled. “Yes, let’s do that.” The issues between them weren’t fully resolved, but the fact they were talking was an excellent start. She knew it would take more than words to fully win back her mother. Her mother didn’t say things lightly, so a simple apology wasn’t enough. Jasmin needed to learn why her mother felt her judgment so far off-kilter when it came the man called Rogue.
...
Lady Grant smiled as Isaac told them a story about his wayward youth.
“I fell through the broken floor and ended up in the king’s harem. There I am, naked as the day I was born, so cold and shriveled that all my outies were innies, and I didn’t know if I should stay and warm up or run before the guards arrived. The giggles and stares of the harem girls made me want to stay and show them what I looked like when not so cold, but then the king’s guards stormed the room and I came to my senses and jumped out the window. I almost froze to death that day.”
Lady Grant leaned across the table. “You were naked, yet you managed to steal the jewel. Where was it the whole time you were running and fighting?”
Isaac looked at Lady Grant and then over at Jasmin. He took a large swig of ale and shook his head. “That is a secret I will take to the grave.”
Jasmin laughed. “I think I should thank you for keeping that secret. If my imagination were correct, I doubt I could ever look at a jewel the same way again.”
Lady Grant chuckled.
Isaac shook his head. “I think that is enough discussion of the foolish ways of my youth. We should now discuss business. I do think I have a good assortment of men that would fit your needs nicely.”
“I want Alonso,” Jasmin said.
Lady Grant watched Isaac carefully. Jasmin had been reluctant to make the journey to Golrog at all, but now she was requesting a guard? She knew Isaac wouldn’t outright dismiss any of his men in front of Jasmin, but did he think it was a good fit?
Isaac patted his lips with his napkin. “Alonso?”
Jasmin turned to her mother. “Yes. If we are going to having strange men in our household, I want at least one that I’m comfortable with.”
Isaac nodded. “I will see if that can be arranged. Now, I have a few other men in mind. I have three war veterans, all excellent fighters and loyal. They also would be very content doing other duties around your estate. I believe they would make excellent long-term additions to your staff.”
“Do they have families in Golrog?” Lady Grant asked.
Isaac shook his head. “I know one has a lady friend, but I don’t know how serious. The rest have no family ties.”
“I would like to meet the men before making a decision, but you may tell the one with a lady friend to bring her to the interview if he likes. I can add her to the estate staff if it is mutually agreeable.”
Isaac nodded. “I’ll inform Peter. I think that would please him very much. I also have two men who would be more short-term in nature, but they are among the best I have available to me. Braylen Stone and Marcos Lambert.”
“Do I need to interview them?” Lady Grant asked.
Isaac shrugged. “It is your choice, but they are the best I have.”
“No interview, then. Your judgment on the matter will suffice. With luck we’ll only need them for a few days until we get this mess sorted out.”
“Excellent. That concludes our business for the evening then. It is time for dessert.”
Jasmin stood up. “Dessert sounds lovely, but first I need to freshen up. If you will excuse me.”
Isaac stood up as well. “Of course.” As Jasmin departed, Isaac sat back down.
“Tell me about this Alonso,” Lady Grant said.
Isaac frowned slightly. “A good young man. Friendly, smart, knows how to talk to people and can handle himself. But I don’t know that he’d be a good fit. He isn’t experienced enough to replace Braylen or Marcos, and I don’t know if he is the type to stay long-term. That your daughter is exceptionally beautiful would give him reason to say yes. And given that your daughter is exceptionally beautiful, it might give you cause to not want a younger man like Alonso around. The ladies are quite receptive to his charms.”
Lady Grant scratched her left eyebrow as she pondered Isaac’s words. “My daughter is old enough to make her own choices when it comes to men, and it wouldn’t hurt her to have someone outside of the normal bevy of young miners and lumberjacks vying for her attention. Someone a little worldlier might benefit her. Every young woman should have her heart broken by a beautiful man. It makes them appreciate those with more substance. And I’ve already challenged her greatly as of late. Picking a fight now would harm my efforts to get her to see the world differently. I will hire him in addition to the men we’ve already spoken of and the ones I will interview tomorrow.”
Isaac nodded. “I see the years have brought you wisdom. Many would be overprotective.”
Lady Grant sighed. “I think that is part of the problem. I’ve already been overprotective. Riverside is very sheltered, and she understands little of how the world really works. But now, with the assassination attempt, she has no choice but to learn and learn fast.”
10
Rogue
Rogue stared at the saddlebags. The puzzle annoyed him. Normally, it wasn’t that difficult to figure out such things. Men were creatures of habit and left clues to their lives like breadcrumbs for a raven. All one had to do was pick them up. But in this case, the assassins left very few crumbs. Certainly not enough to come to any conclusions.
“Are you gonna stare at them damn bags all day or you going to get off your ass and do something about it?”
Rogue looked over at Zeke. The old man had a point. “Where would you start?”
Zeke shook his head. “All that training, and they didn’t teach you to think. It’s a bloody shame. You are going about it wrong, trying to think of all the possible enemies the Grant family has. That list is too long. That is the problem with people with no obvious enemies. You have to look at everyone. You’ll never solve a puzzle with that many pieces. You need to start removing pieces that don’t fit.”
Ignoring the thinly veiled jab at his past, Rogue thought about what Zeke was sa
ying. The old goat had a point. “Go saddle the new gelding, Zeke. I’m going to go remove a piece or two.”
“About damn time,” Zeke said. At the door, he stopped. “Why the gelding? Why not the devil?”
Rogue smiled. “The devil has taken a liking to the assassins’ bay mare.”
“You’re going to let that damned roan stallion breed? Have you lost your mind? You want little killer horses running around this place, biting your shoulders, hands, and feet at every opportunity? One evil bastard horse is enough.”
The hammerhead roan stallion was a mean horse, there was no denying that, but it was the best mountain horse he’d ever owned and the smartest. “You know damn well that aside from his temperament, there isn’t a better mountain horse out there.”
Zeke grumbled. “I suppose. And that mare is a picturesque animal. It has had some breeding, I can tell you. I bet someone paid a small fortune for her. If they don’t inherit the demon inside their daddy, any foals would be some of the finest horseflesh around. I should build a proper corral for training them. Gods know you won’t do it.”
Rogue chuckled as Zeke went outside. The cantankerous old man would spend the next year working on barns, corrals, and horse training. The old goat had a soft spot for animals; raising and training young foals was exactly the kind of project he needed. Rogue was disappointed in himself for not thinking of it earlier. Taking one of the assassins’ saddlebags, he filled it with a couple days’ supplies and an extra canteen. He wasn’t planning on going too far, but one never knew. He then took a weapons belt off the wall. He wouldn’t be taking a sword where he intended to go, but the belt held two small, deadly weapons that would send a message to the right people.
The trail Rogue took went high into the mountains between Riverside and Penrith. It was shorter as the crow flies, but a longer route time-wise. He didn’t mind the extra time, as the path was secluded and made checking your back trail easy. No one was going to follow him without being seen. He wasn’t too worried about it, but the king of Middle Vaton often sent men into Deytar looking for him. Most returned empty-handed, and the rest never returned at all.
The dapple gelding was performing admirably on the challenging mountain trail. There were many sections of loose rock that often caught less-sure footed animals off-guard. Many a mountain rider had not returned home due to a fall from a horse. The mountains were dangerous territory. Wild animals, high winds, and treacherous terrain could all kill a man. He was glad to call the mountains home now. He was comfortable with danger. He knew it like a man knew his wife. Danger had been a part of his life for so long he didn’t know what it would be like without it. The mountains provided him with that danger now. The mountains and his raids into Vaton.
As he came out of the mountains, Rogue rode to the main road between Riverside and Penrith. While the mountain path had its advantages, riding into the town of Penrith from anywhere but the main road would bring unwanted attention.
It was late afternoon, and the busy streets were starting to empty out. The shops were closing, and some people were heading home while others were on their way to the pubs and diners for a meal. Like Riverside, Penrith was built on the mining industry. Gold, silver, and iron mines were the town’s main source of income. It also meant that, like Riverside, Penrith had many establishments catering to young men flush with hard-earned coin.
Rogue slid off the gelding and led the animal down a short alley off a secondary street. The alley led to a small house on a well-kept large town lot. Behind the house was a small but clean barn. Rogue unsaddled the gelding and put it into one of the three stalls. Only one of the other stalls was occupied. After feeding the gelding a handful of grain, Rogue headed towards the back door of the house. He knocked.
The door opened slowly, and a cautious woman peered out from behind it. “Oh, it’s you. Come in,” she said.
Rogue stepped into the house. The smell of vanilla and cinnamon wafted through the air.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she pulled out a chair at her kitchen table and indicated for Rogue to do the same.
Sitting down, Rogue looked at the widow, Harriet Barns. She was a comely middle-aged woman. Her midsection was a little curvier than it had once been, but she wore it well. Her long dark hair was streaked with silvery grey and her eyes were starting to show crow’s feet, but the little signs of aging only complemented her beauty. “I have business in town this evening and I wanted to check up on you.”
“Things are good. The café is busy. I’ve met a man who’s interesting.”
Rogue raised an eyebrow.
Harriet smiled. “Don’t raise your eyebrow at me. He’s a good man. A superintendent at one of the mines. He’s courting me like a proper lady, but so far I’ve resisted while letting him know his efforts aren’t going unnoticed or unappreciated. I’ll probably let him take me to dinner some night soon.”
“A long, slow courtship.”
Harriet nodded. “Yes, and I deserve it. My first one was teenage lust, short and settled into a relationship far too fast. I loved Edgar, but if I’d known his love for me would come second to his love for adventure, I might not have accepted his hand in marriage. Knowing the heartbreak that comes with loving an adventurer, I’m looking for someone a little more stable this time around, and I am going to be choosy. But this one will get ample opportunity to prove his worth.”
“He’d be a lucky man,” Rogue said. Harriet’s mention of her first husband reminded Rogue of the reason for his visit to her. “The café need anything?”
“No. It is doing very well. I don’t need any more of your money, Rogue. Your debt to me is more than filled. You might’ve been the instrument of my husband’s death, but the life he lived was his choice. He didn’t need to take the king’s job. He knew very well how dangerous you and your companions were. He didn’t even care about the money. He wanted the honor and prestige of being the one to bring you down.”
“In the end, he cared about the money,” Rogue said. “Not for himself, but for you. His last thoughts were of you, and his regrets for not taking better care of you. He was a fine warrior. He and his men came closer to stopping us than anyone else. That’s why I honored his final request.”
Harriet looked down at the table and absentmindedly ran her finger around the rim of her cup. “If only he’d realized that a little sooner in life. I wouldn’t be a widow and you wouldn’t have spent so much on building me a café.”
“I’m just sorry it took me so long to get you started again.”
Harriet shook her head. “We both know that wasn’t possible. Besides, where was the king? Where were my husband’s loyal companions? The moment he died, they forgot about me. All except the ones who saw an opportunity to bed me. How helpful they were to the grieving widow until they realized it wasn’t going to get them into my knickers. Then they disappeared, too. I was all alone until you found me. Penrith has been the fresh start I needed. I have good friends and my own business, and I’m content with my life. As I said before: your debt to me, your promise to Edgar, has been paid back in spades.”
Rogue nodded.
“When is your business this evening?” Harriet asked.
“After dark,” Rogue said.
Harriet rose from the table. “There is something else you could help me with, then.” She walked over to his chair until she was standing right beside him. She took his arm and pulled him out of his chair until they were pressed together.
“What about your miner?” Rogue asked.
“My miner is a gentleman, and he will court me like a proper lady. You, however, are not a gentleman.”
“I’m not?”
Harriet shook her head so that their lips brushed each time her head went past his. “No, you are a bad man. You’ll be gone in a few hours, maybe even dead, depending on what type of late-night business you are on. But for the next few hours, you will keep me company and remind me what it feels like to be a woman. Tomorrow I’ll be s
ated and have resolve in my decision to make my miner wait instead of succumbing to my own needs.”
Rogue followed as Harriet pulled him towards the bedroom.
...
The baron’s estate sat on a hill overlooking Penrith. Rogue wasn’t sure if there was a barons’ handbook that insisted all rich people build on a hill so they could look down on their neighbors, but at times it felt like it. However, if there was such a handbook, they should’ve put a section about security in it.
The Levy estate had high walls, sturdy iron gates, and three men patrolling the yard. From a distance, it looked very secure, but to a man like Rogue it was a joke. From the woods, he slid up to the wall unseen. The cloudy night, with only a sliver of one moon showing, left the area black. And Rogue, wearing a dark olive tunic, was near invisible. Many thieves made the mistake of wearing black, thinking it was the best color to wear at night. But it wasn’t. There was a light source to be considered. Rare was the night so dark that black didn’t stand out against the shades of gray it truly held. And when a person walked out of the shadows, nothing said criminal more than all black. But a man wearing grays, and muted colors like olive, could blend into the shadows and seem innocent in the light.
Rogue placed a short log against the wall. With a practiced ease, he stepped back and then took a run at it. When his feet reached the top of the log, he leaped into the air, kicking the log to the side and extending his arms to grab the top of the wall and pull himself over. Just like that, he was over the fourteen-foot wall, and his method of entry was lying on the ground, hidden from view.
Crouching against the wall, Rogue sat motionless. The guards were out there, one watching the front entrance while two walked the grounds. Between the wall and the baron’s mansion, there was only grass. The only obstacles were the statues that stood along the main stone path that went from the front gates to the mansion. In order to cross the open area between the wall and mansion, he needed to time it so that one guard was on the other side of the house and the other in front of him. Once he placed the sounds of one of the guards, Rogue waited until the man had walked past his spot on the wall. He then simply walked in time with the guard. The light sounds of his own footsteps matched those of the unsuspecting guard.
Rogue Page 6