The Raike Box Set

by Jackson Lear

  Silence hung in the air for a hundred yards.

  “Answer now or Alysia will be asking you the same thing in just a few minutes.”

  Zara spied me carefully. “You’re going to tell her anyway.”

  “Then now is a fine time to practice your story. Work out some of the kinks and problem areas. As long as you can convince yourself that what you say is the truth then you can convince anyone.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “I know. People say all the time that they didn’t have a choice when, in fact, they had plenty of easy choices that they didn’t like. I’m assuming you had similar easy choices to deal with.”

  She kept her hand on her belt. I kept mine on my blade. “You’ve been given a second chance at life, haven’t you?”

  “Something like that.”

  “And you have regrets?”

  “Some.”

  “Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking of the sword that is hanging over your head, not knowing exactly when it will drop or who will release it?”

  “I sleep pretty well, actually. How do you the know Krassis?”

  Zara released her grip on her belt. “I think I know why Artavian was killed.”

  I remained silent. There was little chance that she misheard my question and I was quietly confident that she was trying to lead the conversation along another path, but I was also trying to find out why this mess was happening in the first place.

  “How many heads does a snake have?”

  I stared back at her, my patience wearing thin.

  “In this case it’s two. Gustali and Caton. General Kasera and his father. Lieutenant Gustali and Sergeant Muro. Commander Lavarta and Artavian.”

  “You think your boss is a snake?”

  “No, but Caton does. If you were to hit a rival company, who would you want to take out first? The boss and his right hand man, right?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Caton handles the governor’s indiscretions. He pays people off, he bumps them off, he does whatever he can to keep his boss happy. That’s what every right hand man does, yes?”

  I nodded.

  “So if he has to kill Commander Lavarta he would also have to kill Artavian, because Artavian would certainly know everything that the commander knew about Lieutenant Gustali, maybe even more so because Artavian grew up in Torne.”

  “Uh-huh. How do you know Krassis?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Then I’ll bring it up with Alysia and Lavarta.”

  She remained silent, her hand shaking ever so slightly towards her belt.

  “Whatever Krassis has on you must be good. Willing to jeopardize Lavarta’s life like this … I daresay your life would be forfeit if everyone knew what you were guilty of.”

  “You can daresay as much as you like. The people you know in this city have stuck their necks out to help you. Me included. I’ll tell you when I’m good and ready, otherwise the next time you see Alysia it will be on your way to the gallows back in Erast with the city watch there to witness your death.”

  She’d earned that one. “All right. If you believe that how you know him is not relevant to this mess then I will take you at your word. But you do know him?”

  She grimaced for the umpteenth time. “Yes.”

  “When was the last time you had contact with him?”

  “A couple of hours ago.”

  I peered back at her. “I’m sure that was an interesting conversation.”

  “I needed to know if Miss Kasera was being targeted so I got a message to him. We met last night, after you left the house. He assured me that he didn’t kill Artavian.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “Not in the slightest. He assured me that the governor wasn’t targeting Commander Lavarta.”

  “And?”

  “That one I’m closer to believing. If anyone was behind it, I’d say it was Caton.”

  “Why does he want Lavarta dead?”

  “He wouldn’t say. He had a few questions about you, though.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “And I was all silence.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he doesn’t deserve to know.” She stopped. Stared me down. “I’m not going to be blackmailed or coerced into whatever you think you can get from me. If any of this comes back to me I’m going to stab you first and ask questions second. Do you understand?”

  “Very much so.”

  “Because there is a line. Don’t cross it.”

  We walked on. “How did you get a message to him?”

  “The same way you got a message to him. You know, ‘Tell him he wasn’t as careful as he thought he was.’”

  Ah, yes. The temple priestess was quick to deliver that. Good to know.

  We carried on in silence. In the dull morning light I was able to look over the silk pole, my most trusted ally for the last few months. One end was splintered and frayed into a dozen strands. The magic that had enchanted it into a hook was beyond repair. The best I could do with it now was find an actual hook and stitch it together, but the chances of it holding well weren’t great. In all likelihood, all I had left was a magical pole twenty feet long.

  We slowed. Two guys in wild merchant clothing stood perched against a wall opposite the Lavarta house. One glanced our way. Nudged his friend. Both now staring at us.

  Zara unfurled her belt, the blade coming free.

  One of the ‘merchants’ rolled his jaw at us like he was chewing some cud.

  Zara snapped her belt, turning it into a spear.

  The two merchants lifted themselves off the wall, turned, walked away.

  “Have you ever seen them before?” Zara asked.

  “No. You?”

  “Never.” Zara flicked the spear back into a belt, kept it in her hand, and we continued our way to the Lavarta house.

  The commander was in his office, dressed in his full uniform, gathering up some paperwork, and looking resolutely pissed off.

  Alysia stood by the door, watching him. “They’re going to kill you.”

  “I can’t disobey my orders, Aly.”

  “Then resign!”

  Lavarta grunted. Caught sight of Zara and me approaching. “Ah, the two guards who disappeared during the night. We were wondering.”

  Zara asked, “What happened?”

  Alysia held her eyes low. “The governor has recalled Auron’s cohort.”

  “To do what?”

  “Fighting wild animals in the fields.”

  “It’s a training exercise,” said Lavarta.

  “And you’re supposed to be on leave!”

  “When the general gives you an order you follow it.”

  “He doesn’t know shit about being a general!”

  “Aly, I don’t have a choice here, and I’d prefer it if you didn’t say things like that about the people in our city. Not in front of company.”

  I asked, “Why are you fighting wild animals?”

  “It’s a training exercise,” repeated Lavarta.

  Alysia said, “The governor canceled the cohort’s leave and has asked Auron to run a bunch of stupid drills against fast moving animals in the hope that it will teach them how to fight vampires.”

  Zara and I held our silence.

  Alysia’s eyes flared with indignation. “Oh, you think that’s a good idea?”

  “Depends on the animal.”

  “Lions, elephants, hell hounds … You do remember that someone is trying to kill my husband, right?”

  “Yes. How long were the troops supposed to have off?”

  “A month.”

  “And it’s been cut down to two days?”

  I found Lavarta, Zara, and Delen giving me something of a stink eye, while Alysia shied away.

  “What?”

  Zara whispered. “It’s because of you.”

  Lavarta nodded. “The messenger asked this morning if you were in.”

  “So, six hu
ndred soldiers will no doubt know my name and description by the end of the day, will believe that I’m responsible for them losing all of their leave, and will know how to find me?”

  Alysia looked my way. “Maybe you should leave Torne before it’s too late.”

  “I was going to say the same to you.”

  “I’m not leaving,” said Alysia.

  “Me neither.”

  “If this is about helping me …”

  “It’s not that. And since neither of us seem to be going in a hurry, I need your help. They’ve arrested a man in Verseii who had no part in Artavian’s death. They rode through the night to bring him back.”

  “How do you know he had no part in it?”

  “Because I was holding him prisoner that night. He didn’t leave my sight until dawn.”

  Alysia drew in a heavy breath. “You were holding someone prisoner?”

  “A man with a bounty on his head. Twenty marks.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He seduced a merchant’s daughter into sharing her bed. Come morning their stories about the seriousness of his promises of love and marriage were different.”

  Alysia held her breath. “Was it anyone I know?”

  “Do you know every father in Erast with twenty marks to spend on a bounty?”

  She held herself steady. “When did this happen?”

  “A month ago.”

  She sank low within her stance. “Oh, gods.”

  Lavarta fed his notes into a leather case and kissed his wife. “I have to go.”

  “It’s not safe.”

  “I know. I also agree with Raike. You should leave Torne. Head back home and find your father.”

  “I am home!” snapped Alysia. “I’m surrounded by security and I’ve been writing to my father every day about what’s been happening and who to suspect if anything happens to me.”

  “You’re not a fool for running away.”

  “This is not the first time someone has targeted me and it won’t be the last. I’m protected.”

  Lavarta shook his head at her. “You’ve said yourself that Raike isn’t looking for a job and that Zara works for your father, not you. Delen as well. The only thing really protecting you when I’m not here is your name.”

  “I’m not going to hide from every threat that comes my way for the rest of my life. Nor am I going to drop everything when I finally have some leverage with the high council.”

  “That’s not a good enough reason to stay.”

  She stared back at him, her eyes growing wider than before. “Thousands of children younger than Kel and Día are going to starve to death in the coming year. Or freeze to death because they don’t have enough clothes.”

  “It doesn’t snow in Torne.”

  “You know what I mean!”

  “They’ll find a way.”

  “I’m the way! I have Zara, Raike, and Delen watching out for me. Who’s looking out for you?”

  “The Fifth Army.”

  Alysia’s eyes glistened. Even her mouth started to tremble. “They’re going to kill you out there.”

  Lavarta leaned in, kissed Alysia, pulled back, turned to me and Zara. “Watch out for her. Keep her safe. Don’t do anything stupid.” He headed into the atrium, turned left, and disappeared into the stables.

  Alysia shielded herself as she wiped a tear from her eye. “Please tell me the guy who is supposed to kill my husband is already dead.”

  I looked to Zara, tempted to reveal Krassis’ name. “No. But I need your help.”

  “With what?”

  “The new prisoner. Beriss. He’s innocent in all of this and yet Lieutenant Kace rode through the night with him in manacles. They’re up to even more mischief than before.”

  Alysia nodded towards the floor, murmured: “When?”

  “As soon as possible.”

  “Yeah, because I don’t have enough to worry about. Do you know what my husband is supposed to be fighting later today? A hell hound.”

  “Torne’s zoo has a hell hound?”

  “Torne’s arena has a hell hound.”

  “And they’re going to let one of them loose in the fields just outside the city?”

  Alysia rolled her eyes at me.

  “Ohhhh, the cavalry’s going into the arena.”

  “Yeah, and to justify the cost the governor is allowing spectators inside to watch my husband die.” Alysia collapsed into herself, held one hand over her eyes so no one could see her cry.

  “Do you need me to kill a hell hound before your husband gets there?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” She wiped her eyes, dropped her hands into her lap, and swallowed her anguish. “I can talk to my professor of law. He might be able to get us to see your prisoner when they question him, but if they’ve already backed him into a corner then we might not be able to help him. Or you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Just to warn you, he might not be able to do anything. If Gustali, Caton, Kace, or whoever really has it in for him then he is as good as tried, convicted, and executed.”

  “How quickly could that happen?”

  “If he confessed to everything today he’ll die at dawn tomorrow.”

  “Then I urge you to be as convincing as possible, or I’m breaking Beriss out of prison before it’s too late.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Once again I found myself dressed in a manner unbefitting a mercenary. Alysia stepped back to admire her handiwork.

  “You look good.”

  No one should ever have to wear this assortment of robes or sashes. Not even as a joke. My left arm was practically useless as I needed to hold it against my stomach to stop the three yards of emerald cotton from falling to the ground.

  “Can’t I just wear a different coat?” I asked.

  “Not if you plan on getting into the cells to see Beriss,” said Alysia. “Trust me, you’re going to need to look like you belong on my side of the bars, not his.”

  I tried to swipe my left arm out. “How am I supposed to fight in this?”

  “You don’t. That’s the point.”

  “And what happens if I run into Gustali’s assassin while dressed like an old fart?”

  “Zara will protect you.”

  I tried a few basic moves; a swipe, a lunge, even a kick. “I can see why so many lawyers throw themselves into the river. With all of this fabric weighing them down they’ll sink straight to the bottom.”

  Alysia sent me an unimpressed look. “I’m a lawyer, you know?”

  “Then you probably know a few jokes at your own expense.”

  As much as I hated it, I actually went out in public dressed like an idiot. The sandal straps dug into the back of my ankle, rubbing the skin raw. And because of the bizarre arrangement of cloth wrapped around me I could no longer keep my blade at the base of my back, simply because I wouldn’t be able to get to it in time. So, I had it fastened to my left forearm. The mangled silk pole was stuffed between my forearm and blade. My pouch of useful supplies remained around my gut, but that would be largely inaccessible during a fight.

  Four of us walked through the streets. Me, Alysia, Zara, and Delen. You would think that Alysia was the emperor’s daughter for all the protection she had.

  Alysia broke the silence. “How did you find dining with the governor?”

  “Like a bad dream after drinking mushroom wine. I’d heard the high-borns have some shared eccentricities, like their love of speaking in Telucian, but that man is supposed to be your father’s boss?”

  “I know. The Telucian thing is to show they are more educated and traveled than the common man. You’re not a member of high society unless you can fit in with all of their quirks.”

  “The lieutenant seemed a little overwhelmed by the language.”

  “Yeah. He wasn’t terrible at it but he did use a lot of simple conjugations and direct translations.”

  I had no idea what she meant, but I nodded along anyway. “Was that a ty
pical dinner?”

  “It was on the more pleasant side. I’ve had my fair share of unwanted dances while being slobbered over. Maybe a hundred of them, starting from when I was eight.”

  “Eight?”

  “Most of the time it was with someone close enough to my age or – ideally – someone up to ten years older at most. A potential suitor. The parents of the boy would encourage him to take my hand to show the two families how we would look on our wedding day. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it was as awkward as anything.”

  “How tall is an eight year old?”

  Alysia raised her hand to the air. “A high-born girl would be around this tall.”

  “And an eighteen year old high-born boy?”

  “They’re pretty much as tall as an adult by that age. But the lessons … oh god, the lessons …”

  “Dance lessons?”

  “Yeah. I had one of the most sought-after teachers, an older robust gentleman with his tummy sticking out like a pregnant woman. He was forever wiping sweat off his neck with a handkerchief. His wife helped us out, usually taking the role of the man in the dance so her husband could observe. She was only eighteen herself and a former student of his. She was nice but he would bark at us while teaching young girls everything there was to know about passion and nobility.”

  I must’ve pulled one hell a face, given the look Alysia gave me in return. “Why would you put yourself through that?”

  “Because courtship among high-borns is different to that of everyone else. Our marriages are arranged. We have protocol and rituals. We can buck them if we want and marry out of love, but how often does love actually last anyway?”

  “I am among the least qualified to answer that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve only ever paid for it.”

  “Yeah, well, Mother and Father were not the only ones to tell me that love fades over time. What lasts is a pact you form with your husband or wife. As long as you don’t delude yourself into thinking it will always be this way then you won’t be miserable later on.” She glanced over her shoulder, past Zara and Delen. “What do you keep looking at?”

  “Them.”

  She looked over. Walking behind us, pace for pace, were four soldiers, all in army uniform with army issue sandals. Short hair cuts, all done by the same pair of shears by the same hand.