Victor looked dumbly at the stump of his arm as it spurt blood. So stunned by the unexpected turn in their battle, his brain only nominally registered the other reaping blade he saw out of the corner of his eye before Garran buried it into the side of his head. Victor fell to the ground and lay next to his severed hand. Garran took two staggering steps before collapsing an arm’s length away.
***
“Garran. Garran!” The voice called his name, leading him out of the darkness and back to the world of consciousness. “Garran, are you all right?”
Garran opened his eyes and found Adam looking down at him while he knelt next to his side. “Other than being exhausted and dreadfully sober, I’ve been worse.” He turned his head and found Karla kneeling at his other side and inspecting his wounds.
“It’s a deep cut, but nothing vital was hit,” she declared. “We’ll need to stitch it up.”
“Not until you find where Victor hid my stuff.”
“Garran, the last thing you need to worry about right now is getting drunk,” Adam said.
“Wrong. It’s the first thing I need to worry about, especially if you’re going to sew me up like one of your dresses.”
“Yeah, he’s fine.”
“I’m not fine, I’m sober. You want to know why I don’t like to transcend, well here you go. Now go find my stuff!”
A gravely chuckle sounded off to his side. “You sure don’t change.”
Garran turned toward the voice. “Cyril, you old prick! I knew you loved me.”
“Naw, I just dislike what I see The Guild doing more.”
Garran raised his arm. “Help me up.”
Cyril stepped forward, grabbed Garran’s wrist in both hands, and helped him to his feet. Garran weaved unsteadily for a moment before catching his balance.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Garran nodded. “Yeah, it just takes a minute for me to get my bearings.”
Upon returning to camp, Garran found seven of his former captors bound, most of them sporting bloody bandages and wounds. His rescuers numbered close to twice as many, few of them coming through the battle unscathed. Liam emerged and handed Garran the flask he found in Victor’s tent.
Garran took it gratefully and downed its contents. “Ah, that’s better. Where’s the rest of my stuff?”
Liam shrugged. “That’s all I found. I think he probably tossed out the opium.”
“Rotten bastard. Just for that, I’ll let the buzzards pick at his carcass. Where’s Elroy?”
“He’s in one of the tents,” Liam answered. “He wanted to wash up and get some sleep before the rigors of rough travel caused any permanent wrinkles.”
Garran nodded, impressed by Friedrich’s commitment to his role. He sat near the fire not far from Victor’s captured soldiers. They looked upon him with a mixture of anger and awe. Victor, aside from Gregor, was the most renowned and feared agent and fighter in the world, and Garran had defeated him.
Karla knelt beside him with a needle and thread in her hand, nudged him to lean over, and began sewing up the deep slash. “I won’t ask what you’re going to do next. You know I’m placing a lot of faith in whatever it is you have planned. We all are.”
“Yeah, what’s your point?”
“My point is that this isn’t just about you.”
“It isn’t?”
“No, and you damn well know it. The question is whether you are capable of appreciating the fact. If you fail or decide to do something stupid and selfish, as you have so often done in the past, you are sinking many lives. Hell, the future of our entire kingdom is at stake. Those people you have lurking in Leva’s shadows, just waiting for your word to activate, they become exposed the moment you call them into action.”
“What do you know about my people?”
“Almost nothing, just like The Guild, but that changes the moment you set them loose. I just want to remind you that those are real people with real lives and families who are putting their future in your hands.”
“You think I’ll betray them after all of this?”
“I think you’ll do whatever is convenient and aligns with your goals without regard for collateral damage.”
“Your faith in me—”
“Is born of personal experience and years of watching you operate.”
Garran poked his bottom lip out. “It still hurts my feelings.”
“Your only feelings are in your prick.”
“I like to keep them where they’re needed most. How did you end up with Victor?”
“I ran across him after our little—meeting. He was in pretty bad shape, but he was intent on going after you. I offered to put a team together and join him while he recuperated. That’s when I decided to throw my lot in with you, so I also put together my own team to lay in wait to rescue you if we did manage to catch up to you.”
“How did you know to get Cyril?”
Karla smiled. “You aren’t the only one who is good at their job.”
“Hey, speaking of good jobs, how about you and I—”
Karla jabbed him with the needle. “Not going to happen.”
CHAPTER 35
“Elli!” Queen Isobel squealed and ran down the hall in a most unqueenly manner.
Friedrich opened his arms to welcome her. “Izzy! Oh, how I have missed you!”
“You poor thing, you look awful. What have they done to you?”
“Only the most dreadful things those barbarians could conjure into their limited imaginations.”
Isobel turned to Garran and embraced him. “Thank you so much, Agent Holt.” She sniffed and backed away. “Oh, ew.” She cleared her throat and quickly composed herself. “We will be happy to do anything we can do to repay you for bringing me my brother.”
Garran performed a small bow. “It was a challenging task fraught with peril, but we succeeded. You should know that Elroy’s treatment has left him a bit out of sorts. Such a shock to one’s sensibilities is common with prisoners. They often lose themselves in their captivity, but they usually recover in time. It helps when they have someone close to them to guide them back into civilized life and gently remind them of the person they once were.”
“Of course. Elli, you poor darling. I’ll get you sorted out in no time.”
‘Elroy’ looped his arm through hers. “I’m sure you will, but I think it is more important to get that dress sorted out. Is this what passes for fashion these days?”
“You don’t like it?” Isobel asked as she led him away.
“On you, a throw rug would look ravishing, but I have some ideas.”
King Callum cleared his throat. “I believe we have some matters to discuss in private.”
“Our business is urgent, Highness, so sooner is certainly preferable to later,” Adam readily agreed.
Callum looked to Liam. “Is it all right to discuss it in front of him?”
“It is.”
“Very well, let us go to my study.”
Callum led them down several passages before entering a room with a small library and plush furnishing. He poured himself and Garran a drink and sat down.
“Your wife seems very pleased to have her brother back,” Garran said.
“She certainly is. I suppose it is a good thing that her beauty is surpassed only by her vapidness.”
“I beg pardon, Majesty?”
Callum set his drink down and smiled. “Come now, we all know that is not Elroy. I must say, his looks are uncanny and his performance spot on. It was a brilliant plan to cover any lack of knowledge or behavioral quirks with the idea of traumatic stress.”
“I…” Garran stammered. “Shit. How did you know?”
“I wasn’t entirely certain at first, but there were telltale signs if one bothered to look. What finally convinced me was my lack of desire to kick him in the groin the moment he started to speak. Where is Elroy now? It will cause a great commotion if he were to suddenly appear.”
“That is not v
ery likely, Highness,” Garran said.
“Is he still in Urqua?”
“No, we got him out of there. He’s dead.”
Callum retrieved his glass, took a sip, and nodded. “How did that come about?”
“He got into a patch of rapture root and overdosed whilst abusing himself.”
“Ah, I always expected we would find him in his rooms in a similar state. I had several plans in place to avoid a scandal when it inevitably occurred.”
“You don’t seem terribly upset. So what happens now? We really need your support.”
“Technically, you failed to complete the terms of our contract, but personally, I almost feel the need to give you a bonus for improving upon our arrangement. What is it you need of me?”
Garran let out a long sigh of relief. “I need your ships. You are about to embark on your Independence Day display up the coastline that ends in Leva. I need them to make a stop and pick up some passengers.”
“How many bodies are we talking about?”
“Roughly two thousand Hillmen.”
Callum made a quick calculation in his head. “That is a lot of cargo. Horses?”
“No. This will be entirely an infantry expedition.”
“It will take a bit of doing, but I can manage it. What happens when they reach Leva? There is little chance I can avoid complicity.”
“They will join up with numerous agents within the city and lay siege. With my inside help, it should be brief. Once we oust Gordon and The Guild, Adam’s sister will wear the crown and prosecute every traitorous member of The Guild and parliament.”
“If you fail, they will come after me.”
“They already are. They have already gotten to Anton and pull his strings. Osage will fall in a matter of months, a year at most. The strongest resistance other than Urqua and Sorne is you and Opatia, and I am certain that The Guild is setting plans in motion to remove Ingrid even as we speak. Your merchant fleets and navy is probably the crown jewel of their schemes, and they will come for it in time. They already own the docks and control most of the captains. By the time you accept the fact that you are little more than figurehead, it will be too late.”
Callum sighed and paced across the room. “You’re right. I refused to see what was happening right in front of my face. Five years ago, I tried to loosen The Guild’s grip on our ships. Suddenly, it was taking a week longer for cargo to reach its destination. Losses to Pirate attacks and storms became almost common.
“Ships sat at anchor outside the harbor because the docks were filled with vessels that took an inordinate amount of time to load and unload. I eventually accepted The Guild’s excuses and their solutions to solving the problem despite knowing in my heart that they were responsible for it all. It is difficult for a king to accept that his power has waned. The Guild is so embedded into every facet of our economy that I fail to see a solution.”
“There is but one solution, but it requires brutal determination and conviction. Once employed, you cannot back down and must see it to its conclusion.”
Callum sat and buried his hands in his head. “What must I do?”
“I assume you have agents you trust?”
“I have eyes. They are certainly not agents like you.”
Liam quipped, “Thank God for that. We would be awash in unwashed, root rot-infected drunkards.”
Liam narrowly avoided the glass Garran hurled at his head.
“Garran!” Adam reprimanded.
“Sorry. It’s a reflex.” He turned back to the King. “I assume your eyes have made notes of those who are steadfast in their loyalty to The Guild and those who can be swayed?”
Callum nodded. “I have a rather extensive report.”
“I think it is reasonable to assume that the crew holds no particular loyalties to The Guild. That means we just need to neutralize the captain, boson, and maybe quartermaster of each ship. The crew takes command, appoints a new captain and officers, and picks up my army on their way to Leva. You will need to gather loyal men around you and start placing them in strategic positions within the constabulary and your guard force. I will send as many soldiers back on your ships as I can spare to help put down whatever armed resistance The Guild might throw against you.”
“You understand that by doing this I will be in violation of my kingdom’s laws?”
“Laws drafted by whom?”
“My father, grandfather, and the notable lords of the time.”
“And who backed and guided those lords.”
Callum looked to ceiling and groaned. “The Guild. It would seem fools do indeed beget fools.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. They have done much of the same thing to most of the kingdoms over the past decades,” Adam said.
“How much time do I have?” Callum asked.
“Very little,” Garran answered. “Your fleet has to leave in three days in order to arrive in Leva at their scheduled time and to meet my army. I know I don’t need to tell you, but no one must know anything about what we are doing here who does not have a significant role to play.”
“I know. Not even my wife will hear of what is happening—especially my wife. Speaking of whom, how much does this man who is pretending to be my brother-in-law know?”
“As far as what we are doing here today? Nothing. He is an actor who has a basic knowledge of your family history. Anything you can do to help him in his role would go a long way in maintaining the ruse.”
“Of course. Where will you go from here?”
“With all due respect, I’ll keep my actions to myself.”
Callum nodded and gave Garran a knowing smile. “You keep your cards close to your chest. Very wise.”
“It is, and it is something you must practice as well.”
“I shall, Agent Holt. You are welcome to rest and replenish here if you wish. If we do not speak again before you leave, I wish you God’s speed, and may He watch over us all.”
***
“A rider using the courier line reached me just an hour ago, which is why I requested this meeting,” Gregor said as soon as Joshua Roux entered the room.
“What urgent news did he bring?” Joshua asked.
“Victor, with the assistance of agent Karla Tash, formed another capture squad.”
“It sounds as though Victor has sufficiently recovered from his injuries. That is good news,” Gordon said.
Gregor frowned. “Not sufficiently enough. Garran killed him.”
“What happened?”
“Our intelligence put Adam and Garran in Artemisia where they gained an audience with Callum and Isobel. They left that kingdom and rode north to Urqua with significant haste.”
“Urqua? Why in the world would they go there?” Joshua asked.
“Initially, I thought perhaps they hoped to gain an alliance of some sort. Urqua’s dislike of The Guild is well known.”
Joshua nodded. “Yes, but that tough nut is about to crack. It will take a bit longer than the others, but I have plans for them.”
“Their business in Urqua was brief,” Gregor continued. “They assaulted a diplomatic outpost and took the horses stabled there. Victor rightly assumed they might do so again to expedite their return. He and agent Tash sprung the trap and managed to capture Adam and Garran without incident.”
“I assume it went badly sometime after that?”
“It did. Along with Garran and Adam was Prince Elroy Sinclair, brother to Queen Isobel. We know that Urqua has been holding Elroy in order to gain favorable access to their ships and trade priorities.”
“So Garran rescued Elroy on behalf of Isobel,” Gordon mused. “But why? Obviously for some favor, but what?”
“We are getting ahead of ourselves. Just two days from Artemisia, Karla turned on Victor and freed Garran. She had apparently been planning it from the start. That is when Garran killed Victor and captured most of his squad.”
“So, once again, Garran is loose and we have no idea what he is up t
o?” Joshua asked, frustrated.
“We know he went to a great deal of trouble to rescue Elroy in order to gain Artemisia’s favor.”
“But why? They have no army worth mentioning,” Gordon said.
“They do have ships and a respectable treasury,” Joshua pointed out.
Gregor nodded. “Both of which Garran could make good use.”
“The only army he could possibly have at his disposal would have to come from Opatia. What do we know of their activities?” Joshua asked.
“There was some movement and garrisoning shortly after the Hillmen began raiding, but we think that was defensive in nature should the barbarians seek to spread into Opatia. My agents have not seen or heard of any large troop movements in the kingdom that would suggest Opatia is moving soldiers anywhere near Anatolia or Artemisia.”
“Then Callum’s ships would be pointless, so it must be for gold. Perhaps he plans to hire mercenaries with Callum’s gold and use his ships to land them here,” Gordon speculated.
“That is a reasonable theory,” Gregor conceded, “but we have the largest mercenary outfit already under our employ chasing down these blasted Hillmen. It is possible for him to hire multiple smaller outfits, but he would have to go far and wide to collect them. That would take a lot of time, and there is simply no way he could do it without my knowing it.”
“Nor could he get them on what is ostensibly my ships,” Joshua added. “Perhaps Garran’s little jail break was not connected, at least overtly, to usurping our rule. Maybe it was something personal, a debt he had to repay. Regardless, without more intelligence, it is idle speculation and a waste of time. What news do you have regarding the Hillmen? These mercenaries we hired bleed our coffers like an unbandaged wound.”
“My latest reports show that our forces are pushing them toward the coast away from any towns of consequence. Their commander has assured me that they will drive them into the sea within the next week.”
“Finally, some good news for a change,” Joshua replied. “I really thought they would give the mercenaries more trouble than they have thus far.”
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