by Guy Antibes
“Did you find anything interesting?” he asked as he closed the last window.
“No clothes or personal possessions unless the two locked rooms were closets.
“What have we here?” Penny said, forcing the door open to one of the rooms. “It looks like they are players on the stage.” She opened a box filled with wigs. There was a wooden rack filled with all kinds of clothes, even white robes that might have been worn by a WWS priest or priestess.
Jack got the second door open. It revealed another listening post.
“Oscar missed this one,” Sera said.
“He did. Maybe he didn’t have the keys. We will check where the pipes lead tomorrow. For now, Oscar needs to secure the attic. I never made it up here. Did you Penny?”
“Everyone made a mistake,” she said.
“Mostly Oscar, but he will be the one to fix it. I’m glad we both thought it would be a good idea to come up here,” Jack said.
“That is so nice, supporting each other like that,” Sera said.
Jack felt his face get hot. “I think we are done.” He walked to the stairs and began to walk down.
“He is so cute,” Sera said.
Penny whispered something in her friend’s ear. They both giggled, but Jack couldn’t hear well enough to find out what was funny.
Chapter Fifteen
~
A fter notifying Oscar of his additional security duties, Jack, Sera, and Penny stepped out into the sunny, but cool streets of Bristone. They walked a few streets away from the embassy and spotted the castle that gave the city its name on a small rise. With the tall buildings and narrow streets, this was the first time Jack had seen it since riding into the city.
“Let’s walk to the castle,” Sera said.
Penny grabbed Jack’s arm, and Sera took his other, steering him north toward the royal residence. The path to the castle wasn’t as direct as they thought, so they ended up on a street that wasn’t quite as nice as the others.
Jack looked in a window to see the insides were every bit as nice as their townhouse.
“The fronts have been let go, but it looks like that is just for show,” he said.
Sera turned her head to verify what Jack said. “You are right!”
A woman stepped out from a smaller arcade that protected the sidewalk from the elements.
“Excuse me,” Jack said, stopping the woman. “I am a Corandian visiting Bristone for the first time. Is this a particular district in the city?”
The woman gave Jack a knowing smile. “This is an enclave of the People’s Party, why do you ask?
“What is the People’s Party?”
The woman gave Jack a warm smile. “We stand for the rights of all, from the noble to the men of the mountains,” she said as if reading from some declaration. “Our party tolerates the Queen, but in the end, the people must have their say and rule themselves. I’m sorry, but I must be off.”
The woman gave Jack a tiny bow of her head and walked away from the direction of the castle.
“Forward,” Jack said. Once they were about out of the district, he tilted his head back and laughed. “Did you believe any of that?”
“It sounded noble to me,” Sera said.
“Ah, you picked up on the hypocrisy of her words?” Penny asked.
“I did. I might have been fooled, but Ari gave me a lot of good information. None of the parties are as noble or as conservative as what they claim to be. They all want the power to do as they wish. Even the APS—"
“What is the APS?” Sera asked.
“The Antibeaux Preservation Society,” Penny answered. “Annette told me about the parties, but I think she missed quite a bit. Jack, on the other hand, is a little harder to hide things from.” Penny lifted her finger. “A little harder.”
“I will grant you that, Penny. The APS is for the preservation of the natural environment, but what they really want is to pull the peasants down into the valleys and let the slopes return to nature. For them to accomplish that, they need to take the government over.”
“Won’t that drive up the price of lots of things, including what the peasants produce? Where will they put all the people?” Sera asked.
“It will fundamentally change Antibeaux, and everyone will be the poorer because of it.,” Jack said, shaking his head. “It is all about power, at this point. The power to change the country. Except for the Royalists. They are the real conservation group, but they want to perpetuate the status quo. That has meant increasingly heavy taxes in recent years. The commoners have no one to support.”
Penny nodded. “We know they are all at each other’s necks.”
“And that is the environment in which we must complete our quest,” Jack said.
He looked up at the castle. The entrance was probably around the corner. Should they ask to look around? He patted his chest. “I forgot our papers,” Jack said.
“Yes, you did,” Penny said, producing the leather portfolio from her bag. “I didn’t.”
Jack grinned. “Then let us see how good those are.”
The gate was open. People walked in and out of the gate without being stopped.
“We can join in.” Jack took Penny’s hand and took a few steps.
“You can’t just walk into the queen’s castle,” a guard said, stepping out of a guard shack.
“But they are,” Jack said, pointing to a group of men strolling out the gate.
“See that pin they all wear?”
Jack took another look and noticed the gold pins that they all wore. The colors inside the gold circle varied. “We are from Corand and will be spending the winter in Bristone.”
“Well, you won’t be spending it in the castle. If you want to enter, you will have to see your ambassador. He will see to it that you have an escort. You will want to turn around and go that way.” The guard gave Jack a gentle shove backward.
“I understand,” Jack said. He led them down the incline that led to the central district.
They passed the embassy but didn’t go in. Lin would be the one to petition the ambassador for an audience or a tour. All they wanted was the tour. In a few minutes, they ended their walk.
They sat in the sitting room, looking out at the street below. The day was darkening.
“It doesn’t look like the end of summer out there,” Sera said.
“We came back with some verified information.” Jack smiled. “The Double P are not our friends. I can easily see them trying to sabotage our stay.”
“We will have to watch out for them,” Penny said.
“And everyone else, it seems,” Sera said.
Lorton strolled in. “You didn’t bring any packages back,” he said. “I had expected you to seek out a market somewhere.”
“We walked to the castle but couldn’t get in. You need a gold pin,” Penny said.
“Lin and Oscar are at the Embassy right now. There is a ball at the end of the week at the castle, and she wants to go.”
“Another ball?” Jack said. “There will be others, right?”
Lorton nodded. “What else is there for Lin to do when the snow comes?”
~
Ari showed up an hour after breakfast with eleven people. Lin had Jack put them in the ballroom. Jack talked to Ari while Lin and Oscar did their interviews. In the end, Lin decided to hire eight of the eleven.
“She picked the right ones,” Ari said. “It was a little bit of a test that I conducted. There are three that aren’t suitable. I wanted to see if she could ferret them out.” He nodded his head. “I am impressed.”
Oscar and Sera lined up the successful servants for uniform measurements while Jack showed the rejected candidates the door.
Ari looked up the stairs at the ballroom. “Why don’t we go out for lunch? There is someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Lorton?”
Ari shook his head. “Just between us wizards.”
“Lorton is a wizard.”
/> Ari laughed. “Go grab whatever makes you feel comfortable, including a cloak or something. It’s a bit chilly outside.”
Jack ran up to his room and grabbed his sword, wand, and a fistful of throwing stars.
“Where are you going?” Penny asked him as he passed her on the stairway.
“Out with Ari. The servants can be dismissed when they are through taking measurements, I guess. Ari’s job is done for now.”
“Remember we can communicate if something goes wrong,” Penny said, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.
Jack stared at her hand and squeezed back. “I will. Ari doesn’t care for alcohol, so you shouldn’t worry about drinking too early in the day.”
She laughed. “It’s not my place to worry. Have a good time.”
Jack smiled and returned to Ari. “Let’s go.”
The pair walked down the steps. “Do you have your band on?”
Jack pulled back the sleeve of his cloak. His bracers were back in his room, since they didn’t work very well in Bristone. “See? Do you have yours on?”
Ari smiled and revealed his own silver bracelet. “Now, can we proceed?”
Jack nodded. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. We have a bit of a walk ahead of us. It is that, or we teleport. Did you bring the Battlebone?”
Jack nodded. “It is my map of Bristone.”
“Better than any map.”
“I’d rather see the city,” Jack said, “and I could use the exercise.”
“So can I, even though I’ve already had a bit today,” Ari said.
They continued through the central blocks of the city and headed north into a tradesmans quarter.
“Anything you need?”
“More throwing stars.”
Ari stopped. “You think you are a god or something to throw stars?”
Jack laughed. “I never did show you one of these.” He handed one to Ari. “They use these in Masukai more than they do throwing knives.”
“Good steel is needed; I can see that.”
“Is there any to be had in Bristone?”
“There is,” Ari said. “Can I have this if I promise to bring you more?”
“As long as I’m not charged an exorbitant price.”
“Not a chance, as long as you behave,” Ari said, picking up the pace. “Come on.”
All Jack knew was that they were heading toward the north side of Bristone. The manufacturing area had given way to modest housing on tiny lots, but the houses didn’t touch each other.
“Here we are,” Ari said.
A three-story building popped up around the lower houses. “
“You took me all the way across the city for a drink?” Jack asked.
“Lunch will be served soon. You can wait? We have a meeting in there,” Ari said. He led Jack inside.
Jack expected a dirty dive, but the place was well-used and clean.
“Are they still in?” Ari asked the bartender.
The man wiping the long counter nodded.
Jack followed Ari into the back where he opened the door to a large room. A large table took up most of the space, and the four men inside swiveled their heads toward Jack almost in unison.
“Is this the revolution?” Jack asked with a smile.
“How did you know?” one of the men said.
Jack’s heart sank. Ari was a member of some underground? He was disappointed.
“Revolution?” Jack turned to Ari. “Really?”
“It isn’t what you think,” Ari said. “My friends are planning a contingency if the queen is deposed.”
“And if the queen isn’t?” Jack asked.
“Then it has been fun to do the planning,” one of the men said. “You are the Corandian Ari spoke of.” It wasn’t a question.
“Jack Winder from Raker Falls.”
The men didn’t introduce themselves. “It is better that you don’t know our names in case you are compromised.”
Jack turned to Ari. “You expect me to blab about this?”
“I didn’t tell them you would.”
Jack sighed. “Why did you let me in here then?” Jack asked.
“You know King Jordan.” Another statement.
“I have met him once,” Jack said. “I am not one of his ministers.”
Jack could feel some anger build inside of him. He rarely lost his temper, but at this moment, he was close. He decided to listen and not comment.
“We can live with how Bristone is structured right now, but if the Double P, the WWS, or the APS take over, Antibeaux will be ruined.”
Jack nodded. “And?”
“And we will fight in that case. We are not Royalists, but we are Antibeaux patriots.”
“Do you have an army?” Jack asked.
“Our numbers are greater than any army. We are the men of the mountains, the farmers, and the craftsmen.”
“The People’s Party doesn’t represent you?”
A few of the men chuckled. “They claim to represent us, but they are the worst of the lot. They have the rich thieves and the poor thieves of Bristone behind them. Antibeaux would be stripped of its wealth if they took power.”
“Why are you talking to me?” Jack asked. “I suppose I’m not for any of them.”
“We want you to confirm what we have told you. That is all. There are quite a few social events in the winter. You are noble—”
Jack laughed. “I was made a noble the day I set out for Antibeaux.”
“But the king’s signature...”
“It is real, but I’m just a wizard adventurer. Did Ari tell you why we are here?”
“To find Adoree’s Mask,” one of the men said.
“You have heard of it?” Jack asked.
“Everyone knows of it, but no one knows where it is. Sometimes it is called the Hidden Mask, and other times, people will refer to it as the lost mask.”
“Do you know what it does?” Ari spoke to the men.
“Yvessa can use it, but she was forbidden to hold the mask or something. She hid it because if she couldn’t use it, she didn’t want to give anyone else a chance.”
That sounded consistent with the goddess, Jack thought.
“Where do you think it is?” Jack asked.
“It is supposedly north, maybe in Niemeaux. It is the northern port city on the other side of the Great Blue Glacier,” the man Jack guessed to be the leader said.
Ari plucked Jack’s sleeve. “Do you see why I brought you here?”
“This information isn’t common knowledge?” Jack asked.
“It has been passed down in my family for generations. These are my cousins,” the man said. “I’m only telling you, so you will help us find out who the noble players are. We lack a spy among the nobility. You won’t have to risk a thing, just listen and remember who is what when you are introduced to them.”
It dawned on Jack that Ari might have a hard time fitting in with the nobles too. Lord Floury, who Jack considered a friendly type, almost decided not to warm up to the wizard.
“I can do that,” Jack said. “You’ve already told me all I need to know—”
“We don’t know what the mask looks like, but we have given you what you want, so you can give us what we want.”
“I won’t have to fight in the streets?”
The leader shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“It isn’t my fight, and I consider the information about the mask a fair trade for the intelligence I will share with you. Who will I give the information to? Ari?” Jack said.
“Ari Gasheaux knows how to contact us. Do you want to see what Bristone looks like if you could fly among the clouds?”
Jack moved over to the map.
“Why is the transparent paper over it?
The leader grinned. “You don’t know about the subterranean Bristone, do you?”
Jack shook his head.
“There are times when the city is buried under snow.
There are avenues and shop fronts and all manner of activities below the ground. Your house will have an entrance to the sunken arcades. No one spends any time under the earth until they have to.”
Jack hadn’t seen such a thing. He would have expected a grander entrance than the furnace room for something like that. What had he missed? He would have more searching to do once he returned to the townhouse. He wondered if the house had given up too many surprises.
Jack leaned over as the men positioned the nearly transparent paper over the city. Faint bands of color showed the passages. They generally mimicked the streets, but there were some areas where the lower level didn’t correspond to the surface at all.
“I suppose there are maps like this I can purchase?” Jack asked to hide the fact he could make one for himself with the Battlebone.
“Not as accurate. If you make one for yourself, talk to Ari. One of us can visit you to make major corrections.”
Jack nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. How do you want me to organize your information?”
“We want to know the players and the flow of information. There are multiple allegiances, of that we are sure. We just don’t know all the details.”
Jack shook his head. “I can only do my best.”
“Your best will be better than ours,” the leader said. “A commoner sniffing around too much is banished from the city or worse. It depends upon the leg he is sniffing.”
Jack could believe that. “We have a deal. Our common contact is Ari?”
“For now,” the leader said.
“We can go now?” Jack asked the wizard.
“We should.”
The pair of them walked outside.
“Is your friend one of them?”
“Not a leader like they are. In a sense, they are twiddling their thumbs waiting for information. They truly won’t lift a finger to help any of the factions, but once any of the three major factions begin their moves, it is their goal to make it impossible for them to carry out their agendas. There are other sources for the information they seek. I wanted you to meet them and have them meet you. The list Lin is putting together gives you something in trade. There are other groups like them in the city. They are leery about all the factions.”