by Brian Keller
Chapter 9
Jarell had a lot to do. He was certain that his position was still secure. No one in the Guild could know what he had planned. The only member of the Guild to learn anything about it was Garoth, and he wouldn’t be telling any secrets. In fact, it was unlikely that his body would even be found. Ever. The shame of it was that he had to kill the Baron’s three guards as well. No witnesses. No one to reveal that he had been there when a Guild Assassin killed the Baron. There could be no easy way to explain that. He had killed Lazlo Demetrius that same night. The Guild had intended for him to take the seats left vacant by the Baron’s death. If he had, then all his plans would be undone. It would be difficult enough to accomplish now that the Baron had left the partnership. Well, he had always planned for the Baron to die. In fact, the Baron’s death was a necessity for all his plans to finally work. The problem was in the timing of it. Garoth killed the Baron before he could finish serving his purpose. The Baron might not have agreed with his entire plan, but that’s why he had only been told about the first part of it. The Baron had rejoiced in the thought of being able to wipe out the Guild and then govern without its corruptive influence. What he hadn’t understood was that something else would always fill that vacuum. Jarell simply planned to sweep in afterwards and put the wreckage back together again but with himself as the leader. The current Guildmaster didn’t understand how to use power. He didn’t understand the potential of the organization.
He needed to meet with his only remaining partner. The ‘Honorable’ Yoren Aporigh, the Prince’s Spymaster knew as much of the plan as the Baron had, perhaps a little more. The Spymaster couldn’t be allowed to fully understand how everything fit together, but his role in controlling which reports reached the Prince and his Inner Circle was critical. If his crew’s activities along the coastal neighborhoods were revealed too soon, then all would be for nothing. A few more months, six at most, and everything will have progressed far enough to be almost unpreventable. He just needed to keep things on course until that point had been reached. He expected that sometime during the next few months his involvement would be discovered. He would need to disappear once that happened, and he already had a location prepared. The outcome of the conversation he would have with Yoren this afternoon would reveal just how much the plan might need to be accelerated.
Meanwhile, Yoren Aporigh had certainly heard about the Baron’s death, and about Lazlo Demetrius’ death that soon followed. He had expected the Lord General to react strongly, but the fact that he hadn’t anticipated the full extent of the Lord General’s reaction allowed him to act as surprised as everyone else. The Lord General Hennit Arkady pushed open the doors of the Inner Circle’s chamber with such violence that the sound reverberated throughout the room and back down the hall. The noise was so shocking that the Prince himself sprang to his feet and at least a dozen guards burst in from adjacent rooms with weapons drawn. Once everyone realized that it was the Lord General, one of the Prince’s most trusted advisors and the leader of his armies, some semblance of calm was restored. Still, the Prince needed to establish that everyone understood the hierarchy, “Hennit, explain yourself.” The Lord General bowed his head, “My liege, the Baron has been murdered and his son as well. This leaves a seat open in this room and on the Planning Commission.” He paused, in case anyone in the room needed a moment to process this information, and then continued, “How much longer will we allow the Guild to run freely? How many more of our leaders will need to die? During the course of a single night they have extinguished an entire noble line! I fear if this goes unanswered, other noble families will begin to doubt how much of your own city you actually control, not to mention the governance of the province.”
The Prince appeared to consider this. The fact that he didn’t appear surprised at all made Yoren wonder just how much the Prince actually knew. Surely he had other sources of information; which is why Yoren had to be careful how deeply he involved himself in Jarell’s scheming. Certainly the Prince wouldn’t be terribly displeased with his contributions towards removing the Guild from within, but he might not exactly approve of how he was going about it.
The Prince directed his full attention back to the Lord General, “And you want me to just allow you to release the army on the city’s populace in order to uncover and destroy the Guild? As it stands now, the city enjoys very brisk commerce and there is not even a rumor of rebellion anywhere in the Province. The people of Serlis are satisfied and the citizens of Paleros have never seemed happier. Of course, the poor are never happy, but as long as they can accept their lot in life then all goes well for the rest of us. Ultimately, that could all change if I allow you to ride your battalions through the city streets. Now, don’t look so dejected. I agree with your ideals. I truly do, but you must realize that there are more ways to solve a problem than through brute force.” At this last statement, the Prince turned to look fully at Yoren, causing the spymaster to become more uncomfortable than he already was. The Prince continued, “Perhaps as Yoren uncovers aspects of their operation you can take a few of your squads or a platoon to eradicate them. Would that satisfy you?”
The Lord General bowed his head, “As you wish, my liege.” He was saying the right words but he certainly didn’t sound placated. The Prince had no trouble detecting this, “Hennit, I value your advice. And the fact that we have had peace and prosperity for the last twelve years or longer is largely due to your unceasing efforts. I am well aware of this. But you lead my armies, while I am charged with ruling the province. We have different roles, and therefore we view things differently. You must accept that all problems do not lend themselves to military solutions.” This explanation was much better received by the Lord General, who bowed as he replied, “I understand, my liege. You are too generous with your praise.”
Things were moving quickly now, but Yoren was very good at his job. He had no problem keeping up. As long as he could keep stringing Jarell along, he could draw the information he needed out of him, feed the information to the Lord General and keep everyone happy. Jarell was inconsequential at this juncture, except as a source of information. Being credited with removing the Guild might even earn Yorel a title and lands, he would simply need to manage how things progressed. He was supposed to meet with Jarell soon, he could get started later today.
Four hours later, Yorel found Jarell in one of the many gardens in the Palace lawn. “Have you been waiting long?” Yorel asked as he approached. Jarell answered between gritted teeth, “No. Not long. What’s an hour between friends?” Yorel met Jarell’s icy glare with one of his own and replied, “The death of our mutual acquaintance, along with his heir, added a few unexpected complications to my morning. The Lord General was one approving nod away from riding his battle charger through the streets of the city with the entire army following him. Thankfully the Prince was able to calm him down. Would you happen to know anything about the circumstances surrounding the killings?” Jarell shook his head as he smoothly lied, “I should, but I don’t. One more reason I am becoming less and less pleased with the Guild. I was either left uninformed, or there are other elements at work. Either of these cases make it apparent that the Guild is unstable. A few months more, and we should be able to bring the entire organization tumbling down like a house of cards.” Yorel finally voiced a question he’d wanted to ask ever since Jarell approached him with this scheme, “Surely you expect to get something from this, but you haven’t asked me for anything. What is it? How do you stand to gain?” Jarell had an answer already prepared. In fact, he was becoming concerned that he hadn’t been asked well before now. “I stand to gain a tremendous amount. Literally. There is a veritable mountain of gold and jewels that the Guild entrusts to me. Once the Guild falls, there will be no one left to come collect it from me. I will buy a ship and sail far away with it heavily weighed down by Guild treasures…. After making a hefty contribution to yourself and his Highness, of course!” Yorel raised his eyebrows as he asked, “So, it all c
omes down to coin?” Jarell gave him a practiced smile and a nod, “Of course! Doesn’t it always??” Yorel was smiling his approval as he thought, “How typical of a small man to think no further than his pouch, but then what would one expect from a thief?”. He had decided that a direct approach was best and took on a conspiratorial tone, “It would help our cause, as well as the city’s, if you were to provide me with something to “feed” to the General. If he has some salve to massage into his injured pride, then he’ll be much easier to work with. He can unwittingly, yet willingly assist us in our goals.” Jarell appeared to give this a bit of thought. He delayed his answer long enough for the Spymaster to begin to fidget ever so slightly, then he smiled as he said, “There is an Apothecary shop owned by the Guild, near the University district. The one between the glassblower and the craftsman who dyes leather. Do you know the one I mean?” Yorel was nodding, “And how should that be handled? Do they have information that will lead us anywhere else?” Jarell was shaking his head, “I very much doubt it. But all of the income from that shop helps fill the Guild coffers.” Before their meeting was over, Jarell had also identified a warehouse in the Waterfront District that the Guild used to store some of the goods that had been smuggled into the city. Seizing that business would not only strike a blow against the Guild, but would also provide several hard-to-find luxuries for the Prince to give out to either encourage or reward loyalty. Jarell continued, “Just don’t reveal the warehouse until next week. And make sure the raid is complete before the end of the month. I don’t want it interfering with activities that I have going on. I doubt the General would bother to differentiate between my operations and those of the Guild. Yorel nodded, “I will pass the information about the Apothecary tomorrow, and inform the General of the warehouse in five days’ time. That should assure that the warehouse will be emptied and the soldiers should be well cleared from the area by the end of the month. If we meet again within the next two weeks, and you provide another location elsewhere in the city, that might assure that we direct the soldiers’ attentions elsewhere….?” Jarell nodded his agreement and then walked away. Both men left the meeting feeling that they had gotten the better of the other man.
Chapter 10
Cooper first thoughts when he awoke were of who he should try to contact. He didn’t know where to look for Felis; Evan would probably have already spoken to Master Brais; this seemed a little out of Mister Skran’s chosen field, and he didn’t know any other Assassin except for Felis… but Miss Camilla did! Miss Camilla knows that Assassin who gave her advice on the poison that she’s researching! Perhaps he should leave this to Evan and whoever he chose to inform; and if it didn’t concern Egil, he would. The fact that Egil was involved made it too personal. He couldn’t just remain idle.
He didn’t know if he would find Miss Camilla in her room, but besides the Lab he didn’t know where to look. Since it was still almost an hour before breakfast, he figured she’d be in one of those two places. A few minutes later he was softly knocking on her door. He could hear some faint sounds of movement from within and moments later, her door was opening. She looked as if she hadn’t slept and looking past her he could see some papers scattered across the floor of her room. His gaze shifted from her, to the disheveled mess of her room, then back to her, “Is… everything alright, Miss?” She was shaking her head, “No, Cooper. Everything is not alright. But sadly, I don’t see how you could help.” She tipped her head forward, almost resting her chin on her chest, then she took a deep breath and continued, “but thanks for asking. What do you need?” She listened with increasing interest as he relayed what he’d seen, up until he came to the part where he wanted her to inform the Adept Assassin she knew. “The one who gave you the crumpled paper with information about the Talgrit Root poison.” he added. Miss Camilla tried unsuccessfully to hold back a sob, but recovered immediately. She stifled a sniffle and blinked her eyes a few times before replying, “His name is Garoth, Cooper; and he has gone missing. In his line of work that is sometimes expected, but this time it is difficult to find hope.” Cooper felt helpless. In these situations he never knew what to say but felt that saying nothing might somehow be worse than remaining silent. “Is this something you’d like to talk about, Miss? I might not have anything insightful to share, but I can listen. If you think that might help.” She shook her head but spoke anyway, “I know almost everyone in the Guild, except many of the first-years, but there are few that I feel truly close with. Garoth and I came into the Guild at almost the same time. We studied to together and became very good friends. I believe that we both wonder if, someday, we might become more than just friends. Maybe even spend our lives together… silly, I know.” Cooper was fairly certain that this was one of those times when it might be better to offer a few consoling words but otherwise remain silent, “I didn’t know you felt that way about anyone, Miss. He must be remarkable.” She nodded and sniffled a little, “He is, but now I worry that he’s been killed. He has always found a way to let me know that he was alright. Not this time and, while the contract was still satisfied, it all went wrong.” She dabbed at her eyes and seemed to recover her composure, “I shouldn’t be speaking like this. At least not to you.” she took a breath and squared her shoulders, “Who else knows about what you saw last night?” Cooper told her the background of the circumstances, including the fact that Evan had said that he’d inform Master Brais. At this point she interrupted, “Well, if Master Brais already knows, what did you expect me to do? Why are you looking for an assassin?” He shrugged and looked down at the floor, “I’m not entirely sure, Miss. I just want to stay involved. I intend to kill Egil. My reasons are my own… but I’ve seen the power of his Talent and I’m uncertain whether I can handle him on my own. And if he’s got a bunch of other guys around him… well, that just makes it harder.” She nodded as he spoke. He could see that she felt conflicted; in her role as Adept and Instructor, she might not approve of his plans but as a person, especially considering her current state of grief, she understood.