People moved around below him to the taproom of the inn. At least one person walked above him in the chambers for those staying there. Warden made sure to keep his own steps light as he continued up the stairs. There were no names given to him, but he knew he would find someone worth talking to if he made himself available. He didn't want to go to the underlings. He wanted to go directly to the person who could make decisions, just as he had done with going to the captains of the ships headed to Larki.
Why hadn't he just gone back to Larki and took a ship into Xernia? Few people would go there looking for him. Except he hadn't and he let that thought die. It held no use.
At the top of the stairs, he paused again to listen. The room he needed was to his left. Knocking on the door, he waited with a tapping foot for someone to open it. A minute later, a burly man opened it. The swarthy man stood a head taller than Warden who was not a short man himself and might have been two of him standing side by side. He looked down with a pair of piercing black eyes and grunted.
Warden nodded and said,
"I came to see your employer."
"And who is that?" the man asked.
"I have no idea," Warden said and made to go around him. With one arm, the man blocked the doorway. With a half-turn, he called back into the room. "Someone to see you."
A slim woman with hair the color of rubies came to the door. She looked from the man to Warden and back again.
"Someone to see me or to see you?" she asked.
"To see you. Wants to see my employer."
"Oh, right." She beckoned for Warden to come in and then retired into a room with a makeshift sleeping pallet on the floor. Beside the pallet were a couple of chairs and a small table. On the table, the remains of breakfast which included the rinds of fruit. "Who are you?"
"My name is unimportant. I just want to hire on to your caravan and exit the city."
"Are you a wanted criminal?"
"No, I am not wanted by the Imperial army or any city magistrate."
Her blue eyes said she didn't quite believe that, but she didn't question. Warden crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her next question. It took her a moment to ask it. She decided to waste time by taking a piece of fruit from the table and chewing on the sweet flesh. His stomach rumbled. The goat and bread had hardly been filling and it had been some time since he had eaten. He would have to remedy that as soon as possible. After this. Immediately after this.
"And where do you think we are going?"
"I was hoping you were going to Utica."
"And why would we be going to Utica?"
"Where are you going?"
"At this time, we are undecided. Our business interests have not completely worked themselves out here yet."
"In short, you don't have a caravan and have no goods to sell and thus are going nowhere." Warden turned to leave.
"Wait."
"You have nothing I want."
"Yes, I do, if you'll do me one little favor."
"And what is that?"
"From the way you carry yourself, I would assume you know your way around a sword and you appear fearless. Otherwise, you would have at least twitched when you saw Brutus. So I have a commission for you."
Her use of the word commission screamed trap to him and he took another step toward the door.
"You knew who I was when I came in the door," he said over his shoulder.
"Yes. Everyone is looking for you," she said. "But I promise to help you get out of Kerlan alive if you will help me."
Uneasy, Warden turned and gave her a once over. Her relaxed body language seemed to say he could take it or leave it and he wanted desperately to leave it, but his choices were few. If she knew who he was, going back out on the streets of Kerlan could be a death sentence without the proper help.
"What's your name?"
"Palacia. That's Brutus." The tall man had come to stand behind Warden and blocked the door. "I have a caravan, but I've been outbid for the merchandise I want. Get rid of the other bidder and we'll be well financed for a trip to Utica."
"And why haven't you eliminated this competition yourself?"
"Because he's protected from commissions by his allegiances. I need someone outside of the system to take him down and let's face it, freelancers don't live very long." She shrugged. "Unless of course you would rather not do it. Then you can take your leave and try to find another place that will take you. Most will turn you over for the fat reward there is for your head."
"How much is it?" Warden asked. "I might want to turn myself in."
"5,000 Imperials. That's enough to set a person up for life."
"It is indeed quite a bit, but some of my commissions were worth more, so it's a bit cheap for me, if I'm honest."
"You're an arrogant shit."
"I am that as well," he said with a smile. "But tell me how I'm supposed to help you and then I'll see what I can do. If he doesn't give me a better offer, I might just off him for you."
"His name is Carbull and he's the leader of the Montrose Cerven--"
"I can see why you're having a problem finding someone to kill him."
"There's a shipment of fabric, a new kind just created here in Kerlan, that I want. He's outbid me and now is hold up in his private compound while he waits for it to be finished so he can caravan it out of the city."
"His private compound which is manned by about a dozen men like me all of whom would be more than happy to take the head of anyone who dares to set foot there."
"Exactly."
"And what makes you think I can do this for you?"
"Your reputation precedes you," Brutus said. "Supposedly you could assassinate Ancel himself given enough time. You're a legend."
"Legends don't die," Warden said. "Unfortunately, I am not a legend."
"Will you do it?"
"Give me a map and a picture and I will do this for you. In return, you get me out of Kerlan with my head still on my shoulders and we're even."
Palacia gave him a steady stare and stuck out her hand. Warden first wiped his hand on his shirt and then took hers. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed the back and let her go. "Always a pleasure doing business with an attractive woman."
"She's attractive all right, but I'd watch out for that personality. She's a bit of a viper."
"Brutus."
Brutus rolled his eyes at her admonition and went to the door. "I shall return with the materials you requested. Wait here." He let himself out of the room. Palacia went back to the tray of breakfast and continued to pick through what was left. Warden found himself a seat and put his hands in his lap. Things were not as bad as they could have been, but he had just accepted a possible death sentence for the chance to get out alive. What a trade. His nerves might not survive the encounter.
On the upside, he didn't have to worry about whatever was wrong with his body killing him. He'd be dead soon enough and it would no longer be a problem.
"So why didn't you kill her?"
"Why didn't I kill who?"
"The Queen. That's the commission they want to kill you over. You botched the assassination of the most important person in the Empire. Lucky for them she died a few days later at the hands of some bandits, but really, why didn't you kill her?"
"I got a chance for one strike. I struck. She survived because she's tougher than she looks and no, she didn't actually die to bandits. That's just the lie the government told."
"What do you mean?"
"I was with her until a few week's ago. We traveled to the mystical city of Backaran together."
"That's a myth."
"No, it's real. I spent several days there. It's as dark and morbid as the stories say. I met the Queen there. She's beautiful if you like statues."
Palacia quit chewing to look at him with shock.
"But no one goes there and comes out."
"Someone obviously does or there wouldn't be stories about the place. I don't think anyone trades with there, but that
's probably because all it has to export is madness and evil."
"What was it like?"
"A witch tried to kill us and then the Queen sent us on a wild goose chase. All in all, it wasn't much to talk about." He did not intend to tell this stranger about the fact that he might have a second soul and it just might be the Black King of legend. That might be stretching things a bit far. "What brought you to Kerlan?"
"I inherited my father's trade empire, but it's a bit in shambles since he died and the family started picking it to pieces. I was hoping to make a big splash with this new venture, but you see how that is turning out. Complications."
He said nothing else as he watched her eat. For such a slim woman, he watched her eat quite a bit. He wondered how much of that plate Brutus had eaten. Not exactly astonishing, but enough to make him reconsider whether or not to ask her for a piece. With a throbbing brain and several sturdy aches, he sat and waited for what might be his death sentence to come walking back through the door.
Brutus came back before the woman brought lunch up, entering without fanfare to find them sitting in the same room but not talking. Warden had even begun to doze a bit in his chair. Palacia reacted with a guilty start which Warden caught.
"Did you get the map and everything?" she asked.
"Everything necessary to do the job," Brutus said as he dropped into a chair close to the table. Without moving, Warden considered how hard he would have to hit the man in order to drop him if he needed to make a break for it. Probably unnecessary, but still good information to have in case this went south. He could maybe bargain his way out of town on Palacia's money if he needed to. However, all he had to do was deliver her a head and she would help him do what he wanted: get as far from Arathum as he could manage.
"Give it to me." Warden got up to get the parchment rolled up in Brutus's giant hand. He unrolled them and took a careful look at his target. He was a portly man with jowls and piggish eyes. The caterpillars of his eyebrows grew close and jutted from his forehead. Warden didn't care for the look of him, but he would probably be easy enough to identify once he got onto the compound.
"How am I to get to the compound?" Warden asked.
"If you don't have a horse, we can get you one."
"I have a horse, but I would rather not use an animal they can identify as belonging to me and you said others know I'm here."
"There's probably a dozen people who know you're here and they all want to bring you down for their own reasons."
"I've offended quite a few people throughout my career," Warden said. "It doesn't matter really. Greed is a good enough reason to want my head."
"If greed were my only interest, I would turn you in myself," said Palacia. She twirled one long strand of hair near her face into a curl and then released it. "But I want more than just the short term. One has to think about the long game when you're in trade."
"Thank you very much for being so longsighted. I appreciate having at least one ally." Was she really an ally though? Leviana at least had wanted something from him that required him to stay alive. Palacia had no such connection to him and Brutus could probably break his back without trying terribly hard. Neither made him feel any warmth, but he would do what he said he would do. Honor meant little, but he tried to follow it occasionally. "Where can I get this horse you promise?"
"It'll be here at the door by dinner time. You can make it to the compound outside the city gates before the sun goes down if you leave then. You'll want the cover of night to get in."
"Actually, it might be better if I leave sooner. Someone stalking around the outside is going to be taken for a robber. It would be better if I got in as a guest before the door's close. Then I can take him by surprise. More than likely, he'll think I'm there to barter for my own life."
The two before him considered what he said and Palacia made a dismissive gesture. "How will you get out?"
"Getting out is almost always easier than getting in. Chaos makes leaving a matter of how fast one can ride."
"You seem awfully sure of yourself."
"You wanted a veteran killer, that I am. I can do what you're asking without much fuss as long as I can get in past his defenses. Once I'm past his defenses, then I can kill him. After that, I'll worry about making my way out. Any more plan will do nothing but make me second guess my instincts."
"Do you need someone to be nearby when you exit?"
"No, but I will need somewhere other than here to come back to. Otherwise, it makes it too obvious that I came from you and am coming back to you to report the death. Better if I meet you somewhere outside the city, maybe a day or two after the killing to make it less obvious."
"You've truly thought your way through this."
"I have to. Killing is my profession. Covering up killings has to become second nature."
They didn't sit there in awe of him, but shared a glance before looking back at him. He crossed his arms over his chest, the parchment dangling from one hand.
"I need the horse now."
"But it's lunchtime, surely you'd like to eat first."
"I'll impose on my new host for something to eat," he said. "It'll give me a chance to plead my case with him and see what it is he's willing to give me in return for not taking his head."
"You're going to betray us," Palacia said as she lurched up from her seat. A hidden blade came to her palm, but Warden was faster. He threw the parchment at her and stuck from the side as she batted them out of the way. Brutus hadn't even gotten a chance to move. He stood by her side with a knife to her throat.
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked.
"No. Just because I'm willing to entertain a second commission to take your head doesn't mean I would take it. I keep my word. You get me out of Kerlan with my head on my shoulders in return I bring you the head of your rival. That is our agreement. That is what you will get."
Brutus had come to his feet with a short sword in his hand. His eyes narrowed.
"How can we be certain of this?"
Warden released the blade from Palacia's throat and moved to gather the parchment from the floor. With one eye on Brutus, he moved with the ease of one with nothing to fear.
"If I wanted to kill her, I could have, just now," Warden said. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd have been right behind her. You could have gotten to the gods just in time to explain why you weren't there to save her." The parchment in one hand, he flipped a blade in the other. "You have your lives because I haven't taken them, nothing more." He tried his best not to shake, though it was a close thing. "Now, why don't you get me the horse I asked for so that I can finish this for all of us?"
With the sun still high, Warden made for the compound outside the city. The horse clopped along contentedly beneath him and he had time to think. The aches subsided and he felt gratitude for that. However, he still couldn't pin down why exactly he ached at all. Had this curse made him Leviana's puppet in that he would be unable to stay away from her for long? He let out his breath and concentrated. Behind his eyes, an odd feeling settled. He felt as if his arms were pinned to his back and he was still forced to sit the saddle. Leaning forward in the saddle, he let the concentration go and considered what he intended to walk into. Of course, he had made it sound easy while talking to Palacia and Brutus, but it might be harder than just appealing to the man's greed. He didn't know what kind of man he approached. Most of his commissions gave him at least enough time to find out what kind of man he was killing. Rush jobs always held an element of uncertainty.
Kicking the horse into a gallop, he deadened his thoughts. Worrying would do no good. He would have to make this up as he went. Getting past the defenses came first. Then he could consider how to kill his mark and get out. Getting out would be the last thing he worried about. Either he would escape or he would die in the commission of a crime.
Either way, he no longer had to deal with Leviana and anything involving her. The terrified feeling of waking up next to her with no knowledge tried to
intrude, but he fought it down. He would not fall into that pit again. She was far from him. Soon he would be even further away from her wherever she was.
Ahead of him, a fence appeared on the plain and he pulled up short. Inside of it, animals grazed. The gate stood open and he looked both ways along it trying to see where the guards were. Apparently there were none so far out. He would undoubtedly encounter them closer to the house. The horse went down the trail between the posts without urging.
When he reached the house, he put up his hands to a pair of archers who waited in the front yard. The house stood three stories over him with a stable off to the side and a secondary building perhaps for guests, he couldn't be certain. Warden waited for them to come close before he attempted to dismount. One of them kept their arrow pointed at his chest while the other approached.
"What's your business here?"
"I am Warden and I want to speak with Master Carbull."
"And if he would rather have you murdered on his front step?" the archer said stepping to one side to give his friend a clearer shot.
"Then he would have told you to shoot first and not talk to me," Warden said. "But since you're talking to me, I can only suppose he would at least like to meet me before he makes any decisions about how to handle me. So take me to him."
Keeping his hands in plain sight, he allowed the archer to search him. He came away with the four knives Warden concealed on his person.
"Now is it safe for me to go inside?" Warden asked. The two shared a glance and he waited. When they didn't affirm his right to go inside soon after, he tapped his foot and crossed his arms.
Blades of Fate Page 16