I was curious, “What did he say?”
Joe laughed, “That he’d have her locked up if she kept at it. Said the king was after him to put a stop to it. She gave him hell when he told her that. Don’t think I’d ever seen her lose her temper before.”
I rubbed my chin, I hadn’t shaved in over a week and the stubble on my cheek was starting to itch. “You think he was serious?”
“Seemed like it to me, but who knows? He might have just been trying to scare her,” Joe started laughing then.
“What’s so funny?”
His blue eyes were crinkled with humor, “I ain’t never seen anyone like that woman. If there was ever someone that couldn’t be scared, it was her. He’s wasting his time if he thinks she’ll quit. If she was my daughter I wouldn’t bother with threats… just lock her up straight away. A woman like that won’t listen.”
“That’s what I was thinking too. I’m sure her father knows it as well,” I replied. I was worried Lord Hightower might just do that very thing. “How soon can you be ready to go back?”
“Soon as the wagons are unloaded and the drivers have had some sleep. They’ll want a good meal before we get back on the road,” he answered.
I felt bad pushing them so hard but time seemed to be the one thing we lacked. “We’ll start tomorrow then. I’m coming with you.”
Joe’s face showed surprise. “I’d be thinking you’re more needed here your lordship. Isn’t that why Lady Rose stayed behind, to help with arrangements?”
“I suspect that even the formidable Rose Hightower might need some help now and then. My father and that master mason you brought back can worry about the dam for a week or two without me. I’ll put Dorian in charge here, he can handle mercenaries as well as I can, better actually.” I didn’t bother telling him I had another idea as well, since I wasn’t sure it would work.
I left Joe eating in the great hall and went to find Dorian. He was out in the yard, already working to organize the new mercenaries turned guardsmen. Cyhan was with him. I caught Dorian’s eye and he came over as soon as he was done talking to them.
“Mort! Look at them… worst soldiers I’ve ever seen!” he seemed rather irritated.
“Well they are mercenaries…” I began.
“Even mercenaries should have some pride! These men are just barely this side of being outright bandits! I’m surprised Rose had the nerve to bargain with such ruffians. I have serious doubts about their usefulness in the spring.” Dorian seemed to be his usual optimistic self. I don’t think he’d ever gone more than five minutes without having something to worry about.
“Well you have till spring to whip them into shape.”
“I’d need ten years to turn them into real men,” he groused.
“You have a few months, put ‘em to work on the housing first. After that, see if Dad needs any help at the dam, if not start them digging earthworks around the outer wall.”
“That’s not going to stop Vendraccus,” said Dorian.
“It doesn’t need to. We don’t have enough room inside the outer wall to put all the temporary housing and shelters. Build a palisade and a steep ditch to protect the new quarters, I can’t afford to lose men to the shiggreth before the spring gets here,” I replied.
“There hasn’t been any sign of them since that night but I can’t fault your logic there,” Dorian agreed.
“I’m going back to the capital with Joe,” I told him without preamble.
Dorian frowned, “Why? Is Rose alright?” Leave it to Dorian to immediately think of her. Unfortunately in this case he might be right.
“She’s fine,” I lied. There was no force on earth that would keep him here if he thought I was concerned about her, and I couldn’t afford to have him elsewhere. “I have an idea to speed up the transfer of materials between here and the capital. If it works I’ll be back within a week.”
“It takes almost a week just to get there Mort,” said Dorian dryly.
“Trust me,” I winked at him.
“I hate it when you say that. It usually means you’re about to do something stupid,” he grumbled.
I gave him a looked of wounded innocence, “Have I ever let you down?”
“Yeah remember when you stole those berry tarts?” When we were ten I had stolen three tarts from the kitchen in Lancaster. Dorian’s bedroom had seemed the safest place to hide them while they cooled. No one would suspect him I had reasoned.
“Well… technically that wasn’t my fault,” I protested. It had been Marc’s idea, and he had taken another three without me realizing it. The cook had been so incensed they interrogated every boy in the keep.
“The hell it wasn’t! You showed up and hid them in my room, ‘trust me’ you said. Remember what happened? I still have the scars. I couldn’t sit for a week,” Dorian’s eyes lit up. He loved telling a good story, even if it involved childhood pain.
I didn’t bother arguing. We’d have gotten away with it if he hadn’t blown our cover. As soon as the duchess put him to the question he had frozen up. Eyes wide and face pale they had immediately known he was guilty of something. It was the only time the duchess ever taken a switch to me personally.
“It will be fine,” I reassured him, but I had to wonder. If things went wrong this time I would get much worse than a switching. I went back to my room, I had a lot of work to do before we left in the morning and I needed a certain book.
Chapter 26
The wagons rolled steadily toward the gates of Albamarl. Joe was driving the lead wagon while I sat beside him. I was carrying a crossbow and dressed as a guard. I had no plans to announce my identity as we entered the city. I couldn’t be sure what might have happened since I had been in the city a month past but if Lord Arundel had reached the king’s ear my reception wouldn’t be warm. Caution seemed the better course.
Penny rode beside the driver of the second wagon and was similarly attired. A woman guard was a bit unusual but shouldn’t attract too much attention, unless they were expecting me to return. If they had been alerted to look for a man traveling with a female warrior she might arouse suspicion, but Penny hadn’t taken up that role until after we had left. Hopefully it wouldn’t have occurred to them. I didn’t think they would expect me to try to sneak in to Albamarl anyway. As far as the king knew I should be back at home, preparing for a hopeless defeat.
The guards at the gate let us pass with only a few questions. So many empty wagons attracted attention but they could find no reason to stop us. A few minutes later we were rolling down the streets of Albamarl. “Where to first?” Joe asked.
“The Lancaster house, it should have the space we need. I’ll have to make some preparations before we do anything else,” I answered him.
The gates to the Lancaster estate were open when we reached it, something that seemed unusual. On my last visit they had been closed and guarded. We rode in and I got off the wagon. “Take the rest behind the house. There should be enough room back there for the wagons,” I told Joe. I walked to the front door and opened it.
The house seemed empty so I began searching, hoping to find someone who could explain what had happened. I found James sitting in the breakfast room, he looked tired. The room itself had been crudely repaired and was yet unfinished.
“Mordecai!” shouted James, leaping up from his chair.
“My lord,” I answered, “you look rather glum.” In fact the good duke looked downright depressed. It was rare to see him so worn looking, he was generally a man of uncommon health and energy.
“Heh,” he said. “You might be right there. If you had been here a few hours earlier you would understand why.”
“What happened?”
“The king forced Hightower’s hand. He showed up with the royal guard and confiscated everything Rose had bought and stored for the next journey. They took considerably more besides… to be certain they had it all,” he told me.
“I noticed there was no guard at your gate.”
“They arrested everyone Rose had hired, including my retainers. I thought for a moment they might take me as well, but apparently I am still in the king’s good graces,” he said.
“I imagine Rose will be a terror when she finds out,” I commented.
“Lord Hightower was commanding the guardsmen, he took Rose with him.”
“Willingly?” I asked.
“He had her trussed up like wild game, she was far from willing.”
“Where is she now?”
“I expect she’s under lock and key at her father’s house. I rather suspect that’s why he took a personal hand in the matter, to prevent her from being locked up in the king’s jail. The rest I don’t know.” James sat down, placing his head between his hands.
“We’ll have to do something about that,” I remarked.
“Such as? In case you didn’t realize it the king has declared you an outlaw. You’re to be locked up as soon as they get their hands on you.”
I had expected as much. “He can declare whatever he wants, it won’t make a difference,” I said.
“What are you planning?”
“I’ll explain soon. I have to run an errand, I’ll be back in a few hours,” I replied.
James was concerned. “Where are you going? If you’re going to do something I’d rather know beforehand. We’re already in enough trouble.”
“I’m going to my father’s house. Trust me I’ll be back. In the meantime get your things together, we’ll be leaving tonight,” I said with a tone of authority. As an afterthought I added, “…your grace,” but James didn’t seem to notice.
***
Penny and I reached the house of Illeniel after a short walk. Entering was much simpler this time now that I understood how the door worked. I smiled inwardly at the memory of our last visit.
“I’m still not sure why we need to come here,” Penny commented. “You already said this isn’t necessary for your plan.”
“In case we need to come back. Once they figure out what we’ve done they’ll destroy my circle. This house is the one place in the city no one can get into. Plus I’m fairly sure they don’t realize that I’ll be able to return here at will. It may give us an advantage in the future, but only if I know the key to the circle here,” I answered her.
We went upstairs and I got out the writing materials I had brought. My studies of ‘A Definitive Guide on the Creation and Maintenance of Teleportation Waypoints’ had yielded good results. Teleportation circles were very specific in their construction; they all shared the same basic design. The most important part however, was the ‘key’, the part of the circle that identified it. Once that was known another circle could be created to match it. Every circle contained two keys, one identifying itself, and another that corresponded with the key of the destination circle.
Whatever circle had existed in Cameron Castle to match the one here was long gone, but if I knew what the key was I could create another. That would give me safe access to Albamarl, practically at will.
It took me several minutes to copy the keys found within the circle marked ‘Cameron’. When I finished I carefully blotted the sheet with sand and folded it away. It wouldn’t do to mistake one of the runes due to an unfortunate spot of ink. I tucked the paper into my pouch and Penny and I went back outside.
“Back to Lancaster’s house?” she asked.
“Yes, I need to do one more thing there, then we can go get Rose,” I replied.
When we got back to the Lancaster residence I didn’t bother finding James. I went around the house to find Joe. I found him in the stables, helping to groom the horses that had been pulling the wagons. “Did you find a good place?” I asked him.
He looked up startled, “Oh! Yes your lordship! The duke has a small storehouse here, it’s that building over there,” he pointed across the yard to a large stone building with double doors wide enough to drive a wagon through. “He said we could use it. Lady Rose had been storing her acquisitions there, before they were confiscated.”
“So it’s empty now?” I said to clarify the point.
He assured me it was so I went over and got started. The place was larger than I had realized, at least thirty feet wide and probably sixty feet long inside. The floor was smooth stone which reassured me. I had been afraid it might be simple dirt which would have made my task harder. Penny and I found brooms and began cleaning. She turned out to be much better at sweeping than I was but it still took us almost an hour to get the floor in the condition I wanted it. I decided not to compliment her sweeping skills… she might take it the wrong way given her prior occupation.
Another hour’s work and we were ready. I went back to the house to let James know what to expect. “Your grace?” I asked. He seemed to have fallen asleep in a chair.
“Mordecai… sorry I haven’t had much rest since yesterday,” he apologized. It struck me as strange to hear the man apologize to me. For most of my life he had been my ultimate authority figure, next to my own father.
“Are you ready to leave? I’m going to get Rose and we’ll have to move quickly when I return. I’m not sure if there will be any pursuit,” I told him.
“I have little to bring other than personal effects. I’ve already packed those up. Strange, I always took Benchley for granted. I never realized how much work packing could be,” he smiled ruefully.
“Did they take him when they arrested everyone?”
“No he’s with Genevieve back in Lancaster. I had a different valet here, Percy was his name. Still, I’m missing him already,” he laughed.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to return with him as well,” I said.
“I don’t understand what you’re planning Mordecai. This is bound to make things worse,” he said.
“If things go badly it won’t reflect on you. This is purely of my own devising. As far as the king will know you left on your own,” I replied.
“He’s not a fool. It will be quite obvious what happened and likely enough I’ll be declared an outlaw right along with you.”
A pang of guilt struck me. I had asked a lot of the Lancasters and now he risked losing everything for helping me. “You’re right. Maybe I should do this somewhere else, you’ve already risked too much…,” I started.
“In for a penny, in for a pound,” James replied. “Don’t think too hard about it. I’ve already made my choice and now we’ll have to live with it.”
I couldn’t afford to argue the point, I needed his help.
Penny and I headed for the gate to the street, Joe was waiting there. “You’re sure about doing this alone?” he asked us.
Penny raised an eyebrow, “Sounds like you think I won’t be enough?”
He grimaced, “No lass, it’s not like that. I just worry.” He had learned enough already to know that Penny had become a dangerous woman when the chips were down.
I bade him goodbye and we set out. I double checked the separate shields I had place around each of us as we went. It paid to be careful, otherwise a single arrow might put an end us both. I had tried to project an air of calm and confidence around the others, but now that Penny and I were on our own my doubts were worrying me. I pulled my cloak closer about myself.
“Feeling cold?” Penny asked as we walked. She hardly seemed to notice the chill air. Winter had begun and it would probably only be another month or two before the first snows.
“A bit,” I admitted.
She moved closer to share my cloak, purely for my benefit. Her body put out heat like a furnace. So many things that had changed since we formed the bond, she was hardly discomfited by the cold anymore. I wondered how she would fare in hot weather. Still, it was pleasant to have her so close. I shivered deliberately as the wind blew harder.
“Still cold?” she asked, slipping an arm around my waist.
I nodded and pulled her closer. It was harder to walk that way, but I didn’t care. It was worth the inconvenience.
“Mort?”
“Hmm yes?” I ans
wered, smiling inwardly.
“Why is your hand on my ass?”
“It was cold and that seemed the warmest place,” I replied with a smirk.
“You are absolutely hopeless. We’re about to break into someone’s home and face who knows what sort of dangers… and you’re still trying to cop a feel.” She gave me a look of mock indignation.
“Yep… does that bother you?”
She laughed and placed her own hand strategically over my own posterior, “Not at all, as long as it’s just my rear-end you’re grabbing.”
“The duchess certainly found it amusing,” I reminded her.
She growled, “I could have strangled you for that! Don’t you ever think first?”
“I wouldn’t have minded, as long as it was you strangling me,” I joked.
Chapter 27
Lord Hightower’s home was easy enough to find. We had ridden right by it on our way into Albamarl earlier. As the commander of the king’s guard and the city garrison he occupied the large bailey that guarded the capital’s largest gate. As homes went it was a veritable fortress in and of itself, nearly as large as the main keep of Cameron Castle.
From what James had told me I knew his family kept their residence in the top two floors of the bailey. Below that were primarily defensive structures and housing for the guards that defended the city, as well as the mechanisms that controlled the two great portcullises and the gate. Looking at it from the outside I had to pity any invader that might try to force their way through it.
There was a large door that served as an entrance to the interior of the bailey on the left hand side of the inner portcullis. Since there was currently no threat to the city I presumed it would be unlocked, but naturally enough it was still guarded. Two men stood at attention outside the door. Unlike guards I had seen at other points in the city these two looked alert and not the least bit bored. Lord Hightower was known for stern discipline.
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