Dynasty of Rogues

by Jane Fletcher

  Sergeant Brown pulled a heavy purse from her boot and counted out the coins. The woman released the papers. Brown put them inside her own jacket without bothering to glance at the contents. Others could do the job better than she.

  “They better be what you claim. Otherwise I reckon I know enough to find you, and you wouldn’t want me angry at you. After all, you’re going to have enough enemies with Azid pissed at you.”

  *

  Chief Consultant Bakara sat alone in her austere bedroom. Soon she would have to lead the evening prayers, but first she needed to compose herself. The meeting she had just had with Colonel Zelenski had left her shaken.

  Madam Coppelli’s guesswork had been right—of course. The old woman had not gained her reputation by chance. Bakara felt her features twisting in a bitter grimace.

  Zelenski knew all about the plot against Joannou and had wanted Bakara to know that she knew. The significant look in the Colonel’s eye when she had mentioned the incident left no doubt. Nor could it be coincidence that she had tied together Jean Azid, Consultant Joannou, and the discovery of the letters.

  Bakara wanted to pray. Would the Goddess hear her? Yet Bakara knew that what she had done had been right.

  Consultant Joannou had been a divisive figure, a hard-line zealot who would have embarked on a radical program, without thought of the cost. If she had become Chief Consultant it would have been a catastrophe. The Sisterhood, the whole world even, would have been torn apart.

  As the time for the election had approached, Madam Coppelli had suggested a solution, and she had agreed to it. Bakara chewed her lip. Even though the plot had not required her personally to do anything very immoral, she could not claim innocence. She had prayed for forgiveness and done penance ever since, but now it seemed as if the past might wreak its revenge.

  Removing Joannou’s challenge, by whatever means, had been the pious thing to do. Bakara had not been motivated by thought of her own gain, but by love of the Goddess. Yet how many would believe her?

  Regardless of what Colonel Zelenski might believe, she was clearly intending to use the information to push forward her own agenda. She had finished with an unmistakable threat of blackmail. Zelenski would not take such risks unless she was very sure of her position. Bakara raised her hand to her forehead. The questions now were, what could she do about Zelenski, and what would Zelenski try to do about her?

  *

  Although night had fallen outside, Colonel Zelenski had no candles lit in her office. Often she thought best in the dark and she had already committed to memory everything she needed from the pages lying on her desk. They were the accounts sheets passed to Sergeant Brown, detailing payments from the temple funds to Isabel Coppelli. Chief Consultant Bakara was being blackmailed. The Azid girl’s story was looking more and more likely by the day.

  For herself, Zelenski needed no further evidence. Even Chief Consultant Bakara’s mask had not hidden her guilty reaction when the subject of the letters found in Joannou’s room was casually dropped into the conversation. Yet it was not proof Zelenski could present to others.

  She pursed her lips, thinking of the unknown woman who had sold the accounts sheets. It was always the way, once news spread that the Corps were pursuing a suspect. Informers would emerge from the woodwork, each with their own bit of the story to sell. The evidence would mount, but Zelenski knew that she had to move quickly, before the word got back to Madam Coppelli as well.

  The elderly matriarch was too dangerous an enemy to be left loose. Zelenski would not make the mistake of underestimating her. As soon as the Corps had the evidence, Isabel Coppelli would be secure in the dungeon below. Without its head, the Coppelli family would be far less of a threat.

  But what to do about the corrupt Chief Consultant? Bakara was the Goddess’s representative on earth. No court had the power to try her. Yet there was a precedent. Ninety-three years earlier, Chief Consultant Foster had suffered a lapse into insanity.

  The secret temple library at Landfall contained books that had belonged to the Elder-Ones themselves. They had been left behind when the Elder-Ones ascended to join with Celaeno. Clearly the library had been to aid the Elder-Ones in their divinely appointed task, and left as a symbol of their wisdom. However, Foster had taken to reading the books, despite warnings that the library was for use by the Elder-Ones alone and contained knowledge not meant for mortal eyes.

  Foster had gone mad and started ranting nonsense, similar to the blasphemous lies of the heretics. Was the similarity surprising? Reading the books had also sent the accursed Gina Renamed mad. Unfortunately, she had been able to escape and infect others with her insanity, which was why the world was now plagued with heresy. Small comfort that it would not happen again. When the source of Renamed’s madness was revealed, the Chief Consultant of the day had ordered the library sealed, so that none might enter it again. The doors were all bricked up. Yet the harm had been done.

  In Chief Consultant Foster’s case, the madness had been contained. The town of Southwater was in the middle of a bleak salt marsh at the mouth of the Liffy River. The port was the town’s only reason to exist and the temple was small and disregarded. In origin it was a hermitage, and its Sisters were known more for meditation than political ambition. Secure private quarters had been constructed in the temple, a place where Foster could live out her natural life in solitary confinement, thus ensuring her insanity did not spread.

  On three occasions since, the secure quarters had been used, although never again for a Chief Consultant. It was a place where someone could vanish without a trace. No word or sign of the inmates had been heard since the day they entered the Southwater temple. Presumably the Sisters who cared for them knew more, if only the date of their deaths, but they maintained strict silence. Once in the secure quarters, the inmate might have ceased to exist. Maybe it would provide a solution for Chief Consultant Bakara. Better for her to disappear completely than have the scandal made public.

  Colonel Zelenski nodded thoughtfully. Yes. Southwater temple would again swallow a chief consultant.

  Chapter Eleven—Raising The Stakes

  The window in Tanya’s room gave a view mainly of the temple roof, with a selection of other roofs behind. However, if she hunched over the table and pressed her face on the glass, Tanya could also see a short section of the street in front of the temple.

  Riki had just gone. Currently she would be exiting the sanctum, on her way to a meeting with Zelenski in the Corps headquarters. Tanya felt nauseous at the thought, but Riki clearly saw it as one big game. Her flippant attitude ought to be irritating—it always was in Westernfort. Yet now Tanya was finding it a source of comfort, and not just for humor. Riki did not have the first idea what fear was. She made incredibly reassuring company.

  Even so, Tanya wondered why she was bothering to peer down at the road. The chances of spotting Riki were too small to consider. Tanya frowned. Just what did she think she would gain by it? Yet she remained in place, looking.

  *

  The room Riki was shown into was the same as before, but this time Colonel Zelenski was already there waiting, seated at the desk. Riki felt a hard knot of tension in her stomach and an uncomfortable prickling at her nerve endings. Taking risks for herself was fun, but this was different. The game was moving into its next phase, which involved Tanya’s position becoming a lot more precarious. So far, Isabel Coppelli had been spot-on accurate in predicting how everyone would react. Riki prayed that she continued to be right.

  Riki stared at the floor, almost as if hoping to see through to the cells and interrogation rooms beneath her feet. Riki remembered the catch in Tanya’s voice as she said that she did not want to go back. Yet Tanya was not chickening out or whining for sympathy. Riki just wished there was some way she could be more support, or even swap places. She would happily face the risks on Tanya’s behalf.

  The colonel’s chair creaked as she leaned back. “You got my message.”

  Riki hardened
her expression and looked up. This was not the time to let her performance waver. “Yup. And I guess you got the guilty reaction from the Chief Consultant, like I said you would. So. You ready to strike a deal now?”

  “I am. For the information you outlined before, I’m willing to offer one hundred dollars.”

  Riki shook her head, laughing. “Oh no. I’m not handing it over that cheaply.” She drifted a few steps closer to the desk. “Look. We can do it one of two ways. I want a thousand dollars. Now, you can say one hundred, I can say five thousand, and we can spend the next half hour haggling it down to a thousand. Or I can say one thousand, you can say yes, and we can go and do something useful in that half hour. Which way do you want it? Because I’m not handing the papers over for a dollar less.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not paying that much.”

  “Then you’re not getting the documents.”

  Colonel Zelenski fixed a hard stare on Riki. “You’re overplaying your hand. We’ll get the documents, with or without your help.”

  “Some of them, maybe.”

  “We already have.”

  Riki gave a cynical laugh. “Yeah, I know. That little shit has already sold you the accounts sheets, hasn’t she? You could have saved yourself whatever you paid her. Because my price is the same, regardless of how much stuff is there.”

  “My point is that we don’t need your documents.”

  “Yes, you do. The accounts aren’t enough to nail either Bakara or Coppelli, and you know it. You need something definite, in their handwriting, linking them to the frame-up of Joannou. And there ain’t no one but me who can give it to you. There’s no point searching, because I’m not stupid enough to leave them anywhere they might get found.”

  “There’s more than one way you might be enticed to hand them over.” Zelenski paused, significantly. “Our interrogators are very good at extracting information. I’m sure they can get the location of the documents from you without too much trouble.”

  Riki acted unimpressed. “If you want to take the chance. But you haven’t got a lot of time, you know.”

  “We’ve got as much time as we want, and far more than you’d like.”

  “Not if you want to get the old lady’s granddaughter back you haven’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the old lady is planning on springing her granddaughter from the temple. She’s not going to let her stay locked up forever. She’s going to rig it to make it look like the heretics rescued her.”

  “I think she’ll have trouble getting her granddaughter past the Guards on duty.”

  “Ah, but that’s just it. Bakara is in Coppelli’s pocket. The old lady will make Bakara send the Guards away and set up anything else she wants.”

  “Bakara wouldn’t be so rash or so blatant.”

  “She’s under Coppelli’s thumb, and she hasn’t got the guts to say no.”

  “How do you know about this?”

  “I’m in the Coppelli household, and I’m good at hearing things.”

  “When did you find out?”

  “A couple of days ago.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “Because I couldn’t care less about the granddaughter. She’s done nothing to hurt me. It’s the old lady I want nailed. But I reckon you might be a bit more interested. From what I’ve heard, you’ve got four days at most to stop Coppelli and Bakara. And you can’t do a thing to them until you’ve got my proof in your hands.” Riki grinned. “So. It’s up to you. Do you want to take the gamble that your girls can get the information out of me in time to stop the granddaughter from legging it?”

  “Supposing I say you’re bluffing?”

  “You’d be wrong.”

  Colonel Zelenski sat silently for a long time, staring at her desk, but at last she looked up. “One thousand dollars?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right. If the information is what you say it is.”

  “It is. And I want you to swear, on the name of Celaeno, that you’ll give me the money and let me have free passage out of Landfall.”

  “In the name of Celaeno, on my honor as a Guard and by Hoy’s sword, I swear that if you hand over documents proving criminal misconduct by Madam Isabel Coppelli and Chief Consultant Bakara, then I will pay you one thousand dollars and allow you to depart this place without hindrance or fear of arrest. Does that do you?”

  “It does me fine. I’ll be back tomorrow morning for a quarter of the money up front, and as long as you give me that, you can have your proof the day after.”

  Riki did not let her expression drop until she was back on the street and far from the Guards’ compound. Once again, the meeting had gone exactly as Isabel Coppelli had predicted. Yet Riki could not stop feeling worried on Tanya’s behalf. Regardless of her trust in Isabel, she could not bear the thought of Tanya returning to the Corps dungeon.

  Riki came to a stop and looked around blankly at the houses around her, trying to sort out what was going on in her head. This was not just comradely solidarity. She felt fiercely protective. The more she thought about it, the more Riki wished she could go back to the temple, talk with Tanya, and hear her laugh.

  Okay. I like her. The words bounced through Riki’s thoughts. A lot. She sighed and carried on walking. If only the feeling were mutual.

  *

  Isabel Coppelli was showing all the signs of being a grandmother in a mellow family mood. Tanya answered the questions as fully as she could, about her sisters, parents, home, ex-girlfriends, interests, and ambitions. Talking about her family with somebody who genuinely wanted to hear made her feel less homesick. It was the first time her grandmother had visited since Riki had arrived, and it was also going to be the last.

  Eventually, Isabel bowed her head regretfully and sighed. “I’m afraid I’ve been here long enough, or at least as long as I can without somebody thinking it odd.”

  “I’m pleased you visited.”

  “But not as pleased as I am. It’s always nice to meet a new granddaughter. Thirty-two just wasn’t enough.” The elderly woman smiled, looking like any other sentimental, doting grandmother. “When you get back, tell your mother how happy I am that she’s given me four more and that I had this chance to meet one of them.”

  “I will.”

  “Your mother and I...I think you know how much I’ve regretted what happened between us. Tell her I’m sorry. And that’s something I’ve said to precious few people in my life. It’s good to hear she’s doing well, and I’m not at all surprised that she’s the captain. You rarely find a Coppelli at the bottom of the heap. You’re a Coppelli too. Don’t think you’re going to get away with lounging around as a mere corporal for long.”

  “Oh, that’s, um...we’ll see.”

  Her grandmother laughed. “Don’t play the shy, blushing bit. There’s far too much of your mother in you to carry it off.”

  Tanya looked up in surprise. “I’m not sure if I see that.”

  “You didn’t know your mother when she was young. Admittedly you’re a bit less prickly than she was. That’ll be due to growing up with a mother who’s willing to let you be yourself, without making a battle about it every day.” Isabel sighed. “But I really must go. We won’t meet again, unless it all goes terribly wrong and we end up in the same cell. The timer is burning down. Your comrade has nearly finished winding up Colonel Zelenski.” She paused. “That Rikako, she’s a useful woman to have around.”

  “Yes. She’s, um...” Tanya broke off, staring at the tabletop. “It’s a shame we don’t get on too well.”

  “Don’t you?”

  “She was always a troublemaker back at Westernfort.”

  Isabel looked thoughtful. “Yes, you’re quite right. I know the sort. She is a troublemaker, and she’ll always be making trouble for someone. The trick is to offer the right inducement so the someone is your enemy.”

  “I think she counts me as an enemy.”

  “Oh no. I’m sure sh
e doesn’t.”

  “I know we’re working together now, but I don’t know if we...” Tanya’s voiced faded away. She was not sure how she felt about Riki and had no idea how Riki felt about her—or more disturbingly and truthfully, she was starting to get a good idea of how she felt about Riki and was quite certain that Riki did not feel the same way.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll sort it out between you on the way home. You’ll see.” Isabel pushed back from the table and stood up. “Good-bye, Tanya. It’s been a great pleasure meeting you”

  “And for me. Good-bye, Grandma Izzy.”

  Isabel Coppelli smiled and tottered to the door, moving like the old woman she was. Tanya remained at the table long after she had gone, thinking and watching the sun set over Landfall.

  *

  Between the main doors of the temple and the entrance to the outer sanctum lay the military shrine. Statues of three Elder-Ones stood at the back of an alcove, one each for the Guards, the Rangers, and the Militia, in colors mirroring their protégé’s uniforms. As befitting the patron of the oldest branch of the military, Natasha Krowe of the Rangers was in the middle, with her green skin and gray hair. On the right was the yellow-skinned and red-haired Guards’ patron, Su Li Hoy, and on the left was David Croft. In her case, both skin and hair were plain black, like the Militia uniform. However, since David Croft was one of the Elder-Ones traditionally represented with fur on her face, little skin was visible.

  The sight of soldiers praying at the shrine was common enough. Senior Sister Watkins spared only a glance for the kneeling woman in red and gold, until a soft voice hailed her.

  “If you please, Sister.”

  Sister Watkins was on her way to an early morning meeting with the Chief Consultant, but she had a few moments to spare. She backtracked a few steps to the entrance of the alcove. “What is it?”