Cross Keys

by Ally Shields

Kam didn’t blink at Brunic’s less than flattering opinion of crossbreeds. She’d never agreed with the generally held belief that all crossbreeds were inferior. They hadn’t chosen their parents, and she couldn’t see they were any less intelligent. But she would never convince Captain Brunic that his beliefs might cause him to underestimate the opposition or that the keyholder wasn’t their only problem.

  She stole a look at Seth. What did he think of Brunic’s assessment? But the other man’s gaze was lowered, not revealing even a hint of what was on his mind.

  Brunic emphasized his point by striking his fist against the palm of his other hand. “It’s time to talk with the king.” He strode out of the room, Kam and Seth trailing after him, and he set a brisk pace. They hurried upward along the marble corridors until they needed to catch their breaths while they waited to be announced.

  Seliwyn’s eyes widened, and he went so far as to smile when Kam, Brunic and Seth were ushered into his chambers. The remnants of his breakfast sat on a side table. “I’m almost afraid to ask what brings the three of you here together. And at this hour of the morning. Seth, I have not seen you at court in a while.”

  Seth inclined his head. “I spend most of my time Cityside, your majesty. I am glad to see you in good health.”

  “Thank you. Give my regards to your parents and your grandfather.” Seliwyn settled in a cushioned chair next to the window. “Now, let’s hear it. What has happened?”

  The captain stepped forward. “It’s bad news, sire. Very bad. But I think you should hear the story directly from Kam and Seth as I did.”

  Once again they went over everything that had transpired overnight. The moment Kam said the word firearms, Seliwyn came out of his chair. “Not in Elvenrude! I won’t have it! Call out the Guard, Captain. Search the land and root out these traitorous vermin. Check every home, every guild, every mine.” He swung a look of outrage toward Brunic. “Why haven’t you found these people before now? Why aren’t you out searching for them instead of talking to me?”

  Kam looked away, embarrassed to have her captain questioned this harshly in front of her. She didn’t envy Brunic’s task at calming their irate sovereign. The king had a well-earned reputation for his easy-going nature, but when something roused him from that state he could be very difficult to dissuade from rash and often thoughtless actions. This seemed to be one of those times.

  “My king, think about the consequences. We have no proof the guns are here, and if we go rushing about, the populace will panic. We’ve been quietly searching for the keyholder for days and will continue those efforts until you suggest a wiser path for us to follow.” Brunic pointed out the fear and unrest that would occur if guards invaded peaceful homes and villages. How Elite families would be outraged, and all of Elvenrude might question how the king had allowed this to happen. “We know you couldn’t have prevented it, but how do we explain that to angry or terrified people? If you trust my council, sire, I suggest we proceed cautiously, quietly, until we know what the situation truly is.”

  Kam resisted any attempt to intervene and waited for the storm to calm. Seth did the same. She’d noted the look of tolerant resignation that flashed across his face at Seliwyn’s initial outburst. Apparently the Lormarc family had had similar experiences with their king’s venting.

  Seliwyn suddenly brought them back into the conversation. “I suppose you two agree with him.”

  Kam nodded. “I do, your majesty.”

  Seth stepped forward. “Give us time to bring you better information before you make a final decision.” His demeanor was calm, confident, with a touch of diplomacy she hadn’t seen before. He was never diplomatic with her.

  “But it wouldn’t hurt to announce we’re looking for someone who broke the portal rules.” The three men turned to look at her. Clearly, they had expected her full agreement with Brunic’s recommendation. She lifted her chin and doggedly forged ahead. “The people are bound to know something’s happening if we start asking questions. A portal violation would explain it and lay the foundation for restricted portal access, which I think you should consider.”

  The king’s face lightened. “A worthy compromise. Unless you gentlemen have an objection. No? Then I will send a notice of portal violation out immediately to every keyholder and guild, and defer further action until you return from your inquiries. In the meantime, I will consult with my advisors, who must be told the entire truth.”

  “Very wise, your majesty,” Brunic agreed. “We would want the advisors’ approval of any additional action.”

  On the way back to Captain Brunic’s office, Kam shrugged off some of the pent up tension. At least she wouldn’t have to hide the crisis from her father. Since the heads of both major houses were honorary members of the king’s council, he would automatically be notified. She figured Seth would also discuss the matter with his grandfather very soon.

  It turned out to be sooner than she’d anticipated.

  He stopped in the hallway as they neared the doors to the rear castle entrance and turned to Brunic. “Kam is the only one who can identify the smugglers, and I have other, pressing business. Shall we meet at your office in an hour? Is that long enough?”

  Brunic looked at Kam and rubbed his jaw. “Should be. We’re only visiting two guilds. Either we find the conspirators there or we don’t.”

  “If we find anyone of interest, we’ll bring them here for questioning,” she added.

  “Then I’ll see you in an hour. Good hunting.”

  * * *

  Seth scowled as he took the short walk to his grandfather’s house. He couldn’t shake off his suspicions that Harad had hidden something from him at their last meeting. He quickened his pace, hoping desperately the old rascal didn’t have anything to do with smuggling guns. An irresponsible and unforgiveable act. Introducing guns to such a peaceful society would change this world irrevocably—and it wouldn’t be for the better.

  Seth hurried up the steps, a grim set to his jaw, and was admitted immediately.

  But when he confronted his grandfather and explained the events of last night, Harad appeared as shocked as the king had been. Then the old man grew red in the face.

  “You thought I would be involved in something like that?” Harad thundered. He rose from his chair and leaned on his gnarled cane. His brows dipped into a deep V. “Even at my worst, I never contemplated something so heinous.”

  Seth stood his ground. “You’re concealing something.”

  “Even if I am, I’m under no obligation to share my every thought with you.” Harad peered at him. “How long have you had this low opinion of me?”

  “Oh, sit down.” Seth ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry if I insulted you, but you haven’t exactly been a paragon of virtue.”

  “Never said I was.” Harad huffed at him but sat down in his chair and lit his pipe. He took a puff and set it down again. “If these guns are in Elvenrude, they must be found before someone has a chance to use them.”

  “Obviously, but how? We can exclude the general populace from any investigation, but with a keyholder and crossbreeds both involved, we’re still left with hundreds, maybe a thousand suspects. How do we narrow that list?”

  “For starters, you can take me off the list.”

  Seth sighed. He hadn’t intended to offend the old gentleman, but Harad didn’t respond to anything except plain speaking. “You are off the list, Grandfather. I take you at your word, but I can’t dismiss others as easily.”

  “Very wise of you.” Harad sounded only slightly appeased. “I hope the king has the good sense to keep this quiet.”

  “He’s discussing it with his advisors, but the only word leaving the palace is a notice of a portal violation.”

  Harad nodded and reached for his pipe. “Sensible. I’m surprised the king thought of it.”

  “He didn’t. Kameo Ryndel did.”

  His grandfather puffed on the pipe and looked up at Seth. “Seems like I’ve heard her name a lot
lately. You’re not getting involved with a Ryndel, are you?”

  Seth bristled but picked his words carefully. “Kam Ryndel and I are business competitors thrown together by unusual circumstances. When this is over, I doubt if I will have an occasion to see her again.” He hid a twinge of regret.

  “I’ve heard she is very attractive.”

  “You heard correctly.” He kept his voice matter-of-fact. “Now can we talk about Elvenrude’s crisis rather than your misguided speculations on my love life?”

  “Suits me. I never understand women anyway.”

  Seth grinned. Did any man?

  After a few minutes of discussion on potential conspirators, Seth left his grandfather puffing on his pipe, lost in thought.

  Seth stopped at the top of the steps as he pulled the door closed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Whatever Harad was hiding, he’d been genuinely surprised about the firearms. Seth straightened. That was one worry off his shoulders.

  His next stop was the Lormarc Guild. The place was already abuzz with the news of the portal restrictions. He was flagged down by two supervisors asking if he knew the details. His response was vague. He made the rounds, ostensibly checking on a couple of shipments, but listened for any rumors about the firearms.

  Seth turned to take a last look at the busy guild before leaving. He nodded to himself, satisfied that word of the firearms hadn’t leaked from the palace. Yet, the lack of gossip wasn’t entirely good news. The conspirators had done an equally thorough job of concealing their activities. They’d be hard to find unless Kam could identify someone.

  * * *

  Only two guilds hired crossbreeds. Most mixed race elves worked in the fields as day laborers rather than in the export/import business. At the House of Petros, however, they were the primary workers; the owner was a crossbreed, the undeclared son of an Elite elf. The Trevain Guild hired one shift of crossbreeds, because its owner had acknowledged his crossbreed son and promoted him to supervise that shift.

  Petros was Kam and Brunic’s first stop. While Einos Petros didn’t welcome them with open arms—his dark eyes held a hint of contempt—he kept his voice civil. The King’s Guard was treated with respect everywhere, and to offend a member of one of the major guilds would be business suicide. Petros listened to their concerns about a portal breach and curtly invited them to look around.

  “You won’t find a thing out of order here, and none of our workers have been absent from their jobs. I can show you our work rolls, if you like.”

  “I would.” Brunic’s tone was all business. “We’ll also need to see your portal logs.”

  Petros bristled. “They were checked by your guards just a week ago.”

  “It’s routine,” Brunic said. “Whenever there is a new breach, we have to check them again.”

  Petros motioned to a man watching from an office door. The man hurried forward.

  “Bring the work rolls and our portal log for the last five days.” He looked at Brunic. “Will that be sufficient?”

  “Yes, I’ll look them over while Ms. Ryndel takes a look around.”

  Petros whipped his head toward Brunic so fast that his long auburn hair swirled against his shoulders. “I thought we’d all go together.”

  “No need.” Brunic acted as if he was unaware of the guild owner’s objection. “We’ll be out of your way sooner if we divide up our tasks.”

  “I promise not to be long,” Kam said. “I’m eager to see your operation. Do you have someone who can show me around and answer any questions I might have?”

  “What does this have to do with a portal breach?”

  “Just routine,” Brunic droned.

  Petros looked back and forth between them, a look of resignation finally settling on his face. “I’ll escort her myself, but I don’t have much time.”

  “Then we better get started.” Kam forced a smile. She would not make him more suspicious than he was, no matter how rude he became. Or how creepy he acted.

  “What exactly are you looking for? This hardly seems routine for a portal breach.”

  “Oh, but it is.” She slowly blinked her eyes at him, the picture of innocence. “I’ve seen one of the elves involved in the breach. He could be hiding among your crew, pretending to be an ordinary workman.”

  “I see. Maybe I could help, if you described him.”

  “How nice of you to offer.” She gave him another saccharin smile. “Tall, long auburn hair, brown eyes.” She looked at him and formed her lips in an O. “Why, it could have been you.”

  He noticeably stiffened, and she added, “Except the nose and eyebrows aren’t right. Shall we look around now?”

  Petros was silent, even remote, throughout the rest of the tour, answering her questions when asked, but little more. He seemed intent on his own thoughts and merely going through the motions. As she’d anticipated, Kam found nothing of interest. If Petros was part of the conspiracy, he was also smart enough to keep anything suspicious away from public view. She figured his books and logs would look just as clean.

  When they rejoined Brunic, his poker face told her he’d also found nothing, and he was in a hurry to leave. Kam turned to thank Petros for the tour, but the smug look on his face stopped the simple courtesy. Instead, an urge to smack him forced her to turn away, and she suppressed a smile at her impulse. How horrified her mother would be. Maybe Kam had been spending too much time in the human world, in their more in-your-face society.

  At the next stop Alen Trevain was eager to show them around, bringing out his records, his logs, anything they wanted. Kam appreciated his attitude after dealing with Petros, although Captain Brunic whispered Trevain’s cooperation was suspicious. But hadn’t Brunic once told her the king paid him to be suspicious of everyone?

  As they toured the guild, Kam studied each crossbreed. None of them matched the faces she was looking for. One seemed vaguely familiar, and she stopped to talk with him, but a closer look convinced her she hadn’t seen him before.

  Kam and Brunic walked back to the palace. She was disappointed there’d been no easy solution, although she hadn’t really expected it. They talked about visiting some of the farms, but the homesteads were so widely spaced it was a much larger task than two people could handle. Besides, the king and Seth would be waiting.

  Arriving at the castle gate, they met Seth just returning.

  “Any luck?” he asked.

  Brunic shook his head. “Petros was an ass, as usual, but we didn’t find anything. Trevain looked clean too, but he’s such a hypocrite, pretending to be so friendly.”

  “He is friendly,” Kam protested. “You just don’t trust anyone.”

  When they’d reached the king’s chambers, the guards announced them and threw open the doors. King Seliwyn was seated in a chair surrounded by a hovering crowd of his most trusted advisors, including the court’s wise woman—and his personal physician.

  Brunic rushed forward. “Your majesty, are you all right?”

  “Yes, yes. Just a misunderstanding.” Seliwyn waved him off.

  Brunic narrowed his eyes as he looked at the group of advisors. “What kind of misunderstanding?”

  The court physician chuckled. “Nothing you need to deal with, Captain. The king became overheated, red in the face, and they sent for me.” He nodded at the councilors and lowered his voice. “I believe his majesty was pounding on the table when they didn’t agree with him.”

  Kam hid her smile. The royal physician could take liberties that no one else would dare. Seliwyn was certainly having a bad day.

  “Well, they didn’t change my mind.” King Seliwyn raised his head to stare at them and made his pronouncement. “I’m closing the portals. There will be no further traffic to or from the human world.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  The king’s words brought renewed protests from his advisors.

  “You’ll ruin the economy!”

  “We have trade agreements!”

  “Your majesty, I beg
you. Don’t do this!”

  Kam and Seth looked at each other. The docks, the city, the excitement. She found it all fascinating and would miss it.

  Seth’s voice carried above the din. “It may be too late for that solution.”

  The room grew silent.

  “The conspirators have not been found in Elvenrude.” He stepped closer to the king. “What if they’ve returned to New Orleans? Maybe to avoid capture or continue their activities.” He waved his hands palms up. “It really doesn’t matter why. If we strand them, we make exposure almost inevitable, and once they know Elvenrude exists, the humans would hunt for a way through the portals. We wouldn’t be able to reopen them for centuries or even thousands of years.”

  Amidst the horrified gasps, the king appealed to Brunic. “What do you think? Could they be Cityside?”

  “It’s possible, your majesty.” Brunic shifted under Seliwyn’s scrutiny. “We didn’t find any trace of them at the guilds, but they could be hiding anywhere.”

  “Which includes New Orleans,” Kam reminded him.

  “Fine. Good riddance.” Seliwyn jutted out his jaw. “We’ll take our chances and leave them there.”

  A chorus of grumbling greeted his words. The council wasn’t happy.

  “If I could make a suggestion.” Seth took another step forward. “Allow me to go after them. I know my way around the city, so the risk of further contamination would be small. If I can bring them back, we can settle this matter.”

  “You’re not a member of the Guard,” Brunic protested. “If anyone goes, it should be me.”

  “Actually, I’m the logical person.” Kam spoke quietly. “I’ve been living Cityside, and I am a member of the Guard.”

  “Why not send them all?” one of the advisors asked. “We need to do everything we can to find these criminals and keep the portals open.”

  “No. Not Brunic.” The king was adamant. “We need him here, to find the contraband and guard the homeland.” He frowned at Kam and Seth. “But I see your point. So you’ll both have to go. If any of this nonsense between your houses is lingering, put it aside. You will have two days, forty-eight hours, to eliminate the problem by whatever means, including terminating these renegades if necessary.”