Baron of Hearts (Master of Monsters Book 2)

by Hadley, Stephen L.

  “Fine.” For the first time since unveiling the document, Petre ceased pacing. He stared at Leo coldly, far more coldly than he’d ever done before. “You promised me that you would deal with this, Leo. You assured me that the election would not be a distraction.”

  “I will,” Leo said. He returned Petre’s glare, wishing that he was not doing so in his bedclothes. “And it isn’t, Petre. This is a setback, nothing more.”

  For a moment, Petre did not respond. Then, whatever he saw in Leo’s eyes must have convinced him. He nodded, averting his eyes.

  “All right, Leo,” he said. “Don’t let me down.”

  ***

  The courtroom quieted as Leo entered, then erupted with murmurs as Petre entered after him. Though not as packed as it could have been, thanks to the abrupt change in date, dozens of onlookers still crowded into the galleries that lined either side of the chamber. Any case involving nobles was sure to draw a collection of gossip-hungry viewers and the presence of a count on the swiftly amended docket only added to their excitement.

  Leo cast a suspicious eye around the courtroom as he marched forward, leaving his flanked escorts behind at the door. He didn’t recognize anyone in the galleries, but he did recognize Terras. The man stood close to the bar, half-turned to watch Leo approach. The man smiled at the sight of him and gestured in a way that was almost a bow.

  Ignoring him, Leo took the seat mirroring the count’s. He didn’t have to wait long. Petre had barely seated himself when the bailiff rapped his cudgel on one of the chamber’s wooden railings and bellowed out a command. The collective body rose hurriedly as the judge entered—though Leo allowed a bit of sluggishness in his own standing.

  He recognized the count serving as judge, of course, though he’d never had cause to speak with the man. Bordeau ruled over one of the four counties outside Ansiri itself and looked rather unhappy at having been dragged away from it to serve his judicial obligation. He barely glanced at Leo, or Terras, and instead sat abruptly at the head of the chamber.

  “Right then, you lot can sit,” he announced. His voice was oddly accented with both the refinement of the nobility and a uniquely rural intonation. “Terras, you’re claimant-by-proxy. Get started.”

  Leo stiffened a bit at Bordeau’s curt beginning. He’d hoped that the man might prove a bit hostile to his fellow count, given the incessant rivalry between the lot. But rather than aggressive, the man seemed merely bored.

  “Happily, Your Honor,” Terras said, his voice warm and respectful. “The case before you is both straightforward and significant. I have in my employ a servant formerly contracted to the late Baron VanAllen. During her term of service, she served Baron VanAllen in both domestic and carnal matters. As a result, she expects to be delivered of a child in the next two months. And, bastard though the child may be, the late baron willed several possessions and a small sum of coin to the mother. I have come to present documents attesting to this fact for your examination.”

  Without even glancing in Terras’ direction, Bordeau waved to proceed. He waited as a clerk fetched the papers from Terras’ hand, then sighed audibly and began to glance through them. Everything in his posture screamed of boredom to the point that his lack of yawning actually caught Leo by surprise. After a few minutes, however, Bordeau straightened the papers and laid them aside.

  “Very well,” he announced. “Everything seems to be in order. I’ll instruct my aides to hold the payment in escrow until you bring the servant to collect. Now then, is—”

  “I beg your pardon!” Leo exclaimed. He stepped forward, gripping the railing before him tightly. “Your Honor, I believe there’s a great deal more that needs discussing first!”

  Bordeau looked at him then and Leo could read the man’s annoyance instantly. “Who in the seven hells are you supposed to be?” Bordeau snapped.

  Drawing himself up proudly, Leo nodded in a thoroughly insubordinate approximation of a bow.

  “Baron Leo VanOrden,” he said. “I’m P—Baron VanAllen’s proxy.”

  Sighing, Bordeau shifted in his seat. “Very well, Baron. Say your peace, but make it quick.”

  Leo fought the urge to glance at Terras. He had no doubt the man would have been smirking and had no desire to see it. The last thing he needed was to assault the man in full view of dozens of witnesses.

  “I have a great deal to say, Your Honor, but I’ll try to be brief. First, I have to express my doubts regarding the authenticity of these documents. If this woman was truly a servant in the VanAllen household, she would have had any number of chances to steal, borrow, or otherwise obtain fraudulently sealed documents. Furthermore—”

  “Furthermore nothing ,” Bordeau interrupted. “If the late baron failed to secure his official seal, then the responsibility lies with him. It is fruitless to speculate about what might have transpired. The fact remains…” He lifted one of the pages to display the stamped wax seal upon it. “…that the documents are sealed.”

  “But—”

  “And personally,” Bordeau continued. “I can attest to the writing upon them. I have cause to know the late baron’s handwriting and signature. Unless you can prove this servant of his held a knife to his throat as he held the pen, I’ll not have their authenticity questioned.”

  “I… that is…” Leo stammered. He was scrambling now, his mind racing. Bordeau’s response was so unthinkable, so unlike the way he’d anticipated the hearing going, that he couldn’t even think of how to proceed. “There is also the matter of this very hearing. Why was the date moved forward by an entire month? Why was Baron VanAllen not notified until yesterday? And why was I not notified at all?”

  “This hearing was moved forward at my request,” Bordeau said. He leaned forward, regarding Leo with a smile that bordered on a smirk. “I have urgent business to attend to in my district and refuse to waste a month of my time just to satisfy your whims, Baron. As to the late notice, I can assure that the decision was reached days ago and notices sent promptly. Perhaps you should inquire among your servants. No doubt the notice lingered unnoticed among the love letters and unpaid brothel bills a while before reaching you.”

  The verbal jab drew muted laughter from the galleries. Leo shut his mouth and gazed hatefully at Bordeau. The man’s choice of words could not have been accidental. By mentioning brothels, the man was making it abundantly clear that not only did he know precisely who Leo was, but also that he was consciously siding against him for some undisclosed purpose.

  “Nothing else to say?” Bordeau teased. “Very well, then. Baron VanAllen and proxy, you are to deliver the sum willed to this woman within the next fortnight. Bring the coin and other deeded property here, and my aides will ensure it is received by the appropriate parties.”

  Bordeau stood and the bailiff once more rapped his cudgel on the railing to declare the hearing concluded. Leo, for his part, did not move. He continued to grip the railing, right hand throbbing, and watched with a murderous stare as the count exited the chamber. In the corner of his eye, he could see Terras chuckling, but did not so much as blink until the man had departed.

  And then, Petre was at his side.

  “Leo!” he hissed. “What the fuck was that? They didn’t even listen to us! Why didn’t you argue? Ask for a delay? What are—”

  “Quiet,” Leo muttered. Pushing off the rail, he turned and marched woodenly out of the room. He was dimly aware of Petre following him, continuing to protest, but ignored the youth’s words.

  It was not until they stood once more in the street outside the Ministry that Leo looked at Petre. The man’s face was red and he was practically shaking with anger.

  “Leo,” Petre said again. “What are you going to do about this?”

  “Nothing,” Leo said. “Not yet. Weren’t you paying attention? Terras didn’t even have to bring the woman to testify. He was using her as a distraction! This whole thing was arranged beforehand. They’re working together. There was nothing we could have done.”
<
br />   “That’s bullshit,” Petre snapped. “They’re counts! Of course they’re working together. But you didn’t even fight him! I’m not just going to hand over my inheritance!”

  “Of course you are,” Leo growled. Rounding on Petre, he grabbed him by the front of his suit and pulled him close. “If you refuse to pay, they’ll come for you. Do you want to give them an excuse to hang you and take everything? Because they will.”

  “I’m not going to give those bastards a penny,” Petre insisted.

  “Yes, you will,” Leo said. “You’re going to give them everything they ask for. Let them think they’ve won. Then, when they’re not expecting it, I’m going to destroy both of them.”

  From the softening of Petre’s expression, Leo could tell that his words had reached Petre despite his rage. But rather than simply roll over, Petre instead peeled Leo’s fingers off his suit and adjusted it. “We’ll see,” he said, then turned on his heel and stalked away.

  Leo watched him go, grimacing.

  “Yeah,” he muttered. “I will.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Leo was more than half-way home when the men reached him. He recognized them as Davin’s immediately and so did not even pause as the men formed up around him in a clumsy sort of protective formation.

  “What do you want?” he growled, without even glancing at the nearest guard.

  “Not a thing, m’lord,” the man answered him. “Boss’s orders. We’re to watch out for you.”

  “Guess she changed her mind, eh?” Leo said. He snorted, then shrugged. “Not that it matters. I’m almost home.”

  “And will you be heading out again?” the man asked.

  Now, Leo glanced at him. The question was innocent enough and had been spoken almost as if it was simply small talk. With Davin, however, such things rarely existed.

  “Maybe,” he said, and left it at that. The man did not press and so Leo was able to enjoy the rest of the walk in blessed silence. He preferred it that way. Dealing with Terras, Bordeau, and even Petre had left him in a decidedly humorless mood.

  Leo did not thank or acknowledge the men as he arrived at his estate. He left them standing at the gate and marched swiftly inside without looking back. The second the door closed behind him, however, he fixed the servant who had admitted him with a cold stare.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  The girl hesitated, then curtseyed with a nervous smile. “Greta, m’lord,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I never got the chance to thank—”

  “Find Karran,” Leo ordered. “My ambrosian. She should be with the kobolds. Tell her to get dressed and meet me here.”

  “I—yes. At once, my lord.”

  Nodding, Leo turned and hurried up the stairs. He found Sann in her room, as expected, though he was surprised to discover her dozing at the center of the makeshift nest.

  “Wake up,” he said. “We’re going out.”

  The drakonid stirred, then sat up swiftly. Her eyes were hard and almost angry, but the quirk of her brow betrayed her curiosity.

  “Out, Massster?” she asked. “Ssshall I dressss?”

  He considered the question for a moment, then shook his head. “There’s no need. And I don’t have time to have clothes tailored for you. Just borrow some of Brigit’s underthings so we don’t get arrested for indecency.”

  Sann hissed a laugh and nodded. Bounding out the bed, she pushed roughly past him and headed straight for Brigit’s chamber. Leo watched her, frowning. He couldn’t figure out how the drakonid had figured out which room was hers, but it was a mystery that could wait.

  Returning to the foyer, he found Karran waiting for him. She’d dressed—or had already been wearing—her usual armor, and greeted him with a toothy smile and a half-curtsey. Leo smiled back, as long as his sour mood would permit, and then leaned impatiently against the door to wait.

  Sann did not keep him waiting long. She emerged onto the upper story landing clad in simple, linen undergarments and a snug cotton wrap around her breasts. Meeting Leo’s eye, she glanced toward the stairs, then shrugged and vaulted the balcony railing. Her wings flared as she fell, slowing her sufficiently that her knees barely bent as she landed.

  “Cute,” Leo said, stepping toward her. “Just make sure there’s no one beneath you when you do that in the future.”

  Sighing, Sann nodded.

  “All right,” he said. “Let’s—” He paused, glancing at the closed door and picturing the men outside it. “Actually, let’s go out the back door.”

  Neither female questioned him. Karran, of course, could not do so given his limited knowledge of hand-speech. And Sann, because she doubtless lacked familiarity with his habits.

  The rear of the estate was home to a modest courtyard, surrounded on three sides by the body and wings of the manor and a low, stone wall on the last. It had been designed to avoid intrusion, and so stood nearly twice as tall as Leo himself. Fortunately, he’d had the foresight to prepare for such an occasion. In one corner of the courtyard, a mountain of displaced stone and dirt from the kobolds’ tunnel had been used to form a ramp leading up to the top of the wall.

  The height still made his stomach lurch, but he managed to swallow his nervousness long enough to swing his legs over the edge. Grasping the uneven stones, he lowered himself as far as he could, braced himself, and let go. The impact with the ground below sent jolts through his ankles and knees, but no pain. He dusted himself off, then gazed up.

  Karran leapt effortlessly over the side, not even bothering to lower herself as he had. Sann, of course, managed the distance with equal grace.

  “Showoffs,” he muttered, then chuckled to himself. A second later, he allowed his face to grow serious as he regarded both females. “All right, we’re going to visit Nicolo. I know that you both have a history with him. Like I told Karran a few weeks ago, we are going to make him pay for how he treated both of you. But not today. Today, I want you on your best behavior. You are coming to protect me, not to harm him. Understood?”

  Neither spoke. In fact, they did not even look at him, but rather at each other.

  Reaching out, Leo grasped Karran’s chin and turned her face toward him. “Understood?” he asked again.

  She nodded, and he turned his attention to Sann. Before he could touch her, however, the drakonid nodded slightly.

  “Underssstood,” she hissed, her voice almost a whisper. “He will sssuffer. But not today.”

  “That’s right,” Leo said. Squaring his shoulders, he adjusted his suit. “Stay close to me. There’s going to be a great many stares.”

  And with that, he led them down the narrow alley that separated his courtyard from the adjacent estate. They followed the path for the length of nearly a half dozen manors before he was confident Davin’s men would not spot him exiting onto the main thoroughfare.

  Despite his confident assurances, Leo was unprepared for just how dramatically the midday crowds reacted to his choice of escorts. While Karran was usually enough to ensure people gave him a wide berth, the addition of Sann added an almost frantic element to the reactions. The streets practically cleared in advance of him, mothers ushering children inside and watchmen even murmuring wide-eyed prayers as they clutched the hilts of their weapons. It was almost enough to make him regret his decision to bring Sann with him.

  Almost.

  Fortunately, they didn’t have to go far. He’d expected to find Nicolo speaking at the same spot as before, but he spotted the man and his crowd before he’d covered even half the distance to the park. And, when he realized just where he was, it was impossible to keep the grin off his face.

  Nicolo had decided against a stage, though Leo had no idea whether it was a deliberate choice or not. Instead, the slaver had built a makeshift platform out of two wooden crates with a few loose boards bridged atop them. He balanced astride them, gesturing angrily at the office behind him.

  Jaime Olden stood in the doorway of his office, his expression
s and gestures equally livid as he shouted at the squad of apologetic but firm watchmen beside him. Leo wanted nothing more than to approach but kept his distance. The scene made for a dramatic contrast, Nicolo denouncing the abuses of nobles and politicians in front of his enraged and shouting foe. The last thing Leo wanted was to interrupt and distract the crowd with his choice of companions.

  “You see?” Nicolo shouted. “You see how they scheme. I come before you with a message of peace and unity! And how does your would-be tyrant react? He calls for the cudgel to be used against you and me! Isn’t that just the way? Power is like wine, crushed from the grapes of your labor! It makes some men violent, some men greedy, and still others lustful for all manner of detached cruelties. Well, no more! I swear to you, goodfellows and gentle ladies, I thirst for justice—not the wine of Olden and his ilk!”

  “Liesss,” Sann hissed at Leo’s side. He glanced over and found her glaring at Nicolo with a fury every bit as potent as Karran’s.

  “Of course they are,” he assured her, resting a hand on the drakonid’s shoulder. “But they’re lies for my— our benefit.”

  He might have said more, but a sudden roar went up from the crowd. For a moment, Leo thought they were merely responding to some new provocation of Nicolo’s. But a heartbeat later, screams began to join the shouts and his gaze snapped forward once more.

  Evidently, Olden had succeeded in convincing the City Watch to disperse the rally. The outnumbered watchmen pushed forward, shoving the nearest members of the crowd and bellowing orders for people to return to their homes. More than a few looked prepared to obey, but an equal number roared curses back at the interruptions. As Leo watched, men began shoving back against the encroaching watchmen. And then, from somewhere in the back, a stone flew. It missed its target and clattered harmlessly off the wall of Olden’s office, but the damage was done. Out came the watchmen’s cudgels and in seconds, the entire scene devolved into an outright brawl.

  Panicked onlookers fled in every direction, scattered like ants from a damaged colony. In their fright, they did not even seem to notice Leo and his guards but scrambled past blindly. Pressing his back to a nearby building, Leo allowed them to pass unimpeded.