Chapter 16
Tina was shaking her awake. “Huh? What?” Ebudae responded grumpily.
“G, g, g, g, g . . .”
“Grandmother wants me?” Ebudae asked, throwing off the covers. Tina nodded and ran to get a dress. Ebudae got out of bed, ignoring the gnawing in her stomach. “Something’s wrong?”
Tina rushed back, nodding again while helping her change into a frilly, cream-colored dress, the sort her grandmother would approve of. She glared at her servant for choosing it, but didn’t argue. Tina slapped a slab of cheese in Ebudae’s hand to eat while she laced up the back.
As they headed out the door, Tina poured a full goblet of chilled white wine. Something must be very wrong if Tina was allowing her wine while Ebudae was weakened and weary. They rushed down the stairs and Tina took the empty goblet after Ebudae gulped the rest down before entering the main sitting room where important guests were received.
Lady Pallon sat in a richly embroidered, green chair positioned at the end of a low table for setting drinks on. She sipped from a crystal glass of red wine in her hand. Two comfortable couches were on either side of the table. An officer of the Dralin City guard sat there next to a sergeant. Two Guardswomen stood behind the couch.
“Ahh, here is my granddaughter now.” Lady Pallon was not pleased and the tone of her voice made it clear.
The officer was a short, red-headed woman with grey eyes. The sergeant was a gruff man with long brown hair and a full beard. They both stood and gave Ebudae short bows. “Lady Ebudae, I am Captain Fallamer of the Dralin City Guard. We have some questions for you.”
“I love talking to the Guard,” Lady Pallon said with an arched eyebrow. “They waste no words, always getting straight to the point.” Ebudae didn’t respond to either of them, choosing to sit down on the couch opposite the guards.
Captain Fallamer chuckled and sat back down, as did the sergeant. “That is the truth, Milady. There’s too much crime in Dralin to waste time on pleasantries.”
Tina brought Ebudae another glass of wine she had poured from a small bar along the back wall. Mary frowned from where she stood a distance behind Lady Pallon.
“I wouldn’t mind extending the conversation if it meant staying in this nice, cool room,” the sergeant said. He looked innocently at a tapestry when his captain shot him a glare.
“Be that as it may, perhaps it is time to ask my granddaughter your questions,” Lady Pallon suggested with a motion of her hand to indicate they should speak.
“Of course.” Captain Fallamer bowed her head slightly then turned to Ebudae. “Milady, might I ask your whereabouts last night?”
“You may.”
The captain’s mouth twitched in amusement at the non-answer. “Where were you last night?”
“I was sleeping in my room until midnight or so. Then I went to Carnival for a short while. Then I came home.” Ebudae wondered if it was about the death of Lizor, the disappearance of the troupe, the break-in to the warehouse or something to do with the Guardsmen she had met last night.
“Did you travel through the Mosh District?”
“Yes.” Ebudae let out a slow breath at remembering what had happened with Juggles. The blood in her veins felt light, an odd sensation, and she knew she must be pale.
“Did anything happen?”
Ebudae glanced at her grandmother. The old woman was staring at her in stony silence, obviously having condemned her granddaughter for whatever the Guards were accusing her of.
“An owl hooted, I believe.” The sergeant snorted in a futile attempt to keep from laughing. Ebudae took a sip of her wine then held it in both hands in her lap. “Perhaps if you tell me what you’re digging for I could give you a specific answer.”
The Captain became serious. “Very well. Did you kill anyone last night?”
The question sent chills up her spine. She had left Juggles vulnerable on the ground. “I did not.” It didn’t seem enough. “I swear to you that I did not.”
The captain frowned. “Then tell me what did happen. You’re hiding something.”
Ebudae took a deep breath and then the last sip of wine in her glass. Tina came to take the glass to refill it, but Lady Pallon said, “She doesn’t need anything else to drink.” Ebudae chose not to look at her anymore.
“After leaving Carnival, I met Juggles, a friend who . . . juggles at Carnival.” She paused to see their reactions.
The captain kept a straight face, but the Guardswomen behind her exchanged glances. “Go on,” Captain Fallamer said. “What happened then?”
“He took me to a small courtyard with nightflowers and tried to . . .” Ebudae let out another slow breath. “I fought him off and kicked him in the crotch, hard. Then I left him there on the ground and ran home.” She turned to her servant. “Tina, please get me one more glass of wine.”
“Do not obey that command,” Lady Pallon ordered.
Ebudae stood and went to the liquor cabinet to pour her own glass of wine. On her way back to the couch, she didn’t do anything to acknowledge her grandmother’s hateful look. After sitting, she told the Captain, “Once I came home, Tina had food waiting in my suite. She drew me a bath and then I went to sleep.” Sleep would be nice right then. Ebudae was still hungry and tired from using so much magic and rubbed her hand over tired eyes.
“And how did you kill the man you call Juggles?” the sergeant asked.
Ebudae’s head jerked up. Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes. “Killed?” Weariness and confusion washed over her. Tina deftly took the wine glass because it was beginning to tilt in Ebudae’s slack hand.
“You were seen leaving with Juggles in the Mosh District late last night,” Captain Fallamer stated. “A lady friend of his found him dead this morning. Did you kill him?”
Ebudae moved her head side to side in stunned disbelief. “No. I promise, no.”
“Very well, you proclaim your innocence. However, you were the last one to see him.” Captain Fallamer leaned forward with elbows on knees. “You said you left him in a courtyard alone. Did you see anyone else in the courtyard? Did anyone follow you?”
“I . . .” Ebudae tried to clear her thoughts. The shock that Juggles had died was overwhelming. But they were accusing her and if she wasn’t careful, she could go to jail. Nobody wanted to visit Dralin’s jails. “I felt like I was being watched all night, but didn’t see anyone.” She frowned. “How did he . . . die? Did they attack him in the courtyard?” Everyone stared at her in silence. Ebudae wanted to hide under her covers. “I swear I didn’t kill him,” she finally whispered.
The captain sat back in the couch. “Were you attacked in an alley off of Portman Street?”
“Huh?” The question caught Ebudae by surprise. “No. I was on Portman Street, but I wasn’t attacked.”
“Did you murder anyone there?” the sergeant asked, leaning forward and smacking a hand on the table.
The action made Ebudae jump. “No! I didn’t murder anyone! I promise I didn’t murder anyone.” She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing in and out.
“We should take her in, Captain,” the sergeant said, his jaw jutting forward in accusation.
“Really, Sergeant?” Captain Fallamer asked with raised eyebrow. “You want to take a noblewoman to jail with absolutely no evidence?”
“Umm . . .” The sergeant didn’t have anything more intelligent to say.
“My Lady,” Captain Fallamer said to Ebudae. “I don’t know very much about you, but you don’t strike me as the sort of person capable of killing five men, especially not the way they died.”
“Five? . . .” Ebudae’s mouth was dry and her stomach grumbled at being ignored. “Five men? What happened?”
It was the captain’s turn to lean forward again. “Four unsavory characters died in an alley off Portman Street. Each of them had a hole all the way through their chest that pierced their hearts. It was precise and each of them died without struggle. We had to fight off the rats that were ni
bbling on the bodies.”
Instead of being grossed out by the description, the word ‘nibble’ made her stomach growl more. The two Guardswomen behind the couch shared looks of amusement. Ebudae rubbed her face and focused on the words.
“Your friend Juggles was found in his apartment with the same wound as the men in the alley.” Captain Fallamer stood. “If you think of anything else, please send someone to contact me and I’ll come back. Will you do that for me?”
“Yes, Captain,” Ebudae said.
“Good day, Milady,” the captain said to Lady Pallon with a slight bow. She gestured for her troops to follow, which they did with puzzled expressions. Ebudae mirrored that puzzlement. They could have asked more questions.
“Did you kill them?” By the smug expression on Lady Pallon’s face, it was obvious she believed Ebudae had.
“No. I didn’t,” Ebudae replied absentmindedly. She was trying to think of who would have committed the murders. Blavoci’s men might have killed Juggles, but that didn’t explain the four men in the alley.
“Oh? You admitted killing that wizard. Why shouldn’t I believe you didn’t kill these men, you little monster?”
Ebudae was too tired to get into another contest of wills with her. “Because I admitted to that and I’m telling you I didn’t do this.” She sighed and stood up. “Believe whatever you want to, grandmother. I’m going to get some food then go back to sleep.” Her stomach growled in agreement.
The smug expression disappeared from Lady Pallon, replaced by one of surprise and confusion. She didn’t say anything as her granddaughter left the room.
***
Ebudae was being shaken awake again. “What? I’m tired!”
“G, g, g, g . . .”
“Grandmother wants me again?” Ebudae threw off the blankets and got out of bed. Tina helped her change back into the dress from earlier. It had a stain from the large meal she had eaten that morning before climbing back in bed, but Ebudae didn’t care.
Once again, Tina had food for her to nibble on and even another glass of wine. As they headed down the stairs, Ebudae wondered if Captain Fallamer had come back with more information. Just before the door of the sitting room, Tina took the empty glass, Ebudae brushed down the front of her dress and they both did the best they could to fix her hair.
She came to an abrupt halt at seeing the black-striped yellow tunic of one of Master Blavoci’s men standing behind a very well-dressed man sitting in the same couch Captain Fallamer had sat on earlier. “Ahh, there she is. Come in and talk to us, young lady,” the man said with a false grin.
Lady Pallon was sitting in the same chair as before, but instead of looking smug, there was concern on her face. Ebudae went to the same couch she had used before and sat down yet again. When Tina brought her another glass of wine, she waved it off. These men were dangerous.
“I hear that you’ve been breaking into warehouses and stealing valuable property, young woman,” the man said in a slick voice. Touches of grey speckled his perfect hair and beard. He wore a frilled white shirt decorated with green embroidery. His pants were dark green with gold threads and his boots were clean black leather. A dueling sword lay across his lap and he sat with the confident air of a man who knew how to use it.
“Did you kill Juggles?” Ebudae asked suddenly, ignoring the accusations. “He was found dead last night. Did you or your men kill him?”
The man scowled at being questioned and didn’t answer right away. “No. Neither my men nor I killed him. I wasn’t aware he was dead.” The knowledge seemed to disturb him. Ebudae glanced at the bodyguard standing behind the couch much the same way as the Guardswomen had done for Captain Fallamer earlier.
His face showed no expression as though it was made out of stone. Brown hair was cut tight to the skull and he had a long scar that traveled from the side of his right eye to behind that ear. His tunic fit tightly over a chain shirt and he rested a hand on a wicked longsword at his waist.
“I don’t know what happened to your friend. What I do know is that you and that little mascot girl the Guard keeps broke into a warehouse the other night and stole property that belongs to Master Blavoci,” the oily-voiced man accused.
Ebudae studied the man’s face. There was no hint of a bluff to get her to admit to it. He was confident, meaning someone had told him who they were, probably Juggles. “I stole no property.”
“Perhaps you don’t understand, little girl,” he said in condescending tones. “Everything in that warehouse belongs to Master Blavoci. When you and your little friend went in there with your buddies from Carnival, you made a powerful enemy.”
Ebudae formed the spell in her mind, one that wouldn’t require ingredients since she didn’t have her pouches. She wasn’t quite ready to do battle, but nobody was allowed to come into her home and threaten her.
The man stood and pointed a threatening finger. “You stole those people and you’ll pay for your theft, as will your little friend. Not even the vaunted Dralin City Guard will protect her.”
A supernatural breeze blew past Ebudae’s face.
“Spell!” the bodyguard yelled, reaching for his sword.
It was too late. Lightning flew from Ebudae’s hand as she uttered words of power and performed a sequence of gestures. The wind came back and blew her messy hair around her face.
The crack and sizzle of the lightning deafened everyone in the room. Lady Pallon, Mary and Tina all covered their ears. Ebudae didn’t notice as she watched the slick man blasted into the air, knocking over the couch as he flew backwards. The bolts of electricity jumped across the couch and danced to the bodyguard as well.
It wasn’t enough to kill anyone, Ebudae wasn’t willing to do that in her grandmother’s house, but the slick man crashed into a table with pretty decorations on it, knocking them over. He writhed on the ground, moaning.
The bodyguard yelled in pain as the electricity danced over him and burned the steel-wrapped hilt of his sword. His battle-hardened training became evident as he shook off the effects and drew the blade.
Ebudae’s knife was already in her hand and she threw it with all her strength, just as Pelya had shown her. It landed in the soft flesh above the man’s knee and below the chain shirt. He fell to the ground, clutching at it with one hand. The other hand retained its grip on the sword.
“If you make a move, I’ll kill you,” Ebudae warned the man in a hissing voice from her clenched teeth. Her hand shaped in a claw as she pointed at him. He didn’t move, glaring back at her while every muscle in his body was tensed from pain and fury.
Lady Pallon pushed against the back of her chair, fear in her eyes as she watched her granddaughter in horror.
Ebudae made her way to the slick man, who was curled in a fetal position. He twitched and shivered with sweat covering his face. His eyes were bloodshot and he had soiled himself. She bent over him so their faces were close. “You will not harm Pelya in any way. If you do, I will make it a personal mission to hunt you down along with everyone associated with Master Blavoci. Then I will make them scream as they die.”
She meant every word that hissed out of her mouth. Nobody was allowed to hurt Pelya, ever. She needed to make certain he understood. “I have certain measures in place in the event that I should die. My undead body will rise from ashes and form into a creature worse than any nightmare and your screams will be even louder as I drag you into levels of hell not mentioned in any book.” She took his head into her claw-shaped hand and added a supernatural effect to her voice that made it swirl throughout the room in layers. “Do you understand?” It echoed off the walls with unintelligible whispers from lost souls mixed in.
“Unnghh, nnnn, nnnn,” was all the man could get out from his locked jaw as he attempted to nod. Ebudae was fairly certain he was nodding, but it was hard to tell with all the twitching.
With a slow turn, she stalked the bodyguard, who tried to slink away on his back. Ebudae approached him cautiously, knowing he was dangerous
in any state. He lifted his sword just as she came near, but it was a fearful gesture. She moved around him and stepped on his sword arm, pinning it to the ground. With her other foot, she stepped on the leg with the dagger in it then reached down and yanked the sharp blade out. He screamed in pain and grabbed for the wound. Ebudae had to jump off at the motion or risk falling over.
“Get out and don’t ever come back,” Ebudae snarled. She held the knife in front of the bodyguard’s face. “Take your worthless meatbucket of a boss and drag him back to the sewer he was born in.”
Ebudae backed off and watched as the bodyguard struggled to his feet. He picked up his sword and sheathed it while still bent over, holding the wound.
Mary, ever sensible in every situation, rushed over with a long scarf and tied it around the man’s leg. Everyone stared at her, including the bodyguard she had just helped. Without a hint of embarrassment, she walked back to Lady Pallon’s chair and stood next to it defiantly.
It was a struggle, but both men got to their feet and limped out of the room. Strangled noises and grunts slipped past their lips the entire time as they hunched out into the hall. Ebudae followed them to the door and out to the gate, making sure they left. Each time the men looked back, they moved faster until they were half limping, half running out of the gate the squirrel opened for them. Another armed man came to help them to the gold trimmed black carriage.
Ebudae spun on her heel and marched back. Tina waited at the door, holding it open. Inside the sitting room, Mary was giving Lady Pallon a glass of wine. She also kept one for herself and took a large gulp of it when Ebudae walked in.
Ebudae put her hands on hips and stared at them. “I’m going to eat something and then I’m going to sleep. I need a few days of rest at this point. Magic takes a lot out of me.” She stepped forward threateningly. “If anyone else but Pelya comes by, tell them I’ll kill them later.”
As she turned around and made her way to the kitchen with Tina scurrying behind, Ebudae realized that her words were overly dramatic and even a little silly. She was tired though and wanted the peace she felt she deserved.
Ebudae Page 18