“You haven’t met her yet?”
“No. Someone higher up than I arranged the contract. I’m just here to collect her.” Kinnese took another drink of the malty beer. He’d have to bring some with him when they left, he thought distractedly. It was delicious, and it really helped to ease his mind with every sip.
“Ahhh,” Naria said, her face a mask, “your illusive master. Will we get to meet him, or her soon?”
“Her?” Kinnese paused for a moment, puzzled. Naria seemed to have a knack for unbalancing him. “Anyways, I believe the plan is he will be waiting for us back at the quarters we are building in Nilbin once I’ve gathered the rest of our little team. Feel free to pepper him with questions at your leisure.”
The witch rested her chin on one hand as she looked at the food in front of him. “Just who else are we to ‘gather’? Not to sound impatient or rude, but you promised me facilities and materials for my work. But so far all I’m getting is saddle sore in the wrong places.”
Kinnese wiped his face with a cloth napkin. “Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. But the way things work out is that everyone we need we can pick up on the way. No detours. We should be at the new place within a week. I promise you.”
Naria’s eyes locked on to his. “Will there be any more surprises in our merry little band like Undis?”
“That...is a good question. And it sort of depends on you. Upstairs waiting for us is Pela. She is part of our...security detail for the new base. She’s from the Order of the Crimson Fang.” Naria’s face contorted and she was about to speak when Kinnese cut her off. “We are only contracting them because they are efficient, they keep their mouths shut about their clients, and they always honor a contract. She isn’t one of their assassins, just so you know. More like a consultant.”
“Who else?” Naria asked, closing her eyes as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
“Well, later tonight we will be meeting with representatives of a...prospective business partner. Tomorrow we will meet in person and discuss terms of our partnership.”
“And this new partner will be?”
Kinnese gulped. Here we go, he thought. “The, ah, Underking.” Kinnese braced himself for another outburst, choosing to eat a piece of cold chicken while awaiting the blast of indignation. When it didn’t happen, he looked at Naria. She had simply shrugged her shoulders. “That doesn’t bother you?” Kinnese asked warily.
“Actually no,” she said. “I’ve used his dry goods suppliers in the past myself. He’s no less corrupt than any other politician. His services are also quite a bit more reliable.”
“Ah ha,” Kinnese said slowly. “Well then, if you must know, tonight I’ll meet with his agents to secure passage to actually meet him.”
“He isn’t coming himself?” Naria asked.
“Oh, Planes no,” Kinnese said, sipping his beer. “We will have to go to him. Tomorrow morning, I believe. We'll spend the day negotiating with him for a variety of his services, and then after that we hop across the border to Bellkeep to pick up a Mechgineer and a blacksmith. Then we are done with our recruitment frenzy and we head to Nilbin. That's when the fun starts.”
“Why a Mechgineer from Bellkeep?” Naria asked. “I've heard they are second-rate amateurs.”
“Why did you wait until now of all times to ask me all these gods damned questions?!” Kinnese demanded, dropping his utensils to the table. “Planes, woman, I haven’t had a good bite of food or a decent cup of...of anything in two days. Can’t you let me at least finish eating before you interrogate me? Even the Judicators didn’t interrupt a meal.”
Naria chuckled and gestured with her hand for him to continue. He glared at her and picked up his fork and knife. He began to cut his meat, but the sudden silence seemed worse than the constant questioning. He sighed and dropped his utensils again.
“My boss wanted someone from Tethis, precisely for the reason you stated,” he said, his voice defeated. “When it comes to artifice or alchemy or engineering or basically anything else they are far ahead of the curve there. But I suggested Bellkeep. While as a whole, yes, their Mechgineers may not be as advanced or sophisticated as those in the Dominion, a few of them are pretty damned good in the fields we need. However one in particular is a little more advanced than his peers in Tethis in a few fields, and he seemed quite enthusiastic about joining up.”
“What fields specifically?”
“Power generation and storage, mostly,” Kinnese said. “Leyline taps, more efficient crystal housings, that type of thing. Plus he's supposedly a fantastic gardener.”
“That is quite the find,” Naria said, her voice soft.
Kinnese began eating again, and this time Naria didn’t bother him. She just watched him eat, occasionally glancing around to observe the other patrons in the crowded dining hall. He finally finished and rose from the table, but not before filling his cup with the last of the ale. He gestured with his hand for Naria to join him. He was about to head towards the innkeeper when he stopped at glanced at Undis, who was still talking to the people around him, occasionally sipping his tea.
“Should we bring him with us? I don’t like the idea of leaving him unattended around all these people.”
“He won’t be,” Naria said, ice in her voice. “My girls are keeping an eye on him. They can make things unpleasant for him if he misbehaves.”
Kinnese raised an eyebrow at her, she gave him a cheerful smile, and they walked through the crowded tables and got their room keys from the innkeeper. Kinnese’s room was on the third floor, next to Undis’s, while Naria’s suite, as Kinnese had said, was on the second floor, as far from Undis as possible. The two of them walked up the well-made but worn staircase up to Kinnese’s room. After taking a second to unlock his door, Kinnese strode in first, with Naria behind him.
The room was simple, but in a stylistic, preplanned way that Kinnese found appealed to him. There was only the main room, with a small washing basin in the corner. An empty wardrobe was provided against the far wall, next to the large bed. An ornate wooden table with four chairs that dominated the center of the room. And seated at one of those chairs was a woman. She was wearing tight leather pants and a plain brown tunic under faded and battered boiled leather. Long gray hair, kept in a single braid, was draped over her shoulder, and Kinnese could see streaks of black running through it. Her face was fiercely attractive, with deep gray eyes, a small, pointed nose, and full lips that seemed to be in a permanent frown. She looked at Kinnese and Naria impassively as they entered.
“Ah,” Kinnese said, his voice friendly. “You must be Pela.”
“Yes,” Pela said, “I am. You must be Jurgund Kinnese.”
“Please, just Kinnese will do,” he said. He pulled a chair out from under the table for Naria, and once she was seated, he took a chair for himself, setting his cup of ale down on the table. “This is Mistress Naria, an associate of mine.” The two women nodded to each other, but remained quiet.
“So, Pela, tell me, what have you been told about your term of employment with us?”
She turned to regard him with that impassive stare. “Only that I am to follow your orders. However, you must be told that in accordance with our contract and my status that I am forbidden from donning my cowl or acting in a manner outside of my rank within the Order.” Her voice had an odd halting quality to it, as if it took her slightly longer to form her words, but she was easily understandable.
“I’m not sure I follow,” Kinnese said.
Pela frowned even more. “I am only allowed to be what you see before you, yes? I cannot wear my cowl, nor can I summon what remains of my stable should you demand it of me. I am not even provided a mount, such is my rank. I had to run here from the Nest.”
“I see,” Kinnese said slowly, without actually seeing. “You will have to forgive me, but I am unfamiliar with the Order of the Crimson Fang’s inner workings. Could you be more specific please?”
“I was of higher rank. Now I am not. It is
simple, yes?”
“What happened to cause you to lose rank?” Naria asked. Pela turned to look at her, however she remained silent.
“Please answer her,” Kinnese said gently.
“I failed in an assignment. A client was killed under my contract. Demotion was inevitable.”
“And your client was?” Kinnese said, growing impatient. “I need to know, you understand. I doubt if it was due to your negligence that you’d still be alive. So tell me how it happened. If I cannot rely on you to be both honest with me and efficient in performance of your duties, then I really cannot use you.”
Pela was silent for a moment, her frown deepening.
“My client was the envoy of the Melcaran Regent,” she said, and Kinnese felt his a knot of ice form in his stomach. “I was to aid in the recovery of a stolen object, and eliminate the thieves. However, Dominion soldiers intervened and prevented us from succeeding. One of them...defeated me while another ripped my client to shreds and threw him into a burning building. The fault was judged to be partially mine by the elders, and I was demoted, stripped of authority and rights until I redeem myself."
Naria looked at Kinnese. “Hey, wasn’t that-” she began.
“Well then,” Kinnese interrupted, “clearly you have something to prove. And I feel like we will be a step in the right direction for you. Now, as to the particular nature of your employment with us. Your primary task at the moment will be as an escort and protector for Mistress Naria here. Her safety is paramount. If, for some reason, I become incapacitated or otherwise am not available, you will obey her and only her. You are to follow her orders as if they came from me, so long as they do not put you within conflict with myself or your own Order, am I understood? Once we arrive at our destination, the scope of your duties will...broaden somewhat, but Naria’s safety, and her privacy, are your utmost concern until I tell you otherwise.”
Pela nodded. “I will fulfill my contract to the best of my abilities.” As she nodded, her long silver braid shifted slightly, and Kinnese caught a glimpse of a small tattoo behind her ear. But before he could properly identify it, she shifted her hair, concealing it again. “Am I to begin now?”
“Yes,” Kinnese said. “And thank you, for your service.”
Pela’s frown lessened somewhat. “Service is its own thanks.”
Kinnese felt Naria’s hand on his shoulder. “May I speak with you, please?” she asked sweetly. Kinnese felt his back tense as if he sensed danger. And he probably did. Sweet voices from women were never be a good sign, Kinnese thought. “Pela, please wait outside for me,” she said. The silver-haired bodyguard rose to her feet and walked out of the room, her long legs affording her an almost hypnotic grace as she moved. As soon as the door closed behind her, Naria rounded on him.
“What is this shit?” she hissed. “You hired an assassin to spy on me? Gods damn you.”
“Whoa, listen!” Kinnese said, his hands raised as if to ward off her ire. “She is here to protect you. At least until we get to the new quarters. You heard me order her to also protect your privacy, right?”
“No offense to the cute little snake, but I can take care of myself. I am hardly alone.” she harrumphed.
“I know you're not, but I refuse to take chances. You’re my investment, remember. And there’s a good chance once we get to the new quarters in Nilbin I’ll be off on more errands. This way, I have someone I can trust keeping an eye out for you. There will be workers and other...uh, operatives coming and going at the new base that I don’t know much about, so color me a little paranoid. At the very least, bear in mind that you will be sharing the same facilities as Undis. And he won’t always be so impotent. There will be times when he will need him to be at his full strength. She is a deterrent for him trying to take any sort of grudge with you to the next level. She’ll watch your back while you and your girls do...whatever it is you do. Make rainbows appear for children, or create unicorns or what have you. Okay?”
“I don’t like it,” she said, but the heat was out of her voice.
“You don’t have to. I’m expendable, you are not. And she's my insurance policy in case something happens to me. Besides, I think once we get to Nilbin you’ll have so much fun you won’t even remember to be mad. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to wash up before I head back downstairs. I may not need to look good around you rabble, but the Underking’s men are a different matter.”
Naria stood up and walked towards the door. As she opened it, Kinnese caught sight of Pela leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway. The last he saw was her falling into step behind Naria as she walked out of view. Now that Naria had constant, reliable protection, Kinnese felt some of his own tension drain out of his shoulders. He felt himself relax slightly, and he reached for the cup on the table. He drank the rich beer in one long, slow pull like he was back in the Legions. When he finished he set the cup down with relish, feeling the sharp pains in his mind fade blissfully away. He rose and walked over to the basin and began to scrub his hands and face with the soap and water provided. The clap of cold water on his face was refreshing, and seemed to jolt him a little more awake.
As Kinnese washed himself, he wondered just when exactly it was that he began thinking of himself as “expendable”. Worse still, he didn’t know why he felt so comfortable with that. His sense of self-preservation seemed as alive as ever within him. Yet there was a small, unfamiliar voice in his mind telling him everything would be just fine without him, and he shouldn’t worry so if something were to happen to him. He looked into the basin and saw the dirt and grime that had rinsed off of his face swirl and mix with the soapy clean water. It was hypnotic in a way.
“You really need to relax,” the quiet voice seemed to whisper, easing his tension as he looked into the water. “You are over-thinking things way too much. Just obey your orders like the good soldier that you are. Duty first, life second. That's your lot, remember?”
Despite its soothing tone, that voice chilled the rest of his mind.
Drying his face with a small rag, Kinnese looked at himself in the tiny mirror above the basin. He knew that his memory of late had had a few...holes in it. This worried him, but it didn’t surprise him. He had been in a lot of scrapes over the years, and his head had taken its fair share of abuse. But part of him swore that the memory loss wasn’t right. And now that same part of him was afraid that even his emotions were turning against him somehow. When people went senile, he wondered, did it happen all at once? Or was it a gradual process, like sinking into deep mud? He slapped his cool cheeks a few times to wake himself up.
“Keep it together,” he muttered, his voice weak and unsure
He stood up straight, drew in a deep breath, and focused the Power in his hands. He felt the energy, like soothing heat from a campfire, coursing through his veins. He let the Power drift through his body. First, traveling up his arms, then into his chest, and into the rest of his being. The heat calmed his warring mind in a similar way the beer had, and just like that he was his usual strong, confident self. Jurgund Kinnese had no time for this kind of introspection, he thought. He jingled some coins in his pocket. But hopefully Jurgund Kinnese had the time to buy another mug of that ale before his final meeting of the night. He grinned at himself in the mirror and walked downstairs, his worries and self-doubts draining out of him like so much water draining out of a basin.
Chapter Eleven
As dusk gave way to true night, the Outriders from Rickets assembled near the number twelve house Kian was dwelling in. When they met up with Alek and Vegard, they had interrupted another round of Vegard's tests on Alek. This time it involved Vegard taking a rock and bashing Alek with it in various places. After hitting Alek in the head or knee, Vegard would examine the area he hit, holding up a small alchemical lightstone to see in the dark. Then he would mumble to himself as he wrote down more notes, his massive hands and large furrowed brow a comical juxtaposition to his exquisite penmanship. They stopped everything as the
others approached though, Vegard extinguishing his lightstone.
“Report,” Johan whispered once they were in earshot.
“Nothing sir,” Vegard. “No one has gone in or out of the house. Some lights were put on a little while ago though, and one has traveled between floors a few times. But only one. I think Ryker was right, and there's only this Kian guy in there.”
Johan nodded. He turned to the others and, while he couldn't make out much of their faces in the dark, he could tell each of them apart by their silhouettes.
“Garm, you and Alek breach the door. Toma, you and Ryker hang back here. Once the commotion starts, Kian might get past us, or others may show up. Make sure no one interferes. Vegard and I will follow the breaching team. Remember,” he said, giving Garm's silhouette his full glare, “we are taking Kian alive. We are doing this for information, not to inflate our body count. Am I understood?” The five men around him nodded. “Good. Garm? Alek? We're on your clock, so whenever you're ready.”
The two of them walked a few paces away from the group, their heads close together as they conversed quietly. Alek turned his head back to the group.
“Fifteen count, then follow,” he whispered.
The two of them didn't wait for a response before sprinting towards the house. Johan watched as he began a mental countdown in his head.
Fifteen.
The house was a black form framed against the dark blue night sky, with a dim light coming from the first floor and a stronger light from the second. In the dark, Johan could just make out the pair of Outriders as they bolted up the stairs.
Twelve.
One of them, Alek no doubt, simply ran through the door with a crash. A rectangle of soft yellow light spilled out of the otherwise dark house where the door had been as Garm followed Alek through. Johan, with Vegard right behind him, began creeping forward.
Nine.
Chasing Down Glory: The Outrider Legion: Book Two Page 19