Chasing Down Glory: The Outrider Legion: Book Two

by Christopher Pepper

  “Who are Axil and Gallows?” she asked, her voice quiet.

  Kinnese started at the names. “Oh ah, old comrades. From my Legion days” he said. And suddenly, with a force that rocked him like a blow to the chest, a rush of emotion, a torrent of doubt and regret that Kinnese didn’t even realize had been holding back came flooding into him. He was unable to hold Naria’s gaze and looked at the ground. “They’re dead now,” he mumbled, and turned to his horse before any tears fell.

  Kinnese’s head and his heart ached like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He was fighting a losing battle against his sudden tears as he mounted his own horse, doing his best not to look Naria’s way. He could feel her eyes, weary though they were, on him. Something was definitely wrong with him now he thought, a sob catching in his chest as he thought of Axil, Gallows, Tunny and Keel for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

  His men. His comrades. His family.

  And he had let them die.

  Unable to meet Naria’s gaze, he spurred his horse onward. One crystal clear thought blossomed in his mind, like a lighthouse piercing a storm.

  He did not like the man he was turning into.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “So do I need to say,” Edda asked as she adjusted the thin white straps on her shoulders, “just how awful of an idea this is? Again?”

  “I’m pretty sure that you don’t,” Nerthus snapped. She was sitting on her bed, her deep crimson dress hiked up to her knees as she strapped on sturdy black shoes. “Do I need to tell you how bad of an idea it is for you to be wearing a dress that requires you to be in heels? Again?”

  Edda smiled to herself in the mirror. “I can move in these just fine, trouble or no.”

  The two of them were a study in contrasts. Edda’s white dress was, surprisingly, the simplest. A vest-like top with buttons lining from her waist to just under her breasts, and a flowing, delicate looking linen dress fell around her legs that ended just above her ankles. And though her shoulders and arms were exposed, Nerthus was impressed that Edda for once chose a dress that didn’t showcase her cleavage, even if it was almost bursting to contain it. A simple belt wound around her hip, with fashionable looking white satchels looped onto it. She finished her outfit with a small hat, a mimicry of the larger hats that some gentlemen in Tethis were prone to wearing. Nerthus suspected it concealed some sort of blade or other weapon. Or at least she hoped it did. She didn’t see Edda arm herself at all as she got dressed.

  Nerthus herself also wore a sleeveless dress, hers a deep crimson in color. It had a modest neckline (Nerthus didn’t feel the need to put herself on display, even in at a ball or party setting) with two vertical black stripes that ran down the dress to the hem, which stopped at just above the knees in the front, but down to her ankles in the back. She wore long lace gloves that ended at her elbows, concealing her mecharm in a very elegant, or so she thought, way.

  Almost everything about her line of work was a challenge she enjoyed. This challenge was simple, yet extremely engaging for her. Just how armed could she be in a party dress while not appearing to be armed at all? Like Edda she had a number of matching purses and satchels around her hips, each branded with a subtle Consortium logo. Some contained essentials, such as blush, thin diamond cutting wire, a small vial of perfume, and an even smaller vial of igniting agent. A few other tools of the trade were secreted about her body as well. A collapsible baton, needles for her mecharm, and a few other odds and ends. She grinned. Another challenge overcome.

  As she caught caught sight of herself in the mirror her grin grew wider. She loved her job. Six months ago she was disguised as a poor butcher running a ramshackle shop. Now she was dressed in finery, about to attend a party held by nobility. Who knew what her next assignment would make her, or where it would send her. She turned slightly in the mirror, approving of her reflection. Yeah, she’d be keeping the dress. Johan may have a dress uniform somewhere. Maybe sometime soon the two of them could pretend to be fancy one night in Tethis.

  A knock on the door snapped Nerthus out of her daydreaming. Another knock came, this time a series of four quick raps. Nerthus walked to the door and opened it. Clyde and Egveny were in the hall wearing their own sort of finery. Clyde was dressed like the footman of a noble, with a clean leather vest over a linen shirt, with long boots under his sturdy looking trousers. His sword was on his hip, but Nerthus knew he carried more than that. Egveny wore a silk waistcoat and breeches, a dark blue in color. A thin gold chain again draped from one button to a pocket over his left breast.

  “My, uh, you look nice,” Egveny stammered as walked in. Clyde merely grinned.

  “‘Nice’, huh?” Nerthus said dryly as she walked back to her bags and began applying makeup. “Gosh, you sure know how to compliment a lady. So did the carriage get here yet?”

  “It did, yes,” Egveny said. “Clyde gave the driver some coin and told him we’d be delivering ourselves.”

  “Good.”

  “And our friends from the local Unions are still downstairs. I’ve told them everything, and they have agreed to hole up here until we get back.”

  “Everything?” Nerthus asked, pausing at the mirror to look at him. “Really?”

  “Well, ah, not everything, no. They still believe we are with the Consortium. I don’t want to dissuade them from that idea until we are safely within Tethis.”

  “What about the fact that their friends and families may be turning into monsters as we speak?” Edda asked.

  “Ah, no. I apparently left that part out as well. However, I wasn’t gentle with them. I told them that, for all intents and purposes anyone who has gone missing is dead. There should be no hope of rescuing their loved ones, merely the hope that they can escape before the same happens to them.”

  Edda nodded approvingly as she readied herself. “That’s cold. Well done.”

  “The wagons are ready also. We loaded up Egveny’s boxes from the other two wagons into the one you’ll be using,” Clyde said. “Heavy sons of bitches those boxes. Ever gonna tell us what is in them?”

  “If I can avoid it, no,” the Weaver said, uncomfortable whenever someone talked about his cargo. “They are there if we need them, but let us pray to the gods we don’t.”

  “Delightfully cryptic,” Clyde muttered.

  Edda turned from her mirror and placed her small hat on her head. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m as beautiful as I plan on making myself for this suicide. Can we get this over with now?”

  “Oh, so you get to wear a hat, but I get threatened about wearing my own?” Egveny asked. “Something about this reeks of unfairness.”

  Edda flashed a gleeful smile as she took one of Egveny’s arms in her own. “That is exactly the way I like it. Come brother, let us go downstairs to mingle amongst the rabble.”

  As the two of them left, Clyde remained as Nerthus finished. She turned and saw the man shifting his weight uncomfortably.

  “What?” she asked.

  “This...this is a really bad idea.”

  “First Edda, now you?” Nerthus sighed.

  “Look, I’ll do my job. I honor my contracts. But I just want it known that I think this is an overly foolish risk. The four of us could storm one of the smaller warehouses, grab what we need, and get out of here before anyone in Bellkeep knows what hit them.”

  “Your concerns are noted,” Nerthus replied, a bit sharper than she intended. “Look Clyde, if we do what you and Edda want, we grab one of those crystals and a few victims, all we have is proof that something shady is going down. Maybe we can convince the Praetorians back home to send another team or two out here to observe.” She bent down and adjusted one of her knives tied to a thigh strap in a very unladylike fashion. “But if we can find proof that one of the most powerful men in Bellkeep, from his own home, is conspiring with the captain of the City Watch and a known black marketer to corrupt and...and mutilate his own people, we can get Bellkeep’s own military to join wi
th the full weight of the Weaver’s Circle and the Legions to fall on this place. Before it spreads to other cities. If it hasn’t already.”

  Clyde just nodded. “So you keep tell saying. Alright, well one way or another we’re getting out of here after this. I don’t, uh, you’re not going to make me carry your bag or anything are you? I’m just pretending to be a butler, right?”

  Nerthus laughed and walked out of the room with Clyde behind her.

  As Nerthus and Clyde walked down the stairs, Nerthus saw that the three remaining officers of Bellkeep’s Union had indeed gathered whoever they could find at the Steel Bells. The common room was packed, It looked like some of them even brought their families. The loud din of more than people talking nervously quieted noticeably as Nerthus and Clyde descended, and a small part of Nerthus, some buried part of her who always wanted to be a storybook princess, hoped it was due to how ravishing she looked. But no, she knew it was more the dread and turmoil that her, Edda, and Egveny now represented to these people.

  Nerthus joined Egveny and Edda, who were talking to Maria and Kylin. The two Union officers looked pale and tired. Clyde simply nodded in greeting and walked out of the inn to prepare the wagons.

  “Well here we all are,” Kylin said. “Everyone we could find in short notice, that is.”

  “Good,” Nerthus said. She surveyed the room again. “Do you have enough horses and wagons to get these people out of here when the time comes?”

  “Yes,” Maria said, and Nerthus noticed for the first time that the old woman was armed with a dagger at her hip. “We made sure we have enough supplies to get us to Tethis.”

  “Good,” Nerthus repeated. “Just sit tight until we get back from Titus’ manor. Then Egveny here will create a diversion for us so we can get you all out of here without interference from the City Watch.”

  “It will be my pleasure to get you all to safety,” Egveny said, bowing his head.

  “What if you don’t make it back?” Kylin asked.

  “If we don’t make it back here by midnight, assume we aren’t coming back,” Edda said. “Take your people and make a break for the closest city gate, and ride until you reach Tethis. Our man Clyde will escort you. But either way, Bellkeep isn’t safe anymore. For any of you.”

  “Don’t worry about us,” Kylin said. “We have wagons and horses enough. But we also came armed. And we have weapons other than spears and swords. We can defend this place if it comes to it.”

  Nerthus was about to reply when Clyde walked back in and gestured them to leave. They said their goodbyes to the Union members and joined Clyde at the wagon in front of the inn. Two small children sat atop the wagon, and Clyde flipped each of them a coin, which they caught and ran into the inn giggling. Clyde stood next to the wagon wagon, now free of its young masters. Nerthus climbed up, followed by Egveny, who took the reigns as Edda sat next to him.

  Nerthus fixed Clyde with a look. “If we aren’t back by midnight, get these people out of here.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Clyde responded.

  “If it looks like the inn is going to get attacked, a riot breaks out, or anything, don’t wait for us either,” Nerthus said. “First sign of serious trouble, make a break for it. We’ll find you, either on the road or back home.”

  Clyde simply nodded and walked back towards the inn.

  “If the city does start to burn,” Edda asked as Egveny spurred the horses on, “what is the escape plan?”

  “Grab whatever we can from Titus’ place and get the hells out of here,” Nerthus said.

  “Do we try and make it back to the inn and link up with Clyde?”

  “If we can. If not, I see two possible options. First is we fly like the wind towards the nearest gate and run.”

  “And two?” Egveny asked.

  “We go to Knight Captain Garrey and his knights. His garrison should have its own entryway in and out of the city. If we have no other choice, we tell him everything and use them as cover while we get out of here.”

  “Knights in heavy armor with weapons would make a sturdy line of defense,” Edda conceded.

  “So, explain to me why we haven’t simply gone to this Captain sooner,” Egveny said. “I too would have preferred some armored company lately.”

  Nerthus shrugged. “From what little I saw of him, he carried himself like Johan. Which means he’s loyal to his country. A patriot. There’s a good chance he wouldn’t take kindly to our foreign activities here. And as a professional rule, I try and avoid any and all contact with local authorities when on assignment. The last thing you want to get is bogged down in local politics if you can avoid it.”

  Edda sniffed. “A little late for that, I think.”

  Dusk began to settle over Bellkeep as the gilded wagon slowly rumbled down the crowded streets of Bellkeep’s market district. Nerthus adjusted the belt around her hips and gave herself a one over. She saw that Edda was preening and adjusting herself as she sat on the other side of Egveny. They may be riding headlong into the obvious jaws of a trap, Nerthus thought, but they were going to look damn good as they jumped into it.

  Egveny guided the wagon down the widening streets through the quiet market district, past the Keep of the Bells, and into the heavily guarded section of the city inhabited by the nobility. They were allowed to pass an armed checkpoint of City Watch only by showing their invitation to Titus’s party. As they rode down the clean cobblestone road, Nerthus heard Edda whistle quietly as they passed estate after estate, each boasting old money and current prosperity. Though they were still within Bellkeep’s great walls, each estate had a few acres of land around it, with small orchards and other lush gardens to create the illusion of privacy from prying eyes.

  Eventually they arrived at the secluded manor of Lord Felix Titus, Custodian of the Purse. For having such an important position, Titus’ manor was the most modest that they had seen. It was a large, yet simple three story structure, with sturdy brick walls painted a soft cream color, well-lit windows, and an inviting entrance at the top of a small staircase flanked by two thick columns. Nerthus could make out Captain Gustav standing at the entrance, his armor polished to the point where the gleam was visible from the road. Nerthus couldn’t see any other members of the Watch, but if Gustav was here, she suspected more of those silent monsters wouldn’t be far.

  “Do you think he’s one of the monsters?” Edda asked quietly. “Gustav I mean.”

  “He’s either one of them, or has some means of controlling them,” Egveny said. “Either way he is dangerous. If things somehow go bad, I’m...I’m going to try and take him out.”

  Nerthus looked at the Weaver in disbelief. Was this the same bashful Weaver that had joined them on their mission a few short weeks before? Egveny caught her gaze, and his cheeks reddened a bit.

  “What?” he asked. “Even if I haven’t been in a situation like this before, it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to handle myself. Or that I don’t know what needs to be done.”

  Nerthus held up a placating hand and smiled. “Sorry, it was just a little surprising coming from you, that’s all.”

  “Heh, yeah. This is a far cry from balancing material ledgers or inspecting cracks in planar gates. But enough of that now, let’s go meet our betters.”

  A line of wagons and carriages trailed along the road before them, and Egveny guided the horses to an open spot and the three of them hopped off the wagon. As they joined the line of other party goers awaiting admittance to Titus’s manor, they found themselves mixing with some of Bellkeep’s elite and visiting dignitaries. The local nobles, engaged in conversation with each other, gave them the barest of nods in greeting before returning to their own discussion as they walked. To be fair, Nerthus and Edda weren’t interested in talking to them either, and had done their best to give an air of disinterest as they walked towards Titus’ manor.

  It was the people who weren’t from Bellkeep that sparked their curiosity. Edda pointed at a couple talking with Captain Gustav at t
he entrance. As they produced their invitation, Nerthus saw that while they looked human enough, their skin was tinged a light green. The man handing the invitation over was dressed in a bright blue sleeveless vest with matching blue breeches, his exposed chest and arms rippling with muscle. He had long black hair tied in a single braid that hung down to the small of his back. The woman was wearing a similar bright blue vest and breeches combination, with a black bustier visible under her vest. Her breeches were worn so tightly that Nerthus could make out the definition of her impressive leg muscles from the path. Even Edda in her most tawdry of moods wouldn’t dress so provocatively. The woman wore her black hair in a pair of braids that matched her escort’s in length.

  “Forn,” Egveny said, following Nerthus’ gaze. “It’s a sort of guild. From far to the south.”

  “They dress like fancy stable-hands,” Edda said.

  Egveny shrugged as they walked. “It’s, uh, a little warmer down there. I doubt they are used to having to button up as much as we do.”

  “What is with the green skin?” Edda asked.

  “It’s part of their job. They are alchemists. The green tint of their skin comes from some of the solutions they ingest early in their careers. Gives them a higher tolerance to alchemical solutions they may need to test. It also looks...rather ravishing I think.”

  Behind the Forn a pair of men in violet and blue robes walked up the steps. One of them, looking around at the manor grounds, caught sight of Egveny and whispered to the man next to him, who turned and looked for a moment before being admitted into the mansion. Both glared at the three of them before Gustav ushered them in.

  “Well this is getting interesting,” Egveny said.

  “What is?” Nerthus asked.

  “Those two were Fabricators. One of the Consortium’s more...aggressive rivals.”

  “From the looks they gave us, I doubt they knew we were invited,” Edda said.

  “Were they mages?” Nerthus asked.

  “No,” Egveny said. “Those two were probably from their financial sector.” Egveny’s eyes narrowed. “Or possibly their research division.” The Weaver looked around at the people mingling around the estate. “So we have Forn, Fabricators, who else… I see a Breaker from Skyton, a group of lawyers from Tirin. And, hells, even Melcara has a small delegation of craftsmen here.”