Andoran's Legacy

by M. Gregg Roe

  “I’ll bring it up at the council meeting tomorrow. How are we for cell space?”

  The ugly elf huffed in exasperation. “Full to bursting. They’re turning on each other. We should just deport all but the worst of them.”

  That would mean releasing known criminals, but it might be required. “I’ll need numbers on that. And a plan. Get it to me by mid-morning tomorrow.”

  “Yes, Captain!” she promptly returned, but she remained slouching and didn’t salute. That was typical.

  “I had a letter from Milric,” he said, noticing two more people returning to the ship carry large bags. “They haven’t had any trouble there.”

  “Why would they?” scoffed Eomera, then paused to pick her nose.

  People from Rohoville had been involved in the attack on the Zardis Thieves’ Guild, but not many. It was Celebern who had orchestrated the plan, with High Witch Ermizad’s blessing. That was why the Novox building and the Witch’s Castle had both increased their security. Hagen’s guards had also increased their patrols, especially at night.

  Eomera cackled again. “Did you hear that about the three that tried to make their way around the outside of the wall to the east gate? They almost made it.”

  The other two gates were reachable that way, but they were also heavily guarded. “Alligators?” he hazarded.

  She grinned. “Nope, it was Aliva. They were murderers, so she dealt with them.”

  Hagen really wasn’t happy that Ermizad had given their resident half-succubus vigilante permission to do that kind of thing. Aliva was secretly on the Guard’s payroll, but still operated independent far too often. And now he couldn’t stop wondering just how Aliva had dealt with them. She might have simply killed them and tossed the bodies into the Witchmarsh, but somehow he doubted it. To her, they would have been prey ripe for the taking. And outside the wall between the gates was remarkably private, with only the alligators and other denizens of the marsh to see.

  After watching for a few more minutes, he left Eomera to it and headed back to his office and its never-ending paperwork.

  Staring out at the Witch’s City just after midnight, Hankin felt deeply dissatisfied. He was standing atop the city wall at the southernmost point. Although he had used magic to fly up, he hadn’t bothered to make himself invisible. In the dark, it was unlikely that anyone would notice his black-clad form.

  Gabriel had always complained about being unlucky, but lately Hankin felt as if he had been cursed. Nothing was going right. No one was happy. It felt like his life was out of control.

  The information he had gathered about the witch in Havenbrook had been summarily dismissed by Celebern. He didn’t care that Taina had a previously unknown ability. What he wanted was to find some weakness that would give him an edge in dealing with Ermizad.

  Hankin now spent nearly all of his time doing things that weren’t part of his responsibilities at Novox. Some former members of the Zardis Thieves’ Guild were legitimately interested in working for Novox, and they received fair interviews. Others simply came to ply their trade, heedless of how things worked in the city. That put them at odds with both Novox and the Guard. But the real issue were the ones out for revenge, ignoring the fact that it was their guild that had ignited the war that ultimately led to its own demise. They sought out Novox employees to harass, assault, or even murder. And Novox was responding in kind, making use of all its resources.

  Hankin tensed as he spotted something unexpected in the night sky. Wrapped in a black cloak with the hood up, the barely visible figure was flying his way, clearly employing magic. But he soon recognized the pale face within the hood and relaxed. She wasn’t his enemy.

  “Greetings, Dark Avenger,” he said, as Aliva landed softly just to his right.

  “Hello, Hankin,” she returned, showing no trace of annoyance at his use of the nickname the populace had given their unknown benefactor. “Are you hunting unlicensed thieves?” she asked in her sexy voice. “I haven’t caught any so far tonight.”

  She sounded disappointed. “I haven’t either.” It might be that they had caught most of them, but he suspected that they had simply gone to ground.

  A drunken yell suddenly sounded He turned his gaze to where the sound originated but didn’t spot anything of interest. They were near the cheap taverns that primarily served sailors and the poor.

  “Are you still seeing Cinda?” she asked, startling him. That wasn’t public knowledge. He thought he had been careful.

  “Not lately. And I’m hiring her, not seeing her. How do you know about that?”

  Even her laughter was sexy. “I’m sensitive to that kind of thing. And I’ve noticed the way that you look at her. I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Thank you.” He knew that he could trust her word on something like that.

  After several minutes of standing silently, Hankin was once again deep in his own thoughts when Aliva suddenly said, “There! Those two are setting up an ambush.”

  Hankin couldn’t see a thing, but he wasn’t half demon. “Darksight.” The spell took effect instantly, making everything appear much brighter. He soon saw where Aliva was pointing. The two were hiding in a recessed doorway that opened onto an alley that separated two low buildings not far from the wall.

  Aliva’s forehead creased with concern. “There’s a drunk woman headed their way. We have to save her.”

  “There’s no need,” he said, smiling to himself. “That’s Natalia in disguise.”

  “I’ve never seen her in a dress. Are you sure we shouldn’t help?”

  “Just watch. And I’m sure she has backup nearby.” That was standard procedure.

  “Okay,” said Aliva, but she still sounded worried. Then she started narrating what she saw. “They’re putting away their knives. They’re probably thinking rape now. She’s flirting with the short one. The tall one’s trying to grab her. Where did she get those knives?”

  As blood sprayed and the two men toppled, Hankin explained. “They were strapped to her thighs. She has slits in her skirt.”

  Aliva didn’t look happy. “She killed them. Are you just going to dump their bodies in the Witchmarsh?”

  “Where else? Why? Did you want to kill them succubus style?”

  “They probably do deserve death,” she said, ignoring his question. “But wouldn’t you want to question them?”

  “We did at first, but it was a waste of time. None of them know anything useful. They’re just here to cause trouble.”

  “The ones I’ve questioned haven’t told us anything either,” she confessed. “I’m going to turn in. Good night, Hankin.”

  “Good night, Aliva.”

  He watched as she flew off and then turned his attention back to the alley. The two huge men that frequently accompanied Natalia were in the process of wrapping up the bodies in waterproof canvas. Meanwhile, she was changing into a dress that wasn’t spattered with blood. Her night’s hunt was clearly not over.

  After a moment’s thought, Hankin launched himself into the sky in search of more prey.

  Almera was relieved when the man’s scream of agony suddenly cut off, although she worried that he still might be alive. It was hard to tell with all the flame. The woman who had presumably been his partner was meeting a different fate, trapped within a globe of water, frantically slashing around with a knife as her long blond hair swirled above her head. The woman was doomed; only an enchanted weapon could harm such a large water elemental.

  The fire elemental was charring the nearby landscaping, but that was the least of Almera’s worries. It had been nearly a decade since thieves had attempted to infiltrate the mansion’s grounds. Draymund had dealt with those personally, even disposing of the bodies. After that, rumors began spreading, and they took advantage of the situation to spread even more. That had worked surprisingly well. But these thieves were probably from Zardis, perhaps choosing to target them because of their connection to Novox.

  Audrey suddenly came running up from A
lmera’s right. Then she just stood and stared at the scene with a look of astonishment. “What’s going on? That woman’s drowning!”

  “Yes, but there’s nothing I can do. That is part of the agreement.” The woman suddenly went still, and her knife began to float slowly downward. Her face was distorted by the water’s surface, but looked almost peaceful to Almera.

  “What agreement?” asked Audrey, now staring at the mass of living flame. “Are those elementals?”

  “They are. You are looking not only at a portion of our security system, but at the source of our hot water.”

  Audrey’s lips worked briefly. “So that’s why no one would ever tell me.”

  The fire elemental began to contract until it was barely a yard across. Then it dove into the ground, producing a small plume of steam. Almera glanced at the other elemental and hurriedly cried, “Don’t look!” But it was already too late. That elemental had also started to contract, and the water was turning pink as the woman’s body was crushed. Audrey turned her head and closed her eyes, but Almera couldn’t look away. The water elemental was a sickly red by the time it vanished into the ground with its grisly cargo.

  Audrey was noticeably pale when she opened her eyes. “Now I’m afraid to take a bath here. That was horrible. And that scream before. That was someone else, right? The fire elemental?”

  Almera was feeling rather queasy, so she simply nodded.

  “Where are the girls?” asked Audrey. “In Tabitha’s room?”

  “Yes.” That, at least, was a blessing. The room’s windows looked out the opposite direction. But they would still have to explain what had happened.

  Audrey suddenly took hold of Almera’s right arm, saying, “You don’t look so good. Let’s go inside and sit down.”

  Almera ordered the mansion back to its normal status as she was led inside. She sat down in the chair that Audrey guided her to, then tried to relax. Audrey walked away but soon returned with two cups, one of which she handed over. Almera took a sip. It was cold water.

  When she was feeling more like herself, Almera cradled her cup in her lap. “The elementals only heat and pump the water. We are not drinking water elemental.”

  “I’d guessed that,” said Audrey, now seated herself. “It’s no weirder than some of the other things I’ve seen. And I do love having hot water available whenever I want.”

  Almera smiled at the young woman. “So do I. There are no hot springs running beneath this city, so we had to improvise.”

  Audrey took a drink from her cup, then wiped her mouth with her hand. “Do we need to report this to the Guard?”

  “Yes, along with a description of the woman. She dropped her knife. Can you see if it’s still out there?”

  “Sure.”

  Audrey handed it over as soon as she returned. “It’s a Krinpar. They’re made in Zardis, but you can buy them here.”

  Her husband’s shop would be stocking that brand. “Draymund will deal with the matter. Thank you, Audrey. You can return to whatever you were doing.”

  “Agonizing over my budget? I’ll be over later for dinner.”

  Almera was still sitting in the same chair when Tabitha arrived with the girls in tow. She lied, telling them that the elementals had simply frightened the thieves into running. But Draymund got the full story when he finally arrived home. And she barely slept that night. She couldn’t get the sound of the man’s scream as he was burned alive out of her head. No one deserved to die like that.

  Clarissa’s limp was gone, but her sullen expression had returned. She did not like being guarded whenever she was outside. And she strongly objected to the guards assigned to protect the hovel where she lived with her mother. But she was simply too valuable to him now. Not to mention being an obvious target for anyone trying to get to him.

  Instead of summoning her, Celebern went out to the area that was her domain. She never seemed to run out of documents to examine or work on, but Novox’s business operations did generate a great deal of paperwork. He waited until she put down the paper she had been staring at, then cleared his throat.

  “Yes?” she snapped, without looking up.

  Feigning a look of concern, he said, “Would you and your mother care to stay with me until this crisis is over?”

  Clarissa’s mouth was hanging open when she turned her head to look at him. “Stay with you?” she finally managed to say.

  “As my guests,” he explained. “You will each have your own rooms, and I will hire someone to help look after your mother.”

  “And will you be visiting my room?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “I know about you and some of the other women that had this job.”

  “I would not dream of it. I prefer young women that do not frown constantly.” To his surprise, that comment resulted not in anger, but in harsh laughter.

  “What you really meant to say was that you prefer women who are pretty, but I appreciate your tact. Actually, my mother is fairly good-looking. But I inherited my father’s looks.”

  It was rare for Clarissa to be so animated and talkative. “Remind me what type of malady your mother suffers from.”

  Looking sad, she said, “Andrea has rheumatism. It’s in all her joints. It’s not as bad now that I can afford decent medicine, but she still needs a cane and can’t walk very far.”

  “Then we will put her in the ground floor suite. I assume that she has difficulty with stairs.”

  Clarissa’s face fell. “And we’ve been living on an upper floor. But I’ve almost got enough saved up for a small house in an area fairly close to here.”

  Celebern allowed his exasperation to show. “Then you should have asked for a loan. You know that Novox loans money to employees who can show need.”

  “I … You’re right.” After a long exhale, she said, “When can we move in?”

  It was already almost noon. “This afternoon. Go on home. I will make the arrangements.” Actually, he would tell other people what needed to be done and leave it to them.

  The afternoon passed in a blur of necessary but dull meetings. When he arrived home, he found his two new houseguests sipping rice wine in the parlor, and the sight of Clarissa’s mother floored him. He knew her, but not by the name she used now.

  “Cel!” she called out, waving with her free hand. “It’s been a while.”

  “It has been, Tia,” he said as he walked up to them.

  He studied her carefully. There were some changes with age, but not major ones. Her caramel skin was still unblemished, and her long dark hair lustrous. Her vivid blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she returned his gaze. Despite some worry lines, her face was as lovely as ever, delicate and yet strong. But there was also an aura of frailness about her that he found disconcerting. She looked much too thin.

  “Why did he call you Tia?” asked Clarissa, with a worried look.

  “Because that used to be my name.” She looked back over at him. “Now I call myself Andrea. I wanted a clean break with my old life.”

  Celebern sketched a bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Andrea. You and your daughter are welcome in my home.”

  “Someone needs to explain this,” said a wide-eyed Clarissa. She stared at her mother. “He’s not my father, is he?”

  Tia laughed in a distinctive fashion that brought back memories. “No. No. No. Of course not. Your good-for-nothing father ended up in the Witchmarsh, just like I told you. But Cel and I were lovers.” She smiled wistfully. “Those were the days.”

  Celebern went to the sideboard and helped himself to a cup of rice wine before pulling over a chair so that the three of them were sitting roughly in a triangle facing one another. He saluted the woman now called Andrea with his cup. “I don’t recall you mentioning a daughter.” She hadn’t had stretch marks, but healing magic could easily erase those.

  “That’s because I pawned her off on my mother. I couldn’t be bothered at the time. Too much to do. So much fun to be had.” She sighed and took a drink.

/>   “Explain,” ordered Clarissa, scowling at both of them. “How do you know each other?”

  After receiving a nod from Tia, Celebern began to speak. “Not long after I arrived in this city, I joined the local thieves’ guild. That’s where I met Tia. She was assigned to show me around and teach me how things worked here.”

  “I showed him how all kind of things worked,” purred Tia, then winked at him.

  Clarissa ran a hand through her hair. “You never mentioned working as a thief, Mother.”

  Tia shrugged. “It must have slipped my mind. I’m getting old, you know. Hardly know where I am at times.” She glanced around with a vapid expression. “What a lovely room. Where are we again?”

  Celebern enjoyed her little performance. The woman was as irreverent as ever. And she wasn’t that old, especially for a half-elf. They were both in their early forties.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” demanded Clarissa, shaking her empty cup. “You knew I worked for him.”

  Andrea held up her wooden cane. “Because of this. I’m not the woman I used to be, who could out-climb a spider and pick a lock in seconds. Now I can barely walk, and everything hurts, especially when it’s cold.” She put the cane back down. “I’ve also been waiting for him to figure it out. I thought that Novox knew everything that went on here.”

  “Apparently not.” He would be having words with the head of his intelligence division. Celebern got up and fetched the wine decanter. “You should have contacted me,” he insisted after refilling Tia’s cup.

  “We’ve gone different ways,” she retorted. “You had your business, and I was busy raising a daughter. And I was out of town for nearly a year. Went all kinds of places.”

  “You never mentioned that either,” complained Clarissa. She stood up and put her cup on her chair. “I’m going upstairs to unpack. I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted.”

  Celebern pulled his chair up close to Andrea. “I would very much like to get reacquainted with you, Tia. I was devastated when you left me.”