“Oh, I know his name.” Lex stared up at the Contessa’s face and winced. “Tell me you don’t want me to find him.”
“Indeed, I do.” The Contessa picked up a sheet of paper from her desk and handed it to Lex. “If you leave notices at each of these locations along the border, I think his network will get word to him. Now understand, I want him brought here safely. You cannot tell anyone who he is.”
“How am I supposed to find him if I can’t say I’m looking for him?”
“You are looking for Brother Lancaster Rivers.”
“That is the dumbest name I’ve ever heard,” Lex muttered.
The Contessa laughed. “I agree, but that’s his real name. Walter is just his cover. Very few people know his real name.”
Lex cocked an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
The Contessa grimaced. “There’s history between us. We didn’t end on very good terms, but I think with the right wording, he’ll understand why I’m looking for him. Get him here as safely and anonymously as possible.”
“I’ll try.” Lex stared down at the list. “Should I take Dodd with me?”
“I’ll leave that to you and Captain Rainier.”
Lex tapped their thumb against the chair. “Is there a monk or someone here we can trust to bring? It would add some validity to us looking for a missing brother, if we have one with us. One of us can dress up, sure, but none of us know the clergy well enough if we get challenged.”
“Sister Sanderson knows the mission details, so you can talk freely with her. Enlist Father Michael’s help if necessary. He knows Walter.”
“How?” Lex asked, not completely sure if they wanted to know the answer.
“He lived here at the abbey for a summer.”
“Oh, yeah. I really didn’t want to know that after all.”
****
Ten days later, Lex found themselves in a seedy Cartossian tavern surrounded by a group of mage-hating morons and no closer to finding the notorious Walter Cram.
“You never take me anywhere nice,” Dodd bitched into his mug of skunk water ale.
“You never deserve it,” Lex said, drinking their own ale, gagging after every gulp. “This is terrible.”
“Would you like me to fetch you a good claret?”
“This place wouldn’t know a good claret if it hit them over the heads,” Lex complained. “How are we even supposed to find this fellow if we can’t actually say we’re looking for him.”
“Lex, let me tell you something about outlaws.”
Lex rolled their eyes.
“They fear anyone in a uniform,” Dodd said.
“Well, perhaps we shouldn’t be in a uniform,” Lex countered.
“But then why would anyone be looking for a clergyman if not the Holy Father’s Own Consorts?”
Lex made a face.
“Hey! You!” a drunken fool shouted in their direction.
Lex groaned disinterestedly, but slipped their free hand under the table to their sword. Dodd did the same.
“You’re from Orsini, aren’t you? They put a mage in charge over there!”
“Oh fuck,” Dodd muttered.
They’d split up to spread the word around to the brothels and merchants that they were looking for a missing monk. The plan was to meet back here, but by the looks of the crowd, Lex worried there might not be a tavern left by the end of the evening.
“I’ll take the one on the right,” Dodd mumbled. “You get the guys on the left.”
“There’s eight of them on the left.”
“Exactly.” Dodd flashed Lex a fierce grin and then successfully ducked the flying bottle which signaled yet another tavern fight.
“Fifteen against two,” Lex shouted. “How sporting!”
****
Twenty minutes later, hiding in the brothel across the street and licking their wounds, Dodd and Lex grabbed their swords when a knock came at their door.
“Piss off,” Dodd shouted. He motioned at the massive bump on his hand and mouthed at Lex, “Ow.”
Lex rolled their eyes and pointed at the aching lump that was forming on their temple. “Ow.”
The voice from beyond the door said, “I’m looking for the men from the market this afternoon.”
Dodd glanced at Lex, who nodded their head. “Might as well see.”
Dodd opened the door a crack and peered out. “Yeah?”
He repeated his inquiry. “Was that you in the market earlier, looking for the monk?”
“Who are you?” Dodd asked, ignoring the question. “Cause if you’re here to finish off what your drunken little friends just started, well, I’m not in the mood right now.”
Lex stood off to the side, out of view of the door, in case he pushed past Dodd. Dodd was solid and significantly heavier than Lex, but there was always someone bigger and stronger. Lex held a defensive stance just in case.
“What does the Contessa look like?” the man asked.
Dodd hesitated, but Lex gave him a quick nod. Dodd described her and restated the phrase they were supposed to say. “The Arbiter of Justice, Allegra, Contessa of Marsina, acting upon the will of Holy Father Francois, is seeking a missing monk, Lancaster Rivers. Both the Holy Father and the Arbiter are very concerned about his disappearance and we are here to find him.”
“How does the Contessa know Rivers?”
Lex stepped into view of the man. “Remove your hood.”
“Not until you answer my question.”
Lex licked their lips and glanced at Dodd before saying, “Rivers spent a summer at Borro Abbey while the Contessa lived there. Hood. Now.”
The stranger removed his hood. He had a high forehead and a prominent nose that was dotted with freckles much darker than his light-brown skin. His long, dark hair was pulled into a braid and the uneven patchiness of his beard gave him a shabby appearance.
“Walter Cram,” Lex whispered. “I saw you during the Orsini riots.”
Cram didn’t answer. “Why are you here?”
Dodd opened the door and said, “Get in. There’s spies everywhere.”
“Not until I know I am safe,” Cram said.
Lex said, “Dodd, bring the lantern over here. Rahna? Hand me the letter from the Contessa.”
Cram examined the seal before snapping it. He read the letter and nodded. “What are your names?”
“Lex, Dodd, Rahna. We work for the Cathedral and for the Contessa.”
Walter looked behind him and whispered into the darkness of the corridor, “Stay out here.” He looked at Lex and said, “Shall we talk inside?”
Dodd opened the door enough for Cram to come inside. After accepting an offered glass of cheap wine, Cram asked, “Why does Allegra want me at the peace talks? I’m a wanted man. She understands that I have no intention of being dragged away from the peace talks by guards and then dumped down some mine shaft, right?”
Lex accepted their own glass from Dodd. “She understands. She can’t guarantee your safety before you get to the abbey, but once there, she will have a guard patrol placed with you at all times. She’s also willing to give you immunity for the duration of the peace talks. If anyone attempts to harm you, they will be in violation of the rules and they will be expelled, not you.”
“Why can’t she just give it to me now?”
“The terms of her powers only extend so far. Basically, you need to be at the abbey and she can grant you immunity that way.” Lex shrugged. “Politics, but she’s pushing the rules as far as she can to get you there.”
“So what they’re saying about her is true?”
“She said elemental rights are mage rights, and she wants you at the forefront.”
Cram scoffed at that, a bitter sound laced with anger and resentment to Lex’s ears. “She would put me in front of the arrows if she could get away with it. How am I even supposed to get to the abbey?”
“She recommended you come with us,” Dodd
said.
Cram laughed. “Me? Go with Cathedral guards? You are drunk?”
Dodd gave an unconcerned grunt. “You can find your own way there, if you think you’ll be safer that way.”
“The Contessa said to tell you she knows she’s asking a lot of you, but she also believes it’s important to have elementals like yourself involved in the process,” Lex said.
“I’ll have to think about it,” Walter said.
“Understood. We leave at dawn tomorrow,” Lex said. “Otherwise, we’ll see you if we see you.”
“Understood.” Then, Cram hesitantly asked, “How is Allegra? Is she well? Are they still coddling her like she’s made of fine porcelain?”
Lex’s internal voice nagged at them, but they swatted it away. “From what I’ve heard, yes.”
“Their mistake,” Cram said. “She’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever known.”
Chapter 16
Borro Abbey
Stanton stepped around Allegra’s desk to lean over her shoulder. He rested one hand on the back of her elegant chair. She was still wearing her riding clothes —simple tunic and woolen trousers— and she could feel the edge of his hand resting against her back. He leaned forward, other hand on her desk, skimming the letter, ignoring her completely.
She chanced to look at his profile, a stolen look she rarely gave herself permission to take. He was more than merely handsome: he was every measure the heroic figure. She shouldn’t have asked for the hero who made her laugh.
“Pardon me saying this, but that is the bitchiest letter I’ve read in a long time,” Stanton said, glancing over at her.
“I’m glad it wasn’t just me,” she said, but the words came out huskier than she’d planned.
She tore away from his gaze before she did something completely stupid. She cleared her throat and a pathetic sound escaped her that could have been called a chuckle. “I think I’ll write to my cousin and enlist her aid.”
It took a heartbeat or two, but Stanton got the hint. He straightened and stepped away from her chair. He walked around her large, but practical, desk and stood by the fireplace. Like he did so often at her office in Orsini, he rested one hand against her mantelpiece and another on his hip. Her heart didn’t stop pounding and she turned her gaze away from the cutting figure he made by firelight.
“You mean Grand Duchess Katherine?” he asked. “I worked for her once.”
“And how was it?” Allegra said, aiming for any conversation to get her mind off Stanton’s body pressed against hers.
“She left a lasting impression.”
Allegra barked out a laugh, far louder than she’d planned. Her cheeks heated up. “Yes, Kat does that well.”
“Well, I should probably go,” Stanton said. He motioned at the door. “Unless…”
“Unless?”
“Would you…I mean, would you like to take a late meal with me tonight? I plan to raid the sideboard in the bishop’s drawing room at my earliest convenience.”
“There’s a sideboard?”
“Card night,” Stanton explained.
“I’d love to,” Allegra blurted.
“Then I’ll see you later this evening.”
“I’d like that.”
Allegra watched Stanton walk out of her office and sighed. She closed her eyes and tried to picture what he looked like underneath all of those layers. When the room’s temperature began to rise, Allegra shook herself out of her daydreams and went back to her letter writing.
Grand Duchess Katherine was a powerful figure who had her fingers dipped in various political soup pots. It was once said that no decision was made in Serna without the Grand Duchess’s input and that no government ruled without her tacit support.
Katherine was planning to attend the peace talks, as soon as she was done with her sport in the country. Almighty forbid if the deer were left alone. Allegra never really liked her cousin; she was a controlling, manipulative person who thought too highly of her own talents and accomplishments. Though, Allegra also begrudgingly had to admit Katherine’s support would go a long way to adding credibility to the peace talks. If Katherine agreed, even slightly, with anything Allegra put forward, it would advance mage rights by leaps as opposed to the crawling pace her own influence could create.
Allegra worked away, getting through the niceties and flattery early in the letter. Those were always the easy parts for Allegra; her thorough education included letter writing etiquette and diplomacy alongside mathematics, geography, and languages.
The next part was trickier. How to explain to her cousin that she needed her to handle Queen Portia, but delicately lest she’d make things worse.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. A beat later the door opened. A very dirty Lex entered, followed by an annoyed Stanton, and a man she would recognize anywhere.
Lancaster Rivers, aka Walter Cram, wore the clerical robes well, but he was always a consummate actor when he needed to be. He was of average height and build, a study in averages as he stood next to Lex and Stanton. His beard had more silver in it these days, and still looked as shabby as ever. His dark eyes still sparkled with their usual brightness, though there was a hardness there that didn’t exist before. And there were a lot more lines around his eyes now than last she saw him.
“Hello, Walter,” Allegra said, and the words came out far more breathless than she’d intended.
Walter Cram gave her one of his half-cocked grins and said, “Same to you, gorgeous.”
Allegra laughed, even if it sounded strained and forced to her own ears. “You made it here in one piece. How unexpected.”
He bowed with a flourish. “When my lady has made a decision, who am I to deny her will?”
Allegra flinched at his words. While he said them with a smile, she felt the verbal dagger slip between her ribs. “I’m glad to see you’ve changed your opinion about a lady’s will.”
“I had an excellent teacher,” he said, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice now.
Lex glanced at Stanton, who was busy staring between Allegra and Cram. Allegra could only imagine what was going through both of their minds. She tried to swipe that thought away. She needed Walter here for the talks. Without him representing the elementalists, the talks wouldn’t be seen as taking mage rights seriously. With someone like Walter Cram at the talks, protected with full immunity, well, that would change the landscape.
She hoped.
“We will need to discuss security arrangements, Contessa,” Stanton said finally.
“I should probably bathe,” Lex said. “May I make my report later tonight, Your Ladyship?”
“Tomorrow will be fine. Thank you, Lex,” Allegra said. She inclined her head slightly, dismissing him. She turned to Stanton and said, “Let’s discuss security over dinner with the Bishop, shall we? I’m sure Father Michael will be happy to see Walter again. Would you mind postponing our plans?”
He glanced at Walter. “As you wish. I’ll inform the bishop you will be joining him for dinner.” “
Stanton said all of it through a clenched jaw. His duty discharged, he gave Allegra a curt bow and left without saying another word. Though, he closed her door rather harder than Allegra thought strictly necessary.
“I think he likes you,” Walter said.
Allegra ignored the jibe. She stood up to walk around her desk. She never thought she’d be in the same room with him again and the bittersweet memories tied her stomach into knots. Allegra motioned to the chairs near the fabric screens and said, “Please sit.”
Walter did so, though not until she had seated herself. Now close to him, he stank of horse and sweat. It was a bit of a relief, actually. It was in such contrast to her memories that it gave her brain time to separate the memory from the man.
“I assume Lex filled you in?”
“Yes, though I’m still confused why I’m here. It’s not like we’re friends.”
“I used to think that,” he said, a bitter laugh escaping him. “But, I was young and foolish.”
“You were foolish,” Allegra said sharply. “Walter, I didn’t ask you here to fight. I need your help.”
“Yes, yes, with your precious peace talks. They’re an ambitious plan,” he said, shaking his robes until a puff of dust and odor escaped the fabric folds. He smiled when Allegra winced. “There wasn’t an opportunity to bathe while we fled for our lives.”
“You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. Now, will you help me?”
“With what?”
“The peace talks.”
“What could I possibly offer? I’m an outlaw, or did you forget that very fine point?”
“I didn’t forget,” Allegra said. “Walter, I’m trying to help you here.”
“You want to help me? Announce that you are an elementalist, join hands with me on the balcony, and dare them to come after us.”
Allegra drew in a sharp breath and frantically looked around the room. There was no one else there, of course; this was the only entrance. Beyond the fabric screens was her private chambers and sitting room, but the servants had to come through the only door. And she was staring at it. Nevertheless, her heart thudded in her chest and her vision blurred.
“Ah, I see the mere mention of it still makes you panic like a frightened horse.”
Allegra swallowed back the hot, vulgar reply that came to mind. She steadied her breathing and reminded herself that no one had heard. If they had, the shocked gasps and the crashing of silverware would have been obvious clues to her identity’s revelation.
“We are not here to discuss me. Will you help?”
“Why should I?” He crossed his arms. “It’s not like you will help your own kind.”
“I beg your pardon? I have been working as hard as I can to make these talks successful. It’s not enough to end the rebellion. We need to end the subjection of mages. We cannot talk about that without talking about the plight of elementalists. I can’t do that. You can.”
The Demons We See Page 20