Shattering Dreams

by Catherine M Walker

  Kyle picked the room with the two beds as being the room that his targets had rented off the publican. Leaving the woman’s room after one last glance at the weapons, he moved back and re-entered the room he wanted. A quick glance around it revealed that there were no suitable hiding places; however, there was a small, grimy window that, with effort, Kyle could unlatch and open. There was a handy ledge running around the outside of the building from which he could either drop to the ground or access the rooftops, depending on which route he took or needed if he had to exit.

  Coming back to the room, Kyle went through the contents of the first bag at the foot of the closest bed; he wrinkled his nose a little at the smell wafting up from the bag. The man could afford to part with a few coins and get his clothes cleaned more frequently. Grateful for his gloves, he picked through the contents, finding little of interest, except a vest with Lord Raymond Kessalan’s family crest on it. Looking at the crest, his eyes narrowed; he would, no doubt, have to visit Lord Kessalan, although not tonight. Kyle put the contents of the bag back how he found it, although he suspected the men were the type who would not notice anyway.

  Kyle walked over to the second bag, and he noticed this man was a little more methodical in his packing. His spare set of clothes, while not clean by any stretch of the imagination, at least did not smell rancid. Still, the contents didn’t give up anything of interest either, save the same vest with Lord Kessalan’s crest stitched onto it.

  Thugs they might be, but not stupid ones. If they had anything in writing it was likely on their person, not left in their baggage in their room. Kyle grimaced; that was a pity. Hearing movement down the hallway and a drunken argument between two men, Kyle closed the bag he’d been looking through. He looked around then moved over to the darkest corner of the room out of the line of sight from the doorway. He concentrated, pulling the shadows around him. He knew from experience it would assist in hiding his presence from the men. Kyle didn’t plunge fully into the veil, so if they walked into him, they would end up bumping into something they couldn’t see, although the likelihood of them walking into him while he was standing right in the corner of the room was remote—unless, of course, they stumbled into him, which was a distinct possibility given they seemed to be drunk.

  The door opened with the two men staggering into the room, one of them tripping over the bag and landing heavily on the floor. He swore and blinked in confusion at the bag, glaring at it as if thinking it had moved on purpose. The short, squat man rolled over to his knees and went to stand up. Or at least he tried, but ended up back on his rear on the ground. Kyle had to stifle a laugh. The man gave up on walking and proceeded with a wobbly drunken crawl over to the bed and after he contemplated the distance between his position and the bed he hauled himself onto it and fell asleep.

  The taller man, no more sober than his fellow thug but still upright, even if it was with the help of the wall, gave a bark of laughter.

  “Huh, can’t hold your drink!”

  The man’s slurred words rumbled from his throat. He pushed off from the wall and made his stumbling path to the bed, taking a few more steps than he should need to. He managed to collapse on the bed without ending up on the floor.

  Kyle’s eyes widened, and he gathered even more of the shadow to him as the drunken man, perplexed, squinted in his direction from his newly gained position on the bed. Kyle felt a small tug on the veil and nearly breathed a sigh of relief. While he could touch the Taint and draw on it a small amount, he had nowhere near the power to unravel Kyle’s hiding spot.

  The man shook himself, muttering. “Drunk too much. Imagining ghosts now.”

  He laughed to himself as he hauled his boots off with a great display of effort that nearly sent him tumbling off the bed. He then placed them neatly near the edge of the bed, or as neatly as he was capable of with his level of intoxication, and attempted to unbuckle his vest. That was a trial. He pulled it off and, folding it haphazardly, placed it on the small table near the head of the bed after contemplating his bag and deciding that was too hard to get to in his current state.

  The man lay back on his bed and after a short space of time slipped into a drunken slumber. Kyle waited a few moments more to make sure both of the men were asleep then paced over to them. Contemplating both men, he went over to the small table near the bed of the more fastidious of the two and, after a quick glance at the sleeping men, checked the vest. It was well-worn leather with some metal plates that looked like they had been stitched on by the wearer, but inside an inner pocket he found what he was looking for: a small black book. Placing the vest back where he found it, he flicked through the pages and saw notes within, including dates, places and times.

  Kyle’s head snapped around as he heard a faint noise from the window. Taking the diary, he wrapped the darkness around himself and moved back to the corner of the room, just this side of the veil. His eyes widened in shock as a woman wearing all black clothing slipped into the chamber. She wasted no time or effort but made quick work of dispatching both men. Quietly, without fuss or noise. She checked their belongings, frustrated, not finding what she was after. Kyle thought at her.

  Too late, assassin, I have the diary already.

  Kyle nearly swore in alarm as the woman’s head snapped up and she spun around, seeking him. She raised her blade and dropped into a crouch, drawing on the veil and scanning the room.

  Kyle made a quick decision and ran, diving out of the open window, his cloak billowing around him as he somersaulted and landed on the ground in the small courtyard below. He straightened from his crouch and glanced back toward the window he’d jumped from, seeing the shimmering dark movement along the ledge. He heard more than saw the throwing knife heading in his direction and, shimmering between this world and the next, he stepped to one side, swaying out of the way. At the last second, he snapped his hand out with perfect timing and plucked the blade from its flight, looking up.

  Not this day, assassin. I don’t have time for you. We’ll dance another day.

  While Kyle knew he shouldn’t taunt the woman, he couldn’t help himself. He was intrigued by her and if he hadn’t been intent on getting back to the King with what he’d learned, he would have stayed to cross blades with her.

  He heard her soft words float back to him; she was not as strong as he was in the gift, but her mind’s voice was clear enough.

  You interfere in the Skull Lord’s business. He doesn’t tolerate independents. Report to him before he tasks me with tracking you down.

  As Kyle walked, merging from the real world into the Veiled World, he felt her shock before he cut their connection. She was a member of the Order of the Skull. That they had an assassin in their number who had talent and could use the power of the veil was a shock and something to be even wary of. That this was important enough for them to send out someone who was one of their best to ‘clean up’ for them was of even greater concern.

  Kyle moved down the pathways of the veil, those paths that only a few could tread; his pace was unhurried. It had been a long night by his estimation, but time moved at a different pace here in the Veiled World than it did in reality. Still, it gave him a chance to think.

  He knew he would have to report the night’s activities; doing so before he slept most of the morning away would be preferable. Still, appearing in the King’s private bedchamber unannounced was probably not a good idea, even for him. Ultimately, though, it was the King who had to know what he had found out and the fact that his Kingdom was less one lord minor.

  Making a decision, he altered his path and appeared back in his room, still shrouded by the veil. He could only use the veiled ways to go places he’d already been. William always invaded his domain when he wanted something; he had never been in William’s rooms, but that didn’t pose much of a problem since he knew where they were and how to get there from his chambers.

  Walking over to his bedroom windows, he unbarred them and pushed the shutters open. He then stepped ou
t onto the narrow ledge beyond them. The King’s recent announcement meant that he had a new suite of rooms in the Royal wing, giving him even better access to William’s rooms than he used to have.

  Kyle carefully braced himself against the wall then pulled his shutters closed. Taking a moment to assess the courtyard and his surroundings, he noted that the guards on the wall and gate were not paying the slightest bit of attention, at least not to the palace. If he moved along the ledge, he doubted anyone would notice. Counting windows and suites, he finally made it to William’s. Again, he checked on the guards and noticed that there were signs of movement down in the courtyard. He didn’t have long before the palace would be active. He needed to pass on his message and slip back into his bed before the servants started to busy themselves in the Royal Wing.

  Kyle grinned, observing that William’s bedroom window was ajar, and eased himself inside. Scanning the room, he noticed it was still dark, with the drapes drawn and William asleep in the large canopied bed. Kyle breathed a soft sigh of relief, noting that tonight William had gone to bed alone. Crossing over to a chair off to one side, he dragged it over to the bed and sat, propping his feet up on the bed. He waited, knowing it wouldn’t be long before William stirred.

  Finally, William sighed and opened his eyes. It took a moment before he registered what he was seeing and he gasped, sitting bolt upright in bed. Kyle laughed softly and raised one gloved hand and pulled his hood back to reveal his face.

  “Relax, William. It’s just me. You’ll not die in your bed this day, but consider closing and barring your bedroom windows.” Kyle contemplated the Crown Prince as relief and anger played across his features. Relief won as William slumped back against his pillows, groaning.

  “What the hell, Kyle? You scared the life out of me.” William closed his eyes then cracked them open again, glaring at him.

  Kyle smiled. “Sorry, William. Thought I should report before I crash and sleep most of the morning away. The King needs to know what I’ve been up to and found out tonight but I thought it was better to appear in your room than the King’s.”

  Levering himself up from the chair while William gathered himself, he went over to the side table to see the offerings of the small service area. Water, wine, liquor and a pot of steaming coffee that had obviously just been put there by the servants prior to his arrival. William’s servants knew him well. He wasn’t the only one to bother the Crown Prince at all hours of the day and night with things that the King needed to know. Kyle stared toward the open window and the glowing light on the horizon and poured William a black coffee. It would be a long day for the Crown Prince, and he didn’t have the power of the veil to draw from, or at least not as much of it.

  Kyle returned and passed the steaming mug to William, who was now propped up in bed, having hauled the many pillows scattered on his bed together.

  “Do the healers know about your night activities yet? I know they haven’t cleared you for normal duty yet, I get a report every day.” William was watching him steadily without a hint of censure in his voice, although there was a trace of concern.

  “No, not yet. I’m fine, William, they are just being overly cautious.” Kyle sat and closed his eyes briefly while William drank some of his coffee. He could feel the weight of the night’s activities weighing down on him. He needed to sleep, and soon.

  “The attempted abduction of Alex, Jess and me wasn’t just a money-making tactic by some stupid people.” Kyle kept his eyes closed, thinking through all he’d learned and getting his train of thought in order. He sensed that William was suddenly paying more attention.

  “The King is now short one Lord Minor, Rathan Cartwright. He was cut off by his father but had gambling debts to Lord Creswell Vannen—he controls most of the brothels and gambling houses in Vallantia. His two thugs who also thought to capitalise on the abduction have paid with their lives, although not by my blade. There is another player.”

  Kyle felt his thoughts scatter for a space of time but fought off sleep, knowing he had to finish passing on the rest of what he’d learned.

  “The man who instigated the attempted abduction was a man called Baine. His description places him as a member of the Order of the Skull, yet it’s an unusual move from them that makes me wonder if they were set up. I’m sorry, William, there is more, I know there is, but the weight of my activities in the veil is pressing in on me, and I need to sleep.” Kyle felt himself fading and passed on one final message: “For the love of the Realm, bar your windows. If I can get in, so can a disciple of the Skull; they have a gifted assassin, female—cute—although I don’t think she’d be your type. Do not take any women you do not know to your bed until I can get a better notion of who exactly she is. This was all I could retrieve from the thugs before the woman showed up and killed them.”

  With that last advice, Kyle dropped the black diary on William’s nightstand and faded, disappearing into the place between the worlds, making his way back to his bed, finally, to sleep the morning away.

  14

  A Meeting of Lords

  Kyle knew he had a visitor even before he cracked his eyes open. He even knew who it was without much effort.

  “You know, Your Highness, sneaking into my room while we’ve got a gifted Skulls Assassin potentially after me is probably not the best notion. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Kyle opened his eyes to see William bringing him a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a familiar black notebook in the other. “I take it this is not just payback for the other day—what task do you and the King have for me? I’m thinking that there is one.”

  Kyle hauled himself up in bed and glanced toward the open drapes that William habitually drew wide whenever he paid him one of his visits. Kyle sighed and accepted the coffee from William; at least this time it looked to be after midday.

  William sunk into a nearby chair and grinned at him. “Well, you know the easy way to stop these visits is for you to tell your guards I’m not allowed to just walk in.”

  Kyle sipped his coffee and flicked his eyes over to the Prince over the rim and saw that he at least appeared relaxed. Kyle snorted.

  “Oh, and I can see that going down well. Just because I could, it doesn’t mean I should. Besides, it’s the most private place we can talk without other ears.” Kyle took another sip of his coffee and eyed the black notebook that William was slapping into his palm.

  “Regardless, you can. It’s one reason Father had you all moved. We know times are coming where you might need that extra space. Promise me if you require the time to yourself you will let your guards know to refuse all visitors.” William looked at him without any hint of arrogance.

  Kyle closed his eyes and nodded. “I will, William, but regardless you will always be welcome. The needs of the Crown will always come first.” Kyle smiled cynically. “Even if I take a few days to get to it. Someone in power should know I’m going off the rails.”

  William stared at him for the longest time before nodding acceptance. He looked toward the window, gathering his thoughts before returning his attention to the small black book. He turned to regard Kyle once more.

  “The healers assure me you are fit for duty and need not ride in a carriage for the move to the Summer Palace.” William grinned at the look of horror on Kyle’s face at the thought of being cooped up in a carriage. His smile faded as he contemplated the book once more. “This was an interesting read and a good find, Kyle. While neither Father nor myself believe Lord Creswell Vannen is involved with the League of the Skulls, we believe his associations are closer than those of any Lord Major of this Realm should be. If he wants to remain alive and doesn’t want the King to have him killed for treason, he will never be found to be connected to any action against the Crown again. If he is, his whole line will cease to exist.” William still appeared to be calm and flipped the little black notebook to Kyle, who caught it without spilling so much as a single drop of coffee.

  Kyle waited for a heartbeat then s
miled. “Ah, so now that Lord Kyle has been officially moved into the Royal Wing, the King ordered the Fourth’s Wing be made ready at the Summer Palace and new clothes appear in my wardrobe with the Fourth’s Crest. The King would like Lord Kyle, the Fourth’s Blade, to pay a visit to said Lord?”

  William chuckled at Kyle’s bland tone. “See, I knew you’d catch on quick. If you could find somewhere safe, out of the way of prying eyes for that, it would be appreciated. Wear something appropriate from your new wardrobe and report the results to the King tonight at the ball.” William stood and handed him a slip of paper that had a list of businesses on it.

  One quick scan of it told him they were all gambling institutions and pleasure houses. All of them owned by Lord Vannen.

  “The King would like you to suggest to Lord Vannen that he may wish to distance himself from the listed establishments before they get raided by the guard. Don’t kill him, Kyle. We want to see how he reacts, who he goes to, just in case.” William smiled tightly as Kyle whistled.

  “That will cause consternation in certain circles.” Kyle grinned and nodded, then spoke up with a small note of alarm in his voice, causing William to turn back to him.

  “Wait, have you had to send the guard to get Alex, Jess and myself out of any of these places?” Kyle’s grin widened even further as William burst out laughing.

  “Just one: The Harlot. I believe Father was most insistent that the establishment was to be closed down.” William shook his head before turning and walking toward the door, throwing one more parting shot back at Kyle. “Oh, and that doesn’t mean you three have to go out on a wild party spree and visit every pleasure house on the list. It would not go down well if you three were taken in by the guard when they are raided.”