The Beast of the North (26 page)

‘Did he?’ Gal wondered. ‘There are rumors of the man. Beast of the North is truly just a beast.’ His voice was calculating as he still stared at the ring.

‘He is an honest boy, a good boy,’ Balan said, nodding at me. ‘And yes, Shaduril knows the Beast. Too well. She suffers for all of us. She will do this deed, brave girl that she is. And he?’ Balan nodded at me. ‘He will marry Shaduril if they both survive. Our houses will be allied through the marriage, Lord Gal.’ Lith looked at me and raised her eyebrows as she was nodding at something Crec was whispering.

‘If she survives this attempt,’ Gal said glumly. ‘In fact, I still have grave misgivings about the whole matter,’ he stammered, his brow lathered in sweat as if he were struggling with something. Balan scowled at him and nodded at him to go on, but he shrugged.

Crec snorted and toasted Gal. ‘You know Balan is right. The Fringe is alienated from us. You have seen the king. The Pearl Terrace, every morning. He stares over to the north, seeing enemies where there used to be allies. He is making us look weak. All four brigades are less than enthusiastic about the king. Hawk’s Talon had twenty men deserting last year. Unheard of. I am not one for rebellion or breaking thousands of years of tradition, but the past two decades have changed us. Both the High King and ours have been going mad for years and years. You know this. We need a sane king, nothing less.’

Gal mulled his wine and nodded. ‘And the Brothers? His uncle and relatives and the Ministry? Lord of Light? Everyone in power?’

‘They will be shut in the Tower of the Temple by Crec’s men,’ Balan said softly, and Gal was nodding slowly. Balan went on. ‘And you will give us a way to get inside. Through the mint. You will lead them there personally or appoint a Master of Coin you can trust. Then, once the battle rages, they will all have to choose. They will choose. Everyone has to choose. Except for the Brothers. Formidable as they are, they cannot beat a determined attack by our men, and I don’t want them. And you know the guards do not trust them, no. They are strange. They have … magic.’ They all looked at my ring.

‘The Four Armies will not bother us,’ Crec said calmly, apparently hoping to see my face change. ‘The Mad Watch has three thousand men. Granted, they are not soldiers like the Hawk’s Talon outside the city, but they will be enough to defend the Temple after the business is concluded. They will slaughter the king’s relatives and men out of the Temple and yes, even the Brothers they will find. And your money, Gal, will buy us allies in the Houses. We need you for more than the mint and the Tower business. You will make sure the trade goes on, and food gets sold and distributed and people will remain happy.’

‘A question,’ I whispered.

‘Yes?’ Balan asked, worried I should have one.

‘If Lord Gal,’ I said and could not entirely hide the hate in my voice, ‘has a way to the Tower, then why don’t Lord Crec’s men just use it and throw the king off the Pearl Terrace? Now? And kill the queen at the same time?’

The Lord Commander sat back in his seat. ‘Because that is treason, young Maskan. Because I do not wish to stain my honor with the shame. Because a king must be seen as a good man, not a tyrant. Because,’ he said coldly as he leaned closer, ‘it is a filthy thing to do. And risky. The Mad Watch is mine, but the king might make them theirs easily. He must be dead before we kill the rest of his family.’

‘But Lord Balan will carry the shame?’ I asked. ‘And as for the honor you are so concerned about, condemning people to hang without a trial is not dishonorable? You do that, Lord.’

His eyes flickered with annoyance. ‘Balan’s daughter will take the blame,’ Crec said mulishly. ‘Did he not mention it? Your wife will bear the shame. And what comes to criminals, the Elder Judges are not efficient. It takes them ages to condemn a thief to hang. The king does not care as long as they die, and the judges are grateful they don’t have to hear every sorry tale. So yes, I am called the Butcher by the vermin for a reason. Don’t lecture me, boy.’

‘Shaduril is to be blamed,’ Balan told me cautiously, hoping to calm me down. ‘She will retire. As I said, Maskan,’ Balan said. ‘She will disappear. And someone less important will … take her place in the scaffold. Few know Shaduril’s face. We will find someone suitable.’

Crec laughed. ‘Balan is as much a butcher as I am.’

‘I see,’ I said coldly. They would hang some poor fool girl in her stead.

‘Shaduril will take the blame, and ultimately we shall blame the Brothers for the coup,’ Crec said happily. ‘They had her do it. Problem solved. People will believe it. I will be legitimate. A right great king.’

‘But only on the surface,’ I whispered though loud enough to be heard. Crec was about to comment, but Gal raised his hand.

‘If the king does not die,’ Gal said coldly to Balan, ‘and it might very well go like that, if your girl fails, my house must survive. Mine. As we discussed. If I have a man show your army the way inside,’ he said, apparently having decided not to do it personally, ‘I will want assurances.’

‘Come, Gal!’ Balan cried. ‘Not one of us will survive the war with the north and the south both. Be brave!’

‘Stop being a fool,’ Gal breathed, waving his hand around. ‘No house will die willingly for Red Midgard that yet stands firm. You see phantoms.’

‘No—’ Balan said, for his would die willingly.

‘Yes,’ Gal interrupted Balan. ‘If she fails,’ Gal said empathetically, ‘if that happens, we will purge you. I want your son, Taram,’ he pointed a finger at the Blacktower, ‘to stay with me during the coup. If it succeeds, we will go to the Temple together. If not? I will hand him over to the king myself. He will be released when we are all happy.’

‘Yes,’ Balan said tiredly. ‘As we agreed.’ He gave me a warning look, and I shrugged. As we had planned. I’d be delivered to Gal next, but I was not supposed to know that.

Gal opened his voice and spoke. ‘And you.’ He nodded at Balan, who stiffened. Gal flashed a small, evil smile at Balan. ‘You will come to my house with Taram. Should he,’ he nodded at me, ‘fail in his job, I will alert the king.’

Balan smiled and nodded at him carefully. ‘We had not agreed thus.’

Crec was nodding, eyeing Gal with no surprise at all. Lith looked down, and I realized the two guests had already decided on this. The Lord Commander drawled an explanation. ‘We do have to be careful, Balan. Many things can go wrong, and I agree with Gal. My house comes before the land.’ Balan was looking at them, smiling thinly and finally nodded.

‘If you and Taram do not come to visit the day after tomorrow, my lord,’ Gal said sternly, ‘the Brothers will be warned, and they will stop your king killing. Your house will fall. We have to have this assurance, heavier than you might have expected. And if we do, we have a deal.’

‘Deal?’ Balan chortled, fiddling with his rings. ‘I said yes. Your Highness,’ he bowed to Crec, who grinned. ‘The Beast of the North,’ Balan saluted them with a rough voice and Lith smiled wildly, grasping Crec’s bicep, which pleased him immensely.

Gal raised his glass. ‘The alliance of the three,’ he said softly, his eyes never leaving me. ‘You will have a home with the family, nephew. It will take time, but we will figure out a place for you.’
Or rather, where the grave shall be
, I thought. I nodded at him, and we did not speak again that evening. He was a relative, but I felt no kinship with him. I would not survive his hospitality, but I was committed. Would Balan and Taram? I doubted it. So did Balan, by the look on his face.

Balan got up. ‘Rooms have been prepared for you in the inn of a village beyond the wood. It’s just ten minutes away from here. You will be comfortable there.’

Lith grinned. ‘I will accompany you there,’ she said and gave Crec a smile to melt an iceberg. They ate and drank and finally got up and went out with a gay mood. Gal nodded at me and I to him. His eyes never left the ring.

Balan was sitting still on his seat. He turned his eyes on me. ‘Yes, Maskan. We must be very careful. And we will be. As I said, you will get your heritance. Though perhaps not as Gal planned it. Greed and lack of trust were ever the banes of lords. That he asked for me? That changes things a bit. Do not worry. We can deal with it.’

‘Lith has an artifact, then,’ I told him.

He raised his eyebrows and stammered. ‘You … seen it?’

‘I’ve seen it,’ I told him. ‘Not going to go into details.’

‘She showed it to you?’ he asked me. ‘She is reckless.’

‘Female faces only, it seems,’ I said. ‘But we appear to have things in common.’

‘It is true.’ He smiled. ‘It’s been very useful for us, that artifact. For spying. What face did she take?’

‘Doesn’t matter,’ I said. ‘So, some innocent will die, wearing Shaduril’s face?’

‘Yes,’ he said heavily. ‘We have time aplenty, later, to restore law to the land. There will be sacrifices, Maskan, to reach that goal. Perhaps we shall hang a real female criminal in her stead. I am sure we will find one.’

‘Life is cheap, Lord. We are no better, then,’ I said, my mouth sour. ‘No better. We will see Crec on the throne, and there is no justice in that. And we will hang people who have not been judged.’

He squinted his eyes at me. ‘Are you saying I am like Morag Danegell? Evil?’

I stood there and did not know what to say. ‘I do not know. But Crec is. And Gal. And—’

‘You will be head of one of the Nine Houses. You will have great power. You will be the Lord of the Harbor and master of merchants, and you will oversee executions. You can show your mettle then, and I hope you keep your innocence, boy.’

He was right, I had not thought of that. ‘I—’

‘Doubts are healthy, Maskan, for any man,’ he told me. ‘I will deal with this Gal’s situation now. It will be difficult. Risky even. I am not sure if it will ruin everything, what they just did, and what I must do now. But I won’t let him take my head after the king is gone. I’ll act. And it will be well. Trust me.’ He got up. ‘Now, I will have the house locked up. Stay inside this night. There is something afoot later.‘

‘I’m always inside here, Lord,’ I told him.

‘Be so this night especially,’ he told me grimly.

‘Yes, Lord’ I said. He had another plan. Gal and Crec had made a mistake.

He got up and nodded at me sagely. ‘Here, to our future, boy.’ He poured me red wine. ‘One week, Maskan. Be ready,’ he said and walked up the stairs. ‘Kill the bitch.’

‘Your mercenaries in place?’ I asked him.

He hesitated. ‘They are. They cost me a great deal,’ he said. ‘But it will all be repaid.’

‘How many are there?’

He shrugged. ‘Some two thousand? Half are already in the city. Disguised and hidden. You know where.’ He walked off, calling for a guard to lock the doors as he pulled his keys and handed them to him.

I drank down my wine and brooded in the dark.

The Butler Gray appeared and looked troubled.

‘Yes?’ I asked him as he stood there, his eyes glinting in the simmering light of the fire pit.

‘Lord Taram. And your Lord Sand,’ he said softly.

‘What of them?’

‘They are gone,’ he told me.

‘
W
hat happened?’ I asked him as we walked into the room.

‘Lord Sand. I saw him speaking with old lady Illastria.’ His voice was very disapproving. ‘Few speak to the lady. It’s forbidden, even. And after this? He left the hall. He sneaked after some men heading for the beach entrance, and he did not come back. They said he ran past them, and they let him go, for they were not sure if he was allowed to leave. I know he is your friend, Lord, and I was wondering if you know where he went?’

I shook my head. ‘Did he have anything with him?’

‘Odd, Lord, but he had a shovel,’ Gray informed me. ‘They are renovating in one of the wings, and he grabbed a tool from there.’

‘A shovel?’ I asked and then cursed. He was going to bury our family.

‘And Lord Taram,’ the Butler said, even more distressed. ‘Was reading a letter in your room.’

The letter. I had left it on the bed.

I rushed to the second floor, dashed into our room, and saw it was empty. I saw the letter, now stained, and crumbled in the corner. I rushed to it and picked it up. Then I read it. It was an official letter and in it, Balan listed all the terms of our deal. The coup of Seventh House, Shaduril. And what we were doing with whom. ‘I’ve risked all. Even Shaduril.’

The butler grunted. ‘I have known her all my life,’ he said sadly. ‘Lady Lith? I disdain of her. And what she did to you, just now, Lord. You will suffer for it. But sir, you must find your friend. Lord Taram looked furious. And he knows Sand left. He will want to hurt you. To punish you. And your friend is out there alone. I will tell Lord Balan, but perhaps you should find him?’

‘Taram would risk his father’s plans?’ I asked, terrified.

‘He … like the family, all obey Lord Balan. But occasionally, when Lord Balan is not present, they do not. I cannot explain it.’ He looked supremely bothered, his loyalty stretched.

‘Why are you helping me?’

‘Shaduril,’ he said. ‘She is like a child to me,’ he told me. ‘I’ve known her for forty years.’

‘I have to leave,’ I said, my mind whirling.

‘I would say that is accurate. You have to get your friend.’ He looked anxious, which was very unusual for the man.

‘Should I trust any one of them? Balan?’ I asked him. ‘He might be able to help with Taram.’

He hesitated and said nothing. I nodded, and he looked visibly relieved as he did not have to betray his master. ‘I can tell you the doors are all locked,’ he reminded me.

I cursed. I could take Balan’s face, perhaps, but dared not. ‘Who has the keys?’

‘Lord Balan,’ he said softly. ‘They are with him, and he is outside, dealing with the people who would leave. He has spares in his room.’

‘You cannot—’

‘No sir,’ he said, regretfully. ‘I will tell him everything later, but you have to—’

‘Stay here for thirty minutes.’

‘Why, sir?’ he asked me.

‘Do you have the keys to Balan’s work and bedchamber?’ I asked him. ‘For Shaduril. I am asking for her.’

He shuddered and shook his head. ‘The door is open. But there is a something ... worked into the heavy bar … ’ he began and went quiet. ‘Only a Blacktower can …’

I nodded at him, thinking. ‘I’ll be careful. Sit down while I tie you up. Just to make it look good. Is there a guard there?’

He nodded and gave a small smile. ‘There is one. And sir. You need not worry about him. The guard. His life does not matter. Ask him to lift that bar.’

‘No good?’ I asked, surprised by his lack of compassion.

‘He is beyond redemption. A thief and a murderer,’ Gray said, and I accepted it. Sacrifices, as Balan said, had to be made.

‘I’ll tie you up now. Undress,’ I said.

In a few minutes time, I walked out. I wore the butler’s leather shirt and woolen pants. And his face. I walked up the steps, stiff, arrogant as if I belonged there. My hand was bandaged, and I held it up, awkwardly. I went up the stairs and heard a clamor on the yard from the window. The guests were leaving. I walked up the steps and past the guard, a young man who was sniffling with cold. He nodded at me, his halberd dark in the shadows above him. The man’s eyes were glittering as he followed me.
Let him be truly beyond redemption,
I thought.

I got to Balan’s door and hesitated. It was indeed barred. There was the thick wooden bar blocking it, and I sensed not all was right with it. I held my hand awkwardly and hesitated. ‘You there.’

The guard nodded at me. ‘Yes, Gray?’

‘Can you help me with the door and the bar? My hand, you see,’ I indicated the heavy door. I looked and sounded bothered as if unused to asking for help.

‘Lord Balan does not like anyone in his rooms when he is not around, Gray,’ he said suspiciously, shifting from one leg to another.

‘I am not a thief, fool,’ I told him impatiently. ‘He waits in the yard, don’t you see? I am to fetch him a paper.’

‘But—’

I hissed in anger and turned to leave. My steps were clicking on the tiles, and I walked toward the staircase. ‘I’ll go ask him to fetch it himself, then.’

‘Wait, I’ll do it,’ the man said, his voice nervous. ‘Yea, I’ll do it!’ he added as I did not show any signs of stopping. I sighed, turned, and waved for the door.

‘The bar, if you please. I’ll take the responsibility,’ I told him and felt terribly sad for him.

He nodded, set his halberd aside, and walked to the door, his armor clanking. I watched him reach for the bar. ‘Better not get into trouble for this, Gray.’

‘We’ll see,’ I said, and he arched an eyebrow at me as he lifted the bar. ‘The little lord of ours makes it look so easy. Says only Blacktowers should do it, but this is not so heavy, is it? Í–’

There was no flash. No explosion. Nothing you might expect from a magical trap. I was not sure what kind of magic was placed on the wood, but it was deadly enough.

The guard shuddered. Then he fell on his back. He was still clutching the bar, but his armor was smoking, and I smelled burned flesh. I looked around to see if anyone had seen the commotion, but none had. I felt terribly sorry for the man and hesitated. I swallowed. ‘Murderer and a thief,’ I whispered to myself, hardening my soul. I stepped in and grabbed the handle to the room. I shuddered with fear, as I had not asked if there were other traps in there, but the handle felt very normal, and the door opened up.

I turned and grabbed the guard’s feet, careful not to disturb the bar and pulled the man as I went in. I entered the room, left the guard in the doorway, and pulled the door closed. I looked around, smelled the air, and it was musty. I walked around the room, wondering at the shadows and the books all the while keeping an eye on the famous book, which was still on the table. All the secrets of the past? I’d read it, should I have the time. I popped my head to Balan’s bedchamber. It was still as if frozen in time. Old flowers were hanging from a vase; remains of a dinner were forgotten on the table. The bed was dusty and the sheets stained. He did not sleep there.

I walked to his desk and opened up the drawers. There was clutter. I saw simple silver coins, some small crystals, bits of iron, and some strange gummy substance. It was like a pocket of a child. Then I found the drawer, which clinked and clanked as I drew it open. There, keys. Lots and lots of keys. Old and new keys, Black and white, and … red. There was the key to the downstairs door; the route Sand had taken. I grabbed it, gathering determination. I noticed some of the Blacktower pendants at the end of the drawer, and took one, thanking the gods for small favors. Then I hesitated as I looked at the ancient book. I grabbed it, prayed to the gods again, and took it. No traps. I was alive, and I was a thief again. I dropped the thing in a leather bag set on the floor next to the table and walked out, calmly. I walked to my room, smiled at Gray, who did not ask questions and thanked him with a bow. ‘For your teaching and kindness, I thank you.’

‘I have a heart, no matter what you will think,’ he answered and went on his way after I let him go.

I let my face change again, this time to Taram’s. I felt revulsion as I touched it, but it would have to do. I went to the downstairs door, smiled at the guards, walked down the dark stairway, and looked around. None challenged me. I opened the door and walked to the beach. I heard commotion and bustle as far above the party was leaving slowly. I ran down the beach and climbed our usual route of misery. I dodged from shadow to shadow, wondering what to do next. I needed a horse. I could not get one in the Crimson Apex. I saw the lights of the larger village, named Kintarra, of High Hold, near the Broken Crown Way, and ran that way. It took half an hour, and I was lathered with sweat as I got there. I looked around, saw the large tavern and a stable next to it. I gathered myself and lifted my chin, walked to the stables and noticed men who came out to meet me. One hesitated, his eyes grew large. He grabbed his felt hat and bowed deep. ‘My lord!’

‘Saddle a horse, boy,’ I told a mop-haired stable hand. ‘I will return it later.’

‘Lord, you passed this way not long ago. What happened to the other one?’ he asked and blanched, as I looked at him furiously. ‘Yes, my lord.’

I waited while they made a horse ready and noticed there was a lot of commotion in the tavern. People were running inside; maids were asking for instructions. ‘What is going on in there?’ I asked them.

‘Ah! Lords Helstrom and Talin will stay in the tavern for the night. There is a storm brewing and the Maiden’s Moon is famous for good ale and entertainment. Lord Balan, your father, paid for the whole establishment.’ I grunted and fingered Larkgrin, which was in my pocket.

‘Storm brewing?’ I asked.

‘I do not know,’ said the felt hat. ‘That is what she told me. Your sister.’

‘Lith?’ I half wondered.

‘No,’ he answered, looking confused.

So did I, no doubt, but I decided I had no time to think about it. I shook my head. ‘Hurry up.’ And they did. I was not an expert rider, but I doubted anyone would pay attention to me in the night. I mounted the horse, adjusted the stirrups, and whipped the beast. I dodged men at the village gates and did not look back.

Damned idiot
, I told myself repeatedly though I was unsure if I meant Sand or myself. I should have told him everything. But Shaduril and perhaps Balan’s promises had made me forget him. Sand had undoubtedly gone to bury our family. Perhaps he was on foot.

I rode into the darkness and left Kintarra behind. The horse was uncertain of the way, but I saw a glimpse of someone riding the Broken Crown Way, which was not too far to the East, and I whipped the horse through the fields and small wooded hills to get there. I found it and took the way to the East. The Three Sisters were shining high in the sky, lighting the land enough to see the way. I dared not leave the road, rode through a smaller village, dodged some corrals full of startled poultry and the fox that had been slavering over them, passed a white façade of a local tavern where men were bustling and rode for the East without looking back. A road sign showed the direction of Dagnar, and I kept on the road and whipped the horse like crazy.

After two hours of this, I saw the lights of the Dagger Hill, Dagnar’s many splendid towers, and walls, and then I saw the familiar game trails that led north. There was the usual way stop with spare horses as well. I began to find my way towards the Wooded Blight, tentatively, for I did not wish to get lost. Surely, I would get to the Green Hall before Sand. Unless he had stolen a horse.

I found the remains of the Green Hall. It was a burnt down husk of past glories, the many-roomed cozy hall of a robber baron. It was our hideout, but only a memory now. With apprehension, I saw there was a lathered horse in the corner of the hall, tied to a burnt timber. I rode that way, cursing softly, calming my horse with gentle strokes, and I hoped it would not make a sound. I dismounted, left the beast there and rounded the corner carefully, holding Larkgrin in my palm.

The tree was empty. There were ropes hanging down it. All had been cut.

And Sand was on his knee before a large mound, sobbing.

I approached and stepped on a twig, and he twirled around and pulled his scimitar. He saw me and stared at my face, and I cursed and took my own. He nodded carefully, still unsure if I was welcome, but I walked over anyway. We stared at the mound for a long time. A stench wafted up from it, rotten meat mixing with mud and grit. ‘Gods. He never smelled like roses,’ Sand whispered. ‘But this is just terrible.’

I snorted, and he did as well. We chuckled and wiped our faces as we took steps back. I pushed him. ‘I am sorry.’

‘You should be sorry,’ he whispered. ‘You treated me like vermin.’

‘I should have told you about the deal I made with Balan. He did not trust you. But I should have. And I did. Sort of. I did not think. I failed.’

‘You have grown proud as shit,’ he told me. ‘They dangled this new life before your eyes, like a piece of fresh meat for a starving wolf, and you jumped.’

‘I jumped,’ I agreed. ‘I mainly jumped for Shaduril. I will jump still, to kill the king and to save her, as well as to keep our oath. But I won’t forget us. Not again. Nor will I abandon you. I don’t know what my future holds. But you are part of it.’