A Roll of the Die - 1. Inception
Copyright© 2026 by Michael Loucks
Chapter 12: Day 12
WARNING — This chapter contains descriptions of torture. I will mark the section so you may skip it, if you wish.
"Holy God!" Miri groaned at first light the next morning.
"I think you mean 'holy gods'," Matthias chuckled.
"There is no way I can give that potion to Robert as a maiden!"
"I'm curious..."
"I'll use the same ruse Karla used with Brandon and play innocent. I'll let Robert lead, and just follow along as if I were inexperienced. I would suggest not using the potion for your wedding night; you don't want to scare the poor girl!"
"True," Matthias agreed.
"We need to visit my future father-in-law this morning," Miri said.
"And take Zoë with us," Matthias added.
"No qualms about Kranos?"
"Not as Matthew or Matthias. For Matthias, he's a mortal enemy; for Matthew, well, he repeatedly raped a thirteen-year-old girl! I understand the master/servant thing in Nystria, but Zoë was sold to him as a sex slave!"
"I agree. And the killing we've done?"
"Matthias and Miri would have no second thoughts. Once I accepted Katherine's offer, I was committed. My ethics and morals are now Matthias' ethics and morals, not Matthew's. For you, Miri is you; or you are Miri, however you want to say it."
"An interesting insight," Miri observed.
"That's why it was easier for you to accept what had happened and adapt. Matthias was just a fun diversion for me in the Real World. It took me some time to understand he was what I should be. What I realize now is you always wanted to be Miri."
"You're right," Miri agreed. "Promise to bring the potion when we have a chance to be together in the future."
"I promise!"
Miri smiled, then kissed him softly.
🎲🎲🎲
"As amazing as the first night!" Karla declared as she and Brandon rose from his bed after a night of passion.
"What would it take for a pledge?" Brandon asked.
"The secret of how to get into the Razor Claw headquarters."
"You're joking! You're a member! You know Pavel would kill me if I revealed that!"
"You're already dead," Karla replied. "I'm in the employ of the Lord Mayor, and you helped me infiltrate the Razor Claws."
"You bitch!" he growled.
"I also received a guarantee of your safety if you coöperate. If not, you'll die with the others."
"And if I kill you now?"
"You can certainly try," Karla said confidently while picking up her Razor Claw dagger.
Brandon turned to retrieve his own dagger and was shocked to find only an empty scabbard.
"Your weapons were removed while I was drinking from your fountain last night. You were too distracted to notice my confederate removing them. What's it going to be? Live or die?"
🎲🎲🎲
After breakfast, the band — except for Karla — escorted Zoë to an audience with the Lord Mayor, where she gave a statement about what Kranos had done to her. A scribe took down her words, and when she finished, read them back.
"Will you repeat this before the Court today and swear to it?" the Lord Mayor asked.
"Yes, my Lord," Zoë replied.
"Appear at the Court mid-afternoon."
"Yes, my Lord."
The band took their leave, and all but Matthias returned to Langford Manor. Matthias, instead of returning with them, paid a visit to Lilia for tea and cakes.
"Tomorrow afternoon we shall be wed!" Lilia declared. "Even more importantly, tomorrow evening we shall share a bed, something we will do for the rest of our lives!"
"What will you do when I am away?"
"Pine for you! Of course, when we have babies, I'll spend time caring for them. How many children do you want?"
"As many as will make you happy!"
"Two boys and two girls would be nice," Lilia replied.
"One of my friends is an alchemist. Perhaps she has a potion that can ensure that."
"That would make me very happy, and would please my father. What of your family? Will they attend the wedding? I know nothing of them."
"They died in a fire just before I completed my sixteenth year, which was when I set out to adventure with my friends."
"Oh!" Lilia gasped. "I'm so sorry!"
"It was long enough ago that I have come to terms with it."
"Is there no one else?"
"An uncle who lives in Scotia with his family, but I have not seen him in ten years."
When they finished their tea and cakes, Matthias asked to see Tranos, so Lilia escorted him to her father's office. She left, and Matthias elected to simply report the truth.
"And," he concluded, "we'll recover the device soon."
Tranos frowned, "You should have brought the device directly to me."
"We had orders from the Lord Mayor to infiltrate the Razor Claws, which we've done. We always intended to recover the device. We also discovered how to use it, something we likely would not have been able to do if we had kept it. Please trust us to deliver it to you."
"See that you do! I will see you tomorrow at the sixth hour past mid-day in the Great Hall of the Keep."
"I am very much looking forward to it!"
🎲🎲🎲
"You're sure the Lord Mayor will keep his word?" Brandon asked.
"He made the promise to Miri, his future daughter-in-law, that you would not be executed or imprisoned if you helped us into the headquarters."
"It would appear I do not have a choice."
"You do not," Karla said firmly. "If you're considering a double-cross, know that there is incontrovertible evidence of the Razor Claws' involvement in the murder of Prince Alfred. Your deal with the City Guard will be void, and they will kill any Razor Claw on sight, as well as pay bounties to any other person who kills one. Go about your business until we are ready, and remember — a double-cross means a painful death."
"I want you as my price," Brandon declared.
"I am a free woman."
"Then you can freely pledge yourself to me."
"You are in no position to make any demands. If you persist, I'll kill you now, and we'll solve the puzzle ourselves."
"I believe I'm dead either way. Come at me and see what happens!"
Brandon was naked, and on the other side of the bed, but Karla had no intention of fighting hand-to-hand with the much larger, much stronger man. Instead, she reached back and picked up a small, loaded crossbow, swung it around, and pulled the trigger.
Brandon grunted when the small bolt penetrated the center of his chest. He began moving as Karla quickly cocked the crossbow and loaded a bolt. She fired just before he reached her, striking his groin, her intended target. Brandon screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, clutching his now transfixed plough. Karla calmly reloaded the crossbow and fired a third bolt, striking Brandon's throat and ending his life.
🎲🎲🎲
Back at Langford Manor, Milos supervised Lucas' strength and endurance training, noting that the boy had the build of a ranger or rogue, not of someone who could wield a broadsword and shield. Lucas was still young, so that might change, but Milos strongly suspected Lucas would be wiry, not broad-shouldered. His cousin, Stefan, on the other hand, took after his father and would make an excellent page and squire once the time came, assuming his father was willing.
Milos intended to depart for Haven immediately following Matthias' wedding to Lilia, which would set in motion the penultimate part of the Lord Mayor's plan — the elimination of the Razor Claws. Milos was convinced there was a knighthood in it for him, and he had no compunction about ensuring the death of a king who had often terrorized his own people and who taxed them into poverty.
"Milos," Karla called out breathlessly as she ran up to him. "We have a problem."
"What problem?" he asked.
"Brandon chose death over coöperation. You must ride for Haven immediately!"
"Where is he?"
"He lies dead in his home over a cloth shop, with three small crossbow bolts in him. He will be discovered at some point today. I have his crest; take it as further proof of their complicity in the conspiracy."
"I would likely miss Matthias' wedding."
"It can't be helped. The Razor Claws will certainly suspect me and come at me and the others in our band with vengeance."
Milos considered and nodded, "I'll be off immediately."
Karla handed him the crest, and he called Lucas to help ready the horse while he gathered his pack and supplies. Karla followed Milos into the house so she could inform Tristan, Lisette, and Miri about what had happened. The four of them agreed to a plan to stand watch at the Compound. Matthias arrived a short time later, and Karla filled him in on what had happened.
"We should approach Marcus," Matthias suggested. "If he takes a deal, that solves the problem. If not, then we'll have killed both lieutenants, which will make the challenge for Pavel that much greater, and he might choose to escape with his life."
"What if he takes the device with him?" Miri asked.
"Then we hunt him down and take it from him!" Matthias declared. "If we are going to visit Marcus, it has to be before Brandon's body is discovered."
"Marcus will never agree to betray Pavel," Karla declared, shaking her head.
"Then he dies," Tristan declared.
🎲🎲🎲
Milos rode at a gallop for fifteen minutes to put some distance between himself and Fulham, then slowed to a canter, a pace which his horse could sustain, so long as he stopped to allow him to drink and eat. Milos had oats and carrots to sustain his mount, as well as hardtack and dried beef for himself. He kept a pace sufficient to bring him to Haven after the Commander of the King's Guard was hanged, as freeing him would impede the plans of the Lord Mayor.
🎲🎲🎲
Tristan, Karla, Matthias, and Miri left the Compound, believing the risk of an attack was low so long as Brandon's body had not been discovered. They headed for Fulham and then made their way to the East Nystria Trading Company at the docks. Karla, Miri, and Matthias entered together, leaving Tristan to stand watch outside.
"You're late!" Marcus declared. "Did Brandon wear you out?"
"He did," Karla replied. "And then I killed him."
"What?!" Marcus growled in surprise.
"He had the same choice you now do," Karla said, drawing her dagger as Matthias drew his rapier and Miri readied a paralysis spell. "Reveal how the mechanism to enter the headquarters is operated or die; your choice."
"Never!" Marcus growled, drawing his sword.
Before he could move around the desk, Miri cast the paralysis spell, causing Marcus to stop mid-stride and fall to the ground, conscious but unable to move. Karla advanced on his prone body.
"You chose poorly," she said.
===== Caution =====
"Now you pay the ultimate price," she continued, sliding the dagger into Marcus' belly and twisting hard.
Marcus groaned in agony, but could not move as he slowly bled to death. Karla relieved him of his dagger and picked up the sword he had dropped. Marcus was wearing a tunic with the crest of the East Nystria Trading Company, so they wouldn't be able to claim the reward for the crest. She removed keys from Marcus' pouch, leaving everything else, then stood over him for several minutes.
The paralysis spell faded, and Marcus tried to move his hands to staunch the flow of blood, but Karla pushed her dagger into each shoulder just below the collar bone, twisting it each time, inflicting intense pain and severing nerves.
"Enough, Karla," Matthias said. "Put him out of his misery and end his agony."
Karla hesitated for a moment, then nodded and drew her dagger across Marcus' exposed throat, severing the great blood vessels and ending his life.
===== End Caution =====
"Why torture him?" Miri asked.
"Because I couldn't torture Brandon sufficiently," Karla replied.
"That doesn't make it right," Matthias said quietly.
"No," Karla agreed, "but it makes it done."
"We should report their deaths to the Lord Mayor," Matthias suggested.
The others agreed, so they left the shop and, together with Tristan, headed to the Keep, where they were granted an immediate audience with the Lord Mayor.
"Pavel's top two lieutenants are dead," Miri reported to her future father-in-law. "Unfortunately, neither revealed the secret of how to enter the headquarters. That said, we know where it is, and with time, we might solve the puzzle."
"I will inform the City Guard, and we'll begin to root them out," Lord Mayor Edward said.
"Please give us one hour to attempt to make Pavel see the light," Karla requested.
"Permanent banishment or death," the Lord Mayor declared. "He will be killed on sight if he ever returns to Nystria."
The quartet left the Keep, and Karla led them to the alley behind Hantain's smithy. Karla used Marcus' key to enter, but Pavel was not there.
"Tristan and I will wait here," Karla said. "Matthias and Miri should return to the Compound."
All four agreed, and Matthias and Miri departed. Karla and Tristan only had to wait about twenty minutes before Pavel arrived.
"IT WAS YOU!" he growled, drawing his sword.
Karla raised her bow, which already had an arrow nocked, while Tristan stood ready with his sword.
"It was," she agreed. "Your choice is to die or tell us how to enter the headquarters and retrieve the device. Coöperate and we'll allow you to leave with as much gold and as many gems as you can carry. You'll be banished from Nystria for life, but you'll be alive and rich."
"Don't move from that spot," Tristan warned as Pavel took a step forward. "Make your decision, or we'll make it for you. Karla's arrows always fly true, and my sword always draws blood."
"How do I know that I can trust you?" Pavel asked.
"Your alternative is immediate death," Karla said firmly, drawing her bowstring and aiming at Pavel's heart.
"A shrewd negotiating tactic," Pavel said. "I clearly allowed Brandon's lust for you to cause me to make a grave error in judgment."
"Decide," Tristan ordered.
"I accept your offer of as much gold and as many gems as I can carry," Pavel said. "But you must guarantee my safety."
"We'll escort you to the docks and see you safely aboard a ship, remaining until the ship departs to ensure no one harms you."
"Then we have a deal."
"Who was the buyer of the device?" Karla asked.
"Kelvin, in Haven."
"It would have done him no good without the control device."
"I would have been paid either way," Pavel replied.
"Now you have the entire Razor Claw vault to choose from. All members of the Guild will be dead within days, if not hours. Lay down all your weapons and let's go to the vault."
Pavel disarmed, and Karla eased the tension on her bow. She stowed it, then drew a dagger while Tristan kept his sword ready. Pavel led them through the sewers and to the puzzle room. He showed Karla the secret switches and how to move the levers to cause the floor to move downwards, sideways, and upwards, into the headquarters room, which had no obvious exits.
"How would you get in and out if the mechanism failed?" Karla inquired.
"About two miles north of the northeast corner of the city walls is a small cave. At the back of the cave, covered with dirt, is a trap door. The same key that opens the door in the wall by the smithy also opens it. Attempt to open it in any way without the key, and the cave fills instantly with acid spray; a rockfall then blocks the entrance.
"Go through the trap door and follow the passage. You'll come to a small room with five chains and two levers. Pull chain 1, move the left lever, then pull chains 4 and 5 simultaneously. Finally, move the right lever, and push on the wall. It will swing open and you would enter beside the oil lamp directly across from us."
"And the trap?" she asked after making notes in a small notebook.
"Making any mistakes will fill the room and tunnel with acid spray, and a rockfall will block the exit."
"And to reset it?"
"Simply close the door that allows entry to this main chamber. To open it from inside, use the same key I mentioned. The keyway is behind the oil lamp; lift the base to reveal it."
"Get what you want and can carry from the vault, and turn over the device," Karla commanded.
Pavel went to a well to the right, twisted a brass fixture, and inserted a key. He then moved to an identical brass fixture and did the same, inserting a second key.
"The keys need to be turned at the same time," Pavel declared. "Failing to do so will make the mechanism inoperable for twenty-four hours."
Karla moved to the first key, and on Pavel's count, they each turned their key. She heard a loud click and looked to Pavel for what to do next.
"Remove the key and twist the fixture to the left on my count."
Once again, Karla complied, and she heard the metallic clanking of a mechanism. Pavel stepped towards Karla, pushed in a brick, and the door swung open. He entered the vault and quickly filled a large bag with gems and a smaller one with gold, which made sense to Karla, given the relative weights to value of gems and gold. Pavel filled his pockets with silver, then stepped out of the vault.
"I want a few documents and some tools," he said.
"Go ahead."
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