Chapter 9

Aco arrived at the old inner walls eastern gate at one hour before the sun would set. The man she had met and talked with earlier that day was waiting for her. He glanced at the shadows and nodded in satisfaction. “Good, you at least are prompt. Come, we have a party to attend, and ruin from what is coming from my contacts inside.”

“He has been informed?” said Aco. She followed him, keeping a close eye on the route in case she needed a way out in a hurry. Aco was certain he wasn’t telling her everything she needed to know about this party she was to attend.

“Oh yes, he was informed. The Chamberlain heard about his debts and ordered him to pay up, before the party. He has refused, claiming to not have the needed coin.” He smiled at Aco, “Miss Aco, you may call me Bruce for the evening.”

“Just Aco please, never was a Miss, and never will be.” She side-stepped a garbage pile and continued, “So what will the plan be if he doesn’t have the money to pay the debt off?”

“Well, I did mention the wife and four lovers. It will be fun when that blows up. One of them is his wife’s little sister,” He said this with a touch of malicious glee.”

“I may not be needed at all, at least not for any blood to be shed. Their claws will be more than enough.” Aco couldn’t wait to see this blow-up.

“Oh, that is the least of the trouble he will have Aco. Another is the Chamberlains Niece. She is only sixteen, so on the young side.”

“Is she good looking?”

“She has a dozen suitors trying to gain her attention, and it isn’t just her family’s position that has them fighting for her attention. Two duels have already been fought over her at last word.”

“I may just find a quiet alcove to watch the fun. Who are the other two?” Aco was grinning under her mask even though it caused her pain to do so.

“Well, the last two will cause issues to explode all over the city when it breaks. One is the wife of the head of the largest banking consortium in the region. The other the wife of the head of the trader’s consortium.” He was frowning now, “ The last one is the one that has the Guild leadership and the Brotherhood worried.”

“Why would that bother the Assassins?” Aco shivered. A sudden chill washed over her and a faint whisper ran through her head, “He is one of my Priest,” Whispered her cold voice. Aco stumbled and sagged to her knees in pain and shock.

Bruce stopped then helped her back to her feet. “She talked directly to you too. Her message was less than pleasant. The Lady wants the wife and Under minister punished, not her priest. He is a good man and doesn’t deserve the hurt he is about to receive.”

“Then we need to keep her away from the battle and hope she can be convinced to keep her legs closed to all but her husband.” Aco was shivering. Anytime one of the powers spoke to a mortal, it was never a good thing, at least not for the mortal involved.

He stopped and looked at Aco, “She will be the least of our problems. It will be the sister if she is there as well.”

“Why the sister? I can see that Breana would be upset, but how can the younger of the pair be the biggest threat?” asked Aco as they continued towards the castle.

Bruce stopped and faced Aco. He stepped back as she had put on the frown and held herself ready to fight should the need arise. “Aco, that woman has left a trail of bodies to get where she is, and she will kill her sister when she feels the time is right. You may end up killing her just to keep things from exploding in our faces.”

“Oh, now I have to kill for the guild, I avoid killing if I can, you should already know that. If I draw my claws, the price goes up, way up.” She pulled off the mask and stared bare-faced into his eyes. She could tell he had gone pale on seeing her ravaged face. “I will kill, but only as a last resort. The Lady is watching and will be greatly displeased if anything happens to Fellina, so she must be kept out of this as much as possible.”

“That’s why you stumbled, she spoke to you. Very well, I understand. I will have a few of our folks on the inside try to edge her away as much as we can.” He started walking again, “And Aco, please put on your face.”

They remained silent the rest of the way to the gates that supplied one of two ways to get into the castle grounds as far as the guards were concerned. They did know the sewers could be used, but it would require the cutting of steel bars that blocked the tunnels just under the outer castle walls. Bruce handed over the invitations to the guard at the gate who looked them over. He smiled and welcomed them to the ball Lady Archerd was throwing to celebrate her husband’s rise to the throne forty-five-years previous. She did not have a clue that tonight was going to get interesting in a hurry.

Once inside the gates, Bruce relaxed as Aco continued to follow him. She had slipped on her most neutral mask and pulled her hood closer around her head. She felt as if she was being watched from above and didn’t like it in the least. At the entrance to the ballroom, Aco paused and looked around, then up. That is when she spotted the guards on the walls. A dozen were in plain sight, all armed with crossbows that were loaded and ready to fire should the need arise. Seeing them eased her sense of worry, but not completely. The feeling of eyes on her from elsewhere persisted. Once inside, most of the feeling faded away entirely. It was replaced by the eyes of those already inside the ballroom. Most just glanced at them and went back to what they were doing. One woman though kept looking at them, her more than Bruce from the way the eyes followed Aco around the room.

The woman was wearing a fine gown of well-woven cotton and silk judging by the way the cloth shimmered in the light of the hall. The lighting was all lanterns and candles. A small crew of boys could be seen off to one side of the hall. They had ladders and long wicks to relight any that might go out. A long table across from the boys was loaded with food and drink. Nobody was yet taking anything from it as the party had not yet gotten into full swing.

Aco made her way around the room, slowly making her way to the woman that continued to watch her. Aco slowly made her way around the room to pause by the woman. Aco could now see she was much older. A small staff she carried turned out to by a small scepter carried by the Princess. The woman had watched as Aco approached, and a guard moved up the stand by her. She said something Aco couldn’t hear over the talking of the other guest and the guard moved off a short distance but kept his eyes firmly on Aco. The Princess smiled and gestured for Aco to join her on the low dais. Aco stepped up and stood next to the woman, waiting for her to speak first.

“No greetings for an old friend Aco?”

“My apologies Your Majesty. I did not expect to see you here for such a low-level gathering.” She looked over and down at the old woman, “I would have greeted you, but I am here on business tonight.” She saw the old woman slump a little, “I will do my best to avoid bloodshed. It will be up to those I am here to see that determine that outcome.”

“Might I ask what it is you are here for then?” asked the princess.

“I had planned to lay low while in town, but one of the functionaries owes a large sum of money in gambling debts and the thieves heard I was here and hired me to assist in collecting from him.”

Now the wife of the prince turned and looked at Aco, “Who is it that has screwed up so badly this time, though I can probably make a good guess.”

Aco sighed and looked out over the growing crowd. She spotted Bruce and made a few hand gestures. He replied and she told her. “Manfred Orolson.”

“Under-Minister of trade. Oh, that just makes my night so much more fun. He has more than gambling debts to worry about. His wife has gotten wind of his philandering, and I think Mansure has as well.”

“Then I need to get to him first to collect before the others kill him,” said Aco. “If you don’t mind, I have to go to work now.” Aco gave a short bow, stepped down then went straight to Bruce. “We need to get to the idiot now. His wife and Mansure have both heard rumors of his other proclivities.”

Bruce nodded and pointed at a man that did not fit Aco’s image she had of him. She figured he would be a smaller man, not the best looking. Instead, this Manfred was a small giant and had looks that made even her heart go thump. She shook her head and decided he needed a good ass-kicking to bring him down. The woman at his side was his wife, and a smaller woman behind them looked very much like her, but a few years younger. ‘That has to be the sister,’ she thought. As she watched, the younger kept looking around as if she were searching for something, or more likely, someone. Aco decided that she needed to get him away from the upcoming fight between the sisters. As she closed in on Manfred, another woman entered, spotted him, and marched over to confront him. Aco made it just before her. “Mr. Orolson, may I have a few moments of your time?” She had switched to the dragon and looked up at him. He saw the mask and turn bone white as terror gripped him. “I will return your husband shortly, in one piece even, should he cooperate.” She grabbed his elbow and started to lead him away. “Oh yes, you need to talk to your sister about messing around with men that don’t belong to her.” She felt Manfred freeze and she gave another sharp tug to get him moving.

Aco looked around and spotted Bruce by a curtained door. She pulled her client through and pulled the curtain closed.

He stood frozen in place, he saw Bruce and knew what was happening. It was time to pay up or else. He was dead now anyway. They heard a woman scream and things began hitting the floor as the fight between the sisters began. “Now Mr. Orolson, it is time to pay. You have one day to come up with the money owed, or I will be paying you another visit.” Aco paused and had an evil thought, “ Rather than killing you, I will bring very serious harm to your wife and each of your lovers. One for each day you fail to pay. Am I clear Manfred Orolson?” She hissed this last in his ear. She could smell he had just pissed his pants.

He didn’t get a chance to reply when the curtain was pulled back and the woman that had been approaching him stormed in. Aco could tell from the looks, this was Angeleia Sternoff. “You flying bastard, I should cut off your manhood. Have you any clue too what being discrete means? My husband was told of my being with you and then you bragged about having your way with me to your drinking friends.” She hauled off and slapped him hard enough he was pushed back into the wall behind him. Angeleia looked around took a good look at Aco. Aco had changed to a friendly smile and waited for the angry woman to notice her. Bruce had decided cowardice was a wise choice and disappeared down the corridor. “As for you,” she snarled at Aco, “Beware his charms, or you too will find yourself betrayed by this stupid fool.”

She had started to turn back to the curtain that had closed part way when it flew open again. Angeleia had just turned a started to leave when it opened. A somewhat mussed wife, followed by a seriously bruised and beaten little Cassia close behind. “There you are!” she screamed. She looked at Angeleia and snarled, “Out of my way, you old cow.” Angeleia was not the sort to allow such an insult to go unanswered.

“Old cow? At least I have to ability to keep a man pleased enough that he doesn’t need to sneak around on me.” She smirked at Breana and Cassia. “You needed your sister to help you? How pathetic.”

Breana and Cassia both charged Angeleia, hands up like claws. Aco grabbed Manfred and pulled him out of the way and out of the corridor back into the ballroom. “I strongly urge you to get the money tonight, pay off the debts then run like hell, because here comes three and four for your hide.” Manfred saw Fellina and Mansure coming across the ballroom towards him. Rafard Mansure had a dagger out, as did Fellina. Both wanted blood and he was the donor. He saw Cinthia across the room being held in place by her mother. The girl was in a robe reserved for girls being sent to a convent type school to keep her out of trouble.

“Manfred Orolson,” snarled Rafard, “We need to have a little chat about some missing coin from the treasury, and my daughter. I always wanted grandchildren, but not from the likes of you.” Breana managed to escape the pitched catfight in the hall and came back out to track down her husband so she could remove his reason for living. She heard that remark and froze in place. She saw who was standing next to Rafard. This was a woman that she did not want to be on the bad side of. Her husband was at the door, staring daggers and Manfred. Several men in black cloaks were lined up behind him. Several more now covered every room in the hall.

Aco looked around and decided this need to be cooled down before real blood was shed over this fool. She flipped back to dragon mode, slipped her claws out, allowing her cloak and robe to fall to the floor. “Silence!” She screamed. “Anybody not directly involved in this fight, leave now.” She noticed that everybody moved to the walls to see the coming entertainment. Every black-cloaked person that had come in with Ambosa froze. Only one spoke, “Oh.” was all he said.

The members of the brotherhood knew exactly who they were facing and didn’t want to have anything to do with her. “Claw, we have no quarrel with you,” said Ambosa.

“Until Manfred here pays the money he owes, well, we do have a problem then,” she said in a silky low voice. “And if you think for one second any of these children can take me, I will be happy to send them to her ladyship. She wanted this taken care of quietly, and I think you are well aware of that.”

He sagged, “Return to the temple.” The men in black vanished as quickly as they had appeared. “Yes, she did inform me that the matter was being dealt with, but he dishonored my wife and myself with his actions. He will pay for them, one way or another.”

The curtain scraped open behind her and the two women, both with torn dresses, scratched arm’s and faces staggered out. Before they could charge, Bruce made an appearance and stepped in front of them. He kept them from charging. Rafard stepped up to Aco who still had her claws out and was waiting in a fighter’s crouch. “So you’re the mythical Claw.” He looked her up and down, “I expected somebody larger.” He said this with a tone that was meant to piss her off, and it did. He turned to Manfred, “You sir are in trouble. You took five hundred Plat royals from the treasury.” He stepped closer and nudged Aco aside. He looked at her, “We will discuss this after this matter is settled.” He turned back to Manfred, “Now Manfred, I know you like to gamble and womanize, but my daughter?” He put his left arm over Manfred’s shoulder, “Manfred, Manfred. I am truly disappointed in you. Breana is a loving woman and you ran around on her. Tut tut.” He pulled Manfred off to one side. “I must admit, you do have excellent taste in woman, but the wife of a Brotherhood priest?” He led Manfred off to the other side of the hall until he was near the princess. He noted that Aco had moved near to Ambosa, waiting to see how this played out. Rafard smiled. He knew this would be messy, but he didn’t care, his daughter had been defiled by this man and He. Would. Pay.

Aco sensed the movement behind her but was a second too slow in reacting. All the doors slammed shut, trapping them inside. The doors on the overhead balcony opened and guards, all armed with loaded crossbows ran out to hold everybody for capture. The princess who had been watching up to this point in mild amusement saw it was about to turn bloody as hell and could get her royal self killed.

“HALT!” Her voice rang out and everybody froze long enough to realize that she was not amused. “Aco, stand down, put on the robe and cloak. Your services will no longer be required to settle this matter. Bruce, see the disbursement teller, we will cover fifty percent of the debt owed, and you will be satisfied with that amount.” Bruce nodded, one did not piss off the woman that can order, ‘off with your head,’ and get away with it. “Rafard, send the guards back their post.” The extra guards didn’t wait, they vanished as quickly as they had come. Aco watched as the guards went out the doors, but worried when the doors did not close. She turned away for a few seconds and that was all it took for things to go wrong. Men in uniforms not of the royal house charged on to the balcony, knocking the on-duty guards aside and lifted heavy crossbows, aiming at the guest on the floor. Aco dove at the princess to protect her from a direct hit. She heard the clack of a crossbow firing. The bolt that hit the floor was not normal in any way. Rather than being a steel tip, it had a ball on the end that was covered in leather. She had never seen a bolt of that sort before, so didn’t react fast enough when several more fired. She felt something hit her in the lower back and it briefly paralyzed her, she heard another fire and her lights went out.

Robin dodged around another dark corner, just evading capture by the men that had been chasing her for over an hour. She wanted to reach the Flop, grab her stuff and get out of Terin’s Crossing as fast as she could. What she had heard at the Broken Wheel while she sang in the tavern scared her. The Eastern realm was about to break away from the Kingdom. It wouldn’t be a peaceful breaking either. She had tried to leave to warn Aco. She may be running into a trap, but several men in the strange livery had tried to block her way. She did manage to get out of the stable doors before they could be blocked, leaving one with an arm that would need sewing up, but she had been on the run ever since. ‘I need to get off the streets,’ she thought. Looking around, a trellis with climbing vines went all the way to the rooftops. She scaled it, silently thanking Aco for all the gymnastic training she had given her over the last few months.

Once on the rooftop, she found a deeply shadowed gable that she could rest in for a few minutes. She hadn’t even gotten seated when a boy’s voice whispered, “They are bringing dogs soon, you need to keep moving singer.”

Robin almost jumped over the edge when he spoke from the darkness. When she had her heart back where it belonged, “Any suggestions kid?”

“Your other friend, the girl is staying in the Rusty Shovel. She was hired, so she may be able to hide you,” he whispered.

“Which way from here?”

“You will need to cross four rooftops south, then go to the street to reach it.”

“That close? Good. Thanks, kid, you serve your guild well.” Robin stepped to the edge and looked out over the street. She spotted another gable that stood out further and had a matching set directly across from it. She did as Aco had been teaching her in leaping long distances. Speed was important, and hitting the launch point to get the best distance. She suspected that rooftop travel was fairly common. She tried to stay low as she made it to the sharp crown of the roof. She stood on it, looking at the point she would leap from then stepped out. She quickly had more speed than she planned for thanks to gravity. She still managed to hit the spot and push off with all her might. She silently flew across the gap over the street and landed on the next building. Rather than stopping, she continued on up the next roof to the top. She saw that the gable’s here matched, so she continued on, clearing her way to the second building. This held until she hit a flat rooftop. Looking around, she saw what she thought was the Inn she wanted a few buildings down. Looking up she could see why she was told she would need to return to the street. The rooftops were too high for her to reach. Getting down on her hands and knees, she crawled to the edge in the direction she needed to go and peered over the edge. She didn’t see any men in uniform but did see what she thought was a person in the shadows across from her. She pulled back and thought about this. She needed to get down and move quickly if she was to avoid capture. What she wanted to know is why they were after her?

She crawled around the roof, looking over each side. One side was a narrow alley that was pitch black. She did see what might have once been a ladder from the ground to the roof, but most of it was gone from rot. Robin waited and listened. It was the barking of the dogs in the direction she had come from that decided matters for her. She leaped across the narrow gap over the alley and looked down again. Now she spotted what she wanted, a clear space. She lowered herself over the ledge, holding on until she was fully extended. She took a breath, let it out then let go of the ledge. It was a three-story drop, so she allowed herself to fall back and roll with the impact to try and save her ankles. The drop and landing went perfectly. It was when she rolled that things went wrong. She had misjudged the distance to the other wall and the back of her head slammed into the far wall. She saw stars and was out of it for a few seconds. Shaking her head to try and get herself back in order, she stood carefully, checking to make sure her legs were not damaged. Her knees and ankles did complain about the abuse but held her weight. It was the world insisting on spinning in random directions that was causing her problems. Leaning on the wall, she made her way to the street that would get her to the Rusty Shovel. A thought struck her as she leaned on the wall. She started singing quietly in what she hoped sounded like a drunk attempting to make her way home.

A guard ran by her as she went still in a shadow under a door arch. Robin was starting to feel a little more steady and weaved her way towards her destination. Several more guards in the strange livery passed her by. A second later, men in city armor came lumbering after them yelling for them to halt. This happened twice more when she heard a dog growling and snarling, then it shrieked in pain and went silent. Whatever was happening in this city was getting bloody fast. She made it to the stable that ran along the side of the Inn, making her way to a door she hoped would still be open. It was and she staggered inside, falling to the floor as her abused body finally gave out. She faintly heard a voice say something about getting her in side to the hide when her world went silent and dark.