Chapter 13
As the wan winter sun dropped below the horizon, Amaranthe and Maldynado hopped off a trolley on Mokath Ridge. Mansions dotted the plowed streets, each on a park-sized lot with a view of the lake. On the sloping lawns, children skied, sledded, and hurled snowballs. A lovely neighborhood on the surface, but Amaranthe did not expect Larocka’s house to be so idyllic.
They strolled along the sidewalk checking addresses. Squirrels chattered in maple branches overhead, and one darting critter dislodged a clump of snow. It smacked Amaranthe’s cheek and slid down the front of her blouse. With an amused Maldynado watching, she wriggled and untucked to free herself of the icy intrusion.
“I hope that isn’t some indication of how the night’s going to go,” she muttered, smoothing her clothing.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Maldynado offered a lazy wink as he pointed out an errant button. “I rather enjoyed the show.”
After a brief glower, she checked to make sure she still had not dislodged the small pad of paper tucked inside her parka. If she had the chance to take illuminating notes tonight, she would not be unprepared. Her knuckles brushed against her grandfather’s knife—also tucked inside her parka. Note-taking could be dangerous.
“I wish we had Sicarius along,” she said.
“Why?” Maldynado tapped the emerald-jeweled hilt of his saber, a different weapon than he had worn to the Onyx Lodge—he probably had a sword to match every outfit. “I’m not big and intimidating enough?”
“You’re...big, and you do tower over people nicely. It’d just be reassuring to have Sicarius watching our backs. I didn’t realize the invitations would have our names on them.” She had almost handed Sicarius the second invite anyway, but Akstyr had implied the house’s guardian wards would detect name swaps.
“We’ll be fine,” Maldynado said. “These aren’t the kinds of people who loiter at Enforcer Headquarters, eyeballing the wanted posters.”
“I’m more concerned about the Forge folks than enforcers,” Amaranthe said.
“We have invitations. And we’re just going to their party to watch the fun. What could happen?”
“I’m not going for fun; I’m going to snoop.”
“Snoop? This morning you said you were going to observe.”
“Maybe it’s the enforcer in me, but I’ve always thought the terms have a great deal of overlap.” Amaranthe veered to avoid branches with more frolicking squirrels. They were fat. Someone in the neighborhood must run a nut buffet.
“Well, I don’t think Sicarius would fit in up here. These sorts of events have dress requirements.”
“Perhaps with the right costume,” she said.
“Not unless you could separate him from his knives. He sleeps with them, you know.”
“Does he?” Amaranthe asked. “I’ve yet to see him sleep.”
“I’ve yet to see you sleep.”
Amaranthe yawned. Too true. When she returned that night, she hoped to succumb to a twelve-hour slumber. The others could handle the press and watch shifts while she did.
“There it is.” Maldynado pointed to a mansion.
Like something from ancient history, the five-story structure boasted stone walls, arrow slits, turrets, and even a crenellated rooftop. Modern additions such as picture windows, glass doors, and new wings crafted from brick and timber suggested the building had seen numerous renovations over the years. They did little to dilute the impression that Amaranthe and Maldynado were visiting a fortress.
They headed up a long walkway with gas lamps burning at intervals. Flagstone steps led to a vast porch swept clean of snow. Waterfalls on either side of the entrance emptied into steaming pools, and the smell of lilacs wafted from them. Amaranthe rolled her eyes at the ostentatious display. If the house was any indication, Larocka was not in need of extra funds. Then why is Forge blackmailing Hollowcrest for tax breaks?
Before Maldynado could knock, the door opened. A majordomo dressed in a crisp red uniform held out his hand. His thick arms and the pair of long knives at his waist suggested he was as much security guard as greeter.
“Invitation, please,” he said.
Maldynado offered the envelope Avery had supplied. The majordomo opened it and inspected it as if forgeries were common.
No, we don’t counterfeit invitations. Only money.
“Very good, Lord, ma’am. The other guests are downstairs.”
A grand foyer opened before them, but the majordomo directed them to stairs directly to the right of the door. There was no chance for snooping around the mansion or even the main floor. They went down a long flight and turned a corner to travel another batch of stairs before reaching the bottom.
The cavernous basement reminded Amaranthe more of a construction zone than a chic entertaining venue. Pallets of bricks, slabs of limestone, a steam-powered cement mixer, and other lesser tools and materials cluttered the floor along the walls. Massive posts and reinforced steel beams supported the high ceiling. Vehicle doors almost as high stretched along the back wall.
More than a hundred people milled, gravitating toward a central pit with wooden bleachers on two opposing sides. Like Maldynado, many of the men bore swords, gold- or silver-gilded affairs they wore as a woman might jewelry. Women modeled flowing dresses draped with exotic furs such as grimbal, tiger, and black leopard.
On the way to join the crowd, Amaranthe and Maldynado skirted a second pit, a recent excavation with a mound of dirt piled next to it.
“Not done with your renovations yet, Larocka?” someone called.
Recognizing the name, Amaranthe searched for the speaker, or more specifically to whom he spoke.
“Not yet,” came the response, a female voice, “but before long, this place will be ready for two fights at a time and it’ll hold five times as many spectators.”
“We’ve been busy planning a big celebration for the emperor’s birthday,” a male voice added.
Amaranthe located the speakers, a couple with linked arms, just in time to see the man give the woman a knowing look. A big celebration indeed. The innuendo screamed at Amaranthe. He had to be in on the assassination threat. What had Sicarius called the business partner? Arbitan Losk, that was it.
Larocka and Arbitan were in their forties or early fifties. Though not beautiful, Larocka Myll oozed warmth and good cheer. Arbitan had a handsome face that drew smiles from the women, though his lifted chin gave him an unattainable feel.
“That’s who we’re here to observe,” Amaranthe murmured to Maldynado. “Let’s get closer.”
Before she could walk far, a bare-armed, bald man stepped in front of her. Scars crisscrossed his pale-skinned face and head like brambles in a blackberry patch. Though he lacked the height of a Turgonian man—his blue eyes were level with hers—the powerful muscles revealed by his red, sleeveless shirt made him intimidating. His slitted eyes locked onto her accusingly, as if he could guess her thoughts.
She decided to try a smile. “Hello, I’m Amaranthe. Who are you?”
The scarred man’s eyes widened, but he quickly resumed his suspicious mien. What do I say to get rid of this fellow?
“Security?” Maldynado drawled. “Run along, chap. You’re blocking the view.”
Apparently, Maldynado’s condescending tone was the expected address, for the man inclined his head and strode off. He wore a utility belt bristling with daggers.
“Looks like we found a playmate for Sicarius,” Amaranthe murmured.
“Yup. Those were knife scars. I bet he’s a former pit fighter who won his way into a security gig.”
Larocka stepped onto a bench, so her head and shoulders rose above the crowd. “Thank you all for coming tonight. The first two fighters will be out shortly so you can assess them before making your wagers.” She waved toward a bettors’ cage carved into one wall. “You know the rules; all bets go through the house. Odds are provided. Take advantage of the complementary drinks and enjoy yourselves.”
She stepped down into Arbitan’s arms and took a glass from a passing servant. The couple’s closeness suggested more than a mere business partnership.
A grinding noise reverberated through the floor. The crowd jostled into place around the pit. Some sat in the bleachers, while others leaned over the edge. With Maldynado’s brawn, he and Amaranthe pushed their way into good seats.
Unlike the newly dug hole on the other side of the basement, the main pit had fifteen-foot brick walls with a tunnel leading into it. A steel portcullis was disappearing into the ceiling of the passage.
Four men marched into the pit: two nude fighters and two handlers carrying whips and wearing short swords. Chain leashes and collars secured the necks of the slaves, who trundled forward with slumped shoulders and downcast eyes. On the pit walls, sconces held torches rather than lamps, lending a primeval feel to the arena. Mirrors hanging from the ceiling ensured a good view for all.
While the crowd appraised the fighters and made their bets, Amaranthe watched Larocka and Arbitan. The shaven-headed security man never strayed far from the couple. If he was a bodyguard, he would likely show up at any meeting Amaranthe arranged to present her deal. Blackmail, call it what it is, girl.
When the bets had been made, the two handlers unleashed their charges and retreated to the tunnel. One pulled a lever and the portcullis clanged into place.
Larocka held out her hand and waved for the security man with the other. Almost like one of the dejected slaves in the pit, his chest narrowed, and his shoulders sagged. He gave her two identical daggers from his collection, weapons for the fighters apparently. When Larocka held the security man’s eyes, he straightened and resumed his stern mien.
“Let the fight begin!” Larocka dropped the daggers into the pit.
The blades pierced the sand floor, hilts quivering. The fighters surged forward, each grabbing a weapon. They did not attack immediately though. They circled each other, hands guarding their knives. Neither growled, snarled, or shouted. They appeared not like riled wolves ready to rip each other’s throats out but like friends forced to fight. A few threats from the guards invigorated them.
When the battle engaged in earnest, Amaranthe felt like a twig in an avalanche of craziness: shouting, screaming, and cursing echoed from the ceiling beams. People stamped and jumped, and the wooden bleachers trembled beneath her feet. She would have thought the women in the audience would prove less bloodthirsty, but one rail-thin, gray-haired lady next to her chanted, “Kill him, kill him!” with alarming vigor. Though Amaranthe had ordered Maldynado not make any wagers, that did not keep him from choosing someone to root for.
She glanced over her shoulder toward the stairs. It seemed like all the guests had arrived. She wondered if the majordomo had left his post upstairs. With the majority of the household in the basement, exploration of the upper floors might be possible.
In the pit, a dagger found a chest, and the crowd cheered.
The victor dropped to his knees, hands over his face. His handlers came out and chained him. One hoisted the corpse over his shoulder and carried it out as if it were a grain sack. Two more grim-faced combatants waited in the tunnel.
During the next battle, Amaranthe paid more attention to the hosts. As engrossed in the entertainment as her guests, Larocka cheered, fist pumping. Her partner wore a different expression. Arbitan viewed the fights with detached boredom. More often he surveyed the crowd, but even then he appeared bored, yawning and picking at his fingernails. If he was hosting the fights for profit, Amaranthe would have expected enthusiasm for the success of the event or at least calculation as he contemplated the money his guests were spending. She knew Larocka’s list of businesses; maybe it was time to find out Arbitan’s interests.
His cool gaze shifted, and he caught her staring.
She looked away, feigning interest in the combatants. In her peripheral vision, she could see him watching her. She swallowed. He couldn’t possibly know her thoughts. Could he?
Even when he resumed his scan of the crowd, her discomfort did not wane. Arbitan’s aloof detachment reminded her of Sicarius, and she had already seen how dangerous he was. She suddenly felt her grand plan terribly juvenile and doomed to failure. She needed more of an edge than some counterfeit bills. And this might be her best chance to find it.
She waited for two more fights to pass, so Arbitan would forget about her, and then tugged on Maldynado’s arm. He leaned closer without taking his eyes off the blood-spattered men in the pit below.
“I’m going to look around,” she said.
“Now?” Maldynado shouted to be heard. “This is a great fight! You won’t see who wins.”
“Darn.”
She ducked and twisted past gesticulating people and hopped off the bleachers. Someone’s elbow clipped her shoulder as the man pumped his fist and shouted. She slid free of the last audience member only to run into several servants with empty trays heading for the stairs. She turned back toward the fights and waited for them to leave.
Then, using the backs of the bleachers for cover, she headed up the stairs. She had not noticed a water closet in the subterranean arena and figured searching for one would make a plausible excuse should someone question her. At least it would if she was accosted early on. It would be a less persuasive story should someone find her on the fifth floor rummaging through the owner’s desk drawers.
When she entered the foyer, she saw no sign of the majordomo.
Plush carpeting swallowed her footfalls as she headed for the nearest hallway. Dishes clanked in a kitchen somewhere in the back of the house. Candles and gas lamps burned sporadically, but did little to stave off the depths of the winter night. Intermittent roars and applause floated up from the floor below.
The water closet was behind the first door she checked. As soon as she passed it—and her excuse for wandering—she grew more cautious. She clung to the shadows along the walls and paused to listen every few steps.
Just as she was coming to a staircase, a door creaked open and kitchen noises grew louder for a moment. Amaranthe darted into a closet. She left the door cracked to watch the hallway. A train of servants glided past, trays full of brandy glasses and chilled cider mugs.
Time to get off that floor. She assumed the bedrooms would be upstairs anyway.
She spent the next half hour winding through the numerous floors of the mansion, checking doors, and dodging servants and security guards. Just as she was cursing the house for not having a directory, Amaranthe spied a single door by itself at the end of a hallway. A golden, ornate LM marked it.
“Finally,” she whispered.
The door was unlocked, but she paused before stepping into the short, wide hallway that led into the first room. If magical wards protected the grounds, might not something protect Larocka’s suite?
Unfortunately, she had no idea what such wards might look like, if there were physical clues at all. She was about to chance walking in when she noticed a pair of lizard medallions on the walls behind potted rubber trees. The leaves almost hid the medallions. Set a couple feet above the floor, they were identical and level with each other. The intricate metalwork had more flair than most imperial art.
Amaranthe plucked a brown leaf off a plant and dropped it so it would fall through the space between the statues. An orange ray shot from each lizard’s eyes, met in the middle, and incinerated the leaf. Tiny ashes wafted to the carpet.
“Magical protection,” she murmured. “Check.”
She crawled under the lizards and watched for more traps as she moved into the suite. The collection of spacious rooms took up hundreds of square feet. There was a private water closet, an elegant bath, a sitting room, and a book-filled office with two desks. Someone had started fires in each of the three hearths in preparation for the couple’s return—someone who might come in at any time to stir the logs.
Amaranthe veered toward the office, avoiding suspicious variations in the carpet and wall ornamentations on the way. She assumed the pink stationery identified Larocka’s desk and checked that one first. A drawer held correspondences, but none mentioned anything except legitimate business matters. She found no papers that demonstrated a tie to the Forge organization and certainly nothing as incriminating as a to-do list with “assassinate emperor” at the top.
The handwriting of those notes and letters did look familiar though. Amaranthe gripped the edge of the desk as her mind caught up to her instincts and she identified it. It was the handwriting from the Forge note she had seen in Hollowcrest’s office. Larocka had penned that message.
Amaranthe chewed on her lip and released her grip. While it was good to know she was on the right track, she hadn’t actually learned anything new. She grabbed one of Larocka’s discards from the waste bin and pocketed it; later, she might need to emulate that writing to send a note to Hollowcrest.
A couple steps took her to Arbitan’s workspace. The desk was immaculate. No loose papers littered the top, a wood caddy restrained pens, and, when she peered in a drawer, rows of alphabetized files peered back. She sifted through a couple folders, enough to learn Arbitan was a Turgonian entrepreneur who owned hundreds of acres of orchards around the capital, but she did not have time to poke into every file in every drawer. She feared she had already been gone too long.
Amaranthe glowered. As if the couple had anticipated a search, they had left nothing suspicious anywhere. She drummed her fingers on Arbitan’s desk. Criminals always made mistakes. There had to be something. She moved to the built-in bookcases. Maybe a secret compartment hid behind the tomes on business and economics. She prodded and pulled at various books. The titles of some were in languages she did not recognize. At least one of the two had an ecumenical education.
After poking at most of the books, she gave up. Reluctant to return with nothing, she went back to Arbitan’s desk and pulled open the drawers and read the file labels more closely. One near the back of the bottom drawer snagged her attention.
Newspaper Clippings.
She stuck her finger in the folder to mark the place and withdrew an article trimmed from the Gazette. Bear Slays Homeless Man in SoDoc.
It was the paper’s first story about the deadly mystery creature.
Amaranthe poked through the rest of the clippings. They all contained stories about the murders, all in sequential order by date. None were missing. There were even a few from a smaller newspaper that usually focused on business.
She returned the articles to their positions in the folder. Why was Arbitan keeping the clippings? For a moment, she wondered if he might be the wizard who warded the house—and created deadly magical creatures—but she snorted in dismissal. Surely becoming a powerful wizard was a full-time, lifelong pursuit, not something one did between pruning, harvesting, and selling apples. Running orchards wasn’t even the type of business that would take one out of the empire where one could stumble across foreign instructors. She closed the drawer. Maybe Arbitan was just interested in mysteries.
A clock on a shelf chimed. Amaranthe cursed. She had been gone over an hour.
Avoiding the known and suspected traps, she hustled out of the room. She forced herself not to leap down the flights of stairs in her rush to return to the anonymity of the fights. She crossed no servants this time and had almost made it to the foyer when footsteps sounded on the stairs leading from the basement.
Amaranthe darted into the water closet and pressed her ear to the door. Muffled voices started up in the foyer, both male and female, though she could not understand the words. She waited for the speakers to wander out of range, but they stopped moving. The voices continued.
Back against the door, Amaranthe stared around the small room, seeking inspiration. A single candle burned on top of the cistern on the opposite wall. A few feet below it, the wash-out squatted, its ceramic bowl embossed with flowers. The room was a perfectly functional place to pee and a perfectly useless place for plotting an escape.
At least she was in a less condemning place than she had been for the last hour. With no better alternative, Amaranthe pushed open the door and stepped out, abandoning her attempts at stealth.
“...don’t know,” came Maldynado’s voice, now distinguishable. “She said the blood was making her sick.”
Emperor’s warts, he was trying to explain her absence. She shut the water closet door loudly, to ensure it would be heard. Going along with his story, she dropped a hand onto her stomach and hunched over. She shuffled forward, sculpting her face into an expression of discomfort.
“A shame,” responded a cool masculine voice. “One expects a stronger stomach from an imperial woman. We are a nation born of warriors after all.”
Amaranthe recognized the voice at the same time as she entered the foyer. Arbitan and Larocka were facing Maldynado at the top of the basement stairs. The scarred security man also stood in the room, muscled arms folded across his chest. Though pale beneath the light of the chandelier, Maldynado portrayed little of the nervousness that had to lurk in his thoughts.
Amaranthe wiped the alarm off her face as the Forge folks turned toward her.
“Now, now,” Larocka said, “there’s no need to be snide, dear. Some women are more interested in numbers than war.” She smiled at Amaranthe, who could not tell if genuine warmth backed the gesture. Doubtful.
“I’m sorry to have been gone so long,” Amaranthe said in a raspy voice she hoped connoted illness.
“Apology accepted, my dear.” The pleasure Maldynado exuded at her approach seemed unfeigned.
That security man regarded her with narrowed-eyed suspicion again. Maybe that was his usual expression. Either way, it did not inspire one to linger. A wild part of Amaranthe wanted to stay and stir up a conversation with the couple, see what she could learn about them, but she had already drawn far more attention than was safe. Also, she suspected Arbitan might learn more about her than she did about him.
“We must be going, dear,” she said to Maldynado.
“I was saying just the same thing,” he said, “a half hour ago. Women—what they do in the water closet for so long is beyond me.” He tossed an aggrieved brotherhood-of-men look at Arbitan, who did not acknowledge it with anything more than a chilly stare.
Amaranthe stepped on Maldynado’s foot as she sidled out the door. He winced but managed a goodnight for the hosts as he backed out.
“Do come again,” Larocka said.
The door thudded shut. Outside, the lanterns burning along the walkway allowed Amaranthe to read the incredulous expression Maldynado fixed on her as they walked.
“Where were you for that long?” he asked.
“Exploring,” Amaranthe said. “You could have left without me.”
“Hah! You need a keeper to watch over you.” He paused, face twisting with displeasure. “I sound like my mother.”
“Careful, you may turn into a responsible fellow.”
“Never!” His ferocity startled her. He cleared his throat. “No responsibility for old Maldynado,” he added in a lighter tone.
They turned off the walkway and onto the wide street. Stars glittered in the clear night sky, and their breaths fogged the air. Infrequent streetlights burned, more like beacons to guide one from point to point than lamps illuminating the darkness. Hedges, thick and dense despite a lack of leaves, lined one side of the street.
“I can see working for you is going to be an adventure,” Maldynado said.
Movement stirred branches ahead of them.
“Looks like we’re in for one now,” Amaranthe said.
When the figures stepped out of the shadows of the hedges—in front of and behind them—it was too late to avoid being surrounded. An icy gust hustled down the street, swirling powdery snow about eight sets of enforcer boots.
Maldynado drew his sword. Amaranthe, though she feared the effort futile, held her arms up, palms out. She did not want a fight with enforcers.
One of the figures turned up a lantern. The light glinted off brass buttons and insignia, revealing the face of the bearer.
“Wholt,” Amaranthe blurted.
Sergeant’s rank pins shone at his collar. His face was grim, but an inkling of hope entered Amaranthe’s mind. This was his squad, his command. If she could convince him Hollowcrest’s charges were false, perhaps she and Maldynado could leave without a fight.
“I knew you weren’t happy about being passed over for promotion, Lokdon, but I didn’t think you’d turn criminal.”
“I didn’t. Listen, Wholt. I stumbled onto a plot against the emperor. It’s Hollowcrest. He’s the one—”
“Don’t listen to her, Sarge,” the enforcer at Wholt’s side barked. “Remember what the report said? Kill on sight. She’s a witch! She’ll turn our blood to stone!”
The annoying upstart rattled the others. The seven men lifted their sword arms, blades reflecting the flame of the lantern. A single word from their commander would send them charging.
“You know me, Wholt,” Amaranthe said, still not reaching for her knife. “We worked together for six months. If I knew anything about magic, you’d have seen proof surely. Besides, you have to know I wouldn’t betray the empire.”
“Also,” Maldynado said, “just to be clear before this all starts, no one has a poster out accusing me of magic use, so that kill on sight thing need not apply here.”
“Have your man drop his weapon, Lokdon,” Wholt said. “We’ll make your death quick.”
“No, thanks.” Maldynado sketched a fencer’s salute and dropped into a ready stance. He was probably a better swordsman than any of the enforcers, but they would not attack one at a time in a sporting manner.
“This isn’t your fight,” Amaranthe whispered to Maldynado. “If you drop your sword, they probably won’t hurt you.”
“No talking!” Wholt barked, his gaze shooting back and forth between them.
“My two weeks isn’t up, boss,” Maldynado said. “What’s the plan?”
Good question. Amaranthe searched her old partner’s face.
“You don’t have to do this, Wholt,” she said.
“I have my orders, Amaranthe,” he said. “I have to...”
Wholt didn’t want to do it. If there weren’t seven men standing behind him, he would have turned his back and let her walk away. She was sure of it. But if he let her go in front of them, his career would be destroyed. Wind gusted, tugging at her hair as Amaranthe sought a solution.
“Kill them, Sarge?” the most vocal enforcer asked.
“Why not just capture us and take us in?” Amaranthe ignored the others and kept her eyes locked on Wholt. “Let the chief put us to death if that’s the order.” And, with luck, she would have time to think of something else before that happened. “No innocent blood on your hands.”
“Kill on sight, Sarge! We shouldn’t be yapping.”
“Bet she’s weaving magic right now with her words,” another muttered.
“Witch,” someone behind Amaranthe whispered.
Boots shifted nervously and the circle tightened. The sword tips behind Amaranthe and Maldynado loomed closer. Another moment and whatever order Wholt might say would be lost in yells and clashes as fearful men attacked without waiting.
“Wholt,” she whispered. “Give the order. We’ll surrender if you agree to take us in. None of your men get hurt. You’re still doing your job.”
Wholt opened his mouth to speak.
A dark shape loomed behind him, and a dagger appeared at his throat.
“No!” Amaranthe shouted.
Too late. Blood gushed from severed arteries.
The lantern clattered to the ground.
A fast-moving head of short blond hair identified the newcomer. Amaranthe had already known.
“Back to back,” she barked to Maldynado. There was no way out of a fight now.
Chaos erupted, and swords slashed in multiple directions.
“Get the witch!”
“Watch out for—”
“Over there!”
Metal screeched behind her as Maldynado engaged someone. Amaranthe held her knife before her, but she only parried when a blade streaked at her chest.
How could she attack enforcers? They were on the same side as her!
Her opponent lunged again, slashing at her face. She ducked the blade and angled into his body. With her knife in hand, she could have finished the fight with a stab to his chest, but she struck with her free hand. She hammered a palm strike into his solar plexus and drove her knee into his groin.
His breath whooshed out, and he bent double. He reflexively brought his elbow down, clipping her shoulder. Wincing, she rammed the heel of her hand into his nose. This time, he pitched backward, hitting the street and curling onto his side.
All around her, deafening screeches of metal tore through the night. Darkness hid the details, and she struggled to tell friend from foe.
“Try not to kill them!” she called, wondering if Sicar