P. Elrod - The Hanged Man

“Chess moves,” said Teddy. “A few pawns.”

“Murdered by your own knight. Lord Hollifield, Teddy sent that beast to kill me and my companion. Instead, it killed the men who were in the factory, cut them down in cold blood with an air gun. But the Psychic Service prevailed and is even now going through the records there, and those will lead us to-”

“Really, Alex, do you think that’s our only arms factory?”

That was interesting news. “Have you so many you can afford to lose one? And what of that beast? How many of those strange allies can you afford to lose? That one is dead. I blew its brains out myself.”

Teddy continued to show a confident front, but she knew him well enough to recognize her volley had struck square and struck hard. “You’re lying.”

“Explain how I’m still alive, then. Was it a special pet? You can’t have many like that. Eight foot tall, red eyes, useful with an air gun-sound familiar?” She fixed his drained face with a cold eye, then turned back to Hollifield. “The game is not begun, your lordship. The game is over . The traitor in your midst usurped the board. He’s lost.”

Alex was unsure of the hierarchy of the Order, whether decisions were made by a vote of equals or if it was set up like the military with generals at the top. Either way, she’d gotten them to pause and sown doubt. Above all, she was using up time. An hour must have passed by now. Even if James and Hamish hadn’t gotten clear, help would come. Any minute Lord Richard and his flying squad would burst in. The longer she kept this lot here, the better.

Hollifield seemed about to speak, but Teddy interrupted. “Your lordship? A private word first. If you please.”

Something in Teddy’s expression … There was a subtle change in him that made Alex’s flesh creep. Hollifield grumbled, but crossed to the door to confer. Their murmurings were beyond her hearing. When they returned, a very long minute later, Hollifield was dead white with a sheen of sweat on his brow. He stared at Teddy like murder personified but frozen in action.

He mastered himself and stood at the head of the table. “Gentlemen, we will proceed. Disregard our earlier session. We’ll go over what’s to be done now in the face of these changes. Let us indeed grasp the nettle. However much it stings, it is for the good of our land and the queen we all love and serve. Thank God we had everything in place. It won’t be as smooth, and some of you will be short-staffed because of the holiday, but I trust you will be able to compensate and fulfill your several tasks.”

Alex opened her mouth to interrupt again, but Teddy was suddenly next to her, a hand on her arm and pulling her up. “None of that, Cousin. Allow me to escort you elsewhere. These lads have work to do.”

A short man in a full mask and hooded cloak preceded them to the door and opened it. Two other, much larger, cloaked men followed them out, carrying lanterns.

“You dealt with that with exceptional acumen,” said Teddy, taking her down the hall, away from the main gathering room and its noise. He tried to pull her hand onto his arm in a friendly manner, but she savagely shook him off. The violence of her reaction surprised her, but it served to keep him at a distance.

Members of the waitstaff threaded to and fro around their party, paying them no mind. She glanced back the way they’d come, but there was no sign of intrusion from Lord Richard’s people. Their three guards paced behind like a living wall.

They passed the chamber with the opium and hemp smokers, and then the T-intersection with its ridiculous warning sign. Alex was relieved to see that tunnel was still dark, so their intrusion was undiscovered. Now where the devil was Lord Richard?

“I admit my surprise,” continued Teddy. “Some females are capable of overcoming the limits of their sex, and you’re one of them. You likely won’t do well under the coming changes.”

“You won’t let me live. You don’t dare.”

“Actually, I can. I’ve no wish to harm family, whatever the provocation. You’ll be kept under house arrest in a safe place. It will be comfortable enough, but your nature will chafe unless you come to accept it. I suggest you do so. For your own sake.”

“Is that where you’re taking me?”

“The first leg of it, a nice waiting room. I’ve arranged discreet transportation.”

She could imagine the rest. “What did you say to Hollifield to bring him to heel?”

“That was me being clever. I knew the old boy would kick. He’s been delaying things for months. I let him know that unless he cooperated his good lady would get a visit from one of our brutish allies tonight and that she would neither enjoy nor survive the experience. Likewise, his daughters would-”

Alex forced a stop and turned on him. “You sick bastard.”

“Oh! Finally, a show of passion from the cold queen of the wide world. Calm yourself. His lordship showed sense, nothing will happen.”

“Until the next time he balks.”

“Yes. He figured that out. He’s a canny fellow, good at hiding the brains under the bluff, cheerful bulldog front. Had you fooled, didn’t he? And you a Reader. But he misstepped on a few things. Our large allies are a dubious weapon. They’re good at some types of work for a few years, but once fully grown, they are not as submissive about taking orders, then they become a danger to all. Have to be put down. You did us a favor removing that particular one. He was beginning to show signs of independence.”

“What are they? Where do they come from?”

“No one’s entirely sure, but they will be the subjects of considerable study once things are reorganized. We can put the Ministry of Science on it. Come along now. You look dreadfully done in. Time you had a rest.”

“Not until you tell me why you killed Father.”

“I expect because he infiltrated the Ætherics more deeply than was good for him. He’d befriended a lady who had made herself useful to the cause by having a talent for numbers. At least that’s all the lady would admit before she went into hysterics. The mere sight of one of our allies was exceedingly distressing to her. With the meeting tonight I had no time for more questioning. You said Uncle Gerard was going by the name of Kemp? He should have come as himself. They’d have welcomed another Pendlebury, and he would not have died. One point: I didn’t order him killed. Family, y’know.”

She expected denial, but not for the denial to be grounded in truth. “Who did?”

“Haven’t the faintest. It’s not my section. Some chap protective of the cause must have seen to it. Rather elaborate, though. Hanging? Usually we arrange for an accident and a delay for finding the remains. Fewer questions, nothing for a Reader to grasp. I am truly sorry, Alex. You have my word that when I discover who was responsible they will be dealt with in an appropriate fashion. I liked Uncle Gerard. I really did. He was day to my father’s night. Believe what you will about me, but I draw the line at harming relatives. We’ll have disagreements, but in the end, family is all we’ve got in the world.”

God in heaven, he’s absolutely sincere .

Alex shifted her gaze to the short guard who stood quietly apart from the others. “Do you agree with him, Andrina?”

She removed her mask and pushed back the hood. “There are some relatives who should just disappear and the world would be much improved.”

Teddy was amused. “I told you that disguise wouldn’t deceive a Reader.”

“I’ll be happy to change as soon as possible. These shoes are impossible.”

“The price you must pay if you want to attend meetings.”

“There should be an exception for me.”