Django Wexler - The Shadow Throne

“You know you’re not supposed to talk to anybody,” de Bornais said. “I’ve told you a hundred times. Say it. What are you supposed to do?”

“Drink m’ beer,” Danton mumbled. “Not talk to anybody.”

“Right.” He spun to face Raesinia, who had wormed free of the porter. “And what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I thought-” Raesinia began, but de Bornais waved her into silence, glaring at the porter standing beside her.

“Sorry, boss,” the big man said. “I didn’t catch what she was up to.”

“All I want-” Raesinia tried again.

“I know what you want ,” de Bornais said. “The same thing they all want. They want to tell my friend a sob story and get a free dose, because he’s too good-natured to know any better. It’s a good thing he has someone to look out for him-that’s all I have to say. If I left him alone this city would pick him clean in an hour.” He nodded to the porter. “Get her out of here.”

Faro had drifted over behind Raesinia, hand hovering near the hilt of his ridiculous dress sword. Ben followed, looking uncomfortable. The second porter, sensing trouble, left the bar and took position flanking de Bornais, while the unfortunate proprietor cringed behind his bar.

“All I want,” Raesinia repeated, “is a few moments of your time. I have a proposal for you.”

“My time is valuable, miss .”

Raesinia could see Faro bridling at de Bornais’ sneering tone, and she put up a hand to restrain him. Her other hand dug in her pocket and came out with a new-milled fifty-eagle gold piece. The smooth gold winked in the tavern lamps as she flipped it to de Bornais, who picked it out of the air and held it in front of his eyes as though he didn’t believe what he was seeing. The gold represented enough money to buy the entire contents of the bar several times over.

She raised an eyebrow. “How much of your time will that buy me?”

De Bornais’ eyes narrowed.

The closest thing to privacy the tavern offered was the tavern-keeper’s bedroom, a miserable space crammed behind a door in the back barely big enough for a straw mattress and a chest of drawers. Raesinia had slipped him an eagle to let them use it, and de Bornais’ two porters stood an uneasy watch outside, opposite Faro, Ben, and Sarton.

“All right,” de Bornais said. “This had better be good.”

“We saw Danton’s speech outside,” Raesinia said. “My friends and I were very impressed.”

“Of course you were. He’s a damned genius.”

“I was curious about the. . terms of his employment.”

De Bornais smiled nastily. “Oh, I see where this is going. You’re not the first to come sniffing around, you know.”

Raesinia did her best to give a carefree shrug. “It’s only natural. When a man has a talent like that, it seems to me he could charge whatever he liked.”

“Maybe. But you talked to him, didn’t you? Danton’s. . special. A bit touched.” De Bornais put on an unconvincingly sad expression. “I take care of him, you see? He’s practically a brother to me. I knew his mam, and when she was dying, she asked me, ‘Jack, please take care of our Danton, because you know he can’t do anything for himself.’ I make sure he’s okay, and he helps out however he can.”

“Yes, I saw how well you take care of him,” Raesinia deadpanned.

De Bornais had the decency to blush, rubbing his knuckles. “I don’t like having to do that. But like I said, he’s a bit touched. It’s the only way to get him to understand sometimes. He doesn’t blame me.”

“You don’t pay him?”

“He wouldn’t know what to do with it.” De Bornais patted the pocket where he’d tucked her coin, and gave a nasty smile. “So it’s no good, you offering him money. He’s got everything he needs, and he does whatever I tell him.”

“If that’s the case,” she said, “perhaps we could come to some kind of arrangement.”

“Don’t be stupid,” de Bornais said. “You were there today, weren’t you? Then you saw the kind of money I’m making.”

“But not for long, I’ll bet,” Raesinia said. “You must move around a lot.”

“Of course.” He gave a sickly grin. “Have to spread the good news.”

And stay out of the way of angry customers, Raesinia thought.

“What if you were to let us. . hire Danton, and we guaranteed your income? Think of it as a vacation.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think you appreciate the kind of money we’re dealing with here-”

He stopped as she undid the first two buttons on her overshirt and reached down past her collar. In an inner pocket, held tight against her side, there was a sheaf of documents, and after a moment’s thought she selected one of these and withdrew it. It was a folded sheet of thick, expensive paper, startlingly white in the gloom, and she snapped it open in front of de Bornais.

“Can you read, Baron?” By his eyes, she saw that he could. “Good. This is a draft on the Second Pennysworth Bank for ten thousand eagles, payable to the bearer with my signature. Do you think that would be sufficient?”

“I. .” He looked from the bill to her face and back.

“Is the choice of institution not to your liking?” Raesinia patted her pocket. “I have others.”

“No.” De Bornais’ voice was a croak. “No. That will be. . fine.”

–

De Bornais emerged from the back room, all smiles, waving the anxious porters away. Raesinia followed, catching Ben’s eye, and nodded. They followed de Bornais to Danton’s table, where the big man was at work on a third mug of beer.

“Hello, Jack!” Danton said, suds frosting his wild beard. “You want a drink?”

“Er, no, thanks. Not right now.” De Bornais looked nervous. “Listen, Danton. You like stories, right?”

“I like stories!”

“This young lady”-he gestured at Raesinia-“has some stories she wants you to tell. Do you think you could help her out?”

Danton nodded vigorously, then hesitated. “What about you, Jack? Don’t you need my help?”

“It’s all right. I’ve got to go on a. . trip. Just for a while. But she’s going to take care of you in the meantime, and you do whatever you can to help her, you understand?”

“All right.” Danton took another pull from his beer, apparently unconcerned.

Raesinia stepped forward and extended her hand. “It’s good to meet you, Danton. I’m Raesinia.”

Danton stared at her hand for a moment, as though unsure what to do with it. Then his face split in a huge grin. “Just like the princess!”

“Right,” she said, as they shook hands. “Just like her.”

“So you bought him?” Cora said.

“I didn’t buy him.” Raesinia had been fighting a queasy feeling all afternoon that this was exactly what she had done, like some Murnskai lord trading field workers for coach horses. She had her justifications all ready. “He needs someone to care for him. We’re just taking over that task for a while so he can work for us. After everything’s finished, we can send him wherever he wants.”

“I see,” said Cora. “So you rented him.”

Raesinia nodded sheepishly. “If you like.”

“For ten thousand eagles .” The teenager’s eyes glowed, as they always did when she was talking about money.

“We can afford it,” Raesinia said defensively.

“It’s not a matter of being able to afford it,” Cora said. “I’m just wondering what it is this man brings to the cause that’s worth the price of a decent-sized town house.”

“You didn’t hear him.”

They looked down at the object of their conversation, who looked back at them with guileless blue eyes. Raesinia had spent the afternoon in slow, careful conversation with him before bringing him to meet the others in the back room of the Blue Mask. Danton himself had proven to be amiable, willing, and uninterested in anything but the prospect of beer and food. Currently he was working his way through a pint of the Blue Mask’s best with the same enjoyment he’d shown drinking the slop from the nameless Newtown bar. Around him were gathered all the members of the little conspiracy: Raesinia, Cora, Faro, Ben, Sarton, and Maurisk.