David Dalglish - A Dance of Shadows

“I fear your servants misunderstood,” John said, tilting his head in respect. “We are only four, yet they cook for forty.”

“The rest will eat after we are done,” Alyssa said, taking a seat opposite her son. She glanced to an upper corner of the room. “And it is five, not four. Come down, Zusa.”

Just a shadowy spider, Zusa climbed down from the tall rafter, hidden in shadows that clung to her most unnaturally. Raking a hand through her hair, she joined them without a word or smile. She looked exhausted, and Alyssa knew without asking that she’d been out all night. Looking to her plate, already simmering with meats, eggs, and a choice of sweet rolls, Alyssa felt her stomach twist.

“Do you feel well, dear?” Melody asked.

“I’m fine,” Alyssa said, forcing herself to nibble on some bacon so they would leave her be. From the corner of her eye, she caught Zusa’s troubled expression.

“What is it?” she asked softly as John and Nathaniel started up a conversation about some jousting tournament to start soon on the outskirts of the city.

“We must speak soon, in private,” her friend said. “One is of a personal matter, the other of Lord Victor and his foolish crusade.”

“Crusade? What are you talking about?”

“Not now. And we must speak with Terrance. If he has made even the slightest error, your life might be in danger.”

Terrance? Alyssa was baffled. Terrance was a distant cousin of hers, a young man she’d appointed four years ago to be her master of coin and trade after the previous adviser had secretly worked against her, eventually making an attempt upon her life. So far as she knew, Terrance was a good man, careful. How could an error by him put her life at risk?

“Zusa, I don’t like how vague this…”

“Milady,” interrupted a servant at the door. She was young, and looked flustered. “A man seeks an audience with you, and says it is quite urgent.”

“It can wait,” Alyssa said, more harshly than she meant. John glanced her way upon hearing the tone of her voice, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Yes, of course, milady,” said the servant. “It’s… well, he has many soldiers with him, and is very insistent that he speak with you.”

“Soldiers?” asked Melody, her eyes widening.

“It’s nothing,” Alyssa said, pushing away her barely touched plate. “I will meet with him, though he’d better pray to the gods his matter truly is urgent. What is this whelp’s name?”

“Lord Victor Kane,” the servant girl said, bowing quickly before hurrying away. Alyssa paused a moment upon hearing the name, and she looked to Zusa, whose eyes met hers. A warning went unspoken between them.

“At my side,” Alyssa said softly as both stood.

“Do you wish me to accompany you?” Melody asked as the two strode for the door.

Alyssa shook her head. “Stay, eat. I’m sure it is nothing.”

Alyssa felt their eyes upon her as she exited. Zusa matched her pace, and together they walked through the halls, paintings of dead ancestors on either side of them.

“You had something to say about this Victor, correct?” Alyssa asked. “Now sounds like a good time to say it, and fast.”

“He’s been given free rein by the king to pursue his agenda,” Zusa said as they turned a corner. “Rounding up every thief, merchant, and noble he can find who has broken the law. They are taken to the castle, judged, and more often than not executed on the spot. From what I’ve heard, he’s been very thorough.”

Alyssa stopped, her mouth dropping open. “How long has this been going on?”

“Only a day.”

Alyssa ran a hand through her hair, trying to piece the puzzle together. The Kane family sounded vaguely familiar, but how or why wasn’t coming to her. “Who is this Victor?” she asked. “What do we know about him?”

Zusa frowned. “A small lord, from an even smaller family. Inconsequential, really, until now. They own a meager castle, and control a modest but fertile stretch of land for growing wheat.”

Wheat, that was it. Alyssa finally placed the Kane name. They’d had a few dealings before, nothing significant. A portion of the wheat market was controlled by their family. They weren’t the dominant player in the market, nor the most aggressive.

“So now he enters Veldaren as if he’s some righteous savior, come to arrest the guilty?” Alyssa asked.

“In short, yes.”

Alyssa chewed her lip, then resumed her walk. Upon nearing the door, she found Lord Victor already waiting in the foyer. He towered above her, such a tall man. His pleasant appearance, carefully trimmed blond hair and a smoothly shaven face, matched what she’d expected. The chain mail he wore, and the sword he kept at his side, did not. Frustration bubbled over into anger in her chest. Letting the man in without first consulting her was stupid enough, but letting him keep his weapon? Inexcusable. At least he was alone, without guards. She felt no fear, for Zusa was with her. There was no chance he could lay a finger on her with the skilled woman at her side.

“Greetings, Lady Gemcroft,” Victor said, seeing their arrival. His voice was strong, charming. If he was nervous at meeting her, he did not show it.

“Welcome to my home, Lord Victor,” she responded, curtsying slightly. As she did, she took stock of the man. He was handsome, and his smile came easily to his face. Their eyes met, and that was when she saw the hardness hiding within coupled with a grim determination. She felt as if she stood before a charging bull, but she was no delicate flower, nor made of fragile glass.

“It is a fine place,” Victor said, glancing about. “I would love to see the rest someday, but sadly do not have the time. I’ve come with both request and wisdom, if you would be so kind as to hear either.”

Alyssa might have offered him a seat, or taken him deeper into the mansion, but something about his presence unnerved her, so she gestured for him to continue. He smiled at her, showing no hurry despite his claims. His chain mail rattled when he crossed his arms and tilted his head.

“I do not know what you have heard, so let me first make clear why I’m here. I have come to save Veldaren from itself. Those responsible for destroying it are legion, but for now I focus on the guiltiest. My men scour the streets, always listening, always watching. Know that I do not do this at random, nor recklessly. I follow the law, and will uphold it beyond all else. I have declared war, but it will not be chaos and fires in the night.”

Alyssa felt the unspoken jab and did not let it pass unchallenged.

“You speak of the thief war,” she said.

“I speak of the night you nearly burned Veldaren to the ground, all to mourn a son who was not actually dead.”

A hard edge entered his voice, and she found herself taking a step back. Zusa was there immediately, sliding beside her with her hands on the hilts of her daggers. Alyssa started to defend herself, then caught the words in her throat. She would not defend that disastrous effort, for she herself was ashamed of it. It had been a foolish thing, her emotions overriding her judgment. Only Zusa had had the courage to say it to her face.

“And what makes you think your efforts will be so different?” she asked. Her blood felt like ice in her veins. “What delusion blinds your eyes to the strength of those who oppose you?”

Victor’s smile returned. “No delusion, just stubbornness. Yesterday was the first, and the next week or so will probably be the most productive, but I have months if I must. All seventeen men we found guilty yesterday died by the ax. Those we capture today will give every name, list every crime they’ve ever seen, to spare themselves that same fate.”