David Dalglish - A Dance Of Death

Madelyn stood, angry she had not been summoned. To have guests in her house injured, yet not brought to her attention? Still, something was off with how Lily was acting. It reminded her of when Lily had been sleeping with one of the guards, that slight hesitance, her unwillingness to stare her in the eye for long.

“What happened to them,” she asked. “Did they tell you?”

“No, but…they are wearing strange clothes. I cannot explain.”

Strange clothes? What nonsense was this?

“Lily,” she said, adopting a pleasant tone that she knew chilled all of her servants. “What are you not telling me?”

The nursemaid bit the top of her lip and held her arms against her waist. She was still a fairly young girl, though the last of her girlishness would be gone within another year or two. But she was young enough to have lingering instincts to obey a motherly figure, and Madelyn shifted her tone.

“Lily. You aren’t in trouble, now tell me what you’re hiding.”

“We were instructed not to speak of it to you.”

“By who?”

“Your husband, milady.”

Madelyn breathed in deep to hold back a retort. If Laurie was hiding something from her…

“His anger will fall on me, not you, now speak.”

Lily glanced to one of the other servant girls, and Madelyn’s ire grew. Their single look showed they both knew. How many kept this secret from her?

“The two have been sneaking out at night,” the third and eldest servant said, standing by the fire. Her face was lined with wrinkles, for she was their midwife, staying in the mansion to ensure all went well with baby Tori. “We’ve seen them using our door. They dress strange, and they got weapons with them when they do.”

“Strange?” Madelyn asked. “What do you mean? Dressed like what?”

Lily looked to the others for support, and she lowered her voice, as if whispering a curse.

“Like thieves.”

Madelyn was out of her seat fast enough to stir Tori, who softly groaned upon waking. Her servants trailed after her as she hurried through the mansion, heading toward the room they’d given Haern and Zusa for their stay. The room was crowded upon her arrival, Torgar standing before the door, several armed men milling about.

“My husband inside?” Madelyn asked, nodding toward the shut door.

“He is.”

“Open it.”

“It’s locked, miss.”

“I said open it.”

Torgar shrugged. Drawing his enormous sword, he used it was a wedge to break the flimsy lock, jarring the door open a crack. Through it, she saw her husband glance at her in the dim lamplight, Alyssa standing beside him. He had a hard look to his face, and she knew he’d been preparing for her discovery. That fact only infuriated her more.

“Will they live?” she asked as he stepped out to join her.

“I believe so,” he said.

“A shame.”

Laurie glared.

“They are guests in our house, Madelyn. Such a callous attitude is unwarranted.”

“Is it? Where’d they come from, Laurie? What is it that nearly got them killed?”

Her husband looked to the gathered house guards, then shook his head.

“Somewhere quiet,” he said.

She followed him back into his study. Only Lily remained when he shut the door, accepting Tori into her arms. Sitting down in one of the several padded chairs, she exposed a breast and began feeding. Even in feeding, Madelyn refused to ever let the baby out of her sight. Laurie glared at her, but was wise enough not to fight that battle given the larger problem with Haern and Zusa…assuming those were even their real names. Already she doubted their relationship to the Gemcrofts.

“What is it you know?” she asked. “Tell me all of it, and no lies. The gods help you if you’ve put Tori in danger.”

“We’re in no danger!” Laurie shouted, the uncharacteristic display startling Madelyn back a step. Feeling naked without Tori in her arms, she crossed them and sat beside Lily. Laurie looked away, and she could see the anger fuming behind his eyes. Good. Only seemed right he be as angry as she was.

“At least, I don’t think so,” he said when he’d calmed. “But things are changing fast, and never did I think the Watcher would be so stupid.”

Madelyn’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“You brought him here?” she asked. It felt as if her husband were playing a sick joke on her. “But he…I heard Ingram’s announcement. The Watcher was supposed to hang tonight.”

And suddenly his wounds made perfect sense. Overwhelmed with rage, she dug her nails into the flesh of her arm hard enough to draw blood. Her precious mansion, her only place of safety, housed one of the most notorious killers alive?

“He broke out,” she said, and her husband never contradicted her. “And after he broke out he came here. Damn it, Laurie, was he seen?”

Laurie sighed.

“Torgar says they were.”

The words hit her like a blow to the chest.

“He’ll find out,” she said, meaning Ingram. “And then he’ll come here. We can’t be caught housing fugitives, Laurie. We have to turn them over!”

“Alyssa won’t allow that and you know it.”

“Then turn over Alyssa!”

He slapped her, hard. She leaned back in her chair, holding trembling fingers against her bleeding lip.

“Alyssa Gemcroft is a member of the Trifect,” Laurie said. “And the Trifect does not hand over its own, not even to kings. I don’t care how many of the city guard Ingram sends, they won’t cross our walls.”

Panic crept up Madelyn’s spine, and she was helpless to stop it.

“We don’t have enough men,” she said.

“Torgar’s already sent runners to hire every available sellsword in the city, regardless the cost.”

“But the mercenaries are all in league with the merchants. We can’t invite them into our home! They’ll outnumber our house guards!”

“Damn it, woman, enough! Do you think I’m a fool? I have enough problems trying to keep the damn Merchant Lords from ruining us, I need no grief from you. If Violet gains popularity, and it will, what do you think will happen then? If they ever have the coin to challenge us, to spread out beyond Angelport, nothing stays certain. Nothing stays safe. ”

He said the last word with a cruel edge, for he knew her paranoia and phobias. The open sky was a torment. Unlocked doors were a danger. His shouting upset Tori, who released Lily’s nipple and began to wail. Lily shushed her, rocking her back and forth while shifting her to the other breast. Madelyn watched her rub the other nipple across Tori’s upper lip, and she thought of all that might happen because Alyssa had brought the Watcher and his whore with her from Veldaren. She thought of what the city guards might do to such a helpless thing if they came crashing through the doors. It sent her to tears.

“Why?” she asked. “Why are they even here?”

“Who? The two? Alyssa brought them to hunt down the Wraith. It was her gift, to bring Taras’s killer to vengeance.”

“She gives us poison and calls it a gift, and yet she stands equal to you in the Trifect. This is madness, Laurie. Utter madness.”

He went to her and wrapped his arms about her waist. When he kissed her lips, she kissed back out of reflex, and nothing else. They both tasted blood.

“I promise nothing will happen,” he said. “Ingram can only do so much. He needs us, no matter how much he wants to admit it. Without us, our guards, our trade, and our influence, the Merchant Lords would have him hanging naked from a pier for the ravens to tear apart. Without us, he cannot stop Ulrich and his madness from starting a war he can’t hope to win. He’ll bluff and bluster, but the man is a superstitious coward. Do not fear him. When he knows we will not relent, Ingram will turn away.”