Michael Sullivan: The Crown conspiracy

As Victor opened the letters, Archibald contemplated his future with relish. The marquis was right. He was after the land that came with his daughter. Still, Alenda was attractive, and the thought of forcing her to his bed was more than a little appealing.

"Archibald, is this a joke?" Victor questioned.

Startled from his thoughts, Archibald set down his drink. "What do you mean?"

"These parchments are all blank."

"What? Are you blind? They're-" Archibald stopped when he saw the empty pages in the marquis' hand. He grabbed a handful of letters and tore them open, only to find still more blank parchments. "This is impossible!"

"Perhaps they were written in disappearing ink?" Victor smirked.

"No…I don't understand…these aren't even the same parchments!" He rechecked the safe but found it empty. His confusion turned to panic. He tore open the door and called anxiously for Bruce. The master-at-arms rushed in, his sword at the ready. "What happened to the letters I had in this safe?" Archibald shouted at the soldier.

"I…I don't know, my lord," Bruce replied. He sheathed his weapon and stood at attention before the earl.

"What do you mean, you don't know? Have you left your post at all this evening?"

"No, sir, of course not."

"Did anyone, anyone at all, enter my study during my absence?"

"No, my lord that is impossible; you hold the only key."

"Then where in Maribor's name are those letters? I put them there myself. I was reading them when the marquis arrived. I was only gone a few minutes. How could they disappear like that?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, I-"

"Shut up. Shut up, you imbecile! I need to think."

Archibald's mind raced. He had them in his hands only moments ago. He had locked them in the safe; he was convinced of that fact. Where had they gone?

Victor drained his glass and stood up. "If you don't mind, Archie, I'll be leaving now. This has been a tremendous waste of my time."

"Victor, wait. Don't go. The letters are real. I had them!"

"But of course you did, Archie. The next time you plan to blackmail me, I suggest you provide a better bluff." He crossed the room, passed through the door, and disappeared down the stairs.

"You had better consider what I said, Victor," Archibald yelled after him. "I'll find those letters. I will! I'll bring them to Aquesta! I'll hold them up at court!"

"What do you want me to do, my lord?" Bruce asked.

"Just wait, you fool. I have to think." Archibald ran his trembling fingers through his hair as he began to pace around the room. He re-examined the letters closely. They were indeed a slightly different grade of parchment than the ones he had read so many times before.

Despite his certainty of placing the letters in the safe, Archibald began pulling out the drawers and riffling through the parchments on his desk. He poured himself another drink and crossed the room. Ripping the screen from the fireplace, he probed the ashes with a poker to search for any telltale signs of parchment remains. In frustration, Archibald threw the blank letters into the fire. He drained his drink in one long swallow and collapsed into one of the chairs.

"They were just here," Archibald said, puzzled. Slowly, a solution began to form in his mind. "Bruce, the letters must have been stolen. The thief could not have gotten far. I want you to search the entire castle. Seal every exit. Close every door, every gate, and every window. Do not let anyone out. Not the staff, not the guards-no one leaves. Search everyone!"

"Right away, my lord," Bruce responded and then paused. "What about the marquis, my lord. Shall I stop him as well?"

"Of course not, you idiot! He doesn't have the letters."

Archibald stared into the fire as he listened to Bruce's footsteps fading away as he ran down the tower stairs. Alone, he had only the sound of the crackling flames and a hundred unanswered questions. He racked his brain but could not determine exactly how the thief had done it. Still, it was the only answer.

"Your lordship?" the timid voice of the steward roused him from his thoughts. Archibald glared up at the man who poked his head through the open door, causing the steward to take an extra breath before speaking. "My lord, I hate to disturb you, but there seems to be a problem down in the courtyard that requires your attention."

"What kind of problem?" Archibald snarled.

"Well, my lord, I was not actually informed of the details, but it has something to do with the marquis, sir. I have been sent to request your presence-respectfully request it, that is."

Archibald descended the stairs, pondering if perhaps the old man had dropped dead on his doorstep, which would not be such a terrible thing. When he reached the courtyard, he found the marquis alive but in a furious temper.

"There you are, Ballentyne! What have you done with my carriage?"

"Your what?"

Bruce approached Archibald and motioned him aside. "Your lordship," he whispered in the earl's ear. "It seems the marquis' carriage and horses are missing, sir."

Archibald held up a finger in the direction of the marquis. With a raised voice, he replied, "I'll be with you in a moment, Victor." Then he turned his attention to Bruce and whispered, "Did you say missing? How is that possible?"

"I don't know exactly, sir, but you see, the gate warden reports that the marquis and his driver, or rather two people he thought were them, have already passed through the front gate."

Suddenly feeling quite ill, Archibald turned back to address the red-faced marquis.

Several hours after nightfall, Alenda Lanaklin arrived by carriage at the impoverished Lower Quarter of Medford. The Rose and Thorn Tavern lay hidden among crooked-roofed hovels on an unnamed street, which to Alenda appeared to be little more than an alley. A recent storm had left the cobblestones wet, and puddles littered the street. Passing carriages splashed filthy water on the pub's front entrance, leaving streaks of grime on the dull stone and weathered timbers.

From a nearby doorway, a sweaty, shirtless man with a bald head emerged carrying a large copper pot. He unceremoniously cast the pot's contents, the bony remains of several stewed animals, into the street. Immediately, half a dozen dogs set upon the scraps. Wretched-looking figures, dimly lit by the flickering light from the tavern's windows, shouted angrily at the canines in a language that Alenda did not recognize. Several of them threw rocks at the scrawny animals, which yelped and darted away. They rushed to what the animals had left behind and stuffed the remnants into their mouths and pockets.

"Are you sure this is the right place, my lady?" Emily asked, taking in the scene. "Surely Viscount Winslow couldn't have meant for us to come here."

Alenda re-examined the curled thorny branch with a single bloom painted on the warped signboard above the door. The red rose had faded to gray, and the weathered stem looked like a coiled snake. "This has to be it. I don't think there's more than one tavern called The Rose and Thorn in Medford."

"I just can't believe he'd send us to such a…a…place!"

"I don't like it any more than you do, but this is what was arranged. I don't see how we have a choice," Alenda replied, surprised by how brave she sounded.

"I know you're tired of hearing this, but I still think this is a mistake. We shouldn't be dealing with thieves. You can't trust them, my lady. Mark my words: these people you hired will steal from you just like they steal from everyone else."

"Nevertheless, we're here now, so we might as well get on with it." Alenda opened the door and stepped out onto the street. As she did, she noticed with concern that several of those loitering nearby were watching her intently.