Assassin's Shadow (Veiled Dagger Book 2) (7 page)

Rothar had never seen his home in such disarray. By nature, he used the place for nothing more than sleeping and reading, and he only did those things there occasionally, as his vocation caused him to be away most nights.

But three days of Allette had transformed his neat and meager domicile into what amounted to a battlefield. The floors were a treacherous clutter of books, dishes, cups and broken furniture, dotted here and there with puddles of vomit.

Rothar had eventually resorted to tying Allette down to his bed, in an effort to prevent her from injuring herself or him. The madness that the woman had shown in the street when she caught the sent of Obscura had redoubled when she realized that Rothar would not be feeding her habit. And each hour that passed without the drug, Allette had become more ill and crazed.

Finally, late on the third night, it was as though a fever of the mind broke within the woman, and she spoke lucidly for the first time since Rothar had found her.

She looked around the room as though she had never seen it before, then she looked at her bindings, and at Rothar. She no longer fought against her restraints, but she began to weep softly. Rothar brought her water and soup and she ate and drank with enthusiasm for once. When he was confident that she was sufficiently over her madness, Rothar untied Allette, and she got up to walk unsteadily about the room.

As she walked, she began to speak to Rothar. She said that the last thing she remembered was the night of the riots. She had been smoking with a group of working peasants for two days straight, when they suddenly realized they were out of “the ladder,” as she called it.

They went out into the village to try to seek out more, only to find that nobody had any. Like them, everyone had used it all up. Allette told Rothar that that was the point when things started to go awry in Witherington. As users began to discover that there was no smoke to be had, they became despondent, desperate, and angry.

It was rumored that someone in the King’s City had some stashed away, but they were demanding a premium price for it, more than anyone in Witherington could afford - especially those who had been spending their days smoking in dark hovels instead of plying their trades.

Allette did not know where the looting started or who started it, but she said that before she knew it, she was running with a crowd of townspeople, breaking into any place that they could and taking what they could carry. The spree was eventually pushed out of Witherington by the intervention of the King’s men, but Allette and her group took the chaos right to the King’s front door.

The idea, ostensibly, had been to rob the castle of items of value, which could be sold to pay the high price for the fabled stash of Obscura. The looters, of course, had been driven away by the sentinels, but Allette had fallen from the wall and injured her ankle, that was the last thing she remembered.

Rothar filled her in about how he had found her, and everything else they had endured together since that morning.

She was sitting now, and looking more human, and more weary.

“I must know something,” she said. “Why did you help me?”

“Because you needed help,” he answered simply.

“But there are so many who need help right now, the… what did you call it? Obscura? It is making people worthless when they have it, and mad when they do not.”

Rothar thought for a moment.

“Yes,” he said, “and I will also help them. It is my sworn duty to do so. But I came across you in your time of need, and had I left you there then you would be in the castle dungeons now, and that is no place for a young woman.”

The answer seemed to appease Allette.

“How will you help them, Rothar?”

Rothar had not given the woman any indication of who he was or what he did, and he would not reveal his true vocation to her.

“Honestly, I have been hoping that you might be able to help me with that,” he answered. “Can you tell me about how you first came into contact with the Obscura?”

Allette looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember.

“It was as though one day, it was just there, all of a sudden,” she began. “I am sorry that I can not say where it came from, I just know that it was everywhere.”

“But who did
you
get it from?” he asked.

Allette hesitated.

“You have no need to worry, you are not going to get anyone into any sort of trouble. I am merely trying to track the drug back to whomever is bringing it into the city.”

“Bringing it in?” Allette asked. “Is it not grown here? I assumed it was some creation of the apothecary Ariswold.”

Rothar sighed. “I wish it were as simple as that, but unfortunately even Ariswold does not know where it is coming from.”

The mention of Ariswold made Rothar wonder how the old man was faring. He must be sure to check in on him as soon as he could.

“Well, I first tried it with Tabor, who runs the shop I work in. I do not know where he got it,” Allette said.

Rothar got up. “Very well then. I sent for some clothes to be brought for you, they are over there in the corner. I believe they will fit you. You are welcome to stay here until we can arrange other accommodations for you. For now, you must sleep.”

With that, Rothar walked out of the house and saddled Stormbringer, setting off for Castle Staghorn.

The sentries around Castle Staghorn were still doubled, but Rothar was glad to see that at least there had been fresh men brought in to fill the duty. The hour was late, and he was admitted into an empty throne room. He had expected to have to wait for the King and Queen to arrive, and he could probably have waited until morning to call upon them, but he felt he was wasting his time in the King’s City when he knew the Obscura was coming from parts unknown, and he needed to be traveling.

He was as yet unsure of where he should go, but he knew that going anywhere would be more use than sitting still, and he needed to check his trap.

King Heldar and Queen Amelia finally entered. Heldar looked sleepy, and Amelia still wore black.

“This must be important, Rothar,” the King said, plopping down upon the throne. His tone was gruff, but his face was placid. He could never be truly angry with his oldest friend.

“Not all of us can sleep when there is evil afoot,” Rothar said with a slight grin.

King Heldar waved off the comment. Amelia looked as amused as she had since the death of the stable boy.

“I just felt that I should let you know I am leaving the City tonight, in search of the source of the Obscura,” Rothar said.

“Well, it’s about time, I should say,” said the King, almost joking. “It is just as well, order seems to have been restored here, and rather quickly I might add. My men seem to have had quite an effect on those willing to incite upheaval.”

“Your men are skilled indeed,” replied Rothar. “But I must tell you that this peace has more to do with the fresh supply of Obscura that seems to have found it’s way into the city the morning after the riots.”

The King’s face turned red.

“Fresh supply?! Why did you not say that in the first place! I will send out my men to search every home and seize every last pinch of this infernal weed!”

Rothar put up a hand to quiet the King.

“If you do that, you will have another uprising one your hands - a bigger one. The addicted will be knocking down your door. They have your men outnumbered and will fear nothing. I suggest you let things be until you hear from me. A city dazed and delirious is better than a city on fire.”

The King started to protest, but realized that Rothar was right. He slumped back on the throne.

“Another thing, Heldar,” said Rothar.

“Yes?”

“There is a woman staying in my home. She is weak and injured, and has no family; I would be thankful if you could send someone by to check in on her until I return.”

King Heldar’s eyebrows went up.

“You have never been one for romantic conquests, Rothar, are you getting sentimental?”

“I can assure you, it is nothing of the sort,” Rothar replied with a half smile. “And as for my romantic conquests, you should be inclined to mind your own business.”

The King roared with laughter and Rothar could not help but chuckle himself. Even Queen Amelia let forth a soft laugh. Rothar was glad to see her show some emotion besides melancholy.

Before Rothar had even left the throne room, he heard the door shut at the other end. The King and Queen were heading back to bed. He was unsure of where the night might take him, but he knew this darkness was not for sleeping.

Rothar entered his home quietly. He needed to gather some supplies for his travels, and he expected Allette to be sleeping soundly. He was surprised to find that she was up, and his home was as clean as he had ever seen it. The floors were scrubbed, the plates washed, and every book had been put on the shelves in perfect order.

Allette was sitting in the parlor, cleverly repairing a chair that she had broken in a fit of withdrawal. No doubt she did not remember smashing the chair, but she had apparently assumed that anything broken in the house was attributable to her.

“Why are you not resting?” asked Rothar.

“Because, though I am weary and drained, I feel as though I have been asleep for a long, long time,” she replied.

Rothar thought about what she said for a moment. He wondered how far disconnected from their consciousness the Obscura users truly were.

“Besides,” Allette continued, “I must repay you for your kindness.”

“There is no need to repay me,” Rothar said. “The best thing you can do for me is to get healthy and go on to live your life.”

Allette looked at him oddly, in a way that made him remember his reason for coming there in the first place. He hurried about gathering supplies.

Rothar always traveled light, but in most cases, he knew where he would be going, and stocked himself accordingly. Now, not having any certainty as to where the coming days would take him, he found himself preparing for all possible scenarios. A heavy cloak went into his bag along with warm weather clothing. Extra rope, food rations, a whetstone, medicine, all went into his saddle bags. Stormbringer snorted, as though he was curious about the extra weight.

When Allette was not looking, Rothar lifted a loose board in the floor of the bedroom. Here, he had hidden the box of Obscura that he had taken from Ariswold. He placed the box in the saddlebags along with everything else. He was not sure if he packed the smoke because he may need to produce it at some point, or because he feared Allette would find it and have a relapse of dependency, and he would eventually return home to a drug addled lunatic - or a burned down house.

When he was satisfied that he had packed everything he might need, Rothar went back into the house to say farewell to Allette. When he entered the parlor, he found that she had changed into one of the dresses that had been brought for her.

“That seems to fit you adequately,” he said, in his best version of a compliment.

“Indeed,” she said. “And thank you.”

“I must be off now, and I do not know for how long I will be away,” Rothar told Allette. The young woman looked at him with disappointment and worry.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he continued. “I have arranged for someone to look in on you. All you need to do is stay away from the Obscura.”

“The ladder,” she interjected.

Rothar looked at her quizzically.

“I have heard the smoke called many things,” she said. “But before you, I never heard of anyone calling it ‘
Obscura
.’
People will find you odd if you call it that.”

Allette did not know that a distributor of the drug had called it Obscura, but he took her advice to heart all the same. There was no way of knowing how many informal names the substance had, and he needed to take care to learn them, and to use the appropriate terms in the appropriate circles.

“All of my friends call it the Ladder,” Allette said.

“Because it is supposed to be a ladder to heaven,” suggested Rothar.

“Yes… and it is… until it is not.” Allette stared down at the floor for a moment before approaching Rothar and putting her hand on the side of his neck.

“Who are you, Rothar, that you would save the life of such a wretch? And now you set off to save others?”

Rothar looked the young woman in the face. For the first time he noticed how pleasant she was.

“I am only a man,” he said.

At that moment, the front door swung open and Taria walked in, followed by Peregrin. The four all stood silent for a second, regarding one another in surprise.

“Taria!” Rothar said, slipping out of Allette’s grasp. “What are you doing here?”

Taria looked perplexed. She glanced from Rothar to Allette and back again.

“I… I do not know… I mean, I had to come… Peregrin…” Taria trailed off and looked away.

Peregrin cleared his throat. “There is great danger in the Banewood, Rothar. I felt it best to bring Taria straight away.”

“If there is danger so great that it troubles even you, then I am very grateful that you have brought her, old friend,” Rothar told Peregrin.

“Are you?” he heard Taria say softly.

She was looking at Allette again, who stood awkwardly and embarrassed in the corner.

Rothar suddenly realized what was causing Taria’s angst, and he rushed to explain the situation to his love and to his best friend. He told them about the sudden rise of lunacy and the discovery of the Obscura, or the “Ladder.” He related to them how he found Allette outside the castle, and how she had no one to help her. As he spoke, Taria began to warm to him and he wrapped his arms around her. Behind him, Allette’s eyes turned to the floor and she turned crimson in the cheeks. Taria noticed.

Once he had appeased Taria, Rothar turned to Peregrin.

“Now tell me of what is happening in the Banewood,” he said.

Peregrin told Rothar of the murdered man, and of the others gone missing.

“I cannot help but wonder if this has something to do with the men who are bringing in this infernal smoke,” Rothar pondered.

“The Ladder?” Taria asked, casting a coy glance at Allette.

“Yes,” said Rothar, “I know it is coming from outside of the City, most likely through the Banewood, but I do not know where from.”

“Well, you are welcome to come with me,” said Peregrin. “I am off to join the huntsmen who are searching for the rest of the scouts.”

Rothar thought for a moment and then agreed that the best course of action was to go with Peregrin.

“I have to make a stop by the old spot first, to check a snare,” he told Peregrin.

Taria leaned into Rothar. “And what am I to do?” she asked.

“You stay here for now. You can look after Allette,” he replied. “It works out quite nicely, neither of you will have to be alone.”

Taria scowled, but Rothar did not take notice. He gathered up his cloak and dagger, kissed Taria on the cheek, and walked out the door with Peregrin on his heels. As they mounted their horses, Peregrin said to his friend, “You are probably the smartest man I know, Rothar, but you know absolutely nothing about women.”