The Beast of the North (7 page)

‘He will have to die first before I take over his face. And she ... ’ I babbled in panic.

The Horns smoothed my face for my voice had broken. ‘Yes. Falg will die and then the queen. They will both have to die, Falg preferably so that few witness the event. But that is not all. One more, the last one has to fall. The king. He has a lover. The lover could have killed him anytime this past year, but it serves no purpose if the queen is alive. There will be a double murder, my sweet boy, for the sake of the nation. Valkai thought she was aiming to take the queen’s place, but she wants to kill him.’

‘Who is his lover?’ I asked though I knew the answer.

‘You know,’ the thing said with a small, dry laugh, ‘he has a thing for our common acquaintance. Shaduril Blacktower. He is close to her. Every day, near every night. And she will slay our king, the Beast of the North, the moment we know the queen is dead.’

‘Shaduril …’ I began, feeling foolish using her name, and I blushed. ‘Will kill the king in bed?’

‘Ahh,’ it said with dry amusement. ‘I see. You are jealous. She does not love the king, no. She is doing all of this for the nation. She will be in terrible danger, and I don’t know if the Blacktowers even plan for her to survive. But you will make it. Do not worry. You have unique talents. No worries at all.’

‘No, of course not. Nothing to worry about,’ I told the Horns carelessly. ‘She will kill the Beast of the North? How?’

‘Blade and poison,’ the thing said seriously. ‘It is possible. It will be very exciting.’

I nodded. ‘Exciting. I’m so happy I met you.’

‘So am I. Jubilant I met you,’ it told me cheerfully. ‘You simplify the plans. Your skill, it does simplify many things. Greatly. Our man,’ it kicked the head, so it spun into the darkness and hit the goblet with a dull, clanging noise, ‘would have been a constant, nervous risk.’

‘What do you get out of this?’ I asked the Horns. ‘Other than the noble cause of securing your hunting grounds and your victims, the poor sods who will stay alive for you to maul and rob.’

It considered me carefully for a time. Then it took a deep breath and shrugged. ‘If we are partners, then, of course, I shall share somewhat more of my thoughts with you. Are we?’

‘We are!’ I agreed enthusiastically.

The Horns nodded slowly and spoke. ‘The king is rich.’

‘We want his riches? An ordinary robbery?’

The Horns nodded vigorously. ‘We will give old Balan Blacktower what he wants, and while he is taking it, we will rob the Tower of his old treasures. They are old as time. Perhaps magical treasures. With such treasures, we will no longer be a measly band of thieves, living in the dark.’

‘I see,’ I said, and I admit a seed of greed sneaked to my heart. ‘Magical items? And I can take part in this looting orgy?’ It was mad.

‘You are not greedy, are you, boy?’ it said suspiciously. ‘Yes, you can have your part. It’s only fair. But I shall set the terms of any such deal if we manage to secure this hoard before the Blacktowers. I know Balan Blacktower would love to see what the Danegells hoard from the time immemorial.’ I nodded as I breathed deep. I had no choice, anyway. It chuckled dryly at me. ‘Perhaps I’m happy there is a greedy spot in your heart. Makes the trust that much more easy to come by. I trust the greedy over the meek. They have needs, and needs I can provide for. I do hate knights. But you are an artist. A true artist. And I shall sponsor you to greatness.’

‘Yes,’ I agreed with a grin. ‘An artist. What is required of me? Now, that is.’

‘You will be at readiness, boy,’ the thing said. ‘We have more spies looking into the royal family and the Tenginell house of the queen. You will learn the ways of this slave and then take his place, at an opportune moment. We think there is one, months from now. He will leave the house for a moment.’

‘Do be diligent in your investigations,’ I stammered. ‘Even if I have his face, there will be suspicious guards, terribly hard passphrases, deadly traps, hungry beasts. It is well guarded, no doubt. The house. The queen!’

‘Well guarded,’ the Horns said. ‘Very well guarded. But it is her home. She grew up in that Tenginell house. She feels safe there. Worry not. You are like a fish in the water, and all you need to do is learn how to kill the cow and how to act. I shall show you to your room then.’

‘My room?’

‘I told you,’ the Horns said with a hint of impatience. ‘You will stay here. You shall be an honored, greedy guest, who shall not so much as fart without permission.’

I nodded. ‘Yes, I can see the merits of this, and indeed I do fart a lot, but you see, my mother will get upset if I’m not home for dinner,’ I said happily, fighting the ripping fear. ‘I can come back?’

‘Your mother will be happy when you get your due, no? Worth some heartaches and missed dinners. We will send her word not to worry and, of course, she will, but she won’t be left in the dark.’ It stopped to consider its words. ‘Well, they will be in the dark. I’ll give them candles and a good amount of food, of course. Of course, you understand that I will fetch them here. For us to be partners, I need some assurances. You understand this?’

Would they take my family as a hostage?
I cursed under my breath while I was nodding.

The Horns clapped his hand on my shoulder. ‘They are safe. So are you. Don’t be so afraid. Understand you are ours for now. Obviously our deal with the Blacktower family has to be sealed,’ the silver one said unhappily, ‘but we will control you. They won’t. They would never have controlled the doppelganger, anyway. They are nobles, and while such creatures are as decrepit as we are in many ways, they have no ways to manipulate the lower folk, and lesser folk will do well in killing a queen. The men who will kill the queen are creatures of crude habits and no sense of honor.’

‘I see,’ I breathed. ‘And so I’m your guest now? With no access to the outside world.’

‘Yes,’ it said. ‘And no access outside.’

I rubbed my head. ‘If Shaduril fails to kill the king, assuming I kill the queen, of course, will you and the Blacktowers take the Tower of the Temple? Surely, you won’t just wait until he comes to fillet you in revenge? And if you do, how? I hear it is impregnable. The Tower. That there is only one access, and it is well guarded. And army would fail—’

‘Do not worry about such plans. Worry about your part,’ it said.

‘But—’

‘You are a Grim Jester now, Maskan,’ the Horns told me and yanked at my chains. They opened up, the metal and leather were broken. I stared at the sight of torn fetters in shock That had been a clear message to end all further arguments, and I took note of it. My face shifted, and I retook my own face. ‘Much better,’ the silver one said with an approving voice. It leaned closer. ‘Understand, my friend, that if you do not do this, we will murder your mother, your half sister, and brother, your stepfather. And perhaps, now, even your Shaduril. It is not beyond us. Say, “thank you.”’

‘Thank you,’ I told it as I sat up, feeling rotten and beset by fears. My neck hurt and so did my face, where the brute had struck me. ‘So.’

It waved its hands, pleased. ‘We will train you. I shall give you some more information. Falg is a slave, and as a slave to the queen, he has habits and arrogance of a king himself. He is also a warrior and occasionally sneaks off to fights in the Dark Sands events. He has a partner, and they do very well,’ I was told as I got up. The figure and my new master or mistress—I still did not know which—was shorter than it seemed. ‘He will fight the day we shall exchange him with you. Perfect opportunity, no? Alrik found this out, by the way. We know the date of the queen’s visit, and we learned there were wagers made for Falg in the Tenginell house by the guards. For that very day, she is there. He will leave her for a while. You will need to train, and the plans have to be perfect. Though, perhaps not all that accurate. People see your new face, and they have no reason to doubt there has been any change. All you have to do is to act the part. Shaduril Blacktower will be happy, so will her father. And brothers and sisters. They shall all be heroes! Perhaps even elevated in the ranks of the city. Royals, if they are ambitious, or close to it, after all.’ There was a hint of amusement in the voice.

‘Murderous family,’ I told it.
Such a sweet thing a killer?

‘Yes, but that is the way of change. It takes place only through a hail of blood. The Brothers will be the problem. They have to die, all Danegell guards. Not sure how Balan Blacktower plans on taking care of them, and I can see why you worry. They will have to go. All the witnesses as well, of course,’ the Horns chuckled dryly, and I decided I was a witness already.

What the Hel am I doing?
I thought.
I’m dead.
‘Indeed,’ I said with a grin, massaging my legs as I walked up the slope. To the left and right, there were cells. I did not turn to stare inside the musty, smelling holes, but I could hear scrapes and groans of people still living in there.
People, or something else
, I thought. Water was dripping from above as we passed halls of a formerly glorious make.

‘The Old City. The oldest, the very oldest parts are positively ancient. It was burned in the Hel’s War,’ the masked master said. ‘Thousands of years ago. Two thousand and five hundred or so ago. Perfect for our needs.’ It leaned on me with cool familiarity. ‘Valkai’s men know the ways, and I’m learning to. I might lead them, but they are unpredictable. I hate unpredictable.’

‘The guards never venture here?’ I inquired. ‘Truly?’

The Horns shrugged. ‘Many are corrupt. Not all. They occasionally do. Sometimes we tend to go too far, and even coin in the hands of an official does not make a crime go away. They sometimes raid. Especially higher, up the hill where we have some bases. These lower tunnels are long and lonely and dark. Last year, they sent twenty trained men to clear us out up there. They found nothing. Two got lost. We found them.’ The voice was casual and cruel, and I nodded unhappily as a burly, fat turnkey looked up from a meal he was enjoying in a dark corner. His eyes betrayed incredulity as if it were unlikely for anyone to leave the dreadful housing below.

Up we went, and there were underground streets we passed, some with scorched walls and ancient signposts. Up above, I heard the tumble of a barrel as someone was pushing one along the road, and I wondered what time it was.

‘Night,’ the voice behind me answered. ‘It’s nighttime.’

‘I see,’ I told Horns as it pushed me past some villainous looking men. A man was climbing down stairs from what was formerly an inn, and then I witnessed a sight to shock me. A troop of fifty men was marching by, holding blackened shields and spears, their steps in sync and a young, fierce looking sergeant was marching next to them. ‘You raising an army?’

‘Why not,’ the Horns answered, guiding me toward an official looking building where great bustle was evident; men and women going in and out of the building that was likely some sort of a tavern under the streets of Dagnar. ‘We get runaways from all the armies in the world. And those who have nothing to eat learn to wield weapons fast enough. There are a thousand people living down here. Few want to escape.’

I hardened myself.
They needed me,
I reminded myself. They won’t kill me if I try. And so I decided I’d be brave. ‘You sound like a real benefactor. Look here,’ I said and pointed at the muddy tiles we were walking on. The Horn leaned closer; I grinned, prayed, and then I pummeled my elbow to the silver mask hovering over my shoulder.

The figure of my nemesis fell back, apparently surprised even if unhurt by the string of curses drifting from under the mask. I thanked the gods when I saw the Horns falling right amidst the marching men, many of them toppling over my jailer. I thrust forward and ran for the crowded building with the bustling crowd of a hundred or so. As I ran, my face flowed, and I took on Valkai’s feral, stubble marked face. Behind me, the troop of men was turning in confusion and some shouts rang out from the sergeant. I dodged and weaved my way inside the tavern. ‘Hold!’ I yelled, my voice guttural and mad. ‘A prisoner is escaping. All of you; quick as you can, you mottled pigs! To the nearest exit!’

They stared at me for a moment. I feared I had failed, and they would laugh like jackdaws until I was clamped in irons. Likely, they would laugh during a necessary and deserved ass kicking as well. Then I also feared Valkai would get up from a table, his quivering finger pointing at me.

But no. A one eyed man got up instead, so did fifty others, all pulling weapons, and they ran out, toppling two armored men about to grab me. ‘This way!’ one of the women in the group screamed.

‘He is a thin scoundrel! Dressed in silks!’ I yelled, and they growled happily and ran on. I ran amidst them, not looking back. The mostly drunken troop went on, passing confused guards, all of whom I exhorted to join us.

Finally, in the dark corridors and in the midst of a press of sweaty bodies, we came to a thick, musty door well lit by a dozen torches. The guards protested briefly; I growled at them as an animal, and they stepped back, their faces pale. The doors were pulled open, and so we pushed on. ‘Up!’ I screamed and rushed out to an alleyway. ‘That way!’ I screamed and noticed it was a dead end. ‘No, this way!’ I growled, cursing myself for an idiot and led them to the street. Forty men and women of the underworld charged to the Red Pennant Path, the main street running from the harbor to the Temple, and I saw we were in the Blue Door’s district.