Valdemar and everything in it belongs to Mercedes Lackey and not to me.
Please don't sue me Misty, I won't be able to afford your books :-P
Ch. 4 One Thing After Another
Well, well, well. Its just one of those days isn't it.
:Roxy, what do you think?: I looked over at Roxy who was on my coat rack, her favorite perch in my little office.
:I think you're a flaming idiot, Boss:
I didn't ask why, I didn't need to. For a reptile Roxy has a very concrete understanding of money, sometimes I think she should have been an accountant.
:I don't like the complications! That guy has ~two~ groups of people after him. Two! I have never ever even HEARD of such a thing: I sighed as she flicked her wings impatiently at me. :Well, what do you think we should do?:
:I thought you didn't rely on your instincts, I thought that was what I was for!: She replied nastily to me. I glared. :Oh, all right. I guess there is something wrong with this situation: Roxy paused for a minute. :I think we should talk to The Client and find out if he knows anything. Mention the 3000 gold, he may give us a raise:
I thought about it and realized I couldn't think of anything better. :Lets do it:
***
I suppose you are wondering about a few things by now. First of all is probably why I'm even talking to you. The answer is that I am getting paid really well. Not in gold or silver, but in something I value even more, and if you don't understand what I mean by that, then I am certainly not going to tell you.
Second is why I seem to be ignorant about who I am working for. I have heard that in other countries it isn't necessarily so, often the more powerful crime lords in, for example, Seejay or Rethwellan, may actually keep an assassin on staff. A few years ago while doing a favor for a friend I actually met one crime lord in Petra who preferred to do his own dirty work. Other crime lords would even hire him for the more high-priced jobs. I learned a lot from that guy, too bad I had to kill him.
The problem is that this is Valdemar, and Valdemar has Heralds. If I were caught it would be very easy for a Herald to get any kind of information out of me. They don't use torture in Valdemar, they don't need to. They have the Truth-Spell. It has become a matter of policy among the local crime lords to keep their real names to themselves. If you aren't a close associate then you don't know who they are.
***
We took a trip to the Lord and Lady, a rather nice little pub that happened to have various games of chance in a back room that would be legal if they had been declared (and taxed). The bribes necessary to run them were lower then the taxes would have been, and the owner keeps order by cracking the heads of cheaters. The Guard never has to intervene, the owner and any winners never have to pay taxes, and what the tax collectors don't officially know won't hurt them. Everyone is happy. Roxy, as usual, was high overhead; sometimes I wished it wasn't necessary for her to stay secret.
I gave a message to the landlord and waited with a pint of fine Deadman's Ale. It was dark and so heavy it was practically bread. I could have eaten it with a fork. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I do like good ale, and this was really fine stuff. While I waited I enjoyed my usual hobby of sharing witty jokes with Roxy ("How many Holderkin does it take to light a candle?" "Ten, one Husband and his nine wives")
After about a mark Roxy warned me that The Client was making his way up the street to the pub. First his bodyguards entered and cased the joint. They were good; the first two spotted me right away. Seeing no danger the third signaled to the remaining two and The Client where they waited outside.
The Client entered the pub, calmly walked over to my table, and sat down. He raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him my best smile; I don't think he was reassured.
"I just found out something interesting," I told him, "you know that job you hired me to do? Someone just tried to hire me to do the same job, for six times the amount."
He snorted at me and looked cynically amused. "You agreed to the price, there's no way I'm going to raise it,"
I shook my head in denial, "Don't worry, I turned them down. The price we agreed on is just fine. Getting greedy would only get me into trouble. What worries me is that there is someone else wanting to remove the safety hazard, and I would like to know why it has to go before I complete the job."
"Hmmm," he seemed to think a bit. While he thought I called the serving girl over and ordered ale for him as well. Politeness and courtesy are my middle names.
:Yeah, and your first and last names are Un and Crudeness:
:Shut up:
:Hey, why don't you ask him out on a date? He's cute enough:
:Roxy, one of these days...:
Her only response was a mental chuckle.
I sighed, the Heralds were supposed to be able to talk to their pretty white horses, but I wondered if they have to put up with anything like this. Or maybe it's a flying-reptile thing. Sigh.
My attention snapped back to The Client as he seemed to make a decision. He cleared his throat and raised one eyebrow at me again. Lady guard me, I wish I could do that. Sigh again. My life is so unfair. :Shut up Roxy:
:I didn't say anything!:
:It's called a preemptive strike:
"I'm in the business of exchanging information. Things like which merchant is making the most money on wool, or in which bordello Lord Blank prefers to spend his time, as well as other things of interest. A lot of this information is fairly sensitive, and my associates and I must make sure that no one finds out that we know it. Our friend is unfortunately asking too many questions about my business. He has gotten much closer to the truth then I feel comfortable and he needs to be stopped. As to why someone else wants him to 'retire' I have no idea. It could be that our friend has been asking a lot of questions about someone else."
Now it was my turn to go "Hmmm," The information was interesting, but not anything I couldn't guess on my own. "If you don't mind my asking, exactly what kind of information was he trying to get?"
The Client gave me a half-smile. I collect half-smiles. "He was overheard asking about how much grain and basic supplies were going to the Guard, that sort of thing."
The war with Hardorn. The Client was selling information on that. I didn't know how to respond. It was one thing to gather and sell information that could be used in a little polite blackmail, but to sell information to your country's enemies requires a lot of nerve. I wasn't sure about The Client, but he looked like he was established here in Haven so perhaps he wasn't selling to the enemy. The Target was another story, I agreed with The Client, The Target had to die, and soon.
"Huh, well maybe that is why those guys want him taken care of. If he's doing that kind of research he could end up making a lot of money. They may be just taking out the competition. I want to be sure though; can you do me a favor? You have more resources then I do, could you check them out and find out what is going on?"
"I don't see why not, I won't even charge you for it." The Client frowned in thought for a minute, then smiled at me. I was surprised at the amount of warmth in it. And here I thought The Client was as cold-blooded as Roxy.
:I heard that!:
"Get back to me as soon as you can and I'll see about getting the problem taken care of for you as soon as possible." I promised.
****
A/N As usual this story is a Steven Brust/Mercedes Lackey ("what if Brust wrote a Vlad story in Valdemar") story. If you like the style; read Brust's Vlad Taltos series. If you like the world; read Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. Better yet read them both.
Morninglight: I realized about 10 seconds after I posted my response that I got your name wrong. Sorry. The story takes place one year after Arrow's Fall, so I assume that Reghan was in her mid forties at this time. How long has she been in Haven?
AtheneMiranda: I hope this answers at least one of your questions. Don't worry I am going to do a tell-all on Josan's history. She is really tough though, so the only way for her to break down and spill her life story is if Something Bad happens. She will only tell it when she is ready, not when I am.
Other random notes:
There is really a Deadman's Ale, it's made by Rogue Brewery in Newport Oregon. I could be wrong about the town, but I am not wrong about the beer. It really is my favorite. The bottle has a picture of an Incan mummy holding a pint of beer, hence the name. (Yes, I am legal to drink!)
Just about everything I have mentioned in the 'present' and most of the 'past' is important to the plot, and there will be a test afterwards, so take notes! j/k ;-)
My author's note has gotten almost a page long. Interesting. The first one to post a review for this chapter gets cookies and cake!
Dec. 10, 2003. Did some minor changes.
Ch. 4 One Thing After Another
Well, well, well. Its just one of those days isn't it.
:Roxy, what do you think?: I looked over at Roxy who was on my coat rack, her favorite perch in my little office.
:I think you're a flaming idiot, Boss:
I didn't ask why, I didn't need to. For a reptile Roxy has a very concrete understanding of money, sometimes I think she should have been an accountant.
:I don't like the complications! That guy has ~two~ groups of people after him. Two! I have never ever even HEARD of such a thing: I sighed as she flicked her wings impatiently at me. :Well, what do you think we should do?:
:I thought you didn't rely on your instincts, I thought that was what I was for!: She replied nastily to me. I glared. :Oh, all right. I guess there is something wrong with this situation: Roxy paused for a minute. :I think we should talk to The Client and find out if he knows anything. Mention the 3000 gold, he may give us a raise:
I thought about it and realized I couldn't think of anything better. :Lets do it:
***
I suppose you are wondering about a few things by now. First of all is probably why I'm even talking to you. The answer is that I am getting paid really well. Not in gold or silver, but in something I value even more, and if you don't understand what I mean by that, then I am certainly not going to tell you.
Second is why I seem to be ignorant about who I am working for. I have heard that in other countries it isn't necessarily so, often the more powerful crime lords in, for example, Seejay or Rethwellan, may actually keep an assassin on staff. A few years ago while doing a favor for a friend I actually met one crime lord in Petra who preferred to do his own dirty work. Other crime lords would even hire him for the more high-priced jobs. I learned a lot from that guy, too bad I had to kill him.
The problem is that this is Valdemar, and Valdemar has Heralds. If I were caught it would be very easy for a Herald to get any kind of information out of me. They don't use torture in Valdemar, they don't need to. They have the Truth-Spell. It has become a matter of policy among the local crime lords to keep their real names to themselves. If you aren't a close associate then you don't know who they are.
***
We took a trip to the Lord and Lady, a rather nice little pub that happened to have various games of chance in a back room that would be legal if they had been declared (and taxed). The bribes necessary to run them were lower then the taxes would have been, and the owner keeps order by cracking the heads of cheaters. The Guard never has to intervene, the owner and any winners never have to pay taxes, and what the tax collectors don't officially know won't hurt them. Everyone is happy. Roxy, as usual, was high overhead; sometimes I wished it wasn't necessary for her to stay secret.
I gave a message to the landlord and waited with a pint of fine Deadman's Ale. It was dark and so heavy it was practically bread. I could have eaten it with a fork. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I do like good ale, and this was really fine stuff. While I waited I enjoyed my usual hobby of sharing witty jokes with Roxy ("How many Holderkin does it take to light a candle?" "Ten, one Husband and his nine wives")
After about a mark Roxy warned me that The Client was making his way up the street to the pub. First his bodyguards entered and cased the joint. They were good; the first two spotted me right away. Seeing no danger the third signaled to the remaining two and The Client where they waited outside.
The Client entered the pub, calmly walked over to my table, and sat down. He raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him my best smile; I don't think he was reassured.
"I just found out something interesting," I told him, "you know that job you hired me to do? Someone just tried to hire me to do the same job, for six times the amount."
He snorted at me and looked cynically amused. "You agreed to the price, there's no way I'm going to raise it,"
I shook my head in denial, "Don't worry, I turned them down. The price we agreed on is just fine. Getting greedy would only get me into trouble. What worries me is that there is someone else wanting to remove the safety hazard, and I would like to know why it has to go before I complete the job."
"Hmmm," he seemed to think a bit. While he thought I called the serving girl over and ordered ale for him as well. Politeness and courtesy are my middle names.
:Yeah, and your first and last names are Un and Crudeness:
:Shut up:
:Hey, why don't you ask him out on a date? He's cute enough:
:Roxy, one of these days...:
Her only response was a mental chuckle.
I sighed, the Heralds were supposed to be able to talk to their pretty white horses, but I wondered if they have to put up with anything like this. Or maybe it's a flying-reptile thing. Sigh.
My attention snapped back to The Client as he seemed to make a decision. He cleared his throat and raised one eyebrow at me again. Lady guard me, I wish I could do that. Sigh again. My life is so unfair. :Shut up Roxy:
:I didn't say anything!:
:It's called a preemptive strike:
"I'm in the business of exchanging information. Things like which merchant is making the most money on wool, or in which bordello Lord Blank prefers to spend his time, as well as other things of interest. A lot of this information is fairly sensitive, and my associates and I must make sure that no one finds out that we know it. Our friend is unfortunately asking too many questions about my business. He has gotten much closer to the truth then I feel comfortable and he needs to be stopped. As to why someone else wants him to 'retire' I have no idea. It could be that our friend has been asking a lot of questions about someone else."
Now it was my turn to go "Hmmm," The information was interesting, but not anything I couldn't guess on my own. "If you don't mind my asking, exactly what kind of information was he trying to get?"
The Client gave me a half-smile. I collect half-smiles. "He was overheard asking about how much grain and basic supplies were going to the Guard, that sort of thing."
The war with Hardorn. The Client was selling information on that. I didn't know how to respond. It was one thing to gather and sell information that could be used in a little polite blackmail, but to sell information to your country's enemies requires a lot of nerve. I wasn't sure about The Client, but he looked like he was established here in Haven so perhaps he wasn't selling to the enemy. The Target was another story, I agreed with The Client, The Target had to die, and soon.
"Huh, well maybe that is why those guys want him taken care of. If he's doing that kind of research he could end up making a lot of money. They may be just taking out the competition. I want to be sure though; can you do me a favor? You have more resources then I do, could you check them out and find out what is going on?"
"I don't see why not, I won't even charge you for it." The Client frowned in thought for a minute, then smiled at me. I was surprised at the amount of warmth in it. And here I thought The Client was as cold-blooded as Roxy.
:I heard that!:
"Get back to me as soon as you can and I'll see about getting the problem taken care of for you as soon as possible." I promised.
****
A/N As usual this story is a Steven Brust/Mercedes Lackey ("what if Brust wrote a Vlad story in Valdemar") story. If you like the style; read Brust's Vlad Taltos series. If you like the world; read Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. Better yet read them both.
Morninglight: I realized about 10 seconds after I posted my response that I got your name wrong. Sorry. The story takes place one year after Arrow's Fall, so I assume that Reghan was in her mid forties at this time. How long has she been in Haven?
AtheneMiranda: I hope this answers at least one of your questions. Don't worry I am going to do a tell-all on Josan's history. She is really tough though, so the only way for her to break down and spill her life story is if Something Bad happens. She will only tell it when she is ready, not when I am.
Other random notes:
There is really a Deadman's Ale, it's made by Rogue Brewery in Newport Oregon. I could be wrong about the town, but I am not wrong about the beer. It really is my favorite. The bottle has a picture of an Incan mummy holding a pint of beer, hence the name. (Yes, I am legal to drink!)
Just about everything I have mentioned in the 'present' and most of the 'past' is important to the plot, and there will be a test afterwards, so take notes! j/k ;-)
My author's note has gotten almost a page long. Interesting. The first one to post a review for this chapter gets cookies and cake!
Dec. 10, 2003. Did some minor changes.