A Dance of Ghosts

CHAPTER 19

The last thing Alyssa did that night, as she did every night, was remove her eyes. Despite the insistence of the craftsmen who’d formed them, despite her own fingers that could confirm their smoothness, she still felt as if they were covered with a thousand jagged slivers that sliced into her vacant eye sockets. Only once had she tried sleeping with them still in, and she’d awoken halfway through the night to find her fingers digging into her sockets, which were wet with tears.

There were no servants with her in her room, Alyssa at last left in solitude. They’d check on her occasionally, she knew. At the foot of her bed, resting atop a table, was a brass bell she could ring if she ever needed anything, not that she ever did. She was blind, not an invalid, and whenever she needed something, she left her bed, walked across the cold floor, and opened the door to ask the servant waiting outside. She remembered when Melody first suggested the bell, except the bell was to have been hooked to a rope hanging beside her head. She’d threatened to set the entire bed on fire if she ever discovered such a set up.

What I’d give to have seen their faces, Alyssa thought as she set the eyes into a glass with a thin layer of alcohol at the bottom. They must have thought me out of my mind.

It wasn’t that much of a stretch, really. She’d long felt the eyes of her enemies circling her. Now without her own, she knew it was only a matter of time before they closed in, snatching at whatever they could get. Her only hope rested in people like Zusa and John Gandrem protecting her interests, and even then, they faced an impossible task.

Alyssa removed her robe and slid naked underneath the silken sheets. They were cold, and she shivered, arms crossed and knees drawn to her chest, as she waited for them to warm. Her breathing steadily slowed, and head sunk into a giant feathered pillow, she tried to relax. Yet she couldn’t. Something bothered her, even as the rest of her body warmed. A window, she realized. The quiet of her room was not complete, the soft rustle of air she felt on her cheek not supposed to be there. Sitting up with the blankets pulled to her chest, she addressed the darkness.

“Who is there?” she asked. “Say your name now. If I hear any other noise, I will scream for my guards.”

“Your senses are to be commended,” said a deep voice at the foot of her bed. “Given what I know of your personality, you might have been a fine member of my guild in a different life.”

“Who are you?” she asked, though in the pit of her stomach she felt certain she already knew.

“Come, now, surely you can guess?”

Spoken with such confidence, such condescension. You are a child to me, that voice said, just a silly, stupid child, and it annoyed Alyssa to no end.

“There are plenty in this city with the skill to sneak past my guards,” she said, hoping to deflate him the tiniest bit. “Is there a reason you think you are special?”

The intruder laughed. Controlled. Amused. A predator’s laugh.

“I need not think it,” he said. “I know it, and you do too, don’t you, Alyssa? The moment I spoke to reveal my presence, a chill ran down your spine, and with an absolute certainty came to you a name. Please, say it, and don’t lie. It proves nothing if you lie.”

Alyssa swallowed.

“Muzien,” she said. “Muzien the Darkhand.”

The elf clapped, and she wondered if the servant outside her door would hear it. Pulling the blankets tighter about her, she slid her free hand underneath her pillow, to the dagger hidden there.

“See, was that so hard? Now spare me your sarcasm and petty attempts to insult me while hiding your fear. We have things to discuss, you and I.”

“I will have no business with you,” Alyssa said. “And if you’ve come to kill me, just do it now. I will not beg for your amusement.”

“Amusement?” Again Muzien laughed. It was from a different direction than before, and when he spoke again, the location had changed once more. He was moving about her, constantly forcing her to readjust his mental position in her head. Anything to make her uncomfortable, she realized, as if being naked and helpless were not enough to accomplish that.

“My dear, if I wanted amusement, I would have gone elsewhere. Tonight is business, whether you wish it or not.”

Her fingers closed about the dagger’s hilt. With her blankets raised, her actions should have been hidden. There was no chance she could strike him when ready, but if he were to make a move on her, thinking her helpless …

“Get on with it, then,” she said, raising her voice the slightest amount. If only the servant outside would hear her voice, realize she spoke with someone when she was supposed to be alone.

“Gladly.”

So close to her right ear she felt the heat of his breath on her skin. Her entire body tensed, and in that half second, she felt a tug on her blankets and movement beneath her pillow. Before she could react, Muzien ripped the dagger from her hand. A soft thud told her it landed on the carpet below, far out of reach. She thought to dive for it anyway, but a hand closed around her throat and slammed her back down atop her pillow.

“Now is a time to listen,” the elf whispered into her ear, “not make foolish plans to attack me, nor vain attempts to alert the servant outside your door. I killed her, Alyssa. She’s bleeding out in your closet as we speak, so before someone notices her absence, you and I must come to an understanding. Have I made myself clear?”

His grip tightened, and though she opened her mouth to answer, she could not make a sound. Her hands clutched at his wrist, fingernails scratching hard enough to draw blood, yet it relented not the slightest amount.

“I asked, Have I made myself clear?”

It loosened the tiniest bit, and she gasped in air.

“Yes,” she said, voice hoarse and painful to her own ears.

“Excellent.”

Gone was the hand, her bed shifting as his weight upon it was removed. Alyssa lay there, still covered by the blankets, and did her best to regain her composure.

“I saved you for last,” Muzien said, and by the way his voice traveled, she imagined him pacing before her at the foot of the bed. “Every other man and woman of power in this city, I have crossed paths with. No one may claim I came to Veldaren like a thief in the night. No one may feign ignorance or surprise by what happens tomorrow. For everyone, from the highest king to the lowliest serf, there are only two options: compliance or rebellion.”

“Compliance with what?” she dared ask, and it hurt her throat to speak.

“My demands,” Muzien said. “You see, Alyssa, the night is mine now. I own it and keep it in my pocket like I would a coin or key. No one will take it from me, nor challenge me for it. The Sun Guild has claimed every street, every corner, every shop, every stall. Even the king has agreed to look the other way, granting us immunity from his soldiers and guards. So, as you sit here, I want you to realize how alone you are. You’ve proven troublesome in your past, fiery and stubborn, but now is a time for wisdom, not passion. Can you do that for me, Alyssa?”

She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but that would only make her night worse. Instead, she nodded and kept her mouth shut.

“Excellent. Quiet, obedient. You’re learning, so here is the next lesson. The deal you’ve struck between the Trifect and the thief guilds, this Watcher’s truce, it ends tonight.”

“You’d plunge this city back into chaos?” she asked.

“On the contrary, Alyssa, I would give it a proper peace. What you’ve created is a mockery of order, and it was doomed to fail whether I came here or not. But here I am, and I will not allow it to stand. The guilds are mine, all of them. The men who signed those signatures are either dead or bow their knees to me. We will do whatever we wish to do, take from whomever we wish to take. Only one thing will stop us: gold.”

“That’s it? You just want protection money? How is that any different from what we had before?”

She felt the bed sink the tiniest bit from the elf sitting on one of the corners.

“It comes down to power, Alyssa. There will be no enforcer beyond myself. The terms will be decided by me and me alone. You will hand over coin, and through my good grace, you will be spared any wrath. The same will go for every other shop and tavern and brothel that operates within Veldaren’s walls. No one will sell the smallest scrap of bread without my approval and my cut. Consider it a tax paid to the rightful king of our fair city.”

Alyssa was stunned by what she heard. The elf believed it, every word. He truly thought the entirety of Veldaren was his. The frightening part was how close to the truth it might actually be.

“You reach too far,” she said. “The king will call his armies from across Neldar. Lord Stern Blackwater in Angelport will hear of this, and he’ll prepare his own mercenaries. Even the temple to Ashhur will not stand for your enslavement.”

“King Vaelor could summon soldiers,” Muzien said, and he was close again, lurking, a cat playing with a mouse. “The priests might stumble out of their temple, hopeless to discover what is happening underneath their noses. Yes, even Stern might head north to protect his fellow members of the Trifect. But do you know what all those require, Alyssa?”

She felt his hand grab her face and turn it hard to the left. The skin was scaly and hot to the touch. It felt like the hand of a monster, and she whimpered at the pain it caused in her neck.

“What?” she asked as the silence lingered.

“Bravery, and I sense none of it in this forsaken place.”

He let her go, and she heard footsteps as he moved away, toward the door, she guessed.

“Tomorrow, I announce my presence to the city,” Muzien said. “My time of meetings and games will be over. This is your only chance, Alyssa; now give me your answer. Will you pay for protection against my might, or must I bury you like all others who have dared oppose me?”

She should do it, she knew. When Thren Felhorn had united the thief guilds, they’d been near impossible to destroy, and this elf seemed superior to Thren in every way … even in arrogance. It’d be so easy, too. All she had to do was whisper those simple words “I will” and she’d be in his pocket, no different from anyone else in the Trifect. No different from the other thief guilds or even their cowardly, infantile king.

No different …

“I never bowed to Thren,” she said. “I never bowed to the guilds nor the pressures of my title. I won’t bow to you, Muzien. Threaten me all you wish, but I’m tired of hiding in my home, trembling like a child.”

She thought he might react in anger, or even kill her, but instead, he laughed.

“Curious,” he said. “Daverik assured me the Gemcroft family would readily accept, yet that seemed counter to everything I knew about you, my dear Alyssa. It is good to know that my opinion of you was more accurate than that of a lowly priest.”

Priest? thought Alyssa. Daverik? What nonsense is this?

“You have your answer,” she said, doing her best to sit up straight and control the quiver in her voice. “Now leave me be.”

Muzien tsked at her from across the room.

“You’re making a mistake, Alyssa. No one must die needlessly, but then again, needless death has always been the mark of your house. As you humans like to say, ‘It is your funeral.’”

Something heavy landed in her lap atop the blankets, and she felt it with her fingers. The bronze bell the servants kept at the foot of her bed.

“You may summon your guards now,” Muzien said, and she could imagine him standing before her, so smug, so certain of himself. “It will be the last time they ever have warning.”

She heard footsteps, the sound of her door opening, followed by the shattering of a window in a distant room. Despite her hatred of it, she shook the bell with both hands, shook until she heard her door opening, heard the heavy boots of her guards rushing in. But one person, one whose footsteps were silent, arrived before any guard could.

“What happened?” asked Zusa, voice hovering just beside her.

“Muzien was here,” she said. “He wanted my allegiance.”

“What did you tell him?”

Soldiers were coming into the room now, and she felt their presence like a suffocating blanket. Still naked, she clutched her blankets tightly to her to preserve some modicum of modesty.

“Get those men out of here,” she said. “I need to dress.”

The grumblings of the guards were obviously unhappy, but they reluctantly obeyed. Once they were gone, she heard a closet opening, followed by a sharp inhalation of air.

The body, thought Alyssa.

“Muzien told me he killed Sally,” she said.

“He did,” was all Zusa said. The closet door shut, and a moment later, a simple, lengthy shift dropped into her hands.

“Dress,” Zusa said. “But talk while doing it. What was your answer to the Darkhand?”

Alyssa lifted her arms, let Zusa begin to slide the shift over her head.

“I told him no,” she said.

“You did?” Zusa said, and she sounded surprised. “But I thought you were willing to let this all go? When we spoke earlier…”

“I know what I said,” snapped Alyssa, far harsher than she meant. “But damn it, Zusa, is this what I’ve become? Cowering in my room, wallowing in self-pity because a sick little boy took away my eyes? All I want is for Nathaniel to become something great. Something amazing. It won’t happen this way, though. My anger and sorrow once made this entire city tremble with fear. I thought to learn from that, to humble myself … but the world will only see it as weakness, not strength. So then, let’s be the strength they understand.”

The shift on, Alyssa reached out a hand until she felt Zusa’s face press against it.

“Are your blades still mine to command?” she asked.

“Now and forever,” Zusa said.

“Then find this Daverik. Muzien spoke his name, and said he was a priest. Somehow, it seems he is involved with the Sun Guild’s arrival.”

It took little skill to sense Zusa’s sudden unease.

“I know who he is,” she said. “Forgive me, Alyssa. I should have killed him months ago. The faceless woman who attacked you was loyal to him as well.”

“Can you find him?”

“If he is in the temple, he is beyond me. I have already failed once to take his life in his sacred home. But if he is nearby, perhaps aware of Muzien’s plan…”

The door opened, and Alyssa heard her mother gasp.

“My dear, are you all right?” she asked.

Alyssa took Zusa’s hand, squeezed it tight.

“Go do what needs to be done,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”

Being left alone with Melody was hardly a pleasant thought, but she needed Zusa out and about, ensuring the safety of her home. No doubt the woman was already itching to do so, at least to discover how Muzien made it past their guards.

Zusa’s lips pressed against her hand, and then she was gone. Alyssa remained in the center of her bed, and she felt it give as Melody sat at the foot.

“You poor thing,” her mother said. “You must have been so frightened.”

Alyssa laughed at the absurdity as she put back in her eyes.

“I was,” she said. “But for once, I think I feel like myself again. We have much to do tomorrow, and I hope you will help me as you’ve always promised.”

“Of course,” Melody said. “Whatever you need of me, I will do. I take it this has to do with that … elf ’s visit?”

“In a way,” Alyssa said, scratching at her neck. Something about the fabric of her shift made her skin itch. Yet it seemed the blankets bothered her as well, and with the way her heart was racing in her chest, she wondered if she were about to suffer a panic attack. It was odd how calm she felt, as if her body were simply betraying her, or perhaps better understanding how to properly react than even she did. This would change everything, she knew. Stepping back out of the shadows and into the light with a target painted across her forehead … it’d been so long since she had the courage. Could she do so again?

“Did he tell you what he wanted?” Melody asked. Something about the way she asked put Alyssa on edge. It was as if she were asking a question to which she already knew the answer. Or perhaps it was only the flurry of panic she was fighting down.

“Bribes,” she said. “For protection. Our deal between the Trifect and the guilds is over, and Muzien aims to replace it.”

“How much did he request?”

Alyssa shook her head.

“I didn’t ask. It doesn’t matter. Giving that elf more power than he already has is suicide.”

“Have you thought that refusing him is suicide, not the other way around?”

Alyssa sighed. Not that she was surprised by the question, just exhausted by it. Of course, her mother would doubt her. Of course, she’d act as if her decision were the wrong one.

“We’ve endured worse,” Alyssa said. “It’s time to rid ourselves of these miserable whoresons like I should have done years ago.”

Melody cleared her throat. It was the act of someone preparing to broach a subject they were clearly nervous about.

“I know you think you’re doing what is best for the family,” she began, “but perhaps it would be appropriate for you to let someone else handle matters while you recover?”

Whatever exhaustion Alyssa had felt quickly vanished.

“Recover?” she asked. “Recover from what?”

“Your … troubles,” Melody said. “Ever since you lost your eyes you’ve been sullen, quick to anger, and no longer caring for the future of the Gemcroft family line. Right now, we need a leader who may show patience and forethought, not someone who can only think of herself and her son.”

Alyssa’s dagger was still on the floor by the bed, and it was a good thing for Melody.

“A leader like you?” she asked. “That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”

There was a pause, and Alyssa had a feeling it was from her mother stupidly shaking her head as if she might see it.

“It’s not,” Melody insisted. “I will accept the burden if I must, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s still hope for you, my sweet little girl, but only if you remove the hardness about your heart.”

Zusa, thought Alyssa. Damn it, why didn’t I keep you with me? No doubt she was scouring the grounds, but inside was where she needed her. Inside was where the true threat lied.

“Don’t dance around this,” Alyssa said, her patience wearing thin and annoyed that it only seemed to affirm part of what Melody had accused her of. “Whatever it is you want, come out and say it.”

“Karak…”

“No,” she interrupted, anger burning in her breast the moment she heard the god’s name spoken. “No, anything but that. I will not hear it, Melody. Not a word about your damned god’s promises, his wisdom, or any help you think his followers can give us. I will not bend the knee to a corpse to avoid bending it to a thief.”

“No, little girl, you will listen,” said Melody, and a change had come about her. Her voice was authoritative, the very presence of her in the room far stronger. “Even if it takes years, you will listen. I won’t lose you, not like I’ve lost everyone else.”

The bed shifted as Melody stood from it and went to the door. When Alyssa heard it open, she reached down, searching for the dagger Muzien had thrown to the floor. Her fingers brushed wrapped leather, she grabbed the hilt, and then she sat back upon the bed, hiding the blade beneath her left thigh.

“Summon John Gandrem. I would have words with him,” she heard the muffled voice of her mother say to someone outside the door. A female voice gave an affirmative on the other side, and then followed soft footsteps on the carpet as Melody returned to the bed.

“John won’t help you,” Alyssa said, trying to believe it herself. “He’s always been loyal to our family line, and he won’t dare try overthrowing me for an imposter.”

“I’m no imposter,” Melody said. “I endured all those years married to your father, and then many more locked in Leon Connington’s cell, a plaything for him and his gentle touchers. Your trials are but a joke compared to mine, yet I have emerged stronger, while you wallow in bitterness. John sees it just as well as I. Given the choice, you or me, you know who he’ll choose.”

“Father disowned you,” Alyssa argued.

“No, he didn’t,” Melody said. “He never had to. I was dead, remember?”

It was true, of course. Alyssa knew her claim was stronger than her mother’s, especially since she was the one with a male heir … but if someone wanted to believe otherwise, if someone like John wanted to put the strength of his soldiers behind Maynard Gemcroft’s wife instead of his daughter …

“I’ll kill you,” she said. “You won’t take all I’ve built from me.”

“Only for safekeeping,” Melody said, and by the sound of her voice, she was coming around the bed, closer and closer. “For you and for Nathaniel. Someone needs to be strong. Someone needs to have conviction and make the decisions necessary to save our world from the coming storm. Don’t you understand? I care for your son’s legacy just as much as you, but unlike you, I won’t be blinded by fear. I won’t be lost to…”

Alyssa lunged with her dagger drawn, thrusting in the direction of Melody’s voice. The blade found resistance, followed by a scream, and it put a smile on Alyssa’s face.

“Alyssa, stop this!”

It was John’s firm voice. Alyssa ignored it, instead trying to thrust again. This time, she caught only air, and she slid off the bed, thrusting once more toward the sound of movement and crying. A hand caught her wrist, and another struck her across the face. The pressure tightened, and before she could fight it, the blade was yanked away.

“Enough,” John said. A thud at her feet told her he’d dropped the weapon, and now two strong hands held her wrists, keeping her trapped. She fought down the indignity of struggling and instead tilted her head so she could better listen to her mother’s tears.

“Is it fatal?” she asked, and by the way John sucked in a breath of air and tensed, she could tell he was stunned by the coldness of her voice.

“No,” Melody answered for her, and Alyssa’s heart sank. “Just a cut across my arm.”

“Damn,” she whispered.

“Alyssa, your wild behavior has gone on far enough,” John said. “I understand you have endured many trials, but I will not sit idly by while you let your depression and guilt bury the legacy of your father and endanger the future of your son.”

“Of course you won’t,” Alyssa said, and she laughed. “You’ll do exactly as Melody says, won’t you? Did she fuck you for it, John, or only offer promises?”

She couldn’t see him, but she hoped the older man’s face flushed a bright red.

“This will only be temporary,” John said, “until it’s clear to us you are in a right state of mind. Either that or Nathaniel is old enough, and mature enough, to handle the estate’s matters.”

“Send out a rider to look for Muzien, or a member of his guild,” Melody told John. “Tell them we’ll accept any reasonable terms he offers us. Do it quickly! As for Zusa…”

“My men are ready,” John said. “I do not trust her to take this well.”

Alyssa laughed, loud enough to ensure they turned her way.

“That is putting it lightly,” she said. “She’ll kill you both for this betrayal. There’ll be no stopping her.”

“We’ll see about that,” said John. “But until she acknowledges Melody’s right to rule, that woman is a danger to every single person in this home. Keeping her from you will be a challenge, but as much as it will pain me, I know of a place to keep you secure…”

The way he said it told her immediately where they would take her. She didn’t know if it made her want to scream or cry.

The wall of noise about her, of men grunting, armor creaking, convinced her at least ten men escorted her down the hall. Perhaps it was twenty, but their fear of Zusa was obvious. They took a turn, then another, and as she counted her steps, her fears were confirmed. They were taking her to the cells, the cold, drafty cells her father had thrown her into in an age past. Zusa had helped rescue her from them before … but could she do so again?

A heavy door opened, John barked an order, and then she was physically lifted into the air and carried down the stairs. It was pointless to resist, but she did so anyway.

They more tossed her into the cell than anything else, and she rolled along the cold, hard ground before coming to a stop at the far wall. A blanket followed, landing atop her leg. It was a painfully familiar act of kindness.

“I want ten men down here at all times,” John said. “And that door is never to be left unlocked or unwatched…”

His voice trailed off as he gave his orders. As the cell slammed shut, she heard her mother calling to her.

“I do this for you, Alyssa,” Melody said from the cell door. “To save you, to save us all. You’ll understand one day, my daughter, but I think we all need our moments of darkness first, to humble us and break us down. It’s been a long time since you were humbled. Consider this a needed first step toward the truth.”

Alyssa stood, fighting off a wave of pain from several new bruises. Slowly, and with eyelids wide to ensure her mother saw the torchlight reflecting off her artfully crafted glass eyes, she walked to the bars of her new prison.

“The darkness means nothing to me now,” she said, and she shoved the offered blanket back through the bars. “And it will take more than a cold draft to break me.”

“I endured nine years in a far worse dungeon,” Melody said. “I know what it takes to break a man or woman, and I assure you, I have the patience to wait that long if it will save your immortal soul.”

Alyssa pressed her face to the bars, entire body trembling with rage.

“Zusa will kill you,” she whispered.

Melody’s whisper back was full of venom, a hatred Alyssa had never heard before in her voice.

“Let her try.”