A Dance of Shadows

CHAPTER 6

Alyssa slept terribly, and gladly welcomed the daylight when it shone through the violet curtains that covered her window. At least it meant she could get up instead of trying to fall back asleep. She bathed, and servants brushed her hair and helped her into a modest green dress. Through it all she keenly felt Zusa’s absence. Normally she lingered like a protective angel, but this morning, when Alyssa needed her comfort most, she was gone.

“Keep the meal small,” she told her servants. “And ensure John Gandrem is invited to our table.”

“Yes, milady,” one said, hurrying off to give the order.

Finally ready to face the day, she dismissed the servants and stared at herself in the looking glass. They’d done what they could, but the dark circles remained visible beneath her eyes, her face puffy. She’d spent much of the night in tears, all in confusion. She felt joy at having her mother back from the dead, and at times it nearly overwhelmed her. Other times she felt terror at the notion of losing control of everything she’d built, and if she closed her eyes tight, she could almost hear invisible gears turning, the machinations of a hundred different lords and ladies seeking to use this newfound change against her. Sometimes she wished Melody had remained dead, and then immediately followed this up with shame and regret for such horrible, selfish desires.

Yes, she was very glad the night was done. The last thing she wanted to be was alone with her thoughts. She was sick of them. Exiting her room, she crossed the hall to where her mother stayed. A servant was just leaving, her head ducked low and her eyes to the floor.

“Is Melody dressed?” she asked.

“Yes,” said the servant, a pretty little thing with dark hair. “But I think perhaps she needs a moment alone…”

Alyssa dismissed her, and despite her advice, knocked on the door. No answer. She turned the knob and gently pushed it in. Stepping inside, she found her mother sitting on the edge of the bed. The image shocked her breath away. Melody wore an emerald dress that had long remained in storage, Alyssa being too short to wear most of her mother’s clothing. Her long hair was tied back into a painfully familiar braid, one Alyssa used to tug when in a rambunctious mood. She looked like a ghost escaped from the past, and Alyssa could almost imagine her childhood self sitting beside her, book in hand. Except tears were in her mother’s eyes instead of the smile she’d known in the past.

“Are you all right?” Alyssa asked, strangely timid in her own house. She remained in the doorway, her cheek pressing against its darkly polished wood.

“I will be fine,” Melody said, dabbing at her eyes with a cloth. “I just… it’s a bit overwhelming to be here once more.”

“I can only imagine,” Alyssa said.

Melody smiled softly.

“I have so many memories,” she said. “Despite what Maynard… did, there were good times, many good times. But let us not dwell on that. Mindy said you have prepared us breakfast, and I don’t want to keep John waiting.”

Alyssa’s cheek twitched at that. John Gandrem was staying in their mansion as an honored guest, and was very much a father to her son. When Melody had introduced herself, John had seemed quite taken, and they’d been deep in conversation when Alyssa left them to retire for the night. Idly she wondered what a union between Felwood Castle and the Gemcroft estate might mean for her son. So much added wealth and land…

She shook her head, dashing the ridiculous fantasies away.

“Indeed,” she said. “I would hate to be rude.”

In their grand dining hall, John and Nathaniel sat beside each other in the center of the long oak table, looking humorously insignificant compared to the food stretched out before them. They had not begun eating yet, and Alyssa was not surprised. John was most particular in his manners, and that was partly why Alyssa had first sent her son to be fostered in his hall. John stood at their arrival, and Nathaniel quickly followed. She smiled at her son, looking so small and youthful beside the older lord, who was dressed in fine green robes and a thin silver crown across his forehead.

“I fear your servants misunderstood,” John said, tilting his head in respect. “We are only four, yet they cook for forty.”

“The rest will eat after we are done,” Alyssa said, taking a seat opposite her son. She glanced to an upper corner of the room. “And it is five, not four. Come down, Zusa.”

Just a shadowy spider, Zusa climbed down from the tall rafter, hidden in shadows that clung to her most unnaturally. Raking a hand through her hair, she joined them without a word or smile. She looked exhausted, and Alyssa knew without asking that she’d been out all night. Looking to her plate, already simmering with meats, eggs, and a choice of sweet rolls, Alyssa felt her stomach twist.

“Do you feel well, dear?” Melody asked.

“I’m fine,” Alyssa said, forcing herself to nibble on some bacon so they would leave her be. From the corner of her eye, she caught Zusa’s troubled expression.

“What is it?” she asked softly as John and Nathaniel started up a conversation about some jousting tournament to start soon on the outskirts of the city.

“We must speak soon, in private,” her friend said. “One is of a personal matter, the other of Lord Victor and his foolish crusade.”

“Crusade? What are you talking about?”

“Not now. And we must speak with Terrance. If he has made even the slightest error, your life might be in danger.”

Terrance? Alyssa was baffled. Terrance was a distant cousin of hers, a young man she’d appointed four years ago to be her master of coin and trade after the previous adviser had secretly worked against her, eventually making an attempt upon her life. So far as she knew, Terrance was a good man, careful. How could an error by him put her life at risk?

“Zusa, I don’t like how vague this…”

“Milady,” interrupted a servant at the door. She was young, and looked flustered. “A man seeks an audience with you, and says it is quite urgent.”

“It can wait,” Alyssa said, more harshly than she meant. John glanced her way upon hearing the tone of her voice, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Yes, of course, milady,” said the servant. “It’s… well, he has many soldiers with him, and is very insistent that he speak with you.”

“Soldiers?” asked Melody, her eyes widening.

“It’s nothing,” Alyssa said, pushing away her barely touched plate. “I will meet with him, though he’d better pray to the gods his matter truly is urgent. What is this whelp’s name?”

“Lord Victor Kane,” the servant girl said, bowing quickly before hurrying away. Alyssa paused a moment upon hearing the name, and she looked to Zusa, whose eyes met hers. A warning went unspoken between them.

“At my side,” Alyssa said softly as both stood.

“Do you wish me to accompany you?” Melody asked as the two strode for the door.

Alyssa shook her head. “Stay, eat. I’m sure it is nothing.”

Alyssa felt their eyes upon her as she exited. Zusa matched her pace, and together they walked through the halls, paintings of dead ancestors on either side of them.

“You had something to say about this Victor, correct?” Alyssa asked. “Now sounds like a good time to say it, and fast.”

“He’s been given free rein by the king to pursue his agenda,” Zusa said as they turned a corner. “Rounding up every thief, merchant, and noble he can find who has broken the law. They are taken to the castle, judged, and more often than not executed on the spot. From what I’ve heard, he’s been very thorough.”

Alyssa stopped, her mouth dropping open. “How long has this been going on?”

“Only a day.”

Alyssa ran a hand through her hair, trying to piece the puzzle together. The Kane family sounded vaguely familiar, but how or why wasn’t coming to her. “Who is this Victor?” she asked. “What do we know about him?”

Zusa frowned. “A small lord, from an even smaller family. Inconsequential, really, until now. They own a meager castle, and control a modest but fertile stretch of land for growing wheat.”

Wheat, that was it. Alyssa finally placed the Kane name. They’d had a few dealings before, nothing significant. A portion of the wheat market was controlled by their family. They weren’t the dominant player in the market, nor the most aggressive.

“So now he enters Veldaren as if he’s some righteous savior, come to arrest the guilty?” Alyssa asked.

“In short, yes.”

Alyssa chewed her lip, then resumed her walk. Upon nearing the door, she found Lord Victor already waiting in the foyer. He towered above her, such a tall man. His pleasant appearance, carefully trimmed blond hair and a smoothly shaven face, matched what she’d expected. The chain mail he wore, and the sword he kept at his side, did not. Frustration bubbled over into anger in her chest. Letting the man in without first consulting her was stupid enough, but letting him keep his weapon? Inexcusable. At least he was alone, without guards. She felt no fear, for Zusa was with her. There was no chance he could lay a finger on her with the skilled woman at her side.

“Greetings, Lady Gemcroft,” Victor said, seeing their arrival. His voice was strong, charming. If he was nervous at meeting her, he did not show it.

“Welcome to my home, Lord Victor,” she responded, curtsying slightly. As she did, she took stock of the man. He was handsome, and his smile came easily to his face. Their eyes met, and that was when she saw the hardness hiding within coupled with a grim determination. She felt as if she stood before a charging bull, but she was no delicate flower, nor made of fragile glass.

“It is a fine place,” Victor said, glancing about. “I would love to see the rest someday, but sadly do not have the time. I’ve come with both request and wisdom, if you would be so kind as to hear either.”

Alyssa might have offered him a seat, or taken him deeper into the mansion, but something about his presence unnerved her, so she gestured for him to continue. He smiled at her, showing no hurry despite his claims. His chain mail rattled when he crossed his arms and tilted his head.

“I do not know what you have heard, so let me first make clear why I’m here. I have come to save Veldaren from itself. Those responsible for destroying it are legion, but for now I focus on the guiltiest. My men scour the streets, always listening, always watching. Know that I do not do this at random, nor recklessly. I follow the law, and will uphold it beyond all else. I have declared war, but it will not be chaos and fires in the night.”

Alyssa felt the unspoken jab and did not let it pass unchallenged.

“You speak of the thief war,” she said.

“I speak of the night you nearly burned Veldaren to the ground, all to mourn a son who was not actually dead.”

A hard edge entered his voice, and she found herself taking a step back. Zusa was there immediately, sliding beside her with her hands on the hilts of her daggers. Alyssa started to defend herself, then caught the words in her throat. She would not defend that disastrous effort, for she herself was ashamed of it. It had been a foolish thing, her emotions overriding her judgment. Only Zusa had had the courage to say it to her face.

“And what makes you think your efforts will be so different?” she asked. Her blood felt like ice in her veins. “What delusion blinds your eyes to the strength of those who oppose you?”

Victor’s smile returned. “No delusion, just stubbornness. Yesterday was the first, and the next week or so will probably be the most productive, but I have months if I must. All seventeen men we found guilty yesterday died by the ax. Those we capture today will give every name, list every crime they’ve ever seen, to spare themselves that same fate.”

“They’ll fight back,” Zusa said. “They won’t let you round up their fellow thieves without bloodshed.”

“We do not march needlessly through dark corners hoping for a glimpse of a colored cloak. We learn names. We learn homes. My men move together, close, careful, and always with purpose. You do not remove weeds from a garden in a hurry, turning and grabbing every which way. You must move slowly, methodically, so you miss not a one.”

Alyssa shook her head. “These are dangerous men, not weeds.”

“Forgive me if I find them with more similarities than not.”

He smiled at her, trying to win her over. Despite his handsomeness, she refused to let it sway her. She’d let one lover blind her to his underhanded dealings before; she wouldn’t dare let it happen again.

“You said you had a request, and some wisdom,” Alyssa said. “Have you given me either yet?”

Victor laughed. “Yes, yes, of course. For the request, it is simple. Your hatred of the thieves is almost legendary, and I would ask that you be my ally in this. Whatever you know of the thieves, turn it over to me. Any names, any crimes, whatever it is, we can use it. And if you have any house guards that you trust, that might help me secure the streets…”

“I will think on it,” she said. “Your wisdom?”

Another smile. “That you say yes to my request.”

Despite herself she snickered. “Perhaps. But we have entered into an agreement with the guilds, and now pay for their protection. What you ask jeopardizes everything. For once we have a semblance of peace. I do not want to ruin that now on some foolhardy outsider who has come to Veldaren with more stones than sense.”

“Your peace is a mirage,” Victor said, turning to the door. “It will fade no matter what you do. It is a house built on sand, a painting drawn in the dust. Oh, and remember this, Alyssa, for it is very, very important. All that I do, I do with the king’s full authority.”

He opened the door before she could respond. Waiting there was an old man, a heavy tome in hand. His hair was white, his face scrunched inward from age. Her eyes narrowed.

“What is this?” she asked.

“My most humble apologies,” the old man said, bowing low. “My name is Henris Weeks, and I will do my best to work quickly and without trouble to your businesses.”

Alyssa glanced to Zusa, confused. The smoldering anger she saw in her friend’s eyes only confirmed her fear. Victor was playing a game with them, but what?

“Explain yourself,” she told him.

“It is not only the thieves I hunt,” said Victor. “Henris here must be shown all your records and all your dealings undertaken over the past few years. Not that I expect to find anything, not with such a lawful woman as yourself ruling the Gemcroft fortune. Still, I must be fair, for Henris will be scouring Lord Stephen’s records as well. Though Stern Blackwater is safe down in Angelport, he still has property and caretakers here in Veldaren, and they will also turn over extensive documentation. I’d hate for him to be playing underhanded games with young Tori Keenan’s wealth, after all.”

Henris stood there, looking very nervous and uncomfortable. Alyssa felt furious, but she held back the rage. She could not err, not now. Zusa’s warning suddenly made perfect sense. If Terrance had made a single mistake, if he’d avoided tariffs, smuggled in goods, or dealt in the more exotic spices and leaves illegal in Veldaren…

“Zusa, fetch a servant,” she said. “Prepare a room for Henris. I fear this will take many days, and would hate to make an old man uncomfortable.”

“Thank you,” Henris said, looking relieved to hear of her cooperation. As Zusa left, the old man followed. Victor smiled at her, and gave a quick salute.

“Thank you for your time,” he said. “I pray Stephen is just as accommodating as you are. Now if you’ll forgive me, I must be off. I have a wizard to hire.”

Alyssa thought of the young leader of the Connington household and could only imagine how the boy would react. Most likely better than she had.

“You’re making many enemies,” she told him as he exited her mansion. “I will not help you, not in this.”

He turned back to her, hand on the hilt of his sword. No smiles this time, no amusement. He looked tired, weary in anticipation of the long day ahead.

“I am taking up the war the Trifect lost. I am fighting the enemies you could not defeat. Why do you respond with anger, and resist me? Just because I would hold you to the same standard as they? Or is it because your hands are just as dirty?”

She shut the door, pressed her forehead against it. In her anger she tried to deny him, to dismiss the easy accusations. It was far harder than it should have been.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned, thinking it was Zusa. Instead her mother stood there, clearly worried. Alyssa closed her eyes and accepted the embrace.

“You poor dear,” Melody whispered. “I remember well the difficulties of being one of the Trifect. Please, let me help in any way I can. Your father had me to share his burdens with, but you are so alone…”

“I’ve always been alone,” Alyssa said, gently pushing her away. “I have been ever since I took up Father’s mantle, and I fear I will be until the day they cast the first handful of dirt upon my grave.”

“If you are alone, then it is by choice. That is the way it always is with our family.”

“Is that what you told yourself when Father turned you over to Leon and his gentle touchers? He was just choosing to be alone?”

It was a cruel barb, and she didn’t know why she said it. Her mother took a step back and touched her cheek as if she’d been struck across the face.

“Maynard was a cold, cruel man,” she said. “Even on the day of our wedding, he had no warmth in him, not for me. Yes, he chose to be alone. He chose to keep his heart closed, and to love nothing but his trade, his power, and his coin. Is this why you’ve been so unwelcoming to me? Do you think those years of torture were warranted, were my fault?”

Stay silent, Alyssa told herself, but the words escaped her lips anyway.

“You insulted his name, slept with another, and because of that I lost a mother!”

“Then blame the man who cast me aside, and took me from you!”

There were tears in both their eyes. Alyssa felt exhausted, frightened. Too much was changing without warning, without any time to adjust. She crossed her arms, tried to think. Meanwhile Melody leaned back against a wall. Alyssa realized how thin she looked, barely more than bones. At times it seemed like a miracle that she could stand.

“Do you know how I endured?” Melody asked. Her words were the whispers of a ghost. “How I managed to sleep at night in that… darkness? I thought of you. I prayed for you, for safety, for protection. Now I am free, and I can touch your face, see you grown… don’t hate me. Don’t do this to me. I can’t stand it. I won’t live through that terrible a cruelty. I’d rather return to the cage.”

Alyssa cast her eyes to the ground. She could only begin to imagine everything her mother had been through, yet she’d had the audacity to blame her, to feel anger and betrayal for such a distant shame.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She reached for her mother, and it pained her heart to see the way she hesitated, the wariness in her eyes. But even still, Alyssa was her daughter, and Melody came forward, wrapping her arms around her. Alyssa sighed, and let tears silently run down her face. Let her whole household be damned. She would not let her fears keep her from regaining what had been lost.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Alyssa whispered. “Please, it’s just so much, and I’m always fearful for Nathaniel.”

“You have nothing to explain,” Melody said. “Nothing to apologize for. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

The door burst open, startling them both. A guard stepped in, then immediately bowed in apology.

“Forgive me, milady,” he said to Alyssa. “I did not know you were… sorry, I was ordered to ensure you were safe.”

“Safe?” Alyssa asked, wiping her face. “What is the matter?”

“Nothing you should concern yourself with. A servant was killed on the premises, and we fear the killer still might be lurking outside.”

Pushing her emotions aside, she shook her head and straightened her back.

“I will not fear to walk in my own gardens,” she said. “Let me see the body.”

The guard looked between them, then submitted to his mistress.

“If you insist,” he said, leading the way.

“I’ll tell John,” Melody said, declining to follow. “And make sure Nathaniel is safe.”

Alyssa nodded, hurrying after the soldier, who looked as if he’d decided that if he couldn’t prevent her from seeing the body, he could at least make the process as quick as possible. They curled around the front of the mansion, off a walkway, and into the smooth grass decorated with trees. All of it was surrounded by an enormous stone fence, the top spiked, but the Trifect had learned over the past decade how little use such fences were. More house guards lingered about, some searching for evidence of intruders, others scouring the fence for signs of rope or hook.

“Make way,” the guard said as they came upon a cluster of four men halfway to the east wall. The men stepped aside, giving Alyssa access to the body. Seeing it, she held in a gasp. It was just a young servant boy, no older than ten. An arrow was stuck in his neck, having pierced his windpipe. Blood stained the grass red beneath him. At his feet was a pile of soiled clothes, the cleaning of his task for the early morning.

“Who would do such a thing?” Alyssa wondered aloud. “What harm could this poor boy have done to anyone?”

“There’s a message,” one of the guards said, sounding uncomfortable. He pointed, and sure enough, letters were cut into the grass by means of something sharp. It was hurried, disjointed, but she could read it well enough for it to put a shiver down her spine.

tongue of gold, eyes of silver

run, run little alyssa

from the widow’s quiver

“When did this happen?” she asked, glancing about. They were far from any door, and the body was partially hidden behind the trunk of a tree.

“He’d have been up before daylight to do morning chores,” said the man who’d brought her. “Blood’s pretty dry.”

Her conversation with her mother, along with Victor, had already left her unnerved, but this awoke a brand-new fury. There was no doubt the servant child looked similar to Nathaniel. The strange killer mocked her, but why? Who would dare sneak onto her land to murder an innocent child?

“Bury him, and ensure his family is paid well,” she said.

“Right.” A guard knelt down, scooping the body into his arms. As he lifted, the boy’s neck snapped back, and his eyes opened. Alyssa let out a soft gasp. Two silver coins stared at her. All around, guards muttered and cursed at such strange mutilation. Swallowing down her revulsion, Alyssa put her back to the body and found Zusa standing there, observing everything closely.

“Whoever it is wants Nathaniel next,” Zusa said. “And they do it to torture you.”

Alyssa glanced back, saw the guards pry open the boy’s mouth and pull out two bloody coins of gold.

“Find Haern,” she said, quietly enough that no one else would hear. “He has to know who this Widow is, or what it means. And enlist that wizard of his as well. I will have this murderer found, no matter the cost.”

“Will you be safe without me?”

Alyssa sighed. “No, but I trust no one else. Go, now.”

Zusa headed for the front gates, then stopped. Hurrying back, she kissed Alyssa’s hand and pulled her close.

“Something is wrong in this city,” the faceless woman whispered. “Too many pieces are moving at once for it to be coincidence. We are lost in someone’s deception. Be wary, and be safe.”

With that she left, vaulting over the spiked walls with ease. Alyssa watched her go while absently rubbing her hand. She did not know all Zusa meant, but she understood the feeling well. Her mother, Victor’s arrival, the Widow, plus Zusa had mentioned a personal matter…

“Stay safe,” she murmured, staring at the wall Zusa had vanished beyond. Wrapping her arms around her chest as if cold, she returned to her mansion.