Bartholomew sat at his desk going over the reports. Despite his nightly duties as Jericho’s king, he still had a legitimate business to run. For the most part everything was going well. The sewer crews have stated that the wererats haven’t been acting up, shipments have been arriving on time, and his storefronts are turning in a decent profit. Not to mention, the monster hasn’t shown its face in nearly a month. Bartholomew was grateful for a little peace and quiet.
“I’m sorry madam Reina but I can’t let you in without an appointment.”
“Out of my way Davus! I need to speak with Bartholomew this instant.”
Bartholomew took a calming breath just as the door burst open. Reina stormed into the office. Her knuckles were white from clenched fists, and she stared daggers at him.
“Lovely to see you again Reina,” Bartholomew said hiding his frustration behind a polite smile, “Is there something you need?”
Reina slammed her hands onto the desk, “Don’t give me that!” Reina said, “You have some explaining to do.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,”
“Reviled Legion,” Reina said the name slowly.
“Leave us, Davus,” Bartholomew said. He waited for Davus to close the door behind him. He pinched his nose in frustration, “I knew things were going too well.”
“When were you going to tell us that the thorn in your side was a fucking monster,” Reina said through gritted teeth.
“Hopefully never,” he said walking over to the liquor cabinet and pouring two glasses. He slid the second glass to her, “How did you run into it?”
“It turns out that my little songbird is part of the Legion,” she slammed the entire glass, “I had her Bartholomew. Samon brought her to me, and I was ecstatic, but then I found out she was part of the Legion. And I thought I could kill two birds with one stone,” She ran her hands through her hair, “But it didn’t work. That monster tore through my men…and I barely made it out of there,” she turned her ire back to him, “It blamed you for its existence.”
Bartholomew sipped his glass, “It’s a mistake that I’ve been trying to fix for the past year,” he said, “Unfortunately, it’s more resourceful than I expected.”
“What happened?”
“A mad wizard came to me with a proposal,” Bartholomew calmly sat down, his hands clasped in front of him, “I was to fund his experiment and in return he’d provide me with an army. One that never tires, and is mindlessly loyal, but it didn’t go as planned. That’s what happens when you deal with a necromancer.”
“A necromancer?” Reina said, then her eyes went wide, “You used the tome! How foolish are you?”
“You’re in no position to judge me!” Bartholomew stood up towering over her, “I know the secret to your unnatural beauty. How many girls have you sacrificed to the Fae Queen to maintain your curse?”
“There’s a difference!” Reina leaned over the desk, “I didn’t use one of the Dead Gods’ books.”
“Fairy’s Youth is still a spell from the Dead Gods,” Bartholomew said, “It still requires their blessing in order to use.”
“Will you stop yelling,” they turned to see Baron and Taela stepping into the room, “Do you know how hard it would be to make the entire serving staff disappear. Not to mention the hassle of trying to replace them.”
“So, you know of this monster too?” Reina said, “What about you Taela?”
“I’m sorry Auntie,” Taela said, “I was ordered not to tell anyone.”
“What do you want son?” Bartholomew poured himself another glass.
Baron set a piece of paper on the desk, “Bringing bad news,” he said, “My sweet mouse provided me with a copy of the contract concerning the former thieves guild.”
Bartholomew unfurled the parchment and nearly tore it in two, “How in the Damned Prison did the monster sign the contract!” He glared at the dukes seal at the bottom.
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“It didn’t. It sent a proxy, and the contract is already in effect.”
“Damn it,” Bartholomew said stroking his beard, “The tavern burnt down. Most likely by the monster’s hand, but that means it will need to rebuild.”
“We can send some men to hamper the construction,” Reina said, “If we cause enough problems, we can flush it out.’
“I think we should leave it be for a time,” Baron said falling onto the sofa, “It’s smart, it will know we’re onto it and will probably go back into hiding.”
Silence filled the room.
“What if it isn’t us,” Taela said, “The monster has plenty of enemies. Why not tip one of them off.”
“Good point,” Baron said with a large smile, “There’s the Red Fangs, and also Halligan.”
“Halligan could deal with it, if he had enough help,” Bartholomew said, “But the Red Fangs would be nothing more than a distraction.”
“One that could give Samon more time to secure the slums,” Reina said, “Then he could bring his full attention to the monster.”
“Do it,” Bartholomew said grabbing his coat, “I’m heading to the castle to see if I can get the Duke to join in.”
----------------------------------------
“I’m sorry master Decker, but that’s not going to happen,” Magister Cromwell said. The dark circles around his eyes were prominent.
“And why not Magister,” Bartholomew said, “Aren’t you concerned with some unknown person coming in and buying up city property?”
“Of course, I’d like to meet this person,” Cromwell sighed heavily, “But this has the Duke’s full support. I’d be a fool to let my curiosity ruin a golden opportunity.”
“What do you mean?”
“War is expensive master Decker,” Cromwell said taking a sip of his tea, “Supplies, maintenance, and payroll all stack up. Add to that the less money coming in from taxes and the drop in produce from farms, We’re in desperate need of funds.”
“I’m certain the wealthy citizens would gladly support the city,” Bartholomew said, “After all, they benefit from the Duke’s efforts in the war.”
“Very well,” Cromwell walked over to his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. He handed the paper to Bartholomew, “Here you are.”
Bartholomew read the sheet and choked on his tea, “Outrageous,” he said, “Are you trying to bankrupt me!”
“No, master Decker I’m not,” Cromwell said sitting back down, “But taxes are going to increase this year. This contract you’re wanting us to back out of will increase it even more.”
“I understand,” Bartholomew said getting up, “I hadn’t realized the war was going that badly.”
“It is,” Cromwell said, “Which is why his Grace is fully supporting this endeavor.”
Bartholomew sighed heavily and left the room. He expected some resistance from the city’s administrators but not this. The city, and more importantly the duchy, were in desperate need of funds, so they flat out refused any negotiations. Not unless he wanted to lose half his wealth to cover the costs. The only way the city would get involved would be to tell them the truth. Which would lead to Bartholomew losing his head.
Bartholomew could keep the sneer from his face as he turned the corner, and spotted Halligan skulking down the hall. He looked over his shoulder and relaxed against the wall. Then a shrill, girly voice rang down the hall.
“Sir Halligan!”
Halligan jumped and quickly ducked into the closest room. A young girl getting ready to enter adulthood rounded the corner looking for him. Her golden hair was done in a braided bun and her flowy blue dress was covered in lace.
“Where did he go?” the girl pouted as she looked down the hall. She spotted Bartholomew and quickly approached him, “You haven’t seen a man with red hair come down here, have you?”
“He actually just ran by me,” Bartholomew said pointing behind him, “Is there a reason why you need him, Lady Priscilla?”
“We’re to have lunch soon,” Priscilla said standing tall, “Thank you for telling me.”
Bartholomew waited for the girl to disappear then knocked on the door, “She’s gone.”
Halligan quickly checked and quietly stepped out, “Thank you sir,” he said, “Master Decker, it’s good to see you again.”
“The Duke’s daughter running you ragged?”
“Yes sir,” Halligan said stretching, “The Duke made me his official guest after the incident with the ants. Since then, I haven’t left the castle for nearly a month.”
“She’s still a child,” Bartholomew said looking over his shoulder, “It should be easy to convince her to let you leave every now and then.”
“That’s not the issue sir,” Halligan said with a heavy sigh, “It’s the fact that the Duke is trying to arrange a marriage between us.” He leaned against the door, “I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but I have feelings for someone else.”
“Then tell her,” Bartholomew clapped his shoulder, “Trust me, it’s better to be upfront than to string her along, especially when it’s the Duke’s daughter.”
“Thanks for the advice. What brings you to the castle?”
“I had some business with magister Cromwell,” Batholomew said, “How has the hunt for the monster going?”
“Not well,” Halligan said with a sneer.
“You should know, it showed up again,” Bartholomew said with a low whisper, “Attacked an associate of mine last night, and kidnapped one of her girls.”
“Virtues,” Halligan said, “I should be out there looking for it. Not playing nanny for a noblewoman.” Halligan’s anger faded, “Master Solomon could easily handle the monster, but he’s back on the front lines.”
“He’s Touldan’s hero. That’s where he’s needed,” Bartholomew said squeezing his shoulder, “But you’re here. That means you’re the closest thing to a hero in this city. We need you.”
Halligan took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, “You’re right. I’m needed here,” he said, “Thanks for the advice, master Decker. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the guild and gather a party to help hunt the monster.”
Bartholomew gave him an encouraging smile, “Good man,” he said, “But you should deal with Lady Priscilla first.”
Halligan went pale, “You’re right.”
Bartholomew laughed and headed back down the hall. He may not have gotten the city involved, but Halligan was a great consolation prize. The boy’s naivety would make it easy to manipulate him into hunting the monster without exposing his own involvement. Bartholomew was quite hopeful for the future.