Murder had conspicuously stopped during the absence to the south. Between the time journeying and a few days in the capital seeing to the employment of his demonic troops, roughly a month had elapsed before Lucius returned to his family. Winter had begun to melt but buds refused to blossom. It seemed that only gossiping lips opened in Forum, for nobody could understand just what was the relation between Lucius and the king.
The news that Acheliah herself had sent him on a mission contradicted with the story that the king had arrested him. The royal family was never in disharmony with the angel, despite the long history of disharmony. Even the belief that the letter ordering the second duel had been forged faltered with Austin Feugard arrived in Forum and slowly let the whole city know that he was grateful to Lucius for securing his control over his family’s estate. Indeed, the report Lucius was given while in the capital, courtesy of the Wavefront Corporation, was that the Feugards were acting as though they were firm allies of the Solharts.
Once he was on the road to Forum, Lucius couldn’t help but ride through the night, changing horses three times and arriving at the city gates before the sun rose. There was no trouble at the walls, but an unknown man stood guard outside his manor. He approached slowly, as the guard wore an unmarked cloak of white rather than any noble house colors. Then he met the man’s gaze and recognition flittered across both their faces.
The guard snapped to attention, bringing a fist to his chest in salute before barking out, “A pleasure to see you again, m’lord.”
“You’re one of Raymi’s men.”
“A joint assignment, m’lord. Lady Felicia loaned me to your manor on account of her frequent visits and because I fought with you through the Wallows, m’lord.”
“I’ll have to get the full story in the morning. I’ve yet to sleep. Is everyone who should be here, here?”
“Yes, m’lord,” the guard said, pulling a key from his hip and unlocking the gate.
Lucius urged his horses inside and guided them to the stables. Two would have to be returned, but that was a matter for the morning. The stables had a guard as well. A younger man with two cloaks wrapped around his slim frame as he huddled near a lamp. Much the same conversation repeated before Lucius could step inside his own home. When the door closed, Leomund said, “Not very quiet, are they?”
“Guards shouldn’t be quiet. Is everything good?” he asked, trying to pick out the features of his sword instructor from the shadows.
“No, but nothing can be done about it before the morning. It’s a political matter. Don’t lose sleep over it, and don’t wake the kid.”
Lucius was too fatigued to argue and crept up to the master bedroom. The door creaked as he opened it, but the bed didn’t stir. There were two people sharing blankets and he recognized both. He grinned when he realized it was in fact three. Alexander was asleep in the arm of his mother and Lupa was on the opposite side. With a sigh, he accepted there was no room for him and sank into one of the chairs.
He thought only a moment had passed but steel touched his throat. “How did you get in here?” Lupa hissed, using the dagger to lift his chin.
He scoffed. “And who could stop me?”
He could barely see her face in the pre-dawn light, but he heard the sharp inhalation. “You!? You just show back up in the middle of the night like a burglar?” she demanded, slapping her hand on the desk.
He winced. “Don’t wake–”
Alexander began to cry and Aisha immediately rolled onto her side to comfort him. A moment later, both were fast asleep again. Lupa grabbed him by his shirt and pressed her forehead to his so she could whisper. “Leomund was ready to go bring the palace down on top of the king himself!”
Stolen story; please report.
“Glad he didn’t. Can we talk about this after I’ve slept?” he asked. When she didn’t respond, he gently pulled the dagger from his throat and kissed her. Promises of talking in the morning were exchanged and she helped him slip into the bed without waking the others. Lucius was once again asleep before he could even appreciate the peace.
It was merely a few hours later when Aisha’s hand found his arm and the familiar yet unexpected size. Her waking was anything but stealthy, bolting upright and flinging the blankets off. The whole manor was soon up with the mundane chaos of returning home and for a time there was simple peace.
Leomund broached the news after they finished breakfast. “The Feugard boy made his play while you were gone, and he did it publicly. Wasn’t much we could do.” Lucius asked if he meant Jules, but Leomund said, “The younger one, Austin. He’s courting your sister.”
Lucius felt the day’s joy drain out of him and he shoved his plate away. “I suppose I’ll have to pay him a visit. When did this happen?”
“A day after the news arrived of you riding south under the king’s banner,” Leomund said.
“Most people think it’s a genuine interest in alliance,” Aisha said.
Lupa snorted. “It’s not good for his image, if you ask me. Makes it look like you ruined his brother on his behalf.”
“I basically did,” Lucius said. Discussing what other people thought of the association was one part of it, but the greater issue was that Aria knew everything the king wanted to know about Lucius. Coercing answers out of those close to him wasn’t something the king would do, especially now that Acheliah’s position on the matter was known, but courtship wasn’t coercion. “I’ll have to act before word gets out that I’ve returned. Call in one of the guards. I’ll exchange clothes with him,” he said, and the disguise was soon made.
Alexander wasn’t happy to see his father leave so soon, but there was little choice. With his face covered and the colors of the Raymi’s upon his body, he strode through the mercantile district. The Wavefront Corporation had a storefront for selling various luxury goods such as winter fruits from the south. The building had offices, whereas the larger facility elsewhere in Forum traded like a warehouse at bulk rates. After a short meeting, Lucius was armed with enough coin to suit his purposes as well as the proper tavern to arrange a meeting.
Bringing the men he needed while staying discrete necessitated a great expenditure of time. He made the most of it, after sending a preliminary message, by arriving at the manor of Felicia. Once through the door, he made no attempt to keep his appearance hidden and much the same excitement of reunitement occurred. While I won’t labor the point of a young girl weeping with relief, there was eventually more purpose to their meeting than merely creating a red herring ruse for any that might have sniffed out that Lucius had snuck through the city in disguise.
A letter had arrived from Golden. It read simply, “I send this to you merely because word flies faster than horses. My return journey is by necessity circuitous. All will be explained.”
Lucius understood the situation at once. Golden had committed some crime. The reason he had to take a long route north was to evade the authorities of the region. The former angel wouldn’t be worried about dealing with bandits and the like, because they could just be killed, but Lucius opted to not explain the issue until he had to.
Ultimately, he stayed long enough to relieve Felicia of her worries, then melded into the dusk foot traffic. It weighed on him to spend his first day back in Forum away from his family, but the anonymity was necessary. With the moon small upon the northern horizon, he was able to enter a shabby pub within a city block. The fires were warm and smoky, staining the rafters black as an old man played upon a truncated piano. His right hand played a dance melody too slow to stir anyone to their feet while his left handled his mug of ale. Lucius caught a glimpse of milky eyes staring at faded sheet music when he dropped a coin in his hat.
Most tables were spread out, the customers hunkered down among one another. Most still had snow upon their cloaks and coats, but some had long since warmed up. That didn’t mean they sat easily. Louie, Faezel’s man in the town, was rigid when Lucius took his place across from him. “I’ve got a job for you. Pull it off, and you won’t have to work for a long time.”
“The price of that has been going up.”
“I know. You and I know why that is, too. Why everything has been falling apart these last years.”
Louie nodded. “And I know you’re not the only one working to change that.”
“I need you to remove a threat to me and my family.”
“Did you come with a plan? Or is that part of the job?”
“I’ve come with the opportunity you’ll need to figure the rest out.”
Louie drained the last of his ale and said, “I’ve already bet everything on this. No point in backing out. I told you if you needed anything, I’d be there. I’ve got my boys too, though.”
“You’ll all profit, but this is a dangerous game.”
Louie grinned. “Life is dangerous.” He took the money.