Broker -CH12-

Alex, Carla, and Anna quickly melded into the group. Carla drifted back behind him, and a glance behind himself revealed that she was standing directly on his heels.

Probably trying to watch my back.

Thanks, Two. Need to make sure your collar is especially pretty.

Apparently there timing had been pretty on point with deciding to join the crowd. Numbers of men with swords and hoods stormed into each interview room, quickly pulling all the occupants out.

Then there was some shouting from the middle of the hall. Everyone was looking in one direction, but no matter how he tried, Alex couldn’t understand anything. The chatter and panicked talk of so many people was simply overwhelming.

“Goodness, is it a robbery? I don’t think I’ve been robbed in a year or so,” Anna said idly, patting his arm. Snuggling in closer to his left side.

“This… is a common occurrence for you?” Alex asked, somewhat surprised.

“Daddy employs a lot of guards. It usually turns out badly for the robbers. But they still try.

“I was kidnapped once. The kept a bag over my head. I think Daddy paid them, and then tracked them all down and had them killed.”

Her father is… not someone to bother.

Someone bumped in close to his right side and practically curled into him.

Glancing down, he saw Holly’s mask staring up at him.

Ah. I imagine she’s as concerned as I am.

Subtly as he could, he reached out and took her left hand in his right, and gave it a squeeze.

She immediately latched onto his hand and just about broke it in her grip.

Before he realized why or what was happening, everyone had seemingly filtered out into rows. Alex didn’t realize he’d been part of the mass movement as he happened.

“-e sack!” shouted a voice from the side heading their way.

“Oh it is a robbery, how exciting,” Anna said, bouncing a little in place. “I wonder if Daddy’s guards will show up soon.”

I certainly hope so. But I think this might even be beyond his budget.

Two men were coming down the line of people towards them. One was accepting items from the guests, and the other simply held the sack open.

The items being handed over was money, jewelry, and anything of value that could be taken quickly.

Surprisingly, the man was inspecting each ring he was given. Actually taking the time to look at the crest itself. 

Damn. Are they looking for me?

While I regret losing a signet ring, I can always have another made.

I don’t have anything else on me that’d identify me thankfully.

As subtly as he could, he lifted his hand with Holly’s in it, and pulled his signet ring off with his other. It slid off easily enough.

Holding it in his left hand, he moved his boot out a few inches. Holding the ring in a way that he hoped would allow it to roll away from him on a bounce, he let go.

Tumbling through the air, it hit almost perfectly in the way he wanted. Bouncing off the stiff leather, it made only a soft pop, and practically jumped away from him.

Clacking as it hit the wood floor it rolled rapidly away from him. He watched it vanish between the feet of the people several rows in front of him.

Holly had noticed of course, since he’d had to move her hand. Anna was still blissfully unaware.

When the men collecting their spoils got closer, Alex released Holly’s hand for the moment.

Both men turned to Anna their hoods shifting, to which she gave them a smile and a shrug.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have anything on me today. My husband and I were simply attending to meet other people for a second wife for him.

“Not a thing on me,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Both mens heads dipped down, probably looking down her dress Alex figured, before moving on to Alex.

“Cough it up then, sir,” the first man said. Giving him the appellation with a sneer.

“As my wife stated, nothing on us but our clothes,” Alex said. Holding up his right hand, and the lack of a signet ring, he wiggled it helplessly at the man. “We left it all with the coachman.”

The man in the lead looked to Alex’s hand as if to make sure there was no ring there, and then finally moved on.

Holly had nothing to offer up either, though the two seemed genuinely less interested in the women.

They really are here for me.

Holly’s hand slipped into his again and locked into place.

“Is she the second wife for me?” Anna asked from his other side. “The one who’s a conquest? She seems nice and I think she likes you. She’ll be a good selection for us.”

Alex just couldn’t keep pace with Anna anymore. Turning his head to her he stared at her mask, wondering if she was a genius or an idiot.

“What’s her name?” she asked, her mask tilting to one side.

“Holly.”

“Holly…?” she asked, her mask still tilted to one side.

“Holly Lin.”

“Lin… Lin… I think Daddy does business with them. Or he used to. He said their coin dried up and he ended the contract I think.”

She nodded her head once, then shrugged and looked ahead again.

Huh. Might be able to use that to my advantage if-

Wait, we’re not marrying Anna. We’re marrying Holly. Can’t use that to my advantage because having one would negate the other.

Looking straight ahead, Alex tried to get his mind back on track. He needed to be focused on the task at hand.

Getting out of this.

The men were still working their way down the line in the other direction. Eventually passing behind Alex and going through the next row as well.

After a time, the men with the sacks and loot returned to what Alex could only assume was where the rest of their band was.

He could hear muttering and two people arguing, but not much else.

“Could they hurry this up a bit?” Anna asked. “I’d really rather spend time with you and our second wife. This is just… annoying.”

Is she real?

There was a commotion in the center.

“Enough!” a man shouted over everything else.

“All men, step forward and come over here! And yes, we’ll be going around to make sure everyone does this! You don’t want to be the one guy hiding, ok?

“Don’t make us kill you!” someone shouted.

Yep. There ya go. Their intent is pretty clear at this point I’d say.

Sighing, Alex extricated his hand from Holly’s, and his arm from Anna, and stepped forward.

Taking a moment, he looked over his shoulder as he went.

Anna had scooped up Holly’s arm in her own and was now crushing her breasts to it in the same way she’d done to him.

And Carla was tailing him.

Looking ahead, Alex slipped through the rows and made his way to where the voice had been yelling.

Joining the group of men milling around near the center, Alex noticed the band of armed and hooded men.

Each wore a sword at their side and carried crossbows. Alex didn’t like the odds of attempting to resist them physically with them being armed as such.

The fact that they have swords is already strange enough. Bladed weapons aren’t allowed in the kings territory, punishment by death.

This isn’t normal at all.

Pressing into the mob a bit, Alex tried to lose himself in it.

Carla joined him, and stood right in front of him. Practically standing on his feet, her broad shoulders more than likely hiding him from view.

Need to really buy you a great collar and some lovely clothes. An armored uniform as well. Doing your job incredibly well, Two.

Carla still had her mace, and was holding it like the can it was disguised as.

There was a scuffle somewhere in the crowd of women on the other side, followed by a hollow thud.

Alex peeked out around Carla to see what was going on.

The two bag-men were dragging out an unmoving guest between them. They unceremoniously dumped him onto the ground in front of the group of men.

“Alright! You lot, off with the masks, and make a line. And you, ladies. If you want out of this easy with your… selves… intact, and no issues, I need you to point out Count Brit,” said a man, walking out between the two groups.

That’d be the group leader then.

“It isn’t every day we have a Count we can hold for ransom,” the man said, as if needing to clarify his reason for wanting Alex.

Uh huh. Lapdog to the king. You just want to put me in a cell until my due date expires.

Looks like I need to speed up my time-line after this.

Stepping around Carla, he took up the position directly to her left.

I wonder what Carla will say when they see her face and realize she’s not a man?

With a sigh, he pulled off his mask and he put on a different one. That of a merchant of Ulles and husband to the lovely and idiotic Anna.

She’d already given him an easy enough background to work with. He just needed to roll with it.

There was only three bride candidates who were invited who knew him here. Anna he was certain wouldn’t say anything. Holly he was reasonably sure of as well.

The only problem was Eugenia.

Looking to his sides, Alex waited as all the men lined up in either direction.

“Alright ladies. Who here can spot Alex Brit? Count of Brit?” the ringleader said, pacing back and forth.

Then he stopped over the unmoving man and flipped him over, pulling the mask off his face.

Wincing, he pulled back.

The man’s head was clearly cracked open. He’d not be waking up ever again.

Maybe I can use that to my advantage later? Somehow stage it that the dead man is Alex?

That’d probably ruffle them up. Accidentally killing the target. Wouldn’t it?

An entire minute ticked by and the situation hadn’t changed. The men stared at the masked women, the masked women stared back at the men.

I sure to high hell hope no one recognizes me. That’d be all I need.

“Fine. I’m going to pick a number of young ladies out of the crowd and we’re going to have a party with them real quick right here in the center. Then you can all figure out if you know the Count or not.”

“I know him!” shouted a female voice.

A recognizable voice.

Eugenia’s voice.

The woman stepped out of the crowd and marched up towards the man who was clearly the leader.

“I know Alex,” Eugenia said. “He’s a pig of a man.”

Turning her head she started to scan the line of men. And stopped when she saw Alex.

Looking back to the brigand, she started to lift her arm, then frowned.

Her head dipped down, as if she were suddenly winded. Her arm was pointing halfway between the floor and Alex.

“Thats… him… there,” she said through clenched teeth.

Apparently she was very determined to point him out.

Except, she fell over backward. Her head cracked into the ground, and the resounding pop was audible to everyone.

She laid still and umoving. Her arm still pointing to the dead man that she’d been pointing at the entire time.

“Ah shit, we killed him?” shouted a hooded man.

“What do you mean we? You did!” shouted a second.

“I didn’t do shit, you’re the one that whacked him with your pommel!”

“Oh my god, that really is Count Brit,” Alex shouted, pointing at the dead man. “You killed a Count!”

Now everyone was riled up, the shouts and cries from both sides of the room threatening to turn into an uproar.

A member of the peerage being killed was news indeed. It normally was met with a grinding of bones on the part of the king and his guards.

Even if it was a member who fell out of the peerage, the royal family always met a death of one with hundreds.

“Gods damn you!” shouted one of the robbers, who stabbed a second.

A third bandit stabbed the first, and a fourth jumped on the second one.

Then all hell broke loose.

A number of men rushed towards the bandits, apparently seeing their chance as they began to fall on one another.

Carla grabbed him by the hand and charged forward into the group of women, scooping up their masks as she went.

She stuffed his into his hands, and pulled hers down over her face.

He wasn’t sure where she was going, but he wasn’t about to doubt her. Her dedication to him had been unquestionable so far.

As they whipped through the lines of women, he suddenly found Holly and Anna in front of them.

Carla corralled them like a sheep dog and guided them back towards the interview rooms.

In all the confusion and people rushing back and forth, Alex wasn’t really sure what was going on anymore.

Almost as if they were breaking free of a fog, they slipped through the women, and popped out into the open.

A man with a sword was a foot away, seemingly unsure what to do with himself.

Not wasting any time, Carla released Alex’s hand, and jogged up to the man with the sword. She didn’t hesitate and immediately clubbed him in the temple with her mace.

As the man stumbled to one side, she slammed her weapon down into the top of his head.

With a wet thunk, his eyes bulged out of his skull and he hit the ground.

Carla winded back her arm and smashed the back of his head in with a third blow.

Grabbing the sword, the crossbow, and the quiver of quarrels, she pointed to the closest interview room.

Alex got the hint and herded Anna and Holly there.

Holly opened the door and everyone rushed in. The three of them didn’t stop till they got to the back wall of the room. Alex turned to ask Carla what the plan was.

She was busily shoving a cabinet in front of the door, followed by a desk, and a chair she physically hurled atop the rest.

“Don’t be a bunch of ninnies. Push every god damn thing in front of that door,” she growled at them.

Alex, Holly, and Anna immediately got to work. Moving every single item in the room over to the door.

“Fuck them, and their plans,” Carla muttered, staring at the barricade. “They can sit out there until Rudolph or the guard shows up. Stupid asses.

“If this had been my outfit, none of this shit would have happened.”

“No, because it’s dead. Remember? And you’re not her anymore, you’re my Two,” Alex said, pitching his voice low for her ear alone. “And you’re damned impressive, Two. Damned impressive. You did wonderfully.”

He reached over and patted her shoulder, and made sure to lightly caress her back as he did so.

“Mm… thanks,” Carla grumbled, obviously unsure how to take that.

“So… what’s our plan?” Alex asked.

“No plan. We sit and wait, just like I said. Though I think you should finish up your marriage hunt tonight.”

“Yeah… I would tend to agree.”

Carla turned and looked to the two women. “Get some sleep. You might need to take a watch at some point. No telling how long we’ll be here.

“And you, take this.”

Holding out the sword to Alex she waited.

“You’re likely to be forgiven for holding a bladed weapon in your defense, I wouldn’t be. Just stab it through the door at anyone who tries to come through. Nothing terribly hard about that.”

Alex nodded his head and stepped up to the barricade. He figured he could probably get a good stab in from here.

“What are you going to do?” he asked, looking back to Carla.

“Sleep right here next to you. Need a nap. Adrenaline wearing off.”

Saying nothing more, Carla laid down practically at his feet, and almost immediately began snoring.

Looking back to the door, Alex had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wondered if he’d ever really get used to this world.

Probably not. But then again, where else could I literally indenture people with sworn oaths on gods.

***

“That was different,” said a echoing voice from his side.

Alex jumped and swung the sword around, pointing it at the voice.

Sitting on the desk that they’d moved into the barricade, was the wraith.

“Jumpy?” it hissed.

“Uh… a bit? I thought… you weren’t coming back. You said you weren’t,” Alex said.

“I lied I guess. I do that,” said Leah flippantly. “Don’t worry, they’re out cold, and I added a little something to them to make sure of it.

“I just wanted to stop by for a chat real quick.”

“Kinda… the wrong time for that, isn’t it? I mean. It doesn’t sound like this is over out there. I swore I heard people shouting and I swear fighting.”

“You did. It’s the king’s guard. Apparently someone got out and spread the word that the Count of Brit had been slain. City is in a bit of an uproar, and everyone is questioning the ability of the guard.

“Kinda funny. Well, I think it’s funny,” Leah said. “Now the king has a black eye over something he started. And yeah, you were right. They were here to keep you in place till the marriage was over.”

“Ah… are you… supposed to be able to tell me all this? This seems like something gods aren’t supposed to do in these situations.”

“Normally not. But you did such a good thing. You got me this,” Leah said, and then held up her hands.

A blue wraith like Eugenia popped into being in the shadows cupped palms.

It was on it’s knees, looking like it was brokenly sobbing.

“This… is worth at least four months of contracts. It’s a shame you’ll only get half a month out of it since the crystal was half full. But hey, them’s the breaks,” Leah said.

Then she clapped her hands together, the wraith vanishing in a splut.

“Her soul is quite… tasty. I’ve already used her a bit just to get an idea of where she sits on the whole morality scale. I plan on giving her to my husband.

“He doesn’t ever do anything with the captured souls I offer him, but he doesn’t turn them down. He knows I do it out of love,” she said, her voice taking on a strange tone.

“I see. Alright… so… I just need to wait it out here?” Alex asked, unsure of himself.

“I think so. We’ll see. I can’t imagine them breaking in here before the guard retakes the hall at least.”

So she’s not omniscient.

“No, I’m not,” Leah said, nodding her head at him.

But you can read my mind still.

“I sure can.”

Great.

“Oh, and because that soul will probably make my husband pay attention to me, I’ll probably be gone for a while, but who knows.

“I personally hope its a long while. He does tend to get mad at me when I do stuff like this and… punishes me.

“So I’ll be occupied. I owe you a favor for all this. You have till tomorrow to decide on what you want.”

“Got it. I’ll think on that,” Alex said. Then he shook his head. “Wait, how did you get her soul? It looked like she had a heart attack or something, and cracked her head open. Was that you?”

“Mm, yes. She was in the act of betraying you. I could see her thoughts, and the course of action. I just… took her soul at the right time. I can’t exactly intervene to help you, you know. But I can take my contracts as I please,” Leah said.

Then her head whipped to one side.

“Lovey!” she cried, her voice uncharacteristically ecstatic and bright. It felt like reality itself split at her single word.

Then she vanished as if she were never there.

Alex hung his head with a sigh and stared at his boots.

“This is all so fucked up."