Chapter 20

 

 

The meeting hall was packed. William and Rachel sat in the front row beside Jack, while Cairns took his place at the table on the dais with the other town officials. Sir Hendrick had returned with his loyal guards, having joined the Faywater contingent at Kolmo, and sat beside Major Bentsen. A large crowd had stuffed themselves into the rows of benches behind them, William recognizing some of his fellow barons among the forward rows.

Jack nudged his elbow as they waited. “I don’t suppose there’s any point in chastising you for going off alone again? Even Clyde was miffed about being left behind.”

William brushed aside the complaint with a wave of his hand. “Not now, Jack.”

Maya and Charlie joined them as a disheveled Earl Bradford banged his gavel for attention. “I have many people to thank for my release, and the release of other officials, but that will have to wait. As you will probably guess from my appearance, I have been incarcerated for nearly a month now, as many others have been. However, now is not the time for assigning blame.” He cast a sidelong glance at Sir Hendrick, who turned a shade of red but kept his composure. “Major Bentsen will give a report now.”

“Thank you, your Lordship,” said Bentsen as he stood. “I am Major Bentsen of the Faywater Port Guard. At Duke Vincent’s orders, based on letters from many among you, I led a contingent of three hundred guards to Marshland Crossing. By the time we arrived, no rebels were to be found, and three royal ships were reported stolen. Officers from my rearguard unit confirmed sightings of these ships heading downstream two hours later. No deaths have been reported, although one body has been found, dead of apparent poisoning. Anyone with information is requested to step forward.” He nodded at William’s raised hand and continued, while William ignored the bewildered stares of his friends. “All missing town officials are accounted for. All were locked in office basements, aside from Lester Cairns, who was held in the Library map room. Injuries were minimal and treated with expertise and efficiency—thank you to Doctor Maya Melchior, whose presence was fortunate. At this time, I can report that the town is safe, and free of the rebels who perpetrated this crime.”

“Thank you, Major,” said the earl as Bentsen sat. “The purpose of this crime was simple theft. In addition to a few valued personal possessions, this spring’s tax collection was stolen, and is presumably floating away on a stolen ship as I speak. The amount is in excess of ten thousand gold crowns, and while this may seem like a personal tragedy, I want to point out a few things that may occur as a result of this theft. First, replacing our now depleted guard will be next to impossible. Second, dock repairs will have to wait at least a year. Third, the extension of paved roads east of Marshland Crossing will be delayed or canceled. Lastly, I may be forced to raise additional levies to cover necessary costs.”

“But we’ve already paid our taxes!” yelled someone from the back.

Bradford fondled his gavel but refrained from banging it. “Most of you have, yes. But additional taxes can be levied in an emergency, and this certainly qualifies. That’s not what I want to do, but taxes are needed to keep the town functioning. This is about more than my personal wealth, although that’s been affected as well, as it will many of yours indirectly. And even if it doesn’t affect your purse, there is another point to consider. Naidu—explain what happens when a town runs out of money.”

A scrawny brown-skinned man stood, and William recognized him as the town manager. “Most of you know who I am,” he said. “But few of you know what I and my people do. That’s because if we do our jobs properly, you never notice us. We fix ruts in dirt roads, clear debris from storms, replace broken bricks in the market square. If I can’t pay my workers, dead animals will remain in the gutters, horse dung will stay where it is. I could go on, but you get the picture. A dirty town is unsafe and unhealthy.”

“That’s the stick,” said the earl as Naidu sat. “Now for the carrot. I am offering a reward equal to one tenth of any recovered money or personal possessions.”

A murmur rose from the benches as people began talking amongst themselves. William’s mind raced. A thousand crowns would safeguard his barony for years. He couldn’t do it alone of course, meaning he’d have to split the reward. But was it worth the danger that would surely be involved?

“You aren’t really considering it, are you?” whispered Jack as he leaned toward William.

William squirmed in his seat. “I’m not sure. Be quiet; I want to hear what he’s saying.”

Earl Bradford waited for the noise to subside and continued. “One more thing. Unless this money is recovered, all tax deferrals are canceled.”

William sat in shocked silence. The earl had spoken to the whole room, but he knew the comment was directed at him. The reward was almost inconsequential now—he needed that deferral to keep the barony running and to replace the millstone. Was Earl Bradford trying to force his hand?

A man yelled from the back. “How can we catch them? We ain’t got no boats, and even if we did, we couldn’t go any faster than they do.”

“What about horses?” asked another man.

“Don’t be silly,” answered a woman. “There’s not enough of us with horses to face that lot. With or without horses, we couldn’t stop them here, so how could we stop them when they’re floating by on a ship?”

Several grumbles of agreement arose around them. Finally, someone asked, “Why doesn’t the Guard handle this?”

Major Bentsen cleared his throat. “We will do our utmost, but as someone mentioned, there aren’t enough of us on horseback, and the rest can’t catch up to them. Time is a factor. Once the thieves reach Faywater Bay, they’ll be difficult to find, let alone capture. The bay is eighty miles across, dotted with islands and rugged coast. They must be stopped on the river before they reach the open sea, or they’ll escape for good.”

“Meeting adjourned,” said Earl Bradford as he banged the gavel. He gave William a long stare before leaving the dais, the other officials following after him. The meeting hall began to clear, but William remained, gazing into nothing as he pondered the possibilities.

“I don’t like the look on your face,” said Jack, interrupting William’s thoughts. “You’re planning something, and I just know I’ll have to save you again.”

“We don’t have to stop them ourselves,” said William, more to himself than to anybody else.

“What?” asked Jack. “Don’t be an idiot. We can’t do this ourselves. Even if we reach them in time, how exactly do we stop them?”

“We don’t,” said William, finally turning to Jack, confidence welling from within. “We just need to slow them down and let Bentsen’s men catch up.”

“But there’s only five of us,” Jack complained.

“No there isn’t,” said William, his voice firm. “Or there won’t be soon. Who’s with me?” he asked, looking back and forth at his friends.

“What on Esper are you thinking, Will?” asked Jack, whose voice took on an anxious edge. “How many times have you done this? Run off into danger and try to do something heroic, leaving it to us to rescue you?”

“Well, I’m not doing that now, am I?” insisted William. “I’m asking you if you want to join me. Forget how for a moment. If we can slow their ships enough, Bentsen’s contingent can follow on foot and do the rough work. Who’s with me?” he asked again.

Jack shook his head. “If you think we’re crazy enough to let you—”

“I’m in,” said Rachel.

Jack whirled to face her. “Are you insane? Why are you encouraging him?”

Rachel glared back at him. “I can decide for myself, thank you very much. I have my own reasons. You know I’m a bow for hire. Among other things, I need to earn a living, and that reward would mean not having to work for a year or two.”

“I’ve told you before, you don’t need to work—”

“Stop trying to live my life for me, Jack. I won’t be dependent on anyone, not you, not my father, not yours. I’m going with Will, even if you aren’t.”

The hall was empty now, and Rachel’s words echoed through the room. An angry silence followed, and William wavered between thanking Rachel and appeasing Jack.

He didn’t have to do either, as Maya leaned forward and touched his arm. “I’m sorry Will, but we can’t join you. I wish we could, but we’ve both been away from work for too long. We were glad to be at your wedding, but we need to go home now.”

“No, Maya,” said Charlie. Every face turned to him, eyes wide with surprise. He waited a moment before continuing, gathering the confidence to overcome his bashfulness. “I need to help Will. Everything I have now, I owe to him—my work, my reputation, even you. If he hadn’t accepted me for his mission…if he hadn’t trusted me…I have to do this. I hope you understand.”

Maya gazed at him, her eyes filled with love. She reached up and caressed his cheek. “Charlie, darling, I shouldn’t have spoken for you. You’ve let me do that for so long I’ve gotten used to it. Of course we’ll go.”

“We?” asked Charlie, taken aback. “Are you sure? You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. It’s my debt, my risk.”

“I have to protect my investment, silly,” she answered.

“Okay, are you two lovebirds done?” asked Rachel with a smirk. “That leaves one holdout. What do you say, Jackass?”

Jack shrunk into his seat with a sullen look on his face. “Fine,” he said as he crossed his arms and looked away. “Let’s all traipse off into the night again and find danger. Let’s all risk our lives for a little money. You may as well count me in, but I still don’t see how we’ll accomplish anything. The rebels have a head start, and they’ll be in Faywater Bay in four or five days. Tell me your genius plan, Will, so I can tell you why it can’t work.”

“Thanks for that huge vote of confidence,” said William as he stood to face the others. “As I said before, we don’t have to stop them ourselves. All we need to do is find them, and possibly delay them. I worked with a lot of maps at the Library, and I remembered something interesting about Faywater Bay. Bentsen was right that it’s eighty miles across, but what he didn’t mention is that ships have only two places where they can pass into the open sea. The entire bay is protected by a chain of islands and sandbars that only the smallest boats can get through. If we can get to Faywater Bay before the rebels do, we can alert the authorities to block those two exits.”

“A blockade!” said Maya. “That’s brilliant, Will! I’d forgotten about the choke points. We can talk to the harbormaster and see if she’ll help.”

“If she doesn’t, I’m sure Duke Vincent will force her hand,” said William.

Jack cleared his throat. “This is all very clever, but the only way to get a message to her in time is by pigeon, and that option has flown the coop. We can’t ride our horses three hundred miles without rest. Even if we stop every night, they couldn’t keep up a pace fast enough to beat the boats. I hate to be the one to spoil your plan Will, but it won’t work.”

“We have one more option,” said William. “It’s not a sure thing, but I think it’ll work.”

Jack looked unconvinced. “Does it involve sprouting wings and flying?”

William grinned at him. “Sort of.”

Rachel sat up, her eyes wide with excitement. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

“If you’re thinking about dragons, then yes,” said William.

“The dragon hive is almost as far away as Faywater Port, Will,” said Jack. He looked away, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Maybe further. I’m not against flying on a dragon—in fact, I’m still a bit sore that you’re still the only one who has—but how do you propose to get there, convince Padma to lend you five drones, and then fly over five hundred miles all in less than a week?”

William’s grin didn’t diminish in the slightest. “Jack, you’re forgetting I have a dragon here.”

All eyes turned to Clyde sleeping at William’s feet. Jack shook his head. “You’re asking a lot of a dragon who’s not even house-trained, Will. Didn’t you say the queen rejected him? Why would she listen to him?”

“She won’t have to,” said William. Animated by his excitement, he ignored the stairs and pulled himself onto the dais, grabbing pen and paper from the table. He scribbled a note, pausing only a moment to choose the right wording, then jumped back down to the floor. He found a handkerchief in his pocket and tore it into strips, rolling the note with one, and hanging the roll around Clyde’s neck with the other. He bent down and looked the dragon in the eyes, holding his gaze. “Clyde. I need you to go home. You need to find Melissa and give her this note. Do you understand?”

Clyde looked back, eyes large with seriousness. “Leave here? Go alone?”

“Yes, Clyde. Find Melissa. Give her this. It’s extremely important, and you must be fast. Can you do this for me?”

“I find Melissa,” said Clyde with certainty. “Go fast.”

Heart pounding, knowing he was endangering the dragon he’d promised to care for, he opened the door and let Clyde outside. The dragon walked out, stopped, and looked back at William. “I find Melissa,” he said. With a flap of his wings and a powerful leap, Clyde lifted off and disappeared into the dark within seconds.

Heart in his mouth, William returned to his friends. “Well, this will either work, or it won’t.”

“What did you write?” asked Maya.

Despite his earlier optimism, a twinge of doubt nagged at him, though he tried not to show it. “I asked Melissa to find the messenger dragon that hangs out at the manor. Padma always has one near me in case I need to send a message, and today I do. Melissa can speak to it, and it will convey the message to Padma, word for word. My hope is that Padma will feel she owes me for fostering Clyde.”

Jack shook his head and laughed. “Padma’s not your main concern. If you thought I was anxious about this hare-brained mission, wait until Melissa has her say. You’ve been married for less than three days, and you’ve spent most of that away from her. If I were you, I’d expect a message back from her to get your tail back home and forget this hare-brained scheme.”

William said nothing. He hadn’t considered the possibility. Of all the possible obstacles, it was the one he had no answer for.

“One thing at a time,” said Rachel. “Melissa knows who she married. She’s seen those books. If she has any thoughts about changing him, she should think again.”

William smiled to himself. Her comment was as much about Jack as it was about Melissa…but it had the effect he wanted anyway. “We should hurry,” he said, filling the silence. “Bentsen will leave for Faywater Port soon, and he should know our plans. Jack and Rachel, could you see if he’s at the earl’s office? Charlie and Maya, if you could check the barracks, that would be a huge help. Whoever finds him, have him meet me at the Library.”

“Where are you going?” asked Jack.

“To find Lester and get the keys. See you all in fifteen minutes.”

The sun was rising as William reached the Library. He let himself in and found a lantern and ran down to the map room. He found what he needed and raced upstairs in time to meet the others filing in. It felt odd returning to his old office, like inviting strangers into someone else’s house. He unrolled the map on the large table and pointed at the far left side. “Major Bentsen, these are the two points the rebels have to go through if they intend to escape to sea.”

“What makes you think they won’t simply split up and take to land?”

William looked over at Rachel, who answered with a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. “A hunch,” said William. “A strong one. As you probably know, I have a little experience dealing with rebels, and this feels like the same situation. Whoever stole the money is funding a rebellion, not trying to get rich.”

Bentsen’s eyes widened. “Even if I grant that, how will you stop them? And how can I help?”

Rather than dismissing him, Bentsen was treating him as an equal. Gratitude and pride swelled William’s chest, and he tried not to look too pleased with himself. “We’ll fly ahead on dragons, hopefully in time to warn the harbormaster. If she posts ships at the choke points, the rebels can’t escape by sea.”

Bentsen looked doubtful. “Harbormaster Ungless takes pride in her independence. She won’t enjoy receiving orders from anyone but Duke Vincent.”

“Which we’ll get if we have to,” said William. “Though time will be tight. I hope to convince her without involving the duke.”

Bentsen sighed, still not convinced. “This is a decent plan, Lord William, but again, what role do I and my men play? I don’t like the idea of being away during tax season. You’ve already seen what can happen.”

“I assumed you’d want to return to Faywater as soon as possible,” said William. “I suggest your men stop at these towns along the way.” He pointed at dots along the river. “See if you can commandeer ships, even if you have to split your force. We’ll do our best to slow the rebels. If you find even one ship, chances are you can catch up and apprehend them. Worst case, we can send search ships to look for them.”

Bentsen grinned, nodding as he noted the towns William had pointed to. “I like it. You can count on us to do our part, but let’s hope you won’t have to search for them. Faywater Bay is a proverbial haystack that both needles and smugglers can vanish in at will.”

William shook hands with him. “Thanks for working with us, Major. I look forward to seeing you downriver.”

“I envy you folks,” said Bentsen, shaking his head in wonder as he departed. “Flying on a dragon…what a way to travel! I suppose we’ll see another one of your adventure books soon.”

“He’s not wrong,” said William to his friends once Bentsen was gone. “About flying, I mean. I’m glad you all will finally have a chance to enjoy what I’ve taken for granted. But we should rest while we have the chance. If things go the way I plan, we’ll have a busy day tomorrow.”

Jack snorted. “When was the last time things went the way we planned?”