Demonkin (53 page)

“It sure would,” the colonel said with surprise. “That is most generous of you.”

“You are helping me,” smiled the gypsy. “It is only fair that you reap the rewards. You had better get those files back before they are missed.”

“Yes.” The colonel nodded. “Yes, indeed.”

Natia waited until the colonel was well away from the building before venturing forth. She walked towards the slums and sat at an outside table of one of the taverns near the demarcation line. She ordered a cup of tea and some bread and cheese. She finished her meal and continued sitting at the table until she saw an elf walk by. Rising casually from her seat, Natia followed the elf. After passing through several alleys, she turned the corner to find the elf waiting for her.

“You are up early this morning,” smiled Headman. “What do you need?”

“Information on Captain Beck,” answered the Knight of Alcea. “What can you tell me?”

“He is the head officer at the reeducation center,” answered the head thief of Giza.

“Is that it?” frowned Natia. “I was hoping for more.”

“I do not memorize the personal details of every officer in the Federation,” chuckled the elf. “Tell me what you want, and I will try to get it for you.”

“I am not sure what I want,” sighed Natia. “I know that he is single and lives alone. I know that he has several bad marks on his record. One for brawling, and one for failure to obey an order. He was also accused of stealing from the armory, but that was never proven. What I am looking for is some angle into the man’s life.”

“I think I understand,” said the elf. “There are some things that I can add off the top of my head. While he is single, he does not always live alone. The captain is a bit of a carouser. He drinks heavily, and he gambles a lot. He also brawls a lot more than your information would indicate. Perhaps he was only charged once, but it is a habit of his. If you need more information about him, I will ask around.”

“No,” Natia said quickly. “I do not want it to look like someone is taking too much notice of him.”

“I can be discrete,” promised Headman. “I can get the information without seeming to want it.”

“Alright,” replied Natia. “I need to know if he is currently living alone. I will need to get into his home at some point, and I don’t want to run into anyone.”

Headman raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I find it curious that you did not even ask for help with breaking into his home.”

“You are welcome to come along if you want,” smiled the gypsy princess. “I also need to know where he gambles and if he owes any large gambling debts.”

“You are looking for a hook on this man,” chuckled Headman. “I like your style. Where is all of this leading?”

“Captain Beck is going to be the fall guy for the escape of the elven children,” grinned Natia. “He is one of three officers who have keys to the center. He is single, and he has bad charges already in his file. The fact that he has other problems is just gravy.”

“You’ve seen this officer’s file,” gasped the elf. “How did you manage that?”

“There are some officers in the army who think that I am a special investigator for the emperor,” answered Natia. “One of them likes to do favors for me.”

Headman laughed. “When all of this over, I would be proud to make you a captain in my army of thieves. I think we can all learn from you.”

The smile slid from Natia’s face. “I doubt that I will survive the coming war, Headman, but I appreciate your compliment nonetheless.”

“Never admit defeat,” Headman said encouragingly. “As for his gambling, I know that the captain comes to some of the games we host, although he is not aware of it. I will check to see if he is carrying a balance.”

“You host gambling games?”

“Among other things,” replied the elf. “An army cannot exist on petty thievery alone. We run gambling games, lend money at exorbitant rates, and sell protection to shopkeepers.”

“Assassinations?”

“No.” The thief shook his head. “That type of activity brings too much pressure down on you.”

“Are your games crooked?”

“Not normally. We try to run honest games and make the house margin. It is quite profitable. If people think the games are rigged, we end up losing in the long run.”

“But you have people with the ability to alter the odds?”

“That we do,” smiled Headman.

“There might be something there that I can use,” mused the gypsy princess. “I also need to get a copy of his keys. Can any of your people accomplish that without detection?”

“We have several excellent locksmiths,” Headman replied, “but getting time alone with his keys will not be easy.”

“The man has to sleep sometime,” suggested Natia.

“And if he is a light sleeper?”

“Spike his ale,” smiled the gypsy. “When is the next game that he is likely to attend?”

“There is a big game tonight, but I don’t know if he will show up for it.”

“You said he has an eye for women,” mused Natia. “I wonder if I can entice him to come to the game. Do you know where he eats his evening meal?”

“No,” replied Headman, “but most of the men in the center eat the midday meal at a tavern around the corner from the center. The men take turns going to eat so I cannot say exactly when the captain will be there.”

“This might work better than what I had planned,” Natia said with an optimistic smile. “If I can get him to come with me to the game, I want you to spike his ale and take him for all he is worth.”

“He is a big fan of gambling,” frowned the elf, “but he hardly has much money to steal.”

“He will have plenty of money tonight,” chuckled Natia. “Just make sure that you take it all.”

“That will be a pleasure,” laughed Headman. “How much will he have?”

“Twenty-thousand,” answered Natia, “and I will be wanting it back.”

Headman whistled appreciatively. “I don’t know how you are going to pull this off, but I will be there to watch.”

“Just make sure that he loses all of the money and then staggers home. I will be going with him, but I don’t want to have to fend off his grubby paws. Have one of your locksmiths meet me at the captain’s house about an hour after we leave the game.”

“Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you,” chuckled the thief. “We will talk again late tonight.”

“We will,” agreed Natia. “Right now I need to catch some sleep and then get dressed to lure the captain into my net.”

* * * *

Queen Romani and Sidney Mercado were enjoying a late evening meal in his suite when he heard a noise from the other room. Sidney rose silently and motioned for the queen to stay behind. The merchant padded softly across the floor and eased open the door to his office. He saw nothing suspicious, but his caravan sense was screaming at him. He pulled a knife from his belt and eased into the dark room.

“Don’t poke around with that knife,” a soft voice said from a dark corner of the room.

“Garth?” Sidney asked in a whispering voice. “What are you doing here?”

“It is a short visit. Is anyone else here?”

“Just Queen Romani.”

Garth sighed and nodded. “I should pay my respects, but I must be quick.”

Garth stepped out of the shadows and Sidney backed out of the room to allow the Knight of Alcea passage. Queen Romani’s hand rose to her lips in astonishment, but she said nothing.

“I apologize for my clandestine entrance,” smiled Garth, “but my time is too short to pay respects to everyone in this castle.”

“Why are you sneaking about?” asked the queen.

“I have something to leave with Sidney. It must be kept secret for now, so I don’t want to announce my arrival.”

“What is it?” asked Sidney Mercado.

“A Door,” answered Garth. “It is a magical portal to Tarashin, but I am not ready to share it with the Koroccans. It is too long a tale to tell this night, but I will explain it later. I know that your office has a closet. Can you change the door without any help?”

“Child’s play.” Sidney nodded. “What do I do with the old door?”

“Leave it in the closet. No one will ever go there again once the Door is installed. You must assure me that no one will ever open the Door by accident.”

“I will tell the maids that my office is off limits,” stated the merchant. “No one will go in there. Where is the Door?”

“The fairies are levitating it up right now. We should go help them.”

The door to the reeducation center in Giza opened and three soldiers walked in. Their carefree chattering died the moment they saw Captain Beck standing just inside the door.

“Were you planning to spend all day at the Tap and Mug?” scowled the captain.

“Sorry,” one of the soldiers meekly replied, but he wasn’t truly sorry at all. None of the soldiers under the captain’s command could stand the officer, and they would all laugh at delaying his midday meal once he was out of the building.

“You will be sorry the next time,” snarled Captain Beck. “Count on it.”

The captain stormed out of the center, his mood foul and his stomach complaining. The Tap and Mug tavern was within a block of the reeducation center. It didn’t take long for the officer to reach his destination, but his tardy subordinates were already forgotten by the time he arrived. He entered the dimly lit tavern and paused to let his eyes adjust. There was a fairly large crowd in the tavern, but his usual table was empty. He hurried across the room and secured it before someone else grabbed it. Almost immediately, a woman entered the room and moved to his table. She sat opposite the captain without a word. The captain examined the pretty woman while she was looking around the room. When her eyes met his, he smiled broadly.

“Meeting someone?” asked the captain.

“No,” she replied. “My name is Natia. I hope you don’t mind the company, but I have found that sitting with officers usually keeps the wolves at bay.”

“Except for the officers,” smirked the captain. “I am Captain Beck, but I think you already know that.”

Natia blinked at the man’s words. The only person who knew of her plan was Headman, and she didn’t think he would betray her. “Excuse me?”

“I am devastated that you don’t remember me,” the captain stated with a false pout. “You toured the reeducation center a while back.”

“Oh,” brightened Natia. “So I did. Do you work there?”

“I run the center,” boasted the captain. “You were with a colonel if I am not mistaken. Tours of the center are generally unheard of. That means that you are probably an important person.”

“Hardly,” chuckled Natia. “Some officers try to impress me. I suppose that was the case with the colonel.”

“And did he succeed?”

“I was impressed,” frowned Natia, “but with the center, not the colonel.”

A woman arrived to take the meal order, and the conversation was halted until she left.

“Not impressed with a colonel?” questioned the captain. “Are you aiming for a general?”

“It is not his rank that disappointed me,” smiled Natia. “I prefer the company of a fun-loving man. I need excitement to keep me from getting bored. I like to party.”

“Do you now?” chuckled the captain. “And what kind of parties do you like?”

“Parties where the alcohol runs freely,” answered Natia. “Throw in some excitement like brawls or gambling, and I usually have a great time.”

“Brawls and gambling?” laughed the captain. “Are you good at either?”

“Oh, no.” Natia shook her head. “I prefer to watch. Sitting in a common room is so boring, yet that is what most men like to do. I like to see a man put everything on the line, whether it is fighting an opponent or trying to break the bank. It gives a certain thrill to the air when someone is on the brink. Do you know what I mean?”

“I am not sure that I do,” frowned Captain Beck. “I can understand wanting to see a fight, or even betting on the outcome of a fight, but what thrill is there is watching someone gamble?”

“The thrill of winning,” Natia replied excitedly. “You must not be a gambler if you don’t understand the thrill of winning.”

“Oh, I understand the thrill of winning quite well,” retorted the captain, “but I only get it when I am gambling, not while I am watching someone else. What thrill is there in watching?”

“You misunderstand me,” stated Natia. “I like to gamble, but I am no good at it. I would rather give my purse to someone who knows how to win and then split the winnings. Believe me; the thrill is quite alive while watching your gold being put on the line.”

“You bank players?” the captain asked in surprise. “I have never heard of that before.”

“Then you don’t get around much,” Natia replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice. “That is how most of the elite in Despair gamble. They dare not make the wagers themselves, so they have people do it for them.”

Captain Beck stared at the woman while their meal was served. The thought of gambling with someone else’s money intrigued him, and the woman was good looking to boot, but he did not like the idea of sharing the winnings. If he was going to win a hundred gold, he would like to keep it all to himself. He did not really need her to lend him a couple of coins, but he would not mind her sharing his bed.

“Have you been to any games in Giza?” he asked.

“I haven’t been able to find one,” sighed Natia. “I asked the colonel and he looked at me as if I were a criminal.”

“Figures,” chuckled the captain. “I know where the games are held, and I wouldn’t mind taking you, but I am not sure about this partnership thing. I usually do fairly well on my own.”

“How much do you win on a typical night?” asked Natia. “You are a winner, aren’t you?”

“Most of the time,” conceded the captain. “I might lose a couple of gold here and there, but I more than make up for it when I win. Many a night I leave the game with fifty or a hundred extra.”

“Oh,” Natia replied as she broke eye contact with the captain and started eating. “I thought you were a gambler.”

Captain Beck stared at the woman and frown creased his brow. “I am a gambler,” he scowled, “and a pretty good one. What is wrong with you?”

“I am sorry,” Natia apologized. “I find little excitement in winning a hundred gold. It takes being on the edge to excite me.”