It was an understatement to say James Halden was stressed. First, there had been the whole issue with Jason's lightning spell. If he'd seen it from all the way in the noble district, then everyone had most certainly seen it.
He'd heard about the fight from Hans. It seemed the princess was going to take care of the children until James came up with a way to smuggle them out of the city. So many things to do. Now he was looking for something to wear to this stupid hunt.
"A group of men say there is a package for you sir," the butler had reported.
At the time, James hadn't even thought of the many people in his room. Mary was there, although she'd come in just after the butler, probably from another session of torturing her prisoner. Her brother Ben was with her, and the third member James had yet to meet.
Yes, he'd needed them to get ready for his debut at the court. And then there was Talia and all her cohorts, just lounging around the room like they owned it. Hans stood like a guard, stiff and never looking in one place too long. Nino was telling Eno somekind of story, the two sitting on the bed they shared with him.
"Did they say who the package was from?"
He said in a distracted tone, staring intently at two white long sleeved cotton shirts that in all honesty looked completely the same.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Rob asked, exasperated.
"Choosing what I should wear, of course. One has to dress to impress in these kinds of gatherings."
"They look exactly the same!"
James stopped, turned slowly to stare at the man with an affronted expression.
"They most certainly do not! One is lighter, and the other one is a shade darker. It's subtle, but you have to have an eye for fashion to see these things."
Rob looked at him blankly. "So, one is light white, while the other is, what? Dark white?"
James nodded. "Precisely, precisely."
No one else commented. The butler cleared his throat.
"The package was sent by the Bernabis trading company."
James frowned. Wasn't it a little too early though? And now he was looking at a black collarless shirt that looked a lot like a commoner's tunic. None of these people, bar perhaps Mary, would know what the box contained and their exact uses.
"Have it brought here then."
Only when he opened the box there was a masked woman. He'd startled just as much as everyone, then he'd recognised her hair, and raised his hands to ward off any over enthusiastic body guard.
"Tch, you guys are not especially careful guards. What if she was an assassin sent to do me in?"
He helped her out of the box. Nino and Eno were looking on avidly, as was Hans who knew the woman. The others looked confused. James would have preferred no one hear what the woman was about to say.
"I never thought we'd meet again under these kinds of conditions," he said to her, but his eyes were on the mercenaries.
"And I didn't think self respecting nobles went to the red light district. Especially ones as young as you."
James winced. He did not look in one particular direction. Nothing would make him look in that particular direction.
"If we could have some privacy," he addressed the rest of the room.
It was lucky the butler hadn't thought to pry. Hans didn't make any move to leave, and neither did the kids. The mercenaries started to move but then froze uncertainly. This meant Mary and her crew couldn't leave as well.
"You guys should go," Talia said. "I'll represent our interests in whatever scheme the lordling thinks to take part in now."
The claws left. Then it was Mary and her crew, but she paused at the door, looked back, only her tone betraying her uncertainty.
"Perhaps...perhaps I should—"
"Yeah. You can stay, Mary. Stay by the door. Make sure no body tries to eavesdrop."
She bowed her head in acquiescence and stood where she'd been told.
Ariane told him of the first and only assignment she'd done for the lady of whispers so far. James had to stop her at times, ask a few questions for clarification. And then she gave him a coded message. He broke the code, though not easily, then gave it to Mary.
He tapped on his table as he thought things through. It was a lot more complicated than he'd hopped. How had Jason saved the city without knowing half these things? It was obvious the hero had been played, the city lied to somehow. It was all so much of a headache.
"Maybe she suspects you're not a prodigy, but she won't get rid of you yet. You're a sign of our alliance, however flimsy."
"So I can—"
"Not yet. You're not ready. I don't know if you realised, but you were not able to answer half my questions. The other half you answered with just guesses. You might be a gifted actor, but you are no spy."
"So, then what?"
"You'll sneak back tonight, after Mary puts you through a small crush course. After this incident, we'll take our time grooming you. I'm not always going to be in this city, but I need information. I need all the information the lady gets."
"But before that, my lord," Mary spoke up.
"Yes. The situation with the assassin's guild. That's a rather concerning situation, all things considered. If we had time, perhaps months, we could vet them and pick out someone with less questionable morals to take the guild seat."
"Since we don't have time, then. I have a little suggestion."
"I'm not doing it, Mary. I have other plans for you."
She bowed, and her lips quivered. Was she bowing to hide some kind of change of expression on that normally flat mask of hers? She must have been grimacing about his tactless proclamation that he wanted to use her.
"I wasn't suggesting that I— um, do anything of the sort. I just think there is a way for us to get the information we need about the guild. And perhaps learn the best candidate."
James got her meaning immediately. He winced. It was a valid lead. Something even he had had occasion to do in his previous life. But then...
"We can't trust that information. We'd need to have our own opinions of the candidates. There can be no mistakes. I don't want this corruption spreading further than it surely already has."
"With all due respect, my lord, I don't mean you should choose someone worthy of ruling over the assassins. Rather, choose someone like her." She pointed to Ariane.
"A puppet?! You want me to rule over the assassin's guild in secret?! And what is it you think I plan to do with Ariane anyway?"
Mary shrugged. "Maybe you didn't plan it, but she is a kind of insurance. She will learn from the lady of whispers, and from us. If ever should the lady do what she did that night, giving you less than what you rightfully bargained for, then we'll replace her."
This woman was scary. He had thought it on many occasions, but now it was becoming ever clearer. This woman was a damn terror.
"You're sure she won't become attached to the lady and betray us in the future too?" he asked instead of voicing the myriad concerns he had with these plans.
"I'm hoping she does," Mary stared straight at Ariane, a predatory stare. "I'm hoping she tells her what was said here today. And when they see how we handle the assassin's guild, they'll have second thoughts about crossing us in the future. She should know that she too, is no more than a puppet at the moment, a pawn."
James wanted none of it. He didn't want that kind of responsibility. The kind of power that will make him a target to those in the know. Already he had to be wary of prince Mikhail. But at least now he knew why the guild might continue to pause a threat to him if they were not dealt with. The fact that he would be playing right into Vi's hands wasn't lost on him.
But taking over the shadow government simply because of convenience. Most tyrannies in history started out this way.
Talia had been quiet throughout the conversation, sitting and turning ever paler with everything being revealed.
"What do you think?" he directed her way.
"About you being shadow king? What am I supposed to say? The world is a much more complicated place than I knew."
"Yeah. That it is. But this, fighting injustice and taking power because you think no one else deserves it. It just—"
"I think you can do it," said Nino with absolute confidence.
"Yes, young master. I'd not trust anyone else with this," Hansworth commented.
James smiled. "I bet that's how Napoleon was egged on by his closest allies. And now history remembers him as a tyrant."
"Napo-who?" Talia asked.
"The name's not important. What I meant to say was, this is how tyrrants throughout history have been born. Power changes people. One day you're fighting to save the commoners from oppression, then you're the king and you're doing exactly the same thing. Sometimes even worse. It is something I'd rather not be involved in if I can help it."
"Well, from the sound of things, you can't avoid it now can you?" Talia said.
But James's mind was swimming. None of the royal children deserved the throne of Mareth, at least in his judgement as a reader of this world. What then would he do when the time came? Would he try for the throne himself? Would he get that hungry for power?
But they still had time. Maybe he could cultivate one. Make them deserving of the throne. It was a difficult proposition, but he wanted to try. And would he puppet them, or would he let them rule as they saw fit?