Blood of the Underworld(5)
“Be careful of who you call rat shit in this town,” Edwin said, laughing. “It might get you in trouble.”
His laughter died off uneasily as Victor stared at him with those clear blue eyes of his. It wasn’t just strength he saw in them. No, what he saw was madness, and it was starting to unnerve him.
“Fine,” he said, suddenly no longer having fun. He sat up, took another sip from his cup. “You’ve made plain your desire to clean up this city, though I have yet to hear how you will do it. So tell me, Victor. Let me hear your amazing plan.”
“There is nothing amazing about it,” Victor said. He crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head back. “I have over three hundred mercenaries at my disposal, committed to my cause. They will aid me in this endeavor.”
“Your lands cannot be large. How can you afford them all?”
“There is always coin available for what a man cares about most.”
Edwin rolled his eyes and gestured for the man to continue.
“I know what it is you’re thinking,” Victor said, starting to pace. “You think I will unleash them like wild dogs, just like Lady Gemcroft did years before. I tell you now that that is wrong. I do not do this for destruction, nor a desire for killing. I will not slaughter life at random, nor pronounce a colored cloak reason enough for death. I will abide by the law, my King. That is all I truly desire from you. Give me your blessing to enforce your laws. These guilds may no longer rob from your stores, but their hands are far from clean.”
“And what do you expect from all this? A reward?”
“A home where I can live without fear will be my reward,” Victor said, smiling. “That, and for you to cover the cost of the mercenaries, should I succeed.”
“You ask for much while claiming to ask for little,” Gerand said, and Edwin had to agree.
“What makes you so confident you can accomplish this task?” the King asked.
“The blood of the underworld will spill across your executioner’s blade,” Victor said. “Brought before your judges, lawfully condemned in your trials, and their bodies dumped into pits beyond your walls. Fear is how they have endured for so long, but I am not afraid of them. I fear nothing.”
Laughter interrupted their conversation. Edwin felt his throat tighten, and he looked to his left. There, in a tall window at least twenty feet above the ground, crouched a figure cloaked in gray.
How in Karak’s name did he get up there? he wondered.
“Come to join us, Watcher?” Edwin asked.
“I’m quite content to stay here,” the Watcher said, turning his attention to Victor. “You truly think fear is how the thief guilds have endured? Fear is just the whetstone that sharpens their blades. Razor wire and poisoned cups are how they have endured. They fill their ranks with those desperate enough to kill just to have food in their bellies. You want to defeat the thief guilds? Flood the streets with bread, not soldiers.”
“For a man of such reputation, you are incredibly naive,” said Victor. He didn’t seem upset with the Watcher, only vaguely amused. “You think a little bit of milk and bread will sate their appetites? The guilds are full of men who will always want more than what they have. You used your blades to cull them, and took the gold of others to make them content. Your way is failing. You do not spoil a rotten child. You beat his ass with a rod.”
Victor turned to the King, who chewed on his lip. This lord was fiery, devoted, and quick-witted. He truly seemed unafraid of making enemies, for few would have dared speak to the Watcher in such a manner. Even the Watcher looked surprised.
“Do not be afraid,” Victor said, putting his back to the Watcher. “I have come as Veldaren’s savior, and am prepared for the burden. Let it all be cast on me. Let it be my name the thieves hear. Let them know I am the one enforcing your laws. There is nothing for you to lose. Noble, beggar, merchant, thief...all will come to justice. The coin I ask for in return is a pittance compared to what you gain. Give me your blessing.”
Edwin could tell Gerand wanted nothing to do with the offer, but for once, Edwin saw a ray of light in his miserable city. For years he’d lived in fear that he’d meet the same fate as his parents, killed off because one of the guilds decided him too meddlesome. Could this Lord Victor do it? Could he do what even the Watcher could not?
“If you truly desire to uphold the law, then so be it,” he said. “You and your men may act in the name of Victor Kane, ask questions in your name, and deliver justice in a manner befitting the law. But the moment I hear of your own men breaking my laws, starting fires, and acting like the lowborn scum they no doubt are, I will banish you from my city, never to return. As for your reward...”