NOVEL SIMPLE 7-21: J4: An Unassuming Maid, Again II, II
Two nights later, the day of assassins.
As it turned out, Dollany did not have any particular interest nor inclination toward magic. Nor was she secretly sympathetic to the Drakan cause. Further still, none of my other theories proved to be the case; she was simply wondering at what was presently the current thing. Perhaps my perceptions had become a bit skewed by all of the fantastical people who worked for my lady, to say nothing of my lady herself.
At the very least, I should make sure to avoid causing Dollany undue harm or hardship, it would make my lady quite sad. What’s more, her innocence seems to be affecting me a bit.
Earnest. That was the best word for Dollany. Earnest, like a puppy. Or perhaps a small spider, alone in its web.
Though, in this analogy, is it better to call her the grasshopper, unwittingly flying into a trap? other than loneliness, I certainly am the more spider-like.
Certainly, she could not be trusted and definitely, not brought with us. But after everything she had done for me the past two days, wittingly or not, I did not think she deserved to be silenced. That already was a great departure from how I might have thought only a year ago and was not entirely comfortable for me. Especially given what I was about to do.
That is to say, I was about to murder Dollany’s boss. My lady was currently creating a distraction, though what that was I did not know. What I did know was that the personnel of the estate was currently running around frantically, with seemingly very little guidance. Even without my skill and talent-bolstered stealth, I would likely have been able to find my way back into the manor easily.
I shouldn’t be surprised that whatever plan she came up with worked this well. Hells, she’ll probably also manage to do it without anyone dying either.
It was not lost on me that the only reason two days and nights had been specified was to give Emmanuel a chance to win the people's hearts and to foment some public sentiment in support of overthrowing the current leader. My mission would have been far easier if I had simply killed Chair Zesten immediately upon spiriting myself into the estate instead of first bonding with Dollany.
I slipped out of my alcove and began power-walking through the rooms toward the chair’s study; with all of the chaos, there was no need for me to actually go through the motions of sneaking. My skills and Talents would suffice. Dollany had, with some light guidance, described the location of my target in detail. Of course, in her mind, she had only been waxing breathlessly about how beautiful she thought the entrance was. Regardless of her intentions, she had been most helpful.
Now then, it should be just through here…
I walked boldly past a soldier going in the opposite direction and passed over one more threshold. This brought me into a bedroom with a large canopy bed whose silk sheets lay in disheveled heaps on the floor. There were no other personnel present, but neither was my target. That being said, he should be in the next room; his study, which was adjoined to the bedroom.
Though his being in the study was only a guess on my part, based partially on stories extracted from my unwitting informant. Given the ongoing activities, it was possible that Chair Zesten had scampered off into some other hole somewhere. The entrance which Dollany had described in so much detail was located in the large decorative fireplace on the far side from the bed. What kind of eccentric would use a hidden door for something so commonly used as a study was beyond me, but it was also beyond my concern.
I should also thank whatever maid was showing Dollany around places she herself wasn’t supposed to go.
So resolved, I cast about the emplacement in search of the mechanism. Familiar with constructions like this, it did not take me too long to find it. The fireplace itself was large; just the burn chamber was big enough that I could walk through it without crouching or bending over. That was my first clue, as it made the location of the door itself rather obvious.
The second clue came in the form of the engravings adorning the frame. What at first glance had seemed to be errant linework and eclectic patterns of flowing water resolved themselves to be a number of nude female figures in various poses. Despite the remarkable flexibility, there was not much else of note to them. Their presence did shed some light on why my target might have favored placing this in his quarters, though not why it was being used as a door.
Regardless, it was these women that keyed me in as to the location of the switch; they were all looking in the same direction, at the same corner of the structure. I hovered my hand over the corner and took a deep breath to clear my mind; once this door opened, my presence would be immediately given away. Unfortunately, I was unaware of any alternative routes into the study proper, despite having spent a bit of time probing the subject.
I exhaled, and pressed the button. A moment later, the door swung open with a soft click. From inside the room, a man’s voice called out in a resigned manner, “Yes, what now? I thought I told you not to come back without news, and it hasn’t been that long.”
He must think I’m that soldier from a moment ago.
“...Hello?” He called out again, a bit unsure after not receiving an immediate answer.
Just because he knew I was here didn’t mean he could see me. In a way, it was kind of similar to Eris’ ability, an observation I found sickening. Not that I was going to dwell on it, or give him any time to realize the danger he was in. In three bold strides, the distance weas closed, and my blade was buried in Chair Zesten’s neck. Unlike his son, he was a small man with a few small rolls; he died quickly, and without making any sounds. For the sake of Emmanuel and my lady’s alliance, I did my best in that regard.
No Grave Oil, and a single clean strike. His death was painless.
With my mission accomplished, it was time to withdraw and rejoin my lady’s side.
It was only by chance that I noticed it. As I was turning to leave, an inkwell rolling across the table and onto the floor made a sound, and I spun around. There was nobody there of course, but that didn’t mean I was alone.
Eris.
There was, after all, no way I had disturbed that inkwell in my strike. Then I saw what it had come to rest on; a small sheaf of papers. Warily, I picked it up, and read the single line on the first one.
“To Stahlia von Drakas und zu Ris. From Fourth Seat, Queen of Envy Leviathan. Via Eris and with the assistance of ‘Delilah’ and Dollany.”
That one line informed me that, contrary to getting lucky, Eris had been watching my every move since I arrived. And I had been allowed to carry them out, acting as I pleased.
We played right into their hands.
My lady would need to see this letter, even if that was clearly what our enemy wanted. I clutched it close to my chest, and made my way back to my lady’s side.