Chapter 54 – Tower’s Influence
SJ waited patiently to enter the chancellor's office. She had the ledgers in her inventory and, after reviewing the contents the next morning, had decided that he would be her best approach. There were several names she recognised among the councillors and members who worked in the tower. Although she knew she could have taken it directly to General Crawford or Natalie to review, she felt it was better to go to the top and let the information come from there. Her initial thought of remaining anonymous had been dispelled, as she needed to confirm the ledger's legitimacy, given the names of the beings involved in the various schemes it mentioned.
"The chancellor will see you now," the guard called to SJ, who was standing away from the entrance, looking at one of several paintings that lined the tower's halls. The scene was of a strange beast, which she only recognised from her gaming days, or a chimera. It was standing over the prone figure of an elf. It was quite dramatic and beautifully painted.
"Thanks," SJ replied as she entered.
"SJ," the chancellor smiled on seeing her enter. "What brings you to see me so soon after my recent visit to your beautiful town?"
SJ blushed at the comment. She knew that Killic was indeed a beautiful town, but hearing it come from the chancellor took her by surprise.
"I have some information to share with you," SJ replied, as she walked forward to his desk before calling the various ledgers to her hands. "I recently acquired these, and I believe you may find them of interest." Carefully, she placed them on his desk, so as not to disturb the mountains of paperwork that already covered its surface.
The chancellor frowned, picking one up and looking at its contents. His face showed little emotion as he flicked through the entries and the various texts they contained.
"Very interesting," he nodded. "I see that once again you have been rather busy. I recognise the crest on the ledger. Barnabus Longspike, if I'm correct."
The fact that the chancellor knew his name took her by surprise. "Erm, yes," she replied.
"Dare I ask how you acquired his trusted secrets?" the chancellor smiled, as his eyes twinkled mischievously.
"I would prefer not to answer that."
"Understandable, since his death was confirmed this very morning. There were already rumours flying around the tower before I even finished my breakfast."
If the news of his death had already reached the tower, it had to have been a newsworthy event.
The chancellor looked at SJ's now rather concerned look before he chuckled. "Don't worry, he wasn't a friend of the tower. If anything, he was dead set against our standing, and we know he had ties to several beings in the city with poor reputations. He never did anything that would break our city's laws, so we could not take action against him. He conducted his business dealings legitimately, even though the funding came from suspicious sources."
"So you're aware of who he has ties to?"
"I have a pretty good idea."
SJ stared at him for several moments before she spoke again. "Why have you never dealt with her?"
This comment did make the chancellor raise an eyebrow. "Always direct. It's a rather complex issue that stretches far beyond Asterfal's reach. That is all I am willing to say on the matter."
"I don't understand how you can allow such things to continue when you are aware of them."
"I'm quite sure the conversation you had with the Colonel and Captain was enlightening," the chancellor countered.
Is there anything he doesn't know about? SJ thought.
"I don't think so," Dave replied.
"You weren't the one who, you know?" SJ said, as she thought about the chancellor being behind raising the quest for the Chief's demise with Navina.
"You know?" The chancellor replied, his facial expression neutral.
Damn it, SJ thought.
"It doesn't matter," she replied.
"Even if it were the chancellor, you really think he would admit it?" Dave asked.
No, probably not.
They stood staring at each other for several moments, SJ trying hard to read his thoughts. The chancellor broke eye contact first, scooping up the next ledger.
"I will make sure that these are taken care of properly. I'm sure there will be several rather concerned councillors and noble families once they discover I have them. And," he said with emphasis, "it will hopefully hamper a certain being's revenue stream."
SJ just nodded in understanding. "Right, I will leave you to your business," she said, making an excuse to leave.
"Oh, before you go. I believe Brother Liam would like the opportunity to speak with you. He should be in the personal guard quarters."
"Where are they?" SJ asked, surprised, never having heard of them before.
"Second left through there," the chancellor indicated to the side door into his chamber. SJ had never been through it before and looked at him in confusion.
"Through there?"
"Yes. Second left," he said, lifting the ledgers up and placing them to one side before returning to the paperwork on his desk.
SJ just looked at him momentarily before turning and heading to the side door. She had only ever seen a few beings enter through this door: Darwinial, his clerk, and the illithid mind readers. As she reached for the door handle, she felt apprehensively nervous.
The door opened into a corridor similar to the one from which you entered the chancellor's chamber, although on a smaller scale. Several beings moved along it, flitting from room to room. SJ walked to the second door as instructed, a sign emblazoned on its wooden surface. Chancellor's Personal Guard. She knocked cautiously.
A deep voice answered. "Come in."
SJ opened the door into a large room. Several desks sat around it, and various members of the guard she had met in Killic were in attendance.
"Is Brother Liam here?" SJ asked the member who had answered her.
"He's in his room; just follow the corridor to the end," the guard replied.
SJ looked across the office to the corridor and, feeling as though she were walking a tightrope, proceeded across it before entering. It curved as she followed it and swept upwards, following a spiral approach, before she came out on a level corridor with doors lined off it on both sides. The guard had said the end, so she continued down it. Several beings passed her in the corridor as she continued until she reached the final door. She knocked again, waiting nervously.
It didn't take long for the door to be answered, and Brother Liam stood in front of her. Bare-chested, his chiselled and athletic frame on full display. SJ couldn't keep her cheeks from reddening.
"Sorry, I didn't realise this was your private quarters," SJ said.
"No need to apologise. Come in," Liam said, stepping aside for her to enter.
SJ walked into a large lounge area. A window looked out onto the tower's gardens, and from where they were, she thought they must be two floors up. It hadn't felt as though the corridor had been that long to raise two floors. In the centre of the room, there was what could only be described as a large gym mat, and it was obvious from the sheen on Liam's body that he had been working out.
"I didn't mean to disturb you from your training."
"It's fine. I've been meaning to speak to you since we returned," he smiled and walked to a chair, where he grabbed a towel before he dried himself and then pulled on a loose tunic.
"Drink?"
"Water, please," SJ said.
Liam handed SJ a glass. "How has the training been going?"
This did make SJ blush; she had done very little since Liam's initial instruction.
"No need to answer," he replied, smiling. "Your face says it all."
SJ looked sheepish. "Sorry, I've been a little busy."
"I'm aware," his expression painted a thousand words.
"What? How?"
"I'm the chancellor's personal bodyguard. Do you think I don't know what's happening in this city? I probably know more than many others do."
SJ knew that Liam was the chancellor's bodyguard, but they were also independent of the tower in its truest sense. They didn't work under the tower's direction, but their own.
"Such as?"
"Like what you are currently planning on doing."
SJ froze, her mouth half open, unable to respond.
"Don't worry. I'm the only one who knows. It's not common knowledge."
"And what do you think I am up to exactly?"
"I think it's obvious. You are going up against the one thing this city can't directly take on."
How can he possibly know what I am doing?
"Perhaps it was Liam," Dave said thoughtfully.
What?
"I mean that if anyone in the city has knowledge of the underhand dealings that take place and has seen the evidence for themselves over time, it would be someone like Liam, who has been the personal guard of the previous four chancellors."
I know, but why would he suddenly raise a contract now? Don't you think it would have been in place for a long time if it were up to him?
"Possibly, but timing can mean everything, and I bet it's not often they have an external city representative who has direct contact with the city's chancellor, as you do. It possibly comes down to trust."
I hardly know Liam, and from what I know, this contract was raised even before I met him for the first time.
"It doesn't mean he didn't know about you already."
So, another being has been spying on me, then. That's what you're telling me.
"What is it you think you know?" SJ said coyly.
"Come now. Let's not play games. I will play my hand if you play yours."
SJ just nodded in response.
"I know you have accepted a guild quest with a specific target. It's amazing how many lips will speak under the right influence, whether it be coin, alcohol or persuasion. A certain being informed me of the latest quest assignments from a certain guild we both know."
If there were someone speaking to Liam under any circumstances, SJ was pretty sure that if Navina were aware, she would have removed them immediately. She wasn't the type of guild leader who would leave any loose ends.
"And you have no problems with what you have discovered?" SJ asked, as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
"Why would I have a problem with it? If anything, that being has been one of the most dangerous sources of corruption within this city for centuries. Their untouchable position has caused significant issues for me previously."
SJ mused for a few moments before responding. "I had been considering contacting you about it."
It was now Liam's turn to look taken aback. "Really? And why would you wish to do that?"
"I know how skilled you are, and although you may not be an assassin, your skills as a monk have a place. You are not even noticed by many in a crowd or an area, yet carry a level of lethality that many can't compete with."
Liam raised an eyebrow at her remark. "As a monk, my personal goal is peace over fighting."
"Unless you have a purpose. You are also independent from the city, aren't you?"
Liam paused for a moment before he replied. "In a manner, yes, but we are still bound by several restrictions."
"So, you would be unable to act against my target? Does that include their henchmen?"
That again made Liam pause. "No, it doesn't prevent action against others if deemed appropriate."
"And how is the level of appropriateness measured?"
"Threat assessments usually. These are defined before actions are taken."
"If I dealt with the target, you could therefore help with their protectors?"
"Perhaps..." Liam left the response hanging; it was neither a confirmation nor a refusal. "If and when a time occurs, and it is deemed appropriate, I may be able to support. It would depend on the threat at that time."
"Understood," SJ said, placing her glass back down. "Your apartment looks nice."
SJ flipped the conversation so suddenly that Liam stopped his immediate response.
"Thank you. I have spent a long time making it my home."
The furnishings were all natural-looking, and even against the granite structure of the tower, the room had a bearing of nature, and with the view out onto the large tower gardens, the room felt almost like an extension of it, even from the height they were at.
"When you have some free time, I would like us to complete some further training," Liam said after a pause.
"I would like that. I can come back tomorrow if you are free?" SJ agreed. If she could get a grip on the advanced techniques that Liam was able to instruct her in, her martial arts skills could come on in leaps and bounds, and she wouldn't necessarily always have to rely on her claws. Not that she had anything against claws; they had kept her safe since almost arriving on Amathera in one way, shape or form.
"I can usually do the mornings, before the chancellor has most of his meetings. Is seven too early?"
SJ didn't require the same amount of sleep as she used to on Earth and was often up at first light, usually pottering around in her tailoring suite at the Wanderer's Rest in Killic before she was due at the barracks. It was only when in Asterfal that she usually allowed herself the liberty of staying in bed, and that was usually due to the fact that when she was in Asterfal completing quests, most of her activities were at night.
"That should be fine."
"Excellent! I will see you in the morning then."
"Erm, how do I get back out of here? I entered this area through the chancellor's office."
"I'll walk you down," Liam said.
SJ followed Liam as he walked back down the corridor until he reached a door about halfway down. It looked no different from the others on the corridor, and he opened it, revealing a set of stairs.
"If you go down, you will find yourself in the Tower Gardens. The door is always unlocked, so just come in through there tomorrow."
SJ thanked Liam as she left the Tower. On reaching the bottom of the steps, she found herself walking out into the mid-morning sun. She took her time walking through it, considering what she had just discovered about Liam and his knowledge of the guilds. At this moment, she wasn't sure whether she should inform Fas about it, but she couldn't see any harm in it, considering that he was only a member.
SJ stood to the side of the busy bar, leaning against a wall with a pint of ale in her hand. Her cloak was pulled up around her face, and her hair tucked out of sight. It was late the following evening, and SJ rolled her shoulders. They still carried a dull ache from the workout that Liam had given her that morning. He hadn't pulled any punches when he had run her through the subtlest yet hardest routine she had done in a long time. Apparently, it had all been to increase flexibility and strength. She was flexible as it was, yet he had still managed to twist her arms and legs into positions she didn't believe possible.
"I bet you wish you had your dryac with you now," Dave chuckled at her discomfort.
If you had been through that routine this morning, I'd never have heard the end of it, SJ thought in response.
"I'm not hampered by physicality," Dave replied in an aloof voice.
It looks like several are starting to leave now.
The bar had been thinning out for some time. SJ had spotted Julisa appear on a couple of occasions before disappearing again through to the back.
"Have you decided what you are going to do yet?" Dave asked.
Yes. SJ moved to a shelf and placed her ale down. She hadn't drunk any of it, not even wishing to chance impairing herself. From what she had observed of Julisa, she was eagle-eyed and had spotted her on more than one occasion, pausing for longer than SJ had wished each time. SJ moved to the corner of the room casually before she equipped her claws.
"What are you doing?" Dave hissed.
Standing still. SJ replied as her camouflage skill triggered, her claws hidden inside her cloak.
"I know you said you would use it, but I expected you to be in miniature form."
I'm going to wait until the bar is completely empty. This seemed the best way to be ignored as everyone leaves.
SJ wasn't moving; her breathing was almost silent as she took controlled, steady breaths. As she stood there, her muscles still ached from the morning training, and she wished she could move to release the acid that was building up, but suddenly, the bar was virtually empty, which would definitely give her away.
Gradually, all the patrons left, and the remaining staff cleared the last few tankards before silence took over the bar. The doors were bolted from the inside, and the staff had left for what she believed must be their quarters. It was obvious from what she had seen that Julisa controlled what went on in the premises and had only appeared to talk to specific beings. SJ had listened to several conversations since she had arrived, and most of them had been the usual rumours that ran rife in any city, about relationships and the like. One piece of information had piqued her interest when a conversation about the elections in District 4 had been mentioned. She hadn't been able to overhear it fully, unfortunately, from where she stood.
SJ gave it several moments before she started to shrink. She knew as soon as she did, she would be visible, however fast she transformed. On reaching her miniature size, she froze again; there had been no movement, only the occasional sound drifting through from the streets outside as beings made their way by.
SJ started to make her way towards the rear, where she had seen Julisa enter several times through a draped curtain. She rolled her shoulders as she did and stretched her back; her wing muscles felt stiff. Slowly, she beat them until she lifted off the ground. The movement wasn't as comfortable as normal, and SJ knew she would have to make sure she never completed a session with Liam the same day as a job again.
The curtain flapped slightly in a breeze from somewhere behind it as SJ landed and slowly made her way behind it.
