Lady Kate

Bergraz Palace

174th Summer – The first year of the Regency (Earth Date 22nd January 2017)

“Hello Keith,” Anna purred to the guard looming outside Lord Aldred’s apartment. He was part Neanderthal, even bigger than Xavier and looked like he’d been carved from granite. He certainly didn’t look like a Keith, he looked like he’d have trouble remembering complicated things like his name. To my surprise the man’s face split into what looked like a genuine smile and there was a glint in his eyes that made me realise he was far cleverer than he looked.

“Lady Anna, it’s a pleasure to see you back in the palace. How are things?” he asked in a voice that felt powerful enough to vibrate the floorboards.

“All the better for seeing you. We have an appointment with Aldred.” Anna replied, holding he hand up to the man to kiss which he did in one elegant movement. I was beginning to suspect Anna liked her men big and uniformed.

“Indeed you do. He made me dig out the good china. I hope you like cucumber sandwiches Lady Kate.”

“With the crusts cut off I hope.” I couldn’t resist saying to the man mountain. The man’s smile widened.

“Of course, Lady Kate, it will just be like the high teas you had back on Earth,” he claimed, opening the door to the apartment. I glanced at Anna for guidance, all the high teas I’d had back on Earth could be counted on the fingers of one foot. She didn’t disappoint.

“Ohh, a proper earth style high tea, I haven’t had one of those for ages. Did you make the cream cakes yourself?”

“I added extra cream especially for you, my Lady.”

“Ohh, goody, I do like it when I bite them and they squirt everywhere,” Anna replied her voice loaded with innuendo.

Keith led us down a corridor to the back of Lord Aldred’s apartments to a comfortable, masculine living room and left, probably to put extra cream to Anna’s cakes.

It looked like we’d been shown into the room Lord Aldred lived in day to day and not a formal receiving room. We were only a level below the royal apartments and the room opened on to a balcony with an amazing view over the Sea of Bergraz. Two twisted apple trees in massive pots, symbols of Lord Aldred’s demesne, curved up and around the balcony doors reminding me that I still hadn’t finalised a coat of arms for my holdings. In an alcove, under one window was a large paper strewn desk with untidy bookcases lining the walls around it. Amongst the probably very valuable artworks scattered carelessly around, an ancient looking globe of the Earth caught my eye. My Gran had had an identical one. It doubled up as a drinks cabinet and she’d bought it in a sale from Argos in the 1980s. I wondered how it had found its way here.

“Do you know all the guards in the palace?” I murmured to Anna. She smiled and nodded.

“Most of them. I grew up here in the palace so there were always guards around, they were nice to me.” I nodded, after meeting Anna’s mother I guessed Anna hadn’t had many people in her childhood who’d been nice to her. “I also helped Marcus choose his royal guard. We spent two whole days reviewing them,” Anna fanned her face with her hand and giggled. “I’m the reason all his guards are all hunky studmuffins,” she whispered, then straightened up as Lord Aldred entered the room drying his hands on a towel.

“Ladies, welcome, sorry to keep you waiting” Lord Aldred was a well-preserved, lean, middle-aged man with the dark skin and straight black hair of the Midriver aristocracy. He was informally dressed in a white shirt, dark trousers and had a certain rakish charm that really did it for me. I supposed if Anna had a thing for large, muscular men in uniform, I had a thing for the charming, ruthless, ‘damn the rules’ aristocrat they bred here. I was also wondering where Anna had leant the phrase ‘hunky studmuffin’.

“Please, take a seat, no need to stand on formalities here,” he said flinging himself onto a sofa, we both sat down on the sofa opposite him, a polished wood coffee table as a buffer zone between us.

“Did you make it to the wedding?” He asked Anna.

“Just. I was all the way upstream in Sandbeck when I got the invitation. I was lucky Oz was around.”

“Ahh, Sandbeck. I know that hive of conspiracy and rebellion well, my sister was the priest there for years. How is Sorgi?”

“He hasn’t changed. He had a few things to say to Oz about the Little Rascal’s refit though.” Anna replied. Lord Aldred laughed.

“I bet he did, that ship’s part of his soul. And Lady Kate, how are things going in your Demesne? Do you think your holders will be able to harvest enough food to survive the winter?”

“It’ll be tight. I’ve persuaded most of them to overwinter in Trafalgar, the few that won’t leave will be staying in the ruins at Kelliwick. Apparently, it stays warmer up by the waterfall,” I said. Lord Aldred nodded approvingly.

“Very sensible, there’s no point in risking your people’s lives if you don’t have to. As long as you keep some sort of presence up there, I can’t imagine anyone making any serious objections.”

We made more small talk, which, anywhere else, would have been considered big talk, politics with a little bit of religion thrown in. We mostly talked about the Empire’s first ever elections which had taken place a few weeks ago and what the hundred members of the new people’s parliament were actually expected to do. Keith brought out the tea, we ate the cucumber sandwiches, drank the tea and Anna devoured several large eclairs filled with cream in a discrete and ladylike manner. Then, as Keith took the tea things away Lord Aldred leaned forward, suddenly all business.

“Right ladies, I think we’ve more than fulfilled the socially obligatory small talk required, what does the Interesting Times club require of me?” Me and Anna looked at each other. The club wasn’t exactly secret, but we didn’t exactly talk about what we did, even amongst ourselves and I wondered how even someone with Lord Aldred’s contacts could have come across the club’s name.

“The Interesting Times Club? What’s that?” Anna asked, as innocently as only she could.

“What we’re here about is the Earth made pistol you acquired some time before last Beltane. Can I see it.” I asked flatly. Whatever Lord Aldred had been expecting it wasn’t that.

“I ahh… it’s in my desk. I’ve never fired it.” Lord Aldred replied, looking genuinely confused at the turn of events. He went over to his desk and rummaged through the contents of the bottom draw in his desk until he managed to extract a polished wooden box. I got up and took it from him, placing the box on his desk and tried to open it. The box was locked. I looked at Lord Aldred who handed me a small key.

“I keep hidden away so the kids can’t get hold of it,” he explained as I unlocked the box.

The pistol sat there with an unopened box of ammunition on the purple velvet lining of the box looking alien and out of place.

I picked the pistol up and checked it for any signs of it having been used. Without a proper forensic analysis, I couldn’t tell of course but I was willing to bet it had been sitting in the draw since Lord Aldred had acquired it.

“You must have gone to a lot of trouble to acquire this.” I said, opening the box of ammunition and started to load the pistol.

“It sort of fell into my lap,” Aldred admitted, “Normally, I rely on my bodyguards…” I finished loading, took careful aim and fired the gun. It was much louder in the enclosed space than I expected, Anna gave a squeak of alarm and jumped off the sofa.

“What the fuck.” Lord Aldred swore, grabbing a hefty looking poker from the fireplace, ignoring the swords hung above it.

As calmly as I could, I strode over to the apple tree plant pot where I’d fire the bullet as Keith burst into the room from the door at the end of the room brandishing an AK47. It was not the door he’d left the room from and he was directly opposite me. Then another door swung open and a child of about eleven or twelve burst into the room, looking so much like Lord Aldred he had to be his son. He was brandishing a sword and held it like he knew how to use it.

There was a pause as we all stared at each other.

“I think it would be a good idea if you all put your weapons down.” Anna said, an unaccustomed note of command in her voice. I put the pistol down on the plant pot, and, not waiting to see what anyone else did I picked up a convenient trowel and started digging in the pot for the bullet. Behind me I heard various heavy objects being put down.

“What is going on here Anna?” Lord Aldred asked.

“We’re Lord Auditors.” She replied. I dug on. The soil was full of roots and digging through it was harder than I expected.

“I may not have the finest legal mind in the Empire, but I know a Lord Auditor can only be appointed by the Emperor?” Aldred said mildly. I found the bullet five centimetres down and embedded in a thick root. I extracted it and turned to see Anna handing Lord Aldred the black envelope. Lord Aldred opened the envelope and inspected the piece of paper inside.

“That’s right. That’s Marcus’ signature, isn’t it?” Lord Aldred inspected the paper then nodded and motioned for his son to have a look. I’d expected him to cry foul, or maybe even rip the paper up. Instead he looked mildly impressed.

“Good old Marcus, one step ahead of everyone, even in death. Am I allowed to know why Lady Kate has shot one of my apple trees?”

I placed the bullet in a small plastic bag, then placed it on the desk with the two bullets Nat had taken from Marcus’ body and brought out the magnifying glass. It was pure theatre of course, I very much doubted I would be able to see what I needed to see without a proper microscope.

“Each gun leaves a unique patten of striations on the bullet. If the same gun fired all these, the striations would match.” I explained, making a show of examining the bullets, even taking my phone out to record the three bullets together. I may also have ‘accidentally’ panned the camera across the paperwork strewn across his desk but as this was Lord Aldred there probably wasn’t anything he didn’t want me to see, but you never knew.

“I have never fired that gun. I’m not even sure how to load it,” Lord Aldred said and there was something about the way he said it that made me think he had made use of the gun somehow. Anna must have thought so too.

“So how did you used it then?” Anna asked in her sweetest, most innocent voice and Lord Aldred fell for it.

“If you really must know, I threatened Clive Bonner with it.” Lord Aldred admitted, preening like a peacock.

“I’m surprised you’re still alive. How did you get into a position to threaten the man responsible to the death of two emperors with an unloaded gun and live to tell the tale?” I asked. Lord Aldred sighed.

“Bry, can you go with Keith to the kitchen, I need to talk with these ladies in private.”

“My Lord is that wise?” Keith asked.

“Keith, I wouldn’t have employed you if I didn’t think you were able to protect me, but if Lady Kate wanted to cause me physical harm, there is nothing you could do to stop her.” Keith looked at me and, to my surprise grinned and nodded.

“Come on Bryon, I believe Lady Anna may have left one or two of my cakes unmolested,” Keith said.

“Daad, you haven’t even introduced us.” Bryon protested.

“I suppose I did promise. Lady Anna, Lady Kate, may I introduce Lord Bryon, my middle son. He is staying with me for a short while before he leaves to study at the Citadel.” Lord Aldred said with some pride.

Anna held out her hand and Bryon bent and kissed it like he’d been doing it all his life then, to my relief, offered me his hand to shake. I shook it.

“A pleasure to meet you again Bryon. Did you get into a lot of trouble at Brand’s wedding?” Anna asked, smiling. Bryon glanced at his dad.

“Not as much trouble as Nancy got in to.”

“Nancy? As in Nancy the mayor of Trafalgar’s daughter?” I asked. I’d heard the mayor’s youngest daughter had got in to trouble at Brand’s wedding but I hadn’t realised she’d had an accomplice.

“Yes, that’s her, we write to each other. Do you know her too?” Bryon asked eagerly.

“She is the Lord of Dragon’s Landing and former Seneschal of Trafalgar castle. Of course she knows Nancy, think before you speak lad, always make them think you know more than you do, never admit ignorance.” Lord Aldred said rolling his eyes.

“Oh, right, I suppose you do know her.” Bryon said, wilting under his father’s criticism.

“Now go with Keith and eat those cakes. The ladies and I have business.”

“Yes father, it was a pleasure to meet you both,” Bryon said formally, then ran out the room. Keith, paused before leaving giving his Lord a concerned look. Lord Aldred sighed and waved him out.

Please, take a seat, would you care for anything stronger than tea?” I put the bullets into my pocket but stayed sat at the desk while Anna sat down on the sofa at the opposite end of the room. If Lord Aldred was discomforted by our seating positions he didn’t show it and perched on one of the sofa arms between the two of us.

“I am going to tell you what I told Marcus, All I ask is that you hear me out fully before having me dragged away. Marcus gave me a fair hearing and accepted I’d done what I’d done for the good of the Empire.”

“Marcus needed your support.” Anna pointed out.

“And he got it. Nearly all the Empires problems date back to the reign of your biological great grandfather, Anna”

“What...? Oh, I suppose he was, if you look at it that way,” Anna said unenthusiastically.

“He was a spinless idiot in thrall to a power mad courtesan who wasted the power she stole and nearly destroyed the empire in the process. His son is only considered one of the better Emperors because his father was so incompetent. I grew up in his reign. Life was good if you had a title and money. It wasn’t so good if you didn’t have the protection of a Lord, the Church, the Druids or a guild. My father, God rest his soul, thought it would be a good idea if my sister and I had a little dose of reality and sent us off to the Holy City to be educated by the Church.”

“You were educated by the Church?” Anna asked, sounding shocked.

“The Church was where the power was at that time. The Holy Father was effectively running the Empire at that point and there was an energy in the Holy City that, well it’s like the lower levels of Bergraz today. Throw a rock and you’ll probably hit a radical social reformer of some sort.”

“You might hit an innocent bystander,” Anna said, eyes wide in feigned horror.

“In Bergraz? There are only spectators who don’t dodge quickly enough. Anyway, my darling sister had already spent a year in the Holy City before I arrived…”

“The one who’s now Bishop of Bergraz?” I asked.

“Her sudden elevation was nothing to do with me, in fact I suspect Amos appointed her to annoy the both of us. Back then she was just one of the many students who’d been swept up in the revolutionary counterculture sweeping the city. She introduced me to her coffee house friends and I was impressed with them at first, spouting concepts I’d never come across before, but I soon got bored with them when I realised all they did was talk around in circles, or, even worse, tried to bring God into everything. You know someone’s losing the argument when they try and tell you their views exactly coincide with what God wants.”

“I found my own group of companions. You both know Sorgi, you’ve no doubt heard of Blackthorne, they were both part of my group of… well maybe not friends, perhaps co-conspirators is a better term. They were both apprentices in the Navigator’s Guild from at the Citadel and we slowly gravitated downstream from the respectable areas of the Holy City until we ended up in an inn called The Fiddle.” I nodded, it was still the favoured drinking den for the spies, revolutionaries, and smugglers of Midriver. I’d spent an interesting evening there once, disguised as a curious apprentice as I planted bugs for Xavier. Despite it being one of the most notorious hives of scum and iniquity on the River I’d felt safer there, all alone and talking freely with Midriver’s most wanted, than I had minding my own business with a couple of friends in a respectable pub in central London.

“It was here I first met Bonner,” Lord Aldred continued, “this was about a year after the Gateway closed. He turned up with a couple of other guys, they weren’t there every night, but they were there enough to be regulars and unlike his rather intimidating companions he was an easy person to talk to.”

“Over the next year or so I found myself recruited into what was to become the Iron Brotherhood I saw less and less of my former drinking companions. By day I was studying theology, rhetoric, mathematics and the natural sciences, in the evenings, I learnt how to set up and run a spy ring, how to question people and how to use the radios and the other amazing devices Bonner seemed to have in great abundance.” I nodded. Bonner had been a CIA agent back on Earth, he’d been corrupt and immoral, even by the CIA’s loose standards but no-one had complained he was bad at his job.

“I found myself recruiting a network of like-minded citizens and informants. Unbeknownst to me Bonner was also subverting the leadership of several of the smaller guilds and securing a power base in the Bergraz criminal underworld. Then everything changed when my darling sister decided to take vows of poverty and become a priest. Suddenly I was the sole heir to Sarthville Lordship and was forced to return home. My father’s health not being the best.”

“I spent a miserable winter mouldering in Sarthville until my mother dragged me off to Bergraz to find me a wife. I have to admit it was glorious, the balls and parties held now are a pale shadow of those mad, extravagant days although I still think you and Oz were the first people to ever ride unicorns through the ballroom.”

“You were telling us of how you consistently and repeatedly attempted to undermine a legitimate government.” I said, reminding Lord Aldred this wasn’t a cosy conversation between friends.

“Ouch. When you put it like that it doesn’t sound good, but I would argue the government lost its legitimacy when Edward disinherited his legitimate heirs and dissolved the High Council. It’s no secret that I’ve made a bit of a name for myself for speaking my mind, I was rather critical of the Emperor and his cronies,” Lord Aldred grinned at the memory, “Ahh, the insults I gave. I’m surprised I wasn’t challenged to more duels. I almost fought one with Duncan over Freya…”

“Wait, you challenged Emperor Duncan to a duel over his wife…” Anna gasped. Aldred laughed.

“He was only the Crown Prince then and Freya hadn’t even promised to him at that point. Of course, the duel was never permitted to take place, but Duncan never really forgave me. Poor Freya, she should never have married him.”

“How old were you?” I asked.

“Hmm… I turned nine during that season and I was married to a Constance before winter. It was never a love match, but after a bit of a rocky start we’ve made it work, mostly by keeping the entire Sea of Bergraz between us, it could be worse.”

“When did you start to have misgivings about Bonner?” Anna asked.

“I started to realise Bonner had his fingers in many pies, most of them unsavoury, just before the Civil War. At the time I thought the whole situation had got away from him, but now…” Lord Aldred shook his head, “… Now the enormity of what he did, splitting the Lords Council into opposing factions, subverting the guilds, making the criminals more powerful than the Guard, turning Bergraz into a powder keg, neutralising Trafalgar and influencing the Knights to elect the candidate he wanted, although that one backfired badly for him.…”

“The Scourging?” Anna asked. Lord Aldred nodded.

“He badly underestimated the effect of letting the Knights off their leash. He wanted a few convenient atrocities to motivate the common folk, not a wholesale slaughter of the River settlements. Not that he cared about how many people’s lives were ruined, all he wanted was to be in charge at the end of it all.

“And you still supported him?” I asked.

“Bonner could be very persuasive… and I suspect if I’d cut all ties I wouldn’t have lived long. Instead I decided to play both sides. I have to admit when called before Emperor Duncan I took a certain amount of satisfaction telling him ‘I told you so,” and to be fair to him he did listen. For a while everyone listened. The entire Genna bloodline had been wiped out and their manor burned, Lord Gordon and his family had disappeared without trace, the Knights had acted like marauding savages. No one wanted a repeat of the Civil War, so change happened. I think Duncan always wanted to change things for the better, it’s just, well, you’ve seen the Lords Council.”

“Old men, lots of old men. Where did all the women go?” I asked. In every other aspect of Midriver life I’d been impressed by the lack of chauvinism, but the Lords chamber was rammed full of entitled old men who acted like the slightest bit of change was the end of the world.

“Most of them, or their fathers, were appointed by Emperor Edward… or rather his mistress. She didn’t like female competition, but she did like her pretty boys and those former pretty boys only area of competence appears to be keeping their seats in the Lords Chamber.”

“What did you know about the first Beltane attack?” Anna asked Lord Aldred in a soft but dangerous voice as she touched the scar on her face.

“From the Iron Brotherhood, from Bonner, I heard fuck all. It was most likely I was to be killed on the balcony with everyone else. From my contacts I got enough warnings that something big was in the works that I felt confident enough to personally warn the Emperor, and I passed on enough information to other sources so my warning wouldn’t be the only one. That is why the Imperial Guard were there that day, and no one expected Brand. Bloody hell, that kid can fight, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What would Bonner gain from the death of most of the nobility and why did he choose then to strike? He hadn’t done anything for five years.” I asked, not really expecting an answer.

“The Iron Brotherhood had spent most of that time building the fleet that attacked Trafalgar. It was originally intended to take Bergraz. They spent weeks manoeuvring those vessels into place for the attack, that’s what alerted my spies that something was going on. I got multiple reports of strange vessels moving only by night and of large vessels moored up where they shouldn’t be. I think the fleet would have assembled and disgorged an army into Bergraz shortly after they got word the Emperor was dead. The initial attack was no doubt meant to have pacified the castle and made sure the gates were opened for Bonner’s army just to walk in and take over.”

“As to the why. I guess the Emperor was looking increasingly competent now he had at least some competent advisors like myself and the Bishop of Bergaz. It was also becoming increasingly obvious that Marcus was turning into a rather impressive young man with an eye for choosing the right companions.”

“Oh yeah, Brand.” Anna said, nodding.

“No my Lady, you. No one rated Brand as more than Marcus’ yes man, and everyone seriously underestimated George’s influence, but you, you were… you still are, something special.” I looked at Anna who was looking embarrassed at the unexpected compliment.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Aldred.” I warned him.

“On the contrary Kate, flattery has got me everywhere. If Anna keeps acting like she was in Sandbeck, people are going to start to make comments about how it’s been too long since there was an Empress on the throne.” Anna’s jaw dropped. “And Kate, I hear they are starting to call you the Rainbow Princess, you are probably as much as a legend as young Brand, a worthy consort to an Imperial Prince.”

“But I don’t have any noble blood in me.” I protested.

“You get some royal blood in you quite regularly,” Anna giggled, and I felt myself blush.

“I don’t think anyone important would object if you and Prince Osric were to formalise your relationship.” Lord Aldred said. Until recently I’d considered my relationship with Oz just a bit of fun between the two of us but Lord Aldred hadn’t been the first person to suggest that making our relationship more official wouldn’t be frowned upon.

“This is not what we are here to talk about. What about the attack on Trafalgar. Did you know about that?” I asked changing the subject.

“Not until the wreckage and bodies came drifting downstream. By that time you’d so effectively disabled my spy network outside this city I knew little more than the man in the street until Bonner turned up on my doorstep seeking sanctuary.”

“And you didn’t turn him in?” Anna asked incredulously.

“I was unprepared, he had a gun pointed at me for the whole of our interview and he wasn’t happy.”

“Well he’d just watched his entire fleet go up in flames. He should of burned with it,” I pointed out. In my mind’s eye I could almost still see the burning river and smell the aftermath, blood, smoke and cordite.

“Yes, he should have. He wasn’t himself, he was starting to realise that the Goddess of the River had taken his actions as a personal insult and her chosen Avatar was going to stop at nothing to wipe him off the face of the Earth. I did my best to smooth his ruffled feathers and suggested what our next course of action should be. To be honest I felt lucky I left that meeting alive.”

“And you smuggled him out the city, like you smuggled Blackthorne out after the first assault failed.” I said. Brand had been more than a bit bitter about the failure of the Emperor’s Guard to hold onto Blackthorne while he, the hero of the hour, been locked away in the bowels of the palace then forced to flee the city. Aldred raised his hands in what looked like genuine shock and protest.

“No, no, no, that was nothing to do with me. I am not the only contact he has in the palace and whoever got Blackthorne out must have had serious influence.”

“Another noble?” Anna asked, sounding shocked.

“It could only be another noble. Hmm…There was that scandal with Lady Thyme and her children, trying to get Madoc onto the throne instead of Marcus using blackmail and threats. Threatening to expose half of the nobility’s dead relatives’ secrets didn’t go down at all well. The kids were banished, and she got sent to that secure Sacred Pool.”

“Oh, that was why Oz’s half brother and sister got banished. Oz isn’t keen on talking about his family.” I said, Aldred laughed.

“I’m not surprised. Apparently Lord Madoc didn’t have a clue what his wife was doing on his behalf either.” Aldred said.

“Really?” I said.

“If it was anyone but Madoc I’d be suspicious, but that man has spent his life at court and still manages to have the political instincts of a new-born infant.”

“Yet he is the Regent. Officially he’s in charge.” Anna pointed out.

“Officially, yes. In reality no one pays him much attention. I suppose you could always visit Lady Thyme and ask her. She’s only a day’s sail away in Scanlan. Just don’t eat or drink anything she gives you. Now ladies, was there anything else?” Lord Aldred asked. Both Anna and I got up, then I turned to him.

“Just one last thing. You said you threatened Bonner with that gun, when exactly was that?” I asked. Lord Aldred let out a big sigh.

“Just before Last Beltane, I’d got word he was planning something, and I attempted to scare him off.”

“You tried to scare Bonner off, how? Did you threaten to talk him to death?” I asked and Anna gave an involuntary giggle.

“Lady Kate, you wound me. No, I threatened him with your boss…”

“Former boss, I am a Lady of the Empire and a Lord Auditor. I don’t have time to do Xavier’s paperwork anymore.”

“Former boss then. I told Bonner to bugger off to Selamu Alu and if he was lucky the Governor might not be able to find him there. Then I went and told Marcus everything in exchange for a pardon.”

“You told him everything?”

“Pretty much. Ask George. No doubt there’s a full transcript somewhere.”

We said our goodbyes and left. I let Anna lead me through the warren of corridors.

“Do you believe him?” I asked when we were safely out of earshot. Anna considered the question.

“I’m sure some of what he said is true.”

“Yes, but which bits?”

“The Goddess knows, this is Lord Aldred we’re talking about and he’s the slipperiest bugger in the Empire. Let us go and have a look at the stables, that’s where Marcus was shot. You can say your farewells to Oz… then, can you ring Jake for me. Please Kate” I looked at Anna who was looking at me with her puppy dog eyes. I sighed.

“Okay, okay, I’ll call him.”

“Thanks Kate, I’ve tried to let him know I’m interested but being subtle isn’t working.”

“So you want me to call and tell him you really, really want his hot cock inside you.” Anna giggled.

“Maybe not quite that unsubtle,” she said.