Shadowdance 01 - A Dance of Cloaks

the same bed, and the Gemcroft estate has been very … heartless in recent years.”
    The rebuke stung, but Maynard kept his tongue in check. Let Pelarak think he was in control. When the truth of his minions came to light, those stings would be forgotten.
    “Times are harsh,” he said. “Trust me, when the rogues are defeated, your coffers will be filled with the gold no longer needed to fill the pockets of mercenaries and sellswords.”
    Pelarak shut the door. Maynard’s two guards remained outside. The room was small and sparsely furnished. Maynard sat in a small, unpadded chair while Pelarak crossed his arms and stood beside his bed.
    “You speak truth, Maynard, but you did not come here wearing that amusing wig and beard to talk to me about tithes. What is the matter, and why do you worry about Karak’s friendship?”
    That was it, no dancing around the matter, no more stalling. Maynard let the truth be known while he carefully watched the high priest’s reaction.
    “Last night, three of your faceless women assaulted my mansion and kidnapped my daughter.”
    Maynard was in no way prepared for the cold anger that flooded Pelarak’s eyes.
    “I would ask if you were certain, but of course you are,” the priest said. “You would not be here if you were not. Women of darkness and shadow, their bodies wrapped in purple and black? Who else could they be?”
    Maynard felt a bit of fear bubble up in his throat seeing how tightly the priest clenched his fists. So much for thinking he was in control, the one with all the surprises. In truth, he knew very little about the faceless women other than that they existed, and that they were deadly. He had never actually sought their aid, and knew of no one else who had.
    “Did you know of their involvement?” Maynard asked.
    “Know? Of course not,” Pelarak said. His normally smooth voice was sharp and abrupt. “They are whores and adulteresses, slaves to their sex and disobedient to Karak’s commands. They live their lives outside the temple to atone for their sins. I had thought my command to remain neutral in your troublesome war sufficient, but perhaps I should have tattooed it into their flesh instead of merely asking.”
    “I lost several guards,” Maynard said. “And my daughter, Pelarak,
my daughter
!”
    Pelarak sat down atop his bed and rubbed his chin. His eyes seemed to clear, as if the clouds had parted in his mind.
    “You know who did this,” the priest said.
    “I believe I do.”
    “Then who?”
    “The Kulls,” Maynard said. “I have reason to believe it was the Kulls.”
    “Forgive me, but I am not familiar with the name,” Pelarak said. “Are they a lesser family of Veldaren?”
    “They don’t live in the city,” Maynard explained. “And lesser doesn’t describe what they are. Theo Kull is the head tax collector at Riverrun. He does all but steal from the boats traveling down the Queln River to the Lost Coast. I control much of the lands there, and it’s been a point of contention between us who I pay taxes to. By paying here in Veldaren, I avoid the triple amount he takes in Riverrun. He knows the courts are no friend of his, at least not the ones that matter.”
    “How does your daughter come into play?” Pelarak asked.
    “A few months back, Theo sent in some of his mercenaries to claim all my assets in Riverrun to pay my supposed debt. I have my own mercenaries, however, and they are of far greater skill and number. The Kulls wanted my large stretches of bountiful land around the city, plus my stores of valuables. They can’t get to them, not with my guards, but if those guards were suddenly sworn to my daughter Alyssa instead of myself…”
    The priest made the connection.
    “They hope to use her to supplant you, and when that happens, through debt or loyalty, obtain what they desire in Riverrun.”
    “Those are my thoughts,” Maynard said. “And not just Riverrun. What if they want everything I’ve built, every scrap of coin I’ve earned over my lifetime? I’ve thwarted them twice now, though with the faceless aiding them, I don’t know how much longer I may last.”
    Pelarak resumed his pacing. His fingers tapped against his thin lips.
    “I do not know why the faceless women might have chosen to aid Theo Kull in this matter, though I suspect the land near Riverrun may be the reason. Regardless, I will punish them accordingly. Fear not; the hand of Karak has not turned against you and the