Shadowdance 01 - A Dance of Cloaks

Trifect.”
    “Not good enough,” Maynard said, standing to his full height. He was a good foot taller than the priest, and he frowned down at him with an outward strength he struggled to match in his heart. “You have stayed neutral for far too long. Not once have I heard a valid explanation for doing so. These thieves are a danger to this city, and they represent the total opposite of the order Karak claims to love.”
    “You speak of Karak as if you were intimate with his desires,” Pelarak said. “You demand our allegiance to your war. What do we stand to gain, Maynard? Will you offer us tithes, making us no better than the mercenary dogs you employ?”
    “If you will not see reason,” said Maynard, “then perhaps self-preservation will suffice.”
    He pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it over. Maynard felt his heart pounding in his ears, but he would not let such a cowardly sign show. This was it. He had crossed a bridge, and that letter was the torch to set it aflame.
    “That letter is to be read aloud seven times a day to the people of Veldaren upon my death,” Maynard said. “And it matters not how I die, by poison, blade, Kull, or Karak.”
    “You would announce our existence to the people,” Pelarak said as his eyes finished skimming over the words. “You would blame their troubles on us? To force our obedience, you threaten to tell lies and half-truths to the city? We fear no mob.”
    “You should,” Maynard said. “My people will be among them, and I assure you, they are excellent at inciting violence. Once people die, the king will be forced to send his soldiers. Tell me, how does one win over a city after slaughtering its people and its guards? Even better, how does one preach to a city after one’s death?”
    Pelarak stopped his pacing and focused his eyes on Maynard’s face with a frightening intensity. His old voice was deep and firm as a buried stone.
    “Every action has its cost,” the priest said. “Are you prepared to pay?”
    “When his patience ends, every man is willing to pay a little bit more,” Maynard said as he opened the door to leave. “My patience ended years ago. This war must end. Karak will help us end it. I’ll await your answer a week from now. I pray you make the right decision.”
    “Perhaps you’re right,” Maynard heard the priest say just before he closed the door. “Perhaps we have remained neutral for far too long.”
    And then the door closed, and without another word being spoken to him, Maynard was led out of the temple, out of its grounds, and back to his home, left with nothing but guesses as to what the cunning priest planned.

CHAPTER
11
    T wo of the men jumped as Veliana kicked open the door to the small room, abandoning their dice and reaching for their blades, but Kadish Vel slapped an open palm atop the table to stop them.
    “No bloodshed,” the man said. “Put your swords away. Veliana did not come here to slit our throats.”
    He saw the rage burning in her eyes and thought perhaps he was wrong, but he would not admit so openly. His thugs sat down, their hands lingering on their hilts. Veliana remained standing, though she at least had the decency to close the door behind her before she continued talking. Behind her were the people drinking and eating in the tavern, and far too many were staring.
    “What game do you play, Hawk?” she asked him.
    Kadish Vel, master of the Hawk Guild, smiled at the question. It was no secret he liked games; he would let the puppet of the Ash Guild explain further lest he reveal more than she already knew. When he smiled, his teeth flashed red in the dim light. His underlings claimed it was from the blood of women he dined upon in the waning hours, a rumor he himself had started. In truth, it was because of his love of chewing crimleaf, an expensive habit few could indulge as much as he did.
    “I play many games,” Kadish said, winking. Veliana slammed a fist atop his table, scattering dice to the floor. He ignored the outburst. “You seem distraught. Did you lose this mysterious game you are referring to? I don’t remember playing with you, and I must say that sounds like something I would remember.”
    Veliana glared, making Kadish only smile all the wider. He adjusted the eye patch he wore over his right eye. In truth he could see just fine, but he liked the way it made him look. Let the other guildmasters try to be stealthy and secretive. Kadish preferred to be well-known, and