Allan took a deep breath.
He bent down over his captive. He knew that he was taking a chance. He had stolen away Neville, the son of Lord Gillam, and heir to His Lordship’s title, off the streets. He put the young man to sleep immediately and whisked him to the abandoned house he used as a hideout.
He had followed to young man for a few nights to make sure he had the right youth in his sights. The young man resembled his father. His nose was prominent, as his father’s was, and he was fair-haired like His Lordship. He was tall and had a solid build.
The question Allan had was whether the son was the same sort of man his father was. Word around town was that Neville hadn’t yet been corrupted by his upbringing as his father had been. He was more raised by his mother and the family’s servants than by his father. No one was certain if he would be a better man than his father or just the same.
Time to find out. He jerked the gag out of the young man’s mouth. He shook the young man’s shoulders to wake him up.
The young man’s eyes fluttered open. He looked up, and saw Allan in his mask. His eyes widened. An instant later he appeared to notice that his wrists were bound behind his back. “Who are you?” he asked. He sounded more fearful than defiant.
“I am the Defender, Master Neville,” Allan answered. He smiled, and gave the young man a formal bow of his head.
“What?” Neville looked him up and down. “You’re the fellow that broke up the bands of thieves, and stopped the men who plotted to steal our silver.”
“The same.”
“What do you want with me?” Neville sneered. “Do you intend to replace them with your own gang?”
“Indeed not, Master Neville. I fight crime. I don’t commit crimes.”
Neville shook his bound arms. “No?”
“I need your attention. I plan to release you later.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Master Neville, haven’t you wondered how it was that criminals knew that a boat was coming with silver for His Lordship?”
“They paid off someone at the company.”
“No. The company kept the secret. I imagine only the owner knew that the silver was coming, and when it was coming. The criminals were powerful, but they never tried to bribe anyone at the company. So, I ask again, how did they know the silver was coming?”
“Father didn’t tell them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course!”
“What about the men around your father?”
Neville opened his mouth, then paused.
Allan tried not to smile at the reaction. “Not so certain, are you?”
“You lie.” Neville sounded only partly sincere.
“I speculate. I ask the question, and try to find the answer that makes the most sense. Neville, the answer that makes the most sense is that someone near to your father told Boss Conner about that silver. The attempt to steal the silver wasn’t by chance, but by design.”
Allan bent down again. This time he pushed Neville onto his side. He united his wrists, then his ankles. He helped the other man to stand up.
“What do you want from me?” Neville asked once he was on his feet. He had a look in his eyes that told Allan that he wasn’t about to run away, but instead wanted to know what was going on.
“The truth. Who among your father’s advisors would know about the silver?”
“Master Kenneth, the Lord’s Treasurer. I believe Captain Mitchell was told.” Neville shook his head. “I don’t know of anyone else, but that doesn’t mean that no one else around Father knew.”
“I see.”
“Do you think it was one of them?”
“Captain Mitchell is not a good man, but he has no connections to criminals on the street. What of Master Kenneth?”
Neville shook his head. His body shuddered. “I don’t like that man.”
“Why not?”
“I believe he has dark tastes in amusement.”
“The dark brothel that’s rumored to exist? Master Kenneth goes there?”
“I believe so.”
“What do you know about it?”
“I’m told it’s in an opulent residence next to the merchant district.”
“You’ve been there?”
“I’ve heard things, Defender. I didn’t think I should learn more.”
“Why not?”
“I’m betrothed to Lady Juliet of Hillview. The marriage arrangement is a chance to forge peace between rival domains, so I was told. His Majesty suggested the engagement to Father, to maintain the peace. Her family are pious members of the Temple of the Moon, and frown upon brothels and mistresses.”
“Why should that matter to you?”
“Like Father, I would rather not displease His Majesty.”
“This Lady Juliet, do you like her?”
Neville nodded. “We haven’t met, but we have been corresponding. She seems to be nice girl. Why do you ask?”
“I ask because I wanted to know if you’re a good man. A good man wouldn’t cheat on his bride-to-be, or his wife.”
“You sound like Mother.”
“If so, then she’s a wise woman. Far wiser than your father.”
Neville pressed his lips together. He glanced at the dirt floor for a moment. “I’ll tell her you said that.”
“In private, and later. For now, you need to keep your distance from your father, and from Master Kenneth.”
“Why?”
“Think about it, Neville. Assume Master Kenneth told Boss Conner about the silver. Why would he want to?”
“Coins?” Neville shook his head. “No, they were bars. The Lord’s Treasury would stamp them into coins.”
“That’s right. Why steal bars of silver?”
Neville was silent for a long moment. “To embarrass Father?”
“That’s one reason. Your father would look bad in His Majesty’s eyes if he wasn’t able to secure two boxes of silver bars.”
“That seems like a great deal of trouble to go to, just to make Father look bad.”
“It would be, but there are other reasons for the attempt that might link to that one.”
“Such as what?”
“Your father would look bad, but two boxes of silver wouldn’t be a burden for His Majesty to replace. That would mean that there’s double the amount of silver in Elderwood than there should be.”
“More coins, you mean?”
“More coins. Someone would have silver to spend, silver that they didn’t have to account for to His Majesty, or anyone else.”
“Like criminals?”
“Like criminals, yes, but also, say, His Lordship’s Treasurer.”
Neville gasped. “Kenneth would be a wealthy man, without a day of work.”
“He would be a wealthier man, Neville, but yes, you’re right.”
“Still, it seems like quite an effort just to get a stack of silver coins.”
“Men do less to get fewer coins in their purse, Neville. But it might not be only about one man getting richer.”
“How so?”
“As I said, someone would have silver to spend. A man could buy a few thieves. Hire a few arms-men looking for work. Pay off a debt. Perhaps buy the affections of a young woman. There’s many ways to spend several bars worth of silver coins.”
“I had no idea.” Neville frowned. “You must think me foolish for saying that.”
“You don’t know criminals, Neville. I do. I lived on the streets. I know what men are capable of, from observation and firsthand knowledge.” Allan pointed at Neville. “You need to learn those things.”
“Why? Wouldn’t I be tempted?”
“Good men can resist temptation. I could use my magic to make myself rich and powerful. I could use it to remove your father, kill you and your brothers, and make myself Lord of Elderwood.”
“Why don’t you? Why do you wear a mask, and fight criminals?”
“I wear the mask so no one knows my face. I
fight criminals because they represent what’s wrong with us. They’re selfish and cruel. That’s not how we should live.
“As to magic, I don’t use it for my own gain because that’s what many mages did long ago. They used their power for their own gain. They made enemies, not friends. So when the force that allows mages to cast spells ran low, they turned on each other, and princes and people turned on them. If you don’t care about anyone else, no one’s going to care about you.”
“How do you know that?”
“I found spellbooks. They’d been preserved by magic. The mage that preserved them wrote down his spells, but also wrote down his observations during the last days of the great mages. He knew what led to their downfall. He wanted whoever found his books to avoid the mistakes they made. He wanted magic used for the good of all, not for the good of a few.”
“Do you believe what he wrote?”
“What applied to mages applies to us, doesn’t it?”
“If you don’t care about others, they’re not going to care about you?”
“Wise words, don’t you think?”
Neville nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“Good.”
“What now?”
“I can fly you close to the city, but you’ll have to get home on your own, since it’s now past dawn.”
“Very well.”
“Otherwise, say nothing of our chat to anyone.” Allan paused for an instant, then smiled. “Strike that. You may speak to Captain William. He’s an honest man. But don’t seek him out if you can’t find a reason to give to others.”
“Sure. What are you going to do?”
“Find out the reason for that attempt to steal that silver, and get to the bottom of this brothel that everyone fears, but no one closes.”