Thaddeus's reaction was so visceral and volatile that for a moment, I doubted which arm I'd used. His hood fell askew as he folded like fine linens, back heaving in animal agony as he staggered away from me, clinging to the wall.

  Even for a man who’d just taken a blow, he looked considerably worse for wear. He’d stopped shaving his head, and the thin gray hair had sprouted like weeds, save for a patch in the center that remained staunchly bare. His face was pale and his eyes were rimmed red, not unlike the face of a man nursing a particularly regretful hangover.

  Not to mention the mewling.

  "Elphion, I didn't hit you that hard."

  "The hells you didn't—hurk." He clamped a hand over his mouth.

  I felt a degree of guilt. After all, Thaddeus had never really caused me harm directly. Indirectly was an entirely different story. Him, and his network, were almost exclusively responsible for the utter lack of privacy I’d experienced as a child, every minor infraction and toed boundary itemized and reported.

  Then again, the role he'd played in Lillian's banishment and subsequent death was damning, even if it was indirect.

  Maybe I didn't feel so bad after all.

  "When the king hears of this—"

  I cut him off, throwing his hood back over his head. "Yes, he'll be very upset. I might even have to dredge up something approximating a heartfelt apology."

  "What's this about?" His cold eyes fixed on me, and I could see the wheels in his head turn, searching for an angle.

  "Giving the hardest working man in the kingdom some much needed rest. A few days off and you'll be back, right as rain."

  "Someone as important as me doesn't just disappear. There are contingencies in place—"

  Window's closing.

  "Come on, grandfather, let's get you home." I ducked beneath his arm and forced him onward, dragging him as he staggered, his seemingly drunken gait doing much to sell the extraction as assistance rather than kidnapping. I kept his head bowed with one hand while ducking my own, infrequently checking to ensure we weren't drawing too much attention. Those that turned our way seemed to interpret the situation for exactly what it looked like: some familial relation dragging their associated lush out of an alley.

  We kept to the wall as I counted down the seconds. If Vogrin failed to keep the lookout's attention we'd be in plain sight, clear and obvious.

  But Vogrin rarely failed.

  "Help—"

  "None of that." I forced a burst of air into his face, through his mouth and nostrils, stifling the shout before it could rise above the cacophony of the busy square. He gagged, hacking coughs cascading as we turned a tight corner, making it into a blind spot before the minute was up. Without ceding a moment to recover, I shoved him onto the stairs of a nearby stoop. Overhead, there was a small cloud of white smoke rising upward.

  Vogrin, sending the signal.

  "So what is it?" Thaddeus asked between heaving breaths, still clinging to his guts. "Treason? Some poorly planned power grab?"

  The man can barely stand and he's still trying to finesse the situation.

  "My name day. I'm planning an absolute devil of a party and I'd prefer the details go undivulged."

  "Gods—" Thaddeus rested his head against the door behind him, pale lips pressed together tightly. "To think I liked you better when you were clueless."

  "How generous. I never liked you at all."

  "What now?" He smiled savagely. "We won't get far without being spotted. There's my own people to account for, but with this stunt you've all but guaranteed it."

  I frowned, tapping my chin. "True enough. If only there was a practical way to move high profile individuals anonymously with little chance of discovery."

  Thaddeus fell silent.

  "Not taking that bait?" I asked.

  "No." He grumbled.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Moments later, there was a rumble in the stone road as a horse-drawn transport halted at the T, its windowless side covered in ruddy brown canvas that was draped across the top. There were hundreds like it traveling up and down the streets of Topside alone, far more traversing Whitefall itself. Two men, a human and half-elf, dropped down from the front. Their smooth movements and hardened faces marked them as soldiers, but there were many like them in Topside, retired or disgraced members of the military who called the winding streets of the lower city home.

  One yanked open the bolts fastening the back, while the other jogged towards me. We grabbed Thaddeus by the arms simultaneously and wrested him towards the wagon.

  "Is this how it ends?" Thaddeus murmured. I barely heard him, the question more rhetorical than directed.

  "Relax." I slapped him on the back, triggering a further fit of coughing. "As promised. A few days to rest and recharge. Then everything will be as it was."

  "I'm no stranger to false comforts." Thaddeus grimaced. "I've spoken them more than most."

  "Gods you really do need a break."

  We reached the ramp. I did a double-take. Sevran, my infernal banner lieutenant, was inside, dressed as a common mercenary. He grinned. "Well, well. The notorious spymaster himself, caught with his pants around his ankles. What a pleasure."

  "Sevran." Thaddeus muttered.

  After checking to ensure we hadn't drawn any further attention, he was shoved inside. The cast iron gate, only visible from within, blocked off the rear of the transport. It was shut tight and locked. The spymaster stumbled backward, looking around in confusion. Beyond the gate, the rest of the interior was comfortable, covered in throw cushions and carpet. There was a cask of wine with a spigot, goblet, and some assorted cheeses. Even a bucket.

  "Well… this could be far worse." Thaddeus admitted, eyes trawling his surroundings. The calm and cunning returned.

  "No need for unpleasantness." I managed a winning smile. "You've never been anything but loyal to the crown. When my father abdicates, I'd like that relationship to carry forward."

  "So it really is just about getting me out of the way. To what end?" He questioned.

  "Maybe one day, we'll have that conversation." I said, as one of the guardsmen raised the ramp and shoved it back into its housing. "For now, eat, drink, and be merry."

  "Tread carefully, prince. There is much at stake. The favor you've been extended is not without limits."

  "I'll do that." I stepped away as the door slammed shut, and Sevran slid the iron bolts across the door, locking it into place.

  Reins snapped, and the horses jolted into motion, keeping the carriage moving at a steady clip. The smile faded from my lips as the transport grew distant, eventually disappearing along a rounding bend. "They know to switch the canvas every few hours?"

  "And the drivers. The horse changeover will be the longest it stays in any single place, that in itself no longer than four, five minutes. Otherwise it will remain in motion unless you, me, or one of the other lieutenants gives a direct order to the contrary." Sevran nodded, small smile still playing across his lips. "Damn. That was satisfying."

  My mouth tightened. Thaddeus had not survived this long as the king's phantom by being ineffective. We'd taken all the precautions I could think of. Now, I could only hope it would be enough. "And the man inside?"

  "Isaac. Hates Thaddeus." Sevran chuckled. "Lost plenty of friends to human counter-intelligence before he got himself pressed into the King's army. But he likes it here in the regiment. Plenty of friends and a woman in midtown. No vulnerability in either direction. He'll follow the script, wait until our guest is good and drunk before he asks questions."

  "Good."

  Slowly, Sevran turned to me, levity fading. "He probably won't get anything actionable. You realize that."

  "Doesn't matter." I shook my head. "We needed him off the board. Anything else is a welcome bonus."

  "Others might be more inclined to take advantage in our stead." Sevran said neutrally. Testing the waters. "The king's raven holds the key to countless secrets."

  "Torture?"

  "I didn't say that."

  "But you aren't not saying it, either."

  Sevran shifted his head back and forth. "On the contrary. I find your discipline on the matter refreshing. Keep that up and it'll win plenty of friends among the rank and file, especially those who've had the misfortune of finding themselves helpless on the wrong end of the blade." He grimaced. "But given the scale of the threat, if you were to make an exception, Thaddeus would be easy to justify. Trivial, even. He himself has remanded countless to the dungeons. And that's only the most obvious misdeed crowning a very long list. If he knows who the Void Mage is—and he almost assuredly does—it could be worth it."

  I breathed a tired sigh, turning to survey the rooftops. Foot traffic was thin on this road, but the presence of the lookout had set my teeth on edge. Thaddeus's earlier threat of further contingencies probably wasn't a bluff. "I've thought about it. Of course I have."

  "Slippery slope?" Sevran guessed.

  "That, and you're ignoring the obvious. He may hold all the keys, but he's good at this. Experienced. Seen it happen from all angles. The clock's on his side. All he has to do is hold out, make it look good, then, when it makes sense, feed us some hard-to-run-down horseshit that has us spinning and spending resources on a lark."

  "You really have thought about it." Sevran relented, smiling a little. "Apologies."

  I shook my head. "Don't. I need strong voices of experience, willing to offer alternatives. Even when I disagree."

  He shrugged. "For what it's worth, it's nice to be taking the shadier side of the argument for a change. Orders?"

  "Get the search teams on standby. Make sure they know the rules, and that they're ready. Don't mobilize until I get there. We're going to draw the king's ire no matter what, better that I'm nearby to blunt the repercussions."

  Sevran nodded.

  Vogrin appeared beside me, looking exorbitantly pleased with himself. "That was productive. I trust things went well?"

  "Shockingly so." Sevran confirmed, looking between us. "Where are you both off to next?"

  "The Timbermour estate. To have a long overdue conversation with our Drephin friend."

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