Chapter 59: Questions of Trust
How to do this?
Force would be the easiest way to get what you need. You would just have to demolish Wenzel mentally or physically, hell, you could even just leave him to the Sovereigns. One brief glance at the maul is enough to assure you that he will get the job done if you let him. Of course, there may not be much of the Prince left if you go down that route and that could make things more difficult for you in the long run.
His father would likely resent you if the Prince proves innocent and his brothers would certainly hate you without compelling proof to justify your actions. Finally there is the matter of Letta and the rest of the Sovereigns, if something goes wrong you might never secure their release.
Perhaps there is a smarter way to do this?
A better way to do this?
Is it possible?
Honestly you aren't sure but it is worth a try.
You cough, drawing the attention of all assembled, you grin and then you begin...
.
..
...
Actually this time it might be better to let Thaïs do this, you are only going to get one attempt after all. You just need a way of informing her of your plan. That should be easy enough to accomplish, you just need an excuse to mutter your plot to Caoilainn, she can do the rest.
As you cobble together a plan events continue to play out before you. The Prince, expert diplomat that he is, is moving ever closer to a premature end, "I am going to have you all hung for this! I am going to string you fucking peasants up! I am-"
He grunts and gasps as the maul's fist makes contact, a body blow that leaves him sucking air. You doubt the dwarf would even remain upright in his seat if the other Sovereigns were not holding him in place.
The maul chuckles, "Little Prince, if you don't tell me exactly what I want to hear you are-"
Best not to let the mercenary finish that threat, your better half is going to have enough trouble calming the Prince without any more threats levelled against him, "That's enough," you calmly command the maul.
"I will say when it is enough!" he bellows back, balling a fist and preparing to turn on the Prince again, "This little fuck-"
You step forward and grab the maul by the wrist. He stops dead and stares at you in confusion, you crack a slight smile at the situation. He is probably six or seven times your weight, he towers over you, he could swat you away with a flick of his wrist but as you look into his eyes, behind the annoyance and confusion, all you see is doubt and a hint of fear.
"Let go," he whispers.
"No," you reply coolly, casually.
"I could break you in half," he mutters in response.
"Really," you do your best to feign surprise, it is convincing enough, "You can do that?"
He cocks his head back, his confidence returning. He puffs his chest out, repeating his threat, "When I want to, I can break people."
"Oh," you reply, nodding twice. You do not remove your hand however, instead you beckon him, with a single, slender finger, to lower his head.
He squints at you, tilts his head as he considers you and then, with a brief chuckle, he does just as you request.
You look into his eyes with a serene smile on your face as he moves closer still.
As his head pulls even with your own you lean forward slowly, rising up on your toes. As your lips brush his ear, you speak, a mere whisper, intended for him and him alone, "When I want to, I can break armies."
You drop back on you heels and begin to walk toward the far side of the room, your hand still around his massive wrist. You do not spare him a single glance.
He lets you guide him, his eyes boring into the back of your skull as you lead him across the room and out of range of the rest of your group.
You spin on your heel, and fire off a quiet question to the mercenary, "Do you want your fellows back?"
"Uh," he blinks twice, "Yeah, of course!"
"Then keep your voice down," you hiss, "And do exactly as I say."
You can read it on his face, his first instinct is to object. You don't give him the opportunity, "It is a simple choice- ah, what's your name by the way?"
"Everyone calls me Tusk," he answers bewildered.
"On account of being a maul?" you enquire.
"Yeah," he answers quickly, gathering his wits.
You try to explain yourself, "Well Tusk, I feel that between the tavern and our little conversation here that we may not have gotten off to the best start."
He laughs, "No shit!"
"I said keep your voice done, " you remind him, "I am going to get Letta and the rest of your friends out of Wenzel's compound but I need you to trust me and do what I say."
He shakes his head, "That sounds like a bad idea."
You sigh, it really is a shame that you can't have Thaïs do this, "Look, at this point how are you going to free the rest of the Sovereigns by yourself. You can't just murder a royal prince and expect to get away with it," well, actually he probably could if you spoke for him but Tusk does not need to know that, "And you can't drag him through the streets either."
He grumbles to himself, but nods, "If this does not work..."
You nod impatiently, "If it does not work then do what you have to but I think we can pull this off without any bloodshed."
"What do you need me to do?" the maul asks.
Well, at least now you have your excuse to communicate to Thaïs, "Just stand there and nod occasionally. Make it look like we are having a conversation but keep it quiet, I need to talk to my partner."
He nods but you can already see the questions forming in his mind as you begin to whisper to your ethereal officer, "Caoilainn?"
She clears her throat, clearly a little amused, "'I can break armies,' she says! You really are great with people, you know that?"
"Less talking and more listening please, I have another plan," she practically groans as you speak those words.
"Your plans tend to put us at risk," she mutters.
You take on the tone of an instructor, gently scolding her pupil for a lack of vision, "My plans also save our lives regularly and this one is completely safe, at least for us."
You sense her scepticism, "Well, what is it this time?"
You think she will be quite pleased with this plan, "We need to get a copy of the Prince's seal and a letter requesting that Letta and the rest of the Sovereigns be brought to the palace. Then we merely have to send it to Wenzel's compound and wait for the prisoners to come to us."
"That," she pauses to consider the notion, "That might work I guess and at least it puts us in no personal danger. A question though, oh brave and brilliant commander."
"What?" you answer as Tusk scrutinizes you, it is likely the maul thinks you are just a little mad, maybe you are.
"How do we get Wenzel to agree to writing such a letter?" it is a good question.
"I don't think we need to," you respond carefully, "We just need his seal and a sample of his writing. We get the Pathfinders to help with the rest."
Now this is all speculation on your part but if you were a highly illegal, shadow branch of the government you would likely have the ability to intercept and alter messages written by your enemies. It should not be that difficult to arrange for Wenzel to write a letter for you and once you do it should not be overly difficult to arrange for it to be altered.
If he proves to be exceptionally careless you might even be able to get him to put his name to a document that can be trimmed slightly to alter its meaning.
Caoilainn works quickly to pass the details on to Thaïs as you return to the group. They all seem far more relaxed now, mere clay in her skilled hands. The Prince even laughs with your partner as she recounts some of the miseries you suffered through at dinner with all those bankers when you were first establishing yourselves in the Kingdom.
She waves you over, "I was merely telling the Prince about our dinner with the late Barings and your strong desire to set the entire party ablaze."
The Prince grins at you, "You were really planning to set all those pompous little shits on fire? That's brilliant!"
He certainly seems to be in a better mood. Hopefully you will be able to get what you need from him.
------------------------------------------
"Well, that went well," you bask in the satisfaction of a job well done.
"Yeah, because you kept your mouth shut," Caoilainn chimes in.
Thaïs snickers.
You shrug it off, "Sure, laugh. Just remember which one of us came up with the brilliant plan."
You do not think it is a gross exaggeration to say that the plan was inspired, brilliant even, though it admittedly did not go off perfectly.
Wenzel proved more than willing to enter into a deal with you and quickly sent a missive off to his subordinates at the compound. From there it was a fairly trivial matter to have the message intercepted and altered.
Three hours later the Sovereigns were brought to the Palace and hidden away by Albrecht's people.
As for Wenzel, he left thirty minutes after that, none the wiser but furious that his subordinates had not responded to his call. He promised to be in touch as soon as he finished disciplining his men. You do not doubt though that when he realizes what happened he will hold it against you. You have likely made an enemy today.
Still, your plan to free the Sovereigns worked perfectly. It is just a shame that you were unable to fulfill your other objective. Though you talked to Wenzel for hours you did not learn much of direct use and your attempts to subtly probe his mind proved fruitless. Every time you tried to slip into his mind and pick at his surface thoughts you failed miserably. His mind presented itself as a still lake surrounded by a dark, quiet forest. Whatever secrets he has they were very well hidden and a deep reading would be needed to get more from him.
The Prince left the palace without settling your suspicions one way or the other.
You thought about holding him indefinitely at the palace while you employed a more direct form of interrogation but in the end you dismissed it. You certainly have your suspicions, it would be well within the power of the Goddess or the Watcher to shield a mind subtly, but Wenzel is also a royal prince and it is equally likely that he has taken precautions to prevent his thoughts from being casually read. If you did assault him, in either meaning of the word, then you would be gambling everything on his guilt. If he proved innocent, you would make an enemy not just of him but of his brothers as well and you have enough to worry about without making unnecessary enemies.
You did learn a couple useful pieces of information though.
The first is that one of his lieutenants took a contract and about fifty men to the south of the city two days ago. The second scrap of information consists of the number of his captains, five in total, three dwarves, a maul and a human. Three of which are mages though he seemed unwilling to get into specifics on your first meeting.
It might be worthwhile to investigate his organization more thoroughly though you are uncertain if you are merely being paranoid or if there really is the influence of the Goddess or the Watcher at play here.
Your thoughts are interrupted by the door creaking open. Letta stands in the doorway, her face and arms bruised but not seriously injured. Thankfully Wenzel's people did not have a taste for in-depth torture.
The tired dwarf gives you a single curt nod; her short, blond locks dipping slightly. In a measured, husky tone she begins, "We have spoken about your offer, to investigate the graffiti around the city, and we will do it but we need a place to work out of and certain necessities."
"Shouldn't be a problem," you answer.
Thaïs inclines her head in agreement, "Certainly, whatever you need. Money is not a problem simply give our people a list of what you need."
"Alright then," he folds her weathered arms across her chest, "We will start tomorrow."
With a final nod, she pushes off from the doorframe and backs into the side room quietly closing the door as she goes.
"What do you think of her," your partner enquires.
"Seems nice enough," you respond with a shrug, "Calm, professional, level-headed."
Her question comes quickly on the end of your sentence, "The sort we need?"
"If we can get them, sure, why not?" it is not really a concern for the moment though. You still have much of the afternoon before you and you should not waste the time in idle talk.
1. The rest of the day is yours to do with as you please. You could go looking for trouble or perhaps take care of a few things while you have time in the city. You choose to:
A) Acquire replacement armour and weapons. If you are going to head into a warzone in two days time then you think it might be wise to look into replacing your missing equipment.
i. Go see the King. If you raise the issue of your ruined equipment with him you do not doubt that he will do his best to ensure you are equipped for the task ahead. You will likely have to spend the rest of the day either at the Academy or the armoury being fitted and trying out weaponry however you will also have access to some of the best armourers and crafters in the Kingdom.
ii. Go see the Brothers Dietfried. While you do need replacement equipment you also would like more energon cubes and mandrake roots, resources that are becoming very scarce in the city. If anyone can get some for you it will be the Brothers and they likely still have at least a few pieces of magical equipment you might find a use for.
iii. freeform - If you can think of another potential source of replacement equipment feel free to suggest it.
B) You will go to meet the Seekers. Since these mages will serve as your subordinates during your time in the south it might be wise to meet them now and get a feel for what they are like.
C) You will check in with your recruitment team. They should be organizing your new mercenaries today and there may be benefits to checking in on them before they return this evening with your new captains.
D) You feel the need to go get a drink and that is what you will do. You will take a small escort of no more than five and find a bar to spend the afternoon in. Who knows, you might encounter something or someone interesting.
E) Break into Wenzel's compound. Maybe you can find some sort of evidence that will either confirm your suspicions or prove the dwarf innocent of treason. As long as you are not caught you should be fine, if you are caught though things might get a bit hectic.
F) freeform
2. You have a few avenues of investigating the Weazels further, even without breaking into their compound.
A) You go for it. (several options may be chosen)
i. You send a team of Pathfinders to investigate them. Albrecht can deal with whatever they discover himself.
ii. You send your mice to spy on their compound. They will likely only have a day at most before you leave the city, however.
iii. You send Berty and a team of his choosing to draw out one of their captains from the compound and capture them for interrogation.
B) You do not bother with the Weasels. You have enough enemies as it is, no need to antagonize them further.