I stood looking at the Pig and Whistle from across the street. My men had spent the day gathering good intel on the place, I hadn't expected to use the intel to launch an attack. But it's time to make the bastard bleed.
Raising Khiran-Thul and channeling my anger into it, the flames of my fury gave the signal for the attack.
It was over almost too quickly. We burst in and massacred those inside. A few managed to draw weapons as we broke down the doors leading to the secret passages. But Khiran-Thul sang a song of screams, fire and the crushing of bone.
The deed done I instructed the men to cut the fingers from each corpse and fill one of the tavern’s ale barrels with them. And as fortune had it the place was rigged to rapidly burn down. Taking the documents stashed here and the fingers of the slain we set the remainder ablaze. In the confusion this will cause it may take people days to realise what really happened, but I need only one night.
After a cursory look over the documents we saw they pointed out some promising leads to some of Esben’s holdings, but nothing solid. I had them sent to Connal in hospital, the man probably needs something to keep him busy. And I trust that that man can crack any cipher I send his way.
Returning to the palace I was met with news most unwelcome. Kali had gone missing.
The men insisted that she did not leave through the door. I was sure some sort of secret entrance to the room must have been used. We destroyed the room searching but it was in vain.
As the red mist cleared in my mind, I stood in the wreckage of the room. I realised I was acting emotionally and not like the Lord Constable of Dorn’s northern forces. I should be acting like a commander not a distressed husband.
Time to look for where she may now be instead of where she's been. We made haste to find Captain Bhric Macdaniel. A man I knew some years back, now working as Captain of the night's watchmen in the palace district.
As expected he and his men had been kept busy with the current situation. And men in the lower districts had been busy dealing with a certain fire started at a tavern. Regardless we talked briefly as old comrades and worked together to have his patrols sweep key areas on their routes, and look for possible routes Kali could have been taken from the palace.
After a hard few hours of hoping beyond hope I finally received a report that Kali’s servant was seen with some figures leaving the district and making way to a ship in the docks.
The one person I had allowed in my household who did not have my trust has betrayed me. I knew it was a mistake to allow her to stay, I should have listened to my instinct about her.
Regardless I now know where my wife was taken. Perhaps my son is also there in the same place. Time will tell.
There is nothing more I can do about this. I have given the command to the Redgard fleet to make ready preparations, and tomorrow I shall talk to Cuylar Dane about handing over my title. He was once a brother to me and it's time the rift was healed between us. I shall need his hand in what must become of house Esben if I am successful in the duel. And if I fail… I would trust no lesser man than him to at least try and ensure their safety.
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