AllFreeNovel
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Allison holds a finger up. “He who controls the cheese, controls the universe.”
Tammy, Lindsey, and Anthony look at her like she said something dumb.
Kingsley almost chuckles.
“Oh, come on.” Allison sighs at the kids. “You’ve never read Dune?”
“What’s too good to be true about this guy?” Kingsley tilts his head.
“Not that part.” Lindsey waves him off. “Let me finish. The ‘too good’ part is his being kind of a nice guy. Picture a billionaire who owns a construction company, right? Only the guy puts on normal clothes and shows up at the work site and actually does work himself while hanging out with the guys.”
Tammy nods. “Nald is basically Quentin taking the idea of ‘not every rich guy is a jerk’ and running with it.”
“A man like that might not even want the crown,” Kingsley says. “Power isn’t always obvious. A guy who’s in control of an entire city’s food supply already has more power than the king… in a manner of speaking. Chasing the crown would only put a target on his back. As he is right now, he’s got power without having to look over his shoulder all the time.”
“Oh, he still does.” Demetria shakes her head. “They all have to look over their shoulders all the time.”
Lindsey suddenly stands up on her toes like a meerkat, looking around. “Hey, I don’t see the weasel anywhere.”
“As in a... were-weasel?” I ask.
“Not quite.” Lindsey drops back to stand flat. “His name is Anvar Londuin. Unless he doesn’t look anything like his actor.”
Demetria shakes her head. “He is not here. The man does not typically attend these events. He prefers to stay at home, painting or sculpting.”
“The weasel is an artist?” I nudge Lindsey.
“Yeah. And if you’re going to ask me why they call him the weasel… it’s because he’s got all sorts of connections to the underworld.”
I blink at her. “Criminal or demonic?”
“Criminal,” says Lindsey. “Thieves guild, assassin’s guild, that sort of thing. He likes money… and whenever he’s not being an artist, he’s trading in stolen goods or rare, expensive things.”
“Hmm.” I cross my arms. “Naturally, a guy with friends in a guild of assassins is going to immediately fall under suspicion no matter how openly he claims not to want the crown.” I glance at Lindsey. “Wait. Didn’t you say assassins tried to kill this weasel? The commotion of that is how no one noticed you in modern clothes.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“If the guy’s so connected to assassins, why would they try to kill him?”
Anthony shrugs. “Maybe he was late on a payment.”
“Possible but unlikely.” Lindsey adjusts her sleeve. “There are a few things you should know about assassins guilds here. They are not loyal to anything but their guild. A client can become a mark instantly if the money is there. Also, there are at least six different guilds. Anvar isn’t tight with all of them.”
“You are assuming a lot.” Kingsley glances at her. “Like those undead things that attacked you in the woods.”
I shudder at the thought those creatures might have been able to drain my soul and end me for good. Allison tried to explain it, though neither one of us truly understand what exactly happened. It has something to do with me being an immortal created by the interference of a dark master who no longer has a dark master inside her head.
Allison glances at Kingsley. “The assassins all over the place now might not be part of this world at all but creations of Nesanth.”
Demetria points at a fiftyish man with extremely short salt and pepper hair. “And there is Malin Normund.”
As soon as I look at the guy, I feel something. He’s definitely got a supernatural presence about him. It doesn’t ‘smell’ like a dark master, though. Then again, none of the other house heads smell like dark masters, either. And by smell, I mean paranormal sense, not odor.
Malin Normund reminds me a bit of a cross between an old Roman general and that narrow-faced old admiral from Star Wars. He looks like the sort of dour man who could order the death of a family with small children and not lose any sleep over it. If a casting director wanted a guy to play the ‘obvious villain’ in a movie that everyone watching it immediately suspects of being the bad guy, he’s the dude for the role.
Of course, this makes me doubt he’s Nesanth. Ugh.
Malin’s outfit is as much wizard’s robe as it is a rich man’s garb. He’s clutching a giant goblet in one hand with rings on every finger. Seems to be in conversation with a group of six other wealthy individuals, none of whom look the least bit familiar to me. Of all the house heads, he’s the only one who keeps looking at the empty throne. Grr. I hate not being able to read minds anymore. I can’t tell if his expression is one of concern for little Thae’s welfare… or if he’s mistaking her absence for some dark plan he set in motion succeeding.
