Feargus

With the portrait of Zacharias Vonsinfonie, I sneaked through the night to check Strauss's window. His drape was open to his left. He was sitting on the edge of his bed looking neutral as usual, but hunched and with his head lowered. He'd taken quite the beating, not to mention. Now, what I wanted to do, see, was slip in and check on him, offer him a shot of Hocks and a shoulder to cry on. But what I needed to do was see how far and for how long he'd spiral down into the depths of wallow after a job gone wrong and a taste of trauma.

I dug around in my bag, found a stale cracker, and ate it.

Sorry, mate.

???

A cracker, A crack in the cobbles. Still seeing you, not seeing me.

???

After booking it out of Oskari, I made my way through the forest. When I got to the mansion, Peter was asleep, but Alexander and Faust were still awake and having a chat in the library. Once I was settled in with the portrait of Zacharias and a fresh Piglet, it was time for catching up.

"So?" Faust asked. "How are things? And why do you have that painting?"

"Well."

Alexander lit his pipe with his fingers, chuckling. "Who doesn't love a story that begins that way?"

Not me, that's for sure. I sipped my Pig. "I gave him a riddle I hoped would lead him to the portrait, and to Leberecht. He solved it like a champion."

Sort of.

She couldn't hide it—the glimmer I caught in her eye. Pity Strauss didn't know how much Faust cared about him. Might've helped with his confidence. But I understood. However she'd negotiated for his life, I reckoned it wasn't by saying, "But I just want to love him." Remaining attached but unattached was often the way of things in those situations. Kept her from appearing biased, and it kept her from getting too attached if the Assembly changed their mind. For the record, I didn't know about the Six yet.

"So why do you have the portrait?" Alexander asked.

"Well."

I caught a side-glance between the pair. Look, I had no choice but to spill about the tornado at the Widow's Peak. News like that travels, no pun intended, and I needed to establish a baseline as a trustworthy and honourable fellow while I otherwise lied through my teeth. So, I told them what happened.

Alexander paused mid-puff.

"Is he all right?" Faust asked.

"Aye, everybody's fine. Not sure the fallout yet."

"Is Ivana all right?" Alexander asked.

I flashed a cheeky grin. "She'll live. We had a good laugh."

Councilwoman Faust sighed deeply.

"Here's the bright side," I continued. "He was ultimately able to stop it. If he hadn't been, reckon the whole building would have been taken down. Also, he was popular with the locals going in, so, we'll see what happens."

"He's popular?" Faust asked.

"Aye, he's a good egg, isn't he? He's doing his best."

She sighed deeply again.

"By the by, Ivana said you can have this." I patted the portrait. "But I'll need it for now."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Alexander didn't seem fussed one way or the other. "She's been saying I can have it for over forty years and I keep forgetting to pick it up."

"How long do you estimate before Andrei arrives in Leberecht?" Faust asked.

Not long after the shenanigans in Delphia, Strauss accidentally set fire to Rhian's braid. They were able to put her out quickly, but she had extremely long hair and she had to trim a fair bit. After that, he wallowed in his room for just over a week. Now the magnitude of what happened in Oskari was much greater, see, but he didn't love the Widow's Peak the way he loved my sister. I was betting three days before he'd show his face again. Considering the speed of Strauss, unforeseen obstacles, and travel time…

"Rough bet, a week and a half? If everything goes wrong, two. I've plans to move him toward Jaska as soon as possible. Bit of a midway point, isn't it?"

"Jaska? When will you be in Jaska?" Faust asked.

"I'm estimating five, six days if we're on foot."

Councilwoman Faust poured herself a fresh glass of wine. "That works out perfectly."

Well, I knew what that meant. That meant she needed me to do something in Jaska. Three, two, one…

"Feargus, I'll ask you to take care of something for me while you're there."

See? Told you.

Day three since the tornado, and I'd been staying in the office at the Peak since leaving the mansion. That morning, Ivana brought me a bowl of the stew she'd been brewing for lunch. She made a mean Piglet, sure, but she was also a tremendous cook. Anyhow, we chit-chatted a while about the new riffraff guard, about how angry (and equally enamoured) everyone was with Strauss, and about the two missing people. We didn't know much at the time, and it wasn't really our concern just at the minute, but it was interesting.

"You know, I kept that portrait upstairs so I wouldn't have to look at it all day," she said.

"Serious question: why wouldn't you want to look at it? That's one fine suit wearing that handsome gentleman."

"You should hear his voice," Ivana answered.

Oh, believe me: I planned to.

"But it was a different time then," she continued. "Memories, you know?"

"I'll have it out of your hair soon. I think Strauss is almost ready to face the world. I saw him shaving this morning."

There hadn't been any customers in the common room that day, though to be fair, there really weren't any tables, either. But we were getting close to lunch, and Ivana expected at least a few. Leaving me to my own devices, she took her ledger up front.

The math was a compulsion. Seeing as she was funding the Widow's Peak using five centuries' worth of wealth, there wasn't a point to keep track of the ins and outs. But it's just what she did, and so she did it. Math over murder, right?

I liked numbers, too. My timekeeping skills were accurate as any watch. So, the same way I knew it was forty-five minutes of pacing, I knew it was just a hair over eighteen minutes before I heard the front door open, and then Strauss's voice.

"That was some show you put on," V said.

"I shouldn't have done that," Strauss answered.

"It's fine; it was only a matter of time before someone gave that jerk the what for."

"I wanted to apologize nonetheless."

"Apology accepted," V replied. "Did everything work out with the sick kid?"

"He must have slipped out before things got out of hand."

Not bad, mate. Not bad.

Like we had just done, V and Strauss spoke a bit about the new guard, the missing people, and about her missing portrait. And like the brilliant woman she was, she hadn't forgotten: when Strauss asked if there was anything he could do to make up for the damages, she sent him to Jaska for a new window.

I gave him a head start, but I eventually joined Strauss on the road. He was understandably appalled when I told him I'd gone upstairs during the tornado to investigate, and stolen the portrait because I'd recognized the key. He got hung up on wanting to return it, so I changed the subject and complimented him on a job well done. Though a little over the top, he'd created the perfect distraction so I could snatch the second clue. Remember, as far as he knew, I was working with him on the riddle.

He still didn't know who the man in the purple suit was, so I suggested he try asking at the library in Jaska, and then we gossiped about our mates back at Palisade.

I didn't expect Peter showing up, but when I was interviewing Alexander for this very book, he told me he sent Peter knowing we'd probably be on the road and the ride would save us some time. Now, the butler knew enough about my role and my importance to Faust and Alexander to pretend to have never met me, even if he didn't know my real name. He also didn't know anything about the portrait shenanigans.

"Is that the painting from the Widow's Peak?" he asked.

"Aye, Ivana gave it to us."

And she did though, didn't she? Sort of.

"Well, I don't know why Ivana would give you a portrait of Zacharias Vonsinfonie," Peter said, inadvertently helping Strauss and saving us a trip to the library. That's when he suggested his employer might want to buy the piece, and that we should meet with him in the city. Strauss was opposed, but not only would it be a chance for Alexander to meet Strauss, the encounter would be an opportunity to see what Strauss would ultimately decide, and, frankly, it'd be hilarious.

Strauss slept most of the way, trying to stave off the motion sickness, but when he was awake, I convinced him we should at least hear the man out.

I was pretty sure he agreed only to get me to shut up, but whatever works.

???

Four wheels turning, eight hooves beating. Welcome to my city, Mister Finlay.

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