I made it to the library a bit early.

Using Bricker's stolen palace uniform which was big enough to hide most of my frame, the addition of a cloak helped hide my face and I wouldn't be recognized by the usual gate guards. The less I used the ring the better, and this would be good practice for what Dirk was always telling me about acting like you belonged, especially where you didn't. 

Pettypiece wasn't at the gate today. Just as well, since he'd probably see right through me though I didn't think he'd say anything considering we worked for the same secretive master.

The halls were busy with Prince Mason's return only a couple of days ago and the upcoming ball. Decorations, food, candles, and other everyday items were carried everywhere. So much so that I had to dodge people around every corner until I rose to the less used floors. But the bustling didn't stop in the library either, and I had to sneak around to get to the isolated bookshelf. Checking that the area and all the surrounding aisles were empty, I entered. It still gave me chills to open the hidden door, wondering how many other secret rooms in the castle were used just as this one, for plotting.

There was enough light from the little window in the office to see that I pulled the bookshelf back in place quickly and walked in as silently as I could, hand always at my dagger hilt as I had been taught.

I scouted the room cautiously and judged it empty. If I was to be sneaking around for the prince I was going to start being smart about it and use everything I had been taught. 

I lit the candles further illuminating the room beyond the window light and moved my seat out of sight from the bookshelf door so I would hear someone come in well before they would see me. It was some time before I heard anyone come in but at the first sign of scraping of the bookshelf, I stood against the wall, perfectly still. Prince Rorik walked in, looking at the lit candles and as his gaze made its way around the room he jumped at the sight of me. 

"Good day, Rorik." I smiled, pleased with the results of catching the sharp prince off guard. Narrowing his eyes, he studied my face.

"Gods, don't scare me like that. At least your skills are improving. How did you get a uniform? Actually, no, I don't want to know." Rorik took his seat at the big desk, his back to the window. "The captain will be coming shortly; Mason is hearing his report for the day."

"Here, Prince Rorik," the captain said, right next to me.

"Shadow pox it!" It was my turn to jump, and Rorik laughed as I cursed.

"It's good to see our captain can still sneak up on you." Rorik gestured for us to take seats and began laying out papers. I glanced sheepishly at the big captain; how did he do that? For that matter, who would win in a sneaking competition between Dirk and Pettypiece?

"What do you even need me for when he can walk on air like that?" I asked, and the men chuckled.

"Alright, here's where we are now. Mason has been filled in by Braeton and myself. He is furious, of course. The unayan soldiers are more important to him than just about anything else. He started organizing a camp outside the West Gate for anyone with no home to go to. He has also started joining Braeton in the council meetings, though technically he isn't supposed to be there, I suppose." Rorik looked amused by this.

"Why isn't he supposed to be there? Aren't all the princes allowed?" I asked.

"If I could attend I would be at every single one; alas, I cannot. At the time the law was written the royal family was in a . . . less friendly state than we are now. The council was constructed and written up to help the kingdom in the queen or king's absence and to act as, well council, otherwise. Not all the royals could attend a meeting to prevent grabs at power. The only person with a say other than the council members is the ryling party's appointed heir or spouse. Braeton is our father's heir, so he is able to go and speak and vote. Mother, well she attends the first one or two after Father leaves then goes back to her rooms. She was never the political one in this family, it was very much a marriage of love and familial alliances. Certainly she came from an esteemed house but father was intended to marry a different daughter since birth. My aunt, who had been trained for a throne." Rorik smiled thinking. "The negotiations to change his betrothed at the last minute were a nightmare, or so I hear."

Right, I'd heard that before. It was love at first sight, but I never put much merit in the story. Gossip was a free pasttime, and one that ran rampant in the city, but it wasn't good for retaining any grains of truth. It was nice to hear the story reinforced by their own son.

"Then why do they not just send Prince General Mason away?" I asked. "If he isn't supposed to be there, I can't imagine this particularly corrupt council letting him sit in."

"Miss Aylward, have you never seen Prince Mason in person?" the captain asked.

"No, I haven't. We don't get many royals in Swamp. Though this year we had an influx of them." I looked sharply at Rorik, who chuckled.

"The Prince General is a formidable man. Unmoving as a mountain and nearly as large. His conviction does not waver, and he has a temper when he lets it go. These are probably some of the reasons he is marked by Blade. If he wants to be present at a meeting, he will be." The captain finished, crossing his arms. Rorik nodded his agreement. I had known at some point that Mason was marked, but had forgotten. It wasn't like he had been around lately, so gossip about the Prince General wasn't top priority on everyone's lips.

"Mason is not happy with the state of things, but will wait for father to do much more. Braeton continues to stop any more taxes and presses the city issues at the meetings. I don't think he believes the council members themselves to be at fault for the city issues yet, which is a mistake. If Girault is going to make a move with this mess he's made, it will be soon I'm afraid."

"What do you think he plans?" I said, dreading the answer.

"He wants the city in a state of frustration and unrest when father returns. This is a power play, the Giraults are an old house, sometimes distantly related to the Dalvnae house. He wants Unays. He wants the throne."

"Treason," I whispered.

Rorik said the thing we had all dreaded hearing. He spoke softly, while the room was behind some rather thick walls this was not the phrase to test its soundproof quality with.

"What would you have us do now?" the captain spoke up.

"We are in a tight spot right now." Rorik sighed and rubbed his temple. "By law, the council has all the power. That snake Girault quotes every twist of the law to Braeton all day long, we know who looks to be in the right, and what side the noble houses would take. Until father comes back in a few weeks we can't do much to them. Oh sure there is plenty to do to help the people in the city but that isn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the strain this handful of nobles have put on the city and we can't do a gods cursed thing to them. I feel as though Girault is a key here though. Remove him and the whole thing comes down on itself. For now, we focus on Girault."

"How does he have time for this? I understand being on the council and being master of secrets, but time to do this plotting and buying grain and property? What of his other duties?" I was bewildered. Did the man even sleep?

"That, Salysta, is a good point. Girault can't be doing his parts in this alone, he has to be sitting at his desk issuing streams of orders for hours a day to orchestrate this." The prince scratched his chin.

"Sir, where there are orders . . ." the captain began.

". . . there are people to leave evidence. Right you are. I doubt our lord would be so careless as to scatter written orders around. But we may be able to find a chink in his armor through those who carry out his will. Braeton gives him troubles on the council itself, which is probably the least time-consuming of his duties. Captain, you know his second in command for master of secrets, right?" The prince was now pacing as he thought.

"Yes, I do."

"Good, we are going to give him leads and rumors. Make them up, they don't even have to be that convincing. Just things he would have to look into, threats on lives, spies in town, that sort of thing. We'll start on that this evening after your next patrol. We're going to flood him with more work than he can cover alone, which is what I suspect he's doing with Girault concentrating on the city. Salysta, let's bother his grain plans, shall we? Could you track down where he keeps some of it? Where any of them keep it? It would be a shame if some of it went missing."

A grin spread across my face. "A shame indeed. Worse yet if it all ended up in bags on doorsteps in Swamp, Docks, Hammer . . ."

He smirked. "A true shame."

Condoned thievery? I could work with this.

"Excellent. The only thing left that bothers me is how they had the money for these escapades. Entire family fortunes are going into this, they must have a lot of faith in Girault's plan." The prince leaned back in his chair.

"We will get him," the captain said with utmost faith.

"I hope so. I'll be here after the ball; it will be well after midnight, but if either of you find anything of interest, let me know. I also spend the first two bells of the afternoon here." He looked at me. "If I don't see you before the ball, good luck."

It was a dismissal, time to get to work.

"Shadow keep you both." I gave a small bow and left. Tonight, I would plot.