Last Life

Book 3: Chapter 16

I WAS STANDING NEXT to a dark heavy curtain that completely covered a window in the Watchmaker’s office watching the man himself, who had no idea I was even there.

The Viscount de Tosny was sitting at his desk and pensively watching as the flame atop a candle, which was the only source of light in the room, danced around.

Two days after my visit to the Legrands, Gunnar, whose turn it was this week to go to the baths on Flower Street, saw a red pitcher on the Watchmaker’s office windowsill. That was the signal the viscount and I had agreed upon. It meant I was being invited for a visit. And the Watchmaker didn’t know exactly when I would be dropping by after he raised the signal. It could be the next night, or a week later.

“An uncommonly quiet evening,” I came very softly, stepping out of the shadows into the dim sphere of light. “Excellent time for contemplation. Don’t you find, viscount?”

The Watchmaker shuddered in surprise, then when he recognized me, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Monsieur,” he said, wiping a forehead with his hand. “Things like that are going to turn me to a recluse one day.”

“Or maybe you’ll get used to it,” I shrugged and sat down in a seat next to the desk. “So, you have my attention.”

“I have good news,” the viscount got straight to business and started hurriedly taking leather sacks from under the desk which gave a tell-tale clang when they landed on the wood surface. “I believe I have found a regular client.”

“And is he trustworthy?” I asked.

“One can always be deceived in this line of work,” he said with a shrug. “But I have had dealings with these people before, and we never had any trouble.”

The viscount finished setting out a pile of sacks on the desk. I had a hard time not wincing. I was going to have to lug all that weight to the other side of town. Heh. The life of a smuggler...

“How much is here?” I asked.

“Including my percentage — one thousand two hundred silver crowns.”

I had a hard time hiding my surprise. So Maître Jacob from the Amber Guild not only failed to give us a fair rate for the shadow wolf loot, he simply robbed us. And that was with me having given three small emerald hollowstones to the Watchmaker. They weren’t even the most valuable kind of magic crystal.

I wondered how much the biggest whole brut from my collection might fetch. A crimson or lilac one, for instance. The only place to find out was in guilds I would not be allowed to enter.

Of course, I was not planning to go trading whole bruts. I needed the energy for myself. But to leave five or seven percent of the total mana in a crystal before I was done, then sell it? That was another matter. And that was not the limit. In the future, I could learn to produce that perfume and grow my income even more.

“The client was very happy with the high mana concentration in the crystals,” the viscount told me.

I snorted softly. I would have to note that for later.

“He was very interested in the other kinds of bruts,” the Watchmaker said, lowering his voice. “Naturally, their price will be much higher.”

Uh, no... I was not planning to shine so bright. I was not going to give any crimson crystals to the viscount, much less lilac.

“I also have brown and amber,” I replied and set a few small hollowstones on the desk.

“Any whole ones?” the Watchmaker asked with hope in his voice.

“Alas...” I shook my head.

“Too bad...” the viscount said in disappointment and added in a livelier tone: “But they will also buy the other kind happily.”

Quickly recounting the variously colored hollowstones, he announced:

“Just seven of them, is that right?”

“Yes,” I nodded.

Opening a small box, the Watchmaker carefully placed all the crystals into it and came with a satisfied smile:

“I believe within the next week, I will let you know when we can meet again.”

“That is not all,” I said, noticing that the viscount was starting to stand up.

“You have my undivided attention, chevalier,” he said, placing his long arms on the desk.

“I need a consultation from you as an antiquities expert,” I said, setting out in front of him several gold coins I had found in the castle hiding spot. I decided to hold onto the valuable stones for now. “What can you tell me about these specimens?”

I saw the viscount’s eyes light up while his long fingers took on a life of their own.

“Oh gods!” he gasped, staring delightedly at the round gold pieces of various sizes depicting crests and the profiles of unknown rulers. “How did you get these?! Ghm... Well, I suppose... Why am I asking such stupid questions...?”

“Have you seen ones like them before?” I asked.

“These are coins of the forgotten kingdoms,” the viscount replied. “And some of them are in excellent condition. As if they were minted just yesterday.”

The viscount changed completely. He seemed to blossom and look younger. Hm... A real fanatic.

“Just think about it, monsieur!” he continued with excitement. “The governments that minted these coins were swallowed by the Shadow long ago. They’re forgotten now... But these coins seem like they were sent down from bygone times... They are valuable not only for the material they’re made of, but as historical artifacts. By the way, not all members of the royal and princely houses were swallowed up by the Shadow along with their governments and countries. Like look at this gold mark.”

The viscount slid me a medium sized gold coin.

“These coins were minted in the Duchy of Clèves,” he said, poking a pinky nail into the crest on the back. “The House of Clèves is still in existence. Their holdings are in the west of Astland, on the border of the Shadow. Or this... Look... This one isn’t in such great condition, but a connoisseur is sure to recognize it. Remind you of anyone?”

The viscount slid me a small gold coin. Then, opening the lower drawer, took out a small magnifying glass and extended my way.

“Here, eat your heart out,” he came with a sly smile.

I went closer and, taking the magnifying glass, hunched over the coin. I wondered what he meant. Just a coin. The letters were almost Vestonian, but a bit different. The crest... Wait. The crest! But of course!

“I see you’ve spotted it,” he chuckled.

I silently took the medallion from my bosom which had been the reason I first met the viscount and set it next to the coin. The crests on both were identical. A triangular shield with two foxes standing on hind legs — shield-bearers on the sides and a toothed crown over the shield. Honestly, the coin was badly worn, as was the motto. I was not surprised I didn’t notice it. And there were no other coins with the same crest in the hiding spot.

“This is a golden thaler minted by the royal house de Lannois,” the Watchmaker came. “The last member of that house, King Philippe the Fifth, was swallowed by the Shadow along with his entire government.”

* * *

After the night’s rendezvous with the Watchmaker, I collapsed into bed at home, but couldn’t get to sleep. I couldn’t shake a feeling I got from the conversation with the viscount. I had to test a theory.

After breakfast, I called Jacques and Bertrand. Ordering them to close the curtains and lock the door to the office, I announced I was trying again to bring to life the magic mechanism hidden behind a bas-relief in the wall. But first, I gave them a quick recap of my talk with the viscount.

“What are you thinking?” Jacques asked, observing me closely.

“You see...” I rubbed the bridge of my nose and took the fox medallion from my bosom. “I cannot say for certain exactly how, but my instinct is telling me this artifact is connected with this manor and its former occupants. The Duchess de Clairmont must have had a reason to want to pay the Watchmaker one and a half thousand golden imperials for it.”

“The rich have their quirks,” Jacques shrugged. “I was once told the story of a count who bought a small dessert spoon for seven hundred silver crowns. All because the stem had a print of the crest of some ancient house that was wiped out by the falling of the Shadow.”

Bertrand didn’t look surprised. Stories like that must not have been new to him. He said:

“Aristocratic families have a custom of keeping historical artifacts from the forgotten lands in their treasure chambers. They are items of status, which keep the traces of the bygone greatness of the now extinct houses. Acquiring them is something of an investment. The prices for such artifacts only grow with every passing year.”

“Here, here,” Jacques supported.

Hm... And here by the way was exactly why I decided not to sell the gold coins to the viscount. I could hold onto them. Maybe they’d come in handy. I could always sell them if needed.

Rubbing my chin, I said:

“That’s true... But the fox medallion is not a mere dessert spoon or silver crest. First of all, it is a functioning magic artifact... That is why I want to test something. I hope this time it will work.”

After saying that, I switched to true vision and looked at the ancient mechanism inside the bas-relief covering nearly the whole wall of my office. The fox on it seemed to be laughing at me.

I let my aura share some energy with the medallion and stepped forward, raising the glowing magic object toward the mechanism. But nothing happened...

“I sense the solution is at hand, but something is missing...” I came thoughtfully and drew more mana from my reservoir.

Directing a constant beam of energy into the medallion, I forced it to shine even brighter. I touched the artifact to the intricately carved leaves. And waited.

For the first few seconds, nothing happened. Like a dry sponge, the medallion absorbed all the energy dumped into it. And then the thing I was hoping for came to pass... The artifact vibrated in my hands, and along the contour of the stem carved into the wall, just above where the medallion touched the bas relief, a little stripe lit up with magic glow.

It wasn’t hard to guess what to do next. I turned the medallion sideways and pushed it into the glowing crack like a coin into a vending machine.

I watched the whole process in true vision. At that moment, a little ball of energy separated away from the medallion and, slipping into the mechanism, raced down the narrow channels inside the walls, then dove down beneath the earth.

After a few heartbeats, I felt the floor give a slight vibration.

“Look!” I pointed at the middle of the room where a thick rug was starting to fold in on itself like an accordion.

Jacques and Bertrand hurriedly pulled the rug aside with eyes wide. Beneath it, a stone hatch had already opened up a quarter of the way.

When the tile that seemed like an unliftable mass of stone almost silently slid into the wall, the three of us hunched over the now open hole inside of which we could see the shadows of stone steps.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. I must have just found something very ancient.

“You know anything about this?” I asked Bertrand, nodding at the hatch.

“No-ope,” the old man replied with a slightly rasping voice. He was clearly in shock.

Jacques wasn’t far behind. Eyes burning, hands aflutter.

“I see,” I snorted. “Wait here. Only come down if you hear my command.”

Jacques and Bertrand both nodded but came to their senses.

“What if there are traps down there?”

“Monsieur, I beg you — don’t take this risk!”

I raised a hand and they both fell silent.

“Drop the panic! And remember — only after my command.”

With that, I went down.