The Policeman of Secrets

Chapter 17 Part 4

Silently, Balthazar crouched behind a banister. Looking down through the gaps between the posts he could see into the throne room some twenty feet below him.

From this vantage point the Queen, who he guessed had to be sitting close to the west wall, was partially hidden from view thanks to the floor of the musician’s gallery in which he and the others had found themselves moments after they heard what had to have been the servants being murdered. Built firmly of oak and fitted along its length with rows of seats, it formed a hollow square directly above the throne room. If she so wished, Her Royal Highness could be entertained by an orchestra of dozens of musicians lining all four walls and looking down open her and her guests.

For now, though, she and the survivors and perpetrators of the massacre were being observed only by one gentleman adventurer, a forger-cum-acrobat, and a former chemist who was now a prostitute and circus performer. An unlikely party for such refined surroundings, thought the count.

Banners of thick cloth embroidered with the royal coat of arms hung down every few feet, fluttering slightly in the rising heat from the fireplaces. Balthazar had gripped the edge of one and ever so slowly he was pulling it back over the banister, pausing whenever anybody looked like raising their gaze towards the upper floor.

A glance confirmed that Lily was set for action, her hands filled with the last of the vials she had managed to bring with her. She had not explained what the two glass bottles contained, but had assured the count that they would be enough for his purposes when it mattered.

Penelope sat beside her, a revolver in one hand and her long-barreled pistol in the other.

The two women and Balthazar exchanged a final look just as the count finished retrieving the wall hanging. It lay atop the banister in a pile that he hoped was strongly affixed to the floor on which he stood.

Lord Stone paused long enough for confusion and fear to register across the Queen’s strong features.

“I could kill you now, of course,” he went on, enjoying the way she and her husband stared at him. He lent on the chair that had formerly been occupied by the Lord Chamberlain. Being careful not to tread in the growing pool of blood around the man’s corpse, he added, “However, I need you alive for the time being. Not as you are, though, but like the rest of your subjects that I have put under my control in these past few years.”

“Your control?” the Queen said.

“I would not have expected you to notice, given how little you must deal with the common masses. The Subjugation Assembly your father asked for and I have perfected has turned most people into my puppets doing whatever I and my supporters wish, and it has made us very rich and powerful as a result. But the Assembly did not go far enough; too many people—like yourself and your prince—were immune to its power, or would not perform acts that went against their deepest beliefs. Take your staff, for instance. Those dolts over there.” He pointed to the mass scattered so bloodily over and around the long table, then began to pace between the bodies and the Queen. “They were happy to tell me where you would be and how I could replace your usual guards with my men. But they would not kill you.

“That was back when I thought it would be best to see you dead so that I could seize the empire for myself and my followers. Now I know that I want more than just your empire, and for that you must live.”

The Queen continued to stare in silent, mounting panic, so he went on, “My people will be spreading the Assembly throughout the Continent, but in its current form it requires a long time to take effect and seizing your crown would probably provoke your fellow monarchs into war against me. I expect more than a few would want your empire for themselves, don’t you think? That is a distraction I could do without.