Larkspur Mittel: The Lark & Owl Trilogy

20 - Master of Darkness

Dagur Minstry was still fuming. He was looking over the tunnel maps, when from out of the shadows of the empty King's Counsel stepped an unexpected creature. A refined looking woman wearing a finely embroidered red tunic and skirt, and a strange smile upon her pretty face.

She held out the chain and medallion that he'd torn from his neck and thrown across the floor.

"Yours, I think," she said, adding, "he's losing his touch."

She spoke calmly, her accent more owl than lark.

"I'm not sure I'd agree," he replied evenly, as though he'd known she'd been there all along.

Instinctively, Minstry put one hand upon the small dagger at his belt, and grabbed the medallion with his free hand. The woman's dark hair was thick and shined a little even in the uneven light of the hall. She had just witnessed his humiliation and yet she appeared to admire him.

"Oh but he is! Not long ago, he would have crushed you to a pulp, and replaced his First Consul with another. But he needs you, Dagur Minstry."

"Who are you?! How do you know my name?" He towered over her.

She did not shrink back from his size the way others did.

"Everyone knows the lord's First Consul, for your fame as a soldier and guardian of the Bolvekr precedes you. You have remained loyal to your master and the tribe elders all these years. And yet, he does not appreciate you. Tosses you about, like a degul playing with a lark."

"Is that so? And who are you to judge?"

She ignored his question and stepped closer. He noticed that her teeth were very white, and her fair skin was smooth and without age. He also saw that she noticed the relatively fresh wound on his cheek.

"You've just returned from some kind of brawl. You ought to clean that wound," she remarked.

"What is an owl like you doing so close to Grimsoll Bolvekr?"

"I am an old friend."

"Old friend? The master has no friends! Are you a spy for him? Ay, yes, I see now. You are the one he spoke of, from the Owl Council."

The woman's shoulders tensed, and Minstry knew he was right.

Bolvekr had alluded to a contact in the Southern District who was helping them gather information. But a high ranking owl?! He was surprised. The owls who worked in the Council were known to be honest and trustworthy beyond repute, and not capable of treason.

All the more reason to distrust her.

"How did he persuade you?"

She tilted her head and scrutinized him. Ignoring his questioning again, she continued.

"Have you not noticed? He is losing his powers. I have been observing him these past weeks. He seeks another source of strength. For this, he needs you."

"I don't understand."

"The girl. You have seen her, no?"

Minstry started to lift his hand to his cheek, but the woman's widening and surprised eyes stopped him.

"She did that? To you?!" She guessed correctly.

Minstry had enough of this woman. He pulled the small dagger from his belt, and put it to her neck while backing her into a column.

"What do you want?!" Ministry growled.

"While you have been diligently obeying orders from your master, have you noticed that the price of peat has increased three-fold over the last several weeks?"