Chapter Eleven
I reset back to my save point before Racine could close his hands around my throat.
Chime.
Racine was looking at me with that stupid expression on his face, and I grinned.
“Sorry, wrong room!” Then I turned and hightailed it out of there without looking back.
These fuckers were in for a big surprise. The Duke of Arginold and his court wizard, Racine, still had no idea their enemy, namely me, the God of Time, was in their town.
And in their castle learning all their secrets.
I’d gotten what I’d come for. I now knew the secrets of how to summon, but I would still need to acquire the tangible materials needed for the spell. Racine had plenty of werewolves, so he basically had a limitless supply, but since I’d reset back to my save point, I no longer had a fistful of werewolf hairs to take with me.
Since Racine was back to lounging on his couch with his grapes, I didn’t think he would mind if I snuck back down to his workshop to grab a few more of the werewolf hairs so I could perform the spell myself later. Well, he wouldn’t mind if he didn’t know, so I made my way toward the hidden stairwell that led down into the cave-like space.
The werewolves were still sleeping peacefully, and I wondered where Racine kept the calming wand he used on them. Something like that would surely come in handy, and getting it away from the court wizard would be extra satisfying.
I grabbed a few hairs and shoved them into my pocket before I looked around for the wand. There was a basket full of wands and staves leaning up against a bookshelf full of jars and vials, so I went over to check them out.
I checked the stats on each one as I went, and I found flame, ice, and water wands, but nothing for calming, so I kept looking. Then I found a staff, and I checked the stats with the press of my finger. The moment I touched the staff, another floating text box appeared above it.
Durability - 100%
Weight - 1 lbs
Quality - High
Magical Aspect - None
Magical Ability - +1 beast summons
It didn’t specify what kind of beast it summoned, so I decided to give it a whirl. I considered making a new save point just in case something bad happened, but I didn’t want my save point to be stuck in Racine’s workshop, either. It would be much harder to explain why I was down here now that the court wizard had no recollection of our lessons.
There was no splitting headache, but a spire of blue flames erupted in the middle of the room, and then a white wolf stepped out. It snarled at me, but I focused my will power on controlling it, and then it slowly began to calm down and tilt its head to the side.
I wasn’t sure how to unsummon the thing, and it was the only spell the staff contained, so now the stick was useless unless I reset back to my save point. If I did reset, I’d have to come back to the workshop for the werewolf hairs and the staff, but there was still so much more of the castle I wanted to explore. I hadn’t even made my way over to see the duke yet, and I was getting more and more curious about what kind of man he was.
Anyone who would hire mercenaries to attack one of their own towns in an effort to capture one man had to be a little loose in the head.
I still hadn’t located the wand Racine used to calm the beasts, either, so I decided to keep poking around in the workshop while the wolf sat on its haunches and watched me curiously.
Then I found a box with a wand inside of it, so I pressed my pointer finger to the tip to activate the stat box.
Durability - 100%
Weight - 1 lbs
Quality - High
Magical Aspect - Calm
Magical Ability - Lulls creatures into slumber until deactivated
I’d found it, and I grinned as I placed it back in the box. Then I paused to consider what I’d accomplished. Even though I’d snuck down into the workshop to retrieve some of the werewolf hairs, I realized I could come back for them whenever I wanted after I’d finished exploring the castle. Besides, if Racine found out some things were missing, he could raise some sort of alarm, and I didn’t want to complicate my sleuthing abilities any more than was necessary.
I weighed out my options for a moment longer, and then I decided to reset back to my save point and go a different route. Before I respawned, though, I made a mental note of the wand’s location, as well as the other items I wanted to snag. When I was ready to come back for all my loot, I’d grab the wand and add it to my personal collection of magical artifacts. I still had a deflection staff and an inferno wand back in Bastianville, but I’d decided to leave them behind since we packed very minimally.
Finally, I respawned to Racine’s living room.
Chime.
“Excuse me,” I said, “it’s my first day. Where do I report for service?”
I wanted to get to know everything about the way the castle worked, so I would start with the wizard’s wing and work my way from there.
“Are you new to my household staff?” Racine scoffed as he rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you met Gertrude already. She will be in charge of you.”
“I haven’t met her yet,” I said. “Do you know where I could find her?”
“In the servants’ quarters,” Racine hissed. “Obviously. Now, get out of my sight.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied politely, and then I turned to leave.
I’d get my revenge on the asshole who’d sent werewolves to attack me. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to do that just yet, but it had to be an epic level revenge of some kind.
It was time to teach the court wizard and the Duke of Arginold a lesson they’d never forget.
I spent the rest of the day spying on Racine and Sarisha and learning the routines of the servants who maintained their section of the castle. The couple were rude and vicious to their staff, and I sympathized with the poor employees who had to put up with the abuse every day. I’d only been around the wizard and his wife a short amount of time, and my dislike for them grew by the moment.
I mostly just followed other servants around until I got bored, and then I would poke around whatever room I’d found myself in. If anyone questioned me or caught me somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be, I simply chimed back to the beginning of the day and avoided them.
On my current run through, I merged in with a line of servants that entered Sarisha’s bedroom every morning shortly after I appeared in the court wizard’s wing of the castle. I caught some weird looks from the other staff members, but no one said anything.
They probably just assumed I was new.
I stood in the line of other servants, and I tried to blend in as best as I could. There was one other male staff member, so I wasn’t the odd man out or anything, but I had a feeling I stuck out like a sore thumb.
“You’re all late,” Sarisha snapped in greeting. “You know I begin my day sharply at the eighth hour. What is more important than pleasing your mistress, hmm?”
None of the servants said anything, so neither did I.
“Now, I’m late for my bath,” Sarisha huffed, flicked her beautiful hair over her shoulder, and sent a pointed look to her line of servants. “Come on, someone undress me.”
“I’m your huckleberry.” I grinned unabashedly as I stepped forward, but Sarisha didn’t comment on me volunteering. The court wizard’s wife merely turned around and exposed the ties of her corset to me. I undid the knot and began to loosen the strands, and as I did so, the cloying scent of her perfume wafted toward my nostrils.
“That took too long,” Sarisha complained as she shimmied out of her dress and let it fall to the floor.
I stared openly at her pale breasts, toned abdomen, generous hips, and the red downy fluff between her legs. The court wizard’s wife was a beautiful, albeit annoying, woman, and there seemed to be no harm in looking.
“Get your eyes off me,” Sarisha snapped, and I shot my gaze down to the floor.
“Sorry about that. You’re just a beautiful woman, and I can’t help but admire you.”
“True as that may be,” Sarisha hissed, “you will do well to control yourself, or you’ll find yourself out of work. Do I make myself clear?”
“Mehhh.” I shrugged. “Whatever.”
“Whatever?” she growled.
“Ma’am.” I bowed to hide my grin. “Whatever you wish.”
“And don’t talk to me in the future.” Sarisha sent me a sideways look full of disdain. “Just do as you’re told and keep your mouth shut.”
I nodded again instead of replying, and she pursed her lips in approval.
Then the court wizard’s wife stomped off to the bathroom to take a bath. I joined the other servants who attended her, and I helped her wrap the towel around her midsection when she had finished her soak.
I was almost bored with the servant ruse, but I was determined to know what everyone in the castle did with their time before I returned to the inn.
Sarisha moved back into her bedroom, and she gestured toward the wardrobe along the far wall.
“Fetch me something to dazzle Argie,” she commanded with an authoritative air, and then she laid herself down on the couch with a dramatic sigh. “I want him to swoon over me.”
Was the court wizard’s wife actually sleeping with the duke? That would be hilarious, but it seemed like I was about to find out.
One of the other servants, a girl, went up to the wardrobe with a confident air that said she’d done this before, and she thrust open the doors with enthusiasm. The servant girl was well-trained in the art of being quietly dramatic, and I wanted to give her slow claps for her performance, but I didn’t want to risk angering Sarisha.
The girl withdrew a shiny, beaded cream-colored dress that almost resembled something a burlesque dancer would wear. It would look amazing on Mahini, and I imagined that in my head for a moment while the servant girl helped Sarisha into the dress.
It was weird to just stand and watch, but I supposed Sarisha needed an army of servants at her beck and call at all times. I wondered how many the castle employed in total, and how hard it would be to maneuver around the place while in the court wizard’s household uniform.
A short while later, Sarisha was dressed, and she snapped her fingers in the air before she flounced out of the room. I assumed by the way the other servants hopped into formation behind her that we were supposed to follow, so I joined in at the tail of the group to see where they were going.
Was Sarisha off to sleep with the duke? Did the servants already know?
We walked down the hallways out of the wizard’s wing of the castle, and then we took a left down a long, wide corridor. Portraits and landscape paintings graced the walls everywhere I looked, and the space felt more like a museum than a home, but I supposed that was the way castles were.
Then we entered a huge room I assumed was the audience chamber since there was a brooding, dark-haired man sitting upon a throne-like dais.
“Your Grace,” Sarisha greeted in a sweet voice with a low curtsey.
The servants in my group all bowed their heads respectfully, so I mirrored their movement. No reason to stick out now, but I eyed the duke subtly from my peripheral vision.
The Duke of Arginold looked like he was in his mid to late thirties, so he wasn’t all that much older than me, and he had shoulder length, greasy black hair with a similar colored goatee. He was of average build, but he wore a pale-blue doublet over a black shirt, and a sword scabbard hung from his hip. The duke leaned sideways in his chair as though he was bored with his surroundings, and he barely turned his gaze toward Sarisha and her entourage.
The other courtiers in the room whispered among themselves, but their voices were too low to hear. There were maybe fifteen people in the room not counting the court wizard’s wife and her gaggle of servants, and they all looked to be nobles if their rich, fancy clothes were any indication.
“Sarisha.” The duke flicked a couple of fingers in a nonchalant greeting. “What do you want?”
“I come to bid you good morrow,” Sarisha said in her same fake sweet voice. “How did Your Grace sleep last night?”
I wondered if this was code for some sort of secret between them, but the duke seemed like he couldn’t care less what Sarisha had to say. There were no subtle glances full of longing, no heat-flushed cheeks giving away feelings, and I got a feeling there wasn’t an affair happening there.
The bitch was just thirsty.
Still, if the court wizard would flip out and straight up murder someone for even insinuating such a thing, any evidence I could gather would only strengthen my claim.
If there wasn’t evidence to gather, I could place some, and a wicked grin spread across my face as I thought about how I was going to create an epic level mess to punish the duke and his wizard for attacking my people.
“I slept fine.” The duke frowned. “You may go.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Sarisha replied, and I had to give her props for being able to hide the hurt from her voice.
Then the court wizard’s wife swiveled, and her entourage of servants followed behind. I was tempted to stay and learn more about the duke now that I’d gotten a small glimpse at him, but I’d already invested most of my morning into Sarisha.
Good thing I was the God of Time, and I could just reset back to my save point and regain all the time I’d lost.
Chime.
I turned and left the wizard’s wing without a word. Just a normal servant doing normal servant things. I made my way down the corridor to the audience chamber, but at this point it was still early in the morning, and the room was empty.
Since I was done with Racine and Sarisha, and didn’t want to run all around the castle again, I made a new save point in the audience chamber, and I peered up at the various portraits of previous dukes and duchesses.
I was curious about the duke more than ever now, so I went about finding out where he lived in this gigantic castle. The hallways and corridors were maze-like, and I got turned around several times, but I eventually stuck my head in enough doors to find the fancy bedrooms.
“What are you doing there?” a voice hissed from behind me, and I turned to see a man in a uniform similar to mine, but while the one I wore was navy-blue, the one he had on was black and trimmed with a pale blue.
Black must be the color for the duke’s household, and I wondered where I could get my hands on a uniform in that design.
The man wearing it looked like he was my age or a little younger, and he had a mop of shaggy blond hair on the top of his head. A little bit of peach fuzz darkened his slender chin, and his green eyes were bright as they scanned me over.
“Oh, I’m new,” I lied with an innocent expression. “I was told to head up here for morning service.”
“Are you the lad they said would be following me, then?” The man crossed his arms and eyed me up and down. “I thought you’d be younger.”
“I was held back a grade,” I said, “and I spent a whole year writing my sins on a chalkboard and prank calling the local bar.”
“What does that mean?” the man asked with a confused frown.
“Never mind.” I grinned. “What do we do first?”
“Not wake up the duke,” the man snickered. “You would have lost more than your job doing that.”
“So, the duke isn’t very nice, then?” I glanced at the door I’d just been about to open before the servant man had stopped me.
“Do everything I tell ya, and you have nothing to worry about,” the man assured me. “Name’s Marty, by the way. Martin Cross, really, but I go by Marty.”
“Nice to meet you, Marty,” I said as I stuck out my hand to shake. “I’m Tom.”
“Alright, Tom,” Marty said with a friendly smile. “Come with me to the kitchen. We have to make the morning brew before we can wake up any of the nobles.”
“Do you like your job, Marty?” I asked as we made our way down the impossibly long hallway to the duke’s kitchens.
We passed by a few open doors, and I glanced inside to absorb as much as I could. Like most of the other castles and palaces I’d been in lately, there were studies, libraries, and dimly lit sitting rooms, as well as bedrooms, dining rooms, and fancy bathrooms.
“It’s alright.” The man shrugged. “I’ve had worse work.”
“Is the duke kind to you?” I asked.
Marty paused and looked at me for a long moment. “I’d get in trouble if anyone found out I said anything bad about him.”
“I don’t plan on telling on you,” I assured him. “You can tell me. I just want to know what I’m about to get myself into. I haven’t met him yet, but I hear he’s an ass.”
“Don’t let anyone catch you saying that,” Marty hissed in a low voice, and he grabbed me by the elbow to usher me down the hallway.
Then we entered a humongous kitchen with several wood fire stoves lining the back wall, and the temperature difference was incredible. I almost wanted to remove a layer of clothing because it was so hot in there.
“The fire tenders have been here already,” Marty chuckled, and then he gestured for me to follow him.
“Yeah, it’s warm,” I said as I wiped away the sweat dappling on my brow.
There were a few other people entering the kitchens from other directions by this point, and they all greeted Marty with friendly smiles. The others got started making breakfast while my mentor and I made a coffee-like beverage. He showed me how to set up the silver trays with creamer, sugar, fresh cutlery, and how to garnish them just so with a trimmed flower.
The amount of detail they put into the creation of a breakfast tray was amazing.
“Why do you do it?” I asked. “Put so much work into something that’s probably not even going to be appreciated?”
“It’s the little things like setting up a perfect tray that help me get through the day.” Marty shrugged. “Maybe I’m warped in the head.”
“Maybe,” I laughed.
We each took a tray and made our way back down the hallway with our freshly brewed pot of coffee-like beverage. First, we entered a different room than the one Marty had caught me in front of, and a blonde woman was asleep in the bed. She looked pretty enough while she was sleeping, and I wondered if she was the duke’s wife or daughter.
“Good morning, my lady,” Marty said in a low, sweet voice. “Your morning tea is ready.”
“Marty?” the woman yawned and stretched. “Is it Marty time already? I feel like I just barely fell asleep. Come back in an hour, if you don’t mind.”
The woman, whoever she was, sounded nice enough. She seemed to have an affection for my mentor, but he was a nice guy, so that wasn’t surprising.
“His Grace will be waking up shortly,” Marty reminded the woman. “You know he hates it when you keep him waiting.”
“My husband is such a bore for routines,” the woman grumbled, but she rose up from the bed and flashed us a smile. “Who’s this? A new recruit? Are you leaving me, Marty?”
“I would never dream of leaving you, Lady Penelope,” Marty replied, and I could tell from the earnest look in his eyes that he was telling the truth. He’d probably put up with a lot of bullshit from the duke if he was this interested in the duke’s wife. “Your tea, just the way you like it.”
“Oh, thank you, Marty,” Duchess Penelope of Arginold gushed as she rushed over to the silver tray for her tea. “You’re a saint.”
Marty blushed all the way to the tips of his ears, and I swallowed down the chuckle I wanted to let out. The poor kid was smitten with the duke’s wife, and he was also probably terrified of losing his head every minute he was around her, too.
What a poor sap. Still, I liked him, so I clapped him on the shoulder and jerked my chin toward the exit.
“What’s next?” I asked.
“We wake up the duke.” Marty swallowed, and he shot me a warning glance. “Do not speak when we go in his room. Just… Just follow my lead, alright?”
“You got it.” I grinned confidently. “I will not fail you.”
The two of us bowed our farewell to the duchess, and then we made our way down the hallway back to the kitchen for the next round of trays. The cooks were hard at work, and they barely looked up in our direction when we entered the hot room, but a moment later we were trotting back down the corridor with our breakfast and tea load.
Next, Marty carefully balanced the tray in one hand while he gently opened the portal to the duke’s room with the other, and then the two of us entered the dark bed chamber.
The curtains were drawn across the windows, so it was hard to see our way around, but Marty moved as if by memory through the darkness to a small table. We set our trays down quietly, and then my mentor crossed the room to the window before he slowly pulled the drapes open.
“What the fuck!” a baritone voice grumbled. “Marty, you motherfucker.”
“My apologies, sir,” Marty said in a low voice. “Your breakfast and tea are waiting for you.”
The duke pushed himself up to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, and his eyes reflected the light streaming in from the window.
“Who are you?” The Duke of Arginold scanned me up and down. “You’re in the wrong uniform.”
“My apologies, sir,” I said as I mimicked Marty’s soothing tone. “It’s my first day.”
The duke wasn’t a bad-looking man, but he had a sour look in his eyes that made his entire countenance more unpleasant to gaze upon. His hair was stringy, and it framed his pale face like the dark curtains around the windows.
Then I noticed a gold chain with a key dangling from the duke’s neck, and I inhaled sharply as I wondered what it unlocked.
The only way to find out was to find a door I couldn’t get into. Anything he kept around his neck like that had to be important, and I was suddenly filled with determination to find out exactly what it was.
Best case scenario, it was a shit ton of treasure.
“Well, get changed before I see you again,” the Duke of Arginold muttered, and he pushed himself off the edge of his bed to cross the room to his breakfast.
“Yes, sir,” I said in the same low voice. I bowed my head slightly, and then I followed Marty out of the room.
“You did pretty good in there,” Marty complimented. “I think he likes you.”
“Say, Marty,” I said in a conspiratorial tone. “What does that key around his neck go to?”
“I have no idea.” My mentor shook his head. “Probably get fired just for asking. He never takes it off, not even to bathe.”
“Well, shit,” I said as I thought over what I should do next.
While following Marty around the castle was all fun and games, I wanted to learn more about the duke’s key and what it led to, so I reset back to my save point to get some more time.
Chime.
I was in the empty audience chamber, so I decided to find a way to get my hands on a guard’s uniform. I wandered around aimlessly for a while until I spotted a guard, and then I hid around the corner and waited for them to change shifts. It might have seemed silly from the outside eye to put so much effort into getting a guard’s outfit, but I was determined to master the castle to one-hundred percent completion. That meant learning every nook and cranny, every shift change, every wake-up schedule in the place.
And finding all the possible treasures there was to find.
A short while later, a guard came to replace the one I was watching, and the retiring guard walked in my direction. I darted behind a window’s curtain at the last possible second to avoid detection, and then the guard passed me by without stopping.
I let out a breath of relief before I peered out from behind my cover. I just needed to see which direction he went in. I waited with bated breath while the guard made his way to the end of the hallway, and then he took a right-hand turn before he disappeared from my sight.
I followed the guard back to the barracks, and I spotted a shelf full of uniforms along the far wall. The room was teeming with guards, though, and I was in the uniform of Racine’s household servant. I wondered what they would let me get away with if I theoretically had the might of the wizard protecting me, so I strode confidently into the room and headed straight for the item I wanted.
“You there,” a guardsman said in a gruff voice.
“Yes?” I paused and turned to give him an innocent look.
“Are you collecting laundry?” he asked, and he held up a dirty tunic.
“Of course,” I replied with a wide grin. “And I’m cleaning armor, too, so give me anything you want shined up.”
The other guards perked up at the sound of that, and the next thing I knew, my arms were full of uniforms and armor. They were all stinky as hell, but I cheerfully carried them out of the barracks and back to the servants’ quarters. I only needed to wash one set in my size, after all, and I could leave the rest there.
The set was made of a thick padded tunic, chainmail to cover it, and a helmet. Most guards also carried a short round shield and a tall spear, so I made sure I had those items as well. It meant another trip into the guards’ area, but it was worth it.
The armory was empty when I arrived, so I hastily took what I needed and went back to the servants’ quarters to finish gathering my disguise.
I really didn’t have time to clean a guard’s uniform and armor, but I sorted through the pile and found a set that wasn’t stinky. I made a new save point, put on the uniform, put on the armor, and then picked a guard to follow around for a while.
The guards didn’t seem to question my presence, and the helmet covered up most of my face, so there was no risk of them not recognizing me as one of their own. The castle was crawling with guards, which would make it a lot more believable if I said I was a new hire.
It had worked with the servants, but I wasn’t expecting my luck to hold out forever. Worst case scenario I could start over, but I wanted to find out as much as I could about how the guards operated within the castle. Plus, I needed access to as many keys as possible. I was going to find out which room the duke’s key unlocked even if it took me a thousand lifetimes.
I spent all day learning the guards’ routines, and then the sun began to set, so I respawned to my save point once more.
Chime.
It ended up taking me three days’ worth of respawns to find a room no other key would unlock, and it was located up a hidden stairwell behind the dais in the audience chamber. I’d memorized the general location of the door, and on the outside of the castle there seemed to be a tower-like room several stories off the ground. The room was inaccessible from any other point in the castle, and satisfaction burned through me.
If there was ever a spot for treasure, that would be it. Now, I just had to get the key and try it out.
No big deal, just had to find some way to sneak it away from the duke without him finding out about it.
In the meantime, I missed my girls, so I decided to take a break from my sleuthing and come back to it with fresh eyes. That room had to be the room I needed, and I’d tried every single key available to the guards on the door.
I reset back to my save point with the lock on my mind.
Chime.
It was early morning once more, and I had just finished finding the cleanest guard’s uniform and armor to wear, but instead of putting everything on, I made my way to the castle door. It didn’t take me very long to get out onto the streets of Arginold, and a few moments later I was climbing the stairs to our room.
I’d only been gone a short while, and the girls all jumped with surprise when I entered the room.
“Did you forget something?” Elissa asked.
“Oh, I’m all done for now,” I laughed.
“You weren’t even gone for an hour,” Eva observed.
“He never is gone for long,” Mahini pointed out with a sideways smirk.
“I missed you girls so much I decided to take a break for a while,” I said with a shrug. “Plus, I came across a puzzle I may need your help undoing.”
“Oh, I like puzzles,” Elissa said as she bounced in her seat with excitement, and her vibrant emerald eyes were lit up with curiosity. “What kind of puzzle?”
“How would you get a key away from a man’s neck?” I asked, and I lifted one brow. “Without killing him, that is.”
“Oh, phooey,” Elissa complained. “That was going to be my suggestion. Can you take it off him while he sleeps?”
“What if he’s a light sleeper?” I pointed out. “You wouldn’t want to get caught in the middle of the act.”
“You could slip something into his food,” Mahini suggested in a deviously sexy voice. “Make sure he sleeps well for several hours.”
“Where could we get something like this?” I asked. “Something that would just make him sleep, but not kill him?”
“Maybe the vendor who sold you the silver concoction?” Eva suggested. “He might have something to help someone sleep soundly. My father used to purchase such things to help him through my mother’s death.”
“That’s a good idea.” I gave the duke’s daughter an appreciative smile. “You girls have been invaluable to me, it’s too bad you won’t remember it.”
“Remember what?” Mahini asked with a worried frown. “I rarely forget.”
“Never mind,” I laughed, and then I reset back to my save point.
Chime.
I didn’t want the girls to know what I was up to just yet. They would have a role to play in my scheme, but that time would come later. For the moment, my goal was to locate a sleeping potion.
After I left the castle, I made my way through the streets of Arginold in search of the potions and concoctions vendor. He wasn’t hard to spot, though, with his bright-colored tent and loud, boisterous sales pitch.
“Come try my potions and remedies!” the vendor shouted in a friendly voice. “A cure for what ails you, come and see!”
“Hello,” I greeted with a wave.
“A customer, how wonderful,” the man gushed, and he hurried over to shake my hand. “Are you in the market for a love potion? A strength elixir? Or maybe something that will make you see the wisdom of the ancients inside your very eyes.”
“Uh, that sounds like LSD or some shit,” I said hesitantly. “I’m actually just looking for something to help me sleep.”
“You have problems falling asleep?” The vendor frowned thoughtfully as he scratched his chin. “Or staying asleep?”
“Both,” I sighed.
“Have no fear, I have a cure for you,” the vendor said, and he looked overjoyed at my misfortune.
“I’m willing to try anything at this point,” I sighed dramatically.
The vendor turned and rifled through his jars of tinctures, elixirs, potions, and tonics until he brought up a purple-ish looking one for me to inspect.
“Be careful not to use too much,” he warned. “This is very potent. It is best to be taken with some food.”
“Will it kill me if I take too much?” I asked as I pondered whether or not I should go through with my idea.
I supposed if I ended up killing the duke before I wanted to, I could always reset and try a different dosage.
“Probably not.” The vendor shrugged, but then a broad grin split his face. “Just be careful.”
“I will.” I returned his smile as I paid him for the sleeping potion. “It’s safe to drink, right?”
“Oh, yes, but with food,” he reminded me.
“Alright, with food,” I repeated to confirm that I’d heard him.
“Very good.” The vendor tested the metal of his coins in his teeth, and then he slipped them inside his pocket. “Come tell me how it works out for you.”
“Will you give me a refund if it doesn’t work?” I countered.
“Oh, it will work,” the vendor laughed. “You’ll be running back to shake my hand, I promise you.”
I shook my head with a wry smirk on my face as I turned back toward the inn. I wanted to wait until a new day had passed before I returned to the castle. Then I would test my knowledge of the routines and inner workings before I experimented with the next stage of my plan.
I trotted up the steps to the room I shared with the girls, and I grinned when they all looked up at me expectantly.
“Did you forget something?” Elissa asked.
“Oh, I’m all done for now,” I laughed even harder this time.
“You weren’t even gone for an hour,” Eva observed.
“He never is gone for long,” Mahini pointed out with a sideways smirk.
“What’s in your hand?” Elissa questioned as she eyed the potion vial I clutched.
“A secret weapon of mass snoring,” I said, and I couldn’t help but laugh again.
I felt like a puppet master laying the groundwork for a performance. I had to build my marionette doll first, but soon I’d learn what was behind the locked door, and then all the secrets of Arginold castle would be mine.
“Sometimes you say the strangest things,” Eva said with a confused tilt of her head.
“Don’t try too hard to understand it,” Mahini advised. “It just gets stranger with time.”
“I love learning little things about your old world,” Elissa said as she shrugged one shoulder. The motion caused her flame-like tendrils to dance across her pale skin, and I resisted the urge to nibble on her collarbone. “Do you think we will ever go there someday?”
“No.” I frowned. “I don’t think there’s any going back, but why would I want to? I have you ladies here with me in this world, and I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”
“So, what is the castle like?” Mahini asked. “Well fortified?”
“It’s teeming with guards,” I said. “And they only change their watch every six hours, but that doesn’t matter. There’s ways around them.”
“What’s the next step?” Eva asked.
I was going to ask them for an update on the gossip gathering, but then I realized I’d only been gone for a short while, and they still hadn’t finished their breakfasts yet. I’d accomplished lifetimes of exploring in the span of a few hours, and it was sometimes hard to remember what the time frame actually was.
I made a new save point since I had the sleeping potion, and I wanted to be able to come back here if anything went wrong.
“I have one more task I wish to accomplish, but it won’t take me very long.” I grinned. “I’m going to put the duke to sleep so I can peek inside his secret room.”
“That sounds dangerous,” Mahini observed with a worried frown. “Do you need backup?”
“I need you to guard the other two,” I said with a soft smile. I knew the desert goddess wanted to remain by my side at all times, but it was more efficient for us to split paths for a little while longer. Going incognito meant it was easier to go alone. “I’ll be back before you know it, and you won’t even remember I was gone.”
“I’ll miss you too much to forget,” Elissa said with a pouty face.
“I am not doing it until tomorrow morning,” I said in a comforting tone. “I am yours for the rest of the day.”
“Oh, thank the gods,” my wife gasped, but then she flashed me a devious smile. “But first, we will scour the streets for secrets.”
“Good girl.” I grinned.
“I bet we will find out who is sleeping with who inside the castle,” Eva said, and her gray eyes twinkled with mischief. “There’s always affairs going on.”
“Yes,” I agreed as I thought about everything I’d learned recently. “Find out who the duke is having sex with. He’s got to have a mistress, he’s not some old fart like the wizard.”
“It usually takes many years to master the art of magic,” Mahini said with a sage nod. “You appear so young for one so powerful. It must be part of your magic.”
“The God of Time can’t have wrinkles, now can I?” I laughed self-consciously.
“Of course not,” Elissa giggled.
Eva shrugged, but Mahini’s brow furrowed with thought, and I could almost read her mind as she thought about all the mysteries still surrounding me and my powers.
Was I going to eventually grow old and die in this world? I didn’t want to think about that, but time did move forward, even for me. Would I ever be able to die? I hoped there was some magic that kept me from aging so I could look like a young man forever, but I still had time to find out what magic existed in this world.
Still, I had all the time in the world. There was no need to worry about these things for now, so it was time to focus on my mission to get the key.
While the girls combed the streets, I ran a quick side mission up to the castle. I wanted to grab a bunch of uniforms and stash them in the inn for convenient outfit changes later, but I wanted to be quick about it, so I stomped my foot to activate my griffon feather boots.
I zoomed up to the castle and past the guards without even stopping, but I was probably nothing more than a blur of motion in their eyes, so I wasn’t worried about being caught. If someone did manage to stop me, I would just reset back to my save point and be more careful.
I ran straight to the laundry room where I knew I would find uniforms for every position in the castle, and I skidded to a halt directly outside the entrance since I didn’t want to terrify the servants by having a blur of motion running through their workspace. Then I walked sedately into the room like I belonged there, and I went straight to the piles of folded clean uniforms.
There were a couple of servants inside, but they didn’t pay me any attention as I scooped up an armful of clothes, so I didn’t say anything to them as I made my way back toward the door.
I managed to make it back before the girls, but they trotted into the room a short while later, and they returned with lots of information and juicy tidbits.
“Duchess Penelope still hasn’t given the duke a child,” Elissa gossiped as her emerald eyes sparkled with excitement. “Some say she is infertile, others say she’s still a virgin.”
“The duke’s wife hasn’t gotten pregnant yet, huh?” I thought back to my interaction with the wholesome duchess, and I shrugged. “She’s innocent of any wrong doings, I’m sure.”
“There were no rumors of extramarital relations regarding her,” Eva informed me like a student reporting their field notes. “But there are plenty of whisperings of the duke’s many playthings.”
“Is Sarisha one of them?” I asked. “The court wizard’s wife?”
“No, his scorn for Sarisha is well known throughout the lesser nobles.” Elissa shook her head. “Unless it’s a ruse.”
“Either way, there’s groundwork for it to be a possibility.” I grinned.
“Easily,” Mahini said with a nod.
This was going to be easier than I thought.
I could turn the duke’s own wizard against him with a rumor. It made me feel pretty powerful to be laying the foundation for my plan, and shivers of excitement ran up my spine.
Arginold and Racine wouldn’t even know I was in their town, and they’d be at each other’s throats when I was done with them. That would teach them how to play nice.
I woke up before sunrise the next day, and I went about planning the final stages of my plan to get the key. I knew what sequence Marty delivered the morning tea to the duke and duchess, so I just had to time my arrival perfectly. If he was still in Penelope’s room when I snuck into the kitchen, then I could lace the rest of the tea with sleeping potion before Marty served it to the duke.
With any luck, I wouldn’t even be seen by any of the servants.
I made a new save point while I was still in bed with the girls as I decided what my next step should be. First, I needed to don my disguise, so I quietly left the inn and made my way to the servants’ quarters in the level below the duke’s room. I knew exactly where to go from my previous explorations of the castle, and I knew this area would be empty during this time of day as the many servants rushed to begin the new day.
The laundry room was empty, so I rifled around until I found a cook’s uniform. It was a white tunic with a slightly off-white apron tied around it and a white cap to cover the hair. It was perfect. I would be the new chef in training, and then I would quietly slip away before anyone remembered me.
I slipped the sleeping potion into the pocket of the apron, and I tucked my daggers into the tops of my boots just in case. Even though I was wearing a disguise instead of my usual armor, that didn’t mean I was about to go unarmed.
By the time I made my way to the kitchens, the sun was just beginning to peek in through the windows lining the corridors. Servants were busy pulling the drapes open to expose the inside stone to the warmth of the sun, but I hurried past all of them without a word.
No one tried to stop me, so I continued upstairs to the duke’s wing, and I headed straight for the kitchen. I would know if I was too early if the room was cold, since the cooks never arrived until after the fire tenders had stoked the flames.
The heat hit me like a wave as soon as I entered, and I let out my breath in relief. The kitchen was empty. I was the first cook to arrive, and I looked around for someplace to hide. There was a pantry full of items I knew were not commonly used, so I tucked my body inside the closet and pulled the door shut behind me. If I was caught, I would reset and find a new hiding place. If I kept getting caught, I’d adjust my timing and go from there.
The world was my oyster, even though I felt more like a sardine at the moment.
A few moments later, I heard the sounds of the other cooks entering the kitchen, and the banging of pots and pans signaled they had already started their morning routine.
“Good morning,” came Marty’s voice in a cheerful sing-song. “Any noise from the duchess this morning?”
“She’s probably still asleep,” one cook said. “Like all the other nobles around here. We’re the ones who must get up early to serve and wake them.”
“She’s beautiful when she first wakes up,” Marty breathed in a wispy, dreamy voice.
I rolled my eyes. That poor fool was head over heels in love with the absolute worst person for him to feel that way toward. He would definitely lose more than his job if he even looked at her wrong, I knew that much for certain.
The Duke of Arginold did not seem like a very forgiving man. He was young compared to all the other dukes I’d met so far, and I figured a man would have to be pretty ambitious to accomplish so much within his lifetime. Although, there was always the chance it was handed down to him from his father, or something lame like that.
Still, I’d gotten the impression he was a man who was comfortable in a position of power. Whether that was earned or inherited was irrelevant to my bigger mission.
I shook my head to dispel my thoughts, and I returned my focus to the other side of the door. I couldn’t hear Marty’s voice anymore, and I cursed under my breath.
Had he already left for Penelope’s room?
I didn’t hear any voices for that matter, and I held my breath while I counted to one-hundred. I listened closely, but I didn’t hear anything, so I cracked open the door and peeked outside.
The kitchen was empty.
I let out the breath I’d been holding, quickly left the pantry, and moved across the room to the tea pot. One tray sat on the island in the middle of the humongous kitchen, and the breakfast was laid out in the middle. It was perfect, except it was still missing the tea, so I hastily poured a cup and placed it on the tray. Then I removed the potion bottle from my apron pocket, popped the cork, and poured a generous amount into the cup.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway, so I hurried back to the pantry to hide. Marty returned, grabbed a silver tray, and then turned back down the hallway, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Now, all I had to do was wait.
I listened while Marty came back with the empty trays, and he sang to himself while he washed the dishes. When he left, I waited for a moment before I crept back out again. I wanted to leave before the cooks began to prepare lunch, so I snuck across the kitchen and peered down the hallway.
The coast was clear, so I made my way to the duke’s bedroom. Enough time had passed for him to be good and passed out, so I didn’t bother knocking when I arrived at the door. The room was partially lit by the window Marty had opened when he delivered the tea, and I grinned when I noticed the empty cup sitting on the table.
Then I heard the snores. Like a buzzsaw hacking through thick chunks of wood. It was obnoxious, deep, and throaty, but it confirmed my theory that the duke was asleep. I crept toward the bed and looked for the key. The duke was passed out on his side with his face smooshed up against the pillow, and it would be hard to get the necklace chain off without lifting his head.
Fuck it. He was passed the fuck out.
I reached out, grabbed the gold dangling chain in one hand, and slid my other hand beneath his head. Then I lifted and pulled at the same time, and the next thing I knew, the gold chain with the heavy iron key was in my hands.
I whooped with joy, but then I turned to eye the duke to gauge how much time I had to explore his secret room. He snored contentedly, and there were no signs of him waking up for anything.
I snapped my fingers over his eyes just to test it, but nothing happened.
“He’s out,” I whispered to myself, and then a devious grin slid across my face. I had until the other nobles or servants started showing up looking for him, and that was still several hours after the duke usually woke up.
I left the duke asleep in his bed, and then I made my way to where the unopenable door laid taunting me with its closed and sealed ways.
This was the final step to getting a complete walk through.
I kept an eye out for any guards, but I remembered their walking patterns and paused when I needed to. It felt like I floated past without anyone seeing me, but it had taken me several days to master the inner workings of the guardsmen.
I crossed the audience chamber, pulled back the tapestry to the hidden hallway, and made my way up the stairs. Then I was standing before the door with the lock no other key had worked on. I’d tried everything available to the captain of the guards and the head of the servants, so the stolen key was the most likely fit.
I slid the key into the hole, and there was no obstacle keeping it from sliding in all the way. Then I turned it, and the lock clicked in the most satisfying manner.
“Fuck, yes,” I practically moaned as the handle turned in my fist. Then I pulled open the portal, but before it was even open all the way, the shimmer of gold and silver sparkled over the threshold.
Before my eyes was a mountain of wealth. Open chests full of gold, gems, and jewelry laid in all directions, and display cases held crowns, tiaras, and rings with diamonds the size of my fist. There was an insane amount of gold and silver coins splayed across the floor and contained in leather bags, and even a few small chests filled with copper ones. There was more money than a single person could spend in a lifetime.
And it was all going to be mine.