“Is he good enough?” Eva asked.

  Rosemary sat on the couch next to the guild master. Both women held glasses of wine in their hands. Eva leaned back against the arm of the chair, examining the Queen of Hearts.

  “Since he can’t read the ancient texts, he’ll never be an alchemist. He’s barely able to read the current books I gave him,” Rosemary stated after sipping her drink. “And he’s learning quickly. Even your favorite thinks he’s dangerous enough as a fighter to work for the guild now.”

  “Doubtful,” Eva scoffed. “Gretel likes powerful noble titles, and she’s convinced he’s a fallen aristocrat. I’ve found no information about such a place called America. He made the story up. He’s nothing like a noble if can’t even read.”

  “Nonsense. His use of language and writing show similarity to ours. Otherwise, he would understand nothing I’ve shown him. Covan’s done a good job of hiding this from me. While some of his words make little sense at times so, they might be useful as a cypher in the future.”

  Rosemary leaned forward while pondering Covan’s actions.

  “Strangely, I sense he carries the thinking of both noble and commoner. A disgraced noble would lie about their origin, just like others who’ve joined the guild. While this place called America may not exist by such a name, there must be a place where such things exist. You’ve seen his weapon design. That is not from a commoner.”

  She leaned closer to the guild master, her eyes focused on the woman’s cleavage.

  “You told me how surprised you were at his ability to kill Gilbert within a day of the girl’s kidnapping. If he carries even more of such knowledge, he’s worth keeping him close. Those same nobles you claim to hate still come on their hands and knees for special missions. They pay the guild well. They’ve offered you marriage more times than I can count.”

  “I guess that’s true,” Eva bitterly nodded.

  She looked at the older woman while thinking of ways to refute her words. Memories of the past crept back while she finished the rest of her wine.

  “I don’t trust Covan. He’s too assured for his young age. The bastard is always observing everything. I don’t like how he looks at me. It reminds me…well, you know.”

  “Yes, yes, you’ve told me many times about men,” Rosemary dismissed her complaint.

  “Like me, they enjoy a woman’s looks and her body. Why must you push away talent because of that one time in your youth?”

  The guild master’s eyes narrowed with a bitter expression at the question. However, she ignored it.

  “I still have the problem with that damn Hunter’s guild. They want Covan dead and his little whore back. They’ll continue to pressure the guild. You know how much of a problem they can be. I say we remove the bastard’s head and get the gold from them for the red-hair bitch.”

  Eva sighed at Rosemary’s glare.

  “Yes, I know. Tis a fool’s dream. At this point, it would cause too many problems.”

  “Not to mention, the loyalty the guild so desperately needs at all times would plummet,” the older lady pointed out. “Eva, I’m disappointed with your lack of thinking. You’ve pushed things too far. For your ego, you’ve publicly arranged a duel that gives the guild nothing. New members routinely die within the first few demanding jobs. You keep making it hard for yourself because of your arrogant pettiness to maintain control when it’s unnecessary. Covan and Ruby are nothing more than a guild member if they make it through. He’ll be under the guild’s control if we use him correctly.”

  “My arrogance?” Eva smirked. “That’s rich coming from you, oh Queen of Hearts.”

  Rosemary sat down with her unfinished wineglass which she placed on the table next to her. She chuckled before her hand suddenly reached out to grab Eva by her hair. Forcing the woman’s face toward her, the older woman smirked while she slapped Eva on the cheek. The guild master’s eyes widened as her expression lit up.

  Rosemary forced Eva into a long, passionate kiss. When she finished, the woman pulled back Eva’s head and slapped the guild master across her face several times. Rosemary’s icy stare revealed no hint of compassion at the slight bit of blood trickling down Eva’s lip.

  Rosemary pushed Eva away before she rose from the couch.

  “Some of us learn from our mistakes, my dear.” The Queen of Hearts looked down at the excited expression growing on Eva’s red face. “You still want to push me after making such a poor decision.”

  Rosemary grabbed the guild master by her hair again. Tugging Eva painfully from the couch, the woman forced the guild master to crawl on her knees to the middle of the room.

  “Never forget who controls this guild! You enjoy letting your emotions sway you because you like my punishment. However, you’ll do what I say is best for this organization. Covan is not your problem to solve. You’ve put him in a position to overshadow your authority. I’ll fix this, but I want you to know the reason for your punishment tonight. A wet leather strap is waiting for you because of this mistake. When I’m through, you’ll need to hide the marks.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  The delight on the guild master’s face grew at the news.

  “What do you say?” Rosemary growled.

  “Yes, momma!” Eva replied in a trembling voice mimicking a small child.

  ~~~

  I stopped by Smithy’s shop to check on the progress of my first air pistol. Originally, I intended to keep the weapon mostly to myself. However, the guild master needed to approve it. So, I changed my strategy. Eva allowed Smithy to build it. But I would keep control by keeping features out of the design. Those would come later when I build other weapons without interference from the guild.

  Seeing my pistol in a nearly complete state on the stained table, I smiled to myself. The bulky hand cannons used in the kingdom cannot compare, since it looked quite similar to a flintlock pistol in my world. The sense of accomplishment filled me. I used the Girardoni air rifle from the late 1700s as my inspiration for the weapon in front of me. Because the Austrians developed the Girardoni for longer ranges, they incorporated a twisted bore in the barrel. Plus, they added an air pump and spare cylinders for use by troops.

  However, my design contained a simple smooth bore in the barrel. For the short range, the accuracy remained sufficient. Plus, I doubted the guild’s blacksmith could do the job in a timely manner. Also, unlike the rifle, I put the metal air reservoir into the pistol grip. Since it would only use it for specific missions, the design needed only a few shots before the air cylinder lost its charge. Since I realized others could copy this design, I made sure not to incorporate the original rifle’s repeating capability in the design. That would be my ace in the hole even if the guild master wanted to build more. Aside from that, I figured it would be a slow process, with only one blacksmith capable of building this weapon for a while. My knowledge of the industrial revolution would be beyond the guild’s ability to control me with simple math.

  Inventions and foundry processes used to make strong castings using various metals remain undiscovered. But not for long, I thought. This situation allowed me an advantage I want to seize. Beyond just making the designs, I intend to become a weapons maker in this world. Such a step would give me the money to achieve power. Given the rumors, war was coming to the kingdom. Even in the mixed-up tales of the Grim brothers, stories of soldiers and war exist. War brings opportunities for wealth when the conditions are ripe. It’s a truism from my world which will extend into this place.

  During one of my trips to check on my air pistol, I also had Smithy build a knuckle duster for me from a piece of scrap iron. While he complained about the extra work, I knew it would not take the big man more than an hour or two. It cost me a couple of mugs of beer, but the weapon was worth it.

  Sliding between the four fingers of your hand, the thick piece of metal sits on the outside of your fists. Such a weapon helps deliver a more powerful punch and can break bones. It’s perfect for my upcoming work.

  As I walked out of the blacksmith’s shop, I looked over my knuckle duster. The cold steel carried a menacing vibe which reminded me that Hansel was staying out of sight recently. While I hadn’t heard of him taking on a contract, I assumed he must be working. You can’t feed yourself if you don’t have work from the guild lined up. Curious about the jobs available, I went over to the job board.

  The Assassin’s Guild sounds sinister enough, but most of the contracts involved alchemy gathering or potions in some manner. Over my time there, I realized the reputation as assassins kept the guild outside the influence of the other guilds. Also, the focus on poisons remained unique enough to give the guild master substantial influence with nobles, even with other kingdoms.

  When I worked with the Queen of Hearts, I realized Rosemary carried only slightly less influence than Eva. She directed most of the making, selling, or distributing potions and poisons. I learned her reputation was high enough to get special orders from other kingdoms, even the occasional witch. While I didn’t know the amount of profit the potion master brought into the guild, it was enough to keep security around her working area tight.

  Another thing I noticed was Eva’s focus on hard training to insure loyalty from the guild’s new members. My conversations with others indicated her notable success in the model. However, I didn’t understand her hostile attitude towards me. Perhaps I thought too highly of myself, but if someone offers you something useful, you don’t conspire to bring them down. A traitor could open the door for another guild or soldiers to invade the underground kingdom. Not that I thought about becoming a traitor, but I found no reason to insure the success of the guild once I left it.

  When I got to the magic board which held the work available to the guild, I frowned since I still could not read the language well. Over the weeks, I pushed myself to learn so I could make out some words, especially about the flora.

  “You don’t need to worry about work,” a familiar male voice jeered from behind me. “I’ve just arranged our duel with the guild master. Say your prayers to the gods because you’re going to have an accident that day.”

  Hansel’s voice surprised me, but I refused to acknowledge him by turning around. Instead, I kept staring at the board.

  “You know, they say that barking dogs are the real cowards of a pack!”

  My answer caused a wave of snickers from the people around me. Sensing Hansel’s response, I stepped aside as the man lunged at me. My knuckle dusters were on my fists when I turned around to see the back of Rampion. He intercepted Hansel’s charge at me.

  “Aye, that’s interesting, Hansel. Since I’m taking bets on the duel, put your money into it. How much are you willing to wager?”

  Hansel’s furious expression showed hesitation as he glared past Rampion. With Hansel’s eyes focused on me, he thought about the offer. An evil smile finally came to the man’s lips when he turned to Rampion.

  “Fine, here’s the gold. That bastard won’t walk out of the ring!” The man pulled out ten gold coins from his money pouch.

  He gave me another glare, then left with his two minions, who I just noticed. I didn’t understand how he came up with any friends, but just put it down to poor taste on their part. That’s when I found out the odds were two to one in his favor.

  “You have little confidence in me,” I joked to Rampion as he added the coins to his bag.

  Rampion nodded while I frowned at his honesty.

  “It’s funny, but that’s my first bet. My sister and I only had a few bronze coins. Your opponent just gave me enough money to start my plan.” His deadpan statement caused me to look at him closer. I noticed the light in his eyes.

  “Since no one is betting on you, I think I’ll up the odds. No matter who wins, I’ll be sure to take a nice profit.”

  Damn, he’s a natural con artist!

  “Alright, let’s get this show on the road.” My hand pulled out some of Gilbert’s money, still in my pouch. I handed the coins to him. “I’ll take those odds. Make sure you cover yourself, since you’ll owe me when I kick his ass.”

  Rampion gave me an incredulous look. He did not know where my confidence came from. And the coins he held were worth far more than anyone else had bet. Then again, I had a plan. With a wink, I made my way to the one tunnel where Ruby was training.