The Agent by Brock E. Deskins Read Free Book Online Page B

a stream and into the hills and mountains overlooking the abbey.
    Garran led Adam into the mountains for an hour before circling around and heading north. The pair scrambled up and down hills and along animal paths for another three hours before Garran finally allowed them to stop and rest for the remainder of the night.
    Adam sat on a stump and held his hands in his head while Garran lit a tobacco twist that gave off the heady aroma of opium. “What is that?”
    “Something to ease the pain,” Garran answered.
    “Are you injured?”
    “Yes, but not from tonight.”
    “Who are you?”
    “Garran Holt. I’m an agent.”
    “What is going on? What happened to my father?”
    Garran sat near Adam and handed him his flask. “You might want to take a few pulls from this before I tell you.”
    “No, I have taken vows to consume no alcohol except wine during sacrament.”
    “Good, I really didn’t want to share. Anyway, your father, mother, and brother are dead, and your cousin Gordon is now or soon will be the King.”
    “Gordon Mandel? What is Gordon doing on the throne?”
    “Probably your sister,” Garran replied and took a swig of whiskey. He’s not going to want to waste any time establishing his line for the regency.”
    Adam leapt to his feet, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white and his hands trembled. “Do not dare tell me my family is dead then speak so cavalierly of them!”
    “You asked me and I answered. It’s not my fault the truth ain’t pretty.”
    “Would you please just tell me what is happening?”
    “I haven’t been able to find out everything, but I think I have a good idea of what’s going on. The Guild has been silently backing the disruption of your father’s road while slowly killing off everyone in line for succession. Either that or you have the unluckiest bunch of relatives in the history of mankind. They set this Gordon fellow up as king while they pull the strings, take over the new trade highway, and reap greater profits and power than ever before.”
    “What do they want with my sister?”
    Garran gave him an incredulous look. “Are you telling me that you are unfamiliar with the laws of succession?”
    “I haven’t had much interest since becoming unfit to rule.”
    “Yeah, what is that about? I thought that perhaps you were horribly disfigured or feebleminded. You seem pretty normal to me, so why can’t you inherit the throne?”
    Adam looked away and into the dark woods. “It is complicated.”
    “Are you a fancy boy? I’m sure there have been several on or near the throne before. All you have to do is fake it until you make an heir or two.”
    “I am not a fancy boy! How did The Guild pull all of this off? What happened to Gregor? He’s supposed to know about things like this and prevent it.”
    “Gregor was in on it.”
    Adam looked as though another family member had died. “That’s not possible. He and my father were close friends.”
    “I hate to break the bad news to you, but friends suck.”
    “Friends do not suck. Maybe you suck!”
    Garran pursed his lips and shrugged. “There is ample evidence to support both arguments.”
    “You said you were an agent. You don’t look like an agent or sound like an agent. You certainly don’t smell like one.”
    “I’m a special kind of agent, and you’re damned lucky I am, because I am your best hope of fixing this.”
    “How could the two of us possibly do anything? The Guild can afford to hire a standing army large enough to overthrow any of the bordering nations, especially if Anatolia’s soldiers capitulate.”
    “Which they have probably done, and that is why they kept your sister alive and are forcing her to marry Gordon. If she supports him, most people will fall in line and accept his crowning no matter how odd the circumstances surrounding his ascension.”
    “Then what can we do?”
    “We gather an army, free your sister, remove Gordon from the throne, and take The Guild down