Arthur spent more time than he should in The Bathhouse. His time there allowed him to both let people get used to seeing him around, and to escape the backroom of the store.
He found early on that allowing people to see him in the baths or helping to man the counter made people much more relaxed. Soon enough, most of the side-eyes and whispering had died down, though he still tried not to interact with the delicate items in the building. The last time he’d tried, a tap in the showers needed to be replaced. A fact Nyssa found far funnier than he did.
Davey, using a book Arthur had bought from Shimmerwing, had replaced it after an afternoon of work. Arthur had stuck with the baths since then. Not that he minded. It was warm and comforting, and the water seeped into the small cracks between his scales. With the fancy towels and bathing supplies he purchased on a quick trip to the mall, it was almost luxurious.
It was during one of his baths that the messenger found him. The young man wore a suit that marked him as one of Riccardo’s old gang, and he looked nervously towards the party area across the room. That was something Jemima had asked him to set up—a privacy area to keep people separated as needed.
“Sir?” the messenger asked as he approached, flanked by Augustus and Theobold. “I have a message from Sandy.”
Arthur nodded and groped around for a towel. His personal one was a fluffy green thing, big enough to almost count on a robe. Without exiting the water, he pulled it on and stood before he moved over to greet the man.
“Sandy? What did she say?”
The messenger gulped. “Um. Sandy wanted me to say she thinks she solved your problem, and the project is a success, or should be? She also wants to meet you in the boardroom as soon as you can.”
“One moment,” Arthur said, trying to think of anything he’d need to do before he left.
Carly had the front desk of Apocalypse Assortments under control, Nyssa was working, and Mike didn’t need to be watched. Davey was nearby, trying to dislodge a cracked window in the hopes he could use the box to fix it. Either way, no one needed help, and he’d done his training with Pydes already.
“I can leave now. How did you get here?”
“Um,” the messenger said. “Bike, sir.”
“Right. Can you take a message back?” Arthur asked as he gestured for the group to follow him.
He didn’t worry about being in his towel as he walked to the front desk and reached under it. His hand fell on a small bag, and he pulled it out to look through one of his emergency stashes of coins, a tactic he’d started using recently. It felt better to have at least some of his hoard in different places; the simple act of having them close made it easier to stay calm.
With his claws, Arthur pulled out five coins and passed them over as the messenger nodded.
“Good.” He paused as he tried to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. “Tell Sandy I want to meet her alone as soon as I arrive. Make sure she has refreshments on hand. Oh! And tell her if this works, she’s going to be quite pleased with the reward I have in mind.”
“Sir!” The messenger saluted before he all but ran out of the building.
Theobold watched them go as he asked a simple question. “Should I get the rickshaw?”
“Yes. I need to get dressed, and then we’ll head out. This should be fun. Tell me, though, before you go. Do the knights have any other punishments other than execution?”
“Why?” Theobold looked confused, even as he nodded.
“Because all I can think of right now is crushing their skulls with my hands, and I want another option,” Arthur admitted, though he kept his voice low to not let anyone else in the entrance hall overhear him.
Augustus bared his teeth and hissed.
“Yes, I know. But if all I do is kill people, it’s going to cause issues.”
“It hasn’t so far,” Theobold pointed out. “I mean, no one has exactly tried to take revenge.”
Arthur paused as he thought back. “True. Still, I would like some other option, even if it’s simply to have it.”
“Exile. We kick people out and let them wonder if they’ve proved they will not cause an issue. Some go to other gangs, but the knights go crusade into The Pit.” Theobold sounded conflicted even as he said it.
“Will that be what they do to Hulvin?”
A stamped hoof and a flick of the neck, which caused Theobold’s mane to swish through the air, met his question. “No. He’s too dangerous. Some of those who followed him? Maybe, but considering they wish to harm you, I doubt it. As I said, only if we believe they won’t cause an issue.”
“I see.” Arthur nodded even as he turned to retrieve his clothes. “Well, bring the rickshaw around. Let’s see what happens when we get there.”
***
When Arthur entered the boardroom, a coin clutched in his hand, he could see quite the feat laid out before him. The scents of fruit and vegetables mixed with seared meats filled his nose. All of them cooked in a way that neither the farmers nor the knights could manage.
It made him wonder how many professional chefs and other staff had survived the apocalypse down here and how he could best use his access to that. A cough from Sandy brought his attention away from that thought and towards her.
She looked better, far more like her professional self under Riccardo than the bedraggled mess Carina had turned her into. With a smile, she gave a quick nod to Arthur before gesturing to the food.
“I hope this is to your liking? If not, I’m sure I can scrounge something else up. We have champagne and water on the side table here.”
His eyes flicked over to the small table, and he nodded. “This is excellent. I can see why Riccardo kept you on.”
“Sir. You mentioned a reward for exemplary service, and as my mother before me, that is what I’m known for.”
“True. But before we deal with that, it’s something that you mentioned that I’d like to discuss. Who was it that stole from me, and why?”
“Of course.” Her tone was cheery as she gestured for him to take his seat at the head of the table.
When he’d done so, she brought over her tablet and laid it flat before opening up a report. From the page count in the corner, it was extensive, and he wondered if she expected him to read the entire thing. Then she started summarizing, and he breathed an internal sigh of relief.
“You were right about the culprit being a member of the board, sir. Clarissa headed the operation, an act of revenge against you for what happened to Riccardo.”
“How did you find this out?” Arthur asked as he skimmed through the document.
Most of it was testimonials, but he found a few receipts and some other bookkeeping. All of it was orderly and easy to understand.
“I got her drunk.” Arthur looked up at Sandy, who had a slight tinge of red on her cheeks now. “She wasn’t shy about it. The woman hates you, not that I blame you. Her plan wasn’t complex. She simply wanted to make you suffer, and she decided economically was the best way to do that. Her little gang had taken more than expected, but not enough to cause any real financial damage.”
Arthur nodded, even as he did everything he could to keep the fire that burned in him contained, and his face schooled to a blank expression. Clarissa had come for his hoard, and he wanted nothing more than to rip her apart and make an example of her. The ditzy, annoying blonde needed to be punished for what she did.
As he struggled, he pushed his hands against his eyes, hiding in the darkness, as though that might help him control his tumultuous emotions. Anger raged, and as it did, he noticed fear and shame. The last two focused on his hoard, his worry about what would happen, and his disappointment. He’d allowed some to be stolen.
“Boss?” Theobold said, sounding far away even as his hand landed on his shoulder.
It took effort, but he forced his emotions down as he opened his eyes.
“Sorry. You did well, Sandy; this is valuable intel. I would like to have you work directly for me more often, if that’s agreeable?”
From the look on Sandy’s face, she didn’t appear sure, but she nodded anyway. “Of course, sir.”
“Good. Then your first task will be to send out whomever you need to bring those involved with the Rathnil project here. I don’t care what they’re doing.”
“Sir.” She nodded and picked up her tablet before she turned and marched out of the room.
As soon as the door closed, Arthur allowed himself to release the growl that burned in his throat. It reverberated through the room, filling his ears with his own rage. The smell of the meat seemed to increase in response, and it took all of his effort not to reach out and rip into a steak.
Instead, he gripped his coin and looked at Theobold. “What do you think I should do?”
“Me?” Theobold shrugged. “She’s a problem and a thief. One who inspired others to steal from you. The knight’s stance on this is clear.”
“True,” Arthur growled before he shook his head.
He couldn’t discount what she’d done, and he’d killed Riccardo for doing something similar. However, he still couldn’t bring himself to think of Clarissa as a threat. Then it hit him. This wasn’t something he needed to deal with. Carina was the manager of this store, and as cowardly as it might be, it wouldn’t be wrong to give her the chance to deal with this.
With no way to send for Sandy, he got up and walked to the door. When he opened it, he found a young woman walking nearby with some papers under her arm.
“You.”
“Me?” She squeaked as she turned, her eyes going wider as she looked at him. Naked fear roiled off her, but he ignored it.
“Go to Carina’s office and send her to the boardroom. If she’s not there, find Leo and have them etch her. Go now.”
“Yes, sir!” She almost shrieked as she half ran down the hallway away from the room.
That done, Arthur returned to his chair. He supposed it would be interesting to see how the store manager would deal with this situation.
***
He was on his second glass of water when the members of the board filed in.
Carina was with them, standing at the back, with Leo flanking her with a large knife attached to his hip. The man looked tired, unlike Carina, who finally looked like she’d gotten over four hours of sleep.
“So,” Arthur said as he gestured at the food. “Please help yourself. From what I’ve heard, we have reasons to celebrate.”
Clarissa glared at the food, even as Domanick moved over and started heaping up a plate. Others followed suit, though Jim kept his selections modest. Leo and Carina followed his lead, and Arthur smiled and kept the conversation light as he ate.
When everyone had finished, he nodded and leaned forward in his seat.
“Any questions before we begin?” He didn’t elaborate, but he could see the multiple eyes flicking in his hands, arms, and face.
Domanick looked like he was about to say something, but Clarissa beat him to it. With a disdainful sniff, she gestured to him with a casual flick of her wrist.
“You’ve turned yourself into even more of a monster? Are we meant to take that as a threat?”
All around the table, the other members twitched. From her space next to the drinks table at the side of the room, he noticed Sandy shiver. He didn’t need his powers to know the sudden horror that filled most of the members. Clarissa, however, showed none of it. She was flat-out glaring at him, as though daring him to do something about it.
Her bluntness didn’t surprise him, and she’d downed more than one glass of champagne. While he didn’t know how potent it was, it seemed to have hit her hard. Still, he ignored her second question to focus on her first.
“I did. It came about when someone tried to kill me. For the right price, my benefactor granted me strength.”
“Impressive,” Domanick chimed, and several people nodded in agreement.
“True.” Arthur smiled, a vision he knew was far worse thanks to the scales. “It has helped in some ways, less in others. One of those is that it has put me in a less than forgiving mood. Which is the reason that Carina is here with us today.”
At the mention of her name, her expression changed to a slight frown. She didn’t appear to like where this might go, though she didn’t say as much. He turned his gaze away from her and back toward Clarissa.
“I have found damning evidence that you are behind the thefts. Enough that you can’t convince me otherwise. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
“I do!” Clarissa’s voice raised an octave as she rose from her seat, jabbing a finger at him. “You killed Richard! You ruined us and took away everything we worked for. I didn’t steal from you. I took what was mine. This merchandise and these coins are ours. You are nothing more than a mooch who demands our hard work. A lower-class bottom feeder who demands their due.”
No one else spoke, and Arthur followed suit, curious to see if she would do anything else other than yell. Every word did nothing but stoke the flames of his rage. Not that they needed much help. Every second made him less interested in letting Carina sort this out.
“He was a good man, and you killed him.” At those words, she reached down, picked up a carving knife, and charged at him.
With an almost casual movement, he rose to his feet and let the knife slide along his scales. A shrieking sound filled the room, and he reached out and grabbed her wrist. Bones broke as the knife hit the ground. Screams filled the room, and Arthur fought his urge to grab her neck and crush it.
“It would be easy. Simple. A problem resolved, and a threat eliminated.”
“You should do it.”
Surprised, he turned away from the struggling woman and towards Jim. The older man didn’t look concerned about the scene, not the same way the others did. They were all but leaping out of their seats—all but Carina.
She had the same almost bored look as Jim, even as she nodded in agreement.
“I agree. She stole from us, and she needs to be punished. However, I would like to question her first. To see how deep this runs.”
“And then?” Arthur asked, ignoring the feeble slaps and kicks being thrown at him.
“Riccard never made a mess. I intend to continue that tradition.”
“Fine,” he growled the words as his eyes skimmed the members. “Shall we put it to a vote? All in favor of Carina’s plan?”
All hands rose, some faster than others.
“Done. In that case, Leo. Put her where you need to, so we can continue the meeting. Carina?”
“Yes?” she asked, sounding totally unaffected.
Arthur stared at her, even as he handed the squirming Clarissa off to Leo and Augustus, who seemed happy to volunteer.
“Make sure she doesn’t escape like you did.”
“Sir.”
The word was bitter and final. He knew from that single phrase he’d never see her again, and he found himself unable to care much. Around him, people shook even as they tried to hide it. With a simple gesture, he picked up the knife and stabbed it into the table.
“Now then. Jim, please tell me about everything you found out about this summoning. I think this meeting has gone off the rails enough.”
“Sir,” Jim said before he looked toward Sandy. “Please bring in the box.”
Arthur watched with interest as Sandy hurried out of the room, and he shifted on this seat. No matter what was about to happen, it would be interesting, of that he had little doubt.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRU7Sg7reZR
