37. Kit #2
Both men stuck around until the forge was back in order, though our conversations veered more toward updates about the sheep, and the new colts in the stables, and plans for the second Oath.
I was glad for the mindless chatter, so like Penny’s that it was a comfort.
When they finally bid me goodbye and disappeared into the crowded market square, I was feeling far more cheerful than when they arrived.
Once they were gone, I retrieved the hidden sheath from the pocket of my apron and slid Penny’s knife inside. With that securely attached to my belt and a check to reassure myself that the sketchbook was safely in my pocket, I lit the forge and threw myself into several hours of focused work.
I quickly realized that, despite enjoying my solitude in my forge in Forstford, I hated being alone here.
Time dragged without Penny’s company and commentary.
He was just across town, but I missed him.
And with Thoma’s questions rattling around in my head, it was hard not to dwell on how important my “recruit” had become to me.
I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling was simple attachment or true attraction. I’d never experienced the latter, and it had been a long time since I’d felt the former. They were both alien to me. It was maddening not to know the difference.
I kept working until the crowds in town thinned and the other shops and stalls closed to head home for dinner.
I raked out the coals, and one last tidy put the forge back to the state we’d left it in the night before and ready for work again the next morning.
Hopefully it would be a less eventful day.
When I stepped into the street, I felt eyes on me as I headed for the Ossuary, but no one stopped me to ask questions about the raid or subsequent confrontation.
Doubtless there would be gossip about what had happened.
Between exhaustion and the frustration of trying to make sense of my feelings, I couldn’t find it in myself to care.
When I stepped inside the large stone building, the same pair as before were manning the front table.
“I’m here to speak with the Right Hand,” I said.
The woman gestured to the stairs. “He’s free and expecting you.”
I passed through the doorway and headed for the top floor. I half-expected to meet Merrick on the way, but the stairwell was deserted.
When I reached the upper landing, Levitt’s door on the right stood wide open.
He was alone inside, seated in one of the chairs in front of the windows with his face drawn and troubled.
Even though I’d had several hours for my rage to die back to a low simmer, I still couldn’t bring myself to feel bad for him.
Not while I still felt betrayed by someone who called me a friend.
The hypocrisy of my anger in the face of the fact that I was using our friendship to sabotage the cult he was leading was not lost on me.
I hesitated in the doorway, dreading the coming conversation, until Levitt noticed me and waved me in.
“Please, come sit,” he said. “Close the door behind you.”
I did as I was told and settled in the chair beside his. Despite my attempt to keep my face impassive, I could feel a scowl pulling down the corners of my mouth.
Levitt sat forward in his seat, leaning his elbows on his knees and fixing me with an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry about all of this,” he said. “I tried to warn you last week that this kind of talk was happening, but I thought I’d quashed the accusations.”
I hardly counted his passing mention that Merrick said I was “quite the weaponsmith” as any sort of warning.
“You could have told me outright what he was saying.”
Levitt shifted in his seat, and his eyes darted away.
“…Unless you thought it was possible he was right, and you didn’t want me to have time to hide things.”
The ensuing silence and his refusal to meet my gaze was enough to tell me that his trust in me didn’t stretch as far as I expected.
He played at picking up right back where we were before I left, and I’d bought into it more readily than I should have.
I hadn’t given him credit for being as cunning as his sister, forgetting how understated his skills of perception were.
He was a man of few words, even when we were kids, and his affable nature often led to assumptions that he wasn’t as bright as Violette.
But time and again he proved himself to be shrewd and exceptional at reading people.
I should have expected he would read me, too, and catch on to the fact that I wasn’t telling him everything.
“I see,” I said, inexplicably hurt by his suspicions even though he was right to doubt my loyalties.
Levitt sat back in his chair with a sigh.
“I trust you, Kit, but… you were gone a long time.” He swept his gaze out over the town.
“A small part of me worried that Merrick might be telling the truth, and it’s my job to protect the people of Ashpoint.
Our friendship must come second to that responsibility. ”
He finally turned back to me, his brows furrowed over pinched eyes.
“Once he involved the Sentinels, I couldn't dismiss his accusations without risking my position. He openly accused me of favoritism, which is absurd because it’s clear that he’s doing the opposite and targeting both of you.
So, I made a gamble. If I was right about you, then they would find nothing.
Your name would be cleared, and they’d move on.
Better yet, it would discredit Merrick. If he was right… ”
He gestured in the direction of the ritual room several floors below, and I understood his implication. Had weapons been found, I’d have been judged and punished. Most likely I would have been put to death, and possibly Penny along with me.
“Could have at least let me be there while they searched my house,” I grumbled.
Levitt gave a weak smile. “The thing to realize here is that you’ve proven yourself to be trustworthy, and not just to me.
You were out for thirteen years and never gave away anything.
Since you’ve been back, you’ve done everything we’ve asked.
You work hard and don’t cause trouble. You found a recruit who fits in well and has brought in the promise of much-needed resources.
You’re an asset here, and maybe now that will be recognized. ”
I wanted to believe him, but there were those here who would never trust me and had been around long enough to have the ear of Ashpoint’s influential residents.
Harlan and his pair of apprentices came immediately to mind, with Otis seeming to have even more disdain for me than my father’s old friend.
“And,” Levitt continued, “in all of this, Merrick has laid the groundwork for his own undoing.”
“How do you mean?”
“His extreme views made him unpopular with most of the Death Watch long before you returned. Now that he’s throwing around false accusations, there are… rumblings.”
“About what?”
His smile grew, and he leaned forward again. “About whether or not he’s fit to remain in his role.” He gestured between us. “If I have my way, we’ll oust him and install you in his place once you’ve completed your Oaths.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Being Shroud Warden would position me perfectly to strip the Bone Men down to nothing and prevent them from completing their Vessel before they could call down a god to cause mass destruction.
But doing so would require Levitt’s buy-in.
Even if he seemed more reasonable than the rest, there was no telling what he’d do if he found out why I was really here.
That wasn’t the only issue with his plan, either. There was no chance Merrick would step aside graciously, and I wasn’t sure Penny would like our other options.
“What would happen to Merrick?” I asked. “Would you have him executed?”
Levitt shook his head. “I have no stomach for killing. I figured I’d send him home. He may hate me and plot some sort of revenge, but he’s devout enough that I don’t think he would risk exposing Ashpoint just to spite me. Let him work the farm and contribute to our cause that way.”
“That’s not an option,” I replied. “If you send him back to the farm, he’ll turn everyone out. He’ll take it over himself and leave his mother and sister homeless and destitute.”
Levitt waved the stump of his right wrist dismissively. “That’s a family problem, and ultimately not my concern.”
I was still too on edge from the raid of the forge not to bristle at his lack of care .
“Penny’s my recruit,” I retorted. “That’s his family. Which makes it my problem, too.”
“Penny lives here. ” Levitt gestured to the town beyond the bank of windows beside us. “If his family needs refuge, they’re welcome here as well.”
It was all I could do to keep my voice even.
“You’d lose the farm. I thought Ashpoint needed its resources?
” Not to mention, I’d promised Penny we’d be gone long before the Bone Men could get their hands on his home.
“It’s an asset that we shouldn’t let go simply because it’s easier to turn Merrick out than to find a better alternative.
And what about Violette? She’s his wife. ”
“You know as well as I do that she would drop him the moment he was no longer in power.” Levitt’s lips curled in a conspiratorial smirk.
“And between you and me, she’s taken with Klaus these days.
He’s apparently more… well-endowed than Merrick.
As if that’s a thing I ever needed to know about someone my sister is sleeping with. ”
I wasn’t sure whether I should be amused by the fact that Merrick’s wife lacked any sense of fidelity, or disgusted.
“But the issue stands,” Levitt continued. “If I simply demote him, there’s no chance he’ll stay here without causing trouble. From there, the only other real option is turning him over to the militia, and they would surely see him hanged.”
“This is a large building,” I said, “with plenty of holding cells. You put Penny and me in two of those very cells when we first got here. So, lock Merrick up in one and throw away the key. Problem solved.”
Levitt sighed and rubbed his temples. “I’ll come up with something.
This will all just take more time than I hoped.
” After a moment, he reached out and rested his hand on my arm.
“I think you and I share the same vision for the Bone Men,” he said, “and I’d like your help in making it happen.
But this must be approached delicately. Opinions are shifting about Merrick, but there’s still a way to go before I would feel comfortable calling a vote.
In the meantime, you keep everything aboveboard, and we’ll give him as much rope as he needs to hang himself. ”
It was as good a plan as any. I would just have to be careful not to get caught up in it and end up being the one hung in the end.