Origins: Discovery by Mark Henrikson

Author:Mark Henrikson [Henrikson, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BluA
Publisher: Kindle Press
Published: 2016-07-11T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21: Secrets No More

THREE DAYS AFTER his arrival, Hastelloy left the Tower of London with a trade deal in hand signed by King Henry VII, and a decidedly uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was under no illusion that young Juan had just slinked away to lick his wounds after the British monarch rebuffed him. A day, a week, a month, it did not matter how long the negotiations took. The boy and his friends would be waiting for Hastelloy to emerge from the king’s protection, and that day of reckoning had come.

He gave serious thought to asking the king for a royal escort back to the docks, but decided against it. The hubris of asking more of the king aside, admitting Hastelloy feared a twenty-year-old boy made for a weak showing in front of his new trading partner. No, Hastelloy was on his own to deal with Juan and his henchmen.

Hastelloy waited long enough to dull the attention span of those waiting for him outside, three days spent inspecting every single person who left the palace tended to do that. He did not, however, wait so long as to wear out his welcome with the king, nor invite Juan’s men to find a way back inside.

On his way out the main gate, Hastelloy joined a group of ten well-dressed noblemen and their respective entourages. He had long since disposed of his flamboyant attire in favor of common dress to blend in with the nobility’s supporting cast. In addition, he made sure to position himself in the middle of the large mob and kept his head down.

Hastelloy spotted Juan in his peripheral vision. The boy looked tired and flustered, as did the rest of his men. This was Hastelloy’s best chance to slip past the dragnet since Juan and his men were outnumbered twenty to one by the masses of men leaving the Tower of London all at once. They could not inspect, nor follow everybody. It was up to chance.

Out of desperation, three of Juan’s men tried pulling back hoods and knocking off hats to inspect the faces of those walking past. The nobles and their men met their actions with the drawing of blades.

“What’s the meaning of this? I could have your head mounted on the bridge for this,” one of the nobles shouted.

“Oh piss off,” one of Juan’s men called back as he dislodged another floppy hat to have a good look at the owner’s face.

Hastelloy took care to remain in the middle of the crowd, but eventually the ruckus drew too close for comfort. The moment Hastelloy saw an arm swing for his hat, he ducked under the blow and lodged a dagger into the man’s stomach. For good measure, he jammed the hilt with the palm of his hand to provoke a barbaric scream from his victim.

In unison, everyone took two steps back from the screaming man. The instant both sides realized blood was now drawn, the minor scuffle devolved into a full-blown riot.

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