A Dagger of the Mind (The Imperial Metals) Read Free

paying his way as an expert appraiser. He consulted for Kings and Sultans. He tried to forget his homeland, and all the loss he had suffered. He tried to forget the abandoned bodies of his children.
    But after five years at sea, he grew weary of his travels. He was homesick. He knew he couldn’t return to Franconne, which was now controlled by the Turin, but he wanted to start anew amongst the people who spoke his language and knew his customs. He wanted to come back to the Kingdom.
    He had arrived six months ago, and bought a manor house in the capital city of Anuen, less than a mile from the Castle. He met Landos during a formal function, where the two hit it off. After a few bottles of wine, the Baron Dubon von Wrims told his tale of sorrows...
    “But now,” he had concluded, “I have returned to my home. It is not zee home I grew up in, but I feel a sense of pride. Zis is my Country. Zis is where I belong.”
    Landos had also imbibed a considerable amount of wine...
    “Welcome back to Rone,” he said, extending a hand, as though he were the customs agent. They shared a laugh, even though nothing either of them had said was funny.
    “Zank you,” the Baron managed. Landos stifled another snicker. The Baron’s accent was the sort of thing you only heard in plays that tried to make fun of northerners. “I hear,” Dubon continued, “You are planning a dedication to zee Saint Michael, hmm?”
    “Indeed, the East Wing has been cleared out,” Landos explained, pointing north. “We want it on display for the Peace Festival.”
    “And you will have works of art on display, hmm?”
    “That’s the plan. Though so far we haven’t had a lot of luck tracking down artists.”
    “In zat case, I will commission works from zee great artists I have met in my travels around zee world.”
    “Are you sure, Baron? That’s a big responsibility...”
    “Please, Mister Magistrate... I have done nothing for zis Kingdom. I stayed away. I was a coward. And yet, when I come home, zere she is, waiting for me. If I could not help during zee War, at least I can help now.”
    “Baron, we all did what we had to do during the War. Nobody could blame you for staying away, after the loss you suffered. And certainly nobody would call you a coward.”
    The Baron finished his glass of wine in one, tremendous gulp. That he didn’t get any on his beard was a miracle.
    “It was not just zee cowardice. I must tell you somezing. A secret.”
    Landos leaned over the table, eager to hear the Baron’s confession.
    “I was in a tavern, far from home. I had only just heard zat my wife and children were...” his voice faded, lost in thought, “And a man came in, and started a fight with me. I have never been a violent man, Mister Magistrate. But zis man attacked me when I was at my most vulnerable. And I... It is too terrible to say.”
    “Baron,” Landos clasped his hand on Dubon’s shoulder, “Sometimes our sins hurt us more because they are also secrets. Please, if I can be of any help to you... Unburden yourself. I will not judge you or think less of you.”
    “You are a true friend,” the Baron nodded. “Indeed. I will tell you zee secret. Zis man who attacked me, just as I had suffered zis great loss, I killed him.”
    “He attacked you. You had to defend yourself.”
    “You are correct, perhaps. But I was angry. I wanted to kill him. Maybe I was in zee right by law. But I was not in my heart.” The Baron collected himself, dabbing his eyes with a crumpled kerchief. “You are right, Mister Magistrate. It is good to talk about zis.”
    “I’m glad I could help. And please, when we are just talking ourselves, call me Landos. And, you know what, we could use a world-renowned art appraiser to help us set up the Saint Michael dedication.”
    And the Baron did just that. He sent his servant, a tall, silent man named Krugg, on a voyage, where he collected Dubon’s favorite artists and had them all assembled at his estate. There,