Chapter 10
'I know you might think me cruel, but I do the things I do for the safety of the barony,' explained Lord Purdun. 'Sometimes they might seem harsh, but there are things at stake here greater than personal freedom.'
Liam was seated on one of the many couches in the baron's sitting room. He laughed. 'Spoken like a true dictator.'
'I apologize for having you followed like that,' said the baron, standing up from one of the plush upholstered chairs. 'But I'm sure you would agree, all is fair in these sorts of situations.'
Liam spat in Purdun's face.
Purdun slowly wiped the gob off his cheek.
Liam smirked. 'All's fair, right?'
Baron Purdun lifted a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and wiped the mucus off his hand. 'You don't have any idea what sort of forces you are dealing with.'
'I know enough of how you've treated my family and the villagers of Duhlnarim,' said Liam. 'I know enough to want you out of power. And, yes, I have a real good idea of what you and your men are capable of. I've witnessed it firsthand.'
Purdun shook his head. 'I'm not talking about my elite guard, and I'm not talking about the Crimson Awl.'
Liam wrinkled his forehead. 'What are you babbling about, Purdun? I'm getting tired of your games.'
The baron clenched his teeth, visibly trying to maintain his patience. 'Listen, Liam. The members of the Crimson Awl aren't what they seem.'
'Why should I believe you? Why should I believe anything you say to me? You used me. You picked me up and brought me here to try to discredit me. You used me as bait to get at the Awl. You put my family in jeopardy, and you destroyed my life.'
'I understand you're angry,' said Purdun, 'But you should be thankful I didn't throw you in the dungeon for ambushing my carriage.'
This didn't make Liam feel any better about the situation.
The baron continued. 'Think about the meeting at Dowmore Glen. Were there any new people there? Anyone who wasn't already part of the Awl?'
Liam thought back on the group of hooded strangers he'd seen watching the proceedings. 'No,' he lied.
Purdun shook his head. 'Come now. Think hard. Did no one seem out of place?'
Liam narrowed his eyes. 'What are you getting at?'
'The Awl is being manipulated by an outside power.' Purdun said, slightly exasperated. 'Someone who has reason to see me removed from power.'
Liam shrugged. 'Then perhaps I should meet them. Sounds like my kind of person.'
Purdun turned around, pacing between the chairs, holding his chin in contemplation. 'If you met this one, you'd think differently.'
'Anyone who wants to see you out of power is a friend of mine.'
Purdun stopped his pacing and turned to face Liam. 'This person is a very powerful, ancient undead spell- caster. A vampire by the name of Shyressa.'
A chill ran down Liam's spine, just hearing her name.
'And I can assure you, she doesn't have your best interest at heart,' explained the baron.
A vampire? Liam thought back on the clearing, on the strange group of robed figures followed by a group of wolves. He'd heard legends of vampires and their spawn having the ability to turn into wolves. Maybe what Purdun was saying was true. How could he have known about the strangers at the meeting? None of this made any sense.
Liam shook his head. 'You're making this up.'
'I wish I were.' Purdun rubbed the back of his neck, looking as if he were quite stressed. 'But I'm not. Shyressa has it out for me, and she's using the Awl as a way to destabilize Ahlarkham.'
'Why are you telling me this?'
Purdun walked across the room to stand in front of Liam. 'Because I want you to understand why I did what I did. I want you to see that I had to have you followed so that I could try to get to Shyressa before she gets to me. It was nothing personal. I ordered my men to do everything in their power to ensure your safety.'
Liam was confused. 'You ordered them to protect me?'
Purdun nodded.
'Why would you do that? I'm not on your side.'
Purdun took a deep breath. 'Because, despite what you think of me, I am not an evil man. I don't want to see you or any of the citizens of Duhlnarim harmed.' The baron sat back down in the chair he had started in.
'And I know you're not on my side, but I want you to be. I want you to join my elite guard.'
'Again with the elite guard.' Liam didn't understand any of this. 'Why are you doing this to me? What is so special about me?'
'You have passion. You genuinely believe in what you are doing, and you care about the well-being of the citizens of Ahlarkham. I could use a man like that.'
'How?'
'Well, for one thing, if you were to join us it would add a lot of legitimacy to the guard that is currently lacking. You and the Awl have done a pretty good job convincing the people of Duhlnarim that we're a no-good bunch of despots.'
Liam couldn't help but feel a small amount of pride swelling in his chest. To hear from the baron's own mouth that his work had made some impact was a heartwarming thing.
'And you want me to switch sides and tell my friends and family that I was wrong all this time. Is that it?'
Purdun nodded. 'The people listen to you. If they see you-a man they look to for leadership, a man they trust-put his own faith in me and the elite guard, then I believe they will follow suit.'
'Well,' responded Liam, 'thanks to you, they no longer believe I'm on their side.'
'Your reputation has been called into question with the compromised leadership of the Crimson Awl, not with the people at large.'
'You stand here and tell me incredible stories about a vampire who wants you out of power, saying that I don't understand the forces at work. But it is you who don't understand.' Liam shook his head. 'The Crimson Awl is the people at large. This isn't some bought-and-paid-for group of thugs or mercenaries. The members of the Awl are the people who suffer daily under your heavy-handed taxation and your brutal guardsmen. They are one and the same.'
'Fine, say what you will. There are other reasons I want you to join the elite guard.'
'Like?'
'Of all the members of the Awl I could approach, you are the only one I am completely convinced is not in cahoots with Shyressa.'
'What makes you so sure?' Liam shot back. 'Your story is starting to come apart. If the Awl really are being manipulated, why would you think you could trust me?'
'Simply put, it's because no man fights as hard as you do unless he truly believes he's right. If you were in the vampire's employ, you wouldn't carry so much conviction.'
Liam stood up. 'I fight you as hard as I do because I find you despicable.'
'Calm down.' The baron made a gesture with his hands like he was pushing a cloud toward the floor. 'Don't you see a compliment when it's given to you?'
'Your words are poison. No matter what you say, you will never convince me that you are a good man.'
Purdun threw his hands in the air. 'Why won't you listen to reason?'
'Because I refuse to believe that the man who killed my brother can be reasonable.'
Purdun's face turned very serious. 'It was not my blade that killed your brother.'
