Chapter 36: The Death of Blackwing
"In the Grafton knight's room? How did he get there?" Ian continued to press.
"I don't know, my lord."
"Then where is this knight now?"
"He's gone, and his squire too," Jenny shook her head. "I knocked on the door as you instructed. After several knocks with no response, I left temporarily. I stayed in the common room for a while, then knocked again—still no answer. Confused, I tried the handle and found it unlocked."
"Then you saw Blackwing's body?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Did you see the cause of death?"
"What?"
"Any wounds on Blackwing's body?"
"I'm sorry, my lord. I was so frightened I screamed. Then the sellswords came running to investigate. When they realized the dead man was their captain, they all went mad with rage. I didn't dare stay any longer and rushed up to report."
"Seven hells," Ian muttered. You were the first to discover the body, then you ran straight to me without stopping. Doesn't that make me look suspicious?
"Armor up. Prepare for trouble," Ian ordered.
Rolf immediately barricaded the door with tables and stools, and the three of them helped each other don their full armor in short order.
Listening to the commotion outside, Ian could only hope that when Blackwing's sellswords came for blood, Dennet would stand by him as promised.
However, they waited for some time, and when Blackwing's men didn't come battering down the door, they noticed the noise downstairs gradually faded.
After a while, there was a knock at the door.
"Ser Lucien, Jenny, are you in there?"
"It's my aunt," Jenny whispered.
"Masha?" Ian called out, though he'd already recognized the voice.
"Yes, it's me, Ser Lucien."
"And us," this time it was Dennet's voice.
"What's the situation outside?"
"Most of Captain Morgan's men have left. Only four remain in the room with his body."
"Open the door," Ian ordered, taking a step back.
"Could be a trap," Rolf frowned.
"Unlikely. If it were, this door wouldn't stop them anyway." Ian shook his head. If Dennet and his sellswords had also turned against him, he'd have no chance.
Rolf obeyed, moving the table and unbolting the door.
Only Masha, Dennet, and Ser Grayson stood outside. There wasn't a mob of angry sellswords as Rolf had feared.
"Ser Lucien," they said, bowing slightly.
"Has the killer been caught?" Ian asked.
"No, ser."
"Then why did they leave?"
"Catching a killer is far less important than fighting for the position of new captain, isn't it?" Grayson's voice carried a note of cynicism. "Except for Dorian—an orphan Captain Morgan raised as a son—he and a few others stayed behind, swearing vengeance. Everyone else left in a hurry to stake their claims."
"Then why did you stay?" Ian asked with a knowing smile.
"I didn't—" Grayson started to protest, but changed his mind mid-sentence. "You have a sharp eye. I am indeed part of the Blackwing company.
I didn't leave because I don't have the backing to compete for leadership, and I felt that becoming the new captain held less promise than working with you.
But I'm curious—how did you know I belonged to Blackwing's company?"
"Two things. First was your attitude regarding the 'Blackfyre treasure.'"
"My attitude?"
"From the start, you seemed certain I'd hired you for something dangerous. I think at that point you assumed I'd come for the Blackfyre treasure, didn't you?"
"Ah? You guessed that?" Grayson looked surprised, then admitted it.
"So you weren't shy about discussing the Blackfyre treasure at first. You probably wanted to learn how much I knew.
Then you suddenly realized I knew nothing about it, so you immediately changed tactics and became reluctant to discuss the matter.
This is because you didn't want to create another competitor for the treasure.
If, as you claimed, you'd truly been excluded from the Whitewalls search—just like Dennet—then you should have welcomed a new competitor like me, as he did. Only then would you have a chance to share in the spoils.
Since you didn't, it meant you were either part of the local knights' alliance or part of Blackwing's company."
Grayson's throat worked as he swallowed nervously.
"The second thing is how you addressed Blackwing."
"Everyone calls him Captain Morgan. He dislikes the nickname 'Blackwing' because it belongs to the position of company captain, not to him personally," Grayson explained, seemingly realizing where this was going.
"I know that. For instance, Masha and Jenny always call him 'Captain Morgan,' but they're just innkeepers. You're different. You're a knight. Since Dennet always calls him 'Blackwing'—just as I do—why would you lower yourself to call another man 'Captain'?"
"So you already knew I was Blackwing's man? Then why hire me?" Grayson said in a defeated tone.
"Didn't I tell you? I have no interest in Blackfyre treasure. Since Blackwing and I had no conflict of interest, what did it matter if you were one of his men? My plan was to employ many of his company anyway, though that plan has now fallen through. By the way, you'll still serve me, yes?"
"I formally apologize for my earlier deception, Ser Lucien. If you're willing to forgive me, my sword is yours."
"You have my forgiveness, ser, but never deceive me again." Ian looked at Dennet.
"Oh? I haven't lied to you, ser. I swear by Queen Nymeria," the Dornishman said quickly.
Nymeria was the warrior queen of the Rhoynar. To escape the destruction wrought by Valyria, she'd led her people across the narrow sea on ten thousand ships, traveling through countless lands to reach Dorne. She later married Mors Martell and together they united the fractured Dornish kingdoms.
She held a sacred position in Dornish hearts. Even the fact that Dornish women enjoyed equal inheritance rights was attributed to her legacy.
"I know you haven't lied, my friend," Ian nodded, looking at Masha. "When will the inn return to normal business?"
"Blackwing's sellswords smashed things downstairs, scared off most of the guests. We have spare tables in the storeroom, so business should resume soon. But what about those sellswords seeking vengeance for Captain Morgan?"
"I can try to convince them to leave," Ser Grayson offered, ready to take on the task.
"Why should they leave? They're sellswords, aren't they?"
"They're only interested in avenging Captain Morgan. There's no way they'll accept your hire," Grayson explained.
"But now," Ian's eyes narrowed, "I've also become interested in this so-called Blackfyre treasure."
The room fell silent.
"My lord?" Masha looked confused.
Dennet's expression brightened with interest, while Grayson looked troubled.
"Think about it," Ian said, leaning back against the wall. "A Grafton knight arrives yesterday, supposedly heading to King's Landing but never leaves. This morning, Blackwing is found dead in his room, and the knight has vanished. Why?"
"Maybe the knight killed him?" Dennet suggested.
"Possibly. But why? What motive would a Grafton knight have to murder a sellsword captain?" Ian paused. "Unless Blackwing went to his room for a reason. And what reason would bring a sellsword captain to a knight's chamber in the early morning?"
"Information," Grayson said slowly. "Or a deal gone wrong."
"Exactly. What if this Grafton knight knew something about the Blackfyre treasure? What if Blackwing went to negotiate, and things went poorly?"
"Then the knight killed him and fled before anyone noticed," Dennet finished.
"Which means," Ian continued, "this knight likely knows where the treasure is—or at least knows enough to be dangerous. And now he's running. The question is: where?"
"Back to Gulltown?" Masha suggested.
"No," Ian shook his head. "If he were innocent, he'd stay and explain. If he's guilty and heading home, he'd know we could find him there. He's either heading for the treasure himself, or he's going somewhere to lie low."
Ian looked at Grayson. "These sellswords who stayed behind—Dorian and the others. They want revenge?"
"They're determined, ser."
"Then I'll give them a chance at it. But first, I need to speak with them. I need to know everything Blackwing knew about this treasure—and I need to know it now."
Ian's mind was already working through possibilities. If this Grafton knight was a player, then the player had killed an NPC and fled. That suggested the player knew something valuable—valuable enough to kill for.
And if there was valuable information to be had, Ian intended to have it.
"Rolf, Kevan—we're going downstairs. Time to see what Captain Morgan died for."
(End of Chapter)
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