Hero Of Broken History

Kai had picked a lot of locks in his life.

The first had been the kitchen pantry when he was six and his older brothers had decided the youngest didn't need dinner. The most memorable had been Lady Corven's jewelry box, though that was less theft and more returning items her husband had "borrowed" from Mother. The most educational had been the Veritas library's restricted section, because knowledge was power and power meant survival.

But Goldus Merchantius's office balcony door? This was just insulting.

One tumbler. He has one tumbler in this lock. My eight-year-old sister could pick this with a hairpin and determination.

The mechanism clicked open with an ease that actually offended his professional pride. All that money spent on gaudy robes and rings, and the man secured his office with something that wouldn't keep out a motivated pigeon.

Kai slipped inside, closing the door silently behind him. The office assaulted his senses immediately – gold everything, from the desk to the curtains to what appeared to be a life-sized portrait of Goldus himself. The painting stared down with an expression of smug satisfaction that made Kai want to steal something on principle.

Rich people. No taste, no sense, no decent locks. It's like they're begging to be robbed.

From three stories below, Leontis's voice drifted up: "GATHER ROUND, CITIZENS, FOR A TALE OF WOE AND WONDER!"

The distraction was working. Kai had watched both guards abandon their posts to see what the commotion was about. Leontis had promised comedy but seemed to be delivering some kind of interpretive dance about vegetables. Whatever worked.

Time to focus. Goldus's desk dominated the room like a wooden mountain that had gotten ideas above its station. Papers covered every surface in what might charitably be called "organized chaos" but looked more like "what happens when you're too cheap to hire a proper secretary."

Right. Evidence planting. Make it believable.

Kai pulled out the documents Seren had prepared. She'd done excellent work – the papers looked authentically aged, with just the right amount of wear. Coffee stains in believable places, edges yellowed with her lemon juice trick, even fold marks where someone might have stuffed them in a pocket.

The shipping manifests went into the bottom drawer, beneath legitimate invoices. Casual searching would miss them, but anyone looking for financial crimes would dig deeper. The encoded letters got tucked between pages of a ledger, as if Goldus had been using them as bookmarks. The payment records...

False bottom drawer. Classic hiding spot.

Kai examined the desk more carefully. No false bottom currently, but that was easily fixed. He pulled out his tools – thin blade, small pry bar, materials that definitely weren't standard seventh son equipment. The bottom panel lifted easily, and he quickly installed a secondary panel beneath it. Not expert work, but good enough to look like something a paranoid merchant might cobble together.

The payment records went into the new hiding space, along with one of Goldus's legitimate documents for authenticity. Perfect. Suspicious enough to investigate, amateur enough to be believable.

As he worked, Kai's mind wandered to his other job. The real reason he was here, playing assistant to whatever Avian really was.

Weekly report to Lord Aedric. What do I even say this time?

"Dear Patriarch, your son continues to be impossibly strong and definitely hiding something massive. Also, we're being hunted by death mancers and may die horribly within three days. PS - he has a lightning wolf now."

Yeah, that'll go over well.

The truth was, his reports had become increasingly vague lately. "Young master attended the guild." "Young master trained extensively." "Young master ate breakfast." Nothing about the death mancer hunting, the conspiracy theories, or the fact that Avian fought like someone who'd had several lifetimes to perfect the art of killing.

Why am I protecting him?

The answer was complicated. Partly pragmatism – Avian's rise meant Kai's family rose too. Partly genuine friendship, which had snuck up on him like a thief in the night. But mostly...

Mostly because he'd started to understand Aedric's real game.

Oh. Oh, you clever bastard.

It clicked suddenly, pieces falling into place with the satisfaction of a lock opening. Aedric had known. Had known Avian would learn to block surveillance – probably counted on it. Why else assign Kai, who was subtle enough to stay close even when magical eavesdropping failed?

He's not using me to spy on Avian. He's using me to stay connected when Avian thinks he's hidden.

The Patriarch didn't need detailed reports because he already knew the important parts. He just needed someone physically present, someone Avian trusted enough to keep around even when being paranoid. Someone who could confirm his son was still alive and making progress.

Manipulative bastard. I'm almost impressed.

"THE CARROT REPRESENTS THE HUMAN CONDITION!" Leontis's voice boomed from below. Whatever his performance had become, it was certainly holding attention.

Kai finished his work, making sure everything looked naturally suspicious rather than planted. One more sweep to ensure he hadn't left evidence of his presence...

Footsteps in the hallway.

Shit.

Heavy footsteps, moving with purpose. Not guards – they shuffled. This was someone who knew where they were going and expected people to get out of their way.

Goldus. Has to be. So much for two-hour lunches.

Kai moved silently to the balcony door, but voices were already at the office entrance. No time for the lock. He glanced around desperately – curtains? Too obvious. Under the desk? Too exposed.

The ceiling.

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Old buildings like this had exposed beams, decorative but functional. Kai jumped, caught one, and swung himself up just as the door opened. He pressed flat against the beam, grateful for once that being the seventh son meant being smaller than his brothers.

"—completely unacceptable!" Goldus's voice filled the room like overpriced wine. "Do you know how much that shipment was worth?"

"The warehouse was compromised, my lord." Another voice, nervous and trying to hide it. "After Wilhelm's death, security has been—"

"I don't pay for excuses!"

Great. Business meeting. This could take forever.

Goldus stomped to his desk, and Kai held his breath. If the merchant noticed anything disturbed, if he opened the wrong drawer...

"The Elder is asking questions," Goldus continued, apparently too angry to notice details. "He seems to think I'm responsible for the security breach. Me! As if I personally oversee every warehouse!"

"Perhaps if we increased the guard rotation—"

"With what money? Do you think I'm made of gold?"

You're literally covered in gold, you pretentious peacock.

The conversation continued, Goldus ranting about expenses and incompetent subordinates. Kai's arms started to ache from holding his position. The beam was dusty, and his nose began to itch with the promise of a sneeze.

Don't. Don't you dare. Think of anything else. Dead puppies. Tax forms. Avian's complete lack of humor.

"What we need," Goldus said, moving around his desk, "is to cut costs elsewhere. The preservation supplies alone are bleeding me dry."

He opened a drawer. Not the one with evidence, thankfully. But close. Too close.

Come on. Leave. Go yell at someone else.

"Double-check the inventory," Goldus ordered finally. "Every vial, every component. If someone's skimming, I want their hands removed. Literally."

"Yes, my lord."

More footsteps. The door closing. Silence.

Kai waited, counting slowly to one hundred before dropping from the beam. His arms screamed protest, but he landed silently. Now to get out before—

"I know you're there."

Kai's blood froze. The voice came from the corner, where shadows gathered thicker than they should. A figure stepped out – not Goldus, but someone worse. Black leathers, professional stance, and eyes that had seen too much and decided to keep watching anyway.

Professional. Assassin or high-end bodyguard. Fuck.

"Interesting technique," the figure continued, voice conversational. "Haven't seen someone use the ceiling beams in years. Most go for curtains or the window ledge."

"Professional critique?" Kai asked, hand drifting to his knives. "How thoughtful."

"Just appreciation for competence." The figure tilted their head. "You're not here to steal. Moved too carefully, touched too little. Planting something?"

No point lying to someone who watched the whole thing.

"Maybe."

"Hmm." They moved closer, and Kai saw the silver pin on their collar. Gold Knights auxiliary. The secret police of the secret police. "That's either very brave or very stupid."

"I've been told I'm both."

That got a laugh. "Fair. Tell you what – I'm going to check the balcony lock, discover it's been tampered with, and report a failed burglary attempt. Nothing taken, no evidence left behind. Just another example of why Lord Goldus needs better security."

"Why?"

"Because anyone planting evidence in Goldus's office is either working against the death mancers or playing a game so deep I want to watch it unfold." They smiled, and it was sharp as winter. "Plus, he's an insufferable ass who deserves whatever's coming."

"Can't argue with that."

"Go. You've got maybe thirty seconds before I officially notice you."

Kai didn't need to be told twice. He slipped out the balcony door, not bothering to relock it – apparently it being broken worked in their favor now. The climb down was quick, adrenaline making his movements sharp.

Leontis was still performing, now apparently explaining how turnips represented existential dread. The guards watched with the fascinated horror of people who couldn't look away from a disaster.

Mission accomplished. Evidence planted. Only almost got caught by Gold Knight shadow ops. Success?

He met Avian two blocks away, at their predetermined rendezvous. His friend took one look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Complications?"

"Goldus came back early. Had to hide on a ceiling beam while he ranted about expenses." Kai paused. "Also, Gold Knight auxiliary caught me."

"What?"

"They let me go. Said Goldus deserved whatever was coming." Kai shrugged. "Either we got very lucky or we're playing into someone else's game."

"Probably both." Avian started walking, and Kai fell into step. "Evidence planted properly?"

"Perfect amateur concealment. They'll find it, but it'll look like he tried to hide it."

"Good. Seren's already arranged the tip-off. Tomorrow afternoon, the Knights investigate."

They walked in comfortable silence for a while. Kai wrestled with how much to share about his revelation regarding Aedric. Finally, curiosity won.

"Your father's clever," he said casually.

Avian glanced at him. "Sudden appreciation for the Patriarch?"

"Just realized something. He knew you'd learn that privacy trick. That's why he paired us up." Kai watched Avian's expression carefully. "Not to spy when you're hidden, but to make sure someone he trusts is physically present when magical surveillance fails."

Avian was quiet for a long moment. Then: "When did you figure it out?"

"About ten minutes ago, hanging from a ceiling beam and wondering why I keep filing vague reports." Kai grinned. "He's not interested in details. He just wants confirmation you're alive and progressing."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Are you kidding? It's brilliant. He gets information, you get privacy, I get advancement. Everyone wins." Kai's expression turned serious. "Plus, it means he trusts me to judge when something's actually worth reporting versus when you're just being your usual mysterious self."

"Have you found anything worth reporting?"

"Let's see... Death mancer hunting, divine conspiracies, impossible combat skills, a lightning wolf, and whatever happened at that cemetery you won't talk about." Kai pretended to think. "Nah, nothing significant."

Avian actually smiled. "Your discretion is appreciated."

"It's practical. Dead allies are useless allies, and getting you killed by over-reporting would be counterproductive." Kai paused. "Plus, you're actually friend-shaped now. That complicates things."

"Friend-shaped?"

"You know, someone I'd warn before stabbing in the back. Very exclusive club."

"I'm honored."

They reached the Golden Griffin, where Leontis was already regaling Seren with tales of his performance. Apparently the vegetable metaphors had evolved into a full philosophical treatise that left three guards in tears and one questioning his career choices.

Tomorrow the Gold Knights investigate. Day after, we face the Elder. Assuming we survive, I'll need to report something to Aedric.

But that was tomorrow's problem. Tonight, they'd successfully framed a corrupt merchant to manipulate the Empire's elite into fighting their battles. It was convoluted, morally questionable, and probably going to backfire spectacularly.

Still better than Thane's latest brilliant idea.

Kai had been getting reports from home. His eldest brother was pushing himself past breaking, desperately trying to match Avian's impossible growth. There were whispers about him seeking "alternative methods" of advancement. The kind that left scars on more than just flesh.

Idiot's going to kill himself trying to compete with whatever Avian is.

But that too was tomorrow's problem. Tonight, he'd drink overpriced wine in an overpriced suite with friends who were probably going to get him killed in interesting ways.

There were worse fates for a seventh son.

Besides, he thought as Leontis launched into an interpretation of his turnip speech, at least it's never boring.