Our travel North was less stressful. With the escort of thirty guards we were given, I did not fear bandits, but the guards seemed to be there more to hurry us along than to actually protect us. That was fine by me because I was eager to get back. In fact, we probably would have moved faster without the soldiers marching since all my people were on horseback, and I had sold a lot of what we were carrying in the carts. It allowed me to sell a wagon so we could move faster by rotating out the horses. But our trip down here, where we were all on horseback back, made me forget how slow it was to travel with people on foot. But I learned my lesson on that trip. I would rather travel slowly with guards than not have a protective force with me when bandits attacked. Even the flags of nobility did not guarantee safety. A lesson that cost me, Drake. The fact that my flags were now red instead of white, due to me being a count now, meant very little to me.

Slowly, Tumlus opened up as we made our way north. I had a few sets of clothes purchased for him at the town we stayed in the first evening.

Toward the end of the day, we saw the spectacular Ridgeland Castle. I was sure that Baron Sophis was already well aware of our approach. And I wasn't disappointed as we were immediately brought to the dining hall to sup with Baron Sophis.

"My lord, it is an honor to be greeted most magnanimously," I said with a nod.

Baron Sophis stood and bowed. "Not at all, my dear count. It is I who am honored by the presence of the newest count in the duchy," he said with a knowing smile.

He knew exactly what game the nobles were playing when they made me count, but I doubt he would answer me if I asked.

After dining in relative silence, I said, "I am most grateful for your introduction into society. I hope you were not expecting me to come home with Lady Dianne at my side."

This caused the man to give a hearty laugh. "Not at all, though I am surprised Baron Frabak did not insist after you finally convinced her to cut her hair."

Of course, he knew. How did the man gather information so fast? He must have had pigeons or riders constantly coming into his estate.

We had been passed by a few messages on our way here. I wonder how they avoided bandits. Even if they only carried messages and not gold, the horses were valuable.

"Well, I am sure that you knew I could not pass up the opportunity to return the favor of the introductions. So, I have brought you a creation I hope you will find appealing and enjoyable."

I had Benjamin bring over a tiled board made of white and grey marble. On top of it rested two ornately carved boxes, one black and one white. Benjamin opened the boxes and started setting out pieces. I explained the pieces as he set them out.

"The first piece there is called the Heir. The object of the game is to protect him. Standing beside him is the king. He is the most powerful piece. To either side of them are the King's Queens…"

Yes, I had changed the names of the pieces on the chessboard. I did not want to offend the rulers of the land, who certainly would not appreciate the king being the weakest piece, even if I told them he was the most important piece. I explained the basics of the rules, and Sophis seemed intrigued.

"The name of the game is Protect the Heir, or just Heir for short. Would you care to play?"

"This does seem interesting. I am not much for the game Tiles, but I see that this game may have a bit more complexity. Show me how it is played."

After setting up the board, I sat down across from him and began to explain the rules. I was not an excellent chess player. The only time I really played chess was with Nathan when we were extremely bored. I did know a couple of strategies, but I couldn't think far enough ahead to call myself any good.

Of course, I won the first game, but not by as much as I had hoped. By the third game, he had beaten me. I figured he would pick this up quickly and start to beat me, but not so rapidly.

"Well, I may not be a strategist like you, but at least I invented a game that seems to interest you."

"Indeed, it is quite an intriguing game. However, I think I would get bored quickly playing against someone like you," the baron said teasingly.

"Yes, I am afraid you will have to find someone with a quicker wit than I am in order to truly be satisfied with this game."

"I have a few friends that I would love to teach this to," he said in a slightly excited voice.

"I am glad you like the gift. May I ask you some questions that I feel you would most likely have the answers to?"

"You may ask," he said in a tone that made it clear he wasn't necessarily going to answer.

"Do you know why they made me a count? Nobody does things without reason."

"Of course, I know. It was a counter-move, which was part of the biggest game in the kingdom."

"I figured I was a pawn."

Even though I knew this was the case, it was a difficult pill to swallow. "I just don't understand the move."

"No, I would put you as a little more valuable than a pawn. Still, someone who would be sacrificed," he said, deflecting the real question.

"What do you want?" I said.

"What do you have that is worth the information? What I know can assist you in the future if you survive the attack on your barony."

Of course, he knew about the Rabiss raiders. With the people he had introduced me to, I was sure he was involved with the council. Not that it mattered. Part of why he had introduced me to the people he had was to show that the power in Kimton was not held by the King but by the nobility. But what should I give him for the information I need? He was the sort of person who preferred information over things, but…

"I will give you the design for something that will increase the speed at which you can cut lumber and reduce the amount of manpower needed. When I left, my people were building and refining the process. I can give you the designs now, and then I can send you updated designs and notes," I said.

Why was I willing to give this information up? Because there was no way to hide it. If I gave Sophis a few months to a year's head start, then I am sure he would be able to make a successful business out of it.

"And no one else has this? I already know about the plow you created and how you gave credit to the king. But I have not had any information on this."

"The sawmill shouldn't have gotten out yet. As I said, we were designing and building it."

He thought for a moment. "Alright, so let's discuss why you were made count. What do you know of the political situation in the kingdom?"

"It's falling apart at the seams. The king has a lot of people mad at him because of the war with Hitub. They want it to end. The king has very few supporters in Kimton, to the point where some people flaunt their opposition openly without fear of consequences. I don't know what it is like in other duchies, but Githum seems to be in the same situation. The gossip I got at the different functions pointed to a council that was in opposition to the king. Not all the members of the council see eye to eye. I believe the only reason why the king has not lost all power is that the opposition is not as united as they should be.

"The Duke was part of that opposition, but it may have been his madness that caused it. Maybe he was before the madness took hold, or maybe he was a loyal supporter of the king. Either way, he doesn't seem to be stable enough to have been leading anything on the council.

"You say my position as the count is due to a counter move. I am guessing it was a faction within the council that was trying to keep another from gaining too much power. That is the shortened version. I picked up a lot in the time I was there, but I am still missing something."

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He nodded. "Good enough. I am glad you didn't waste all your time down in Kimton. It seems you took the time to learn."

"I have to admit I had a good coach. My steward Benjamin and I would sit down after the gatherings and discuss what I had learned. Also, we had plenty of time over the last few days to discuss what this all meant."

"Yes, I imagine the Steward of Kimton's son would have been an invaluable asset when it comes to navigating court politics. His father is a very shrewd man. Now, let us assume that the rebel faction starts a coup that does not go as smoothly as they hope. It would turn into a war. What you are missing is that during a war, there are refugees."

And with that, things clicked into place. "Someone in the council wants to use Bicman as a dumping ground for refugees. But then, why the raid this spring or summer? Maybe it is a different faction, or they are cleaning out my barony as an excuse to put more people there. We have plenty of space, so that doesn't make sense. Unless they expect our fields to be somewhat intact, we still wouldn't have enough food, though."

I was letting my thoughts spill out as soon as they came to mind.

"No, I have to remember that I am a pawn. I could be used as a scapegoat. They send people there so that I can take care of them, but I can't, and they can claim negligence on my part. Then they take my barony and give it to someone loyal to them. If it is the same faction that installed Malcomp and Plimgus, then they have grabbed another barony within Vaspar. And we know Vaspar is loyal to the King," I said.

So why make me count?

"Somebody in the council doesn't want the other faction to have the whole north and wants me to build a port there. If I have the resources of the whole county and am able to spread people out, I may be able to help the people survive."

"Do not forget the raid. You will have the resources of your entire county to assist you. But remember. If I know what you know about the raid, there is no doubt that the faction that is causing the raid knows what you know. They will certainly take measures to prevent the raid from failing," Sophis said.

He knew that I knew about the raid as well! Either Vaspar or Benjamin's father tipped them off about the raid. I don't think it was intentional, but should I have kept my mouth shut? Maybe, but we needed the information we received from the Steward of Kimton. I doubt Sophis would have shared that information with me willingly. I wouldn't have even known to ask.

"Thank you for that information. At least they don't know that I know that they know that I know. So I can prepare for their counter move."

"Don't assume that," he said sternly. "Assumptions get people killed."

"Any idea when they will attempt the coup?"

"I have no clue. Everything I told you was conjecture based on the belief that there may be a coup," he said with a completely straight face.

That was a bald-faced lie.

"Well, it has been a long day, and I am ready to retire. If you don't mind, I would like to go over the designs for your hedge maze in the morning," I said

"Excellent. I look forward to seeing the designs. May you have a good rest."

The next morning, we reviewed my designs for his hedge maze and some unique things to put at dead ends, such as statues or little flower beds.

"You ought to build a grotto at the center of it and put a sage there," I said half-jokingly.

"I find the trend of garden hermits lacking in appeal."

"Ah, but here is the good part. Train an old man to play chess. Those who make it through the maze to him must play him in chess to receive answers."

His eyes lit up at that. "Now that does sound fun. However, I may spend all my time posing as the garden hermit."

"Yes, I don't think you could find a sage to match your intellect. In that case, you may have to build a secret passage that lets you access the center directly. As your guests are finding their way through the maze, you head straight there and greet them."

Sophis laughed. "I have no idea where you get your creativity from, but it is a treasure. I will not send the Starlight Mars to your barony until after you resolve the matter with the raid. I don't want to waste them."

If they were as precious as he claimed, then I could understand his point.

After bouncing some more ideas off each other, I departed just before noon. I was eager to get home, but having a large group of soldiers escorting us slowed things down. If they had all been on horseback, we would have had a much better time. Fortunately, they were no slackers, and we moved faster than most regular travelers.

We pushed hard to reach Newmoore by the evening, where we stayed the night. The baron, of course, was off at war, but his wife greeted us kindly. Well, that is until she saw Tumlus in our company. Her first reaction was shock and then disgust. We were treated coldly after that.

I had just handed my crutches to Rick, and I was about to be assisted into the carriage by Benjamin and Tumlas the next morning when the baroness approached me.

"Count Bicman, I know it is not my place, but may I give you some advice?"

I knew what it was going to be, but I decided to hear her out. "Of course, Lady Newmoore. I am always open to advice."

"You must get rid of your Rabissian servant. They are foul people and are always willing to betray those around them."

Tumlus put his head down and hunched his shoulders. Having lived his life with a bag over his head, he was not good at hiding his emotions. He looked like he might cry. He reached up and grabbed the new necklace that hung around his neck. It held the three glass beads that Rick had retrieved from the Tumlus's hiding spot.

"I see," I said in a cold voice that matched hers. "Although I appreciate your concern, I will have to decline your advice. Tumlus is a master glassmaker. And is valuable to me. He has proven himself trustworthy and loyal. I feel that with his help, my barony will prosper. Thank you for your hospitality. May you have a pleasant winter."

With that, I got into my carriage. And we got moving. After about half an hour, Tumlus spoke up in his quiet voice. "Why, my lord?"

I smiled. "Why what?"

"Why did you say what you did to the baroness?"

"Because she was wrong, and I don't appreciate it when someone talks badly about my people."

"But I'm…"

I laughed. I understood that this society valued a lady who did nothing but sit around and do needlework all day more than a boy who could make glass. But it was still funny to me how hard it was to help my people see their own value. "You are much more important to me than some stuck-up baroness. I can't make you understand, but eventually you will."

Our next stop was Lord Cumfrance's manor. As we entered the courtyard, I got the same reaction from many of the people I had visited. They looked shocked to see my red scarf with silver trim. The red scarf, of course, signified my office, but the silver trim signified that I had earned it in the service of the Duke. My Grandfather had been allowed gold on his scarf for saving the king's life.

I found the shock amusing because everyone knew of elevated status, but they still had a hard time believing it. A backwater baron being elevated to a count for saving the life of the duke was a thing of fairy tales. And it would have been the same this time except for the games being played by the court.

The steward got a hold of himself quickly and bowed deeply, "Count Bicman, your presence is most welcome. Please let me invite you in to dine. We have the table set for you."

"Thank you," I said with a polite nod.

We entered the dining room to find Lord Cumference waiting for us. He stood and bowed deeply. "Count Bicman, It is an honor to have you in my home."

I smiled, "Please, call me Amos. You have done much for me, and I consider you my friend."

"Very well, you must call me Aethelried."

"Excellent. We should have done this from the start," I said.

We enjoyed an excellent meal of beef and thick, honeyed bread. The subject turned to the war, and we spoke of Aethelried's military service. He had received this fiefdom after helping his baron capture and defend a border town in the Hitub War. The baron was lauded as a genius strategist, and Lord Cumfrance was awarded this fiefdom.

I wish I had a man like this in my lands. He was a true man of honor. I also needed more military men to train my people. If I had a few knights on my lands, then the prospect of fighting off raiders would seem a lot less daunting. No, not just knights, but knights who had served in the military. Technically, even as a baron, I could have raised anyone to the status of knight within my barony. All I had to do was give them some land and have them swear an oath of military service.

However, I wanted trained men—men who had served and fought. My guards were great, and now that we had a larger population of fighters, I would look into knighting some of them. But they had never been trained for large battles. I also needed to make sure they could handle the responsibility of owning land. It was something I had been working on during this trip back. If we all survived the raid, I would be giving the villages in my barony over to knights.

At first, I was worried because I felt I would be lowering the status of the Headmen when they became stewards. Benjamin, however, assured me that the opposite was true. A steward of a fief was an elevated position, so I would be killing two birds with one stone.

We would be leaving early the next morning, so I decided to take care of my other reason for this visit before I retired.

I made my way through the garden towards a small hut at the rear. I could hear humming coming from somewhere within it.

"Becca, I would like a word with you," I said as I approached the hut.

Becca, Lord Cumferance's Garden Hermit, emerged from the hut holding some sort of creature in her arms. It looked like a cross between a lemur and a cat. It was about the size of a cat but had a raccoon-like tail. Its body and legs were like cats', but the head reminded me of a lemur. The eyes, however, were larger than those of the lemurs I had seen in zoos.

"Ah, it is you. I see that you have escaped the wolves. You have even been elevated. Good for you."

I didn't want to admit to what I had done, but I wanted to know if this lady really saw the future or something like that.

"Ah, did you know that your powder can have a negative effect on people?"

"It gives insight and wisdom," she said as if I were stupid.

"I had someone tell me that a person could be driven mad if they used it."

She snorted. "Only if you are stupid about it."

"How so?"

She shook her head, "Too much enlightenment at once can be bad for anyone."

"Are you saying that people should not put the whole thing in their soup?"

This caused her to laugh. "That would be a terrible idea. If you are thinking about using it that way, you should just give it back to me before you harm yourself."

"I see."

So apparently, she hadn't intended for me to use it that way.

"You still need a dog," she said, changing the subject.

"I am a count now. I must be even more selective of the dog I take responsibility for," I said seriously.

She smiled, "You are a good man. Your dog will be very happy. I will keep my eyes open for just the right one."

"Thank you, Becca. You have answered my question. Have a good evening," I turned to leave, but Becca spoke up.

"My lord, beware of rats. They can destroy your household from the inside. You will probably need a lot of creatures now that you are a count to help with rats."

I considered asking for more information, but I felt like I already knew what she was talking about. I needed to hurry home.