“Why is it every time I wake up and come in here,” Meristal asked the council with as much decorum as she could muster, “there is another big pile of shit that I have to clean up?” She noticed a few withering glances from Kayis’ supporters, but they remained tight-lipped. They spoke little and agreed even less. Meristal also caught the other glances from the members of the Kothlere Council, looks of embarrassment or apprehension. “What else do I need to know about? Let’s get it all out today, because I swear by the gods, if I come in here tomorrow and I find more stuff to clean up, political heads are going to roll.”

Poplu smirked and spoke up, “Which gods?”

“Does it matter?” Meristal snapped back, losing her calm composure for a brief flash. “Dwaven, troll, vampire, wizard, whichever gods are listening. By all of them, I don’t care!” She sighed with frustration. “Who is in charge of our treasury?”

Kellis spoke, “Many offices are in charge of our finances. The Office of Legal Tender, the Office of Tax, the Office of Imports and Exports, the office of Expenditure, the Office of Acquisitions, the Office of Foreign Currency and Trade, the Office of—”

“You’ve made your point,” Meristal growled. She massaged her temples as Poplu and Capraro smirked at each other. “Very well. Bring me the person in charge of each office.”

“Now?” Lagelm inquired.

“Yes, now! I don’t care what they are doing. If they are in meetings, interrupt them, if they are enjoying a day off, send a herald with an escort of guards. In fact, send each with a team of guards, so they know I mean business. The only exceptions I will make is if they are sick, their wife is giving birth, or if they are dead!” The heralds below the council’s dais stared at her for a moment, unsure if she was serious or not. The scribes even paused and attended expectantly.

“Go!”

Pandemonium erupted as each herald hurried to their assigned tasks. When the bluster faded, Meristal looked at each council member.

“What else needs to be brought to my attention?”

Sedrus harrumphed before starting. “The channel being dug from the Golden City to Ralloc. Construction by the Golden City is well underway.”

“Is it too late to stop it?” Meristal offered.

“Yes, construction began a score of years ago.”

“How much does it cost us?”

“The amount is unknown, the Office of Labor hold the details to that,” Sedrus supplied.

Meristal lifted her head up and scanned below for a messenger. Finding none, she glanced down the end of the council’s bench at Capraro, one of the former consul’s supporters. “Bring me the person in charge of the office of Labor.”

He balked at her. “You can’t be serious?” he laughed. Meristal didn’t say anything; she just let her amethyst gaze pierce him until he felt the urge to flee her scrutiny. She moved on once he vacated the chambers.

“Next?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“There is the increase in costs for warhorses for officers in the Grand Royal Army,” Daylynn pointed out. When Meristal first took this job, each day she loathed going to work because she would have to see Daylynn Reese, however, she quickly found that Daylynn was one of her strongest advocates. It was a welcomed shock, and while Meristal was silently grateful, she still despised her. The feud between the two women would continue unto the grave, perhaps even after.

“What cost increase? Do the horses talk now? Make dinner?”

“An Epoch ago we agreed to order less as a means to save money. But now with a war starting, our need has increased again, but the warhorse breeders demand time and a half for their stock.”

“Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t the warhorses rather expensive?” Meristal groaned.

“Yes, the average cost is ten thousand scepters. Currently, the breeders are asking for fifteen.”

Meristal snorted. “Not a chance, I will give them two ingots, twelve thousand scepters, but no more. At which case, it was already ridiculous before, and now it is more so. Shades, most people don’t even make that much in a year!”

“The Army’s upper echelon of officers do,” Kellis noted.

“Thank you for reminding me,” she replied curtly. “What else?”

“You intend to swell our Army ranks by an additional one hundred thousand. The money we have allotted for this year’s tax collection is spent. We are broke,” Sedrus declared.

“Broke? Last time I checked, our treasury is full of gold. Are you telling me if I go down to the vaults right now that it’s all gone?”

“No,” Lagelm spoke up. “That is our reserve.”

“Reserve? Jackal and Shades! We could go without collecting tax for an Age and barely put a dent into it,” the consul surmised.

“Perhaps, but I think you exaggerate, Consul,” Sedrus cautioned.

“Okay, spit it out all at once. What else do we need to work on?”

“Increase in mining, product yield for harvest, taxes, money for more ships to be built and the felled timber for its construction, lumberjacks, ship builders, haulers…” Sedrus blurted.

Kellis picked up where he stopped. “There are the demands for increased wages, better living accommodations, better food and cost of living expenses, and relocation allocation for all the canal workers either in the Golden City or en route.”

“The cost of the war, increased productions, the need for armor and weapons, leather, gear, clothing, and wagons to haul supplies and goods to Cape Gythmel,” Lagelm included.

“And that’s without touching the woes of Ralloc,” Daylynn chimed in.

“How?” Meristal queried, letting her forehead rest on her desk.

“How what?” Poplu interrupted, the last of Kayis’ supporters.

“How could you let it get this bad? Were you guys not paying attention at all or was Kayis hiding all this from you?”

Kellis coughed. “Public opinion and image mattered more to him. He did make the masses happy, and they loved him, regardless of what he failed to do as the consul.”

“Does the general populace not know about these problems?” Meristal probed, afraid of what she might learn.

“Oh, they knew, they just blamed all the offices for dragging their feet. It was never Kayis’ fault,” Daylynn admitted. “He was good about letting others take the fall, as long as he didn’t go down with them.”

Just then, the doors to the chambers burst open as guards ushered in the heads of offices that Meristal had requested. Dirty sandals, muddy boots, and the scuffed metal boots of the guards traipsed over the phthalo blue carpet, leaving stains of murky water, mud, and other untold specimens. Meristal looked up as they filed into the room. Forty men and women stood below the dais.

“Is this all?” she commented.

A herald stepped forward. “These are for the offices you asked for.”

“Are you telling me there are others that are involved with our treasury?”

“Yes,” Kellis spoke up.

“Bring them; I’ll wait.”