My mind was not alert enough for an audience with the Captain of the whole band, not that I had many previous occasions to have seen him. As we walked through the camp towards the command tent, Gorkas spoke to me about something although I didn’t register what exactly he was saying to me, and just nodded along. The tent was much more spacious than what I had gotten used to, the squad tent always having at least a few mercenaries in it during most of the day.
Captain Lydon was sitting on a portable table that was always ferried along with the rest of the tent on campaign, writing a letter by the looks of it so we were received as we entered by the Vice-Captain, who was on very friendly terms with Gorkas. He tried to make some small talk with me although I only replied perfunctorily to his attempts.
Seeing that I must have something else on my mind he didn’t pester me too much, and gestured for me to sit at a table that was situated close to the entrance, where he and Gorkas spoke friendly words to one another for a while. Their conversation ceased as soon as they noticed the Captain approaching the table, before taking a seat opposite me, as Gorkas to my right had been talking to Werley who was sitting opposite him.
“Lev, it’s good to see you alive after the mess of a campaign we have just gone through, I was hoping the man who saved our whole band from being ambushed would be around to collect his due reward for this achievement” He announced, before giving both myself and Gorkas a disarming smile.
“Thank you for your kind words…” I replied, remaining polite but contrite.
“He means no disrespect Captain, he has just been out of sorts since a close mercenary of his died in that last attack by the cavalry” Gorkas explained in my stead, although he wasn’t precisely correct as to the reason for my current mood.
“Ah I see, well everyone has to lose someone at some point, death is something none of us can avoid for too long” Lydon stated understandingly, his displeasure at my attitude gone from his face.
“The reason we brought you here is to discuss your reward, if we had lost fewer men in the Duke’s campaign then I would have offered you a tidy sum, but our losses being what they are most of the funds that are currently at our disposal will be used towards training up replacements, and even expanding our band” Lydon explained, drawing nods of agreement from both Werley and Gorkas, the military-men.
“Since a coin reward is unavailable, I was hoping you would accept a promotion. Although you are still young I have been informed that you are capable of counting, writing, and reading; which is already more than I could hope for from a squad-leader” Lydon offered, before turning silent and waiting for my reaction.
I had not understood immediately the implications of what he had just said, and my mind began racing immediately for a way to turn down this “reward”. My instincts were telling me to flee from my current predicament at the first opportunity, part of me thinking that if I stuck around such people any longer that they would influence my own thoughts and I would become no better than the bandits I had the displeasure of facing on my travels.
“Are you sure you are willing to make a 16 year old like me a squad-leader? Who would willingly follow the orders of a child…” I mused, trying to explain to the Captain the foolishness of such a decision.
“A 16 year old is no child, I myself was considered an adult at fifteen and there is not much difference in other parts of the world. Gorkas himself has confirmed that you are someone who gets along well with your squad-mates, and the transition from a normal mercenary to a squad-leader is not as big of a leap as you seem to think. Gorkas himself promised to have you trained up within a few weeks to a level where you will be able to handle your duties as well as most of the other squad-leaders” Lydon explained, the other men at the table nodding along with him.
“What of Gorkas then?” I asked, hoping to focus on the squad-leader, as I didn’t want him to lose his position to me.
“Your concern for your officer is commendable, but the reason for your promotion is due to certain convenient circumstances as a result of our casualties in the Battle of Blackseed” Werley took over the explanation, pausing in the middle for a sign of understanding from me.
“You were present at the battle with the cavalry so you should have seen Platoon-Leader Tamar fall valiantly to those Lenaian dogs in battle, his absence is sorely felt as he was a man of many talents who was a valuable part of Backhand Blow. Gorkas here will be his replacement, so your relationship with him will not change, he is still the man you answer to, although now your duties will be more substantial” Werley finished his explanation, giving a smile full of yellow teeth to our side of the table.
So that’s their angle, Gorkas just wants someone he thinks will be too inept to do anything without his help, perhaps I’ll be a squad-leader in name only, while he will keep running things in the squad anyway. I began to think of how the others would respond to my appointment, and realized that there would be perhaps only two people who would take issue with it.
Cameron was in the band the longest, his skills with the sword weren’t bad either and he was older than me by a good five years. I had an amicable relation with him thus far as we were on the same ‘rung of the hierarchy’ so to speak, but who could tell if he would be happy to follow orders from someone who doesn’t even shave.
Fisk would be the other concern, he was a very smart individual although his talents lied far away from someone like Cameron. He was the one who would bargain with merchants, he had a vast repertoire of knowledge from most topics we had discussed on occasion and he was also knowledgeable with languages.
The same skills that Lydon commended me for having; the ability to do arithmetic, write, and read were all present with Fisk as well. The only edge I would have on the guy would be that his sword skills were slightly above-average at best, at least from what I’ve seen so far.
I would need to do some placating if I took on Gorkas’ duties, but if I did this I would need a reason to take on the additional workload.
“If I accept, would there be any changes to the contract I signed with your band in Verorum?” I asked tentatively, trying to sound out what exactly I was being offered.
“Yes, your pay will be proportional to your position, so you would receive a large share of any commissions and rewards should you choose to accept” Werley answered, happy with my desire for money.
“And the length of the contract?” I asked the question which I was most concerned with.
“No change, although I would encourage you to sign a longer contract there will be no hard feelings should you choose to part ways with the band” Lydon answered, seeing the true goal of my questions.
I nodded, after which Werley brought two pieces of parchment from the desk where Lydon was writing, it seems he was writing down the terms of the contracts for both myself and Gorkas. We both signed after being assured that they would be given for copying to the mercenary guild in the next town we stopped at for resupply.
I was getting ready to leave to go back to the squad tent, an arduous announcement awaiting me that I would have to make to my previous-squad mates, when Lydon said my name once more, and I turned around.
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“How is your aswang?” He asked, already switching to his native tongue.
It took me a moment to understand what he was saying, as I have been slacking off on learning that language after we left Glasdale.
“It is passable, although my writing and reading is not good” I answered with less confidence than when I spoke Rahlian.
“Make sure you work on it, we are heading south next…” The captain informed me, before dismissing me from the command tent.
***
The summer months in Krilos were always the busiest, with the city following a rhythm for centuries like a heartbeat. There would be a lot more people moving about the city during the warmer months, while in the winter months things would ground to a near-halt, as clothing that was warm enough for outside activities was a rare luxury for most. This was a rhythm exclusive to the commoners who made up the majority of most countries in this region, the nobility on the other hand had a rhythm of their own they followed.
In the summer they would have the environmental ability to travel longer distances, the roads not being covered in snow or wet mud as they would be for most parts of the winter and the months closest to it. In Jenusia there was no war, so the ‘campaigning’ season wasn’t one they made use of officially. Unofficially however, the Jenusians would send vast sums of gold and ready-made arms to destinations past their borders, where these shipments would be ‘stolen’ before they would reach their intended receivers.
Kuvira was overseeing the progress of these operations this year, as she had done for a few years already, but as she looked at message after message from couriers traveling long distances her mind was tugging at her to think about things other than the tedious work she was doing. Her ‘pet-project’ of Kevin was coming along nicely, the words she would speak into his ear warping his personality with every sentence, into someone she would proudly call her proudest creation.
The man, or rather boy, was becoming more isolated by the day, seeing his ‘true’ greatness that he had been unaware of before. He kept company with a select few, most of them being his fellow Guardians, and his views on the place of nobility within a society were aligning closer and closer to those of Kuvira and her class.
She had been surprised by his progress with swordsmanship, and his other qualities that were not combat related would make him capable of serving a similar purpose to Grant, who she held in high esteem in most things he did. Most was not all however, and it had been many months since she had given him the task of tracking down the renegade boy who had escaped her clutches, and in this particular task he had proved disappointing.
A man could not simply disappear, there were always clues to follow and her estimation of Leon, who’s name she had been informed of after his escape grew over time, as both her own and the empire’s sources were unable to locate him. She was broken out of her reverie by the sound of knocking at her door, and after confirming that it was her knight that sought an audience she let him in.
“My lady, there is news regarding the summoned who has escaped from the Tarli Kingdom, and a person of interest has been apprehended here in Krilos that I believe you would be most happy to make acquaintance with” Sir Grant Woodsbane announced, after falling on one knee in front of the princess’ desk.
“Oh? After so many months? And pray tell how did you come upon such a discovery” She stated disinterestedly, this not being the first time she got excited about a lead which would prove worthless.
“He was mouthing off about his travels in a tavern, where he mentioned his dangerous travels with a young swordsman who used two blades, and went by a similar name to the boy who escaped. This tale was heard by one of my men, who became suspicious and engaged the man in discussion claiming to be the boy’s acquaintance. His appearance closely matches the information on the wanted notice, apart from the hair color that is but it is not impossible he altered it himself…” Grant explained further, Kuvira’s interest rising as he gave more details.
“The name of this suspect?” She asked.
“Bathory Whitestar, the son of the Whitestar Trading Guild in Meran'' Grant answered immediately, understanding that the background of a witness was sometimes more important than what they claimed to have seen.
“And what pseudonym did this dual-wielding swordsman go by according to the son of a merchant?” She questioned, eager to know the name which would undoubtedly bring more leads to follow.
“Lev” Grant answered with only one word, but one which would give Kuvira a prolonged break from her other work.
The very same hour, a missive was sent through royal couriers to be on the lookout for a man going by that name, Lev’s blond hair now being included as one of the traits. She held off on updating the wanted notice through the guild however, not wishing to let the target become aware of his disguise’s current inefficacy.
She then had Bathory brough to the palace, where he was given the treatment usually saved for those of noble birth, Kuvira playing up the act of a virtuous princess to unseal the man’s lips more and more. She played the part of a worried friend and explained that ‘Lev’ had been in her care for many years up until he disappeared without leaving even a word, and that she was worried that something untoward would happen to him if she was not there to watch over him.
Bathory bought this performance entirely, revealing all he knew of his previous companion and any information as to where he was located now. The knowledge that he was now working through the mercenary guild, and that he had headed East after parting ways with Bathory allowed Kuvira to construct a map of Lev’s previous movements.
There was a registration of someone by that name in Regan, which was on the southern border of the empire. This would mean that he did not head east immediately as she had thought, which meant that the over a thousand men who were dispatched in that direction were searching in futility for many months after his disappearance.
She then understood that he traveled south, before making a stop in Meran to resupply and purchase some leather armor in the presence of Bathory. The fact that he was mounted at least solved the issue of locating one of the horses that had thus far not been accounted for, although with many other carcasses that had been killed by a Creanite led her to assume the horse that Lev was using had died as well.
After over a week since the first break in her search for the escaped summoned a letter returned from a woman who worked as a clerk in the mercenary guild in Targis, but she had a less-common employer in the name of the Jenusian Empire, who she fed information to if and when it was requested.
She had sent word that Lev was no longer working a solitary mercenary, but had joined up with a band named “Backhand Blow”, who should at this very time be in the Duchy of Glasdale much further away from Krilos, and not generally considered to be part of Jenusia’s sphere of influence.
While Jenusia had a very tight and efficient net of informants and spies at every level of society in its neighboring countries, the same could not be said for the rest of the continent. Their size and power stretched beyond this ‘net’ however, and the favor of the Jenusian Empire was something that nobles and influential commoners alike would seek at a moment's notice.
The distance between herself and her quarry would present complications however, but they were not so large that they could not be solved with a choice word here and a bag of gold elsewhere. There was already some information available to her from a few years prior on the mercenary band that Lev had joined up with, which was in the same area of the restricted part of the royal archives as information related to the hinterlands.
The empire was aware that the leader of Backhand Blow was the previous heir of the Novak Duchy, and that he was forming an armed band of mercenaries not due to a change in career prospects but as a means to a greater end. This could be turned to her advantage, as with the cooperation of the current Duke she could make it a lot easier for herself to return Lev to his rightful place at the end of her puppet strings.
This endeavor could have certain repercussions though which were political in nature, as if it became known among the lords and ladies of the hinterlands and the nearby areas that Jenusia was meddling in their affairs she would paint a target on her back among the disgruntled nobles in the empire, few as they were.
Such things would have to be planned carefully, but before she could set her plots in motion she required the approval of her father; the emperor. She saw him the same day she pieced together all of Lev’s travels, and went to inform him late at night of her discoveries. The man was surprised to see his daughter make an unexpected appearance at his quarters, and it took him a few minutes to become presentable enough to leave them and sit down for a discussion in the throne room.
The place was deserted at this time of night, and she would prefer to have this conversation in her father’s room, but there was a certain smell that came out of it when he left it and there was most likely a passed out maidservant or two that would sour the mood. He was the emperor, so few things were out of reach, most of all when it came to his own desires. Kuvira understood this all too well, so he accepted the change in venue as an inevitable consequence.
“What’s so important that you would come to see me at this ungodly hour? Or have you finally developed a conscience and want to reconnect with your erstwhile caring father?” He asked her ironically, not believing his own words for a second.
Kuvira ignored his quip, and instead spoke to the heart of the matter.
“There is finally a lead on the summoned who escaped a few months ago, I had received this information almost a month ago but I decided to get more evidence and come up with a suitable plan before coming to you for approval” She answered, before informing him of the details of the matter.
Blyn Jenusia was not entirely disinterested in making an example of the boy who escaped the empire’s graces, and should he be roughed up a little after he was taken it would make a perfect warning to any others who no doubt harbored thoughts of ‘freedom’ among the otherworlders.
“Are you sure that what you just told me is completely correct? Should we go through with what you are proposing it would be a considerable expense, not to speak upon the loss of influence we might suffer should something go wrong…” Blyn questioned, expecting his daughter to have already thought of these considerations.
“I am almost certain this is him, as dual-wielding swordsmen are rare in Jenusia, and the witness who was the reason we were able to locate him clearly remembered that ‘Lev’ who we know as ‘Leon’ said he was from Jenusia” She answered, glossing over her father’s other concerns before pulling out her ‘trump’ card.
“There is also Duke Larda, who would be most grateful to Jenusia should we help him resolve the contender for his title, permanently. We are not without friends in the Hinterlands, but it would be a great coup for the empire if we could have the backing of the Novak Duchy in the future…” She added, which made her father’s previous neutral expression finally crack into a smile at one end.
“Very well then, but inform no one apart from your own people about this. If things do not work out as you want them, you will be responsible for reimbursing the crown out of your own pocket, perhaps you’ll even have to sell a gown or two” Blyn joked, which was a ‘tell’ of his when he was joyful.
“I’ll go pick them out now…” Kuvira joined in, not doubting her own plot-weaving whatsoever.