The land had gone from less good to downright bad and rained half the time.

Exposed roots overgrew the path, and no Lords dwelled in this place. Here and there, they saw ruined castles that had once stood tall and proud. Now, however, they were falling into ruins, and vines were overrunning them. The land was choked with brambles, and the roads were falling apart. Once or twice, William tripped on them and nearly sprained a leg. Vorn found it amusing, much to William's irritation.

He hated feeling so undignified; he hated being cold, being dirty. And more and more, he wished for a decent inn, even if he would never admit it. Jehair kept looking at him, expecting him to ask, but he insisted on caves and what shelter could be found. He was not going to let Felix beat him on this. The only hospitality William accepted was from villages he healed the sick in.

That was nice enough. The food was much less than he was used to, but they helped by hunting wild pigs. There were always more boars, and Jehair was very good at finding them.

The only consolation was they'd saved a lot of money. Even so, William hoped Wrynncurth would be willing to listen to him when he arrived. His present state was travel-worn and beaten.

"Problem with heavy armor, eh, Will?" asked Vorn, helping him up and dusting him off.

"Yes," said William. "You learn to deal with it."

Massacre spent a great deal of time eating those nearest to the path. It slowed them down, but it seemed like it had to be done. The pavings of the roads disappeared entirely, and they no longer saw merchants. The villages were well-fortified, and the people more cautious. Vorn often communicated with them, speaking of maps and plans and giving orders.

"Auga has been gone for some time," said William in the inn of one. "How does she intend to fix the problem of the Babarassians?"

"Find their settlements," said Vorn grimly. "Burn them all."

"What about the slaves they already have?" asked William.

"Not our problem," said Vorn with a bit of a snappish sound to him. "Look, William, I know you like them. But we can't let Babarassian colonies get set up.

"We've got to wipe them and face, or we'll look weak. The Furbearers had their chance to resist, and they botched it. You've already gotten them out of debts you didn't have to.

"Dead innocents is the cost of war.

"It's why I never wanted to get into the business."

William looked at one of the castles and then at Vorn. For a moment, he was hesitant but decided to just asked. "Shouldn't we rebuild some of those castles?"

"Nobody lives near them," said Vorn. "This land is given over to the Druids to ensure the land doesn't fail. Originally, it was ruled by Lilas Asgar, but he sold it to the crown and left. Most of the other nobles had been killed. But Lilas never lived in any of those castles anyway.

"So King Andoa gave it over to the Druids."

"You mean to say that Harlenorian people were sold as chattel," said William.

"It's his noble title," said Vorn. "He can do what he wants with it."

"No, he can't," said William. "It is a sacred duty, a sacred trust.

"To throw away the land you rule like a silver candlestick is an outrage."

"Look, it was completely unprofitable, and he didn't have the money to make it profitable," said Vorn. "We own the castles, of course; House Gabriel insisted on that. But we can't hew trees without consulting them except for places we own.

"And the towns mind their own business under the eye of House Korlac."

"Well, why not just rebuild the fortresses and post garrisons?" said William. "They might become occupied by bandits."

"Now that you mention it, Dad had to chase some out of several," said Vorn. "Alright, I'll talk with the people out here. We can move some people out there to maintain them."

"Why don't we go out there ourselves?" said William. "You can order some people to go help you check them out. If nothing else, we can get a floor plan and clear some of them out."

"Right," said Vorn. "Good thinking. There's no sense in letting them get overgrown.

"I'll go see to it now. Jehair can help us out here."

"Be wary of Jehair," said Felix suddenly.

"Why?" asked Vorn. "What's the problem?"

Felix checked for plants again; he'd done that a lot and then checked outside the walls. "She has her own objective here," said Felix. "She knows everything but has done very little. Knowing requires action."

Vorn nodded. "Alright, I'll do some digging on that after you head out. Communicate with Atravain; it's no problem. We'll figure out what's up."

"Don't do it in front of any flowers," said William. "She can listen by them."

Jehair, as it turned out, was out on business. So instead, they headed out with Massacre and a group of men toward the castles. Without Jehair, it took some doing, but some local men knew enough to help. There was also a group of three mercenaries from Kalthak. They were Isamu, Urus, and a very beautiful orange-haired girl named Oresa. Oresa wore too few clothes to not be magical and had huge breasts and very wide hips. But there was a kind of purity to her despite these things.

He wondered how they had come out all this way.

"What are you all doing out here?" asked William.

"My sister disappeared some time ago," said Oresa. "I was hoping to find news of her. I've been healing who I can."

"I wanted to see it," said Oresa. "So we walked over there, and then we walked back. It was a great adventure."

"We spent two days walking through the mud," said Isamu. "And we didn't fight anything."

Their clothes agreed with their story, except for Oresa. She was flawless and undirtied. Her hair wasn't even out of place. William saw no reason to press the matter.

The castle got closer, and soon, they found a moat overgrown with lilies. Vines were scaling up the walls. The gates had long since withered away, but someone had set up a functioning drawbridge.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked William. "Even if this device was magical, there's no reason it ought to be so well preserved. Vorn?"

"Bandits couldn't have done this," said Vorn. "The Druids are operating out here."

"The druids might be using it for their own purposes," said Urus. "It is a logical place to shelter and meet."

"Well, what's wrong with that?" asked Vorn.

"Vorn," said William. "If they are, they haven't asked permission. The castle is ours. We ought to be paid or at least notified."

"Look, are we storming this place or what?" asked Isamu.

"No," said William. "We'll enter with the servants and pull down vines or underbrush. We're here to ensure it doesn't get pulled down by nature." He looked back to the men, several dozen. "If you run into anyone, don't talk or fight; just alert the others."

And so began the basic maintenance of a very old castle. It soon became apparent that many parts of it were overgrown. Vines and weeks were choking everything, and more people had to be called in. Moving about, Urus stooped low very suddenly and picked something up.

"What is it?" asked William, taking it.

"Look at this," said Urus. "It's a token often used by druids of Laevian.

"It bears the symbol of a Leaf, a flame around it, water drops above, and rock below it. I have no idea what it means, however."

"Will, you close with Rusara, is that a thing?" asked Vorn.

William took it. "Yes, I've seen her.

"It's no great secret. But the markings are hard to sketch out on a stone and require special techniques to be legitimate. These ones have such markings.

"They leave it places to demonstrate that someone was here."

"There's a cooking fire or what's left of it here," said Oresa. "It's been used several times."

Felix took the stone. "This thing was etched recently; the cuts are brand new."

William halted. "... This means that the druids have been regularly using this place."

"My guess is that someone had a meeting here," said Urus. "And they were interrupted by us. They weren't expecting Sir Vorn to be here, and whatever their goal, they did not want to discuss it."

"I've picked up traces," said Isamu. "Well hidden, but they missed a few. There were quite a few people. Those vines were damaged by a lot of people going down them."

William followed and looked down it. They were damaged but thick and strong, so it would have taken a lot of droids. "Look around for any more signs. We'll continue our mission."

The mission did continue.

Walls were cleared off, and hedges trimmed. So some were so beautiful that Vorn decided to leave them, taking up most of the courtyard. A few minor repairs were also affected, putting stonework back on one another. But the labor was long and hard, and once again, that sense of misery was one of them. Some will fight tooth and nail to prevent them from finishing their goal of tearing away vines.

The passages were a labyrinth, and many parts had fallen in. Oresa looked at all of them with interest. William, for his part, preferred to walk behind her while doing the manual labor.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"What was this castle called?" asked Oresa.

"Baltiran," said Vorn, who was sketching out a floorplan. "I think. Though it might be a few miles west. Lilas had never lived here; his family had moved out to the towns a long time ago. It is easier to do business that way.

"Course, with the Wood Elves shutting off all transit, it all goes to the King's Road.

"This place is huge.

"That settles it; I'm calling for a garrison to be set up here. Here and in every other place. I don't like the druids stepping over the normal chain of command. And if they have no bad intentions, I'd prefer it if they told me to my face. Hiding this is bad business."

"The Druids of Laevian aren't businessmen," said Urus. "They want to preserve nature.

"Perhaps their priorities have shifted."

"That is too far," said William. "From Felix, I should take such an implication. You, however, are only walking alongside this fellowship."

"William is right," said Vorn. "If you have any statements like that, you privately bring them to me."

"Forgive me," said Urus. Isamu looked about to flare up, but a dark-skinned man behind him tapped him on the shoulder. "It was not my place."

"...Alright," said Vorn. "So let's say the Druids are keeping a few secrets. That's the way things are, and there's no point in questioning them." And he pointed down toward the courtyard. "Not until we have something to discuss.

"So we'll leave our people here to finish things up, head back to the village, have a few drinks, and talk about old times."

Isamu shrugged. "Fine by me.

"This trip has bored me stiff anyway. Let's head to Blackfear and kill undead after this, Oresa."

"That sounds good," said Oresa.

When they were gone.

William looked to Vorn. "Do you trust these people?"

"Foreign mercenaries are used a lot in Antion, Will," said Vorn. "Easier to control people who don't have divided loyalties. Now, Father sticks to the old tradition, but I prefer the new way."

"Foreigners care nothing for this land, Vorn," said William. "Use mercenaries without commanding their respect, and they'll dispose of you."

"Duke Vanion does fine by it," said Vorn.

"Yes, but they are Harlenorians," said William. "And much of Father's efforts are dedicated to ensuring their loyalty. He makes an art form of rewarding good soldiers. All to ensure he is necessary, respected, feared, and, if possible, loved.

"It takes much of his time to do it. And we do raise large levies of local troops for our armies. The men of Artarq fought very bravely and well in Khasmir; it is a credit to their blood. Mixing with foreigners has not diminished their steel yet."

"Well, the trick is getting their loyalty while making it advance their plans," said Vorn with a shrug. "You may be right. I'll double-check my men when I have the time.

"No sense in being careless."

Only once they were back, Vorn got back to work with new vigor. The towns were much nicer than the castles, and William did not like that. There were decadent pleasure houses and more women like Maius or Mia. He thought he saw them here or there. Messages were sent, and William observed Vorn organizing the rationing of supplies. He also ordered new crops to be planted in fallow fields to make up for the coming shortages. And areas were cleared to handle more.

"Lilas owns most of the businesses here," said Vorn. "See, he owned the economy before he sold the place. So he gets his cut anyway.

"All the merchants here owe him money."

"So he gets the benefit of being a Lord without the responsibilities," said William.

"...Yeah," said Vorn, seeming odd. "Seems pretty bad."

"I think you should pay off their debts, Vorn," said William.

"That seems wrong," said Vorn. "He did all this business fair and square."

"Yes," said William. "But he is getting benefits for a position he does not do the work for. When was the last time he came down here?"

"...I don't think he's ever come back," said Vorn. "But he sends a lot of representatives."

"Do you come down here often?" asked William. "Lilas has been in Ascorn this whole time. How much have you heard about things out here?"

"Yes," said Vorn. "Yeah, I think I see your point. I could pay a lot of their debts.

"But things aren't really that simple. I got to work out a lot of deals for this, and it'll take time. I don't want to make any overtures until we finish up." He paused. "Let's get something to eat."

"We can help with any famines," said Vorn as they drank together over a table and chess set. "Never let your populace starve, eh Will?"

"What about Jehair?" asked William. He moved a piece.

"Right, right," said Vorn, moving a piece. "Her.

"What do you recommend?"

"Nothing," said William. "She's already done whatever she is going to do. The Druids don't have much sway in Blackfear, and she needs me.

"If she is planning something, I am her cover." He moved a knight.

"What do you mean?" asked Vorn. "Her cover?"

"Well, she's probably already done everything she wants to," said William. "I suspect her plan, insofar as she has one, is to initiate a series of good deeds. All of them are good in their own way but calculated to set events in motion.

"Ultimately culminating in this situation. Felix caught onto it first, of course."

"Congratulations," said Vorn, taking his turn.

"Thank you," said Felix.

"Explain it," said William, moving a piece.

"William is a credible witness," said Felix. "And Jehair calculated, based on his reports, that he was something of a milksop. As did many.

"The general opinion was that William's achievements were exaggerated, if not fabricated. Thus, William was expected to be a competent but harmless individual who could be led around by the nose.

"Seathorius largely altered that."

"Hey," said William.

Vorn laughed, but Felix did not. "My apologies, sir."

"It's fine," said William.

"Jehair was planning to use William as cover," said Felix. "He would accompany her straight to Gel Carn and play the role of a kindhearted good boy. This would give her an excellent alibi. Combined with her reputation, it would ensure no one suspected her.

"By the time any questions were asked, the chaos would be too great to investigate.

"However, I suspect this was a larger plan by the Druids of Laevian. Jehair is likely only the face of the operation and contact for organized crime."

"So, what's your plan?" asked Vorn.

"Play my part," said William. "Keep her close and following to Gel Carn. That should keep her occupied while we fix this. I'm not important enough to play a major role. At least this way, I can keep her near.

"When the time is right, simply have her arrested."

"Checkmate," said Vorn, moving a piece in.

William halted. "Oh, damn.

"In any case, so long as everyone knows and we prevent her from getting in contact with the Druids, it should be doable. I have Massacre, Felix, and my sword; I can handle her."

"Well, you're better at this than I, so I'll take your word for it," said Vorn. "Another game?"

"Of course," said William.

"So uh, you ever meet Saphra Delenay?" asked Vorn.

"No, why do you ask?" asked William.

"She's a real beauty, only a bit older than you," said Vorn, resetting the board. "Not very powerful now. But I've got the sense that's going to change.

"Could be a smart match for someone one day."

Things were looking up. But William decided to change the subject and remembered, at last, the letter. "That reminds me, I kept forgetting everything going on. But Father gave a message for you as well and one for Uncle."

"You are late with the messages, aren't you?" asked Vorn.

"I've been fighting off an entire plague. All while dodging conspiracies," said William with a smile. "I plead your forgiveness."

Vorn took it and read through it. As he did, William felt the urge to be somewhere else but stayed where he was. Looking around at the empty tavern, he saw stone walls and drab ale. Few travelers and a lot of leaks with a barmaid who kept her eyes on them.

Vorn looked at her. "Get the others out of here, would you? I gotta talk to my cousin about something important."

She nodded and went into the tavern. Vorn put the page down and handed it to William. "What's this?

"Why am I getting stepped over?"

William read it and saw a very professional explanation that Auga was being given a position. Mainly because of better qualifications. "Stepped over; what are you talking about?"

"Auga is being given control of Carn Gable and not me. I'm the oldest, and I'm of full blood," said Vorn. "I ought to be in it. Not my adopted sister."

"Vorn, it's not personal, and it is not a matter of blood," said William, thinking about how to spin this. "Father didn't want to send Auga there any more than he did you. But it's her bad luck."

"Bad luck?" asked Vorn. "She's getting an entire castle!"

"Well, of course. Carn Gable is an integral position for our operations," said William. "If we were to be attacked by rivals in Haldren, that is where they'd hit us. Auga has military experience as well as other advantages.

"Running Gel Carn would be wasting your talents.

"I love the place, but it is icy, cold and mainly acts as a trade stop and border fortress. And without peace with King Gavin, it's not even the formr. Auga's got to take the job because she's the only person available who fits it. Varsus has got to take care of Brisgald eventually."

"I could run the place," said Vorn. "Just because I'm not a good fighter doesn't mean I can't command. And I know more than anyone here about economics."

"That's why we can't give you a place just yet, Vorn," said William. "Think about what you told me; Duke Letan has a complete stranglehold on the malas trade. And the Sorcerer's Guild is running riot here, inducing Isriath to curse people.

"The High Priest is running get-rich-quick schemes. And someone has started distributing malas. We've had an entire conspiracy based on economics against it. If you get tied down running a castle in the middle of nowhere, we'll be lost.

"We need someone who can find a way to break House Marn's monopoly on Savior's Run. And also do something about all these schemes. It's hurting Seathorius, Qor'Dana, us, and all three Harlenorian Kingdoms. Everyone in Harlenor is counting on us to figure out who is striking at the three kingdoms. And you are the only person who can do it."

"What does Uncle need me to do?" asked Vorn.

"Well, in the long term, we need to find the names and areas of operation for the people doing all this," said William. "Talk to any sources you can, but only take chances or meet someone with security.

"Right now?

"We have to deal with Baras' Bane and the other diseases and get rid of this debt empire. Lilas seems to be using money to keep control of too many people. I can heal diseases, but I would need to figure out where to start in this merchant work.

"Carn Gable is not going to starve; the harvests have been good.

"The really important thing, though, is you must find out who moved all the malas to the ports. If that had gotten to Haldren, we could be facing a demonic invasion. And I'm afraid some of it could have been shipped to Escor; Magicora always orders it. You could smuggle it easily enough."

"It could be legitimate," said Vorn.

"Then why don't we know about it?" asked William.

"Long term, figure out how these black markets work. Talk to Coalmarsh and Ata in the temple if you need to investigate the temple. Both of them have been in the High Priest's council. And we also need someone to monitor the grain supply. If something were to happen to the grain supply in Antion...

"We'd have mass starvation. With all the other lands in chaos and a bad harvest on the horizon, you've got the most important job in House Gabriel."

Vorn nodded. "Yeah, you're right. And I've got the run of places like this anyway. With a bit of legwork, I could make my own castle.

"Actually, paying off many debts from worse-off merchants could be a neat trick. It could free things up, at least.

"What are you going to do?

"Get Tanith out of hot water," said William with a laugh. "She stirred up a hornet's nest when she was in Gel Carn, and it caused problems. I also have to fight in the Tournament of Kings in her place.

"And on top of that, I have to finish writing several books worth of adventures that will not be fun to experience."

"Rough work kid," said Vorn. "Varsus headed that way; you should talk to him about this. Dad gave him several special orders I wasn't privy to. It has something to do with a campaign in the Blackmarsh.

"Usual sort of secret stuff. I'd better make plans for rationing, just in case. They do that in the army, and we can do it now."

"I don't think Varsus is in a position to do much, but I will," said William. "Oh, and pray.

"And get everyone else to pray. I suspect Elranor's lack of action is more due to our failure to let him in than indifference. I expect he can make things much easier for us, and if nothing else, we can give him more to work with in a future crisis.

"Often, those who pray to him end up in the right place at the right time.

"This is a personal experience."

"Father used to say something like that," said Vorn. "Yeah, you're right. We've been out of communication with the old man for too long."

William blinked. "Old man?"

"Well, white hair and pale skin?" asked Vorn. "That's what everybody tells me.

"Not young.

"I've never seen him."

"I would call him well-preserved at the worst," said William. "Anyway, we've lingered here too long. I've got to get to that village. Give me the directions and then tell Jehair to meet me at it.

"I've delayed too long as it is." William paused. "Where are all the members of the Sorcerer's Guild anyway? I've never seen anyone."

"It's sort of a secretive thing," said Vorn. "Most people who are part of it don't advertise the fact. It's not like Magicora; who you are on the inside is not the same as who you are out there.

"They hate Imogen, though. Several times, they've caught her, and she always gets away."

"Why?" asked William.

"Imogen doesn't play by the rules," said Vorn. "See, her power is stealing things, and as a Goddess, she steals metaphysical concepts.

"So, let's say you're about to become a god.

"Imogen shows up and steals some critical components. Her whole thing is unbalancing existing systems. The Sorcerer's Guild is all about order."

"So is Baltoth," said William.

"Well, there is order and order," said Vorn. "Baltoth is all about public demonstrations. The Sorcerer's Guild likes to make sure nobody knows they are being nudged.

"But Imogen likes stirring things up and causing flareups.

"They've been trying to capture her for years. Never managed it, though."

"Well, find a way to get in contact with them," said William. "Or someone might decide to order a purge. There's enough to justify it to power-hungry men at this point.

"And we've got a lot of questions that need answers."

"Not yet, you don't," said Vorn. "You've got a meeting with the Goddess Isriath, and she just might turn you into a snake, kid." Then he ruffled William's hair and moved off. "I'll meet you there after I finish things up.

"I'm gonna find a way to pay back House Marn while we're at it."

And he headed off.

William sat in his chair and smiled. Then he stood up and was a Paladin once more.