As Lord Fredar transferred Marrin to the Ash Court, Daniel considered again how fortunate he had been to side step this ambush. If he had been caught aware...perhaps he could have deflected the attack, removed the old boarded up drain cover, and plunged below to an uncertain fate...
But instead, due to Kane's eagerness to advance, she had stolen a good opportunity, and now Daniel even managed to 'free' Marrin. He had also uncovered that Marrin was now an Heirling. Marrin seemed to be...a decent enough fellow.
Lord Fredar wrote a letter, using a quill and a parchment acquired from one of his flunkies, and then with a flourish, sealed Marrin's fate.
"There. He is punished. The Ash Court's Enforcers will see that he suffers."
And Daniel nodded. "And I am now bound to be unable to share about the surprise attack not being....coordinated from you."
"And Vye and Frank are removed from further punishment."
"That too."
And Daniel smiled at him, sincerely. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mi'lord."
"Tomorrow, you will suffer for this."
"That, Mi'lord, is tomorrow."
"One day, you will learn how terrible it is to cross me." Said Lord Fredar, and he left shrugging, saying "We have the Ball to attend." he said, and vanished with his flunkies, being careful to take all the evidence of the botched ambush.
As he left, Daniel was left with the thought that one day, hopefully many years from this night, when Marrin was revealed as the next Master of the Sword of Storms, Fredar would have actually grown up and made himself a useful member to his Court and the Waalsa alliance.
Because when it was revealed that Lord Fredar had traded away Marrin, Heirling and future Lord of the Sword of the Storm, to save his own reputation...
Lord Fredar may find himself out of a job.
And his life.
Lord Fredar and company had gone away. Marrin was officially transferred to the Ash Court. Daniel was left with the remaining hour until the next day started to do whatever he wished with Marrin. Marrin just had to appear, in mostly whole condition, to the Ash Court the next day.
And just like that...Marrin, Son of Castor was free.
Daniel went over, and spent a moment admiring Esra's solitaire game. The Mage had almost finished. "You are getting fast at that."
"I only played one card draw, so...it was pretty easy. Almost impossible to lose."
"Are they gone?" Daniel asked, softly under his breathe. Experience or not, as a Lowling Fae, he lacked the power to properly check.
Esra shrugged. "Anyone who stays has to go with me on an adventure!" He yelled across the abandoned pathway. Daniel wanted to flee, since staying would imply that he wanted to go on an adventure with Esra.
But Esra had helped him. And if it kept Esra happy, and therefore more inclined to be quiet...it was a small sacrifice to make.
Besides, that was even assuming Daniel survived the Game.
Esra finished his game and pumped the air. "I win, and Da Bois Trip is happenin'! Last person we need to get is Pockets. Hey, Stormcrow," he said to Marrin, who was still under his gravity spell and was basically a puddle on the pavement. "Stormcrow, you like s'more? There is chocolate, melted over marshmallows, and graham crackers! Normally I smuggle the chocolate out from the Dusted Plains, but..."
Marrin was making pained, gasping sounds.
"Esra, he's not me. He isn't used to...your antics and shenanigans."
"Oops." said Esra, and pulled the gravity off.
Marrin almost shot upright. He must have been fighting to get up all along, and when gravity returned to normal...
The big tall oof breathed, coughing. He rolled his shoulder. Thankfully, it seemed his wound hadn't reopened. "I didn't know you could do that. Why don't you use that on the battlefield?"
Actually, that was a good question.
"It only works to those who consider me their friend." Said Esra, with a pointed look at Daniel. "Spikes, you did know that that doesn't work on people who resist me right? A lot of stuff only works for those who somehow...trust me. Cause they are my friend."
Daniel felt his spine stiffen.
All of his years of protesting that he and Esra were not friends suddenly came to mind.
"We aren't friends." He stated the obvious again.
"Right...I understand Spikes. You got your reputation to maintain. But I know that you really trust me and my judgement."
It must be something else. Or Esra didn't understand how his power worked. On their second campaign, Elswith had watched Esra eat a rock because he thought it was a berry. The rock wasn't round nor vaguely berry colored.
Marrin stood awkwardly, fear and confusion. "Um...so...what happened? How did you know that that would happen?"
"Back when you were going to go into the O'Tells estate and I happened to be doing some late night gardening, I also happened to watched Lord Fredar leave for a gala or something. But if he was only going to a party, he would have had a carriage. He never arrives to parties on foot. As the night wore on, and I realized that...Frank and Vye were there trying to sabotage the first assassination attempt, and perhaps even acted without Lord Fredar's knowledge. I also knew that there may be other, more deadly traps. So I decided to try and trigger Lord Fredar. I was guided by the Law of Fae."
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"So wise." Said Marrin, bending over to pick up his fallen green hat.
"Spikes just says that when he lucks out." Said Esra, shuffling his cards before returning them to their little case.
"But you haven't seen the Ash Court yet." said Daniel, wishing again he could leave Esra behind again. Somehow, Esra had followed him, and somehow, Esra hadn't messed up the Game yet. Before the next and finally assassination attempt arrived, he would have to deal with Esra. Maybe he could send Esra and Marrin off together. Would the Ash Court take the Gravity Mage? Anything was possible...
"Let's go." And Daniel led them onward.
Their next paths were not so pleasant and nice. There were no more roads paved with flowers and singing and softly glowing words. Archways of flowers, big open glittery skies, and stones that played soft musical notes as one stepped across.
No, now that Daniel wanted privacy, he went through the worst roads of the Citadel.
These next roads were dark. Or so bright that the eyes were blinded and the skin stung. Or twisted, deceptive tempting the unwary off into the darkness. Esra fell off a cliff once, but Daniel just rolled his eyes, knowing that Esra would work it out. The smell, Daniel thought, was the worst part.
"My dad's name isn't Castor..." Marrin added, as they waited for Esra to come back. Daniel would have kept going, but Marrin clearly wanted to wait.
Daniel shrugged. "That would have been an unlikely coincidence if he had been named thatly."
"So...why did it work? When I was...holding the Sword?"
"Castor was the founder and first member of the Court of the Angered Clouds of Hue of Green as the Whirlwind of the Sky Descends to Uproot the Lands Beneath and Above." Daniel said, being careful to get the cadence correct as he spoke the ancient name. "Castor, first documented wielder of the Sword of the Storm. I wanted the Sword to remember what should have been the best battles and its proudest moments."
Marrin fell quiet. "You got me safe." he said at last. "I finally got away from the Sky Court's enforcers."
"It will be dangerous, being an Heirling. No matter what, you need to avoid wielding in your left hand. Now that you are an Heirling, you have a limited time."
"Ash Court." he said. "Is that supposed to be bad?"
"They have been shrinking and disappearing for decades. I don't have a relationship either positive nor negatively. But even a Ruined Court will be safer. You can get all the power you need, of course. Focus on those basics. I will check in with you when I can."
Marrin hemmed "On the Farm I grew up on, we use ash to help plants grow."
Daniel paused. "Truly?"
"If the soil is depleted, or too acidic, ash is the best thing for it. It has good nutrients too."
Far below, Esra made a sound and a eclipse of moths swarmed away; the Gravity Mage had done something or other to offend them.
"I just feel like...The Ash Court isn't going to be so bad."
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Those who had been watching the Game were bored, as there was no action. They had had an enjoyable first hour, watching all the trials of and challenges.
They had ooohed, they had aaaaed.
But then after the surprise beginning of the second assassination attempt lead to the second hour being completed seemingly prematurely, there was no reason for the Game to follow The Servant Branch.
The Game made an Announcement:
FIRST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: CONCLUSION: FAILURE.
VICTOR: SERVANT BRANCH
Across the Seelie Court, powerful beings watched on.
SECOND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: CONCLUSION: FAILURE.
VICTOR: SERVANT BRANCH/SPIKES
And then the Game had nothing else to add. And went away.
So the High Fae were left to their own devices.
The various High Fae Lords and Fae of high influence watching the Game tittered, hummed, and strummed. They had enjoyed watching the scene from afar, but now that the Game was at a early pausing, many Fae wondered what to do next. They found themselves impatient for the next attack to begin. So across the Seelie Realm, and even some places in the Unseelie, different observing Lords and High Lords, Senate and Court alike, waited with the unexpected free time.
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The Lord of the Northern Wind took long strides, back and forth across the parlor of the palace he was currently housing himself and his Court. The motion then the abrupt conclusion of the second Assassination Attempt left him restless and searching for something to hold his attention.
A Senator who resembled Kane had left unannounced.
The Lord of Smoke had settled into a small puddle on her chair, still muttered that "it shouldn't be allowed. He had too many allies." and otherwisingly sulking.
“Why did the Game end so fast!" Complained the Lord of Grass, to even fewer people.
Newcomers, who had no interest in politics, had tuned in and watched the capture replay.
For example, across the moonbridge, a Fae Couple, not involved overly muchly in politics, cooed over their new born. "Such excitment!" Said the Father fae.
"Very muchly. So should we find a Circle for our small one?" Said the wife. "Look how prepared that young one was! That Branch fellow."
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There was another group that was baffled.
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The ground who had sent the Golem was panicking. A large crystal suspended between the floor and the ceiling was spinning, but the inside was dull and dark. No light filled that place. In a space normally too large but now crowded beyond its normal capacity beyond all possibility, the hunkering crowds fidgeted and shivered.
"Where is it?" Asked the cold Fae. Ice was spreading throughout the room. "Where is the spirit?"
"It's...gone." The Controller was shivering, working his numb stiff fingers as swiftly as he could. "I don't understand." profusely, reworking the matrix again and again, fingers draped in shadow. The overseers were taking turns threatening him and reassuring the rulers that this was normal. "It should have come back after the clock struck 10. We gave it extra time...But...it's gone."
"Find the replay. We must find the last person who held the Golem."
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And there were those who were not Fae watching the Game.
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In the Darkest Depth of the Sea, a formerly serene figure was clenching her husband's clothes in a deathly tight grip as they watched together. "He can do it." she whispered. Her eyes glowed aquamarine.
"Wife, you will creature a tsunami." Said her husband.
"We must get ready."
"Don't you wish to finish watching?"
"There is a party to attend." She drifted away from her husband. "And for the first time in years, we shall not be late."
"Are you even invited, love?" He asked her, reluctantly letting go of her hand.
"I am the Sea Which. I attend whichever party I decide."
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Finally, there was someone watching who had seen just a little too much of the Game, and understood that despite the showmanship...there was something susicipous about it that the Former Heirling Elswith had tried to hide.
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High above the rolling land, lingering in the silver shining trees in which he ruled his court, The High Fae of the Green Sword Faction, threaded his fingers together. He glared at the Game, but his focus was not on Lordling Elswith. He felt he may lose composure as he watched the actions happening behind the fallen Lordlings. He carefully, ever so neutrally, gestured to a servant. "Bring me a list of all those who entered the O'Tells Estate today." He said. It would be a long list, but that was his best way to discover who had entered with Elswith.
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Marrin regretted his earlier words as they reached their destination.
He stood next to Branch and the Idiot, and he could even feel the disquiet and sympathy from the Idiot.
Firstly, it was hot. Very hot. There was a burning crimson light to the edges of the black starry sky as the in fact erupting volcano was casting huge red sparks outward. The building was broken. Clearly once a great manor house, now it looked like something powerful had torn it in half, then tried to jam the two halves together.
There were no guards outside, there were no attendants. There were no lights in the window, except for where Marrin was certain sparks from the eruption had caused a small fire to break out inside the building. There were mounds of ash, like drifts of snow, but much less inviting. The ground itself seemed terrible.
"Welcome." Said Branch, carefully. "To your new home."
So.
This was the Ash Court.