The Servant Branch was released soon after. After his dramatic head banging bows and pointed words, no one had much else to add. There was some back and forth, he had to take an oath, to tell the truth under pains of death. Basic stuff.
They found nothing.
The Servant Branch may not even yet be decreed as an official servant yet, (that would happen at Midnight) but he had the experience of a highly trained Heirling.
As Daniel and the other unfortunate lowlings left the posh office of the Central Stable Master, he glanced over his shoulder and observed the Tolsen and the Dryaid glaring at each other. The battle lines were drawn: The people who backed Central wanted to take Daniel away from the people who backed the Outer Halls. Both may wish for his destruction, but Central was the lapdog of the Senate, and as the former Heirling of the Red Sword Faction, he was more than predisposed to dislike and distrust the Senate.
Not that he trusted Courts either. But Courts inherited power from Bloodlines, so that meant they kept a large part of their scheming to their own family members, versus an elected position where majority leaders would select who best helped them keep the majority.
As Daniel entered the room where he had first met the Tolsen Stablemaster, he was curious about what he would find. For the Tolsen's high position, he certainly did not enjoy the same benefits as the Central Stable Master. Instead, everything looked second-hand and reused. No one was in the room, as most staff left exactly at 9. There may or may not be a curse rumored for those who overstayed their welcome welcoming the sun the next day with an extra hand or leg. The Grant Stable liked to grant stuff, that was for sure.
A very tired female Tolsen entered the room, bearing an exhaustive amount of paperwork. Clearly, someone was taking that home to continue to work.
"Do you do bookkeeping on the side?" she asked him.
Daniel felt his guard go up. He didn't anticipate being attacked inside the Stable. The Stable was a big fan of being the one to lead people to harm, it didn't usually allow others to hurt each other. "Do you know who I am?"
"The Servant Branch. I know. I don't care. Big magic game, with complicated rules. I'm tired. I haven't slept in three days, and I have three young children at home whom all I get to do is pat their wee heads when they are already asleep." her eyes were scary like a dark abyss "Can you do bookkeeping?"
Daniel swallowed.
Mothers had some strange ability to get what they needed, especially if they felt it involved their children. "I know the fundamentals," he said truthfully.
"Can you add these numbers and have everything total by tomorrow morning?"
"I'm probably going to be attacked tonight with flaming arrows. Can I start tomorrow?"
She grumbled. "Excuses excuses. Fine. I don't care what they ask you to do tomorrow. You be here, or else the griffins will be out of raw meat by Tuesday."
A bargain. Extra work, on the side.
Daniel did not need it now, as he had the Dungeon...but it was better to have multiple streams of Authority and Favors and Influence. Also, if he could tie some Favor back to an obvious source, it would help to aid in hiding the Dungeon.
"I feel like we are making deals with masks. We should exchange a safe token name, at least."
"You're the Servant Branch," she said, with Authority.
"The Tolsen Stable Master must be your partner." Daniel deduced.
"He is my husband. We're a team."
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"I find myself at a disadvantage, Madam Stable Master."
"Mrs. Ren will do," she said.
"Mrs. Ren." He said. It was not a true Harbor name, but the difference between a Midling and a Lowling was enough that using her full Harbor Name may have harmed the Servant Branch. A partial name was enough. "You mentioned paperwork and bookkeeping. Why do you trust me to achieve?" Daniel asked. After Kenton's strange trust, he felt odd that someone else would share those feelings. And while he had probably seen this Tolsen before, they had no debt between them, and the Law of Fae saw no connections.
"Because you're proud. You want everyone to know you earned everything you had achieved. The idea of sloppy work or scribble would cut you up." The lady Tolsen set down a set of papers with weight and finality. "Because I don't care if you are the Spare, the Heir, or just some stranger who wandered in from the street. I need someone smart, and I'm going to take advantage of that they put someone who was trained by the Library under my husband's authority. It's a waste having you shovel hay. Even three hours of your time may save me days of toil."
The Law of Fae sparkled true and bright. She was telling the truth. And from the purity of the light, it was a fundamental truth to the lady Tolsen. Finally! Someone was putting aside feelings and doing something smart.
After all the page duties that morning with the Sky Court, the insulting work as an Attendant for the O'Tells that afternoon, and even the basic duties he was assigned at the Stable, Daniel felt relieved that someone was taking advantage of his talents.
It was not true, however. He would do a good job, not for pride, but because handling paperwork and bookkeeping would give him not only Favor and Influence, thus helping him free himself from the binding whatever power behind the Stable had on the Servant Branch, it would also give him more access to information.
And information was very very important.
Besides there was another angle to consider. The Outer Halls had risked a lot, and yet not seen any reward for their expenditure, so they would be possessive and protective over the Servant Branch, for now. Daniel spending some time helping with paperwork would be relatively harmless.
As long as he had enough time to go to the Dungeon.
"I'm assuming I get something for my trouble of helping." He hedged.
"Standard favor any worker would get for aiding with a task not exactly assigned to them." Bargained the wife of the Stable Master.
Clever. By it being Standard, the Game could not interfere as easily, as Daniel was just following the standard someone else established. "However, I'm sure there could be a little favor extra should I complete the work early. And something for accuracy..." he hedged again.
Mrs. Ren smiled. "Every day you save me, I'll give you at least an equal to a lowling's average favor earned in a day," she said, her tired eyes shining.
The Game hummed in the background.
It did not interfere.
Good.
Daniel almost wished to stay longer.
But he did have to go. He was supposed to meet Esra soon.
"Average is such a vague term. Do you mean the Mean Average? The median Average? The Mode Average? Surely we can come to some fair agreement..." he said, with regret in his tone.
Her eyes gleamed, clearly a lifetime of bargaining and planning.
Daniel nodded, a touché
"Let's see what we can do..."
----------------------------------------
Daniel left the Grant Stable at 9:15.
Some may consider he was late to meet Esra, but he reasoned to the Law of Fae that he said at the hour of 9, but not the particular minute.
He had established a very good deal with Mrs. Ren. It was small-change from the Dungeon, but it promised to be steady and completely legitimate small-change. There was no better way to add something you were not supposed to have than by bringing it in with something that you had earned fairly and... legitimately.
At long last Daniel found himself under the open sky. The stars were sparking and dazzling, red and blue and orange constellations dancing overhead, the moon a slender crescent today. It was his first time outside after dark since he fell from power.
He had thought he would feel more regret or despair. But now he felt vaguely hopeful. That somehow, he could do it. The Servant Branch could win the Game.
Before Daniel stretched the Citadel. He noticed which Estates and Fields and Gardens had moved since he entered. He wondered what the Tenacux Court had done to earn disfavor, as their Estate was next to the manure dump from the Stable.
There were many Fae out and about now, the stream of most of the workers leaving and entering the early summer evening. The cobblestone path underfoot was smooth and clean as the workers made way for their abodes. It was before the true parties of High Summer would begin that night, and most of the important people would be preparing for a night of feast-making and conspiracy.
Now, where would he find Esra?
"Catch me!" came a silly little tittle giggle.
Daniel moved, not to catch the creature foolishly throwing herself at him, but to evade.
The tip of the dagger glinted innocently under the foppish she-elf forearm as she arose from her leap, rising to equal height with him..
Flipping her hair, glittering with gold, she tittered "You promised you'd catch me next time." she said, pulling out twin daggers. "Ladies in waiting should not make the first move. You are so rude!"
The first assassin had arrived.