9:35 was the time, as the stars sparkled brilliantly overhead and the lagoon was fading from sight as Daniel angled across an empty and mostly not haunted hollow of willow trees, gloomy in the darkness of night. The lonely eyes of the forgotten stared him from the shadows, unremembered, unloved, and unremarked.
In sharp contrast to those who desired to be forgotten was his new companion and surprise aid, who not only agreed to his plan but asked if she could add a few extra touches of petty revenge. She was a strange servant who seemed both completely inadequate and yet strangely competent. She had few of the features of remarkable heroes, and she seemed to not realize it was her place to stand back.
She...was more than willing to help him.
It was suspicious, but he was more than confident in his ability to handle her if it came to a physical confrontation.
Beside, someone needed to get ahead of him to open the doors.
The night was on, and the first true assassination attempt was well underway. The golem was overkill, in fact, but it was also showy and interesting. The Servant Branch imagined that the attention of many of the important Lords was upon him.
He just hoped that the ones nearby wouldn't understand his aim and move to erase his method of handling the golem.
Behind them, thundering like a storm bound to the earth, lumbered the golem. The very ground underneath their feet shook and the few outer structures rattled.
The creature absorbed the emotional intensity from the redheaded servant and roared again. "Your dad used to call you a disappointment, but now you just wished he called!" She yelled, viciously. Her hair was messy again, despite her retying it. Daniel himself did not quite understand the insult, but if something hunted by emotions, then the servant's pure maliciousness must fell like a physical blow.
The golem nearly lost its other arm as it heaved a massive boulder then threw it well beyond its natural range, and a chunk of some terrible and heavy material sailed through the air, crashing completely harmlessly many yards short of them.
"You suck worse than a vacuum!" she yelled.
Daniel wondered if he would be able to replicate that tactic, and found himself unable to manifest that amount of shamelessness. He felt impressed but also embarrassed.
Up ahead lay the destination.
"Can you keep it distracted for five minute?"
"Sure." she said, and smiled happily.
Daniel decided she must be someone's hunting dog who never interacted with the outside Fae society, somehow slipped her lease and was now discovering how a proper Fae acted. How else could she both so clueless and yet so willing to embrace danger.
Daniel had never seen someone control and use their emotions like a weapon.
If he was still the Heirling of the Red Sword, and he knew she wasn't truly a spy (or even if she was a spy for the right people), he'd see if she would join his Circle. Orville would like her for how zaney she was, and Ria would find her interesting. Cleo would adore someone with even fewer scruples about proper decorum.
Bitterness touched Daniel's heart. He was the Servant Branch. He no longer had the option to build a team to contend with the dangers in the Rural Places. He may never lead another Circle against the Dread.
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Poor, overworked, out played little lordling.
No time to whine. He needed to enact his next goal.
Ahead was a well known Outdoor Music Hall, that he had listened to many concerts here. The redhead yelled another emotion filled insult to the golem, and she splintered away from Daniel.
She must be mad. Mad and yet brave.
Where had such a creature come from?
So Daniel was allowed to pull to the right, and approach the great glass doors of the Lesser Banquet Hall of the O'Tells Estate.
He needed to return something to work.
And maybe find out what happened to Esra, who had not shown up on time.
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Inside the O'Tells estate, The Surmount Butler had not had a good day.
No. First his real master, whose name was hidden even to himself, had set him a seemingly simple task. A task he had failed.
Then those other 'masters' had their meeting interrupted by a powerful Mage they still wished to move to their side and therefore he had to cuddle. He had had no choice but allow the Mage entrance to an almost private meeting.
Then that powerful gravity mage had done something, (the Surmount butler did not know the specifics, as he had been out of the Main Banquet hall at that moment) and many important guests had left.
Then, the Lords of the O'Tell that he did not follow but must pretend that he did had been displeased with his handling of the situations. Lord O'tell, the Lady of outer Matters, mother of Lordling Orville, had been very displeased with his interpretation of his orders. In a cruel twist, the very lecturing he had committed against the fallen Lordling had befallen himself. After many hours of education and having his own affairs and orders placed on hold, the Surmount Butler cursed in his heart the unfairness.
Now at last he was returned to his office.
The Servant Branch had avoided so many pitfalls and traps that day. He had arrived on time, despite the Sky Court's attempts to keep him late. He had stood there, standing as properly as a real Lord, unflinching, unapologetic, while the Surmount Butler had spent an entire hour scrambling to force a break in proper decorum.
The newly minted servant had somehow avoided the hex on the door, which would have been a wonderful surprise and come across very poorly on the new attendant. Not only that, he had known the proper style to open the doors. Who knows that? What Lordling even knows that about their own house? The Lordlings of the O'tell may not even recall the name of the style, let alone the proper movements. No one liked the Lren Style! It was not common, yet not so rare that it would remarkable.
Just what was the Servant Branch? Everyone knew the Heirling of the Red Sword had struggled to establish himself as a young Lordling. He had been too serious when he should have been arrogant, and too polite when he should have dominated. He had vomited during his first Campaign, for the Seelie King's sake.
Everyone who had bet, (and the Surmount Butler had bet heavily) had bet that the former Lordling would crumble. If he had been useful, the former Lordling would not have taken more than 5 years to establish his place in the rankings.
And yet...
And yet, he had been triumphant in every challenge. The rivalry between the Servant Branch and Lordling Parcel had been nearly a guarantee that there would be destruction and the Servant Branch would have been blamed, at least partially, for disrupting the gathering. But it didn't happen.
The roaming Mage had arrived, and the Servant Branch had even handled that and not disrupted the meeting in the Lesser Banquet. Instead, the more prioritized meeting in the Main Banquet Hall was interrupted by the wandering Mage and something significant had occurred.
"Oh, Law of Fae, please, give me just one more chance to undo everything!" the Surmount Butler begged. The Law of Fae was fair, but the Surmount Butler had misused the fairness before to cause harm. That was how he had weaponized the new attendant partner of Servant Branch to cause trouble. "Just one more chance to prevent the Game!"
If the Game started...
His benefactors would be very very displeased. They had secrets. Many secrets. He knew a few and wished he didn't, because they would remove him should it become necessary.
Someone barged into the little office where the mud from a very dirty servant had fallen off and was now dried to the carpet. He hadn't had the chance to clean it, and many servants were mad at him for ruining their food from after the feast.
"If this doesn't have anything to do with the Game, I will make you prune the cursed hollows with your teeth." He glowered, wondering why everything was against him.
"He's back."
"What?"
"The Servant Branch is here."
The Law of Fae did listen after all!