Daniel knew he was in over his head.
Yes, finding someone crazy enough to hold off the golem for him to position himself to defeat the Castala's secret weapon was incredible luck. But he could not just blunder his way into the O'Tells estate with it chasing after him.
No. He needed to have permission to bring an uninvited guest. Or to establish that it was, in fact, an invited guest...
So he needed to switch back into his role as an Attendant. Hence why he wasted at least 20 seconds changing his clothes. Attendants, the most dangerous position amongst servants due to their directly facing the ruling class of Fae. They did odd jobs, such as holding napkins for Fae so powerful should they misblink they may destroy a mountain, such as perfectly and properly offering tea and cakes, and such as opening doors for the invited guests.
Next question, how could he step back into his role as an attendant outside his shift?
By offering the Surmount Butler a chance for revenge.
The only downside:
The Surmount Butler was intellect, clever, wily, and had been playing the game for decades upon decades, if not centuries.
Daniel would have to take whatever he could, risking whatever losses...
Should the Servant Branch not only escape but destroy the Golem, the Castala faction was done interfering tonight. Their chance to stop the Game would be finished. They would no longer be able send anyone else. The Game was displeased with their current play as it was; any more than this and the Game would intervene.
The Surmount Butler grinned wickedly, dark teeth showing past his pale lips.
This was not Lordling Fredar....Lord Fredar, (Daniel corrected himself, slowly, before the Law of Fae could chide him but with enough of a gap so that anyone reading his mind would know it was intentional.) Lord Fredar would physically abuse Daniel, may break him over and nearly torture him.
The Surmount Butler was not such a fool. He would not be someone's spymaster if he was a fool. This next conversation would be hugely important. Daniel had his set of needs. He needed to be allowed to work late. He needed to establish that the Castalas Faction had been invited early. And there was one more secret thing he needed...which he did not think about, least the High Fae see it in his mind.
And while it may be difficult, Daniel had hope. The Surmount Butler was smart, but he had been frozen in the same position for decades upon decades. He had successfully fended off competitors for his job, but he had also not advanced higher.
So Daniel would have to give the fae something he desperately wanted: an opportunity to go at Daniel, without the other servants around, with the Lords all away.
"We should talk about your disappointing performance, Elswith." The Surmount Butler said, an opening jab.
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The Name Elswith was dead, cold, void. The memory of power that used to dwell in that name now just as much a ghost as the figments in the willows beyond.
Except the same, tiny fire from Kenton, who still believed in the name of Elswith.
That small spark of belief sparked even larger defiance and vigor in Daniel. He would fight fire with fire, starting the match of tomorrow today "I agree. We should really talk, Sialtons." Daniel said, using the Surmount Butler's Harbor name. The difference in position made even the mention of the Harbor name difficult for Daniel. Difficult, but not impossible. He had earned enough leeway and power to do so. Just barely enough. But it was enough.
The Surmount Butler's eyes wide. Just a touch, just a smidge.
That was enough.
The match was on.
The entire Game was focused on this moment.
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Strangers in a strange land all have homes from whence they came, as the Fae were no different. And from these homes were the important people. From the ones watching from their cities soaring in sky, to those viewing from the depths of the sea, they watched. Some were powerful. Some were even more so. As they watched, the The Law of Fae twittered and swirled. This was something that did not need to happen, that Beloved chose to complete himself.
The Game roared.
The watchers leaned in, and watched.
The sounds were rich and clear. "What if there was a guest coming?" the Servant asked, voice coming across the Game to those watching. "And I am the only servant ready to open the door?"
"What kind of guest would come into a door this large?" Argued the Surmount Butler. Everyone watched this exchange with baited breath. Some Fae began drafting in their own minds as they felt the dominate position of the conversation shift back and forth between the two.
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And yet, while most of the Lords and Senators and others viewing the Game watched the conversational duel, heavily invested in exchange between the Servant Branch Hall Attendant and the Surmount Butler...there were a few whose eyes wandered.
One such person was a Lordling watching the other goings on. A tall young Fae with freckles across his nose and a shock of curly dark golden hair was watching the Game.
This Lordling had switched to the other view point available. For while the game between the Surmount Butler and the Attendant Branch was interesting, he was more interested in the unknown variable outside.
The red haired girl with the normal nose was running in circles with the Golem around his backyard. At this point in time, it was no longer clear whom was chasing whom. The poor Golem looked rather bewildered and sad.
Through the viewing, the Lordling watched the scene unfolding. The Golem started to look toward the Estate again, probably focusing in on Elswith through tracking magic. She took offense to that, apparently, and she yelled at it "You can run from me, but you can't run from your face, gravel eater." The sounds were distant and less vibrant than in real life, but in part that was due to the Game by in large ignoring the exchange.
The unkempt lordling noticed another Circle member entering the room. "Did you find more?" he asked.
"At least 150 Fae have been poisoned. It's terrible." she threw down a silky sack, bulging,
The frizzy haired Fae sighed. "Is...this person with you?" He asked the girl with black and white hair, and an eyepatch.
"She's your family's servant. Shouldn't you know this?" the girl said.
"Your family has spies in my family and you know it."
"Everyone has spies in everyone else's family. Or you do if you matter."
They both stopped their bickering as the servant in question threw an old tomato at the Golem, and now it did appear she was chasing the Golem, and not the other way round. "Do people pay you to stay away from them, or is that just a public service? Don't walk away from me! Get back here!"
"Is she going to ruin everything?"
The newcomer Lordling adjusted her eyepatch, watching the scene unfold via the Game. "It does appear that she is offering aid? Or she is mad."
The boy squinted at the Game again, trying to pick out fine detail. "Is the Golem crying?"
"They can't cry...but...it looks like it."
"Brutal."