Chapter 81 Meeting the Advisors.
Paranoia is a good thing.
It keeps you alive, it keeps you alert.
But never let others learn of your paranoia,
or they’ll use it against you.
Rakisha, Mother of all Demons.
The next few hours I spend in my room, meditating. I am nearly done connecting my crown-knot mana-pool. The bath I took with Kabit back at Axero had brought me very close. I do my best to connect to the little bit that's left, but to no avail. Using my enchanted necklace doesn't help, I don’t feel any progress whatsoever, and this is with the mana-pool I have the most affinity for.
Kynator wasn’t joking when he said this part makes apprentices quit… I need more souls… or this will take me a while just for that little bit of progress… I’d normally go on a hunt with Berthold, but he’s out tracking king Luard and Sharla… I can try going out with Salik… No time for this, I need to manage the city and fix the mess the king must’ve left here, I doubt he cared for the common people…
Zoe wakes me up from my deep trance and tells me that everyone I asked for had gathered. I let her lead me to the council room since I still don’t know my own palace yet.
“You seem to be fitting into your new role rather quickly…” I comment as we walk the blue carpet-covered corridors.
Zoe's smile brightens even the cold stony corridor. “Oh, Tasiya is a great teacher, Master. And I already worked as a maid for two years at lord Gemhand’s house. I’m no stranger to the job, that’s why I offered myself.”
I nod. “I want you as my personal maid then. Remind me tonight before I go to bed, I’ll give you your first lesson on magic.”
She holds my wrists and lets out an excited squeal. “Really?!”
“Yes, really.” I try way too hard not to roll my eyes.
“Oh, sorry, Your Majesty, Master, I got carried away. It’s always been my dream…” she retreats awkwardly, averting her gaze.
“I’m aware, Zoe… Please don’t get your hopes up. We don’t know if you have the talent for magic yet. And if you don’t…”
She holds my hands again, unable to keep her emotions in check. “Can’t you like – check if I have the talent?”
I reach out with my crown-knot pool, but I feel nothing special from her, just a little bit of mana like any other human being. Does it mean she has no talent? Or does it simply mean she hasn't used any magic yet and doesn't have a lot of mana in her body? If it was so easy to tell someone’s potential, I doubt the tower would recruit in the cruel way they do… is there no way around getting magic through danger?
“If there’s a way to check such a thing, I haven’t learned of it yet. I do know that the best way to awaken your magic is to have your life placed in danger without any iron on your body… But we obviously won’t put you in risk for that.”
She nods, eyes sparkling despite what I just told her.
I sigh and continue. “Zoe, I’ll be honest with you. I’m still learning about magic myself. I don’t know everything, but I’ll teach you what I do know, ok?”
“Do you have a master too?” She still holds my wrists, almost dancing on the spot.
“Yes.”
“What is he like?”
I sigh. “She, and she’s terrifying. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to meet her.”
Her giddiness disappears in an instant, and she lets my arms go. “Oh I’ve seen what evil sorcerers can do. Is your master one of those sorcerers who kills people for no reason?”
I look into her brown eyes. “Worse. She kills people for a very good reason, and that’s the problem, because she’ll keep doing it… I’d rather not talk about that.”
She picks my hands again. “It’s ok, I understand. There are evil people out there. But magic is just a tool, whether we use this tool to do good or evil is up to us right?”
And how do you define good and evil? Religion? Culture? How do you know if your religion or culture got it right? Conscience? How do you know your conscience isn’t tipped with your egoistical self-interests?
There is no clear correct way to define what’s right and what’s wrong… normally I’d focus on “what hurts people is wrong” but even this isn’t foolproof… what if my action helps one and hurts another, or my inaction… like with Lezere’s body… giving her back to her family would hurt Kolag, not giving her up would hurt her father… And lying to Kolag about it, eats me from the inside…
Why am I just standing here? “We’ve stopped walking,” I comment dryly. “Will you show me to the council room, please?”
“Oh, yes, Master! Sorry, Your Majesty.”
A few more turns in these stony hallways and I enter the council room. The large room features a round table and a golden chandelier overhead. My banners are already draped over the stony walls, and there's even a small wooden sculpture of a horse above the fireplace. How the snake did they get it all ready within a day?
Kolag, Salik, and Ryon are already here, sitting around the table. I survey the unfamiliar dignitaries at their seats as I wonder where Jerro is.
A short female gnome is the first to attract my attention. Her golden hair is tied up in a messy ponytail, and she wears a strange intricate device on her face, behind it a pair of white eyes scans me back. She turns her gaze back to her parchment, her quill jotting down at a fast pace.
I’ve never seen white eyes before, only mages or fae have strange eye colors.
I reach out with my crown-knot and don’t get any feeling of mana from her. It’s like she’s not even there. Even people without mana or magic give out something, but there isn’t even the faintest clue that there’s a person there. She's magically invisible, it's almost as if she's an illusion. Maybe it’s the device on her face… if it’s glass, it should create a small mana-less field around it… But she couldn’t be a mage and wear a glass…
Not a time for curiosity. I keep moving my gaze to the others in the room. The next unfamiliar person is an elderly man with a long white beard. He keeps moving beads in his abacus while murmuring to himself.
The last man is familiar to me. A bald man, wearing a tailored black suit with blue patterns on it. His cane leans on his chair and he moves his hand in his white oiled mustache as he makes a friendly conversation with Tasiya. You… you were the one the king had sent to pick a wife from the women he had abducted… you piece of rot! What the hell are you doing here sitting in this room like you belong here?! Apathy… composure… focus! Control myself and investigate first…
Screw composure! I’m the queen here! That man had soldiers trying to rape me!
“You!” I point at the man who treated all those women like slabs of meat a few days ago.
He gets up to his feet and gives me a nobleman bow. “Garion Gemhand, Lawmaker, at your service, Your Majesty.”
Calm down, I’m going to kill this man in a moment… but I need to do it right, and it needs to be legitimate. If I go around killing people randomly, all I’ll achieve is terror, and that’s not what I’m aiming for… Everyone here needs to hear what he did first and why I'm executing him. “Lawmaker… You don’t even recognize me, do you?”
He uses a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “I beg your pardon?”
“I was with the women the king abducted a couple of days back, you left us to…”
He drops to his knees, face full of terror. “I had no idea, Your Majesty! Please, forgive me!”
I cross my hands. “And that makes it better?! Who cares if you had any idea or not. You let the guards rape those women!”
“I only did as I was told! Please believe me! Please spare me!” He kneels lower on his hands. “I did not participate in these acts! I could have, but I didn’t! Please, you have to believe me! I had no choice!”
I still can’t wipe his sneer from my mind. “You want me to believe that the king had ordered you to order the guards to violate those women?!”
“Yes! Princess Drusilla ordered that. She said that it was a reward for the soldiers. I had no choice but to carry her orders. I can’t say no to a sorceress! P-please. Please, spare me!” He crawls forward and kisses my shoes repeatedly.
Yes! Kiss my boots! Lick my feet! Worship me!
ENOUGH!
What in the five hells was that?!
I move my legs back in self disgust. What is happening to me?! And what makes a grown man kiss someone’s boots like that?! Mages… Mages who treat humans like livestock… I can imagine the king, or one of his ‘princes’ forcing this man to kiss their feet…
I tuck my hair behind my ear. What am I going to do with him? Did he have no choice? Is he a victim here? Or is he a Rakshasa playing human? How can I tell?
My gaze lands on Kolag. I don’t know… but Kolag always seems to know what justice is, he doesn’t have the same inner doubts I do…
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“On your feet,” I order dryly.
The man stands up, visibly shaking. Is he really so scared of me? Yes he is, I can kill him with a thought and he knows it. Of course he’s scared… It’s nice to have this power… I like it… but I don’t want people to fear me so much…
“Garion was your name?” Yes, I have power that can kill them, but it’s all about the image and impression I give these people.
“Yes, Your Majesty! Please, spare me!”
I’ll give them the image of a wise queen, one they want to follow… “If your heart and choices can be influenced by fear, it can be influenced by greed as well. I do not want you as my Lawmaker. You have no place judging people or settling disputes, and you certainly can’t be my face to the people…”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!” He runs toward the door.
“I did not say you could go.” He stops, frozen in place. “Kolag?” My armored boyfriend shifts uncomfortably. He looks weird without the claymore leaning on his shoulder. “Justice is always important to you. You care for people, yet you will not forgive crimes against others, you kill those you deem criminals with swift precision. You’re the new lawmaker, and Garion is your first case. I don’t know whether he’s innocent or guilty, and I trust you to give him a fair trial.” Problem solved… and Kolag can take over all these cases that torture my conscience…
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kolag answers with a stiff echo. “I’ll take him to the dungeons for now.” He takes the man’s arm, leading him outside.
I address the rest. “Introduce yourselves you two.” I raise my chin at the gnome and the old man.
The blond gnome stands up first. “Jolla Silverquill, Your Majesty. Chronicler, scholar, diplomat and sociologist. I will write down all of your deeds to make sure you are remembered throughout Red Cedar City’s history. I watch the library and am responsible for all the knowledge kept in here. I’m here to answer your questions about the world, Tolste’s Island, or Red Cedar City. I’ll advise on historical, geographical and diplomatic matters. I can also act as a neutral ambassador should the need arise.” She sits back down, fixes the fragile device on her face, and keeps writing down in her parchments.
“Thank you, Jolla. What about you?” I ask the elderly man. He ignores me and keeps moving beads in his abacus while mumbling to himself.
The golden-haired gnome elbows his arm. He lifts his head abruptly. “Hm? What? What did you do that for?”
“Her Majesty wants you to introduce yourself.”
“Oh! Ah, yeah. Ahem, I’m sorry, Majesty. There are currently 8,272 souls living in Red Cedar City, 6,021 of whom are adults, and 2,251 of whom are under the age of fifteen. Ahem! This report is inaccurate since I have not calculated the deaths from the battle yet, and hadn’t received any accurate casualty report.”
I asked for your name... My lips twitch with a smile.
So, almost a ten thousand people under my command already… this wasn’t so hard… Only had to get Lezere killed for it…
Ok, stop, the dead won’t come back to life, it’s time to move on. I’m not going on a conquest for more people, I don’t want to lose anyone else. Let’s turn this city into a peaceful place people want to live in, it’ll attract more population.
I also have to keep it safe, and make sure I don’t lose more people… Just hold out for two years, grow the population a bit, and everything is going to be alright…
The elderly man keeps reading from the parchments he holds, combing his long white beard with a distracted hand. “The treasury currently hold 41,682 gold coins. 305 sorcerer stones. There are jewelry of some worth, but I can’t give you an accurate number. The former king had taken some of them along with most of the sorcerer stones when he left. Ahem! That’s all I’ve got to report.” He sits back down, moving beads in his abacus.
“Thank you,” I say. “But you haven’t told me your name yet.”
“Oh? Hmmm what were you asking, Majesty?”
“Your name.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, majesty. My name is Talbot Bookkeeper, I do numbers.”
“Nice to meet you Talbot, Jolla. I’ll be counting on you in the upcoming day.
Jolla gives me a courteous nod. But the elderly man doesn’t even look up, he is too absorbed in his abacus.
A loud fart disturbs the meeting. Ryon starts laughing like a madman. "Oua gang need some of da good noise!" he exclaims when he finally calms down. Salik snorts, while Zoe and Jolla gives Ryon a scandalous glare.
“Ahem…” I clear my throat, trying not to smile. “I was told that the army general’s had died. Salik here will serve as the general from now on.” I gesture to the old man who seems to be in his thirties. He gives me a sarcastic smirk and takes another gulp from his flask.
“Can anyone tell me why Jerro isn’t here?” I ask.
“He left.” The reply comes from Ryon, followed by another fart and barely contained giggles.
“Left?”
Another loud fart is my answer. Ryon burst into loud laughter. Once he calms down, he licks his lips and tilts his head in my direction. “Ye! Took your horse an’ left, rode after da Bert-bow guy, said to tell ya not to worry ‘bout him.”
Right… he probably saw something about Sharla… that’s just great… I hope she won’t die on me too… Why do I care? She lied to me and manipulated me and…
And I still consider her a friend… I don’t know why, but I do…
Ok, focus! Not the time to start worrying.
“Ok… So who’s the spymaster?” I look around at my advisors, Tasiya and Talbot in particular.
Tasiya had been managing the palace knowing the ins and outs of it. While visiting the town in order to help the poor. It’s a good way to acquire friends or informants amongst the people.
While Talbot… I don’t buy the act with the abacus, no one is ‘that’ absorbed in the things they like. And the best spies track people through money...
“We've got no spymaster, Your Majesty,” Tasiya says.
I raise an eyebrow. “Then how did the king hear I was in town when I got here? I know for a fact that there was a spy who reported my friends’ location to him.”
She gestures dismissingly as if she has no idea.
“Nah ah, every town and castle has its spider.” I shake my head. How do I get the spymaster to come out and serve me…Why isn’t he or she here to begin with…
Keeping their identity a secret I guess… makes sense… ok… “I know you’re out there webweaver. Either you’re sitting in this room, listening in on us. Or someone is doing the listening for you…” I give a meaningful look to the maids and guards near the door. “…I’ll need you to make a direct contact with me. You have until tomorrow night. No proxies. If you don’t come, I’ll start weaving my own webs, and by that time, you better be out of my city. No one wants an unfriendly spider in their house.” That ought to do it.
I look at the new faces, making sure my message is clear. “Very well, let’s get started. Who can tell me what this town’s imports and exports are, what our tax income is, what the tax percentage is, who the most influential people are amongst the population…”
*~*~*
Interlude 81.1
Berthold.
I thought I could poison the King.
Inara, I’m coming for you.
You will be begging for the mercy I’ve given this foolish woman.
King Luard.
Berthold stares at the bloodied woman. A chill goes down his spine as the horrifying realization sets in. The fairy. Dead. Just like that. Just when he meets a fairy, she dies a terrible death. It’s all Inara’s fault. It’s all…
Berthold wipes a tear he never realized he shed.
The death cultist gets off the stallion. “It is safe, Sharlafyn.” He pats the dead woman’s cheek lightly, caressing it.
“Safe?!” Berthold rages. Death cults and their snaking worship! Of course a death worshiper considers death to be safe. “You call this safe?! This?!” He points at the mutilated woman.
“It is safe, Sharlafynwynyeslun.” Jerro ignores him and sings the long word, caressing the dead woman’s cheek.
Berthold can’t watch this. He draws his bow…
“Ahhhh… why ruin my fun, you weird human. And pir’madanonetauthaon! How do you know my full name?” The naked woman sighs and shifts back into her slender fairy form, an autumn leaves dress coats her skin. She’s still nailed to the post, but her hands and feet are intact. “Sunayaknash,” she addresses Berthold with an odd name. Somehow he knows this is his name, it became his name back in that forest. “Be a deary and remove the cold iron, will you?” She gestures with her chin to the nails stuck in her wrists.
“How can you do magic?” Berthold asks with his eyes open wide. “Iron stops magic.”
The fairy giggles, and the birds sings louder with her. “Ah yes. Cold iron will stop the magic of a mortal. To the fae… let’s just say it only keeps us from moving around, it doesn’t stop our magic. Magic is like breathing to us, you can’t stop me from breathing by nailing me with cold iron, can you? I loved it. I put up quite the show!”
“Get her off that pole, hunter. She is hurting, despite what she says,” the death worshiper orders.
“Yes! Right away!” Berthold doesn't care about the death worshiper, but the fairy is hurting. He and the five scouts under him do their very best to dig out the iron nails from the fairy’s shins. After a few minutes she stretches by curling into a ball, then bends backward and touches her heels with her fingertips her, her body forming an odd arc. Her agility is clearly something no human is capable of.
She then stands straight and traces a hand with long fingers on Berthold’s hot cheek. “Now that’s irh’a. Sunayaknash, you’re such a treat.” She leans forward and kisses his cheek, her breath warm on Berthold's skin. Berthold’s heart skips a beat hearing her next words, whispering in his right ear. “Can I have your snake tonight? I’ve been hanging here for days, it’s been so lonely…”
“Seventeen hours,” Jerro states coldly. “Not days.”
“Yeah yeah, whatever, you weird human." The fairy rolls her unworldly eyes with a silvery flicker. She leans closer to Berthold's ear again. "Sunayaknash? My tent tonight? I’d love to taste you…”
Berthold’s cheeks are hot, his heart races. He wants this. Yet, this is wrong. Jerro clearly has eyes for this woman. But she’s free to make her own choices. He wants this. He had never been with a woman before. She’s a fairy! A real fairy! And she wants him! He needs this! Why should he care about the death cultist's feelings? If anything, annoying the guy is a good idea. "Ok..." He manages to mumble. Ok? Is that all he can say? Just ok?
The fairy giggles and drifts away, grazing her long fingers on his cheek as she turns around.
“We need to track the rival king,” Jerro states. “Our missions isn’t over.”
The fairy dances down the road, humming to herself.
“Did you hear me, Sharlafyn?”
“Yeah yeah, I heard you. Weird human, why do you ruin my fun all the time?”
Berthold shakes his head and blinks a few times. Only now he remembers that there are five more scouts under his command, all watching him with knowing smiles on their faces. Berthold ears flush; he’s never going to live this down.
*~*~*
Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.
Mana pools status:
Crown-knot: Affinity 10: formed: 1 gem replenished per five minutes.
Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 66
Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: formed: 6 gems. Conversion ratio: 6:1
Air: Affinity 4: formed: 18 gems
Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems
Light: Affinity 3: formed: 14 gems
Water: Affinity 6: formed: 27 gems
Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 4 gems
Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems
Gravity: Affinity 9: formed: 40/41 gems
Cantrip known:
Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing. Aria’s Sonic Scream.
Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating. Nuriss’ Ignite.
Light: Noxi’s Light. Lako’s Blinding Light. Rika’s energy hand.
Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet. Ayla’s instant freeze.
Earth: Alice’s Oil Summoning, Reiko’s Acid Spray.
Wood: Arigor’s Lesser Vines. Kolosu’s Vegetable Summoning.
Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s lesser shield. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body.
Spells known:
Gravity: Alino’s Weightless Bodyb.
Life: Brigit’s Lesser Cure Poison.
Focus capability: 13 patterns
Social status: The Queen of Red Cedar City. Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries. Sorceress.
Wealth: 1496 Magic Gems. 1421 Golden Peas, 17 Silver Scales, 12 Copper Bits.
Items:
Magical necklace. Contains 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.
1 potion of lightning body.
1 potion of mana, medium grade.
An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keeps the pouches’ content fresh.
Fresh rose petals, 25g
10 empty soul bottles. Glass with a diamond stopper, put in scaled leather wrapping.
The Great White Egret grimoire. Dedicated by the Maven of mysteries to Inara. 11/100
Companions:
Kolag of house Befar
Salik
Zoe
Ryon
Languages:
Toml’a
Sinteo
Myrsha
Felul
Injuries and scars:
-
Kingdom’s treasury: 305 gems. 41,682 gold coins.
Kingdom’s citizen: 6,021 humans, 2,251 human children.
Notables at Court:
Tasiya Keyholder
Jolla SilverQuill
Talbot Bookkeeper