I sat atop a cracked crate of foodstuffs that a cart had literally dropped off, my toes barely touching the ground. I was trying to wiggle a finger between the folds of the bandage to scratch my arms, but they were bound too tightly for that. Captain Tometh went around the cramped attic, ducking away from the slopped roof, to personally take stock of our inventory of blades, rations, arrows, and other supplies.
The cart had only stopped long enough to check which supplies crates were ours so they could turn around and quickly fulfil other orders, but that left everything in disarray.
I leaned over to look out the slanted window at the dwindling light. The city had quietened compared to the afternoon, at least at our position in the rear. However, fighting still raged at every other gate, judging by the sparse reports and distant shouting.
The remnant knights and militia were convinced they were safe inside their walls, that the gates would hold. I hoped for their sake that they wouldn’t have to watch their fortifications contend with any of the ghouls from the castle.
Tometh also kept looking out of the window. He knew very well the impending deadline of getting to headquarters before sundown because I kept reminding him.
“You’ve already counted that one,” I said, my jaw resting against my palm. “You don’t have to fake it if you want to make the commander wait; it's just us here.”
“You think I would do something that juvenile during a time like this?”
“Uh, yes.”
He scoffed, put down the listing he’d been cross-referencing, and motioned for the stairs.
My chainmail rustled as I hopped off the crate. “I didn’t say you had to stop being petty. I’m in full support of not going.”
“Some of us respect the chain of command and still have to live here after this is over.”
We walked down the staircase to the storefront, passing half the knights having tea with our hosts. “Want us to come with you, captain?”
“Just Sennal. The rest of you can finish and guard the gate or patrol the neighbourhood until I return.”
His adjutant tipped her cup back and downed the rest of her tea, quickly brushing biscuit crumbs from her lap as she hurried after us. A few stragglers had come to the gate, most with a mismatch of items one wouldn’t carry on their back in an emergency.
The suspected looters were let through since there was no proof, except for one egregious offender who had bundled up gold and silver wiring that had recently been stripped from homes.
She’d tried to hide it under her coat, but the mages waving her through had sensed the chunks of metal. The bounty was taken away from her with little argument, but keeping with the captain’s wishes of no prisoners, she was let go.
The city was on the edge of falling into disarray, with the roaming squads of knights as the only thing keeping it from taking the plunge.
My mare had been put into service elsewhere, so I still had to ride in front of Sennal to the headquarters. The streets had cleared of people, but magic-made barricades with old furniture legs for stakes were being set up at every intersection. The side of the city facing the capital had multiple layers of iron gates, but the sides were less protected, leaving the fortifications up to the area's defenders.
Ghouls had further piled up at the outer gates, making for easy targets and a worrying pressure pushing against a few hinges and a latch. Stone struts had been formed to prop up the gates and alleviate some of the stress on the joints. No one bothered shooting arrows overhead as the defenders took turns stabbing and casting.
The ground-floor windows were boarded up, and the doors reinforced. Some mages broke windows and reformed the walls as if they had never existed.
The grassy expanse between the headquarters’ gate and their bastion was covered in tents and clustered groups as they sought refuge in the only available space—and the safest. Everyone wanted to be far away from the fence and close to the fortress, leaving people sitting almost atop each other.
The same guard I had bypassed while he slept gave a hurried salute to Tometh before rushing him through, returning to argue with the woman trying to bring her sheep inside.
“Think they still want to lock me away?” I asked, testing a minuscule amount of mana manipulation in my arms, leaving them feeling fuzzy. “Shouldn’t they have more important things to focus on?”
“If they do, they can’t keep it a secret. They’d have to explain why,” Tometh said, riding closer and leaning towards us. “Despite what’s going on, telling the public the perpetrators were, you know, who lived amongst us would be far worse for our image.”
A knight at the door took the reins of our horses, and the same receptionist directed us to the Map Room, giving me a surprised look despite my using Tometh as the excuse to be here before. We went up a direct staircase to a door flanked by stern-faced knights. One nodded more deeply to Tometh than the other before both reached to open their side of the double door.
The lamps inside were already lit and bathed the room in a warm glow, with most of that light glinting off naked blades and plate armour adorning the crowd of high-ranking knights. There were those not in uniform who were dressed well enough to be influential figures in the city, but they were few. Most gathered around a large table, covered mainly by a map showing far greater detail than the dirt one I’d made under the watchtower.
Unsurprisingly, I was by far the youngest in the room, including the adjutants mingling on the boundaries, and I got the usual looks that went with that fact. Those who’d met me on the field gave me a different look I couldn’t quite decipher.
“Ah, evening, captain,” Commander Arardish said, extricating himself from the group crowded around him. “We missed you at the strategy meeting, but the simple of it is you’ll be stationed in the rear as Hauser tells me you’re already set up there and will be responsible for sorties to respond to attacks in the outer city.”
“Sortie?” Tometh said slowly, turning away from the group of captains that had come to greet him. “What sort of strategy is having a single squad to defend the streets that ghouls have unrestricted access to.”
“The businesses and warehouses located in that district,” a woman out of uniform said. “Are the lifeblood of this city, now and after. Defending them is paramount.”
“There was supposed to be an auction at Jacora’s tomorrow,” another added. “The loss in revenue from that alone would affect all of us well into the spring.”
Arardish clamped a hand on Tometh’s shoulder before he could retort and brought him towards the map. Little wooden renditions represented the iron gates scattered around the city, concentrated on the side facing the capital. The knights were portrayed as helmets or as horses rearing back, like the one positioned where we were stationed in the back corner.
The city had a single entrance at the front path that branched out into streets with their own gates all the way up to the grass of the bastion. The two gates on each side and the three at the rear did not have the same defensive depth, with only the outer gate as protection.
The commander pointed to those weaker areas. “We can’t afford the enemy pushing in from all sides; we need a clear route for supplies and evacuations if the time comes. Most of our forces are stationed at the four side gates and main entrance. The city can't afford three more gates under siege. We don’t have the people or mana.”
Tometh bristled at the hand still on his shoulder but said nothing as he considered the map. Runners came in through a side door and handed notes to support staff, who would add miniatures to the map to illustrate the growing number of ghouls.
“Look, Tometh,” the commander continued quieter. “Most are amassing at the front and sides. If they don't, they’re wandering past the city entirely. My orders are not unreasonable. Two squads have each been placed on the other gates, but I figure since you have the war horses, your 2nd can cover more ground.”
I imagined Tometh’s eye twitching at the mention of orders, but he bobbed his head. “We’ll handle it.”
Arardish clapped his shoulder. “Good man. Now, everyone here had a lot of questions on how we knew certain information that was said during the meeting. So, meet our troublesome spy responsible for that.”
I felt the stares pile on as those not at the meeting under the watchtower slowly registered where the commander was looking. “I wouldn’t say I’m a problem. I feel I’ve been quite helpful.”
“I concur,” Tometh said, gesturing to my bandaged arms. “She has been instrumental in this defence and saved my team. As far as you need to be concerned, she’s been conscripted into the 2nd for the time being.”
“Be that as it may, a foreign asset meddling in our region of influence should have been cleared with us at the very least. The fact we can’t confirm she’s even from Drasda and is still not playing us is worrying. She hasn’t even been properly debriefed.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Foreign?” I asked. I didn’t have much nationalistic pride for a country I knew very little of, but still. “We’re both from Werl?”
That elicited a few laughs from the crowd and a smile from the commander. “Yes, I’m sure the duchies wouldn’t like nothing more than for their fellow countrymen to be wiped out so they could take our home for themselves. Or swoop in to save the day, only to never leave. Why is Drasda sending spies here without contacting their fellow Werlese?”
“I’m not supposed to be here,” I said, letting some of the frustration from being stuck here for weeks on end seep in. “I got roped into a prison break while pretending to be a captive to get information from the witch we caught. She did something with an old tree outside the city, and the next second, I was standing outside your walls. Drasda doesn’t even know I’m here. Otherwise, they would have come to get me.”
There was a twinge of disappointment in his eyes at the last part, yet his lips curled downwards into a scowl. “You want to dress up and pretend to be one of us? Then act like it and show some respect to your superiors.”
I resisted uttering the first words that came to mind. Despite the extra layers of armour, I felt naked without my gauntlet, steel bangles and magic. “Yes, sir.”
His scowl didn’t dissipate. “Everyone clear the room.”
The captains were unaccustomed to being issued orders as they looked to each other for assurance that they’d go along with it before slowly filtering out.
“Arardish, Drasda is a large purchaser of our goods. Don’t do anything rash,” a civilian said while going for the door. She got a tight-lipped smile that vanished the second her back was turned.
“You too, captain.”
I nodded when Tometh glanced my way, and he followed the others out, closing the door behind him. “I’ll be outside.”
Arardish slouched slightly and leaned back against the table, his expression slipping into something more neutral. “While I truly believe that the surrounding duchies would like nothing more than to pillage our home, past and present. And am miffed that there are machinations beyond my knowledge playing out in the city for so long.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, unable to honestly defend what Duke Riker’s position would be.
“I feel we need to set aside our distrust as we need their help. You have no way of contacting them? What would you do if you needed to ask for help? Are there more operatives in the city?”
“I’m not lying when I said I’m not supposed to be here. There are no plans, no contingencies, no help. I could send a pulse that they can confirm is from me and will respond to, but that's all.”
He lifted himself to sit on the table, picked up a glass of amber liquid, and offered me one. “We got a request from Drasda to ask if a certain delivery would arrive on time, which let me simply broach the subject of suggesting something was wrong in our response. The other towns don’t have receivers, and the one transmitter we have in the south is sending an all-clear, but they aren’t responding to our birds requesting assistance. East and West are equally as silent, and our riders there haven’t returned.”
“Okay…I assume they wanted to say everything was fine?”
“They did. In their view, this’ll last a few more days, and the ghouls will go back inside or spread out into manageable numbers for even the smallest villages.”
“You disagree.”
“I do. I’d rather squabble with the surrounding powers over rewards and troop numbers than be in the stomach of some monster. We knew these variants existed, but not the numbers and variety. I don’t want to find out if there are any more surprises from within those walls. My experience inside and out tells me never to underestimate what a swarm of these things can do.
“So, to that end. I would like you to make a personal request for support. This is the most I can push my authority without putting my head on the chopping block for bypassing the vote. I’m sure even the captains who like to sit in the back will change their tune after a day or two of witnessing the fighting, but I fear that’ll be too late.”
“How long would it take?” I asked. “If we sent out an urgent request for help.”
“Well…Say they read it in the morning. Deliberate over the veracity and urgency till the afternoon. Preparations start that evening and the next day, depending on the number they choose to send. Marching from Drasda as a full force, six days or three for a small group of riders. So, the best-case scenario is five days from now if we send it this evening.”
I took out the deliberation and came up with three days for my best-case scenario. “Can you hold out for that long?”
He shrugged. “If the ghouls keep pouring out and continue to amass at the remaining gates, I’m not sure. If they break through just one, our odds go down significantly.”
I wondered about letting him know about the potential timeline for reinforcements, but it was based on wishful thinking, and I didn’t need to give further reason to arrest me. “I can give you an unencoded message that they would understand, but instead, why don’t we discuss rewards now, and you take that to a vote? That way, there’s no chopping block, and Drasda knows the severity of the threat.”
His look was sceptical. “And what guarantee do we have that Duke Riker will uphold this arrangement? What authority do you have to negotiate on their behalf?”
“We’re on the north side; it’s in their best interest to come and help before the problem spreads. And I’m sure I can suggest a few things you could offer so they don’t broach the subject of compensation when they get here.”
“Such as?” the commander asked, reaching over for a pencil and paper.
“Hmm,” I hummed, already knowing what I wanted. “The inn the witches used no longer has an owner. That. And…any armour that the ghouls are wearing.”
“The stuff we usually find on them is brimming with mana but rotting off or rusting. What is it you know that makes this a worthwhile bargaining chip? Does this have something to do with that gauntlet you had? I was led to believe it was looted from a blacksmith, not a ghoul.”
“Mhm, they’re hardly useful to you and only come from those in the castle.”
He scribbled down the requests. “I can sell that to most, but not to people like Tometh who would see that as a part of our heritage. Perhaps you can explain how you came across it and the strength disparity between them and those in the outer districts. I hardly want to believe you’ve been beyond the wall at all, but I’d rather know something, even if they’re lies. What else?”
I hadn’t thought I’d get the inn without question, let alone the armour. So, I explained what I could about the variants, how common they were and the size and strength of those in the castle. I left out the king with the crown and sceptre with the excuse that they were too occupied getting into the vault to come and visit the city.
“Ah, can the Marchland Inn be under Drasda’s laws?” I asked after telling the last tidbit I could think of.
He paused his rushed scribbles. “You want an embassy?”
“Yes?”
He finished and looked up for my next demand.
“That’s all.”
Arardish breathed in deeply and looked over his list. “I can definitely sell this to a majority if you can guarantee they will deliver. Is this truly enough to satisfy the duke? What can you offer as a guarantee?”
They were coming anywhere, I hoped, so this would be something extra for the trouble. “I’m throwing in everything he and Commander Faraya owe me for this mess in exchange for the armour. I’m confident I can drag them on board for a simple foothold in the city.”
“Captain,” Arardish said with a pulse of mana to request his presence.
Tometh walked through the door a moment later, raising an eyebrow at the cordial atmosphere.
Arardish handed him the paper with my demands and notes on the ghouls. “What do you make of this, captain? In exchange for Drasda's help.”
I smiled and batted my eyelashes as his expression dimmed while reading through the list. “Putting aside the outlandish claims you have on inner districts here, let alone the castle, outsiders are not allowed to own property, and the armour she’s seeking is not something to give away without thought.”
“We can make replicas, captain. We simply chose not to go through with the hassle,” the commander said. “It’s only worth is in a museum, which we don’t have or scrap metal. What do you suggest as an alternative?”
“We lease a different building to them that can be cancelled by either party at any point, and she gets…three pieces of armour of our choice from our best blacksmiths.”
“Two pieces of my choice of those like my gauntlet,” I said, worried he’d further explain why I wanted that building, or rather, the tunnel beneath. It was a gamble, but I was sure I could persuade him to get on board with letting me have control of the inn. “I don’t know what a lease is, but you and I jointly own the building to get around the no outsiders part. Drasda law still applies.”
He went silent as he calculated my proposal's new personal benefit to his squad and the captains he liked. “One piece of our choice, and anything going into and out of the building must be searched.”
“One piece of my choice and a replacement gauntlet if one’s found; anything that can be kept in pockets isn’t included in the search.”
The commander was looking between us like we were mad. “I don’t want an army to arrive and say we bullied a young girl during negotiations and then not uphold the deal. Are you sure this is sufficient? A building and some personal items, not looting rights, profit sharing, or annexation to alleviate concerns of a recurrence?”
“Yes.” “It’s adequate.”
He sighed. “I don’t care as long as this gets everyone to agree to a request for reinforcements. Tometh, I presume you understand we need the help. Persuade those who voted no last time to change their minds. This position may very well land me in the history books for a bigger blunder than The Fall itself if we don’t get these captains to see the light of day.”
“I say we do it regardless of the vote,” Tometh said, taking a swig from my half-finished glass.
I gasped and put a hand over my mouth. “But that would be going against regulations.”
The commander pulled out a glass jar of ink and a nicer sheet of paper. His writing was a long-winded version of what I wanted, with a lengthy paragraph on my capacity to negotiate on behalf of Drasda, why the contract would be binding and that I was doing this without coercion or threat.
He signed his name on the bottom in long flowing letters and offered me the pen. I wasn’t used to writing with anything except a pencil and didn’t have a fancy signature that looped around, but I put my name on the paper.
I stilled with the tip of the pen resting on the last a, leaving a growing splotch of ink on the end of Valeria. I sighed and added Riker after, certain the duke wouldn’t mind me borrowing the name he offered this one time. I told myself it didn’t mean anything, and I just wanted the tunnel and armour.
“You’re aware it’s illegal to forge a duke’s signature or use their name?” Arardish asked, looking over my shoulder.
“I wasn’t, but that doesn’t change anything for me.”
“Okay then,” he said, a bit more cheer in his voice as he took the paper back.