Chapter 48: Hop In

The following day found us in a familiar place, though this time, the hall was very different. We had found the Servants, the small organization that was mostly in charge of record and history keeping of the Court of Shadows. They held no real political power, only existing to keep some continuity between the various bloody transitions of power that assassin organizations were so prone to. They were unsurprised when we informed them that many of the other branches needed to send new delegations and likely elect new masters as well.

Notifications were sent out, but that didn't mean that the voting would stop. Not having any delegates wasn't a cause for the election to be postponed. Rather, the absent delegate just didn't get a vote to count. The same thing would have happened if we'd showed up anytime beyond the appointed time when it would start. Of course, they were easily within their rights to challenge the Grandmaster to replace them if they were unhappy with the results. But that wouldn't be an issue here.

So, simply, the hall. Under the gaze of the statue, we were few. There was the Oialas delegation, and me and my six numbered, with one Servant standing off to the side demurely. Doja spoke first.

"I nominate Coulomb," she said.

The Servant asked for any other nominations. In what was nothing but a formality, my election to Grandmaster passed unanimously. I didn't want this position, but I had spoken with Doja before this started, and we came to an agreement. She would be acting head, making any decision that didn't involve me directly or was not of monumental consequences.

The only thing she asked me was to make sure the other branches were in hand. I didn't expect much pushback from them, as we had removed most of their leaders and most powerful combatants. But we would have to make a roundabout trip on the way home, stopping by each one of the branches to help them select appropriate leadership. Of course, I leaped at that opportunity. Traveling around the entire continent for a month and a half or so would allow me to do my own investigations. It would also allow me to stop by to talk to the Archmage of Blue.

Doja and I shared a few brief words as we exited the hall. She went to the Grandmaster's study. I passed along the instructions the old man gave to me in my dreams so long back about recruitment and the Parisian tongue. I gave her a spare set of keys. She also had a new official office as Deputy Grand Master, a position that had been vacant for over a thousand years due to too much suspicion to fulfill the position with any regularity. But it allowed her to rubber-stamp any decision that I didn't want to have to make.

The Servants introduced the small staff that would allow her to run the position, each one of them having been raised by a family that had dedicated their life to serving this organization. Why that was the case? I didn't ask, but they seemed very proud of their positions and more than willing to work with someone who actually seemed to care about the running of the organization. Doja's delegation, for the most part, was heading home, and her second would take the day-to-day running of the branch. A cousin of sorts, Three, had taken him aside and had a few quiet words, and she assured me that there would be no issues.

After getting everything situated, we wasted no time before departing the city. With seven of us now, there was no way we were fitting into one carriage, so we left with the original one as well as a second passenger carriage on top of the luggage. The servants had stayed in the outer city, for the most part, completely isolating themselves from the chaos and danger that the election had caused. I was grateful that we didn't have to worry about protecting them, and it made our trip much more enjoyable.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

In the middle carriage of the caravan, I rode with One, Two, and Three. Four, Five, and Six were in the other carriage, though I imagine that would rotate. For now, though, it was good to get to know them. I wouldn't say they were the newest members of my Numbered, as they had been some of the older ones, but they were new to me. I had kind of hoped that One would introduce them to me one at a time, but it appeared Two and Three shared a rather close bond.

One relinquished her spot at my side for Two, though she probably could have still sat there as Two was mostly in my lap. As she fiddled with various parts of my outfit and demanded near-constant attention, luckily, she didn't want my full attention, just a hand gently stroking some part of her body. However, which part of her I was touching changed every couple of minutes as she wiggled. Three and One both sat stoically, occasionally exchanging a few soft words as we rode in silence until we left the city, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

Eventually, to break the silence—the near half-hour apparently the limit of her self-control—Two spoke up. "So, master, do we call you Grandmaster now, or is that just a Court thing?"

I gave her a small smile at her exuberant question. "Master is fine. The Grandmaster is just the title for the court, and I don't plan on using that much."

Three spoke up. "The Grandmaster would be a bit of a mouthful."

"It would, wouldn't it?" Two said. "Could you imagine having to yell 'Grandmaster' over your shoulder every time he plunged in from behind? That would just be—I don't think my brain could take it."

Three gave no indication that Two's obvious reference to certain bedroom activities had bothered her one bit. One just smirked but stayed uncharacteristically silent, as if she was giving them both a chance to get used to the new me.

When no one took the bait to up the ante, Two continued. "Speaking of plunging in, what do you say, master?"

She positioned herself so that her face was pressed into my lap, and her rear was wiggling in the air as she leaned forward, her knees on the seat next to me.

"It's been too long. Aren't you just dying for it?" I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Two seemed to delight in my apparent uncomfortability as she continued to increase the ridiculousness. "I mean, come on, you were stuck with all the boring Numbered! No one ever just came up to you, lifted their dress, looked over their shoulder, and said, 'Hop in, dude.'"

I spluttered and laughed. "That was terrible," I said to her, giving her a hearty smack on the rear, which made her let out a squeal that halfway through turned into a moan. Also, when had I ever heard anyone say dude? "How long have you been waiting to say that?"

She grinned. "I thought of it a couple of days ago. I was certain that that would make you a little bit more angry."

I just shook my head and chuckled, catching Three's smile as she tried to hide it by looking out the window. Ah, I guess she wasn't nearly as stoic after all.

"Later, Two. Though I have a lot more thoughts that I need to process."

She pulled her head out of my lap and sat up on her knees, pouting slightly before leaning in and giving me a gentle kiss. She then slouched onto her side, returning to using me as a pillow. "Fine, Master."

I gave Two a raised eyebrow and then shot a look at One, my eyes attempting to convey a question. Is she always like this? One cocked her head slightly, thinking before she gave a half-shrug that told me not quite but that I was letting her get away with a lot more than I normally would. Two was starting to notice that something was different. The amount of information one could convey with simple body language was quite impressive.

I looked down at Two and found her watching me with an uncharacteristically serious gaze before she broke it off with an impish grin as she nuzzled her head farther up my lap. She was going to be in trouble.