The first thing Norman did after his return was seek out Eugene.
While it was likely he could take down the Council on his own, it would be a protracted fight. And they couldn’t afford that at the moment. If he had known the fight with the Empire was going to drag on for almost four days, he would have planned things slightly differently there as well. But he couldn’t change the past.
Another issue was the Council knew some of his capabilities already and had some defenses against him. Now that they knew he was coming and had days to prepare, they would have more defenses in place to counter him. But he hoped the plan he was forming would catch them off guard.
He found the Commander speaking with some of the newer troops. It appeared to be a graduation ceremony of sorts.
Norman recognized a few of the soldiers. They were the revived SAS that had decided to stick around. It was kind of funny. Now that a large chunk of SAS had joined the guard and the knights, it finally shifted the balance of his forces from being made up of mostly gron into a majority of human soldiers. Not that he cared who made up the fighting force of Normenia. He preferred having a mixed force in a way. Having a diverse force made his people harder to predict.
While they needed to move on the Council as soon as possible, it wasn’t something that he could rush. So he waited for Eugene to finish speaking with the new graduates. After a few minutes, the big guy turned his attention to Norman and walked over.
“Boss, I see you’re back. Was the mission a success?”
“It was. But there’s been an added complication.”
The man snorted at that. “When isn’t there? Well, let's hear it.”
As they walked to Eugene’s office, Norman told him about Donovan’s appearance.
“So… we finally have proof he’s been interfering. What do you want to do about it? I assume you don’t want to wait around for him to try something again.”
As they sat at Eugene’s desk, Norman mulled over their options. The simplest would be to wipe out the Council and call it a day. But he suspected that would also be the hardest. The Councilors were all powerful mages and they all had access to revival thanks to Vincent. A protracted fight simply wasn’t viable.
He could capture all of them, but then what? Norman didn’t want to manage another territory. Certainly, not one as fucked up as Northern California was since the decade of Council rule. And he didn’t want to constantly have to keep an eye on the Councilors. Especially since they probably wouldn’t be thrilled by his actions. He had finally gotten all the untrustworthy people out of his life, he wasn’t about to invite in a nest of vipers.
There was always the option to turn Northern California over to Admiral Barnes, but he hesitated to do that. He liked the man well enough, but could he, or more specifically the people who take over after him be trusted with that much power? He doubted it. He also doubted the Council would appreciate being under the heel of a non-mage. Not with the bias they had cultivated.
No… he needed someone who could take charge of the Council, keep them in line, and also keep the deployment of arrays on track. That last one was the most important. They couldn’t afford any disruption to the schedule. They had a very slim timeline to deploy the arrays. Which was another reason Norman was so pissed about Donovan’s plot with the Empire. It risked everything. And for what?
It wasn’t clear what the Council Leader’s goal was. If the man wanted him dead, he could have just attacked him outright. With his resources and the ability to trap souls, Donovan certainly could have achieved a victory, if at great expense. Was that it? Was the man doing a cost-benefit analysis on Norman’s demise? While he didn’t want to believe that to be the case, it made a certain amount of sense from what little he knew of the man.
In the end, the reasoning didn’t matter. The man had to go. He just needed to find someone trustworthy to replace him.
Norman didn’t know anyone who fit this criteria. Well… technically he did. Whether or not the person agreed was another thing.
With a decision made, he finally answered Eugene’s question. “Gather up all of the Death Knights and move them to the secret teleporter in the Council’s land. Then wait for me. Try to be circumspect about it though. I don’t want the Council or Donovan to get wind of our attack.”
“And what are you going to be doing?” Eugene asked as he started scribbling out orders.
“I’m going to go speak with someone I haven’t seen in a long time. If all goes well, I should be done within a day.”
“And if it doesn’t go your way?” Eugene paused his writing.
“Either way, the Council will no longer be in charge of Northern California by the end of this week. That I promise.”
***
Scar squawked in annoyance as another snowy gust of wind blew into his eyes. Norman patted the bird reassuringly on the neck as they continued their march through the very untimely blizzard. Untimely because it wasn’t even Fall in Colorado. And it wasn’t like they were high up in the mountains at least no higher than Denver at least.
After what felt like hours, he and his retinue finally pushed through the swirling snow. What greeted them was an old sign that still hung over the mostly unused highway that read ‘Denver’. It would be completely normal if it wasn’t for the huge cyclone of snow that encircled the once capital.
The Wraiths had provided a detailed report of what to expect here, but it still surprised him to see the mass of swirling clouds and snow that wrapped around the entire city and its surroundings. He knew this was the heart of the Ice King’s power. Considering the magic on display here, he wasn’t surprised that the man had eventually subdued the entire state.
Norman just had a hard time comprehending how his mild-mannered old boss had pulled it off. Yup, the Ice King was his old boss – no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember the guy's name – from the Morgue. The man was a domain mage, much like the princes had been, only his power was far greater than either prince. You could see that just by the sustained spell the man was able to power from so far away. Going by this display, Norman might even put his old boss up there as one of the most powerful human mages alive. At least in raw strength.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
They hadn’t really parted on the best of terms so he was a bit worried as to how their reunion would go.
He wasn’t mad at the man, at least not anymore. In fact, if it wasn’t for the dude firing him, Norman may not have ever gotten the wake-up call he needed to get off his ass and try to make something of himself. That didn’t mean this meeting wasn’t going to be awkward though.
There was also Bridgette to consider. If his information was correct, she married his old boss. So yeah… awkward all around.
That didn’t stop him or his retinue from pushing their mounts toward the city. As they rode, he could see a lot had changed since he had last visited the capital of Colorado. Of course, that had been years before the collapse. It used to be like every other major city, sprawling outward with no end in sight. He was surprised to see the city seemed to have shrunk. Buildings had been replaced by farmland and fields full of cattle and other domesticated animals now dotted the outskirts.
There were plenty of people out in the fields, farming. A few glanced up at their passing but went back to work a moment later. There wasn’t anyone lording over the workers and most people they passed seemed at least content.
The few vehicles they did pass along the way were electric and looked to be in rough shape. Norman wasn’t surprised, ten years would do that to a car. Without the manufacturing capability, it would be nearly impossible to produce new vehicles. That didn’t seem to slow down the city of Denver though. While it might have lacked cars, there were hundreds of horse or ox-drawn wagons or carts moving along the roadway.
When the poor animals spotted his group, they usually tried to run or get away, thankfully their drivers kept them under control and moved them off to the side. It got so bad that a patrol of police stopped them. Actual police.
The officer who approached them looked slightly apprehensive about the ten-foot-tall dinos but that didn’t stop him from performing his duties. He respected the guy's bravery. Norman also noticed the officers were well-equipped and wore matching uniforms and some sort of body armor.
“We are going to have to ask you to remove these animals. They are causing concerns.”
“Sorry, Officer. We can store them if that is acceptable?” Norman responded casually. He was pretty sure this was his first interaction with a cop that he didn’t fear being arrested.
The man glanced back at the other four officers who didn’t approach, one nodded. “Very well. So long as you keep them out of sight while you are here.”
With a nod, Norman dismounted and stored Scar. The other four knights with him did the same.
To his credit, the officer didn’t even blink at the display of magic. “What is the purpose of your visit if I may ask?”
“I’m here to speak with the King.”
There were murmurs from the four still on horseback, and the officer near him frowned. “We haven’t been notified of any diplomatic visit. Do you have an appointment?”
“I do not.” The officer's frown deepened.
“Would you please follow us until we speak with the King…”
“Lord Norman Ashvale. Tell your King that I used to be one of his employees, I’m sure he will remember me.”
“I will relay your information.”
The single officer hurried off on his horse while Norman and his guards followed the other four. It was slow, especially since they were on foot. But that was fine.
***
They were led to a rather nice hotel that still had power. It was surprising to see considering he hadn’t seen any other indication of electricity as they made their way through the city.
There they waited for four hours before someone came to fetch them.
“Apologies for the delay, Lord Norman, but our King was attending to other matters. Please, if you would follow me.”
They followed the man downstairs and to a waiting electric bus. He was glad they didn’t have to walk as the bus drove them to the capital building.
The structure looked to have seen better days, but Norman could see people on scaffolding working to fix the damage.
Seeing his curiosity, their guide spoke up. “It was damaged and left to decay by the previous administration before the Ice King took over and restored peace.”
“You sound like you respect the King quite a bit,” Norman commented.
“Why wouldn’t I? The man single-handedly stopped the rampant crime and restored order to the entire state. I likely wouldn’t even be alive today if he hadn’t.”
Norman just nodded. He had missed a lot of stuff in the near decade he had been dead.
The group was led through the hallways of the Capital Building to a large conference room.
The guide bowed and motioned for them to enter.
When he did, he spotted his old boss at the head of the table, flanked by Bridgette on his left. Both stared in open-mouthed shock upon seeing Norman.
The ice king stood and walked around the table toward them, making Norman’s knights tense up. His former boss's cold blue gaze passed over them without concern before resting back on Norman.
The man stopped ten feet away and eyed Norman up and down. “When I heard a Norman Ashvale was here to see me, I was a bit confused. I didn’t know anyone by that last name. I did remember a rather spindly youth by the name of Norman though. You’ve changed. And from what I’m seeing, it looks like it was for the better.”
“I could say the same about you. Ice King? I also see you’ve lost weight.”
The man smiled slightly. “It’s good to see you, Norman. Or should I call you Lord Norman? I’ve heard about you, and your city. Please, sit, and let’s discuss why you are here. You’ve already met my wife,” the man motioned toward Bridgette, causing Norman to miss a step.
Shit, how much had she told him about them?
“You haven’t aged a bit since I last saw you,” she commented.
He smiled awkwardly at that. If she only knew why. As for her, she had aged, but it only gave her a more refined look. She also no longer had that wild-eyed gaze she had the last time Norman had seen her.
“And you got married,” she said pointing to his ring. “I think that might be the most surprising thing of all.”
“I suppose it is,” he chuckled as he sat down.
For the next few hours, Norman discussed what he had in mind with the King and Queen of Colorado.
At first, they were understandably hesitant. He was like an old friend that calls you out of the blue. Either he wants money or has a pyramid scheme to try and sell you. But the more he told them of what was going on in Northern California, the more his former boss, the Ice King, grew angry.
“That’s disgusting! How can people treat others with such disrespect?”
Norman shrugged. “I wish I could say. But you see my dilemma?”
The Ice King leaned back in his chair as he rubbed his chin in thought. “I do. But what you’re asking won’t be easy. I have trouble enough keeping this state in line, let alone another that is hundreds maybe thousands of miles away. I just don’t see how we could overcome the issue of distance, let alone everything else you are telling me.”
“I have a way for you to travel to California and back quickly.” Grobert was already setting up teleporters, and they could piggyback off of the ones in Grothlosburg, saving a whole lot of time and effort.
After explaining the teleporters, the man reluctantly agreed, but not simply out of the kindness of his heart. Norman added restoring power to Denver as a major selling point of the deal. Still, the man was suspicious. “What do you get out of this?”
“Stability,” Norman was quick to respond. “The Council or more specifically, the Council Leader and his son Vincent have been a thorn in my side for the last two years. Capturing them would be ideal. But if that isn’t possible, taking away their power base is the next best option.”
“And you are sure your people can do this? I am not willing to commit any of my people to attack this Council.”
“I'm sure. Besides, I will be joining them for the attack. So, what do you say?”
“Fine. If you can relinquish control from the Council, I will agree to govern the territory of Northern California, the way I see fit.”
Norman nodded. He had seen how the man governed Colorado so he had no issues with that. “I will leave someone here to relay information and let you know when to proceed.”
Everyone stood and Norman shook the Ice King’s hand as well as Bridgette’s.
“I would like to meet your wife sometime,” she said, “I’m sure she must be quite someone to finally get you to settle down.”
Norman laughed at that. “We should set something up. I think you would be pleasantly surprised.”