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Six Swords 1: Wight’s Brigade
Chapter 36 – Advisors

Chapter 36 – Advisors

They were just finishing up a very pleasant luncheon when a runner arrived indicating that they were wanted at the castle. This was delivered by a member of the inn staff who seemed rather surprised they really had been telling the truth. Delta was polite about it, but Zipper gave a few “I told you so” stares behind her back.

Without the cart to manage, Delta paid a bit more attention to the fortifications this time. It was a working administrative center, but it had not shirked on any of the defenses. Despite the traffic, everyone had to go through the one gate. There were no side gates for convenience. At least not obvious ones. The gatehouse to the castle was nearly as impressive as the one to the town. It didn’t have as much clear space in front of it, nor siege weapons on top of it, but it overhung the entry area and, looking up, there were plenty of machicolations and murder holes to rain down spite upon any enemy. The portcullis was of wrought iron, and quite free of rust, and the inner door was thick, stout wood, doubly reinforced.

Once inside, and in particular the passages they traveled, the austerity of a defensive edifice gave way to the comforts of a home and working place. Walls were plastered, or at least whitewashed, boards were laid over the stone flags, and wide windows let in light. However, the windows only faced onto the inner courtyard, and all had sturdy shutters ready at hand.

They were led to an expansive room, with arrow slits leading outward, and a large fireplace in which a fire had been set, but not lit. Benches and worktables were there, and Delta could see many of the scrolls they had brought lying open there. There was a gallery on an upper level, but it didn’t connect with the main area. She assumed it was for musicians to entertain those below when the meeting was less martial.

The room was dominated by several people she took to be nobles, by their dress. There was rich velvet and ornamentation, well fed figures and just the air of expectation that others were there to facilitate them. Indeed, there were several others in the room with clearly defined roles for them: scribes, pages, a butler and even a maid.

The page brought her in, and motioned for her to wait, and joined the other page. Delta assumed a ready stance with her eyes ahead, not focusing on anything. Except for a brief moment to check that Zipper was assuming the same position. She was not. She was looking around at the paintings and decorations on the mantle, the candelabra providing light, and everything else. But that was fine. This was her first time having to be present for the follow up grilling.

There had been an idle argument taking place when they arrived. Two of the nobles had a differing opinion on something relating to the content of one of the letters and were stating their views in elaborately polite language. Delta tried hard to not listen to the specifics and instead focus on the intent and the relation between them. It almost seemed as important for each to try to persuade the other of their opinion than for the merit of their opinion. Eventually they agreed to disagree and to let the King decide for himself.

After that they turned to her and summoned her over. She bowed respectfully to the assemblage at large, introduced herself, and put herself at their service.

They followed with the usual, expected questions. The details of their passage, the delivery dates, their history with both the Imperials and any Avenio contracts they had taken. She deferred to Zipper for one or two questions, to keep her included and to make it look less like the lines were completely rehearsed.

One of them perked up when she mentioned she had stayed a few days in Touco to visit family. Her clothes were as well made as the rest, but not so heavily ornamented. She also did not appear to partake in the jockeying for position that the others endlessly engaged in. Although for her avoidance of it, her position did not seem inconsequential.

“Family in Touco you say?” she asked. “Did they settle there or are you from there?”

“I grew up there, Ma’am”, said Delta. She was unclear of the person’s position, and unsure to use a military or noble honorific. But the woman didn’t even note it.

“I wonder did you ever come across an old sword by the name of Athanasius?” she asked.

“Master Athanasius?” she said, surprise breaking over her face. “Yes, yes. I spent two years learning the fighting trade from him.”

“Really? Well met then!” said the woman. “I fought with him in the Marlborough campaign. Does he still live then?”

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“Indeed”, said Delta. “I spent a few hours catching up with him when I was there.”

“Splendid!” she said, then catching a look from the rest. “Anyway, we must talk later. I’d love to know how he’s doing now, and what secrets he’s passed on to you.” She gave her a friendly grin.

Delta smiled back, nodded politely, and turned more seriously back to the gentlemen with the slightly pained expression.

The questions continued, but they were now interspersed with questions of her own opinion on matters. These were usually proffered by Lady Exentine, as they discovered her name was, and not always welcome by the others. However, they did not appear to be willing to reprimand her, and she seemed to do it both for the pleasure of annoying them, but also to derive how much of a military insight Delta had.

In was in one such explanation, where they had backtracked to the battle at Metzre and she was defending her belief that magic had been used to undermine the walls that she noticed a change in stance and posture in the others. They became more formal, and much more polite to one another, and they gave the appearance of engaging more deeply with her answers. But it was clear that they were distracted by something behind her.

From the creaking of boards, she could hear that several people had come onto the musician’s gallery, and that was the direction of their attention. She resisted the urge to turn around and look but continued to keep her focus on them.

The subjects they asked her jumped around a bit after that. They were mostly questions she had already answered. She guessed that that answers were not for them, but for the observer in the balcony. So, she pretended she had not already answered them, and gave full answer in a slightly louder voice than she had been using. After the first few, she could anticipate when certain questions were asked specifically to bring up a point that one of them had an opinion on. She played into that, presenting the information pertinent to that idea or conclusion they had come to.

After a time, there was more creaking, the close of a door, and everyone visibly relaxed. When she wound down from the last question, one of them called for a short break, and directed them to a side bench and asked the butler to provide them with sustenance.

“That was the King!” hissed Zipper to her when they sat down. She had not been so restrained as to not look.

Delta’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? I thought it might be one of his senior advisors, but the king himself?”

“Pretty sure”, said Zipper, enthusiastically wrapping a slice of ham around a chunk of cheese from the platter that they were brought. “I can’t say he looks like his portrait on his coin. But”, she nodded at a painting on the wall, “I can say he looked like that.” She looked at Delta’s paling face. “It’s not over yet. You can’t get the shakes till after, right?”

Delta laughed, and her color returned. “OK, OK. Battle’s not over yet.”

“And no barfing”, said Zipper. “This food is way too good.”

Delta picked at the food and chose some of the fruit. She looked up at the royal portrait on the wall. Either the King was very close to what was going on in the Kingdom, or else was specifically interested in this. She understood the councilor’s interest. It didn’t matter how big or small this was as an issue. It was a bone to pick between them to jockey for favor and the ability to further their other interests.

She looked at the outer wall of the room. The slits were quite deep, and they had steps going up to them. Like everything else, it was pretty, but also very fortified. The solemnity brought about by the monarch’s presence had evaporated and the councilors were back to their genteel bickering. No, she doubted the King was seriously worried about some incursion over the Bright border. Not in his pretty, but well-fortified, dwelling. He was probably more worried about a collection of his vassals siding with the usurper to get out of paying taxes until such time as the King put him down.

After a while, to settle some point, she was called up again. But the afternoon had worn on, and they were plainly getting tired of the sparring. They objected less to Lady Exentine quizzing Delta on obscure tactical and strategic points. She was quite intrigued about the points where they had gained unexpected information from their wide-ranging nocturnal scout with the excellent ability to smell. She made a point of noting this to the others and how that had been used to out-fox the Imperialists at their own game.

“We will have to be equally imaginative in how we deploy our resources to get the better of this adversary”, she concluded.

“I imagine we will have to be”, quipped one of them.

At some unseen signal the conversation shifted to them formally thanking Delta and her brigade for what they had done. The point was made that they were already paid by their enemy for this, and that they were also paid by the King’s vassals for the other messages. But in their exceptional generosity they also felt a gratuity was in order for the extreme cooperation, patience, and insight she had shown them. A small bag of coins was provided and a letter of reference, which all three of them signed.

As a page was summoned to see them out, Lady Exentine drew them and a clerk aside. “We have further deliberations to make”, she explained. “They may take a few days. It would be best if you continued to stay close at hand for our convenience.” The clerk noted it and said that the innkeeper would be informed that they were royal guests. Then she smiled at them. “And I will certainly try to find time to invite you to my personal apartments for some detailed talk. I have many fond memories of Athanasius and I would love to hear yours as well!”

“You are very generous”, said Delta, bowing. “I look forward to it.”