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Asking Ida about her dreams gave me an excuse to sit over breakfast with her, Ally, and Maggie. Our test-case governor passed off my concern with the same dismissive wave, but I pressed her. The town could ill afford a compromised officer or a relic broadcasting its whereabouts. We’d already suffered too much over these blasted things to let details fall through the cracks.

“Ida, I need to know if you’re hearing any voices—anything.”

Ida looked hungover and in a worse mood than usual. “There’s a nattering buzz in my ear right now.”

Grinning, I ignored her answer. “And you’ve had no hallucinations or dizziness?”

Ida looked embarrassed. My questions attracted the attention of her breakfast companions. They watched with concern and waited for her answer.

Ida shook her head.

I felt like a doctor giving someone a public examination. Though it violated her privacy, I had to be sure that she wasn’t under a relic’s influence. “Are you sure you feel okay?”

“Yes. Now let me eat my bangers and toast!” She shook her head and gave Maggie an exasperated eye roll.

Ally touched the table in front of Ida to draw her attention. “Ida, dear. Apache is just concerned about the town. He must know if the relic has more power to reach governors.”

“Well, it doesn’t. What are the magic words I have to say to convince you? Being governor doesn’t mean you can endlessly hassle me with questions.”

Not wanting to start another argument, I grunted under my breath. “That’s the job, my dear.”

A game alert in my interface announced Ida had promoted me to governor and herself to lieutenant. In the next few days, I planned to search for Rezan’s corpse in the swirling muck of Otter Lake, a task that would give me no pleasure. Since players didn’t dream, we couldn’t learn anything about the relic’s latent powers with the ball in my court, so I promoted her back to the governor again. If I had to suffer, so did she.

Ida dropped her toast and glared at me.

“We need to give it more time. If you hear nothing, the relic is dormant, and we can relax. Until then, let’s assume it’s dangerous.”

“And three more days of everyone treating me like I’m crazy.”

I suppressed a smile and shrugged.

Ida picked up her toast and took a defiant bite. She accepted the responsibility without further comment—not counting her head shakes, frowns, and eye rolls.

Ally, Maggie, and I conversed, tiptoeing around Ida’s responsibilities. We focused on town gossip, and I enjoyed their company.

Ahmet and Eren, two of the town’s guards, approached our table and saluted. When Eren asked where I wanted the town’s security personnel to meet—I took it as an implicit hint that the manor wasn’t big enough for the guards and mercenaries.

“Let’s meet in the Sternway guild house. They have the biggest table. Ida, do you ride?”

Ida pointed to Eren. “I do. Eren, tack a horse for your governor and bring it to me here. Ahmet, you tell the guards and Sternways where we’re meeting. Tell everyone we’ll arrive when Eren brings me a steed.”

Before Eren reappeared, we’d set plans to meet Maggie and Ally for a construction meeting in the manor before dinner. The security meeting would take a long time, but I wanted to use the midday sun for my diving expedition. I summoned Jasper, making Beaker disappear. After Ida took the mount from Eren, we rode north to the mercenary’s guild house.

The town’s militia awaited us. Yula and Captain Jourdain assembled the three corporals, Turan, Arikan, and Lazaar. Iris and Lloyd hosted with a mercenary I didn’t recognize who served tea. Jahid and Rachel were elsewhere, escorting caravans, but Thaxter put in an appearance. Instead of sitting at the table, he contentedly stood against a wall, arms folded in the pretense that he wasn’t a voice of authority anymore—a charade we all respected.

Ida sat down in the middle of the table, leaving me the end, which I took.

I nodded to Yula on the other end of the table. “I want to thank everyone for coming, and I’d also like to commend your fortitude in battle. Standing up to a relic bearer is no small matter, and I’m sorry to say it might not be the last.”

After everyone exchanged questioning glances, I recounted what I knew about the relics in case Mrs. Berling hadn’t yet spread the news to everyone’s ears. “We’ve good reason to believe we’ve neutralized the healing relic, but Ida volunteered to verify its dormancy. Just in case, I’ll search the lake for it, but the river’s current could have taken Rezan anywhere, and its poor visibility gives me low expectations. The schools of magic scaring me the most are unaccounted for—dark and primal magic. Primal is incredibly potent because relics manipulate spell values by a factor of 10.”

Yula spoke while everyone absorbed the news. “Ees great power to have. A Scorch doing hundreds of damage? Ees impossible!”

“It’s worse. A relic bearer could cast ten Scorches every one-sixth of a second at a 300-yard range.”

Everyone absorbed the news.

I raised my voice over their murmurs. “Our only defense against primal attacks is this—a ring Fabulosa gave me before she left. It’s a Ring of Fireball Diversion.”

Corporal Lazaar raised her voice over the others. “That’s not nothing, but how do we fight against other spells? Supercharged Scorches and Lightning Bolts? Fireballs might not wipe an army in seconds, but what can we do against a hail of Ice Bolts, a spell that targets multiple opponents? If a rank-ten caster could normally hit five enemies at once. A relic bearer could hit fifty.”

I nodded. “An orc with such a power wouldn’t need an army.”

Thaxter cleared his throat. “If that orc is the emperor, he’ll come with one regardless. One factor in our favor is architecture. Primal spells don’t inflict structural damage.”

I caught Thaxter’s eye. “Which means we’ll want to prioritize a castle. It’s nice to know we’ll have one advantage.”

Iris still appeared dazed over losing her husband but spoke up. “We have another. Reverb—that’s how. Fab has it, and so do I. Does anyone else have Reverb? She looked around.

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Thaxter, Captain Jourdain, and Corporal Turan raised their arms in response.

I pointed to Iris in gratitude. “Okay, and that’s the beginning of a plan. Remember, the primal relic doesn’t boost healing. Its wearer isn’t invincible.”

Thaxter spoke up. “Especially if they can’t swim.”

The room rumbled with laughter.

I took control of the conversation when it quieted. “I realize we’re looking at greater losses against someone bearing the primal relic, but luck may be on our side. The primal relic might rest underwater where fire and lightning spells don’t work.”

I pointed to Yula at the other end of the table. “Maybe the orcs haven’t unearthed it. Orcs don’t dig like goblins, do they?”

Yula stiffened at the notion. “Orcs pan gold and diamonds in stream, but do not dirty zere hands like mole. Only orcs een ground are dead.”

Commander Thaxter interjected. “All bets are off concerning the relic. It drove me mad. I broke many traditions and relationships to reach it. If it’s underground, you can bet the emperor will dig for it.”

Yula nodded. “Emperor Veegor—may rains erase his name, ees tyrant, but not in good way. He defies traditions. He drinks sweet wine and eats rich food. He will deeg like kobold for power. Ees not ze way of warriors. Zees ees why we must break him.” Yula pantomimed snapping twigs and throwing them to the floor.

I appreciated Yula’s spirit, but her plan lacked finesse. Her utterance made for the first mention of the emperor’s name—and judging by her temperament, I wouldn’t repeat it in her presence.

When the moment passed, Captain Jourdain spoke. “There’s a chance the orcs haven’t located a relic, but I agree we should move forward assuming they have. What if they found the dark magic relic? What do we know about dark magic?”

His question quieted the side conversations around the table as everyone glanced at one another. Many looked at me, but I could only shrug. I only understand the basics of dark magic and that most NPCs avoided it—unfortunately, that worked against our discussion.

Yula again answered. “Undead army only half as strong. Takes only one arm to break.”

Corporal Lazaar muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. “So, we’re facing only mass hallucinations, sweeping mind control, and widespread death magic.”

I turned to Yula. “Commander, is there any chance a small group—or me, by myself, can reach the coordinates undetected by your people? My Dark Room is pretty handy.”

Yula regarded me, as did the rest of the room, but she shook her head. “Orc scouts are best een land. Ze mountains you call Doublespines are orc territory. Every clan but mine has mountain. Land ees not unguarded like kobold or goblin—mountains are home. Trespassing ees impossible.”

I took no umbrage at the suggestion that I’d moved through goblin and kobold territory unchallenged. It made sense that subterranean species wouldn’t commit the same resources to guard the surface.

The following silence made me regret not inviting a few dwarves to break the tension with gallows humor. “That’s why I’m going after the relic in the southern region of the lake. I’ll search for Rezan’s first. If Ida doesn’t hear voices, I’ll give her governorship before heading for the southern coordinates. The mummies holding them were aquatic, so I might have to fight one. With any luck, it’ll be the primal relic and useless against me. If I can kill it and use its core on new gear, marching into orc territory might not be impossible.”

Ida surprised me by speaking up. “Do you plan to go alone? You’re surrounded by capable warriors. It makes sense to take as much firepower as possible.”

Captain Jourdain echoed her concerns. “We don’t want to lose you, sir. We’re in this together.”

The officers from Fort Krek all straightened in their seats and faced me. Fighting the goblins hasn’t yet slaked their thirst for battle.

I pulled out my Undersea Trident. “I appreciate your zeal, but we’ve only one trident. This has to be a solo trip.”

Lloyd, who stood next to Thaxter, spoke up. “Cap’n, I dare say that’s a horizon’s worth of a voyage you’re setting sails for. I’ve seen ye spinning about the lake, tangling lines, luffing sails, and losing wind. That lake isn’t quite blue water, but greenhorns shouldn’t sail solo—if ye don’t mind me saying so. Let me crew up. At least, I’ll stop ye from keelhauling yourself.”

Everyone smiled over Lloyd’s depiction of my intended trip.

“I appreciate the offer, but you’ll have a grandson to chase after soon. Besides, Yula is way ahead of you. We’ve been south before, and I saw its shoreline. She taught me to paddle in the wind shadow along the shore. Canoes are better than ferries in shallow water and are ideal for a solo voyage. I promise not to cover deep water until I reach the tip of the lake.”

Jourdain changed the subject when no one voiced opinions or advice. “Until your return, we won’t know what relic to face. What kind of defenses can we expect?”

“That’s a discussion for tonight, with Ally in the manor. We must assess Greenie’s castle blueprints and finish whatever structures we abandoned. Ally is an elder of Forren and can bestow Glowing Coals to four followers. Relic bearers can’t cast spells if they’re hopping about in blistering pain. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s talk about tactics when we know what we’re dealing with. Yula, what patrols do you suggest for getting advanced warning of orc capabilities?”

“Eet depends on our number. How many warriors do Sternway mercs have to offer?”

The Sternway mercenaries lost three in the Quietwood massacre. Bereft as she was, she had an organization to run, and people left to protect. Iris gestured to the young man who served tea. “After yesterday’s caravans, I’m down to just Lloyd and Leon—who has only been with us for a few weeks. Right now, he’s more valuable as a clerk than a frontline fighter. I plan to send him with the next caravan to Krek for recruitment. I can’t afford to lose him to patrols.”

Leon looked self-conscious as he listened to the proceedings. A few officers nodded to support his role—reassuring him he wasn’t shirking his duty to bear arms.

Yula wasn’t one of them. She faced me, seemingly indifferent to the Sternway’s loss. “Zees gives me fourteen assets, including myself.”

Lloyd interrupted her. “I’ll ride the crow’s nest to give the camp eyes up north.”

Yula considered the offer. “Tower ees important only for logging. Orcs come by Orga. I will talk to otters. Water doggies are very good spies.”

This last bit surprised me. “The otters aren’t afraid of you?”

“Most Honorable Governor Charitybelle puts zem under protection—honorary scouts of Hawkhurst Clan. Zey good for short answers, but not so good for details. Always wants to know what Yula has—what Yula carries—where Yula ees going. Zey fear upriver orc and will tell me of doings.”

Captain Jourdain jumped into the conversation. “Where should I point our patrols?”

“Westbank paths ees best. Three-day journey within tree line. Yula will teach guards how to stay hidden. Only I cross Orga to search for footprints.”

Jourdain grimaced at the orders. “That’s not much ground to cover, Commander. We have personnel for more.”

I waved my hand. “We’ll need bodies for the castle. Give Ally your best engineers and hardest workers. She’s shouldering the heaviest load. We’ve got a lot to build if the orcs come in force.”

Jourdain turned to Yula. “Will the orcs come? I understand Iremont smoking might bring a few scouts. If they have a relic, won’t they settle scores with the elves in Arweald or Fort Krek before crossing the Orga?”

I answered for Yula. “Castles are big projects, and we’ll need a head start. I don’t plan to repeat my performance with the goblins, but heading into orc territory might draw their attention. We’ll need to be ready.”

Yula made a flattened hand gesture to Captain Jourdain. “Orc territory ees very hard to eenvade. We help build and keep Governor Ida informed of emperor’s doings, yes?”

The captain nodded to the room.

I pulled out the Switching Gloves and gave one to Captain Jourdain. “If you’re the point person, you might as well know what I find. You’ll need to keep one hand in this glove, but don’t send me messages unless it’s an emergency.”

The meeting adjourned after Commander Thaxter and Captain Jourdain gave a battle damage assessment of Hawkhurst buildings. Their findings encouraged me. The goblins wreaked very little havoc during their visits. The guild house barn incurred the most damage. Given Iris’s depleted personnel, I promised Ally would assign woodcarvers to shave away or replace burned woodwork.

The barbican hadn’t taken damage that a wet cloth couldn’t fix. Washing goblin blood from its smooth surfaces wasn’t strenuous, and I volunteered to perform the job. My powers optimized my proficiency at working at heights. In Hawkhurst, we kept our buildings tidy.

The settlement’s resilient architecture cheered me. “I want to end this meeting on a high note. Rezan kicked me in the teeth enough to steel my resolve to protect this town. We’ll continue to work on a castle. We know we have powerful defenses. But if you guys take nothing else away from this meeting, then take this—I want Hawkhurst to focus on offense. Next time, when someone comes knocking on our doors, they better believe we’ll knock back. I know everyone wants our blacksmiths to manufacture personal items for future homes and businesses, and Fin and Rory can do this on their own time. I’m assigning them to weapons creation—using all the cores we’ve collected to deliver a heavier punch. Magic weapons are incoming, and our guards will be the top beneficiaries.”

Backs straightened, eyes opened, and jaws dropped as the room voiced their support for magic weapons.

The only person not making noise was Hawkhurst’s commander. From across the table, Yula stared as poker-faced as ever. Her slight nod of approval eluded everyone in the room but me.