The sun finally crested the horizon, marking the beginning of a new day. Thorfinn could not believe the ease with which he had entered the Fort City of Lavi. The city, which should by all means be a battleground between the royals and nobles as they contested the rights of ownership, appeared unexpectedly calm. He and his master, First Princess Sigrun, preferred this to bloodshed. Still, the likelihood of the Forest Father-blessed Salstars failing a Show of Power had not fully settled in his mind as factual until he passed the threshold of the portcullis beyond the Southeast demilune town.
The town guard still performed their duties despite the absence of their lord, who had been executed for treason under the order of the Royal Court. Thorfinn believed that even though Arnar could not fight for the city since his noble had failed, his influence and presence alone were enough to keep the city functioning. It would be a poor show of leadership if the city broke down under his temporary governance.
The Fort City was a massive star fort divided into four distinct sections. The outermost were the demilunes, each containing a town of their own. Then, the Outer City rested within the first wall and comprised most of Lavi. The Inner City, behind the second wall, comprised the wealthier districts. Finally, there was the Fort Palace, the most secure area in the fort city, separated by a final wall and untold magical defenses.
The siege of the fort city would have taken months and might have been an act of futility, but the First Princess didn’t have a choice if she wanted to compete with her brothers for succession to the throne. The King of Yuhia didn’t have much longer, as his health had declined rapidly over the past decade. Thorfinn wanted to ensure that it was his master who sat upon the throne as queen and not the bold First Prince.
Thorfinn did not dress in his usual Hand regalia, which would have seen him in long black and gold robes with a veil over his face. Instead, he dressed as a typical traveler. His face was altered with the use of his illusionary starlight magic mastery. He looked like any other wendigo in simple earth-tone robes. His antlers, known colloquially as a crown, sported iron rings and clasps instead of his usual gold and silver.
He was here to investigate what led to the Salstars failing their Show of Strength. Most importantly, he had to find the Isi Patriarch before they could find and assassinate him. Thorfinn wasn’t there alone; he had a team of six intelligence agents and ten decoys, each of whom were experts in their field. Four of them were mages, including Thorfinn; the rest were wizards. Everyone would enter the city separately, and the agents and Thorfinn would begin their investigation once they were sure they weren’t being tailed while the decoys ran interference.
“Hey, move out of the way, you damn fool!” a man yelled.
Thorfinn turned to see a massive Wendigo man carrying easily half a ton of building supplies. He quickly exited the man’s way, and the man continued, vanishing into the crowd.
“This is a town that never sleeps. They lost their lord, and they just continued like nothing happened,” Thorfinn said to himself as he scratched his head. “Well, don’t have long. Better get to the gate.”
Thanks to the Nazem, Lavi was the most significant international trade hub in Yuhia. The city’s diversity was staggering compared to the rest of the Wendigo kingdom. Thorfinn was shocked at the number of different species on any given street. Wendigo, elves, goblins, humans, demons, harpies—he whistled in disbelief when he saw a centaur.
“I know it’s been a few decades since I’ve been here, but damn,” Thorfinn said to himself. “Anyways, it’s time to get to work. Which way to the west gate again?”
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Thorfinn leaned against the wall of a business a block away from the west gate. Despite the crowds around him, he could see it just fine with his clairvoyance magic. The gatehouse was still heavily damaged, and repairs were going quite slowly. Thorfinn guessed that the prince didn’t want to waste his resources on a city he wouldn’t be able to keep, so they were superficially working with a skeleton crew for appearances. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the pettiness of the First Prince.
The prince’s royal soldiers were not allowing anyone into the inner city. However, none of the men at the gatehouse could detect him if he was seriously trying to get in. He was a starlight mage and reconnaissance specialist. It appeared that the First Prince had not deployed any of his mages or Hands and only seemed to be doing the bare minimum.
“Well, that means we have to wait until the others arrive. So, what is around to eat?” Thorfinn looked at nearby shops, his magic sight removing the crowds to keep his view clear. “Ooo, is that roast stag I see? Don’t mind if I do.”
Not long before, a hooded man sat down at one of the barstools next to Thorfinn at the food stall. Magic obscured his form so ordinary people couldn’t identify anything beyond his race. The effect wasn’t caused by his magic directly but by the hood itself. Joran was one of Thorfinn’s oldest companions and his second in command. The man was a mage enchanter and a damned good one too. Then again, he would have to be to work in the First Princess’ entourage.
“And how did I know I would find you here?” Joran said, holding two fingers to the stall owner, who nodded in response.
“You know I have a weakness for finely cooked stag roast,” Thorfinn said.
There was a shimmer in the air, but only briefly as a spell snapped into being. It happened so quickly that anyone who saw it would have thought it a trick of the light if they registered it. Thorfinn had hidden the words of power within the phonetics of his seemingly ordinary statements.
The spell was an illusory barrier that would alter the sight and sounds of those who looked at him and Joran. Anyone who saw the pair would see two old friends catching up after having run into each other coincidentally, while in reality, they had the freedom to discuss whatever they wanted.
“What did you find?” Thorfinn asked.
“All of the other gates are closed; none of the First Prince’s soldiers or the Knights of Velheid are operating outside of the inner city in any meaningful capacity,” Joran said as two servings of freshly cooked stag roast were served. He gave the proprietor the appropriate payment without missing a beat in his explanation. “I have located a neutral royal administrator named Dagfinn, organizing the town guards. He seems to be the main reason the outer city guards are still operating.”
“You said ‘neutral royal administrator’ but didn’t say whose,” Thorfinn stated between hearty bites of his meal. “One of the other princes or princesses playing referee?”
“He has the crest of King Magni.” Joran took a bite of his meal. “Mmm, that is good… anyway, Dagfinn likely showed up with the First Prince’s forces as a stop-gap just in case the Nazem was killed and this specific scenario played out. The presence of Dagfinn is why the First Prince and Salstars have been relegated to the inner city.”
“Great, that means they can’t operate out in the open,” Thorfinn said as he stood up. “That makes things easier. Keep a lookout for anyone without a shadow, though. Loki is going to be spread thin.”
“What do we do if we see one of his constructs?” Joran asked.
Thorfinn patted the man on the back. “Unless your cover is blown, let the decoys handle them.”
“Wait, one more thing,” Joran said with enough urgency to arrest Thorfinn’s movement. “It hasn’t been confirmed, but there are rumors that Ingrid’s Left Hand, Thyra Ilsori, is dead.”
“What? The Isi killed a sanguine mage? How?” Thorfinn asked as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. “Hmm… that makes them more dangerous than we thought, if true. Until we get confirmation, don’t share that with anyone.”
“Of course not,” Joran said.
Thorfinn had been using his divining magic to watch the gate the entire time he talked. He saw a change in guard shifts and saw his opportunity to move.
“Good man. Now I have to see what happened at that gate.” There was a barely noticeable magical shine to Thorfinn’s eyes. “Looks like I see an opportunity to get in.”