“And then, he asked me to help him clean his armor before anyone saw it. Can you imagine anyone forgetting the Hero’s squire threw up all over himself?” Margaret chattered away at her side. If there was one thing Lia didn’t appreciate in her youngest apprentice, it was her tendency to talk at all times. The girl seemed to have a grudge against the concept of silence and did her best to fill it with words whenever it appeared.
“Then I suppose the arugula and lye disappeared from my stores by themselves, hmmm?” Lia asked with a gimlet eye, earning a sheepish grin. “Bah, I don’t know why you dance around so much. It’s obvious you like each other. We certainly didn’t wait with these things back in my day.”
Margaret made a face at that, just like Lia knew she would. The old hobgoblin cackled, amused as always by her apprentices’ reticence at discussing anything coming close to their master’s love life.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/1Xmpy426/persimmon0-teenage-girl-alchemist-frizzy-brown-hair-pox-marks-o-98cee8b2-d150-4f52-81de-1ecc79002f48.png]
“We don’t like each other. He’s just the only boy my age who can hold his own. All the other ones are too busy chasing each other with sticks, or the few with a functioning head are learning a trade. I don’t want a smelly blacksmith apprentice.” The girl replied, blushing.
Lia rolled her eyes, “And a vomit-soiled squire doesn’t count among that group? Bah, if you want to waste your time, do as you want, but don’t come complaining to me about it.”
“He’s gonna go to war soon! It’s not the right time.” Margaret fretted, finger twirling around a lock of curly hair.
“Foolish girl. Where do you think you’ll be? You might not join him on the battlefield, but you’ll accompany me as we follow the main host.” That revelation was enough to send Margaret sputtering.
By the time they reached the courthouse, where the war council would gather, Lia was relieved to see that her apprentice had gotten herself under control. She didn’t mind teasing her a bit, but she didn’t want to humiliate her before the up-and-comers of the new government.
The two guards standing at the entrance of the building snapped a salute as they got closer. “Madam Minister!”
Lia waved them off, not bothering to waste her breath to explain that she didn’t care for titles. She had made that mistake once and had spent a good half an hour talking in circles until she decided that if the soldiers wanted to think of her as a superior, they could, as long as they didn’t bother her too much.
I knew what I was getting into when I got close to the Hero. He was too much for the king to let him be. Sooner or later, something would have happened. I’m old enough to bear the consequences of my actions.
Lia felt grateful to her old mentor, Madame Ellesmere, for having insisted she become proficient with rejuvenation elixirs. The ancient elf might not have needed them personally, but she knew younger races would pay premiums to relieve the aches that came with age. If she could not brew herself one every month or so, she was sure she’d need to be carried back and forth by a horse or a carriage whenever there was a council.
That would have been the wrong move from a purely optical standpoint. While the new government was still very much considered to be of a higher social level than the average person, the ideological reason behind the Revolution - the liberation of slaves and abolishment of the aristocracy - meant that they had to be careful not to appear too elitist.
Especially at the beginning, it would have painted her as out of touch with the new ideals. Leonard might not have cared since he knew her well enough, but people were rarely as forgiving as him.
Another guard saluted her when she finally reached the meeting room - Eichelbaum’s old study - this one at least strong enough that he could do some protecting, unlike the two newly blessed Journeymen standing outside.
The Grand Marshal was already present inside the room, joined by his Minister of War and the First Sword. The two men, both grown knights, paced worriedly like maidens while their leader watched them with an amused look.
“Have you decided to tease your ministers into an early grave today, Grand Marshal? I should have worn a better skirt if I knew I’d have to dance for your amusement.” Lia croaked, startling the two knights.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Leonard laughed brightly, not taking offense to her words like many others would. That was enough to stop the two from retorting, and they looked down abashedly.
“The two good men here are trying to solve a problem that doesn’t have a simple solution, and they have been talking themselves into circles for the past ten minutes.” He replied, and Lia walked closer, curious to see what had prompted such behavior.
A look at the map and the figurines arranged over it told her what they were so taken with. While their next target was all but decided since Thelma’s Lord Mayor had done them the favor of sending out his most significant asset, away from the protection of the town’s mages and heavy artillery, the following one was not as easy a mark. Lamprey Port was on the coastal road, and taking it would mean the Revolution could control most of the southeastern trade in the region.
The only problem was that it had a Navy base, a Magic Tower, and a significantly stronger garrison. There would be no quick victory in a morning like they had achieved a few days before against the 104th - not with the forces they had at their disposal. At least if the Hero didn’t go all out, and it was not the time for that yet.
“You are putting the cart before the horse,” Lia finally replied. It was a problem, sure, but the assets they’d have by the time they got there would be much different than what they had now. “Already, with just one battle, our numbers have swelled significantly. Taking Thelma will make us a much more dangerous force.”
“She’s right, you know.” An elegant female voice said, and they all turned to see the Mistress of Shadows walk into the room, closely followed by the sneaky vicar Leonard kept around.
“Thelma still has some defenses, but if our plan goes to fruition, we’ll be able to take it without too much waste.” She continued, earning a sigh of agreement from the two knights.
“You are correct, my lady. It’s just that we cannot help but worry, given the numerical disparity we face in our campaign. We have full faith we’ll prevail in the end, but getting there with the least dead is a priority.” Sir Gerard replied, taking his seat, quickly followed by Sir Gareth.
The two men poured themselves some wine from the flagon prepared in advance while everyone sat down. Margaret went to join Oliver at his desk, the chair she usually had to drag over there already in place.
“About that.” Their leader interrupted, looking at Lia, “Have you heard anything from your people?”
She allowed a slow smile to spread on her features and nodded, taking out a couple of letters from her satchel. If someone outside her lineage tried to read them, they’d find nothing more than the average prattle young women would typically send to their old grandmothers, but to her, there was a wealth of information hidden within.
“My two apprentices replied quickly. They used their familiars to get the letter over here without passing through the post, which is still not working, but thought better than to be overt in their message.” Miles and Jessica were not the most brilliant alchemists she had nurtured, but they weren’t stupid by any means. They just had low ambitions, which she could respect. They cultivated their influence within the community without much thought toward what to do with it, but they still eagerly accepted her request for information.
“The situation there is not much different from what it was here under Eichelbaum, though the Lord Mayor is more discreet in his abuses. Two dozen knights and about thirty mages can take the field alongside the town watch, a force made of retired soldiers and bullies the Mayor uses to keep the peace. Considering the size of the local slave market compared to the population, he needs it.” She revealed.
A dark cloud passed over Leonard’s face. Lia had known him long enough to have seen him struggle with his innate disgust for the practice, and it seemed that he had decided not to hide his feelings anymore now that he was in command.
“Tell me more of these knights and mages.” He ordered.
“There shouldn’t be any beyond our means to handle if they take the field and don’t just hide out in their manors. Dandelion De Hoop has been smart enough to reward the people with power if they showed him loyalty and has cultivated an inner circle with significant wealth. My apprentices say it’s mostly coming from the sale of refugees to foreign traders.”
An oppressive feeling came over the room, and everyone stopped breathing for a moment. The sun darkened, and the air grew still.
They were released soon after, as the Hero took a deep breath and got himself under control.
“I apologize,” He said, “I almost lost control. I find it hard to tolerate the mere existence of slavers lately, and it takes all my strength to avoid marching over there as quickly as I can and strangle them all with my hands.”
Lia had no doubt he could actually do it. She wasn’t privy to the true might he wielded, but if her speculation were close to the truth, the man might be able to win the campaign by himself.
Fortunately, he’s smart enough to know that killing a lot of people doesn’t necessarily mean everyone else will start listening to you. Some things have to be forged with the blood and sweat of many before they can be truly changed, and getting rid of an institution like slavery is one of them.
“Have they any information about the firepower left in the town?” Sir Gerard asked, returning the conversation on track with aplomb.
“No specifics, but apparently, there have been a lot of movements between the barracks and the wall - which were famously built by the Silver Wind a century ago. So it’s safe to think that they are beginning to prepare for an attack.” She replied. This was the most important information she had. It meant their time was relatively limited, as the more they allowed Thelma to prepare, the more they’d pay for it.
I know they all want more time to train the troops enough that they stop tripping over each other’s boots, but we need to get there before they are ready for us. Or worse, before reinforcements reach them.
“We need to march before the week’s end.” Leonard finally decided. That meant they had four days to prepare the troops and the supplies necessary to sustain them.
Magic made things easier, as food wouldn’t spoil for a long time, and even basic gruel could be made to taste decently with fresh spices. They were expensive, but it wasn’t like there was a market to sell them to at the moment, and morale was more important.
“Should we take the cannons the 104th brought with them?” Sir Gerard asked. The three weapons had been recovered and mounted over Alpar’s walls. They significantly boosted the town’s defenses, and Lia doubted Leonard would want to deprive them of that in his absence.
“No, we need them to send any pirate that comes sniffing around running back with the tail between their legs. If we need to break Thelma’s walls, I’ll do it myself, but I hope it won’t come to that.” He gave Lia a look. She nodded back.
The last goal of her message was to ask Jessica, her apprentice running a brothel, if the ground was fertile for internal discord. The reply was a resounding yes.