Captain Bernstein’s personal quarters was a live-in basement beneath the local bakery. Once serving as extra storage for the business, the basement had recently been renovated into a livable space suited for those that preferred the oppressive lack of windows. From what Daana could see, “recently renovated” was a fancy description for slapping a lock on the door and throwing a few rugs down. According to the captain, underground accommodations were hard to come by in Fairguard. It had taken him months to secure such lodging and he’d be damned if he let a few inconveniences like the lack of designated closet space and a properly insulated ceiling get between him and a proper home underground.
The apartment consisted of a bed, a couch that looked as though it was currently serving as a second bed, and a table set so low, it did away with the need for chairs by forcing those gathered around it to make due with the floor instead. Daana had sat at such low tables before, but those usually involved cushions of some kind. A second quick visual sweep of the unit confirmed that Captain Bernstein didn’t believe in pillows. There wasn’t even one on the bed.
“Sorry about the mess,” the captain said as he knelt down to light the solitary candle on the table.
“Mess?” Ashwyn twisted her head back and forth, puzzled. Having had enough of sitting on the ground, she opted for the couch instead. “Mess would imply you have belongings, mate. Garbage, at the very least. It doesn’t even look like anyone lives here.”
“I meant the bed actually. The one you’re now sitting on.” The warm glow from the candle lit the captain’s bearded face, highlighting the ruddy blush that crept across his nose. His gaze swept from Ashwyn to Rali. “The one someone promised to tidy before storming off to her appointment with the seneschal this morning.”
Daana suspected it was not intentional — the only people who ever willfully stoked Rali’s temper were those actively looking for an excuse to lose a fight, and the captain didn’t strike as the type — but the remark had the unintended effect of igniting Rali’s highly combustible temper all the same. Her face grew red with fury as she drew breath, preparing to unleash whatever onslaught was brewing behind her dark, glistening eyes.
“Can you throttle him later?” Daana piped up, stealing Rali’s thunder before the sheer magnitude of its unbridled fury rendered the basement into a pile of unrecognizable rubble. “Preferably when I’m not here? Ashwyn and I are looking for Oralia and, according to Captain Bernstein, she’s no longer here. Where is she?”
Shockingly, Rali actually provided an answer. It was one word and spoken with the sort of venom one would expect from a snake, not a dwarf. “Lonebrook.”
“Great,” Daana said. “Anything else I need to know before we head that way?”
“Nah, nothing important.” Rali dismissed her with a wave. “You two go ahead. Walk straight into Geralt’s trap, see how that goes for you.”
Fortunately, several increasingly sarcastic responses later, Daana was able to get an adequate rundown of the situation. The village of Lonebrook had been seized by realm forces in an attempt to bait Faris and, by extension, Rasp into returning home. Oralia needed proper forces to overthrow the occupiers, which was what Rali was supposed to be doing. Only, actually getting the forces they needed was proving more difficult than expected.
“It’s not right,” Rali insisted. “I was sent to convince the council and they’re not even here to hear my case.”
Captain Bernstein had the unfortunate position of playing middleman in which he took Rali’s angry ramblings and translated them into something that would make sense to Daana and Ashwyn. “With the war over, the council have returned to their homes outside of Fairgaurd. The local seneschal has the power to bring Oralia’s call for aid to their attention, but he’s been less than helpful so far. Seneschal Brastbrow refuses to send the motion to the council for an official vote.”
“Which is why we need to march back into his office and change his mind,” Rali said.
“And tell him what, exactly?” Captain Bernstein challenged. “You already argued your case. You have no new information. What purpose does it serve to rehash what has already been said?”
“Whose side are you on again?”
“Rali, please. You know where I stand on this.”
Daana interrupted with a question of her own. “What were the seneschal’s reasons for refusing the request in the first place?”
The captain looked relieved for the opportunity to field an actual question and not just a string of insults. “It is not a matter of not wanting to help, it is a matter of practicality. Conceivability. Logic. New Adderwood just secured its own independence. Our forces are weary and our supplies need to be replenished. There’s the issue of timing as well, with winter on its way. And even if all of that was resolved, there is the disturbing lack of concrete information.”
“I gave you what I have,” Rali snapped.
The captain continued, set on proving a point. He listed the issues on each finger as he spoke. “We don’t have enemy numbers, we don’t have a timeline, we don’t even know if there’s anyone left in the village to save. It would be suicide to march an army into enemy territory because a single village has been taken hostage by one of Geralt Lazuli’s lackeys.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Rali shot him a glare. “Tarathiel Cray is not a mere lackey.”
“Regardless, it’s not a name neither I nor the Seneschal Brastbrow recognize.”
“Of course it’s not one you recognize! The whole point of having a secret attack dog is to keep it a secret!” Rali’s temper was beginning to flare again. “Nobody panics when he shows up because nobody knows who he is. Let me tell you, bucko, Tarathiel Cray is not someone to be trifled with.”
The first mention of the name had caught Daana off guard. Rali, having used it a second time, assured Daana that she had not simply misheard. Unease flooded her insides as she fought to get the words out around the sudden tightening of her throat. “Cray is in Lonebrook?”
“See? I told you it wasn’t a name I made up. Daana knows who he is.” Rali paused and blinked, as if reevaluating the merit of her own statement. She turned and gazed up at Daana as an amalgamation of confusion and disbelief glazed over her former outrage. “Hold up, you know Cray? I mean, given who you are, you might have crossed paths once or twice, but you look like you know him. Like, really know him.”
Captain Bernstein tilted his head suspiciously. “Why would Daana know him?”
“She’s a Lazuli,” Rali replied.
The captain eyes widened in panic. Ashwyn must have noticed as well because she sat up straight on the couch, glaring daggers at Rali for spilling the proverbial beans. “She’s a Lazuli in name only. There’s no relation between her and Geralt. And believe me, she’d be the first to spill his blood if given half the chance.”
“I’m harboring a Lazuli under my roof?” the captain said.
“For the love of gods, forget about my last name for one damned second and pay attention! There are far bigger issues at play here.” Daana locked eyes with the captain. She saw a glimmer of panic behind his stare, but he hadn’t whipped around and raced for the stairs yet, which, all things considered, was about as good as she could hope for. She had to get it out, make him understand, quickly, before she was placed under arrest for the crime of sharing a surname with a power-hungry maniac.
“Tarathiel Cray is in Lonebrook,” Daana reiterated that part because it truly was worth repeating. “And you’re all just sitting on the sidelines twiddling your thumbs? Does New Adderwood not understand what is at stake here? Do you?”
Captain Bernstein obviously had no answer for her.
“Tarathiel Cray is not some lowly pawn in Geralt’s army, he’s the fucking queen. While the Speaker of the People hides behind his castle walls, it’s Cray who’s out there in the field doing all the heavy lifting. And he’s not some mindless yes-man, either. He’s a powerful witch who doesn’t just rely on magic, but his cunning and ruthlessness too. If Cray is in Lonebrook, then it’s no longer a matter of if Rasp is going to be lured into his trap, but when. And you had better believe that Cray has a contingency plan for netting Whisper, too. He’s probably got a whole squadron from the Division of Division lying in wait.”
Admittedly, it was a lot of information to take in at once. Rali grudgingly filled in what gaps she could, including who Rasp and Whisper were and why it would be a bad idea for them to fall into realm custody.
“And not just them, but Oralia too,” Daana said. “Who, last I checked, is not only infected with a piece of a dark entity, but is carrying an old one in a powerstone around her neck. Do you understand how dangerous that is?”
Captain Bernstein still wasn’t getting it. None of them were getting it. Geralt was moving his final pieces into play and no one else could see the full board!
Something took over inside of her, as if all the years of coaching, tutoring, and learning to hold one’s ground in court had finally decided to pay off. Even her voice changed. Daana sounded as though she was addressing a formal debate panel and not three nobodies in a stuffy basement. “So while Adderwood sits back and does nothing, Geralt gets everything he wants. He gets a witch, a fae, and a dark entity without a fight. And do you know what happens when he has all three?
“It’s over. He wins. Geralt crushes Lonebrook and then he sets his sights on anyone else who’s ever defied him. And you had better believe that New Adderwood is the first to go. Make no mistake, Geralt let you win your independence because he had his sights elsewhere. The moment Lonebrook falls is the same moment he comes back to Adderwood to claim what is his.”
A stunned silence settled. At least Daana hoped it was the stunned sort and that Captain Bernstein wasn’t using the time to secretly plot the best way to place her under arrest without a fight.
“I,” the captain started, “I think that’s it.”
“It?” Rali asked.
“That’s your winning argument. What the seneschal needs to hear.” Captain Bernstein started towards Daana, and then stopped, realizing that she was on the verge of bolting for the stairs. He held up his hands to show no ill intent. “Miss Lazuli, I think you might be the key to this. If you can tell everything to Seneschal Brastbrow that you just told me, then he will have to bring it to the council’s attention immediately.”
“Does he have to know that I’m a Lazuli?” It was a petty detail, yes, but also one that could easily prove deadly with the wrong crowd.
“Your credibility hinges on that fact, I’m afraid. You know how Geralt Lazuli operates because you have seen it firsthand.” Captain Bernstein gestured to the door at the top of the stairs. “Please, if what you said is true, then we do not have a moment to waste.”
Daana nodded her agreement whilst stealing a quick at Ashwyn, as if to confirm whether or not she was about to walk headfirst into a trap. Ashwyn’s enthusiastic thumbs-up was not encouraging.
Rali started to move for the stairs but was stopped by Captain Bernstein. “I think it would be better if you stayed here.” The captain’s worried gaze swept from Rali to Ashwyn. “Both of you.”
“Like chaos I am,” Rali said. “This is my fight.”
“You’re too close to it, Rali. You’re already lost your cool with the seneschal once. You’re loud, and passionate, and everything a dwarf is not supposed to be, and I admire that about you, but that’s not what we need right now. The seneschal needs to hear cold, hard facts.”
Rali gestured to Daana. “She’s not even a dwarf!”
“But she knows how to get through to one.”
Rali’s shoulders deflated at the realization that she was being left behind.
“Save your fight for the battle you can win,” Captain Bernstein said. “Let Daana and I handle this.” He gave Rali one last look before turning for the door. “We must make haste, Miss Lazuli. You have a very stubborn mind to change.”