Once he and his blood thralls arrived safely back in his chambers, an inquisitor was, in fact, waiting. It was a man about Samuel’s age with short salt-and-pepper hair, a crisp gold and blue uniform, and an expression that told Drake he would not appreciate being fucked with.
Which, naturally, made Drake want to fuck with the man all the more.
For the sake of his people and his manor, he refrained. Perhaps in compensation for all the bullshit he’d endured today, Drake’s first inquisition was short.
“Lord Gloomwood, did you summon the kromians?”
“No.”
“Do you know who summoned the kromians?”
“Not a clue.”
“Did you order a blood thrall or anyone else in your employ to summon the kromians?”
“I did not.”
“Did you assassinate Lord Blackmane, order a blood thrall to assassinate him, or contract an independent to assassinate him under the truce flag of a cabal?”
“I did not do any of those things. I don’t know who killed Lord Blackmane.”
Those questions were expected. The last question, however, was not.
“Have you ever had any contact with, or do you know of, any person with a rarity that allows them to change what people see?”
So the inquisition was proceeding despite the fish people interruption. Perhaps Drake would get his answer after all. If he did, Lord Redbow and his manor might be razed or dissolved without another word from him. That was an exciting possibility.
“I’ve never met or spoken with any thrall who can change what people see,” Drake said. “But I know one’s out there, somewhere, so keep looking. You can do it!”
After the inquisitor finished asking these same basic questions of Valentia and Emily, who were the only two blood thralls who’d been at the cabal today, he bowed once, rose, and left Drake’s chambers without another word.
Drake glanced at Emily. “Are all inquisitor interrogations that quick?”
“I have no idea, lord.” She grinned. “But today was fun! You got to beat up on the other manor lords, with words, and I got to beat up on a bunch of kromians, with Chopper!”
“Sure,” he agreed. “Fun is one word for it.”
Valentia, who was sitting beside him, abruptly jumped in her chair, then sighed. “Now is not the time to sneak up on me.”
Nicole melted into view with her arms wrapped around Valentia’s waist from behind, then lightly kissed the top of her head. “You were attacked today.”
“They were just kromians. I froze them.”
“You were attacked today.” Nicole hugged her tighter. “Now hug.”
Drake glanced at her. “You know, I was attacked today too.”
Nicole, arms still wrapped around Valentia, smiled at him. “So you were!”
“Would you like me to hug you, lord?” Emily asked from his other side.
“I’m fine, thanks.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Fuck,” he added. “What a day.” It wasn’t even past sunset yet.
Eventually, after he felt somewhat sane again, Drake opened his eyes and looked around. “Anyone need a drink? I could use a drink.”
Emily hopped up so fast her chair skidded backwards. “Be right back, lord!”
As Emily hurried off to the kitchen, Drake glanced at Nicole, unsurprised to see her now sitting in a somewhat grumpy but also content Valentia’s lap. “So? How was your day?”
“Robin is an excellent archer and shows promise with a blade,” Nicole said. “I do not trust Gabriel to wield a spoon at supper. Carl gets faint at the sight of blood.”
“Seriously?” Drake asked. “Who was bleeding?”
Nicole tsked. “Everyone bleeds, Lord Gloomwood.” As she belatedly realized he wasn’t going to stop staring menacingly, she sighed.
“But in this case, little Gaby tripped while attempting to evade me and smashed her head on the tile.”
Drake straightened in his seat. “Is she all right?”
Nicole wiggled her fingers in one of her white gloves. “Healing magic. I am not cruel.”
“Sure, right. I knew that.” Drake frowned. “So you’re not letting them use rarities?”
“Rarities only work until you’re too tired to use them. Then you die.” For once, Nicole sounded quite serious. “They know how to use rarities. They don’t know how to not die. Today, I attempted to make them better at not dying.”
As he remembered how easily he, Lydia, and Valentia had taken down his JV team outside Fort Graystone, Drake nodded. “That’s a good approach. You know... you might have a knack for teaching newbies.”
She frowned. “I don’t intend to make a habit of this.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Her expression turned surprisingly sober. “Please don’t make me make a habit of this.”
“I’ll consider it,” Drake said. “But I’m not mocking you. Your training methods make sense, and it does seem like you’d be a good teacher. I think if those kids got a few more sessions with you, they could stay alive. So... what I’m saying is, you did a good job today.”
Nicole eyed him like she’d eyed a strange bug. “You get odder every day.”
Valentia squeezed her. “Shush now. Have you eaten?”
“I have eaten some.”
“Then no mead for you,” Valentia said.
“But Val,” Nicole whined.
“You know what?” Drake said. “You two take a break.”
Valentia glanced at him. For once, she didn’t ask if that was an order.
“I’m fine here,” Drake said. “Emily will be back in a moment, the whole capital is on high alert for a fish people invasion, and I’m not going to step out on the balcony. So Val, you get some food into Nicole, and Nicole, you get some rest after all your hard work today.” He waved them off. “You two are both dismissed until this evening. Go.”
Nicole hopped up at once. “You heard the lord, Val! We must go now.”
Valentia stood as well, then glanced guiltily at Drake. “Are you certain?”
He nodded. “Oh, and you did good today too.”
“I know.” She offered a faint smile before yelping as Nicole grabbed her by both hands, then literally dragged her off in the direction of the servant’s quarters.
Drake hoped they’d find someplace to relax. The sound of wooden cups bumping the table announced the arrival of more mead and Emily, but more importantly, he discovered both Lark and Fox standing behind her.
He had completely forgotten about the courtesans. He actually felt bad about that. Still, they got paid either way.
“Sit!” Emily said. “Lord Gloomwood needs drinking companions.”
“Of course,” Lark said softly. She had changed out of her fake battle maid uniform and now wore loose, silky clothes that were cut in all the right places. It was honestly unfair just how attractive she was right now.
Lark sat, gracefully, across from Drake on the other side of the table. Her resemblance to Lydia remained uncanny, which made Drake’s heart flutter just a bit as the afternoon sun lit her features. What was that about? He’d just had an adrenaline-filled day.
Fox sat beside her and grabbed a cup of mead. Yet he hesitated before drinking, looking to Drake for permission. The poor guy still looked a bit spooked.
“Drink,” Drake said. “You’ve already done everything I asked of you today, and I appreciate your hard work. So if either of you want to leave early, you can. That’s fine.”
“I have no other engagements,” Lark said. “But I will leave now if you wish.”
“No, you can stay! You can both stay. Leave, stay, it’s fine.”
Emily elbowed him meaningfully. “You know, you have at least one free hour before anyone will bother you. For anything.” She also whispered that more than loud enough for both Fox and Lark to hear.
“I’m done for today,” Drake reminded her. “Now, are we drinking or chatting?”
“I’ll drink.” Fox raised his cup to the group, then took a long swig of his mead.
Lark lifted her mug to her lips and took a tiny sip, then stared at Drake across the top of her mug. “And to what are we drinking this afternoon, Lord Gloomwood?”
Drake was tempted to say “To not getting killed by fish people” but that would reveal what had happened in the cabal today, which the Judge had explicitly said not to do to anyone outside his manor. He thought a moment, then raised his mug. “To not being dead.”
Emily slammed her mug into Drake’s so hard mead sloshed all over the table. “I will drink to that!” She then chugged with ferocity that made Fox stare... and immediately poured herself another mug.
With nothing else to do until the sun set and no one trying to kill him, Drake decided it was time to just stop thinking and enjoy a good buzz. It occurred to him, for the first time, that he hadn’t even blinked before killing the fish people. They were people too... sort of.
So he’d killed two people today and ordered his thralls to kill a bunch more, which was pretty much the same as killing them himself. He’d also seen four people killed today... no, five, counting Lord Blackmane. Four women and one man had been butchered right before his eyes by kromian spears, and then Lord Blackmane’s heart had apparently exploded. Or something.
And Drake felt... what?
Not horror or sadness. If he felt anything, he felt the satisfaction of a long day where he’d succeeded in more tasks than he’d failed. He was alive, his people were alive, and he’d pretty much won the cabal today... even if it ended before he could land the finishing blow.
There was no doubt in his mind. This title, or this blood pact, or something in the very fabric of this fucked up fantasy world... it was making him more and more immune to the concerns he’d had back on Earth. People died. He even killed them. That happened here.
So long as they weren’t his people, even if they were good people, he could simply look past it and get on with his day. If he got too hung up on grief over random deaths and guilt over killing his enemies and all that useless crap, he’d fail every person in his manor who now depended on them to keep him safe. He wasn’t about to fail any of them.
“Lord Gloomwood?” Lark asked softly. “Are you all right?”
Drake snapped out of his reverie to realize he’d been staring at the table holding a half-empty drink. He looked up to find Emily nowhere in sight. Fox was gone as well.
He scrambled for a remotely intelligent question. “Uh... where’s Emily?”
“She rose a moment ago to fetch more mead. Fox also excused himself after taking you up on your offer to leave early. I believe today was difficult for him.”
Drake remembered he’d asked them to attend a manor lord cabal today. That must have been terrifying for them. “Was it okay for you?”
She smiled again. “I am fine, lord. Thank you for asking. And thank you for everything you did for me today.”
He blinked. “What did I do for you?”
“You gave me an experience I’ve never had and one few outside of a noble manor have ever had. I attended a manor lord cabal.” Lark’s soft smile only grew more intoxicating with each moment. “You also agreed to interview my brother for a position in your manor, a generous gesture I truly appreciate. And finally, you were kind to me. That is appreciated. So... if there is anything I can do for you before I depart, I would be glad to do it.”
Wow. He was obviously buzzed, and that wasn’t good at all. Him being drunk and lonely with her looking like that, and also being sworn to do anything he asked, and also eager and willing to do anything he asked... was not a combination he felt safe experimenting with right now. Even if no one would care.
Emily had done this on purpose. She was actually trying to get him laid! Drake wouldn’t be surprised to find her listening from the kitchen, silently hoping he’d score.
That thought alone managed to keep him from giving in to temptation. However... that didn’t mean Lark couldn’t help him in other ways. Ways his own people couldn’t, at least since Lydia wasn’t here. Lydia was the only person he could talk to after he watched people die.
Yet Lark was a capital courtesan, sworn to secrecy in regards to everything they said or did. She wouldn’t repeat his doubts to anyone. And after today, he’d likely never see her again.
So perhaps there was another way she could make him feel better.
Once he and his blood thralls arrived safely back in his chambers, an inquisitor was, in fact, waiting. It was a man about Samuel’s age with short salt-and-pepper hair, a crisp gold and blue uniform, and an expression that told Drake he would not appreciate being fucked with.
Which, naturally, made Drake want to fuck with the man all the more.
For the sake of his people and his manor, he refrained. Perhaps in compensation for all the bullshit he’d endured today, Drake’s first inquisition was short.
“Lord Gloomwood, did you summon the kromians?”
“No.”
“Do you know who summoned the kromians?”
“Not a clue.”
“Did you order a blood thrall or anyone else in your employ to summon the kromians?”
“I did not.”
“Did you assassinate Lord Blackmane, order a blood thrall to assassinate him, or contract an independent to assassinate him under the truce flag of a cabal?”
“I did not do any of those things. I don’t know who killed Lord Blackmane.”
Those questions were expected. The last question, however, was not.
“Have you ever had any contact with, or do you know of, any person with a rarity that allows them to change what people see?”
So the inquisition was proceeding despite the fish people interruption. Perhaps Drake would get his answer after all. If he did, Lord Redbow and his manor might be razed or dissolved without another word from him. That was an exciting possibility.
“I’ve never met or spoken with any thrall who can change what people see,” Drake said. “But I know one’s out there, somewhere, so keep looking. You can do it!”
After the inquisitor finished asking these same basic questions of Valentia and Emily, who were the only two blood thralls who’d been at the cabal today, he bowed once, rose, and left Drake’s chambers without another word.
Drake glanced at Emily. “Are all inquisitor interrogations that quick?”
“I have no idea, lord.” She grinned. “But today was fun! You got to beat up on the other manor lords, with words, and I got to beat up on a bunch of kromians, with Chopper!”
“Sure,” he agreed. “Fun is one word for it.”
Valentia, who was sitting beside him, abruptly jumped in her chair, then sighed. “Now is not the time to sneak up on me.”
Nicole melted into view with her arms wrapped around Valentia’s waist from behind, then lightly kissed the top of her head. “You were attacked today.”
“They were just kromians. I froze them.”
“You were attacked today.” Nicole hugged her tighter. “Now hug.”
Drake glanced at her. “You know, I was attacked today too.”
Nicole, arms still wrapped around Valentia, smiled at him. “So you were!”
“Would you like me to hug you, lord?” Emily asked from his other side.
“I’m fine, thanks.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Fuck,” he added. “What a day.” It wasn’t even past sunset yet.
Eventually, after he felt somewhat sane again, Drake opened his eyes and looked around. “Anyone need a drink? I could use a drink.”
Emily hopped up so fast her chair skidded backwards. “Be right back, lord!”
As Emily hurried off to the kitchen, Drake glanced at Nicole, unsurprised to see her now sitting in a somewhat grumpy but also content Valentia’s lap. “So? How was your day?”
“Robin is an excellent archer and shows promise with a blade,” Nicole said. “I do not trust Gabriel to wield a spoon at supper. Carl gets faint at the sight of blood.”
“Seriously?” Drake asked. “Who was bleeding?”
Nicole tsked. “Everyone bleeds, Lord Gloomwood.” As she belatedly realized he wasn’t going to stop staring menacingly, she sighed.
“But in this case, little Gaby tripped while attempting to evade me and smashed her head on the tile.”
Drake straightened in his seat. “Is she all right?”
Nicole wiggled her fingers in one of her white gloves. “Healing magic. I am not cruel.”
“Sure, right. I knew that.” Drake frowned. “So you’re not letting them use rarities?”
“Rarities only work until you’re too tired to use them. Then you die.” For once, Nicole sounded quite serious. “They know how to use rarities. They don’t know how to not die. Today, I attempted to make them better at not dying.”
As he remembered how easily he, Lydia, and Valentia had taken down his JV team outside Fort Graystone, Drake nodded. “That’s a good approach. You know... you might have a knack for teaching newbies.”
She frowned. “I don’t intend to make a habit of this.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Her expression turned surprisingly sober. “Please don’t make me make a habit of this.”
“I’ll consider it,” Drake said. “But I’m not mocking you. Your training methods make sense, and it does seem like you’d be a good teacher. I think if those kids got a few more sessions with you, they could stay alive. So... what I’m saying is, you did a good job today.”
Nicole eyed him like she’d eyed a strange bug. “You get odder every day.”
Valentia squeezed her. “Shush now. Have you eaten?”
“I have eaten some.”
“Then no mead for you,” Valentia said.
“But Val,” Nicole whined.
“You know what?” Drake said. “You two take a break.”
Valentia glanced at him. For once, she didn’t ask if that was an order.
“I’m fine here,” Drake said. “Emily will be back in a moment, the whole capital is on high alert for a fish people invasion, and I’m not going to step out on the balcony. So Val, you get some food into Nicole, and Nicole, you get some rest after all your hard work today.” He waved them off. “You two are both dismissed until this evening. Go.”
Nicole hopped up at once. “You heard the lord, Val! We must go now.”
Valentia stood as well, then glanced guiltily at Drake. “Are you certain?”
He nodded. “Oh, and you did good today too.”
“I know.” She offered a faint smile before yelping as Nicole grabbed her by both hands, then literally dragged her off in the direction of the servant’s quarters.
Drake hoped they’d find someplace to relax. The sound of wooden cups bumping the table announced the arrival of more mead and Emily, but more importantly, he discovered both Lark and Fox standing behind her.
He had completely forgotten about the courtesans. He actually felt bad about that. Still, they got paid either way.
“Sit!” Emily said. “Lord Gloomwood needs drinking companions.”
“Of course,” Lark said softly. She had changed out of her fake battle maid uniform and now wore loose, silky clothes that were cut in all the right places. It was honestly unfair just how attractive she was right now.
Lark sat, gracefully, across from Drake on the other side of the table. Her resemblance to Lydia remained uncanny, which made Drake’s heart flutter just a bit as the afternoon sun lit her features. What was that about? He’d just had an adrenaline-filled day.
Fox sat beside her and grabbed a cup of mead. Yet he hesitated before drinking, looking to Drake for permission. The poor guy still looked a bit spooked.
“Drink,” Drake said. “You’ve already done everything I asked of you today, and I appreciate your hard work. So if either of you want to leave early, you can. That’s fine.”
“I have no other engagements,” Lark said. “But I will leave now if you wish.”
“No, you can stay! You can both stay. Leave, stay, it’s fine.”
Emily elbowed him meaningfully. “You know, you have at least one free hour before anyone will bother you. For anything.” She also whispered that more than loud enough for both Fox and Lark to hear.
“I’m done for today,” Drake reminded her. “Now, are we drinking or chatting?”
“I’ll drink.” Fox raised his cup to the group, then took a long swig of his mead.
Lark lifted her mug to her lips and took a tiny sip, then stared at Drake across the top of her mug. “And to what are we drinking this afternoon, Lord Gloomwood?”
Drake was tempted to say “To not getting killed by fish people” but that would reveal what had happened in the cabal today, which the Judge had explicitly said not to do to anyone outside his manor. He thought a moment, then raised his mug. “To not being dead.”
Emily slammed her mug into Drake’s so hard mead sloshed all over the table. “I will drink to that!” She then chugged with ferocity that made Fox stare... and immediately poured herself another mug.
With nothing else to do until the sun set and no one trying to kill him, Drake decided it was time to just stop thinking and enjoy a good buzz. It occurred to him, for the first time, that he hadn’t even blinked before killing the fish people. They were people too... sort of.
So he’d killed two people today and ordered his thralls to kill a bunch more, which was pretty much the same as killing them himself. He’d also seen four people killed today... no, five, counting Lord Blackmane. Four women and one man had been butchered right before his eyes by kromian spears, and then Lord Blackmane’s heart had apparently exploded. Or something.
And Drake felt... what?
Not horror or sadness. If he felt anything, he felt the satisfaction of a long day where he’d succeeded in more tasks than he’d failed. He was alive, his people were alive, and he’d pretty much won the cabal today... even if it ended before he could land the finishing blow.
There was no doubt in his mind. This title, or this blood pact, or something in the very fabric of this fucked up fantasy world... it was making him more and more immune to the concerns he’d had back on Earth. People died. He even killed them. That happened here.
So long as they weren’t his people, even if they were good people, he could simply look past it and get on with his day. If he got too hung up on grief over random deaths and guilt over killing his enemies and all that useless crap, he’d fail every person in his manor who now depended on them to keep him safe. He wasn’t about to fail any of them.
“Lord Gloomwood?” Lark asked softly. “Are you all right?”
Drake snapped out of his reverie to realize he’d been staring at the table holding a half-empty drink. He looked up to find Emily nowhere in sight. Fox was gone as well.
He scrambled for a remotely intelligent question. “Uh... where’s Emily?”
“She rose a moment ago to fetch more mead. Fox also excused himself after taking you up on your offer to leave early. I believe today was difficult for him.”
Drake remembered he’d asked them to attend a manor lord cabal today. That must have been terrifying for them. “Was it okay for you?”
She smiled again. “I am fine, lord. Thank you for asking. And thank you for everything you did for me today.”
He blinked. “What did I do for you?”
“You gave me an experience I’ve never had and one few outside of a noble manor have ever had. I attended a manor lord cabal.” Lark’s soft smile only grew more intoxicating with each moment. “You also agreed to interview my brother for a position in your manor, a generous gesture I truly appreciate. And finally, you were kind to me. That is appreciated. So... if there is anything I can do for you before I depart, I would be glad to do it.”
Wow. He was obviously buzzed, and that wasn’t good at all. Him being drunk and lonely with her looking like that, and also being sworn to do anything he asked, and also eager and willing to do anything he asked... was not a combination he felt safe experimenting with right now. Even if no one would care.
Emily had done this on purpose. She was actually trying to get him laid! Drake wouldn’t be surprised to find her listening from the kitchen, silently hoping he’d score.
That thought alone managed to keep him from giving in to temptation. However... that didn’t mean Lark couldn’t help him in other ways. Ways his own people couldn’t, at least since Lydia wasn’t here. Lydia was the only person he could talk to after he watched people die.
Yet Lark was a capital courtesan, sworn to secrecy in regards to everything they said or did. She wouldn’t repeat his doubts to anyone. And after today, he’d likely never see her again.
So perhaps there was another way she could make him feel better.
