Ringed by Inquisitor Grayson and ten different capital guards (he’d counted) Drake walked the halls of the Temple of the Eidolons for much longer than he had when he walked from his chambers to Sky’s. They descended multiple floors and, he suspected, were getting ever closer to the center of the temple. There certainly weren’t any windows down here.
They also passed multiple checkpoints, or what he assumed were checkpoints. They were narrow portals in hard stone blocked by multiple capital guards. Grayson flashed some papers at each one of them. They must be going into a truly secure part of the temple.
After descending his sixth flight of stairs, Drake also knew he was now underground. He hadn’t known the temple went underground. Still... why wouldn’t it? The Eidolons—this world’s six-legged My Little Ponies—had created this temple, supposedly, and gods that could create a world and people wouldn’t have trouble digging through a little bedrock.
Eventually, they emerged from another spiral staircase and entered a wide, arched hall that looked similar to the main halls upstairs. Once they entered that hall all but two of the capital guards dispersed, leaving him with Inquisitor Grayson and two soldiers. Grayson led the way to a set of closed oak doors at the end of the hall, then knocked.
The doors opened to reveal a set of desks with a number of people doing what looked to be clerical work—they had quills, scrolls, and inkwells—and Grayson motioned him inside.
Drake frowned at him. “You’re not going with me?”
“This is as far as I go, Lord Gloomwood,” Grayson said. “The chambers beyond are the most secure in the temple. No one will harm you inside. Atticus, one of the Judge’s clerks, will direct you to her chambers from here. But first, I must have your assurance you will harm no one inside.”
“I won’t harm anyone inside,” Drake said. “Unless they try to harm me first.”
Grayson sighed. “You manor lords are a paranoid lot.”
“You did see what happened in the cabal last afternoon, right?”
Grayson scowled. “We will not allow anything like that to happen again.”
Drake eyed him. “I believe you believe that.”
Grayson motioned for him to head inside. “Please, head inside.”
“Thanks,” Drake said. “Hope the rest of your day is less of a shit show.”
Once inside, Drake looked around at least twenty people busy scribbling on or pouring over scrolls. What were they doing in here? Probably record keeping of some sort, or possibly copying official decrees or notices. This world didn’t have photocopiers, so people would have to make copies of public notices by hand, just like in the old days on Earth.
A man in a truly ornate white and gold uniform approached from across the room. It had big shoulderpads and tassels. All sorts of tassels. He looked kind of like an old-style train conductor, and even had a little train conductor hat. But there were no trains here.
“You Atticus?” Drake asked.
“Lord Gloomwood.” The man inclined his head. “If you would, please follow me.”
“Sure,” Drake said. “Why not?” He was being passed off like a baton.
He followed Atticus across the room and past whoever these people were, one or two of whom looked up, eyed him a moment, and went back to their work. The rest didn’t seem to care about his presence. They probably saw all sorts of weird shit down here.
Drake followed Atticus the sort-of-a-train-conductor down another hall to a single closed door, again formed of heavy wood with reinforced metal, then stopped when the man raised a hand.
“One moment,” Atticus said. He knocked, delicately, on the door.
“Enter,” the Judge called from inside.
Atticus grabbed the door handle and pulled with visible effort. The heavy door came open to reveal what looked to be a small private office inside, as well as two people. The Judge he recognized, sitting behind a large oak desk. The other was Lord Frostlight, who wore her dark blue silverweave and a large furry cloak with a clasp that looked like crossed axes.
The enemy manor lord looked rather amused to see him.
“What’s she doing here?” Drake asked everyone in the room.
“Peace, Lord Gloomwood,” the Judge said. “Lord Frostlight has already promised not to harm anyone in these chambers, including you.”
“Unless you try to harm me,” Lord Frostlight said with a wolfish grin.
“Please,” the Judge said. “Join us.”
“Right,” Drake said. “So...” He glanced at Atticus, who motioned him inside. He was here. He didn’t even know how to leave. And he could physically regenerate if necessary.
He stepped into the small office with one woman who could slice him apart with her windshear rarity and another woman who could probably do even worse with whatever ultimatum did, since she was the Judge of the noble court. The door closed.
The Judge motioned at one of the two empty chairs ahead of her desk. “Take a seat.”
“Lord Frostlight isn’t sitting.”
“That is because she won’t let me turn the chairs to face the door,” Lord Frostlight said.
“I’m going with standing as well,” Drake said. “Because your city is currently suffering from explosions of angry fish people.”
Drake leaned against the wall to the left of the desk and crossed his arms. That put Lord Frostlight straight ahead, the Judge to his left, and the door to his right. He could keep an eye on all of them from here, but wow, did he miss Magnum. Heavy as it was, his repeating crossbow sure did make it easy to kill people. Or fish people.
The Judge sat back in her chair. “The kromians who invaded the chamber yesterday were summoned there through a sea gate. It is a rare kromian teleportation artifact we discovered in Lord Blackmane’s box, cloaked in a spell of illusion whose origin we have been unable to discover. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort by my guards and inquisitors, we have been unable to prove Lord Redbow was responsible for placing it there.”
Drake felt relieved. “So you believe Lord Redbow was behind that nonsense.”
“What I believe means nothing without proof, which we do not have. Based on your evidence, my inquisitors have asked Lord Redbow if he has employed or knows of any person who can change what people see. He and all other lords had stated they do not.”
That was annoying. Lord Redbow must have had one of his flunkies interact with the illusion-summoning thrall for him. “So do you know who killed Lord Blackmane?”
“After a thorough examination by my people and an interrogation of his thralls by my inquisitors, I do not believe anyone killed Lord Blackmane. He simply had a weak heart.”
Drake watched her cautiously. “You’re saying he had a heart attack?”
“His heart gave out during the attack.”
“And you believe that?”
“There is cause for it. Interviews with his thralls revealed that Lord Blackmane’s activities over the past few years have included a heavy diet of red meat and intoxicants, combined with multiple dangerous pleasure drugs that are known to weaken the organs. He was also having frequent intercourse with his blood thralls, often multiple times a day.”
So basically, Lord Blackmane had spent the last few years eating poorly, snorting cocaine, downing Viagra, and fucking his brains out. And when a bunch of fish people fell on him, he got so terrified he ran off and had a heart attack. Was that really all there was to it?
It didn’t matter. It sounded like there wouldn’t be a new Lord Blackmane joining Lord Proudglade’s alliance. The title would simply come up for a vote.
“Now, to the reason you are here,” the Judge said. “Lord Frostlight has brought me an interesting proposition. One that requires your participation.”
Drake frowned at her. “You’re not hunting me.”
The dark-haired manor lord chuckled. “Don’t be so quick to discount the idea. It might be quite fun.”
“For you, maybe.”
The Judge glanced at Frostlight. “Make your offer.”
Drake frowned. What offer was this?
Frostlight smiled at him. “Would you be interested in a temporary alliance?”
Drake looked to the Judge. “Are we running our own private cabal now?”
“Outside of a cabal, you keep your own counsel,” the Judge said. “I am here because Lord Frostlight’s offer is one part of a multi-part scheme she has suggested to reveal the culprit behind yesterday’s attack, one which I have, reluctantly, agreed to indulge. However, it requires you to agree to participate. Otherwise, I will end this meeting and send you both away.”
Drake eyed Lord Frostlight. “Before I listen to your scheme, I want to know why you’re even scheming with us. You’re part of Lord Proudglade’s alliance.”
“Your testimony yesterday made me rethink my current loyalties,” Lord Frostlight said. “Naturally, I have been aware that Lord Proudglade is dissatisfied with my dominion over Frostlight Manor for some time, even though I have killed only disloyal blood thralls.”
Did she know something he didn’t? “I can’t say I blame your blood thralls for being disloyal, since you murdered their former master and seized his manor.”
“Loyalty to a former lord is admirable,” Lord Frostlight agreed. “Stupidity is not. I am loyal to those who are loyal to me, and anyone foolish enough not to recognize my authority would soon die anyway. My leadership style is not what I am here to discuss. I wish to continue as the Lord of Frostlight Manor, and now, I do not believe I will do so if I stay my course.”
“So you think Lord Redbow’s going to assassinate you?”
Frostlight grinned dangerously. “It would certainly be interesting if he tried. But instead, I believe it is Lord Proudglade who seeks to remove me, especially after I stood for my interests during the cabal today. Lord Redbow, after all, is the one who gave me the information and means I used to defeat the former Lord Frostlight and claim his manor.”
Drake glanced at the Judge. “And this is just all cool with you?”
“I am the keeper of the noble court,” the Judge said calmly. “My responsibility is to protect the Eidolons and our capital. I have no stake in the conflicts and disputes between the manors and their lords, who, as I have already said, keep their own counsel, unless those manor lords threaten the noble court. I believe the ability of this mysterious thrall does just that.”
So the Judge was now involved because she didn’t want the noble court being tricked by false testimony—or testimony people believed was true, because they’d been tricked. He’d won that much through his testimony in the cabal. It was good progress.
Lost Frostlight looked genuinely disappointed in him. “You would look down upon me because I killed a lord and seized his manor? Didn’t you kill a man who offered you his title voluntarily? That seems far more ruthless.”
Drake paused mentally to make sure he kept his story straight. “I killed him because he tried to ritually sacrifice me afterward. I defended myself.”
“And I eliminated a weak, spineless fool who was doddering into old age and who allowed his finances, thralls, and lands to languish as he spent his time painting landscapes. I will restore Frostlight Manor to its former glory, but only if I continue as its lord. The old lord’s former thralls and subjects are far better off with me in charge.”
“At least those who are still alive.”
Lord Frostlight frowned. “Given what I’d heard of your accomplishments thus far, I’d expected a stronger stomach. You present surprisingly inconvenient moral scruples. Didn’t you blast a woman’s head off her body last night?”
“She made the mistake of coming after me and my people,” Drake said. “So are you willing to tell me why you believe Lord Proudglade is looking to get rid of you?”
“Likely the same reasons you would,” Lord Frostlight. “Inconvenient moral scruples. The moment he finds a thrall with the power to defeat me, he could slip them into my manor and gain a Lord Frostlight more willing to dance to his tune.”
“So if you don’t want allied lords who have moral scruples, why ask to ally with me?”
“Because I believe you can help me, and I don’t believe you can kill me.”
Drake chuckled. He couldn’t truly dislike this woman, no matter how ruthless she was. Her people hunting was reprehensible, but her prey did volunteer, and she did toss money at their families. He could never endorse or be okay with that, but he also couldn’t save everyone.
His primary duty remained to safeguard himself, his manor, and his people. “I’ll listen to your scheme,” Drake said. “But dubiously.”
“First, I will tell you why your testimony worried me,” Frostlight said. “When I assassinated Lord Frostlight, I was able to do so because his own thrall admitted me to his manor. He admitted me through his lord’s private passageway.”
Drake felt suddenly cold. His former employee, Arno, had admitted four assassins to his own manor a couple of weeks ago. Drake and his advisors had never been able to find an obedience fetish on the man, so he still had no explanation for why Arno had done that.
“Do you have any idea how this blood thrall was able to do that?”
“Naturally, I was curious! So before I killed him, I asked why he admitted me. Confused, he said Lord Frostlight had ordered him to admit me. I was expected for our summit upstairs.”
“But Lord Frostlight didn’t order him to do that,” Drake said quietly. “His thrall just thought he had.”
Lord Frostlight smiled her predatory smile. “Now you see why your testimony worried me today. If Lord Proudglade or someone in his employ has a thrall that can make others see anything they wish, our blood pacts no longer protect us. Our thralls could believe anything.”
If this was true... if the current Lord Frostlight was correct about how she had been admitted to the former Lord Frostlight’s manor to kill him... then it was possible that despite Drake’s vetting of his people, any one of them could unwittingly betray him at any time.
Which, given his blood pact no longer prevented his people from harming him, was going to make his life even more difficult.
Ringed by Inquisitor Grayson and ten different capital guards (he’d counted) Drake walked the halls of the Temple of the Eidolons for much longer than he had when he walked from his chambers to Sky’s. They descended multiple floors and, he suspected, were getting ever closer to the center of the temple. There certainly weren’t any windows down here.
They also passed multiple checkpoints, or what he assumed were checkpoints. They were narrow portals in hard stone blocked by multiple capital guards. Grayson flashed some papers at each one of them. They must be going into a truly secure part of the temple.
After descending his sixth flight of stairs, Drake also knew he was now underground. He hadn’t known the temple went underground. Still... why wouldn’t it? The Eidolons—this world’s six-legged My Little Ponies—had created this temple, supposedly, and gods that could create a world and people wouldn’t have trouble digging through a little bedrock.
Eventually, they emerged from another spiral staircase and entered a wide, arched hall that looked similar to the main halls upstairs. Once they entered that hall all but two of the capital guards dispersed, leaving him with Inquisitor Grayson and two soldiers. Grayson led the way to a set of closed oak doors at the end of the hall, then knocked.
The doors opened to reveal a set of desks with a number of people doing what looked to be clerical work—they had quills, scrolls, and inkwells—and Grayson motioned him inside.
Drake frowned at him. “You’re not going with me?”
“This is as far as I go, Lord Gloomwood,” Grayson said. “The chambers beyond are the most secure in the temple. No one will harm you inside. Atticus, one of the Judge’s clerks, will direct you to her chambers from here. But first, I must have your assurance you will harm no one inside.”
“I won’t harm anyone inside,” Drake said. “Unless they try to harm me first.”
Grayson sighed. “You manor lords are a paranoid lot.”
“You did see what happened in the cabal last afternoon, right?”
Grayson scowled. “We will not allow anything like that to happen again.”
Drake eyed him. “I believe you believe that.”
Grayson motioned for him to head inside. “Please, head inside.”
“Thanks,” Drake said. “Hope the rest of your day is less of a shit show.”
Once inside, Drake looked around at least twenty people busy scribbling on or pouring over scrolls. What were they doing in here? Probably record keeping of some sort, or possibly copying official decrees or notices. This world didn’t have photocopiers, so people would have to make copies of public notices by hand, just like in the old days on Earth.
A man in a truly ornate white and gold uniform approached from across the room. It had big shoulderpads and tassels. All sorts of tassels. He looked kind of like an old-style train conductor, and even had a little train conductor hat. But there were no trains here.
“You Atticus?” Drake asked.
“Lord Gloomwood.” The man inclined his head. “If you would, please follow me.”
“Sure,” Drake said. “Why not?” He was being passed off like a baton.
He followed Atticus across the room and past whoever these people were, one or two of whom looked up, eyed him a moment, and went back to their work. The rest didn’t seem to care about his presence. They probably saw all sorts of weird shit down here.
Drake followed Atticus the sort-of-a-train-conductor down another hall to a single closed door, again formed of heavy wood with reinforced metal, then stopped when the man raised a hand.
“One moment,” Atticus said. He knocked, delicately, on the door.
“Enter,” the Judge called from inside.
Atticus grabbed the door handle and pulled with visible effort. The heavy door came open to reveal what looked to be a small private office inside, as well as two people. The Judge he recognized, sitting behind a large oak desk. The other was Lord Frostlight, who wore her dark blue silverweave and a large furry cloak with a clasp that looked like crossed axes.
The enemy manor lord looked rather amused to see him.
“What’s she doing here?” Drake asked everyone in the room.
“Peace, Lord Gloomwood,” the Judge said. “Lord Frostlight has already promised not to harm anyone in these chambers, including you.”
“Unless you try to harm me,” Lord Frostlight said with a wolfish grin.
“Please,” the Judge said. “Join us.”
“Right,” Drake said. “So...” He glanced at Atticus, who motioned him inside. He was here. He didn’t even know how to leave. And he could physically regenerate if necessary.
He stepped into the small office with one woman who could slice him apart with her windshear rarity and another woman who could probably do even worse with whatever ultimatum did, since she was the Judge of the noble court. The door closed.
The Judge motioned at one of the two empty chairs ahead of her desk. “Take a seat.”
“Lord Frostlight isn’t sitting.”
“That is because she won’t let me turn the chairs to face the door,” Lord Frostlight said.
“I’m going with standing as well,” Drake said. “Because your city is currently suffering from explosions of angry fish people.”
Drake leaned against the wall to the left of the desk and crossed his arms. That put Lord Frostlight straight ahead, the Judge to his left, and the door to his right. He could keep an eye on all of them from here, but wow, did he miss Magnum. Heavy as it was, his repeating crossbow sure did make it easy to kill people. Or fish people.
The Judge sat back in her chair. “The kromians who invaded the chamber yesterday were summoned there through a sea gate. It is a rare kromian teleportation artifact we discovered in Lord Blackmane’s box, cloaked in a spell of illusion whose origin we have been unable to discover. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort by my guards and inquisitors, we have been unable to prove Lord Redbow was responsible for placing it there.”
Drake felt relieved. “So you believe Lord Redbow was behind that nonsense.”
“What I believe means nothing without proof, which we do not have. Based on your evidence, my inquisitors have asked Lord Redbow if he has employed or knows of any person who can change what people see. He and all other lords had stated they do not.”
That was annoying. Lord Redbow must have had one of his flunkies interact with the illusion-summoning thrall for him. “So do you know who killed Lord Blackmane?”
“After a thorough examination by my people and an interrogation of his thralls by my inquisitors, I do not believe anyone killed Lord Blackmane. He simply had a weak heart.”
Drake watched her cautiously. “You’re saying he had a heart attack?”
“His heart gave out during the attack.”
“And you believe that?”
“There is cause for it. Interviews with his thralls revealed that Lord Blackmane’s activities over the past few years have included a heavy diet of red meat and intoxicants, combined with multiple dangerous pleasure drugs that are known to weaken the organs. He was also having frequent intercourse with his blood thralls, often multiple times a day.”
So basically, Lord Blackmane had spent the last few years eating poorly, snorting cocaine, downing Viagra, and fucking his brains out. And when a bunch of fish people fell on him, he got so terrified he ran off and had a heart attack. Was that really all there was to it?
It didn’t matter. It sounded like there wouldn’t be a new Lord Blackmane joining Lord Proudglade’s alliance. The title would simply come up for a vote.
“Now, to the reason you are here,” the Judge said. “Lord Frostlight has brought me an interesting proposition. One that requires your participation.”
Drake frowned at her. “You’re not hunting me.”
The dark-haired manor lord chuckled. “Don’t be so quick to discount the idea. It might be quite fun.”
“For you, maybe.”
The Judge glanced at Frostlight. “Make your offer.”
Drake frowned. What offer was this?
Frostlight smiled at him. “Would you be interested in a temporary alliance?”
Drake looked to the Judge. “Are we running our own private cabal now?”
“Outside of a cabal, you keep your own counsel,” the Judge said. “I am here because Lord Frostlight’s offer is one part of a multi-part scheme she has suggested to reveal the culprit behind yesterday’s attack, one which I have, reluctantly, agreed to indulge. However, it requires you to agree to participate. Otherwise, I will end this meeting and send you both away.”
Drake eyed Lord Frostlight. “Before I listen to your scheme, I want to know why you’re even scheming with us. You’re part of Lord Proudglade’s alliance.”
“Your testimony yesterday made me rethink my current loyalties,” Lord Frostlight said. “Naturally, I have been aware that Lord Proudglade is dissatisfied with my dominion over Frostlight Manor for some time, even though I have killed only disloyal blood thralls.”
Did she know something he didn’t? “I can’t say I blame your blood thralls for being disloyal, since you murdered their former master and seized his manor.”
“Loyalty to a former lord is admirable,” Lord Frostlight agreed. “Stupidity is not. I am loyal to those who are loyal to me, and anyone foolish enough not to recognize my authority would soon die anyway. My leadership style is not what I am here to discuss. I wish to continue as the Lord of Frostlight Manor, and now, I do not believe I will do so if I stay my course.”
“So you think Lord Redbow’s going to assassinate you?”
Frostlight grinned dangerously. “It would certainly be interesting if he tried. But instead, I believe it is Lord Proudglade who seeks to remove me, especially after I stood for my interests during the cabal today. Lord Redbow, after all, is the one who gave me the information and means I used to defeat the former Lord Frostlight and claim his manor.”
Drake glanced at the Judge. “And this is just all cool with you?”
“I am the keeper of the noble court,” the Judge said calmly. “My responsibility is to protect the Eidolons and our capital. I have no stake in the conflicts and disputes between the manors and their lords, who, as I have already said, keep their own counsel, unless those manor lords threaten the noble court. I believe the ability of this mysterious thrall does just that.”
So the Judge was now involved because she didn’t want the noble court being tricked by false testimony—or testimony people believed was true, because they’d been tricked. He’d won that much through his testimony in the cabal. It was good progress.
Lost Frostlight looked genuinely disappointed in him. “You would look down upon me because I killed a lord and seized his manor? Didn’t you kill a man who offered you his title voluntarily? That seems far more ruthless.”
Drake paused mentally to make sure he kept his story straight. “I killed him because he tried to ritually sacrifice me afterward. I defended myself.”
“And I eliminated a weak, spineless fool who was doddering into old age and who allowed his finances, thralls, and lands to languish as he spent his time painting landscapes. I will restore Frostlight Manor to its former glory, but only if I continue as its lord. The old lord’s former thralls and subjects are far better off with me in charge.”
“At least those who are still alive.”
Lord Frostlight frowned. “Given what I’d heard of your accomplishments thus far, I’d expected a stronger stomach. You present surprisingly inconvenient moral scruples. Didn’t you blast a woman’s head off her body last night?”
“She made the mistake of coming after me and my people,” Drake said. “So are you willing to tell me why you believe Lord Proudglade is looking to get rid of you?”
“Likely the same reasons you would,” Lord Frostlight. “Inconvenient moral scruples. The moment he finds a thrall with the power to defeat me, he could slip them into my manor and gain a Lord Frostlight more willing to dance to his tune.”
“So if you don’t want allied lords who have moral scruples, why ask to ally with me?”
“Because I believe you can help me, and I don’t believe you can kill me.”
Drake chuckled. He couldn’t truly dislike this woman, no matter how ruthless she was. Her people hunting was reprehensible, but her prey did volunteer, and she did toss money at their families. He could never endorse or be okay with that, but he also couldn’t save everyone.
His primary duty remained to safeguard himself, his manor, and his people. “I’ll listen to your scheme,” Drake said. “But dubiously.”
“First, I will tell you why your testimony worried me,” Frostlight said. “When I assassinated Lord Frostlight, I was able to do so because his own thrall admitted me to his manor. He admitted me through his lord’s private passageway.”
Drake felt suddenly cold. His former employee, Arno, had admitted four assassins to his own manor a couple of weeks ago. Drake and his advisors had never been able to find an obedience fetish on the man, so he still had no explanation for why Arno had done that.
“Do you have any idea how this blood thrall was able to do that?”
“Naturally, I was curious! So before I killed him, I asked why he admitted me. Confused, he said Lord Frostlight had ordered him to admit me. I was expected for our summit upstairs.”
“But Lord Frostlight didn’t order him to do that,” Drake said quietly. “His thrall just thought he had.”
Lord Frostlight smiled her predatory smile. “Now you see why your testimony worried me today. If Lord Proudglade or someone in his employ has a thrall that can make others see anything they wish, our blood pacts no longer protect us. Our thralls could believe anything.”
If this was true... if the current Lord Frostlight was correct about how she had been admitted to the former Lord Frostlight’s manor to kill him... then it was possible that despite Drake’s vetting of his people, any one of them could unwittingly betray him at any time.
Which, given his blood pact no longer prevented his people from harming him, was going to make his life even more difficult.
