Rise of a Manor Lord - Chapter 55

“Clint?”

That was his name, or his fake name, and it was coming from a voice coming from the silver grooming mirror gifted to him by Lord Skybreak. On a table in a dark bedroom in what felt like the middle of the night. From a mirror was certainly not haunted.

“Can you hear me? This is Sky.” The mirror paused. “Sky Skybreak, if you want to be random about it. I know you’re in hearing distance, so please, pick the mirror up.”

It was her voice! Yet could he trust it? Drake sat straight in bed, now urgently curious. His caution and paranoia remained healthy.

Still, he didn’t yell for help from his maids. Not yet. He decided to roll the dice yet again.

“That’s really you?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I can barely hear you. Is the mirror still in the box? It’s dark.”

“The uh... the lights are out.”

“Oh.” She paused. “So were you asleep?”

“I was asleep,” he admitted. “Because it’s dark here, and I was bored. Also, the bath was a long walk away. I’m not completely certain this is you.”

“Yes, of course. Precautions. You did say you were new to this realm. From Earth?”

One point in her favor. “And your favorite food, Sky?”

“Roast salmon in cream sauce, seasoned with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Yours was... pizza? And burgers. Whatever those are.”

Still correct in every way. “And my rarity?”

“You never told me,” she said. “But you did say it left you a bit berserk.”

If it wasn’t her, it was somebody who had been able to hear every word of their conversation in her private study. In the middle of her manor. Surrounded by her trusted bodyguards and all sorts of magical protection.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me it’s you. If I pick that mirror up, will it teleport me?”

“No,” she said, which reminded him she could not lie. “The reflecting mirror won’t harm you, transport you, or inconvenience you in any way. It is, however, incredibly valuable. So please, don’t smash it in a desperate effort to silence the scary voice in your room.”

Drake padded over to the table. “I don’t think you’re scary. How about we talk a little?”

“Unless you need to sleep. I’m sure you have so much to do down there.”

Drake couldn’t help but chuckle as she compared the town she now had to run without a steward to the manor his steward ran for him. “Please, don’t cut me again. I’m a bleeder.”

“I offer no such guarantee.”

He sat down and picked up the mirror. As he looked into it, he saw not his own face or dark room, but Sky’s face. Her pleasant, lightly freckled, girl-next-door face. She still had her blond hair in braids, but the braids hung freely now. They framed her features.

Sky peered into the mirror. “You’re really dark. How do I know it’s you and not someone who can creepily imitate your voice?”

“I guess I could turn a light on. Hold on. AFK.”

“What?”

“I’ll be right back.”

He set the mirror down and padded around the room until he found a candle set on a small gold plate. He carried it back to the table, then clicked the little button on the plate to light it. It lit up all on its own, one of several cool tricks he’d learned recently.

It was magic, of course. Simple magic. But he’d taken to calling it the Zippo candle.

He set it on the table where it would provide light, then picked up the mirror and looked into it. He could only see her, but hoped he had pointed it mostly at himself.

She nodded at the new arrangement. “You certainly look like you just woke up.”

“I asked you not to cut me again. What’s this all about?”

“Your offer.” She glanced away from the mirror, as if she’d heard something out of his limited frame of reference, then looked back at him. “To strengthen our you know what.”

“I’m alone in here. No one’s in earshot. And I’m locked in my big room.”

“All right. This is about strengthening our secret and illegal alliance. How were you hoping to do that?”

“By sharing information, at first.” He had reached her! “Even if someone hadn’t come after both of us, I need allies in this world. More importantly, I need allies I agree with.”

“I doubt we’ll often agree on anything, but it’s a nice thought.”

“But we can still talk and collaborate where we agree.”

“From what limited interactions we have both enjoyed, it certainly seems so.”

“You said this mirror was expensive. I believe you. The fact that you sent it makes it clear you’re serious about tackling our mutual enemy together. So what do you hope to accomplish tonight? Do you just want to open a line of communication?”

“To start. At the moment, I have more questions than answers. I can start by telling you what we’ve uncovered about the attackers who came for you outside my manor.”

“I’d love to hear it.”

“But first, can I just say I’m sorry? That was my fault.”

“We survived. I know you weren’t behind it.”

“I was not, but I am still responsible for it. A guest getting barricaded in my guest house and almost assassinated with poison gas is not acceptable. It never would have happened when Rodney was alive, and I fear I’ll never be half the steward he was.”

Drake frowned. “Cut yourself some slack. You’re dealing with a lot right now, juggling your job as a lord and doing Rodney’s old job too. And maybe Cask’s as well.”

“Cask is my foundation,” Sky said. “I’d already be buried without him. He feels angry and guilty about the attack too, and he lost people. So here’s what we’ve learned.”

Drake held the mirror in a way where he hoped Sky could see he was paying attention.

“We lost three rangers that night,” Sky said. “Good ones, which means whoever got the drop on them was even better.”

“You had rangers watching the house? After our negotiation went so well?

“To protect you, both from anyone who caught wind of our arrangement or any of my people who did the same. All were exsanguinated.”

That was a big word, but he knew what it meant. “You mean drained of blood?”

“Does it mean something else where you come from?”

“No, but as weird as my stay here has been, I wasn’t expecting to encounter vampires.”

“Let’s pretend you just made a funny joke by the standards of humor from your realm, I’ve laughed politely, and we’re moving on. So yes, drained of blood. All three.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Was the poison gas a rarity as well?”

“No. We found an empty cask and hose smuggled into my walls by the same person or group who murdered my rangers. Another failure for which I must apologize.”

“You’ve already bought me some mead and sent me a nice mirror. Let’s move on.”

“Thank you. Here’s my concern. Whoever killed my rangers has a powerful rarity, but I know of no one who can do that. All the rarities of the noble lords, their children, and their blood thralls are documented in Korhaurbauten. None of those rarities drain blood.”

He hadn’t known rarities were documented in the realm’s capitol for all the noble lords to see. He would need to get a copy of that list, at least to ensure he knew what he would be up against if he ever went to war with another manor. Maybe Zuri had a list.

Drake wondered why all the manor lords would agree to document the rarities of their warriors. It made the most sense as a deterrent. They were brandishing their weapons to discourage their enemies from attacking. Nobody wanted to be flashfroze.

“So what you’re saying is, this person who attacked me may be a free agent.”

“I believe so. Also, may I be frank, Clint?”

“Always.”

“I sometimes find it difficult to converse with you. To be clear, I understand your words. I know you’re from another realm. But sometimes you speak gibberish.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I’ll try to be better about not framing everything in concepts I’m familiar with from my world. It helps me understand, but I’ll try to do it silently.”

“That’s perfectly reasonable,” Sky said. “And thank you for your consideration.”

“So whoever has this exsanguination rarity isn’t part of a manor, at least not officially.

“Correct. That makes them either a person who has recently developed a powerful rarity and has not joined a manor, or someone who chose not to. An independent assassin.”

“Either way, it’s...” He almost said “off the books” but stopped himself. “Their crimes can’t be traced back to a specific manor. Which means our enemy accrues no debt.”

“Very good,” Sky said approvingly. “It sounds like you’ve been paying attention.”

“Maybe? I feel lost most of the time, too.”

“You’ve took this role recently. I had my whole childhood to prepare. I still feel lost fairly often, so if you’re looking for encouragement? You’ve alive. I doubt most others would be.”

“That’s sweet of you to say, but let me be frank with you, too. I’m eager to ally with you, but when it comes to political issues, I’m not sure what I can offer.”

“Do you mean in terms of keeping your own secrets, or what you know?”

“The latter. I told you I’m new here. The only things I know about your world, its politics, and its magic are things that I’ve asked about, figured out myself, or which have personally bitten me in the ass. So I may not know much that can help you.”

“Your frank nature makes me all the more inclined to trust you. But whether you’re simply extremely skilled at staying alive or just supremely lucky, you have already survived trials I’m not sure I would have. I believe you will make a good ally.”

“Let’s say it was skill for the sake of my ego.”

“Skill or luck, I envy it. And you have something else. You are a newcomer, which means you’re probably the only other manor lord I can trust right now.”

“Is it really that bad? With the others? You’re the only one I’ve met, other than the old Lord Gloomwood. Who, I’ll have you know, immediately tried to kill me.”

“The situation today is as bad as it’s been for as long as I’ve been alive, and from what my mother tells me, as bad as it was in hers. The table is one lord away from tilting.”

“Hey, Sky? I know you said the stuff I say is gibberish. So that just now?”

“Ah. Right. Gibberish?”

“Bingo.”

“You know we have nine lords, right? You, me, seven others? And when we all get together to take a vote on something, which is rare, we sit at a round table?”

“I only knew about the nine lords. I promise, I really have been trying to learn about your world as fast as possible, but people keep trying to kill me.”

“You’ll need to get used to doing your job while people attempt to murder you if you want to succeed as a manor lord. Now, the ultimate goal of any lord and their allies is to control all the manor territories of our realm.”

“Obviously.”

 “And obviously, we can’t. We can only control our blood thralls and territory. But allied lords can control more together, and when I speak of the tilting table, I mean the point where enough lords have allied they can simply tilt the table over.”

“And the other lords aren’t strong enough to keep it from falling over on them?”

“Exactly. In that case, the remaining lords will be crushed beneath it.”

Clint? That was his name, or his fake name, and it was coming from a voice coming from the silver grooming mirror gifted to him by Lord Skybreak. On a table in a dark bedroom in what felt like the middle of the night. From a mirror was certainly not haunted. Can you hear me? This is Sky. The mirror paused. Sky Skybreak, if you want to be random about it. I know you're in hearing distance, so please, pick the mirror up. It was her voice! Yet could he trust it? Drake sat straight in bed, now urgently curious. His caution and paranoia remained healthy. Still, he didn't yell for help from his maids. Not yet. He decided to roll the dice yet again. That's really you? Yes, she replied. I can barely hear you. Is the mirror still in the box? It's dark. The uh... the lights are out. Oh. She paused. So were you asleep? I was asleep, he admitted. Because it's dark here, and I was bored. Also, the bath was a long walk away. I'm not completely certain this is you. Yes, of course. Precautions. You did say you were new to this realm. From Earth? One point in her favor. And your favorite food, Sky? Roast salmon in cream sauce, seasoned with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Yours was... pizza? And burgers. Whatever those are. Still correct in every way. And my rarity? You never told me, she said. But you did say it left you a bit berserk. If it wasn't her, it was somebody who had been able to hear every word of their conversation in her private study. In the middle of her manor. Surrounded by her trusted bodyguards and all sorts of magical protection. Okay, you've convinced me it's you. If I pick that mirror up, will it teleport me? No, she said, which reminded him she could not lie. The reflecting mirror won't harm you, transport you, or inconvenience you in any way. It is, however, incredibly valuable. So please, don't smash it in a desperate effort to silence the scary voice in your room. Drake padded over to the table. I don't think you're scary. How about we talk a little? Unless you need to sleep. I'm sure you have so much to do down there. Drake couldn't help but chuckle as she compared the town she now had to run without a steward to the manor his steward ran for him. Please, don't cut me again. I'm a bleeder. I offer no such guarantee. He sat down and picked up the mirror. As he looked into it, he saw not his own face or dark room, but Sky's face. Her pleasant, lightly freckled, girl-next-door face. She still had her blond hair in braids, but the braids hung freely now. They framed her features. Sky peered into the mirror. You're really dark. How do I know it's you and not someone who can creepily imitate your voice? I guess I could turn a light on. Hold on. AFK. What? I'll be right back. He set the mirror down and padded around the room until he found a candle set on a small gold plate. He carried it back to the table, then clicked the little button on the plate to light it. It lit up all on its own, one of several cool tricks he'd learned recently. It was magic, of course. Simple magic. But he'd taken to calling it the Zippo candle. He set it on the table where it would provide light, then picked up the mirror and looked into it. He could only see her, but hoped he had pointed it mostly at himself. She nodded at the new arrangement. You certainly look like you just woke up. I asked you not to cut me again. What's this all about? Your offer. She glanced away from the mirror, as if she'd heard something out of his limited frame of reference, then looked back at him. To strengthen our you know what. I'm alone in here. No one's in earshot. And I'm locked in my big room. All right. This is about strengthening our secret and illegal alliance. How were you hoping to do that? By sharing information, at first. He had reached her! Even if someone hadn't come after both of us, I need allies in this world. More importantly, I need allies I agree with. I doubt we'll often agree on anything, but it's a nice thought. But we can still talk and collaborate where we agree. From what limited interactions we have both enjoyed, it certainly seems so. You said this mirror was expensive. I believe you. The fact that you sent it makes it clear you're serious about tackling our mutual enemy together. So what do you hope to accomplish tonight? Do you just want to open a line of communication? To start. At the moment, I have more questions than answers. I can start by telling you what we've uncovered about the attackers who came for you outside my manor. I'd love to hear it. But first, can I just say I'm sorry? That was my fault. We survived. I know you weren't behind it. I was not, but I am still responsible for it. A guest getting barricaded in my guest house and almost assassinated with poison gas is not acceptable. It never would have happened when Rodney was alive, and I fear I'll never be half the steward he was. Drake frowned. Cut yourself some slack. You're dealing with a lot right now, juggling your job as a lord and doing Rodney's old job too. And maybe Cask's as well. Cask is my foundation, Sky said. I'd already be buried without him. He feels angry and guilty about the attack too, and he lost people. So here's what we've learned. Drake held the mirror in a way where he hoped Sky could see he was paying attention. We lost three rangers that night, Sky said. Good ones, which means whoever got the drop on them was even better. You had rangers watching the house? After our negotiation went so well? To protect you, both from anyone who caught wind of our arrangement or any of my people who did the same. All were exsanguinated. That was a big word, but he knew what it meant. You mean drained of blood? Does it mean something else where you come from? No, but as weird as my stay here has been, I wasn't expecting to encounter vampires. Let's pretend you just made a funny joke by the standards of humor from your realm, I've laughed politely, and we're moving on. So yes, drained of blood. All three. I'm sorry, he said. Was the poison gas a rarity as well? No. We found an empty cask and hose smuggled into my walls by the same person or group who murdered my rangers. Another failure for which I must apologize. You've already bought me some mead and sent me a nice mirror. Let's move on. Thank you. Here's my concern. Whoever killed my rangers has a powerful rarity, but I know of no one who can do that. All the rarities of the noble lords, their children, and their blood thralls are documented in Korhaurbauten. None of those rarities drain blood. He hadn't known rarities were documented in the realm's capitol for all the noble lords to see. He would need to get a copy of that list, at least to ensure he knew what he would be up against if he ever went to war with another manor. Maybe Zuri had a list. Drake wondered why all the manor lords would agree to document the rarities of their warriors. It made the most sense as a deterrent. They were brandishing their weapons to discourage their enemies from attacking. Nobody wanted to be flashfroze. So what you're saying is, this person who attacked me may be a free agent. I believe so. Also, may I be frank, Clint? Always. I sometimes find it difficult to converse with you. To be clear, I understand your words. I know you're from another realm. But sometimes you speak gibberish. You're right, he agreed. I'll try to be better about not framing everything in concepts I'm familiar with from my world. It helps me understand, but I'll try to do it silently. That's perfectly reasonable, Sky said. And thank you for your consideration. So whoever has this exsanguination rarity isn't part of a manor, at least not officially. Correct. That makes them either a person who has recently developed a powerful rarity and has not joined a manor, or someone who chose not to. An independent assassin. Either way, it's... He almost said off the books but stopped himself. Their crimes can't be traced back to a specific manor. Which means our enemy accrues no debt. Very good, Sky said approvingly. It sounds like you've been paying attention. Maybe? I feel lost most of the time, too. You've took this role recently. I had my whole childhood to prepare. I still feel lost fairly often, so if you're looking for encouragement? You've alive. I doubt most others would be. That's sweet of you to say, but let me be frank with you, too. I'm eager to ally with you, but when it comes to political issues, I'm not sure what I can offer. Do you mean in terms of keeping your own secrets, or what you know? The latter. I told you I'm new here. The only things I know about your world, its politics, and its magic are things that I've asked about, figured out myself, or which have personally bitten me in the ass. So I may not know much that can help you. Your frank nature makes me all the more inclined to trust you. But whether you're simply extremely skilled at staying alive or just supremely lucky, you have already survived trials I'm not sure I would have. I believe you will make a good ally. Let's say it was skill for the sake of my ego. Skill or luck, I envy it. And you have something else. You are a newcomer, which means you're probably the only other manor lord I can trust right now. Is it really that bad? With the others? You're the only one I've met, other than the old Lord Gloomwood. Who, I'll have you know, immediately tried to kill me. The situation today is as bad as it's been for as long as I've been alive, and from what my mother tells me, as bad as it was in hers. The table is one lord away from tilting. Hey, Sky? I know you said the stuff I say is gibberish. So that just now? Ah. Right. Gibberish? Bingo. You know we have nine lords, right? You, me, seven others? And when we all get together to take a vote on something, which is rare, we sit at a round table? I only knew about the nine lords. I promise, I really have been trying to learn about your world as fast as possible, but people keep trying to kill me. You'll need to get used to doing your job while people attempt to murder you if you want to succeed as a manor lord. Now, the ultimate goal of any lord and their allies is to control all the manor territories of our realm. Obviously. And obviously, we can't. We can only control our blood thralls and territory. But allied lords can control more together, and when I speak of the tilting table, I mean the point where enough lords have allied they can simply tilt the table over. And the other lords aren't strong enough to keep it from falling over on them? Exactly. In that case, the remaining lords will be crushed beneath it.