Once they were hidden from everyone save the alert zarovians staring out over largely flat countryside, Samuel spoke again. “Where did Anna acquire her wooden doll?”
Drake took a second to mentally regroup from defending his actions last night to answering questions about playthings. “You mean Robby?”
“Is it hers, or was it given to her?”
“I mean, if you want one, I guess we can pick one up in the capital.”
Samuel frowned. “I would appreciate it if you would limit your jests when we are discussing manor business. While you think yourself amusing, you are not.”
“Brutal honesty. Just what I pay you for.” Drake still wasn’t sure why Samuel was mad about Anna having a friend. “What does our business have to do with Anna’s doll?”
“I’d simply like to know where she acquired it. Did you purchase it for her?”
Drake realized that in recounting his tale of tearing apart Captain Ro and his men, and rescuing Anna and Jeremy, he hadn’t actually mentioned Robby. He couldn’t imagine why Samuel would want to know about Anna’s creepy doll.
“The man who held her captive gave it to her,” Drake said. “She also told me it was her only friend. Given they kept her in a cage while threatening to feed her dad to dogs if she didn’t behave, I can see why. It’s creepy, but it keeps her happy. What’s the problem?”
“The eyes, lord.”
“Do you really have a doll phobia?”
“It is possible it is simply tinted glass,” Samuel said calmly. “Yet I have seen such gems before in other contexts. Not in a doll, but a very similar green gem was once added to a scepter Lord Crow secretly gifted to a rival he wished eliminated. I believe he used it to spy on his enemy.”
All at once, Drake got a whole lot concerned about Anna’s creepy doll. His grin died. “Are you telling me you people have spy cams in this world?”
“While I can only guess at what ‘cam’ means, I assume you are asking if it is possible for people to view others remotely through magical items. It is. The green gems in the doll’s eyes are the same color as the gem Gloomwood placed atop that scepter.”
“And old Crow could see his rival through the gem?”
“I believe so. I once heard a voice I did not recognize in Lord Crow’s study, and entered to check on him. I recognized his rival in the bowl of water on which he was intensely focused. I also recognized the rival’s voice. I believe Lord Crow could both see and hear his rival through the green gem atop the scepter.”
Drake could only grind his teeth as he mentally traced his path back over the last few weeks. Robby had spent almost the entire trip from Captain Ro’s camp to Skybreak Manor in a backpack, but hadn’t they taken the creepy doll out when they got to Sky’s guest house? He’d assumed the assassins had already been waiting for him there, but what if they hadn’t?
What if Suck had just been in the area, then hurried to Skybreak Manor to take a shot at him while he waited for his own forces to come over from Gloomwood Manor? The assassin had even known what house he was in, despite Sky’s caution. Robby had been out and about.
Moreover, Suck’s ambush last night had gone off like he had satellite intel. Despite the short period of time that passed between Drake receiving the letter and this whole convoy trundling out of Gloomwood Manor—a matter of hours—Suck had known exactly where to meet them. He had been an experienced assassin, but he’d also been perfectly prepared.
It was possible Suck had simply anticipated Drake’s vanguard would take the Noble Road between Gloomwood and Korhaurbauten, and he’d simply waited on it. Yet his enemies had been doing an awfully good job of ambushing him repeatedly, and if Samuel was right...
“Fuck,” Drake said. “We can’t just take her best friend away. She’d be wrecked.”
“Would you suggest we simply let whoever is viewing us through it continue to spy?”
“We don’t even know if that’s happening. But...” He looked up. “I can find out.”
“How so, lord? Do you have a talent for identifying magical objects?”
Drake paused as he considered how to phrase this without mentioning the word ‘lie’. “I have a way to find out if you’re right. So why don’t you let me handle this?”
“I do not feel comfortable ignoring this matter.”
“I said I’d handle it, not ignore it. Now, can you answer some questions for me?”
After a long moment of placid staring, Samuel nodded.
“Are there any alternate paths to the capital? Or just this one road?”
“No paths that are as well-maintained as the Noble Road. There are several routes we could take if we wish to avoid it, but I would not recommend them. If we break an axle or lose a wagon on rough roads, we may not have time to make repairs and reach the capital on time.”
“Which is why our enemy might not expect us to take those paths, which could save us time in ambushes. Which path is the second most direct? How quickly can we divert onto it?”
“If we travel steadily, we could leave the main road to Korhaurbauten and divert onto what is known as the Merchant’s Roadway. It winds through Ashglaive and multiple towns before returning to the Noble Road at its end. We’d lose two full days if we took that route.”
“But could we still make it on time if we pushed the horses?”
Samuel’s brow furrowed in obvious concern. “Perhaps, lord. But as before, I do not think it is wise. Our force is sizable and strong, and Sachi will warn us of any larger force that seems to challenge us. We will be safer on the Noble Road, and more importantly, we will better be able to coordinate our defense.”
“All right, Samuel. We’ll stay on the main road today.”
Given Drake seemed to be wasting his time, Samuel now appeared more than a bit exasperated. “And how will you handle the possibility that the doll is being used to spy on us?”
“My way.” Drake held the man’s gaze. “You told me yesterday a manor lord is expected to be perfect. I’m working on it. I’ve already survived a month in your world without your counsel, so while I still want it, I also need you to trust me to handle business. Will you?”
“It is difficult for me to trust you when you will not share your way of thinking. Are you so confident in your knowledge and foresight? Lord Crow felt much the same way.”
Drake resisted the urge to mouth off in anger. Samuel had no reason to trust him yet, not without knowing all he could do. “I’m not Crow. But today, I’d like you to ride with the other battle maids. Lydia and I will speak to Anna about her doll. I don’t want you there.”
“And why not?”
“Because she doesn’t know you, Samuel.” Drake saw no way to divert his butler than to straight up lie to his face, which would be hard to explain if he slipped up. “She trusts me. She sort of trusts Lydia. But she trusts no one else, and if we’re going to toss away the only thing that kept her sane while she lived through hell, I want her with people she trusts.”
Samuel’s jaw tightened. It looked like he might argue further, but after a momentary staring contest, Samuel relaxed. “You must do what is best for the child.”
“That’s right.” Drake nodded. “And besides, the maids all love you. I bet they’ll be thrilled to have you shacked up in the carriage with them. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Samuel narrowed his eyes. “All relationships I now maintain are professional.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“And as Lord Gloomwood, I will expect the same from you.”
Drake chuckled. “No worries on that score, old man. If I was going to make a move on one of my stupidly attractive battle maids, I’d have done that weeks ago.”
Samuel looked past Drake. “May I be dismissed?”
“You’re the one who wanted to talk.” Yet Drake paused before letting Samuel go. “I’m also glad you mentioned the doll. I get you may not fully trust me yet, but I’m not dismissing your concerns. I simply need to handle them my way. Finally... you decide when you’re ready to go do something else. That’s how I do things, remember?”
Samuel nodded curtly and walked past him to re-enter the camp.
At the moment, Drake was firmly hoping Lydia came down on the “tell Samuel you can lie” side of the argument. Because if not, working around the old man without letting him know what was going on was going to get frustrating. Now, to launch his fiendish plan.
Which would start by finding Sachi.
Soon after he spoke with his favorite feral and gave her his new orders, they were packed up and ready to roll out. Lydia arrived with Anna in tow, and Drake was both relieved and worried to find Robby with her. After Lydia helped him load his big crate of crossbow bolts into the carriage, Drake motioned for her and Anna to get inside. He followed.
As he reached to close the door, Lydia raised one hand. “Samuel is still coming, lord.”
“No, he’s not. We had a disagreement this morning, so he’s going to ride elsewhere.” He firmly kept his eyes away from Robby, who now sat in Anna’s lap.
Lydia stared. “A disagreement?”
“Yeah. I don’t want him with us today. I’m tired of arguing with him.”
Lydia bowed her head. “Of course.”
Anna hugged Robby tight. “I like Samuel. Is he really troubling you, lord?”
Drake closed the door to the carriage and thumped the front wall to let the carriage driver know they were ready to move. “He’s fine. We just had an argument that got rather heated, and I wanted to let him cool off before we make camp tonight. That’s all.”
“And you’re sure it’s all right for me to ride with you today?”
Drake smiled at her. “Of course it is. You and Robby are both welcome.”
Anna hugged her creepy doll tight. “Thank you!”
The carriage lurched into motion, which assured Drake they were on the road. Once they were moving, he executed the next part of his fiendish plot.
“Lydia? Close the curtains. I’d like you to teach me more about the various manors and their lands today, and I don’t want any visual distractions. Anna can learn with us.”
Anna grinned. “I would love that, lord! I know so little about other manors!”
“Then that’s what we’ll discuss today.” Drake grinned right back. “Lydia knows just about everything, and she’s a very good teacher.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as all that,” Lydia said. Yet her smile returned as she closed the curtains on the wagon windows, dropping them into darkness.
Drake activated the Zippo candle, then looked up. “Oh. I almost forgot to mention something to you.”
“What, lord?”
“We’ll be taking the Merchant’s Roadway today.”
Lydia’s lips immediately tightened. “Are you sure that is wise?”
“Samuel didn’t think so. That was the argument. Still, there may be more ambushes on the Noble Road. Diverting down the Merchant’s Roadway is our best bet to avoid them.” He eyed her meaningfully. “Also, I don’t want any arguments about this. That’s an order.”
Lydia immediately nodded. “Of course, lord.”
“Now. Let’s start by learning about Lord Brightwater and the lands she controls.”
As Anna turned to Lydia hopefully, she began to share what she knew.
Once they were hidden from everyone save the alert zarovians staring out over largely flat countryside, Samuel spoke again. “Where did Anna acquire her wooden doll?”
Drake took a second to mentally regroup from defending his actions last night to answering questions about playthings. “You mean Robby?”
“Is it hers, or was it given to her?”
“I mean, if you want one, I guess we can pick one up in the capital.”
Samuel frowned. “I would appreciate it if you would limit your jests when we are discussing manor business. While you think yourself amusing, you are not.”
“Brutal honesty. Just what I pay you for.” Drake still wasn’t sure why Samuel was mad about Anna having a friend. “What does our business have to do with Anna’s doll?”
“I’d simply like to know where she acquired it. Did you purchase it for her?”
Drake realized that in recounting his tale of tearing apart Captain Ro and his men, and rescuing Anna and Jeremy, he hadn’t actually mentioned Robby. He couldn’t imagine why Samuel would want to know about Anna’s creepy doll.
“The man who held her captive gave it to her,” Drake said. “She also told me it was her only friend. Given they kept her in a cage while threatening to feed her dad to dogs if she didn’t behave, I can see why. It’s creepy, but it keeps her happy. What’s the problem?”
“The eyes, lord.”
“Do you really have a doll phobia?”
“It is possible it is simply tinted glass,” Samuel said calmly. “Yet I have seen such gems before in other contexts. Not in a doll, but a very similar green gem was once added to a scepter Lord Crow secretly gifted to a rival he wished eliminated. I believe he used it to spy on his enemy.”
All at once, Drake got a whole lot concerned about Anna’s creepy doll. His grin died. “Are you telling me you people have spy cams in this world?”
“While I can only guess at what ‘cam’ means, I assume you are asking if it is possible for people to view others remotely through magical items. It is. The green gems in the doll’s eyes are the same color as the gem Gloomwood placed atop that scepter.”
“And old Crow could see his rival through the gem?”
“I believe so. I once heard a voice I did not recognize in Lord Crow’s study, and entered to check on him. I recognized his rival in the bowl of water on which he was intensely focused. I also recognized the rival’s voice. I believe Lord Crow could both see and hear his rival through the green gem atop the scepter.”
Drake could only grind his teeth as he mentally traced his path back over the last few weeks. Robby had spent almost the entire trip from Captain Ro’s camp to Skybreak Manor in a backpack, but hadn’t they taken the creepy doll out when they got to Sky’s guest house? He’d assumed the assassins had already been waiting for him there, but what if they hadn’t?
What if Suck had just been in the area, then hurried to Skybreak Manor to take a shot at him while he waited for his own forces to come over from Gloomwood Manor? The assassin had even known what house he was in, despite Sky’s caution. Robby had been out and about.
Moreover, Suck’s ambush last night had gone off like he had satellite intel. Despite the short period of time that passed between Drake receiving the letter and this whole convoy trundling out of Gloomwood Manor—a matter of hours—Suck had known exactly where to meet them. He had been an experienced assassin, but he’d also been perfectly prepared.
It was possible Suck had simply anticipated Drake’s vanguard would take the Noble Road between Gloomwood and Korhaurbauten, and he’d simply waited on it. Yet his enemies had been doing an awfully good job of ambushing him repeatedly, and if Samuel was right...
“Fuck,” Drake said. “We can’t just take her best friend away. She’d be wrecked.”
“Would you suggest we simply let whoever is viewing us through it continue to spy?”
“We don’t even know if that’s happening. But...” He looked up. “I can find out.”
“How so, lord? Do you have a talent for identifying magical objects?”
Drake paused as he considered how to phrase this without mentioning the word ‘lie’. “I have a way to find out if you’re right. So why don’t you let me handle this?”
“I do not feel comfortable ignoring this matter.”
“I said I’d handle it, not ignore it. Now, can you answer some questions for me?”
After a long moment of placid staring, Samuel nodded.
“Are there any alternate paths to the capital? Or just this one road?”
“No paths that are as well-maintained as the Noble Road. There are several routes we could take if we wish to avoid it, but I would not recommend them. If we break an axle or lose a wagon on rough roads, we may not have time to make repairs and reach the capital on time.”
“Which is why our enemy might not expect us to take those paths, which could save us time in ambushes. Which path is the second most direct? How quickly can we divert onto it?”
“If we travel steadily, we could leave the main road to Korhaurbauten and divert onto what is known as the Merchant’s Roadway. It winds through Ashglaive and multiple towns before returning to the Noble Road at its end. We’d lose two full days if we took that route.”
“But could we still make it on time if we pushed the horses?”
Samuel’s brow furrowed in obvious concern. “Perhaps, lord. But as before, I do not think it is wise. Our force is sizable and strong, and Sachi will warn us of any larger force that seems to challenge us. We will be safer on the Noble Road, and more importantly, we will better be able to coordinate our defense.”
“All right, Samuel. We’ll stay on the main road today.”
Given Drake seemed to be wasting his time, Samuel now appeared more than a bit exasperated. “And how will you handle the possibility that the doll is being used to spy on us?”
“My way.” Drake held the man’s gaze. “You told me yesterday a manor lord is expected to be perfect. I’m working on it. I’ve already survived a month in your world without your counsel, so while I still want it, I also need you to trust me to handle business. Will you?”
“It is difficult for me to trust you when you will not share your way of thinking. Are you so confident in your knowledge and foresight? Lord Crow felt much the same way.”
Drake resisted the urge to mouth off in anger. Samuel had no reason to trust him yet, not without knowing all he could do. “I’m not Crow. But today, I’d like you to ride with the other battle maids. Lydia and I will speak to Anna about her doll. I don’t want you there.”
“And why not?”
“Because she doesn’t know you, Samuel.” Drake saw no way to divert his butler than to straight up lie to his face, which would be hard to explain if he slipped up. “She trusts me. She sort of trusts Lydia. But she trusts no one else, and if we’re going to toss away the only thing that kept her sane while she lived through hell, I want her with people she trusts.”
Samuel’s jaw tightened. It looked like he might argue further, but after a momentary staring contest, Samuel relaxed. “You must do what is best for the child.”
“That’s right.” Drake nodded. “And besides, the maids all love you. I bet they’ll be thrilled to have you shacked up in the carriage with them. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Samuel narrowed his eyes. “All relationships I now maintain are professional.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“And as Lord Gloomwood, I will expect the same from you.”
Drake chuckled. “No worries on that score, old man. If I was going to make a move on one of my stupidly attractive battle maids, I’d have done that weeks ago.”
Samuel looked past Drake. “May I be dismissed?”
“You’re the one who wanted to talk.” Yet Drake paused before letting Samuel go. “I’m also glad you mentioned the doll. I get you may not fully trust me yet, but I’m not dismissing your concerns. I simply need to handle them my way. Finally... you decide when you’re ready to go do something else. That’s how I do things, remember?”
Samuel nodded curtly and walked past him to re-enter the camp.
At the moment, Drake was firmly hoping Lydia came down on the “tell Samuel you can lie” side of the argument. Because if not, working around the old man without letting him know what was going on was going to get frustrating. Now, to launch his fiendish plan.
Which would start by finding Sachi.
Soon after he spoke with his favorite feral and gave her his new orders, they were packed up and ready to roll out. Lydia arrived with Anna in tow, and Drake was both relieved and worried to find Robby with her. After Lydia helped him load his big crate of crossbow bolts into the carriage, Drake motioned for her and Anna to get inside. He followed.
As he reached to close the door, Lydia raised one hand. “Samuel is still coming, lord.”
“No, he’s not. We had a disagreement this morning, so he’s going to ride elsewhere.” He firmly kept his eyes away from Robby, who now sat in Anna’s lap.
Lydia stared. “A disagreement?”
“Yeah. I don’t want him with us today. I’m tired of arguing with him.”
Lydia bowed her head. “Of course.”
Anna hugged Robby tight. “I like Samuel. Is he really troubling you, lord?”
Drake closed the door to the carriage and thumped the front wall to let the carriage driver know they were ready to move. “He’s fine. We just had an argument that got rather heated, and I wanted to let him cool off before we make camp tonight. That’s all.”
“And you’re sure it’s all right for me to ride with you today?”
Drake smiled at her. “Of course it is. You and Robby are both welcome.”
Anna hugged her creepy doll tight. “Thank you!”
The carriage lurched into motion, which assured Drake they were on the road. Once they were moving, he executed the next part of his fiendish plot.
“Lydia? Close the curtains. I’d like you to teach me more about the various manors and their lands today, and I don’t want any visual distractions. Anna can learn with us.”
Anna grinned. “I would love that, lord! I know so little about other manors!”
“Then that’s what we’ll discuss today.” Drake grinned right back. “Lydia knows just about everything, and she’s a very good teacher.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as all that,” Lydia said. Yet her smile returned as she closed the curtains on the wagon windows, dropping them into darkness.
Drake activated the Zippo candle, then looked up. “Oh. I almost forgot to mention something to you.”
“What, lord?”
“We’ll be taking the Merchant’s Roadway today.”
Lydia’s lips immediately tightened. “Are you sure that is wise?”
“Samuel didn’t think so. That was the argument. Still, there may be more ambushes on the Noble Road. Diverting down the Merchant’s Roadway is our best bet to avoid them.” He eyed her meaningfully. “Also, I don’t want any arguments about this. That’s an order.”
Lydia immediately nodded. “Of course, lord.”
“Now. Let’s start by learning about Lord Brightwater and the lands she controls.”
As Anna turned to Lydia hopefully, she began to share what she knew.
