Chapter 3.10 – Shattered Expectations

I don’t surprise easily, but I was quite surprised to be led to a chirkir on our way across the Southern Plains. It felt like it had been waiting for us, which was in fact that case. In fact, according to the chirkir, it had been waiting since the beginning of time. I didn’t engage it. Chirkir aren’t that much fun to talk to when you’re not in hurry, but as this particular chirkir had agreed to transport me all the way to the Adventurer’s Guild in Rish, I wasn’t going to raise the issue.

                                                                                            Excerpt from the Journal of the Emissary

 

Sixth of Striving 1142, midday

The town of Kreach put the word small in small town. There are a handful of shops, two handfuls of houses, and one narrow road without a horse in sight. Chari looked around, unimpressed.
 
“You say you know the person who runs this place?”
 
“I do,” replied King Leonid.

Chari snickered. “He must be a powerful man indeed.”

“More than you know,” said Leonid. “Chari, this is wine country. What we have here are vineyards. They grow grapes. They make wine. And wine means that this place, small as it is, is rich.”

“But there’s hardly any houses or people.”

“That’s because everyone has huge properties where they house their employees and their families, all of whom work for the business. Only people who work in town, live in town.”

“Oh. So what happens now?”
 
“I go talk to the Lord Mayor, and see if I can get him to arrange some transportation for all of us…you are all coming I suppose.”

“Yes, father, we’re all coming.”

“Even that?”

He pointed at Obby.

Kalutu straightened up, which was a good trick, because he never hunched over in the first place. “King Leonid, that is my familiar Obby. He is very useful. Very helpful. He also takes a very long time to digest the people that piss him off.”

Leonid raised an amused eyebrow. “Are you threatening me?”

Chari moved forward in a panic, well aware of what her father was capable of, but before she could speak, Kalutu held out a hand to halt her.

“King Leonid, I am a were-owl, not an idiot. I have never threatened a royal and, if today were going to be my first day attempting it, you would be very close to the bottom of the list of people I would test. To be honest, your highness, I’m scared of you.”

This seemed to please Leonid, and he smiled briefly, which was a full on grin for anyone else. After he walked away, Chari turned to Kalutu.
 
“That was well done.”

Kalutu shrugged. “How mad would you be if I fed your father to Obby?”

“I thought you said it wasn’t a threat.”
 
“It wasn’t. If you’re going to kill a king, warning him first is not the smartest thing you could do. It’s hard enough to accomplish in the first place, with all the guards around all the time.”

“Kalutu, you’re not going to feed my father to Obby.”
 
Kalutu nodded. “You’re right, of course. I think Obby deserves only the finest royalty.”

“Kalutu, have you been practicing your jokes?”
 
“I have. What did you think?”

“Your material was a bit dark, don’t you think?”

Kalutu shrugged. I have been spending a lot of time with Bruce, you know.”
 
“Ah, that would explain it.”
 
Bruce appeared between them. I thought it was funny.

Well color me surprised, said Chari, telepathically.

Zephyr chimed in. “You guys need to learn to have a private telepathic conversation. You know those thoughts can carry quite far.”

“If anyone heard that,” said Kalutu, “they deserve it for eavesdropping.”

*

The tavern was disproportionately large for such a small town. It was by far the biggest structure on the one street. It wasn’t busy when they entered, but it was still early. Still, they served food and drink. Zephyr knew that Sam was looking forward to having a beer, though she had never had one herself. Brethren avoided alcohol or indeed anything that might cloud their minds.

There were no taverns in The Brotherhood. No restaurants either for that matter. Visitors, the few they got, stayed with residents, who treated them as if they’d come to a boarding house. The only difference was, the Brethren never charged for their services, at least not cash. Information, however, that was another matter.

Zephyr looked around with interest. She understood, intellectually, the alcohol consumption was important to many humans and that places like this tavern were important social centers where humans could gather. This happened less on the Brotherhood, because brethren were always gathered, whether they were in the same establishment or not.

Zephyr followed Kalutu, Sam and Chari to long polished dark wood bar, where they took seats. The familiars, of course, remained outside with a couple of guards King Leonid has insisted on sending along. His argument was that famliars like these would cause a stir and the sight of guards wearing his colors would go a long way to ease the tension in people who happened to pass by.

Zephyr sat on a stool next to Sam. Behind the bar, stood a man that might have been in his mid-thirties, but he was already mostly bald. He had a brown goatee, and kind green eyes. She liked the look of him immediately.

“What can I get you?” he asked, smiling.

Sam spoke before anyone could get a word out. “A mug of your finest beer for me, my good man.”

The bartender looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t serve beer here.”

Chari looked surprised. Kalutu always looked surprised. Sam looked both stunned and exasperated. “What do you mean you don’t have beer here. Aren’t you a tavern?”

“That we are, good sir, but we don’t serve beer. Beer has been outlawed in this jurisdiction.”

Sam sputtered. “Outlawed! Who would do something like that?”

“That would be the Lord Mayor, sir. He owns the largest vineyard in the area. Perhaps I could interested you in a glass of one of our fine wines. We have quite the selection.”

“Wine? Wine? Who drinks wine? I want a beer. You know, a nice chestnut brown color with a full head of froth. A real drink for real men.”
“Not to belabor the point, sir, but you aren’t a real man. You are a manamal.”

Chari snickered and Sam shot her an annoyed glance. “You knew didn’t you. You knew they didn’t serve beer here when you offered to buy me one?”

Chari shook her head, but she was laughing. “No, Sam, I had no idea. I wish I had, but I didn’t. You have to admit, this is pretty funny.”

Kalutu nodded. “I think it’s funny.”
 
Sam stood up. “Funny? Funny? It’s preposterous. An outrage? It’s a departure from natural law. It’s both unacceptable and irrational. Why in the world would you outlaw beer, even if you grow grapes?”

The bartender cut in, looking amused. “Because the Lord Mayor’s greatest rival owns the largest brewery in the area. It was largely to spite him.”

“Do you have anything besides wine?”

“Why have harder liquors if that’s what you’re after. Pretty much everything but beer.”

Sam bristled. “Everything but beer? How does that make any sense at all. Beer is everything. It’s all there is. It’s the beginning and end of all things. It’s…it’s…”

“Not going to happen,” said the bartender. “The laws are very strict.”

Sam opened his mouth and closed it. Chari put an arm around his shoulder.
 
“It’s okay, Sam. We’re heading to Melar, we’ll get a beer there. At least we can get some food.”

“Food? From a place that doesn’t serve beer? I’d rather starve.”

Without another word, Sam turned to leave.
 
“But you won’t starve,” said Kalutu. “Familiars don’t need to eat.”

Sam had taken a step away from the bar, then spun to face them. “Why would you ruin a perfectly good line. Can’t a manamal expressed well-deserved outrage without having to defend his stance?”

Before anyone could answer, Flapper walked through the door. Well, waddled might have been a better choice of words. He wasn’t exactly steady on his feet. But he made his way to them and no one spoke.

When he reached them, he spoke in his high-pitched voice. I heard yelling is everything all right?

Sam rounded on him. “No Flapper, everything is not all right. They don’t serve beer here. What kind of establishment doesn’t serve beer?”

I can see you’re upset, Sam. Is there anything I can do to help?

Zephyr was able to follow the conversation, using her telepathy ability and of course Kalutu and Chari could as well. The bartender, however, would miss out on this exchanged. “Probably for the better”, she thought.

No, Flapper, there’s nothing you can do to help, because they can’t serve me a beer!

I really wish I could, but you’re right. Just remember, though, if you have to wait a little longer, when you finally get one, it’s going to taste even better. Waiting isn’t the words thing in the world. You could see it as an investment in your future enjoyment.

Sam looked thoughtful. Hmmm, I never thought about it that way. That’s very clever. Thanks, Flapper.

Sam walked outside without looking back, but he no longer radiated anger.

That was well done, said Kalutu.

It was, agreed Zephyr.

Flapper beamed proudly. Zephyr hid her smiled behind a raised hand. This was going to be the beginning of something special.

 *

Andeon Walsh had just sat down to a cup of tea in the Wayfarer’s Court, a group of Rish restaurants that set up shop inside the Adventurer’s Guild. Unlike the more general cafeteria that most of the guild used, this was mostly frequented by higher level, higher tier adventurers. Not only was out more expensive, but it was also more formal, making it a less likely destination for the more rough and tumble adventurers.
 
This was of course, a generalization. As Andeon looked around, he realized that a lot of the higher level adventurer’s particularly warriors, cared less about good manners and polite society than a lot of lower level adventurers. Perhaps he needed to challenge his prejudices. Later, he’d visit the cafeteria and see if perhaps his preconceptions had been deceiving him all along.

Such were his thoughts when the alarm sounded. The chirkir room? There weren’t supposed to be any arrivals. Tea forgotten, he leapt to his feet and moved quickly toward the exit. The alarm only sounded for a handful of people, and those people would be on their way to check it out. If anyone thought his hasty exit was unusual, they didn’t show it.

On the way his mind flashed through every possible scenario. Most likely it was an announced visitor that would be fine. But with a war in the making, there was no telling who might be standing his guild building. And though the room was warded and the corridor outside was rife with traps of all types, he wouldn’t relax until he knew that the Adventurer’s Guild was safe.

He whispered a prayer to Mitra as he went, if for no other reason than to keep her in the loop. Anything could happen when the chirkir were involved…anything at all.

He reached the long corridor that led to the portal room before any of the others arrived. He stood at the end of the corridor, not sure what awaited him inside. In all probability he’d be able to handle whatever waited beyond the sealed door, but it was a chance he wasn’t willing to take. So he set himself to guard the corridor, in case whatever was inside was powerful enough to escape, and waited for the others to arrive.

As time passed, he grew concerned. Someone should have been here by now. He couldn’t have been the only officer that heard the alarm. The portal room was a huge benefit to the Adventurer’s Guild, but it was also a vulnerability that directly affected security. It was another way into the building the guild didn’t control. So they had taken steps to make sure to make everything as secure as possible.

The first step had been to soundproof the room, seal it, lock it from the outside and trap the corrider leading up to it. Then they created an alarm that notified specific watchers, those capable of defending the guild against invasion, that something had entered the portal room.

There hadn’t been an unscheduled arrival in the six years Andeon has been guild leader, and he hadn’t really expected to ever have to deal with one. He was happy the alarm worked. Though the spells that powered it were renewed monthly, magic didn’t always behave the way you expected it to.

Yet, there were four others who should have been notified of the intrusion and they had yet to arrive. They were meant to be a balanced team. There was always a warrior, a mage, a healer, a scout and a ranged specialist. Andeon was the mage. He was powerful, but he wasn’t the most powerful thing in the cosmos. Whatever was inside that room could be more then he could handle. What would he do if no one else showed up?

He could wait, of course. It was entirely likely that whatever had come through the chirkir portal wasn’t capable of breaking out of the room, but the longer he waited, the more curious he became. Finally, he talked to Mitra.
 
“I take it you’re following what’s been going on in the guild.”

I have.

“Do you know what’s waiting for me inside the portal room?”

I do.

Andeon sighed. “Would you care to tell me?”

No. But I will share this. You are in no danger. You may enter the room and make a decision on how to handle that matters that arise from that upcoming meeting. The others didn’t come because they were told not to.

“Told not to? By whom?”

By their respective gods, who also knew that you were sufficient to deal with the current…situation.

“I don’t like the sound of any of this.”

You’ll be fine. Go. The future await.

Andeon nodded, even though there was no one there to see it. Then he steeled himself, unsure what to expect and made his way down the corridor. The traps ignored him as if he weren’t there, because to their senses, he wasn’t. Andeon didn’t register on the traps, because he had been the one to place most of them. Invisible “eyes” tracked his progress but ignored his presence. He winked back at them as he approached the door to the teleportation room.

He paused here, debating whether he should unseal it. Despite Mitra’s assurance, he was responsible for the safety of the guild. These were the times he hated most, when he was called to trust another to make a decision he couldn’t verify by himself. Of course, Mitra wouldn’t lie to him. He knew that. But he still hesitated, perhaps sensing that whatever was beyond the door would change everything. After all, multiple gods were aware if its arrival.

Finally he cast the spell that unsealed the room and unlocked the door. He opened it, entered, and made sure to close it behind him, then turned to face the intruder.

She as a short woman, black hair, attractive, wearing a traveling cloak and carrying a pack. She didn’t look threatening at all, which meant nothing. He ran all the usual checks on her, and found she was a healer. Relief filled him. He detected only faint magic coming off her and no ill intent. So far so good.

“Greetings and welcome to Rish. My name is Andeon Walsh. I’m the guild master of the Rish branch of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

The woman’s smile was not perfunctory, but rather a genuine expression of pleasure. She was immediately likable, and he reminded himself that he still had no idea who, or what, she was.

He studied her, and she said nothing, allowing him the time to take her measure. She was short, not overweight, but not thin either. Her hair short black hair framed a pretty face. Eyes so dark they were almost black. Flawless pale skin, but not unhealthily so. She looked young, younger than he’d expect, but many people with high levels looked younger than their years.
 
She stood comfortably, not shifting her weight nervously, not looking around, she watched him observe her with a patience he didn’t believe he’d have displayed had the situation been reversed. She acted as if she had nothing to fear. That should have been a caution to him, but it wasn’t. There was something about her that made him think she represented no danger. Finally, she spoke.

“Hello, Andeon. I’m going to tell you something that will probably worry you, but I would like you to hear me out before you panic.”

Andeon raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead.”

“I have been sent by the Undead Queen of Xarinos to speak with Queen Treya of The Kingdom of Twyl. I come as an emissary and expect to be treated as you would any foreign dignitary.”

Andeon forced himself not to react, but his insides crawled. An emissary from Xarinos in his portal room? How could Mitra tell him that he could handle this on his own? What did she know that he didn’t?

He laughed at himself. He’d just asked what the goddess of lore knew that he didn’t and realized the list would be pretty much infinite. He also realized he hadn’t yet answered, while the Emissary waited patiently.

“You understand that the gods have declared war on Xarinos?”
 
“I do. But not all reborn want this war, including the Undead Queen. I wish to meet with Queen Treya to speak of the possibility of a treaty.”

Andeon frowned. “You understand I can’t just allow you to leave this room, given our current political situation. I would need to contact the palace and receive instructions from Queen Treya.”

“I understand. I will remain here.”

Andeon nodded, satisfied. “Can I get you something to eat, or drink?”

The emissary favored him with a half smile. “Is this a test? I know the guild master of the Rish branch of the Adventurer’s Guild is aware that reborn need neither food nor water.”

“I do know that. I also know Reborn can eat, and thought I would offer, particularly because you asked me to treat you as I would any other dignitary. Have you changed your mind?”

She chuckled. “No. But I require nothing. Wait. Actually, She placed her pack on the ground and reached into it. Andeaon tensed, but she pulled out a small wooden box. “I have brought a gift for Queen Treya. I would see that she gets it. I’m certain if she does, she will see me.”

Andeon blew out his breath. This was a complication he hadn’t been prepared for. “Place the box on the floor please.”

The box is perfectly safe, said the chirkir, as is the item within.

“You know about it?” asked the emissary.

“I have ever known.”

“Please,” said Andeon. “If you would comply with my instruction.”

The emissary shrugged, placed the box on the ground and backed away from it. Andeon cast every spell at his disposal, all with negative results. It was neither magic, nor cursed, for example. Which didn’t mean it didn’t have a physical trap on it, like a poisoned needle.

He prayed to Mitra.

I could use your help here…do I dare give the box to Queen Treya.

If it were up to me, I’d be cautious, but it is not.

Why is it not up to you?

Because this falls under Iorana’s jurisdiction, and she has assured me the box is safe. I do not know how she knows.

Andeon frowned again, an expression that he didn’t often employ. I know this will sound awful but can Iorana be trusted?

Even if that box were to kill Queen Treya, you would have to allow it to get to her. Iorana’s will must prevail in this matter. Do not interfere.

That hardly fills me with confidence.

It wasn’t meant to. Just obey. You used to know how to do that.

Andeon dropped his head, chastened. “I’ll contact the palace. Make yourself comfortable, the response may not come right away. May I take the box?”

“Of course. Godspeed, guild master, time is of the essence.”

Andeon nodded, walked forward, picked up the box and walked toward the door.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The emissary bowed but said nothing else. Andeon looked back at her one last time before leaving her alone in the room, wondering at the strange events and how they might affect, not just his guild, but the entire Kingdom of Twyl.

*

Andeon walked with the box to the palace himself. When he arrived, the guard at the gate offered to allow him entrance, but he refused. Instead, he asked if one of the captains could come to the gate.

The two guards looked at each other, nervously, Gallen thought. He wondered why. Then the taller of the two nodded and ran off, presumably to fetch one of them. Andeon trusted his goddess, of course, but he would not bring an unknown package into the palace without first alerting palace security, so they could run whatever checks they wanted, and set up whatever safeguards they required. Andeon had always been cautious, but in this case, he had no choice. He wasn’t risking his own skin here. Anything that might place Queen Treya at risk warranted an excess of caution. He could almost feel Mitra’s disapproving scowl, but as guild master, he had to be political as well as loyal to his goddess. She would understand, he knew, even if she didn’t like it.

*

Ezra Lorco, not for the first time that day, cursed Gallen Burke. He was in the training yard…again. With Cech gone with King Terrence to fight a war against the undead, and Gallen Burke imprisoned for attempting to assassinate Queen Treya, everything fell on Lorco. He was not only responsible for the palace guard, but also the wall defense and training new recruits. With all the guards that had joined the army, that meant a lot of training, in addition to his other tasks.

Lorco felt overworked, underpaid, and cursed Gallen Burke again. An undead spy, right here in the palace, for all those years. How was it possible? He growled and two recruits looked up terrified, then relieved when they saw he wasn’t looking directly at them. He nodded, curtly and turned away. Damn, he was tired. So tired. But there was always more to do, and he was the only one who could do it.
 
He was still in the training yard, when the gate guard tracked him down.
 
“Captain Lorco, Andeon Walsh is waiting at the main palace gate and wishes to speak with you.”

“Well tell him he can speak with me here.”
 
“He refuses to enter the palace grounds until he talks to you, Captain.”

Lorco almost growled again and thought better of it. The guild master of the Adventurer’s Guild was no fool. If he wasn’t going to enter, there was a reason, and Lorco needed to know that reason. He sighed, called out instructions to the recruits, put the best of that sorry lot in charge for the duration of his absence and made his way quickly to the main palace gate. He wanted to get back to the training yard before someone got hurt.

When he reached the gate, Andeon stood outside, carrying a wooden box.

“What can I do for you, Guild Master Walsh?”

“Since when don’t you call me Andeon?” asked Walsh.
 
“I figured we were all formal since you didn’t accept my invitation to come to where I busy working.”

Andeon smiled. “Sorry but I won’t bring this box into the palace without your express consent. You see, an emissary from Xarinos showed up in the Adventurer’s Guild today, specifically to start negotiations with Queen Treya.”

“Negotiations? Are they surrendering?”

“No, I believe they want to talk about a peace treaty.”

Lorco almost choked. “A peace treaty?” He lowered his voice. “They should have thought of that before they tried to assassinate the Queen.”

Andeon’s mouth dropped open. “What? When?”

“Three days ago.” He lowered his voice even further. “The assassin was Gallen. He’s undead.”

Lorco turned pale. “Gallen Burke? How? It’s not possible.”
 
“We all thought the same thing. He’s apparently been undead since the war, and not one person noticed. No one. How many more might there be?”

Andeon looked thoughtful. “Well, I was told this box has to get to Queen Treya.”
 
“Oh were you? Who told you that?”

“Mitra.”

“Oh. Well that represents a problem for me. See, if that comes from Xarinos, I don’t want it anywhere near the queen, and I’m responsible for her safety. You can’t expect me to allow something from Xarinos anywhere near her three days after an undead assassin makes an attempt on her life.”

Andeon nodded in understanding. “Can’t you have it checked. Have one of your mages do it. I’ve already checked it myself, but a double check can’t hurt.”
 
“This is a bad idea, Andeon,” growled Lorco.

“What’s a bad idea?”

Both men turned and Queen Treya was there, brown hair falling loosely about her shoulders, wearing a maroon gown that hugged her body, revealing the muscles beneath. This was no damsel in a dress. Andeon took several steps back with the box.

“You’re highness, what are you doing here?” asked Lorco.

“Sheba suggested I might be needed in the vicinity, so here I am. And I asked a question, what’s a bad idea?”
 
Andeon answered first. “An emissary from Xarinos is in the guild right now. I have her locked in our portal room. She wanted me to give you a gift. I checked it, and it seems fine to me, but all things considered…”

Treya held up a hand, and he stopped speaking. She looked at the box and said, “open it.”
 
Reluctantly, he placed it on the ground and opened the box. It inside, on a velvet mat, lay the most beautiful necklace Lorco had ever seen. Stunning. Covered in gemstones, it must have been worth a small fortune.

“Open the gate,” order Treya.
 
Lorco stepped forward. “Your highness, I don’t think this is a good…”

“Captain Lorco I don’t remember asking your opinion. Is everyone deaf, I said open the gate?”

The guards on duty hurried to comply, and Treya stepped outside and picked up the box herself. Lorco wanted to warn her, but a sharp glance silenced him.
 
“Andeon, please escort the emissary to my private quarters.”

“Not the throne room, you’re highness?” asked Lorco. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Yes, Captain Lorco. I’m sure. This isn’t just a gift, it’s a signal. I know who sent it. Send her to me. I’ll be waiting.”
 
“At least let me accompany you,” said Lorco.
 
Treya looked like she was about to deny him, but instead nodded and walked quickly away from the gate. Lorco, bemused, followed.
 
“What the hell was that all about?” asked one of the guards Andeon didn’t recognize.

Andeon shrugged. “I learned a long time ago that questioning the actions of royalty virtually always ends with a migraine.”

Andeon turned from the gate and made his way quickly back toward the guild building. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could pretend it had never happened.