Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.78 (110) (Patreon)

Arch-mage Mathers sat in the director’s chair at the head of the council table. Everyone who could be was in attendance. After all, how often did you get to see Arch-mage Jennings have to deal with a situation he was directly responsible for. This was the event of the decade.

Frowning, he watched as two arch-mages whispered harshly at each other. They were both hunched over the communication crystal, trying to counteract the ward Jennings had put up. Several different scrying rooms were being utilized in concert, and then funneled into a central control room, which was then being transferred into the council’s communication crystal. If correctly tuned, the Tower of Magic in Hennings could pierce even the strongest wards.

While mages around the room whispered to each other in anticipation, Mathers shouted, “Well? What’s the problem?”

One of the arch-mages turned around to glare at Mathers. With a voice full of scorn she shouted right back, “If you think you can do better, why don’t you come over here and help?”

Just then, the other arch-mage stoop up from the crystal, shouting, “We got it!”

Like a movie theater quieting down during the opening credits, everyone rushed to their seats and got out their snacks.

A large hologram appeared on the wall, and they could see Arch-mage Jennings standing in front of a group of nobles. Someone helpfully pointed out, “That’s the council of leadership for Dorchester.” Rounds of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ filled the room.

They watched as Jennings tried to get the nobles to focus on appeasing the anomaly. Time passed, and the suggestions Jennings was adding to the hologram were becoming increasingly crazy. From off to the side, someone asked a little too loudly, “Why didn’t he just kill the anomaly before he could make it back to the city?”

Immediately, shouts of ‘boos’ and insults were hurled at the mage. The people around him started smacking him over the head, and there were even people throwing food.

Cheers rang out, as the mage was forced to flee the room.

As the crowd quieted down, Mathers loudly declared, “At some point, someone please explain to him why we don’t just go around killing new nobles. Especially new nobles who are particularly interesting.”

Someone from around where the man was standing responded, “I’ll take care of it, arch-mage. He’s from Patergrouse, on the coast.”

Several mutters rang out across the room. That seemed to explain everything, and everyone returned to watching Jennings try and reign in the nobles.

As time passed, no one left. Mages in general were used to staring at a scry for hours on end, and it was enjoyable to watch Arch-mage Jennings sweat. After all, over the years, everyone one of them had at one point in time been loudly berated by the ornery old man.

When he forcefully teleported the anomaly, the crowd erupted. Shouts of “He’s really done it now!” and “Is he crazy?” filled the room. Mathers shook his head in disbelief. ‘How in hells did the man think that was a good idea?’ he wondered.

The anomaly’s response quieted the room, as everyone wanted to hear what he was saying. And when he demanded pancakes, shouts of support and laughter caused the room to shake. There was absolutely nothing better than watching the anomaly drive people around him crazy.

When the anomaly returned to the room, they watched the show begin in earnest. Quiet whispers swept across the room, as the mages dissected the arguments. There were questions about the details of what happened, who was responsible, and what laws were relevant.

When the general mentioned a secret document, the room filled with more ‘oohs’ and mutters of “No way!”, and “Seriously?” Even Mathers wasn’t above showing signs of shock at the reveal.

But when Vera Salvatore-Verena marched through the door, the entire council hall went silent. Mathers’ smile was wide as he sat up in his seat and said, “OK. Here we go!”

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Jennings watched as Vera and Nick took their seats next to Nero, while Cathleen and the two unknowns took up positions behind them. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around the room at the other tables, and couldn’t help but wonder if Vera had only brought the extras so that their table looked as full as everyone else’s.

Arch-mage Jennings said hurriedly, “There is no reason to speak of sanctions. I merely brought Lord Walker here so that the council of leadership could personally address this issue as soon as possible. Everyone here is dedicated to punishing those responsible, and ensuring that Dorchester survives this ill-advised plot.”

While Arch-mage Jennings spoke, Vera was completely ignoring him. Instead of paying attention, she was taking things out of her personal dimension. Files, pens, and even a little plaque that said ‘House Walker’ made their appearance. She took her time, carefully placing each piece exactly where she wanted it. Her posture was rigid, and when she finished, she calmly clasped her hands in front of her, then looked up to glare at the arch-mage.

“If only we could believe that. Just a few weeks ago, this council stood by and let an assassination challenge stand against our house. Our house head, a new noble, was forced to defend his ascension by a bitter house that was in fact trying to humiliate YOU, Arch-mage Jennings,” she said.

Turning to look at the city-lord, she continued, “And that plot was only allowed to unfold with YOUR son’s support.” Moving her glare over to Lord Bennings, she said, “Meanwhile, the director of the Tower of Law, YOU, Lord Bennings stood by in support.”

As Vera tore into each of the attendants, Nero took the opportunity to reach into his personal space and pull out the mission packet that he had ignored. He put it in his lap, while hiding it under the table. Even if people realized what he was doing, he didn’t want to distract from Vera’s lambasting of the nobles.

Flipping through the pages, he frowned at all the information it contained. There was an entire section dedicated to ‘watch protocols’. ‘This damn thing isn’t a packet, it’s a BOOK. Why the hell did they give this to us the night before we headed out? Shouldn’t they have given us time to study?’ he mentally complained.

After he thumbed past the maps, which he had no idea how to read, he saw a handwritten note. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he pulled it out and read it.

Lord Walker,

You may remember me from when I showed you around the Gate 7 army compound. I’m sorry about keeping my distance, but you’ll understand why after you read this.

My father is Lord Blackwood. I’m one of his sons. My mother was a Wayfinder from Gorn. When I came to the city, my father let me officially join his house. Although I’m not his heir, or even among his trusted family, he gives me a stipend and looks out for me. To my shame, I approached him for aid in getting out of the elites. I’ve been in the wilds before, and I have no desire to return to that nightmare.

The reason any of this is relevant is that when I spoke with him a few days ago, he demanded my cooperation with one of his plots. I’ve helped him out before, but this time he’s gone too far.

He’s planning your assassination. I’m unable to stop him. He has people everywhere, and until he acts, there is nothing I can do. He made me hand over your team’s proposed route through the wilds. You should expect an attack by a team of hunters. I don’t know who else is involved, or any specifics.

Please be careful. Also, destroy this letter. If it gets out that I warned you, I don’t know what my father will do to me. Being cut off from his money will be the least of my concerns.

Hopefully not your enemy,

Sergeant Terry Cooper-Blackwood.

‘Huh,’ thought Nero.

He hadn’t realized that family drama could be a thing here. Did the sergeant have ‘daddy issues’ or was this some kind of noble nonsense he didn’t understand? Why couldn’t the sergeant have just reported the attempt?

Without any more details, Nero had to assume the sergeant didn’t know whom he could trust. Smiling, Nero thought, ‘Hey! Wasn’t that one of the completely random accusations I threw at the general? Awesome!’

He placed the letter and the packet on the table, and started paying attention again. Vera was still verbally assaulting the nobles.

“And the moment he returns to safety, he’s forcibly taken against his will. How can you justify kidnapping a noble from his proxy’s residence? And once again, the director of the Tower of Law stands by and says nothing. How do any of you expect to get away with this?” she said, her voice dripping with accusation.

Arch-mage Jennings looked like he had been caught by his wife after going to a strip club. And the other nobles looked just as guilty. Even the general was having trouble meeting Vera’s glare.

The room seemed to pause. No one knew who Vera expected to answer.

In the end, it was the city-lord who spoke up their defense. Nero had to hand it to her, the woman was fearless.

Although she looked tired, City-lord Cosgrave’s eyes still held a spark of fire. “The arch-mage may have acted rashly in bringing Lord Walker here, but there was no malicious intent. Everyone here is committed to resolving this issue with no ulterior motives,” she said firmly.

Nero didn’t want the conversation to proceed without touching base with Vera, so he opened a hesitant connection to her. Even though she was sitting right next to him, he tried to act natural.

Vera was more than capable of having a conversation over the link while participating in a meeting. So, she didn’t bat an eye when she opened the connection and said, “Yes, What is it?”

While Vera verbally sparred with the city-lord, Nero let her know about the letter Sergeant Blackwood had hidden in the mission packet, and why Nero hadn’t read it. He tried to be brief, as he could feel her amusement over the link. Embarrassed, he attempted to redeem himself by letting her know about his conclusions, and letting her know that the general had said they already had the mastermind in custody.

Without missing a beat, Vera skillfully steered the conversation to where she needed it.

“I’ve been told that you arrested the mastermind before Lord Walker had even returned from the wilds? I’d like to know how that was possible if you weren’t aware of the plot beforehand?” she asked.

The general’s firm voice loudly declared, “We only found out after the attempt was already made.”

Vera responded quickly, “Lord Bennings, is that true? If so, how was the investigation handled?”

Lord Bennings shifted in her seat, while replying, “The Tower of Law hadn’t formally been informed of any plot. In fact, I was only made aware of it when I was requested for this emergency meeting. In fact, no arrests have been made at this time.”

Nero couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Except for the arrest my team made. The assassin was dropped off at Gate 14’s Tower of Law an hour ago.”

Nodding, Lord Bennings said, “Yes, that’s true. That’s when our investigation became official.”

Vera’s voice was cold as she demanded, “Then when the general says ‘the perpetrators are in custody’, who is he talking about? And who made the arrest? Or have more people been kidnapped without regard for the law?”

Jennings repressed his urge to sigh. Listening to Vera, he chastised himself for acting rashly. The fact that he immediately reported who was responsible, was a mistake he never should have made. It demonstrated his prior knowledge of the plot. ‘Rookie mistake, old man,’ he chided himself.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to shift the blame, the city-lord said, “I confined my daughter to her rooms when I heard what happened from Arch-mage Jennings. As for Lord Blackwood, he was taken into custody by the arch-mage. I’m still not sure if there was anyone else involved.”

Nero raised his eyebrows in surprise, but managed not to say anything. He hadn’t known the princess was involved.

Vera managed to hide her feelings much better than Nero, and turned her glare on the arch-mage. “When did you find out about the plot? And why did you let it proceed?” she asked.

He needed to keep his foreknowledge quiet. It would be disastrous if Nero found out about him letting the plot move forward without doing anything.

“Well, I didn’t know the specifics. I knew that there was a possibility that something might happen, but until I watched Lord Walker interrogate the assassin, I didn’t know anything for sure. From there, I did some investigating, and found the connection to Deidre Cosgrave. I also tracked down the mage who Lord Blackwood was using to track Lord Walker’s team,” said Jennings, while trying to sound proud.

He knew that it was imperative to hide the fact that he had known about the plot since its inception. If Nero found out that Jennings had let it happen, any trust the young lord had would vanish. It was better for the little lord to think he was incompetent, rather than duplicitous.

“Why haven’t they been turned over to the Tower of Law?” asked Vera.

City-lord Cosgrave held her arms out wide, implying that she had nothing to hide. “The moment the Tower of Law is given custody, formal arrest reports will have to be filed. If that happens, it would lead to Dorchester’s downfall.”

Nero held a hand to his mouth, and coughed/said, “Bullshit!”

Vera was aware of what the city-lord was alluding to, but rather than give ground, she asked, “So what are you offering as an alternative? More banishments, and empty apologies? How many other Cosgraves will be allowed to act against House Walker before you do your jobs?”

Lord York said with a smile, “I propose that House Cosgrave is allowed to fall. There is no point in avoiding the consequences of their actions.”

Lords Voltan and Peyton stayed quiet. As far as Nero could tell, they were just waiting to see how this all played out.

Arch-Mage Jennings said, “Dorchester cannot afford a noble war for the city-seat right now. It’s unnecessary. The city-lord is more than happy to punish those who were actually responsible.”

Vera raised one eyebrow in consideration, and asked, “Punish how?”

City-Lord Cosgrave leaned forward in her seat, and with a voice full of steel, she said, “Execution. In return for allowing us to settle this in arbitration, I’ll offer my daughter along with House Blackwood. I can’t turn over their assets, but I can pay damages from the city’s coffers after House Blackwood has been absorbed by the city.”

Over the link, Nero told Vera, “What about the sergeant, he was loyal enough to try and warn me. How will that affect him? And isn’t the city-lord’s son still alive? How many enemies will we have remaining? It’s pointless to kill one and make two more. And is actual execution like that a thing here? Isn’t that… I don’t know… She’s just a spoiled little rich girl, right?”

Vera heard what Nero said, but didn’t respond. To Nero, her psyche seemed calm, and focused.

Tapping her finger on the table in thought, she asked, “So, Lord Blackwood and his family are offered as sacrifice, and their assets transferred to Lord Walker using the city as an intermediary. Your daughter is executed as a traitor to your house. And the Tower of Law deals with the commoners. Is that what you’re proposing?”

The general’s harsh voice rang out, “Seems reasonable to me.”

Vera turned her glare back to full power and stared across the room at the man. Her smile slowly grew as she said, “I have a counter-proposal.”

Nero crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. ‘This aught to be good,’ he thought.