(Path of the Dragon Mage: Exiled) 48. A Polite Kidnapping (Patreon)

"Allow me to introduce myself," the officer said. "I am Captain Landry, currently in service to Lord Shield. Our company heard word of an assassination plot against Young Lord Corvus and thought we would lend our assistance."

This was the second time the commander had called him by that title. The implications were... daunting. But not something he could allow to distract him.

"As you can see," Corvus said. "We have things well in hand."

Behind them all, the fires from the estate and the stables raged.

"So I see," Captain Landry said. "Nevertheless, we have orders to escort you to safety."

"You mean, you're taking him back to the Shield estate," Solt said flatly.

Corvus squared his shoulders. "I cannot leave. Solt and his daughter have lost everything. It would be improper for me to abandon them at this point. I thank you for your help, but you should go."

The captain glanced meaningfully at the burning estate. "It seems your ward has not done an adequate job of keeping you safe so far."

As they spoke, half the men who had followed the captain dismounted and gathered in a loose circle around the three of them. All were armed, though none showed naked steel. Not yet.

Gwen shot Corvus an uneasy glance. He subtly shook his head.

Play along, he tried to tell her with his eyes. There's too many to fight.

But if she jumped upon NightShade's back and used her pendant, she might get away. That was, if those archers he saw in the back didn't aim true.

Too bad NightShade stood by Solt's side. She would have to break past a handful of armed men just to reach him.

"Take the boy, then," Solt said abruptly. "And the girl, too. They've become friendly enough with each other."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Gwen said as Corvus tried not to sputter.

But Solt and Captain Landry had locked eyes with each other. A world of understanding passed in the air between them. Whatever was unsaid, the captain leaned back on his heels, a satisfied smile twitching up his lips.

Solt continued. "The girl's good in the kitchens and will do right by Lord Shield's house." He turned to Gwen. "Anita, you take my old warhorse with you. It's part of your inheritance. I'm sorry I can't offer you more."

As a retired General, it was reasonable to think that Solt might have taken one of the army's Mountain Heavy's as his own. After all, Captain Landry had one under his command. This was a convenient way of offering NightShade back to Gwen without revealing they were bonded.

A dutiful daughter might look resigned or teary-eyed. Gwen simply looked offended. "I ain't working in some fancy lord's kitch—"

Corvus gripped Gwen's arm, stopping her. 

The captain, who seemed to be expecting a bought of teenage rebellion, nodded. "Of course the young miss is welcome. Any friend of the young Lord should accompany him. If you two come with me, we have horses properly outfitted for the journey."

"The only horse I'm riding is mine," Gwen snapped.

"None of us are going anywhere," Corvus added.

Every instinct he had screamed that leaving with these men was a very, very bad idea. They didn't seem intent on killing him, like the king's men.. but they were under the employ of Lord Shield. If his Grandfather was anything like his mother, Corvus would find himself embroiled by plots within plots, and never be free. 

He could stop this. Right now. All he had to do was push mana into the double-bladed dagger and throw it to the ground. Vines would sprout out and entangle men who were conveniently grouped together, sucking vitality and life from their bodies. He could use the chaos to spring away. He and Gwen could jump on NightShade and gallop away if they were quick... and NightShade was the quickest, bravest horse he'd ever seen.

And more of the kingdom's men would be dead by his hand. This time, it wouldn't even be men who had offered him violence.

As if sensing Corvus's inner struggle, Solt turned and grabbed him roughly by the collar to haul him aside.

In the corner of his eye, Corvus saw Captain Landry's hand fall to the hilt of his sword. But when Solt offered no violence, the captain stayed his hand.

"Don't be stupid," Solt said, low and dangerous. "I told you that you're no longer my apprentice. You weren't the most disappointing I'd had, but there it is. Don't waste your time on me. I won't for you." He released Corvus, stepping back to speak louder. "Take Anita and get out of my sight."

Corvus stood for a moment, stiff, angry, and more than a little hurt. But Solt's expression was unyielding. The fight drained out of Corvus, and he allowed the captain to usher him away. 

Gwen must have looked like the most ill-tempered, rebellious daughter within fifty miles. Not looking back at Solt once, she clicked her tongue to call NightShade and deftly leapt upon the horse’s back. NightShade's lack of saddle received several odd looks from the soldiers, but he was a Mountain Heavy, which was a cut above a normal horse.

The captain offered one of his company's steeds, but Corvus declined in favor of riding double on NightShade. Gwen was the better rider, but he pulled himself up in front. After all, she was supposed to be Anita who would have been common rank.

The captain looked like he wanted to object, then changed his mind and made motions for his men to mount up.

As they did, Gwen leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Are we being politely kidnapped?"

He dipped his head in a nod, then muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "I swear I'll find a way to get you out of this."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine," he said. "Sounds like Lord Shield has acknowledged me as his grandchild."

He only wished he knew what that meant.

Captain Landry might have called him 'Young Lord' but that didn't confirm he was Lord Shield's heir. Surely, he would have cousins who'd been prepared for that title since birth. None of them would be happy to hear Corvus had been found.

A familiar weight settled on his shoulder like an old, hated cloak. He hadn't realized it had fully left until it was back. The weight of court expectation, the pressures of playing constant games he'd never been able to live up to... and the awareness that adults more powerful and cunning would do whatever it took to use him to gain the King's notice.

He hadn't realized that life could be different until he came to Solt's humble estate. Now that he was possibly returning to the snake pit, he wished he'd appreciated the peace more.

The last of the men had mounted up. At the Captain's signal, they surrounded Corvus and Gwen in a phalanx. At the lead, the captain started his mount forward. The rest of the men followed.

But not all of them. At least five dismounted men stayed behind, still surrounding Solt.

"What's going on?" Corvus demanded. "Captain, are some of your men staying behind?"

Landry looked back at him. "Those men chose to help the cleanup."

Ding!

You have increased your Detect Lies skill

New level: Beginner 3

Gwen stiffened. She'd guessed he was lying as well.

He looked over his shoulder again. Only his Night Vision allowed him to see Solt's grin as he turned to the men encircling him. 

The fighting would begin the moment the phalanx was out of hearing range... And despite Landry's lazy arrogance, he doubted any of those five men would return. Solt had faced, and bested, more earlier tonight.

Although Solt was no longer his master, Corvus silently wished him luck.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Corvus asked sometime later. Landry was looking over his shoulder, frowning that his men hadn't returned yet. He summoned all his princely arrogance to distract him. "The hour is late, and Anita and I are exhausted from fighting treacherous men."

Plus, if they could arrange a stop, it would give Gwen an opportunity to flee.

"Our destination isn't far, Young Lord. About two hours ride, along the southern edge of the lake.  Our company rented a house from the Monger Family. It's quaint by Royal standards, but you should be comfortable there overnight."

"Why do you call me Young Lord?" Corvus asked. "Has Lord Shield made me his heir?"

The captain hesitated. "That's not for me to say." 

His inner eyebrows rose, but the Captain said no more.

As they rode, Corvus kept a sharp eye out for signs that the Horse Folk had come looking for Gwen. Or any of the returning riders who had stayed behind to "help" Solt. Or even more of the King's men. Surely, they had not sent out every man who'd been at Duck Water village.

The road ahead and behind remained empty.

As Corvus casually looked around, trying not to appear like he was watching for an opportunity to escape, his gaze lit upon one man.

There was nothing that set him apart from the others. He wore the same perfectly pressed uniform with the Shield rune insignia on the breast. He even rode an energetic calvary horse that, while was well fed, looked like a pony compared to NightShade and the Captain's horse.

The difference was that Corvus recognized his face. 

He was the spy.

The man didn't look directly at him once. He was busy playing the part of a good calvary soldier, alert and scanning for danger. But as Corvus watched out of the corner of his eye, the spy sent fleeting glances his way.

That was interesting. Was he the one who tipped Landry of the assassination plot? Shown him the location of Solt's estate? No, he acted like one of the lower ranked men. He was in hiding, and Corvus wasn't certain if this was positive or negative.

With nothing else immediately pressing, Corvus drew his attention inward. It was time to face the red dot which contained the notifications he'd been avoiding.

Perhaps, he had unconsciously thought that if he didn't see evidence of the deaths he caused, it would not be real. 

But those were childish thoughts. Solt had told him he had to face his consequences like a man, and he would.

He focused on the dot, and it expanded into messages.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

You have killed enemy Guard X3 - x200 XP

You have killed enemy Archer X2 - 400 XP

You have killed enemy Captain - 1000 XP

There it was. Ultimate evidence that he had in fact slain those men with the Boom Needle. They would have killed Corvus, but he got to them first.

Even though he knew for a fact he'd been defending himself, he didn't feel better.

The experience points were both bittersweet and... odd. He'd received much more by killing men than he had by killing demon creatures. Was it because they were sentient, or did the Path System recognize that they were so much more dangerous than himself?

The next notification came as he was mentally calculating the points.

Congratulations! You have reached level ten.

For reaching a milestone level, you have been awarded 5 attribute points.

At this milestone, you are able to split your banked existing experience as credit into attributes. This will not impact your current level. However, it will reduce the speed in which you attain new levels.

Would you like to split your current points into attributes?

Warning: Once a decision has been confirmed, you may alter the split every even level number. However, points going forward will not be backdated.

That was a lot to take in, and some of it was tempting. The next menu showed what attributes he could increase based on his banked points. The split was fairly uneven — he assumed that points were weighted more to his strengths to what best suited his Path. 

Base Attributes (Shown without additional bonuses attached.)

Strength: 10 —> 12

Speed: 8 —> 10

Stamina: 8 —> 11

Dexterity: 10 —> 13

Charisma: 11 —> 12

Intelligence: 17 —> 20

Wisdom: 13 —> 17

Additional Options

Curious, he selected additional options.

Additional point split options: 

Bonded creatures - 0

Bonded partners - 0

Guild Contribution - 0

Temple Contribution - -0

Soul Bound Weapons - 0

Soul Bound Items - (1) Royal Dragon egg.

He stared the second list. First, with confusion and then with a sense of hope. 

His egg was considered a soul bound item. That was why he could not include it in his party system. Perhaps, once it hatched, it would be considered a bonded creature or partner, but until then...

He knew what he had to do. The egg had given him back his life. If there was any chance he could return the favor, in the form of points, he had to take it.

He made the selection, and when the next menu asked what percentage to allocate, he selected the maximum.

Are you sure you want to split half of your banked experience and future experience with item: Soul Bound Dragon Egg?

Yes, he thought.

The word 'Yes' flashed red. Before his eyes, his hard-gained experience points ticked down to half. He swore he actually felt a sensation of something leaving him.

But as he did, three new wells with their accompanying bars appeared in the corner of his vision.

Unnamed (Dragon egg).

Health 100/100

Mana 300/300

Stamina 50/50

As his experience drained down, the health went from a very worrying red 20 all the way until a healthy green 100.

He had to fight to keep from beaming like an idiot.

His egg's health was back at full. He bet if he had a hand on the shell now, he would feel it pulsing at full strength. 

And he was aware for the first time how far he was from the egg — and how much further he got every second. There was a constant tug at the corner of his soul... a stretching rope that was being pulled tighter and tighter.

It was not uncomfortable yet, but it would be soon.

There was nothing he could do about it now except to send a sense of apology down the tentative link.

To his surprise, he got something back. It was not words — not even a complete thought. Just muddled emotions. Wistfulness, loneliness, and the unending patience of a being who had waited hundreds of years to emerge.

Tell me your name, he thought.

Out of the jumble of emotions he received, he understood mostly confusion. The dragonet was young. Perhaps too young to understand abstract terms like a name.

It was worth a try. With a sigh, Corvus turned his attention back to the road.

* * *

Finally, the estate came into view. It was a huge manor house perched on the edge of a crag that looked over the southern shore of the lake.

Captain Landry sent several of his riders on ahead. Corvus watched lamps being lit in the far off windows as word must have spread that they were expected soon.

There was a large gate which stood before the road leading directly up to the manor. Behind it stood several figures waiting for them in the pre-dawn light.

At least a dozen additional guards, three servants with food and drink service ready for the arrivals, and a woman wearing a cloak against the cool air.

It was his mother.