ARC 6-Winter War-134 (Patreon)
Content
Bulliard knocks twice before opening the door to the dukeâs study. Inside is nothing but darkness. I drop down a film and the black room is filled with gray details. The duke is seated behind a large desk, head bowed and blankly staring at his desk.
âMy lord. Forgive the late interruption. Roza has a suggestionâ"
âApproved. She knows what needs to be done.â
ââŠI believe there is one point that you will want to discuss with her. It is not pressing but I do not believe you should allow her to make the decision on her own. Itâs sensitive.â
âI will discuss it with her later. Who else?â
âLady Tome to see you, my lord.â
I clear my throat, thoroughly uncomfortable with the theatrics of a man pondering in a dark room. Does he think it makes him more intimidating? Does he think he needs help being intimidating? He doesnât.
âI donât plan to stay long. Just came to give this to you.â The duke lifts his head as I step into the room, dropping the rolled-up report on the desk. âAll the information we have on Khan, the estrazi, and his connection to them.â
âDid your inquiry damage his mind further?â
âNo. Heâs as broken and as whole as we found him.â
âThat is interestingâŠgiven that you have not visited Khanâs room. Before you attempt to lie, the servant standing outside his door was ordered to inform me once you appeared. I was debating whether I wanted to be present for the questioning.â
The ensuing silence asks for an explanation. Ugh. I can feel his authority suffusing the room pushing against me. Speaking without speaking. A favored tool of those in power to keep their opponents off guard. I havenât been in the room with someone who can wield their presence this well in a while. Or perhaps Iâm just not so sensitive to it.
I think the last time I felt this uncomfortable before an authoritative figure was facing my own father as he threatened to disown me if I didnât attend the Hall.
âYouâre right. We questioned Khan in the field. A good thing as it saved some time, I would say.â
The duke sits up in his chair, lacing his fingers atop the desk. âVictory shares little with our kingdom. What it does share is strict rules about the use of the mental affinity. Specifically, in using it to question or interrogate criminals. It is illegal without my permission.â
ââŠillegal. Youâre telling me that questioning someone who we had reason to believe orchestrated an ambush against our army was illegal?â
âThat is the law.â
âIn the middle of a war? Your word for it, not mine.â
âIt is still illegal.â
I take a deep breath while I think. He hasnât shown the tiniest bit of interest in the report detailing his sonâs apparent betrayal but is talking to me about breaking a law to do something he asked me to do himself not even a day after my return.
âWhat is this?â I question. I have some ideas but the conclusions Iâm inclined to jump to are not good places.
âNormally, someone who breaks this law is executed,â he replies flatly. âHowever, for some, a sentence can be reduced to labor, as it serves no one to throw away talent.â
ââŠso youâre threatening me.â Saints preserve me, why? âIf we donât stay and fight for you, youâre going to use this horseshit of an excuse to, what? You canât imprison me, you donât have a prison. Kill me? Thatâs not what you want.â
âYou possess dangerous information. Information that jeopardizes Victory. I can accept any measure that ensures you do not spread it.â
âHow about asking me nicely? No? Of course not, because thatâs not what this is about. Do you think threatening me is going to win Alana over?â
âAlana is not the one who broke the law. You are.â
âI see.â Sorry, Alana. I hoped to leave her family to her in hopes a few small victories could nurse some of the wounds theyâve inflicted on her but this is crossing the line. âSince this only involves me, Iâll give my answer right now. One way or another, weâre leaving Victory. What you do determines if we ever come back or if you have several more problems to deal with.â
âThat is the crux of the matter. Whether you will return. Whether you can be trusted. You are not from the north. You have no loyalty to our cause. No stake in our war. Alana has rejected her home once. She can easily do it again.â
He makes a good point. If I had the choice, I wouldnât return. Iâm anticipating it, given this is Alanaâs home, but the saints know I donât want to.
If he knows his daughter at all, the duke would know that she could never abandon anyone in trouble, especially those she cares about, and she does care about these people for some reason, but that is hard to remember in the face of her recent rejection. She threw away a chance at being duchess. I can understand how that makes her father nervous. The north doesnât have much else to offer.
âDo you trust Alana?â
âI donât know.â
I bite back the urge to curse at him. I wish she could toss this useless family aside. âYou should. And you should trust that I wouldnât go against Alanaâs wishes without a very good reason and I donât have a reason to get involved with the estrazi or an impending war.â
âIs there something I can offer to change your mind?â
âIf you thought you had something to offer, you would have started with that rather than a threat.â I hope. âI canât think of anything.â
âThe north is rich in many ways.â
âIf you had bothered to read the report before having this little talk, youâd know there is no amount of riches that is worth getting involved in this messâŠmy lord.â Despite his lack of tact, I would rather our relationship not deteriorate too much.
ââŠwould you assist by lighting a candle?â
I reach for a tall candle on the corner of the desk and light it with a simple spell before passing it to the duke. He sets it near the edge of the desk before grabbing the report. The real one, no matter how funny it would have been to pass along Alanaâs prank.
The duke is a slow reader. I can feel the minutes dragging on as his eyes scan over the words. When he finally puts it down, the shadows flickering over his stern features make them seem even more severe. âI understand. The involvement of a dragon is not something to take lightlyâŠbut the assumption is premature.â
âThe slightest possibility is too much, in my opinion.â
âThis does not give me confidence in your loyalty to Victory.â
âLike I said, I donât have any loyalty to Victory. Only to Alana. And while she is very understandably unsettled with what could happen in the future and even more understandably wants some distance to figure everything out, she still wants to help. As long as thatâs what she wants, Iâm an ally.â
ââŠI suppose that is the best I can hope for.â
âOh, thank the saints.â I grab the edge of the desk as a wave of relief makes me feel weak. For a moment, I thought I would have to wade through a river of blood because of this manâs insecurities. I shouldnât be surprised that he can be reasoned with but I am grateful.
âThough I would make one request.â
ââŠwhat?â
âEvery day before you leave, I want you to have your succubus treat Khan. If you cannot restore him before you leave, I want an answer. Victory is action. His fate will be decided by you.â
Not what I expected. Also, not a great request. A horrible one, really. I donât want to decide whether Alanaâs brother lives or dies but itâs better this than a small war to escape the north. âDonât you have anyone else you can ask? I would think there would be plenty of better alternatives, as youâve made it very clear you donât trust my commitment.â
âThe James cannot afford to be weak. That, and my people are not trained for this. I know of the succubi. There is no one with greater expertise than your elementals.â
Sigh. âIâm not killing him.â
âIf you mean you do not wish to put the sword to his neck should it turn out he cannot be saved, then that is not your responsibility. It is mineâŠand mine alone.â
âFine. You have a deal so donât make things difficult when we leave.â I straighten up, more than ready to crawl into bed. I can sprint for a full day without breaking a sweat but carrying a heavy conversation is still exhausting.
âOne final thing.â
I pause, having already turned and taken a step toward the door. I hesitantly look over my shoulder. I donât know if our tenuous peace can handle another thing. âYes?â
âIt is traditional for James daughters to be married in the spring.â
Eh?
âIt is too late to prepare the proper festivities for the coming spring. For next spring, we would prefer notice by the fall, at the latest. If my daughterâs words about marrying you were not a jestâŠor a misunderstanding.â
âA-arenât you a little enthusiastic?â I sputter, thoroughly caught off guard.
âAs I said. If my daughter is satisfied, I have no objections. Marriage will tie you to Victory and alleviate my concerns.â He leans forward. âYou should propose. Soon.â
âThatâs not up to you!â I shout before rushing from the room. Damn meddling duke!