2.25 pt 1 (Patreon)

Author's Note: This is an unedited half-chapter.  I'm behind again due to multiple circumstances as discussed in the Patron channel on Discord.  I'll post the second half as soon as it's done, but for now there have been so many schedule slips lately I didn't want to let another update day pass without having something up.

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“Here’s the thing, though,” Biribo continued, weaving back and forth in the air as if slightly worked up, “these are gwynnekfeathers.”

“These are our gwynnek feathers!” Mimi exclaimed in outrage, pointing.  “Look, Naz!  Melon blonde with red markings and black tips, those are from Blanci!”

“Wait, are you saying dark elves pluckedone of your gwynneks?” I demanded.

“No, no,” said Nazralind, frowning up at the totem.  She also looked unhappy, though less agitated than Mimi.  “It’s molting season.  Their winter undercoats are coming in and they’re losing some of the bigger wing and tail feathers, those come in annually.  We’ve been really careful to pick them up so we don’t leave obvious trails everywhere, but…I guess we missed some.”

“Some, yeah, but they’ve done a better job than this,” Biribo chimed in.  “I’ve taken notice, boss, they’ve grabbed most of the dropped feathers.  Someone could probably make one totem from what they missed, but not enough from one single bird to match this way, and definitely not enough to make totems to encircle the whole fortress.”

“What are you saying?” I asked.

“Whoever made and hung this thing has been insideNorth Watch,” Biribo said gravely.  “They’ve been in the gwynnek pen itself.  This person picked up dropped feathers from around the birds, without being seen, heard, or smelled,at a time when the birds in question are tense and uneasy about being in a new home.  Naz or any of the girls can explain how freakin’ difficult that would be.”

“I’d frankly scoff at the idea if this thing weren’t hanging right in front of me,” Nazralind agreed.  “Sneaking up on nervous roosting gwynneks is a terribleidea.  We should have found the half-stripped skeleton of anyone who tried it.”

“Which fits the evidence,” said Biribo.  “A Savindar shadow scout could do that; presumably a Shylverrael equivalent is just as good.  Lady Grey couldn’t have pulled it off even with that dagger of hers.  And they’ve done all this since yesterday morning,when we moved the birds in.”

Ever since getting home to North Watch from our last triumphantly disastrous trip to Gwyllthean, I’d lived with a constant prickling on the back of my neck that came from the knowledge that an invisible assassin might spring out at me at any moment.  That had suddenly intensified tenfold.

“Excellent,” I muttered.  “This is precisely what I don’t fucking need.”

“I told you,” Sato muttered back.

“Boss, I haven’t explained the important part yet,” Biribo said, zipping back and forth in agitation.  “This thing is incorrect. These totems are supposed to be made with harpy and naga feathers!”

“Wait, naga have feathers?”Aster exclaimed.  It was a relief not to be the dummy asking ignorant questions for once.  Finally, someone else’s turn over the isekai barrel.

“Instead of hair, yeah.  But that’s the point,it’s a declaration of power.  The beast tribes make decorative and communicative art like this using shells and feathers and whatnot from animals they hunt, so the dark elves make them from the sapient races they control just to flex on ‘em.  It does the trick, the local tribes do notfuck with the dark elves.”

“Nobody does,” Sato agreed, nodding fervently.

I squinted up at the hanging totem.  “Then…what’s the significance of making this with junk scavenged from the fortress?  Doesn’t that undermine their point?  Or are they making a statement about how they can get in there?”

“It wouldn’t have the same import, there are gwynneks all over Dlemathlys,” said Sakin.  “Even wild ones, on Dount.  I dunno if there are any flocks close to here, but beast tribes can undoubtedly get feathers like this from hunting.”

I turned to look thoughtfully at Sato, who immediately flattened his ears.

“I didn’t know that,” he said defensively.  “I didn’t!  I only know a little bit about…tribe stuff.  The important things.  My mom warned me about totems like this, to stay away from anything guarded by them.  You don’t take risks with dark elves.”

“I believe you,” I said.  “The question is whether the cat tribe will recognize the difference, and what they’ll make of it.”

“I…”  He seemed to shrink in on himself.  “Maybe?  I…don’t know…what the cats know.  Probably their shaman would…”

“They can tell,” said Biribo.  “Weknow this was made by a real shadow scout, because we know where those feathers came from, but theymight think they’re fake.  It’s hard to say what they’ll do in that case.  Speaking of which, boss, two important points about the dark elves: first, Shylverrael has been developing in total isolation for a century and a half, so nobody knows what they’re actually like, and second, the Savin culture they’re descended from was prone to elaborate intrigues and scheming.  So literally the only thing we can assume about the Shylver is they plot in complicated patterns.  I think it’d be a big mistake to make any assumptions about their plans or mindset.”

“Let’s put that on hold for a second,” I said.  “All right, Sato, a deal’s a deal.  We’re square.  You sure you’re not interested in joining us?”

He backed up a step, eyes flicking up to the totem, and shook his head.  “I don’t…  Maybe if you, uh…make some kind of…arrangement with the dark elves, we can talk.  I’m not gonna be in there when they storm the fortress.  You don’t even have your gatesup.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed.  “My offer still stands, though.  Find me anything interesting or useful and I’ll trade fairly for it.  And I don’t mind putting a hot meal in you in the process, if you’re willing to visit long enough.  So don’t be a stranger.”

Sato glanced rapidly around, at the armed people surrounding him and the dark forest beyond.  “I can go?”

“I won’t stop you,” I said, nodding.  “Just keep in mind what I said.”

He carefully slipped away, Adelly and Mimi making room for him, and paused at the edge of the circle to look back at us and self-consciously run his hands over his new coat.

“…thanks.”

Then he was gone, bounding away into the night.

“Biribo?” I murmured.

“Boy’s making tracks, boss,” my familiar reported.  “He’s a lot more interested in getting far from us than snooping, clearly.”

Sakin coughed.  “So, no offense, Lord Seiji, but what was the point of all that?  We know these have only been here a couple days at the most.  Kasser’s cutting teams would’ve found ‘em, they’re not far from the fortress.  Andnow that kid’s out there loose, knowing who and where we are.”

“Well, it’s not as if we could have imprisoned or killed him just for knowing that,” Nazralind said belligerently.

He gave her an exceedingly bland smile.  “It is, in fact, precisely like that, my lady.”

“Button it,” I ordered, seeing Naz swelling up and Sakin beginning to grin more widely.  “Neither of you are qualified to be my conscience.  That was a calculated risk, Sakin, and it was worth paying him off with a coat.  Our entirestrategy hinges on our willingness to offer people a better deal than they’ll get under the Clans.  I’m not going to abuse anyone just because I have the power to, that would undermine the whole campaign.”  I turned to face him directly.  “Or do you feel I have been insufficiently ruthless toward my enemies?”

“I don’t think anyone would make that claim,” said Aster.

Sakin folded down his hands at me, grinning hugely now.  “Quite right, Lord Seiji, that makes sense.  I do feel the need to mention…alternatives…but if your strategy is proceeding as planned, that’s what matters.”

“Good.  All right then: analysis.  What canwe conclude about this?”

“Well, it seems the dark elves aren’t hostile,” Sakin said, still grinning as if this were all a delightful puzzle for us to solve.  “Whether or not they know who you are, Lord Seiji, assassinating you and your whole inner circle while weall slept would’ve been a lot easier and less risky than this business.”

“That’s reassuring,” Aster said sourly.

“Sarcasm aside, yeah it is,” said Biribo.  “Up to a point, at least.  Just cos the dark elves don’t want us dead doesn’t mean this isn’t going to be serioustrouble, boss.  It would be very much in character for Savin and presumably Shylver elves to watch carefully and gain an understanding of you before they make whatever move they’re going to—unless they wanted you dead, in which case they’d’ve just done that.  Right away the main issue I see is that the elf or elves who did this clearly don’t have access to the official resources they’d need to make the totems properly.  Which suggests…”

“A renegade,” I finished, turning back to frown up at the totem.

“Again, dark elves are prone to complicated schemes and we don’tknow what they’re thinking, so assumptions are dangerous.  With that said…  Yeah, I think the likeliest explanation is that this is the work of a rogue individual or faction not authorized by Shyverrael itself.”

“If they’re renegades, that could be why they’re out here in the forest when dark elves love to keep to themselves,” Adelly suggested.  “Shyverrael might still not know we’re here, Lord Seiji.”

“Assumptions,” Biribo warned.

“So,” I growled, ire rising to drown out the unease, “not only do I get my long-awaited introduction to an actual Viryan culture rightwhen I’m busy and don’t have time for their shit, but they’ve decided to introduce me by plunging me rightinto their fucking politics.”

“Boss, I dunno how to break this to you,” Biribo said hesitantly, “but that is pretty much the only introduction anybodygets to Viryan cultures.  Especially dark elves.”

“I mean, they’re still Viryan,” Sakin pointed out.  “If you introduce yourself by Immolating the ones who annoy you, the rest will fall in line.  Unlike Sanorites, they’ll probably be positively impressed by it.”

“That’s a pretty sweeping oversimplification, but there’s a kernel of truth in it,” Biribo admitted.  “Also, boss, this isn’t without an immediate upside.  The intelligence operatives of a culture where everybody can go invisible are stealth experts by default and counter-stealth experts by specialization.  If there are Shylver shadow scouts enforcing our hands-off status, Lady Gray isn’t getting within bowshot of the walls alive.  Trust me, I’ve seen that woman in action; dagger or no dagger, she’s not a match for them.”

I had to draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly to steady myself against the surge of emotions that brought.  It would be a relief not to have that axe—or dagger—looming over our heads, but the thought of someone else getting the kill made me start twitching.  I wanted that woman dead, by my hand.  I wanted to hold up her severed head so I could watch the stupid look on her face while the last oxygen dripped from her brain.

I also wanted that fuckingdagger.  Oh, the havoc I could cause with that…  And also that anti-spell-targeting artifact, that would spare me having to worry about half the Blessed who might come after me.

All of it I laboriously pushed aside.  Feelings weren’t important right now—in fact they pretty much never were, in my experience.  What I needed now was to plan.

“All right,” I said aloud after an expectant pause in which everyone stared at me.  “I’m moving up our timetable.  Let’s head back inside.  Naz, Mimi, you two need to get a good night’s sleep; tomorrow I need all of you heading out on that planned hunting trip.”

“Tomorrow?” Nazralind asked, raising her eyebrows.

I nodded.  “Sorry to put you right to work like that, but we can’t afford to wait around.  We need fresh meat—especially if we’re gonna keep those gwynneks, they’ve already eaten most of what we had stored.  Scout the territories we’ve taken over, gather meat, and above all move fast. I’m sending you in particular because Lady Gray cannot catch up with you on those mounts, and I’m betting even the dark elves can’t, no matter how sneaky they are.  You have one week, then I need everyone back here.  We are going to spend that week buckling down on training.  Then, before the dark elves or Clan Olumnach or whoever fucking elsecan steal another march on us, we’re moving in force.”