Opening Moves (The Lion Knight Book 1)
Page 8
Unaware of the thoughts of his second in command, Allant continued on to his private quarters, ready to enjoy a meal cooked by some of the finest chefs at his employer’s disposal.
Mouth already watering at the thought of all the exotic delicacies awaiting him. Inside though, he was still stewing at the failure to retrieve the target.
How disappointing, the prize was so close too. Ah well there’s always next time. Nothing to worry about. Hmmm, I’m down twenty men, excellent, that means less mouths to feed and a bigger pay check for me.
I wonder if I could cut the rations for the men any further, Aulstein wine isn’t cheap after all.
Bringing back the girl in person should net me a big bonus, maybe even a promotion.
Heh, next time I’ll go in person so they can’t mess it up.
After all, if you want something done right…
Mood lifted, Allant started whistling a jaunty tune as he prepared to enjoy the benefits of his station. The men he passed stared at him despondently, none of them knowing what there was to be happy about.
The food was atrocious, the pay bad and a happy Allant only meant more pain in their immediate future.
-*-
Striding through the main gates of Albri, Leon, Noire, Valor and Geahart managed to draw a large crowd the instant they entered.
In hindsight, that was to be expected, they were a ragtag bunch that stood out greatly.
A resplendent knight in blue and silver armour, a pale faced boy who looked like he was on his last legs, a girl with mesmerising beauty clad in a tattered dress and an oversized jacket, lastly a Vernium falcon perched on the knight’s shoulder.
“This was not how I imagined entering the town would be.”
“Is there something wrong good squire?”
“Nothing’s wrong milady, it’s just… I was kind of hoping that we wouldn’t draw such a large crowd.”
“What’s done is done. Young miss, I’d advise you to watch your step around these people. There’s no guarantee that your uncle’s agents aren’t among the crowd.”
“I-is that so?”
A slight hint of nervousness could be detected in Noire’s voice. She scanned the whispering crowd, trying to pick out anyone who would wish her harm.
I did not think this through well enough, damn.
Even if the enemy isn’t here right now, with this many witnesses, it’s just a matter of time before word about Noire’s presence spreads.
If they didn’t know before they will soon.
“Young miss, please excuse my absence. I need to return to the inn first to set up lodging for one more person. If I might trouble you to follow my young squire for the time being, he needs to find the elder who requested our aid and report in.”
“I see, very well then I shall do as you say. Once again I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
“It is no issue Lady Noire, I did swear to aid you as your knight after all.”
Waving off Noire’s apology, Geahart departed for the inn, both to rent a new room and hide the evidence of his nature.
Taking off from his shoulder, Valor launched into the skies before flying lazy circles overhead.
At that point, someone had evidently recognized Leon and called for Regis.
Leon heard the man calling out to him but was unable to find him in the sea of faces.
Coming to a halt, Leon looked around trying to find the elder.
Noticing a small disturbance to his left, he and Noire watched as the crowd parted and an elderly gentleman came running out of it, huffing and puffing with every step he took.
Stopping before the duo, Regis was hunched over breathing hard and had his hands on his knees. The poor man was already turning a bright shade of red from his exertion.
“Squ… it is… safe… we… might have….”
“Elder Regis, it is good to see you again. Please catch your breath first. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Ah…ha…ha…ha… My apologies for that display young squire. As I was trying to say, it is good to see you safe, when you didn’t return yesterday we feared the worst.”
“Apologies Elder, circumstances prevented me from returning earlier.”
“Good to have you back, now there are a few questions I need to- Oho! Hello there young lady, I didn’t see you earlier, who might you be?”
Regis noticing the presence of Leon’s companion immediately stopped his inquiry and directed his attention to the unknown girl, a smile on his face.
Noire on the other hand was perplexed and unsure as to how to respond to this strange man.
Seeing Noire put on the spot by the sudden focus on her, Leon spoke up for her.
“This is Nel, she is a traveller Sir Geahart and I came across in the forest. There is a bit more to it than that but this is hardly the place to have such a conversation. Suffice to say, my liege and I are assisting her at the moment.”
“Hmmm, you speak true young squire, in my haste I forgot where we were. My apologies young Nel if I scared you earlier. This old man isn’t quite what he used to be.”
“It is no problem at all Sir Regis. I was just surprised that’s all.”
“Just call me Elder Regis dear, everyone does that. ‘Sir’ is a little too formal for my taste. Now would the two of you care to join me in my office? There is place to rest at my office and I can get you all some lunch if you’re hungry.”
“We’ll take you up on that offer Elder, I have a lot I need to talk to you about.”
Nodding his understanding, Regis made a gesture to follow him and walked off.
With Regis leading the way, Leon and Noire fell into step behind him, carrying on a conversation in hushed tones too low for any eavesdroppers.
“Why did you tell him that my name was Nel?”
“There’s no need to broadcast your real name in public, everyone was listening earlier so giving a false name might throw off anyone with sinister intent.”
“I see, but I don’t feel comfortable lying Sir Regis. I can feel he’s a good man I feel like I’m betraying his trust. I… I’d rather not do that.”
“And you don’t have to milady, I’ll do the lying. Once we’re in his office we can reveal the earlier deception, is that fine with you milady?”
“I… very well then good squire, I’ll trust your judgement on this.”
Lapsing into silence the duo followed behind Regis, each acutely aware of the stares on their backs.
Noire was clearly uncomfortable with all the stares as she seemed to shrink into herself, head bowed and shoulders tucked in.
Along the way, Valor came back down to earth and was quickly wrapped up by Noire for comfort.
Taking note of her unease at being the centre of attention, Leon was stuck in a dilemma, unsure as to how to deal with such an issue.
Ay, she’s bad with crowds, this is unexpected.
How the hell do I fix this, as long as she has to travel with me, she’s invariably going to attract attention, if only by virtue of being a travelling companion of Geahart.
Her looks don’t exactly help the issue either.
You’d think someone like her would be used to attention being focused on her, whoever raised her must have done a good job of keeping her sheltered.
“Milady, you aren’t comfortable with being in front of a crowd are you?”
“Is it that obvious?”
Really the only way it could be more so is if there was a sign hanging over your head saying so.
“I just happened to be observant milady. If I may make a suggestion, I would suggest getting a hat and scarf to hide your features, not only would that hide your features from any spies present, it might also reduce the amount of attention you receive.”
“Thank you for your concern good squire, I would be most grateful for that. I… I don’t have any money.”
“Money isn’t an issue milady, your safety is our top priority.”
Noire’s face scrunched up in frustration.
It didn’t sit right with her at all. But there was nothing she could do about it.
Any further conversation they might have had had to be put on hold as they arrived in front of Regis’ office.
The office building itself wasn’t particularly large, in fact it was essentially identical to all the other residential buildings surrounding it.
The only thing that separated it from the rest was the different colour scheme on it, where all the other buildings were a light shade of brown, this one was completely white.
To the side of the door, there was a large bulletin board filled with job requests and notices to the public.
Upon stepping foot inside, both noticed that it had a very homely feeling.
Picture frames showing a happy family lined the walls. A small sofa set occupied the centre of the room and an unlit fireplace sat in the back.
Above the fireplace sat a curiously empty display case.
Given its prominent location, whatever was displayed inside would clearly have been something important.
Leon wasn’t particularly sure what it was supposed to hold but it looked to be a display for a sword.
Any further survey of the place was cut off as the esteemed elder addressed them and formally invited them in.
“Welcome to my humble abode. My office is further in but it is in a mess at the moment. Do make yourself at home in my living room for the time being. I have coffee, tea and apple juice, what would you all like?”
“I will have tea, Mr Regis.”
“I’ll have some of that apple juice, it left me with a good impression the last time I had it.”
“Excellent choice, please have a sit and relax while I prepare your drinks. Neither of you are in good shape at the moment, it wouldn’t do anyone good to have you fall over from overexertion.”
“Pardon my intrusion Elder.”
“Thank you for your hospitality Mr Regis.”
With that, Regis left the two in his living room and headed deeper in to his office building that doubled as his home.
Leon and Noire flopped onto the sofa seats as soon as he was out of view, both glad for the chance to get off their feet after hours of walking.
The old man returned in short order with the requested drinks. Setting them down in front of Leon and Noire who accepted them gratefully, Regis pulled out a chair and sat opposite them.
“I hope the both of you don’t mind waiting a bit more for food, I’ve already put in an order for take-out but it will be awhile before the food arrives.” Seeing both of his guest’s nod their assent, Regis breathed a sigh of relief before picking up where he left off earlier.
“Well first of all, I’d like to thank you good squire for rescuing my people yesterday. The knight doesn’t appear to be with you at the moment, please do pass on my gratitude to him when you see him again.”
“I will. I suppose everyone made it back safely?”
“Yes, yes they did. Thanks to your actions the rangers managed to lead the rest home with little more than scrapes and bruises to show for their ordeal. Once again thank you very much for saving them all… and thank you for saving my granddaughter.”
A profoundly grateful look crossed his face at that utterance.
“Your granddaughter?” Confusion was written all over Leon’s face.
His granddaughter? Wha- oh I see, that must be one of the reasons he was panicking so badly yesterday.
“Ahahaha, I might have forgotten to mention in my haste. My granddaughter happened to be teacher in charge of the excursion, she was the mage who held the barrier until you arrived.”
“She isn’t in at the moment but she did want to convey her thanks to you, from what she told me her magic was on the verge of failing when you showed up.”
“I see, I’m glad I made it in time.”
“Well, that's all in the past now, the children are safe and the monster taken care of. All’s well that ends well. For the service you’ve rendered us on this day the town of Albri would like to reward you accordingly.” Regis finished with a bright smile on his face.
Clearly he believed that such a resolution should be met by happiness, which was why he was perplexed by the sudden downcast looks of his guests.
“Is, is something wrong?”
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Leon hated himself for having to burst the man’s bubble but the truth had to be said.
“About that. Yeah… I have a lot I need to speak with you about. I’m afraid it’s not as simple as it sounds.”
And so Leon began his tale, keeping mostly to the facts but leaving out a few sensitive details such as the nature of Geahart and his unique magical abilities.
Noire interjected her own inputs at points to supplement his recounting.
Recounting the full story and answering Regis’ questions wound up dragging late into the evening.
Sometime during the explanation, the food had arrived and was subsequently consumed by the two ravenous teens.
Alternating between mouthfuls of food and his report, Leon managed to stave off his tiredness to finish it. By the time all was said and done, it was already dark out.
“I see, that is quite a lot to take in. Let me get this straight, this whole issue is a direct result of young Noire here being on the run from an uncle with very powerful connections.”
Bowing her head in shame, Noire could only apologise to the man.
“I’m sorry, I, I just wanted to get away from him. I never intended for anyone else to suffer as a result of my actions.”
“Raise your head young noble. One such as you should not apologise for the mistakes of others, especially not when you are just as much a victim as everyone else.”
Regis looked down on Noire with a kindly smile on his face. Reaching over, he handed a tissue to the girl.
“Wipe away those tears please, no one here blames you for what happened. You can rest assured though, I won’t sell you out, I’m not sure what help I can give you but I’ll do my best to aid you all.”
“Sir? But… but…”
“Hush young lady, my mind is already made up. I refuse to abandon people in their time of need. Outright abuse of power also happens to rub me the wrong way.”
“Thank you very much for your support Elder Regis, we are most glad to have it.”
“I am curious about one thing though, which noble house are you from? To have an uncle capable of mobilising an entire mercenary army within the borders of the kingdom…. I can count on one hand the list of nobles with the ability to pull it off… you’re not some minor noble are you?”
“That is, I, I…”
“You are not comfortable with that subject? Hmmm, I see, well in that case I won’t pry any further. Knowing who the mastermind is means nothing without a way to bring him down, and that is easier said than done.”
A bitter smile crossed his face as though recalling a painful memory.
“I don’t have the pull to bring your uncle to justice I’m afraid, you need someone with more political power than me. Chief Gustav of Bose comes to mind. You might want to try pleading your case to him.”
“I see… Chief Gustav is the de facto mayor of Brune as I recall, if we need his aid…. Then whoever’s after Lady Noire is likely to have too much power to go after with anything short of an army if we lack the political backing.”
“Indeed, it is a noble path you walk boy, I will not dissuade you from it. But do watch your step, this young lady here has powerful foes, underestimate them at your own peril.”
The trio lapsed into silence at the new revelations, each lost in their own thoughts.
Leon was worrying about the forthcoming lecture on diving headfirst into a pit of quicksand from Libra that he was sure to receive.
So much for not causing an international incident again… this
will NOT end well.
Noire was terrified of her flight causing any more harm to innocents. She knew her uncle better than anyone in the room and she was fully aware of how far he was willing to go to achieve his goals.
Regis was reminiscing about the past and he was the first to break the silence. Conflicting emotions broiled beneath the surface as the two teens’ stories awoke a grievance long buried.
“Now, you mentioned that the mercenaries you encountered in the forest identified themselves as the iron wolves. By any chance, did either of you notice a knight in the area, brightly polished silver armour, blond hair and blue eyes so cold they could freeze an inferno?”
“No we did not. Is he… does he have something do you with your dislike of knights and the nobility?”
“Yes, yes he does.” Regis sighed deeply and seemed to deflate, the hale and hearty old man suddenly looking worn, tired and defeated.
“I’m surprised you noticed my… dislike… of them.”
“Ah well um, you did seem a little on edge every time knights came up. I’m sorry for my insensitivity, I won’t pry again Elder.”
“It is nothing to concern yourself with. Seeing as how you’ve already made enemies with the Iron wolves, I supposed I should tell you all I know about them. I don’t know much about the mercenary outfit in general, but I do know of one of its high ranking members.”
Taking a long swig of his drink, Regis launched into his story.
“The man’s name is Allant. Once he was a knight of Albion and a minor noble. He was talented and in time he would have risen far. But, he had a score of problems that eventually led to his downfall. One, he was a terrible commander the man expected the impossible from those under him, failure to comply with his wishes would result in disproportionate punishment.”
Eyes darkening at an unwelcome memory, he continued in a stony voice. His stoic facade belied the rage burning within.
“Many suffered under his command. He believed that the world was his for the taking, that it was his divine right to do as he pleased, regardless of who suffered. He would frequently take anything that caught his eye, anyone who resisted would be arrested and thrown in jail to rot. He bought over the judges and his sycophants would see that he got away with any crime. Even murder. Any and all dissent or complaints from the ranks would be ruthlessly suppressed.”