by Unknown
“Ah, the trials of those who’re used to cooler climates,” Stella said, smirking slightly. “We’ll just have to see how I deal with winter, I suppose. Shall we go, then?”
“Definitely!” Joy said excitedly, her mood brightening as she opened her mouth, then paused and bowed her head to Resha. “Thank you for making this! I really appreciate it.”
The others looked taken aback for a moment, especially Resha, but after a moment they turned to the smith as well.
“Yes, we certainly are. Thank you very much for your skill, Resha,” Cora said warmly.
“If it saves my life, I’m going to come back just to buy you a drink,” Brianna added, prompting a grin from Resha.
“That I won’t object to. Take good care of it, you hear?” Resha told them, and gestured them out. “Now get moving. I have a sword to finish.”
Joy giggled and bounced out the door happily. She wished she could talk to Resha more, but even more than that she just wanted to get out of the smithing quarter.
It smelled terrible here.
Chapter 11
Cora rubbed her new adaptation pendant nervously, trying to ignore how uneasy she felt in the palace. It wasn’t easy, even in her new clothing, and especially not with Joy wandering around the room and looking at things. Part of Cora was terrified that Joy would break something, and that would be disastrous.
At least the initial meeting with Duke Dorma had gone well. Joy had performed the appropriate bow with exquisite precision and kept her mouth shut through all the formal proceedings. Cora was thankful that Brianna had been there to handle the formalities, as well as to coach Joy through what to expect. If she hadn’t been, Cora didn’t dare think about what the consequences could have been. Nobility didn’t take informality lightly, not in public audiences.
The room they were in was beautiful, but Cora had a hard time appreciating it. The stonework was cunningly worked so that it looked almost perfectly smooth, while the glass showed the balcony and expansive gardens of the palace perfectly. The furnishings were just as elaborate, with a carved and polished wooden desk, plush chairs, tapestries, a book-case with dozens of books… and several display cases, each of them filled with crystal or glass sculptures, most of which glowed with soft magic. Sculptures that Joy was examining closely.
“How did they get the glass bird inside the globe? Or the flower?” Joy asked, staring at a perfect glass orb, which had a hummingbird and flower suspended inside it, each elaborately colored so they looked almost real. Her nose was only barely not touching the globe, and a sharp breath might knock the globe off its stand.
“Either magic, or a really, really skilled crafter,” Brianna said, grinning broadly as she glanced at Cora in amusement. “Do you see any dimples in the glass where they might have put them inside to begin with?”
“Nope! Just smooth glass,” Joy said, looking at the flower critically, then added, “The flower isn’t right, though.”
“Oh?” Stella asked, stepping toward the apis. “What’s wrong with it? It looks like a lovely daffodil to me. And if you’re hoping to smell it, I doubt anyone would enchant a glass flower to have the normal flower’s scent.”
“Daffodils have six stamens, not five,” Joy said calmly, finally pulling away from the sculpture as she grinned. Cora could almost see the butler next to the door exhale in relief, a sentiment which she shared. “It’s pretty! Just not right. I’ve gathered enough nectar and pollen from daffodils to know.”
“An interesting observation, and not one I would have ever made,” Duke Dorma replied, stepping through the door behind the desk, a slight smile on his face. “I thought the sculpture was an excellent rendition.”
The duke wasn’t the tallest man that Cora had seen. He was actually somewhat effeminate, which surprised her, with a clean-shaven face and hair pulled back with a hair tie. Even so, the dark-haired man’s eyes were penetrating, and with the gold circlet on his head, while wearing a richly embroidered tunic and set trousers, he projected an aura of command that was startling.
“It is! Just not quite right,” Joy replied, smiling broadly at him, which caused Cora’s worry to intensify. Fortunately, the apis bowed her head and spoke more respectfully a moment later. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace.”
“Mm, I see that someone taught you what greetings are expected. From what Captain Wilbert said, you didn’t know much about nobility when he left Bearton,” Duke Dorma said, glancing around the room, and Cora hurriedly bowed at the same time as the others.
“I did, Your Grace,” Brianna volunteered, the woman looking a little uncomfortable as she hesitated, then added, “I do hope that I didn’t overstep my bounds.”
“No, you didn’t. Please rise,” Duke Dorma said, pulling out his chair and taking a seat. Cora straightened, wondering what this was all about, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t dare, since she knew that the duke could ruin their lives in a heartbeat if he so chose.
Joy wasn’t quite as reticent, though. Instead she smiled and spoke up brightly. “Have you met the other apis yet? They said they were coming here to meet with you, at least that’s part of the reason they came here.”
The duke smiled at that, inclining his head slightly. “Yes, I did. The delegation was… interesting. I’ve already sent a message to His Majesty, asking what his thoughts are about the apis, but I believe that his response will be favorable. I’ve already granted them leave to purchase land for an embassy, if they desire to do so. I’m curious what they will choose to do.”
That made Cora relax marginally, and she nodded slowly, thinking about what he’d said, and more importantly, what he hadn’t said. The question of whether the king would try to rule over the apis was a dangerous one, she thought. The apis were quite willing to defend themselves from any assailants, that much she knew from experience.
“Good!” Joy said, and glanced at Brianna as she asked, “What’re we supposed to do now? You didn’t give me any instructions for this.”
Brianna sighed, and Cora felt herself blush. She debated, then finally, reluctantly, spoke up. “My apologies, Your Grace, but we weren’t sure why we were being called here, and Joy…”
“Is an apis,” Duke Dorma finished for Cora, cracking a slight smile. “If I hadn’t met the other apis, I might have been less prepared for her, but I did meet them.”
Cora relaxed slowly as he spoke, some of her anxiety easing. She considered speaking, but closed her mouth before she could speak. The duke was likely going to explain himself soon enough.
“As I said when we met earlier, thank you for your service in Bearton. You didn’t have to take the risks you did to save the town, but you did without any indication you’d receive a reward. That is admirable, and not all adventurers would have done the same,” Duke Dorma said, proving Cora’s thoughts accurate. “Such decisions deserve a reward, even in times of crisis.”
Stella shifted, and Duke Dorma looked at her curiously. The woman cleared her throat, bowing her head as she spoke. “While I do not wish to downplay our actions, as there certainly was great risk involved, I cannot say that other adventurers would be wrong to flee. If it weren’t for us knowing about the Shadebough Hive and Joy’s company, I don’t think anyone else could have done anything. I heard that a group was almost wiped out trying to escape, with the ones who died resurrecting in Bearton, while the one who escaped barely got back to Irador alive. I would think that she would be more deserving of a reward than us.”
Cora winced, as a part of her was annoyed that Stella had contradicted the duke… but another part of her was glad that Stella had mentioned the others. They’d at least gotten through everything without any appreciable damage, whereas people as low-level as the adventurers who were in Bearton didn’t have much coin to their names yet.
“Of course, Tina’s party. If it weren’t for her, we would have had even less warning than we did, and I might not have been able to deploy troops to Clarion and the border in time,” Duke Dor
ma said, and Cora saw a shadow of unease in his eyes. “Not that it appears to have been enough… but that is beside the point. I’ve already rewarded Tina and her friends, I assure you of that. My question is, what would you like? I was going to offer to get you better equipment, but I’ve been informed that you took care of that already.”
“Um… well…” Cora hesitated, looking at Brianna as she raised an eyebrow. “Bri? Were you still thinking about becoming a knight?”
“Maybe, but that’s too much to ask for right now. I want to have the freedom to grow for a while more,” Brianna said, shaking her head. “No, I’m kind of thinking to try to become a Blademaster, so… is there any chance of you giving a letter of introduction, Your Grace? I’ve heard that the schools that can help gain access to the job are picky.”
That brought a smile to Duke Dorma’s face, and he nodded, sounding a little amused. “I don’t agree that knighting you would be too little for this, though some might look on skeptically if you weren’t bound to the kingdom. However, a letter of introduction would be simple. I will gladly provide such for you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Brianna said, bowing more deeply this time. The duke looked at Stella, then Cora and Joy, his gaze curious.
“In that case, the question is what each of you would like,” Duke Dorma said, looking at them when they didn’t volunteer anything.
“While I deeply appreciate the gesture, Your Grace, I cannot think of anything which would be reasonable,” Stella said, bowing again. “Normally, I would ask for some amount of coin, but we got a rather large windfall not long ago, so such isn’t needed… at least not by me.”
“No, but perhaps there’s something else,” Cora said, her thoughts whirring, then she smiled, looking at Joy. “Do you mind if I ask for help with the ore, Joy?”
“Sure!” Joy said, a smile blooming on her face, one broad enough it felt like the sun had come out. “If you think he can help, anyway! I don’t know what I’d want, anyway.”
“Hm? Ore?” Duke Dorma asked, looking a little confused.
“Yes, Your Grace. Iron ore, to be specific,” Cora said, bowing her head again. “See, we’re going to Clarion to get iron ore. Joy’s life span is very, very short. Most apis that aren’t their queens live only two and a half to three years, and she has less than six months left. However, there’s an item that allows them to evolve into a queen if they reach level twenty. The Shadebough Hive agreed to trade us a vial of it if we supplied them with one thousand five hundred chunks of iron ore, which they use to upgrade their equipment. Bearton gave them… ninety-eight chunks, as I recall, which they counted against the number. We’re going to Clarion to try to purchase and transport the rest to the hive. I don’t know how easy it would be to get, though, even if we have the coin for it, so if you could help, that would be greatly appreciated.”
Duke Dorma looked a little surprised, examining Joy for a few seconds, then turned his attention back to Cora, obviously considering for a few seconds. She wasn’t entirely certain what, but since he didn’t seem upset, she dared hope things wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Fascinating. From what Sir Wilbert said, I knew that the apis had a very different society, but I had assumed a large part of it was how recently they changed. This, however… it explains things a bit more to me. With such short lifespans… well, it would change society enormously,” Duke Dorma said, his voice musing, but then he smiled. “Fortunately, you’re in luck. I happen to know that with the unpleasantness, the Clarion mines have ceased shipping out their ore. They would be hesitant to trade as much ore as you’re asking for, but I’m certain that with my sponsorship, the guild would be willing to supply you with what you need, assuming they have it on hand. Which they likely will, due to the shipping difficulties I mentioned. I may even subsidize some of the purchase.”
Cora felt relief rush through her at the duke’s assurances. Oh, she was certain that part of the reason he was offering was to try to get on the good side of the Shadebough Hive, but she wasn’t going to argue with that.
“Thank you very much, Your Grace,” Cora said, bowing deeply before him. Joy paused, then followed suit, though hers wasn’t quite as smooth as Cora’s was.
“You’re welcome. I’ll have the letters delivered to you on the morrow,” Duke Dorma said, his dismissal obvious. “I do hope that you’ll continue to act as you have thus far. The world needs more adventurers like you.”
“We’ll do our best, Your Grace,” Stella said, bowing deeply.
“Bye!” Joy said, waving at him as she smiled broadly, then turned to follow as Cora and the others left.
For the most part, Cora was just happy that nothing had gone wrong during the meeting. Despite everything Joy had done, she was always afraid that someone might find her offensive, rather than innocent.
Now they just had to get off the palace grounds without Joy burying her nose in a flower bush.
Chapter 12
Duke Dorma flipped his lucky coin a few times, snagging it out of the air each time as he watched the door where the adventurers had left. Their requests had surprised him a little, after how many adventurers reacted when they were allowed to ask for a reward. He used it to test adventurers a lot of the time, and this group had passed. At least they hadn’t asked for half his treasury, like another group had.
“How long are you going to keep spying? They’re gone,” he said at last, not bothering to look at the door behind him. The sound of swearing caused him to sigh, and he spoke more sternly. “Language, Laila. You’re a lady, and that means acting properly, even when surprised.”
For a few seconds there wasn’t a response, then the door creaked open and he turned to face his children.
The twins were little alike, something that amused and relieved the duke most of the time. He’d taken after his own father a little too much, so having them end up a little less like him was good. Unfortunately, Laila had taken after his personality a little too closely, which made him a little more worried at times. The two looked embarrassed, but Ethan brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face as he straightened, and Laila had her chin up in a way that made the duke narrow his eyes.
“Laila…” he said, his tone warning. “Am I going to have to replace your swordplay classes with more etiquette lessons? I thought we had a deal. You take the lessons seriously, and I let you train with the guard.”
“The guard isn’t here, or they’re busy!” Laila protested, and Duke Dorma sighed.
“Yes, they are. But that doesn’t mean that the moment that you don’t get your way, you can ignore our agreement.” He said sternly, shaking his head. “Bad enough that you were spying on a private audience, but this… I’m disappointed.”
Laila flushed, and at last the duke could see realization dawn in her eyes, then she flushed as she looked down at the floor in shame. That was what he’d wanted, in all honesty. For her to think through the consequences of her actions. It wasn’t as though she’d eavesdropped on anything that was vital to keep secret, but if she had, he’d have been far more upset. At least if she’d done so and he hadn’t noticed in time.
“I’m sorry, Father,” Laila said softly, prompting him to nod in approval.
“Good enough. You didn’t decide to eavesdrop on me and Lady Estril, so you’ll get out of this with your skin intact,” Duke Dorma said, a hint of humor in his voice, which faded as he turned to Ethan and added, “You are a surprise, though. What were you doing, Ethan? Normally, I don’t have to worry about you doing something foolish.”
“I allowed my curiosity to get the best of me, Father,” Ethan replied, bowing his head as he continued, obviously having thought about what he was going to say while Laila was being lectured. “We’d seen the apis earlier, but were too late to make it to either of the public audiences, and I was curious about them. So was Laila, for that matter.”
“Ah. Mm… well, if you were going to be eavesdropping, I’d like to hear your opinions. What did you think of
Joy?” Duke Dorma asked, suppressing the hint of a smile that tried to creep onto his face at the memory of the apis. It would be so easy to underestimate the species after interacting with them, he knew. They were simply… disarming, in their simplicity and straightforward manners. That was also what made them so dangerous.
“Well… honestly, she sounded kind of… simple-minded. Not very smart, or anything of the sort,” Ethan said, frowning. “Like someone who would be really easy to manipulate.”
“Yeah. I expected someone more… I don’t know… sinister? Quiet and deadly?” Laila added, shifting from one foot to the other. “She sounded a lot like some of the airheaded other noblewomen, the ones who don’t have anything in their heads but parties.”
“In which case you’re both underestimating her,” Duke Dorma told them, a little frustrated that he was right. “Is she a simple woman, with simple motives? Yes. However, she isn’t stupid, and her mind is extremely quick, from everything I’ve learned. She led a demon who’d nearly reached level fifty into a trap that nearly killed him, helped rescue Bearton against horrific odds, and more. The apis are far more dangerous than their pleasant attitude may indicate… and yes, they’re all about that enthusiastic, from everything I’ve heard. They’ll also happily smile at you one moment, and if you’re threatening their hive? You’ll be lucky if they warn you, instead of simply stabbing you until you stop moving. Don’t assume that they’re easy to manipulate, because if you offend them I doubt you’d survive for very long.”
Both of his children’s eyes went wide, and the duke sighed, looking at them in concern. Certainly, neither of them was his heir, but one wrong decision by Danni could change that. It was the nature of the world they lived in, and he didn’t want them to risk themselves too much.
“Are… are they really that dangerous?” Ethan asked nervously. “I mean, I heard that a swarm of them was bad, and that the entire hive could be incredibly dangerous, but I just… they look harmless, mostly.”