by Zack Finley
The emissary stepped forward to greet us. He ushered us to where King Arvich was waiting. I still wasn’t quite sure what the appropriate greeting was but followed Argon’s lead. My friend Jorvik, the leader of the Losan Armorer’s Guild, stood behind the king. He found my unease unreasonably humorous.
Jorvik’s unfeigned enthusiasm for our presence made it difficult to hold his amusement against him. While I had been in touch several times since, the last time, we saw one another was after the deadly night we’d thwarted the Losan coup. That was also the last time I’d seen Losan’s King Arvich. That meeting had not ended well.
Jorvik’s presence was a positive sign, but it would take a lot more than that for me to have anything but contempt for King Arvich. Last time we met he’d accused Argon of treason. He had also suggested the entire coup attempt had been some kind of Klee plot.
Only the intervention of Augun’s King Rufix had prevented me from attacking Arvich. Jorvik kept us apprised about the troubles in Losan since, but we had not spoken with King Arvich since that night. Only the gravity of the regional situation prevented us from spurning the current invitation. I had been ready to refuse to see Arvich ever again, but Argon was a better diplomat. It didn’t mean I wasn’t holding a grudge, but I was willing to hear what he had to say. Despite our willingness to hear him out, I made sure my emergency teleport was armed and ready.
The king’s steward ushered us all into a more intimate dining area just off the main one. This one was set up for only four people around a small circular table. The vibes in this room were more businesslike than intimate, even though it was obviously meant for a much smaller group. It was easy to imagine the king eating here alone on a routine basis, possibly reading briefings over breakfast and chee or having a quick working lunch with his chamberlain. The room had no outside exposure, which I suspected had a lot to do with security.
The king’s steward took our beverage orders, I stuck with chee. Argon wanted some fruit juice.
A few minutes of awkward silence followed the steward’s departure. Before the silence got too painful, the king suggested we sit down and I found myself between Argon and Jorvik. I looked Jorvik in the eye, and he grinned, confirming he deliberately placed himself between the king and me.
King Arvich ignored us, focusing intently on polite chit-chat with Argon.
“How is your move into Mad Toffad’s Keep going?” Jorvik asked.
“Our move into the Duchy of Toffad’s Keep is going fine,” I corrected. As much as I had tried, getting people to drop the Mad from Mad Toffad’s Keep seemed a lost cause. “Between glappners and death cult ghosts we’ve had a few minor delays. We’ve got about 200 people moved in and are bringing in supplies and mounts as fast as we can offload them from ships. This morning we were nearly overrun with jervins. No one really hurt but moving the jervin colony will take a little time.”
“What did you end up doing with the glappners?” Jorvik asked. He was one of those who suggested using salt water.
“The area infested was so large, Tobron hired Ronar, the exterminator. Argon and I were miffed at first when Ronar took over. That only lasted a few days. By the time Ronar and his team got done, I was really glad Tobron hired him. If he hadn’t Argon and I would still be dealing with glappners in our old age.”
“Yeah, glappners are tenacious. And, hard to spot. I wish the vermin we are still dealing with in Losan were as nice as your glappners,” Jorvik sighed.
“I thought you were nearly done cleaning out the bad guys?” I asked.
“We’ve probably got the dark sect behind us. The three shiploads of pirates that sailed into Losan a week after we took down the mages was probably the last of that mess. Unfortunately, the corruption and rot the sect tapped into is widespread and deep throughout Losan. It is so bad I know King Arvich is considering a nation-wide amnesty for everyone but murderers and oath breakers.”
“I knew it was bad, but that’s worse than I imagined,” I said.
“Yes, the prisons are full, and we are executing several people each day. The economy is in the tank. I don’t see it getting better anytime soon. I know the king is considering declaring martial law, but he is worried it won’t be enough. We’ve already had several mini-revolts,” said Jorvik.
“Mini-revolts?” I asked.
“Yes, some of the criminal organizations objected to being dismantled. We were lucky, most of them thought this was a typical knee-jerk cleanup. Pick up a few baddies and declare a reform. By the time they realized the king was seriously trying to regain control of his kingdom it was too late for most of them to do anything about it. They still tried but had they banded together at the start they outnumbered us by a substantial margin. It didn’t help that the leadership of the Losan Mage Guild was up to its neck in the corruption as well. I’m just happy that the Armorer’s Guild only had a few bad chapters and they’ve been dealt with.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
Jorvik waved away my sympathy. “I’m just glad we rooted them out before they corrupted too many of our apprentices. This economic meltdown hasn’t done our business any good, either. The king is paying us pretty well to help restore order. Orders for the reforming Losan King’s Guard are helping some. Just not enough to make up for lost exports to Ylee, Augun, and Kavil. We do appreciate the orders your Duchy has placed with our guild.”
“Our Duchy Guard is in good shape for weapons and armor, but we are still expanding it. Our militia will need a lot more training and gear. They really appreciate the kukri that Orik made for us, but we really haven’t assessed their armor, and other gear needs yet. So far, most of the Duchy Guard intends to keep their swords, but we’ll be introducing the kukri to our new guard recruits as an alternative to the sword,” I said.
The king’s steward returned with lunch and discussion returned to observations about the weather and similar unimportant comments. I didn’t let the brittle discussion interrupt my enjoyment of the meal or the fabulous desserts.
Once I was replete, I noticed even Argon looking at me with some amazement. “What?” I sent Argon.
“You really must have been starved,” she sent back with some amusement. “King Arvich has been trying to move us to his study for some serious discussion, but so far you keep eating.”
“I thought ignoring him was the only way I was going to get through this meeting without saying something undiplomatic? What have I missed?” I asked.
“He actually hasn’t said anything very different, I just get the impression he is sorry for the way he treated us the last time and but is too stiff-necked to admit it. He was quite charming before lunch,” Argon sent.
I finished chewing the last bite of my third dessert and confirmed everyone else was done.
“Excuse us, your majesty, Steve has been on limited rations the last few days, and we have had an eventful morning. As lovely as the meal was, I’m sure you had some other reason for asking us to join you.” Argon said.
“Yes, there are a few things I’d like to discuss with you,” King Arvich said, rising. His steward held open the door to a different room, which was likely the study Argon had mentioned.
The room had a serious looking desk on one side of the room and a conversational grouping around an active fireplace in the other. If body language was any clue, Arvich really wanted to sit behind his desk but settled into one of the chairs near the fireplace. The steward settled the rest of us in the same area before closing the door on the way out.
I looked a Jorvik. He gave me a slight shrug of his shoulders. Argon leaned toward the king, encouragingly. By the time the king spoke I’d already mentally run through a long list of places, I’d rather be.
“I must apologize for my behavior the last time I saw you,” Arvich said in a rush. His mind shield had been upgraded since the last time we met, but I could feel he was being truthful. It was also clear he would rather be facing a wounded oso rather than say those words.
He then paused. I suppos
e I could have helped him out but his accusations the last time we met had stung and Argon had turned the tables on him forcing him to see how badly he had failed his kingdom.
The king’s earlier accusations came on the heels of a deadly battle where we had defeated the dark sect forces gathered to overthrow his kingdom. Instead of gratitude, he was filled with spiteful lies and accusations. Only King Rufix’s intervention prevented me from responding to his attacks with force. I’d had a few weeks to simmer down, but I knew it would take very little to set me off again.
Argon slipped her hand into mine and added a tender calming element to our channel. The soothing embrace helped ease my sense of outrage, reminding me we could go anytime if Arvich actually renewed the hostilities. “He is trying to apologize. I do not get the impression he has had to do this very often in his lifetime.”
I squeezed her hand and relaxed slightly, letting her carry our side of the discussion.
The silence in the room continued to build. If the king expected us to jump into the conversation at this point, he was very mistaken. If he was still refusing to accept much of the responsibility for the attempted coup and its aftermath, that did not bode well for the future of his kingdom. If he still held the Duchy responsible for anything except pulling his ashes out of the fire, he wasn’t going to find much solace in our reaction. A half-assed apology from someone who had accused us of complicity in the plot to overthrow his government wasn’t going to cut it with me. Or Argon.
“Yes, you were out of line,” Argon stated with no hint of acceptance.
I was prepared to react when I felt the first hint of anger from him but sat back as the anger was damped down by a bitter element of shame.
“I have learned a lot since then. As much as I might like to deny it, your actions prevented the collapse of my kingdom. To compound that debt, I lashed out at you rather than face that reality,” King Arvich took a breath and continued. “It hasn’t helped that everywhere I have turned since that time has confirmed my stewardship of Losan has been lacking. The level of corruption we have uncovered has taken decades to build. We are trying to root out the corruption, but the task has been overwhelming and painful.”
“What I find the most galling is that everyone but me realized the Losan King’s Guard was thoroughly corrupt. That my chamberlain took bribes. That my closest advisors were using their relationships with me to further their corruption. That I had surrounded myself with hosts of dishonest and unethical people. This has shaken me to the core. I just hope our confronting them hasn’t been too little, too late.”
I could tell Jorvik wanted to reassure his king, but he wasn’t sure about the outcome either. “King Arvich, we have made substantial progress. The king’s guard is being rebuilt, and you now have a core group focused on fixing the problems found,” Jorvik said.
“That is true. I don’t know what would have happened without your guild’s help,” King Arvich acknowledged. “Or without Steve’s and Argon’s help.”
“King Rufix, King Ruton and I have called an economic summit. It will be within the next few days in Klee since that is the most stable place right now. We have agreed to invite representatives from the Duchy of Toffad’s Keep. While its main focus will be on our economic future we also want to explore military mutual aid,” Arvich said. “Both Rufix and Ruton insisted on your participation. I felt I needed to apologize to you before we met at the summit. That was even before I learned the Duchy is currently Losan’s largest trading partner.”
“I have held grudges against Klee for much too long. King Fermin and I quarreled many years ago over something even I don’t recall. Over time it became a habit. I rebuffed several of Fermin’s attempts to end the feud. I always believed when the time was right we would meet again over faral and restore our friendship. Then he died, and it was too late. Rufix had warned me Fermin was ailing, I was too proud to take the first step. To admit I was wrong. When Ruton became king, he was young and brash. Perhaps he reminded me too much of Fermin. Continuing my antipathy toward all things Klee was easy. I realize I failed to remember something my father had warned me about,” Arvich paused, and I felt a tinge of sadness in his emotions. Still plenty of anger and shame. But sadness, too.
“He told me that if no one in my court would tell me I was wrong, I had the wrong court. He also warned me that if I found myself in that situation, it would be my fault not the fault of those around me,” Arvich looked at Argon before continuing. “After you and Steve left following the battle, I realized you were the first people to tell me I was wrong in decades. Even Jorvik and Rufix tried to blunt your criticism. Within days of that criticism, I discovered everyone in my court was using their position to enrich themselves. Keeping me happy let them plunder my kingdom unabated.” Definitely anger there.
“If you had not recruited the Armorer Guild to defeat the coup, I might never have had the resources to do the deep cleaning my kingdom deserves.”
Jorvik looked very uncomfortable with his king’s observations, but his fellows had placed themselves directly in the line of fire with no thought of personal gain. “My guildmates are patriots, my king. We make poor politicians, but we are fundamentally patriots. I am proud Steve came to us to root out the foreign plot. Once we had defeated that threat, we could not ignore your call to further service.”
“Losan and I are both in your debt,” King Arvich said bowing to Jorvik. “My country and I owe you a great debt as well,” Arvich bowed to Argon and me.
Argon and I felt the sincerity of his words. “King Arvich, Steve and I are warriors. We could not stand idly by and watch another country go through the horrors we saw in Augun. As a Duchy, we are committed to defeating the dark sect. Our patron has charged us with building a strong, self-contained community of mundanes and mages, independent of country. King Ruton has honored us by providing Toffad’s Keep for our use. The Duchy owes no fealty to any king. We are pledged to come to his aid if needed, but we will aid anyone of goodwill who is under siege. That includes Augun and Losan,” Argon paused to be sure Arvich understood what that meant. I got the impression he wasn’t aware of just how independent the Duchy was.
“We are recruiting people throughout Jaloa with the skills we need to emigrate to the Duchy. This includes recruiting from the Kingdom of Losan. We would prefer to continue doing this openly, but will go underground if forced,” said Argon. “Our first recruits from Losan are leaving for the Keep in a few days. We are trying to recruit evenly from each kingdom, but right now our largest groups are from Klee and Augun.”
“I hadn’t realized you were recruiting from Losan,” said Arvich. “I have no objections. I assume you are recruiting mainly in the rural areas?”
“So far, yes,” said Argon. “Most of our early Losan recruits are second or third sons and daughters. That said, we have just started moving our people into the Keep. Logistics has limited our recruiting efforts. As we get more settled in the Keep, that will likely change. We have told our recruits that every honorable person is welcome to be part of the Duchy. I expect that once our people begin to settle in, we may get flooded with applications. We intend to do our best to welcome everyone.”
“I see why Rufix and Ruton want to include you in our economic summit,” said Arvich. “What are your thoughts about economic cooperation?”
“I think the three remaining countries in this part of Jaloa must work cooperatively or perish,” I stated. “The dark sect was thwarted before it could land the final death blow but they inflicted so much harm, including the destruction of Ylee and Kavil, that they may yet prevail. King Rufix has been forced to issue a series of drastic decrees just to avoid famine in Augun. I have not examined the economies of Losan or Klee but I suspect losing the economies of much of Augun, plus Ylee and Kavil will have a significant impact on the remaining economies. The shipping industry will likely be the first to fail, but it won’t be the last.” I noticed Jorvik and Arvich were both paying close attention to my words. I hoped
they didn’t think I had either a crystal ball or a magic wand to fix everything.
“I fully support King Rufix’s focus on feeding his people, restoring order, ensuring everyone has sufficient work and establishing a network of communication across his country,” I said. “Historically his country has supplied leather and cloth to the region. At an economic summit, you may choose to keep those historical norms or not. But if you intend to stop importing leather and cloth, you need to tell Rufix. I’m not sure what his country imports from Losan but he may then decide he can no longer buy import goods from you. Then there is whatever imports and exports have vanished with the demise of Ylee and Kavil. I think it will be easier to deal with this as a region and not individually.”
“I think we should also have a mutual defense pact, to come to each other’s aid should the dark sect return,” I concluded.
While Jorvik and Arvich acted interested, it was clear they still had a strong bunker mentality. While they might be willing to consider doing something for the common good, they could only support it if Losan received a slightly bigger piece of the pie. Counting on Losan to help Kavil and Ylee was a serious stretch for them.
Argon and I were eager to get back to the Keep. Argon checked in with Ellte while I said our goodbyes and confirmed the summit was set for noon tomorrow at King Rufix’s ballroom.
“Ellte needs some materials moved from HQ to the Keep,” Argon sent. I ‘ported us directly to the HQ shipping dock.
“Marfo needs this stuff at the Keep HQ,” Argon said, pointing at an area with a hand-painted sign declaring the materials as “Top Priority to Keep.”
The crates and boxes were bulky but not that heavy. Holding them tight during the transit was the toughest problem. It made me miss bungee cords.