by J. T. Wright
Having found the answers he was seeking, Dreq would have left Trent’s secrets alone if his nose hadn’t caught a scent that his stomach begged him to pay attention to. Dreq opened Trent’s Storage before his mind could catch up with his instincts. Drool leaked from his muzzle at the contents that appeared before him.
All of Trent’s spoils from the Trial were there for the taking. Most importantly was the Dire Bear meat, fresh and still warm, more than Dreq could eat in a year! Trent wouldn’t mind if Dreq took a few mouthfuls! And that Core held a Skill that Dreq could use. That should probably come out as well.
His better sense, and the thought of Trent cursing him for a thief while kicking at him, stopped Dreq’s greed. Not only would Trent notice that his treasures were missing, Dreq was almost certain Trent would dissolve the party the moment he knew his Storage was vulnerable. Reluctantly, Dreq retreated back into his own mind.
He knew he couldn’t take things without Trent’s permission. Unless Dreq woke him, he would have to find his own meal. Not a problem. Dreq was a named Beast, and these woods were his pantry and playground!
Hopping down from Trent’s lap, Dreq began his hunt. Soon, he had discovered his first victim. A frog, fat and complacent, sat obliviously croaking at the edge of the creek. It would never see its doom approaching. Dreq padded forward with hackles raised, hoping the frog would put up a fearsome battle before inevitably succumbing.
The frog leaped into the creek as Dreq pounced. One vanished into the flowing water, and the other splashed himself when his front paws slapped down. Mud splattered up Dreq’s legs and his jaws snapped shut on air, his first solo hunt ending in failure.
He had been too slow! As he backed out of the water, shaking himself dry, Dreq considered adding a few Attribute Points to Agility and Strength. However, he shook that idea away with the liquid droplets. His Status wasn’t entirely unlocked yet, and he had already wasted 3 Attribute Points gaining the Intelligence to express himself in a way Trent couldn’t ignore.
And that had been a wasted effort. Trent had understood him well enough before, though the boy had denied it. The dubious ability to speak the common tongue had only given Trent the chance to turn down Dreq’s reasonable request for a ride.
Dreq threw a short quiet bark at the cowardly frog while scanning for a less alert snack. The creek bank was empty, and no tasty treat presented itself. Lifting his nose, Dreq tested the air. Nothing. The Forest which had seemed so alive during the day was empty at night.
At least, the vicinity nearby was empty. Dreq looked towards the source of his problems: Trent. Dreq could feel the presence of a Permanent Trial nearby, which meant this area would only contain low-leveled animals and Beasts, creatures which could sense from a distance the threat posed by a slumbering Trent. They could smell his new Title and hear the call of the Hunter’s Trial that lingered about him. There were some that might attack out of fear when Trent drew too close, but given the chance, the Forest’s inhabitants would steer clear.
This meant Dreq would need to venture into the night to find a snack. Slinking into the brush, Dreq set his nose and ears to work. His eyes weren’t much use in the thick vegetation, and he could barely see more than a few feet ahead in the dark. Dreq didn’t let that stop him. Creeping along on his belly, Dreq searched.
The Spiked Wood Rat wasn’t exactly the prey he was seeking. Two feet long, with a row of long, sharp tines bristling from its spine and tail, the Beast was a scavenger, not the mighty opponent Dreq hoped to find. Still, he had never eaten one before, and as a nocturnal animal, its Core might hold the Night Sight Ability. Dreq steeled himself for the attack.
Dreq’s small stature and light weight allowed him to approach silently, but the pup was hardly a stealthy hunter. His back rubbed against leaves and branches as he rushed forward with jaws snapping. The Wood Rat heard him coming before Dreq could issue the challenging bray that gathered in his throat.
His eyes went wide as the Spiked Rat lifted its tail and flung barbed projectiles towards the unsuspecting animal. One of the barbed tines lunged into Dreq’s hindquarters as he tried to dodge, drawing a yelp along with blood, and knocking the pup from his feet.
Special Action Performed, Constitution +1.
The notification that unlocked a portion of his Status would have been welcome under other circumstances, but Dreq dreaded to see it now. Without Constitution, his Strength had determined his Health and Stamina, and now with the new Attribute, instead of growing, both his HP and SP were cut by two-thirds. His Health dropped to 8 out of 10, and a wave of pain and exhaustion swept through him.
Without Stamina to support the use of his Paralyzing Howl, Dreq was left with one option. He tucked his tail between his legs, ignored the burning sensation in his haunches, and ran. The hissing of the Spiked Rat prompted him to greater speeds as the agitated rodent pursued him.
His nose was clouded by the smell of blood and the odor of the Rat, but Dreq could still make out Trent’s scent. Yelping as loud as he could, the cub ran in his protector’s direction. It seemed he would need to wake Trent after all. He should have just taken the bear meat in the first place.
Running blindly, Dreq was poked and prodded by branches, and his Stamina drained rapidly. He wasn’t going to make it! Trent was too far away. Would the boy know to burn his body and scatter his ashes? Would he miss Dreq’s company? Would there even be a body to take care of, or would Dreq end his short life in the belly of a creature that was hardly more than an animal?
Dreq felt another spike ripple the air, narrowly missing his ear. The Rat was growing tired of the chase. Only, had that spike been going the wrong direction? There was a thud behind him and the sound of a body tumbling backward. Risking a look over his shoulder caused Dreq to stumble, and he collapsed.
Panting in fear, the pup squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the end. He did not have the energy to run any further, and he did not have the Strength to fight. Nor did he have the need, apparently.
A hand gripped the fur of his neck and lifted Dreq from the ground. Opening his eyes, Dreq found himself looking at Trent. Violet eyes were half-open, and Trent barely seemed aware of his actions, as he plucked the spike from Dreq’s rear and cast Balm to heal the minor hurt. Tucking the Dog in the crook of his arm, Trent retrieved the body of the Spiked Wood Rat, and Dreq saw one of Trent’s darts protruding from between the Beast’s eyes.
Justice! The miserable creature suffered the exact fate it had intended for the pup, and Dreq howled in victory, his tail thudding against Trent’s side. Even being dropped to the ground when Trent returned to his rest spot couldn’t dampen Dreq’s mood. His first real hunt had been a success!
Trent reclaimed his dart, and Dreq watched in amazement as a mithril knife Harvested the hide and Core of the Rat. Trent never fully woke as he went about his task. When he finished, he tossed the remains into the bushes and settled back against the tree, his chin dropping to his chest.
Dreq pulled the wasted meat back out of the brush and settled in for his snack, his eyes glowing as he chomped and pulled on Rat entrails. Trent had fallen asleep without checking his Status, leaving Dreq to do it for him. Trent had leveled his Throwing Skill, gained a point in Dexterity, and learned Clever Hands, all with half-closed eyes.
Dreq chewed and chortled delightedly. His own growth was disappointing, but with Trent looking out for him, it did not matter. Trent was something good, and that was enough.
Finishing the Rat, Dreq chewed on a patch of grass. The scavenger had been a sour meal and left a bitter taste in his mouth. Pallet cleansed, Dreq climbed into Trent’s lap and turned around twice before settling in. Trent’s hand fell across his back, and Dreq drifted to sleep, affectionately chewing on a gloved finger.
Chapter Nineteen
Lewis Al’dross studied his reflection in the mirror. He tugged at the ceremonial sash hanging from his shoulder and frowned when his wife, Vanessa, slapped his hand away from it. She had put a great deal of effort
into getting his hair and ceremonial uniform in place. She wouldn’t have Lewis playing with it.
Lewis should never have given in when Vanessa insisted on assisting him in preparing for the day’s events. He should have had servants arrange his clothing and hair. A valet might offer a reproachful look when Lewis pulled the sash out of line, but he would never dare strike him. That was a privilege reserved for wives.
The lack of servants was due to the presence of the three men standing behind him, watching with varying expressions on their faces. Helmand, his personal adjutant, kept his mouth firmly closed and his eyes respectfully lowered. Taylor Craw watched with open amusement, occasionally offering suggestions to Vanessa, none of which Lewis appreciated.
The last man, Ranar Wygon, drummed his fingers on his sword hilt, his face composed, though Lewis didn’t miss the twinkle that danced in the man’s silver eyes. He could see that gleam clearly reflected in the mirror.
“How long has the boy been out of the Trial, Elder Wygon?” Lewis grunted as Vanessa tightened his sword belt another notch, more concerned with his image than she was his comfort.
“Not long, Your Grace.” Ranar flicked a finger against his pommel. “I sensed him late last night. He hasn’t moved much since then.”
Lewis snatched Vanessa's hand away from his chest, stopping her from smoothing his sash. He brought the tips of her fingers to his lips, and then kept a firm hold of them as he took a step away from the mirror. “And your men say he hasn’t enrolled in the Academy or entered the Bellrise Trial, Taylor?”
“No one who reports to me has caught a glimpse of him in Bellrise,” Taylor responded seriously. “He must have been in a Wandering Trial.”
“Had I known he was so important, I would have found a way to bring him back with me when I met him on the road,” Vanessa said, pulling a hand free to adjust the way Lewis’s sash hung from his shoulder. “Perhaps, next time you should include life-altering events in your messages to me.”
“Perhaps the next time you are a week from home, you will inform me rather than subverting my men in order to surprise me.” Lewis squeezed on the fingers he still held. “Although, I would rather Trent roam free than come to the attention of your nephew, or Colonel Bromden.
“Will you go and collect him, Elder Wygon?” Rather than rehashing the playful argument he had had with Vanessa several times, Lewis turned back to matters at hand.
Ranar ceased his drumming and rubbed his chin. “I think not. It would be best to let Trent Embra roam free, as you say. Let him come back of his own accord. The violet-eyed can be pigheaded when they think they are being forced.”
“Is that wise?” Taylor shot the Al’rashian a look through narrowed eyes, “He could board a boat and be a hundred miles away before we know it. Other nobles and the king’s men won’t hesitate to put a leash on him once they see his potential.”
“They would regret that,” Ranar said shortly, refusing to elaborate.
Lewis repressed a sigh at the Elder's words. Ranar was a Paragon, an Awakened who had reached Levels over 1000. The Duke understood why the man refused to interfere or do more than advise. He could accept that, but would it kill Ranar to explain his statements? From what he had said in the past, Trent was the reason Ranar was here in the first place.
“Cullen won’t like that we've kept all this from him,” Taylor added, drawing attention to the Sergeant’s conspicuous absence from this meeting.
“If we tell Cullen, he will be halfway to Bellrise before we finish telling him why he shouldn’t go.” Lewis let go of Vanessa’s hand. Crossing the room to his desk, he began rummaging through it. “I need him here as long as we have Immortal company. Have you had any word on why they are still here?”
“To keep Seth out of trouble,” Vanessa said dryly. “An Al’verren only leaves the capital seeking power. My brother is wise not to let him out of his sight.”
“Does the fool really think he can snatch my territory out from under me?” Lewis grumbled, removing a handful of papers from a desk drawer to reveal the bottle beneath it. “Helmand, fetch me some glasses, please.”
“He was raised to believe in his superiority.” Vanessa settled into a free chair while Helmand hurried to find cups for his lord. “Seth won’t believe he can fail no matter how many times Cullen throws his lackeys into the cells. Al'verrens are all raised that way, yet only the heir is allowed any authority. You have your ancestors to blame. They were the ones who forced a semblance of Al’rashian rules of succession on the kingdom.”
Helmand returned with four glasses and set them on the desk. He poured the wine and served it. Lewis pushed his own glass into the adjutant's hands and picked up the bottle for himself. “Drink, Helmand. We have a long day ahead of us. You will need bolstering as much as I do.”
“Speaking of which, Your Grace,” Helmand said, sipping at his wine politely before setting it aside, “we should be leaving shortly. Everything should be prepared by now.”
Lewis took a long pull from the bottle and then a second as he thought of what awaited him in the Great Hall. Many perks came with standing atop the local hierarchy. Unfortunately, those perks came along with responsibility. He would have to make a speech today. People would expect it.
He had no choice. Today he was appointing three mayors and conferring the rank of Minor Nobility on a Knight in his service. That meant ceremony. If it were up to Lewis, he would meet with the four in private and toast them before sending them off to build three towns and a fortress on the banks of the Burning Lake.
He blamed Cullen. The Sergeant had brought word that the mysterious lake was actually a Trial and dumped the information in Lewis’s lap. Lewis had not wanted to believe it at first. The lake had been studied by generations of Mages. It was inconceivable that no one had commissioned a Diviner to examine the body of water.
Lewis shuddered to think of a Trial of Perseverance, sitting on the border, unguarded and unchallenged for centuries. Not only was it an untapped resource, officially it was outside of the area the Al’dross family controlled. According to kingdom law, any man could have claimed it and received a title from the king to establish his own territory a stone’s throw from Lewis’s land.
Pushing out his borders and building four new settlements was a minor headache compared to the thought of a man like Seth Al’verren living in his backyard. Seth missing out on the opportunity was enough to soothe Lewis somewhat. While the man who wanted to style himself a prince was scheming to seize Lewis’s lands, a perfect chance to create his own legacy had passed him by.
Normally, a man establishing a new fiefdom would need his own troops to control it. After planting his own flag, Seth could have depended on his father’s name and Al'dross soldiers while he slowly built his authority. He could have sat back and sneered as Guardsmen from Al’drossford beat back Bandits and Beasts for him. It wasn’t like Lewis could allow raiding to happen so close to his territory.
Lewis took another fortifying drink and set the bottle down. “Let’s get on with it then. Do you think Seth will attend? I hope so. Watching his face crumble when he realizes what he has missed out on will be the best part of this day.”
**********
“You still haven’t managed to find out what this farce is about?” Seth Al’verren stomped up the stairs to the Great Hall of the Al’drossford Keep. The aching in his calves did nothing to ease his building temper. “Who puts a hall at the top of a fortress? Must the Al'dross do everything unconventionally?”
“There are rumors that the Duke is planning to build new towns on his border and is making appointments to run them,” Avery said in a low voice. “Why he is doing so, no one will say.”
Seth stopped to catch his breath, placing a hand against the wall to brace himself. “Duke! Al'dross is a Baron, however he likes to call himself, and when I'm through with him, he’ll be lucky to keep his head!”
Behind Seth, safely out of sight, Avery rolled his eyes. He had never found Seth to
be an impressive man. That was why Avery served him. Seth was a stepping-stone. Had he been worth serving, Avery would have stayed far away.
To hear a man like Seth threaten Lewis Al’dross was absurd. Weeks attempting to tease out information and build a network for himself in Al’drossford had convinced Avery that he wanted no part of a conflict with the Duke or the men who were sworn to him. Not that he told Seth any of that.
He plied his employer with tales of progress. He had even managed to keep Eliora’s absence from her brother. That had stumped Avery. The girl had acted too quickly on her plans, and he hadn’t been able to find anyone to follow her. She had disappeared from the Keep and the city as if she had never been there. Avery could hardly credit it.
Panting, with Avery close behind, Seth continued up the staircase until it spilled out before a grand set of open doors. Local people of importance mingled in the entryway to the hall and made small talk as they filtered into the room. Merchants and minor Nobles dressed in the finest clothing, speaking in quiet voices, all pleased to be invited to the day’s event.
Seth kept the sneer in his heart from his face as he dabbed sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. He tossed the cloth over his shoulder for Avery to dispose of and straightened his doublet. He pasted a subdued smile on his lips and drifted into the crowd, nodding at greetings while looking down at those that offered them.
Who were these local peasants to speak to him? He was the son of a king. He had no equals in this room. People made way with bows as he swept to the front. Seth may not have wanted to attend this affair, but he would not stand at the back. He was here to be seen and to study his enemy. Someday, the clods gathered here would bend a knee when he passed. It was only a matter of time.
Seth’s guise slipped as he saw Lewis Al’dross. Lewis was dressed in the black and silver of his house, with a ceremonial sash bearing his honors. The sash was mostly empty, only holding a few patches to denote Lewis’s rank and Class. Normally, the evidence of how out of favor the Al’dross family truly was would have given Seth a great deal of pleasure.