Chapter 13 - Lost (Part Two)

No matter, I'm sure this is all within reason. It may be a fake corpse of an assassin.

"Of course, come in come in. I'll call over Sierra to make us some tea." I say, opening the doors wider and beckoning the soldiers to enter my foyer.

"I would prefer to conduct our business outside of the home. Would you mind stepping out?" They ask in a respectful tone. Interesting. Are they perhaps wary of me?

"Of course, I have an exterior tea room we could discuss our business in on the east end of my house. Would that be better?" I ask, attempting to read any of their expressions. There's a mix of dread, fear, and a twinge of anxiousness within everyone's face except the captain, who's nearly unreadable.

"That would work perfectly Lady Razorhog." He says, keeping his expression as stone-faced as I remember him to always be. Captain Boradere, a strange fellow who has served the Caldari's for nearly twenty years now.

Walking towards my eastern end gazebo, I begin to send specks of mana into the inscribed invocations around the house and around where we will be sitting. It's only natural to keep wary of soldiers from a neighboring territory, and thankfully inscriptions do not require chanting to prepare.

Sitting down first, the soldiers file in as well, taking a post at the entrance behind their captain, setting down the caskets.

"Based on the articles behind me, I can assume you've grasped the situation. As a long-time friend of both Damien and House Razorhog, you have my deepest condolences." He says, taking off his helmet and bowing before sitting across from me.

"I have always prepared myself for this day, so when he failed to return from his morning duties, I had feared the worst had occurred. I will not trouble you with my tears, only a single question. Did you at least kill the beast that took his life?" I say, dotting my eyes with my napkin whilst my years of political acting work to make my tear ducts flow ever slightly.

"That is the thing Viscountess Razorhog. The thing that killed your husband was no monster, but a person." With that, he gestures for his men to bring over the first casket.

As they reach down and open the casket, within it lies the scarred corpse of my late husband. His chest and legs are burnt black whilst his face is bloated and red.

Typical of assassins of the empire, removing air is their first strike, followed by a barrage of magic on the confused and unsuspecting target. For more advanced targets, they also seem to trap them in a thick dome of either air or ice to prevent escape, rarely ever coming face to face.

"Assassins." Are the only words I'm able to mutter in this situation.

It is common knowledge between nobles that the Empire of Elves and the Peoples Unified Republic of Eladria are on bad terms, even more to the point that the assassination tactics are well studied.

As a neutral nation, it's important to be able to distinguish between the two.

"Indeed, they appear to be working for the Empire. However, that is the strangest part. What could the Empire or even the Republic want with the late Viscount Razorhog? Due to the nature of our neutrality between the Empire and Republic, and the location of your fief being so close to their borders, it would make more sense to take a powerful noble as an ally would it not?" He says, his tone showing a hint of suspicion towards me. Well, it's not as if they can prove anything.

"That would make the most sense, but this could also be a message to the other Lords with territories bordering the Empire. Support their cause or you'll be marked as an enemy, neutrality not being tolerated." I reply, averting my eyes from the corpse.

It still is a bit painful, I did spend the last fifteen years with the man.

"That was our original idea as well until we found this." With another gesture and a colder expression, the soldiers brought over and opened the second casket.

Within it, laid the flayed corpse of my previous master, Elandria Volta.

"Do you happen to recognize this woman?" He asks, his tone growing ever slightly colder.

"Yes. That is my former master Elandria Volta, a half-blooded elven woman who I parted ways with around fifteen odd years ago. She was against my family's wishes to marry me off and thought it would be better to continue my studies since at the time I was already a Dux Tier Wind Mage. I disagreed with her and we not so politely parted ways. Are you claiming that my old master would come after my life over something a trivial as a fight?" I ask, making my tone a bit more condescending as the conversation went on.

My magical talent is not widely known, so that should serve to scare every guard aside from Captain Boradere.

"Indeed. It seems that our research was correct, with a few discrepancies. We had heard you left on fine terms with your master, but regardless that is what it seems to be. Based on all available information on your previous master, Elandria Volta, she had spent about three months within our Nation of Larune, working as a tutor for the daughter of Baron Staton. Then, without warning, she left her position and made her way towards this fief, and once she arrived, it appears she attacked your husband on sight." He says, reaching into his coat pocket.

"Now, I have something interesting that I ought to show you." He says, a sudden smirk appearing on his face.

Placing his hand down onto the table, he taps a small booklet.

The same booklet that my master used to communicate to every one of her students throughout the years.

A booklet very familiar to me, as it's the same booklet that I tore my page of blinktree parchment out of.

This does not bode well.