Chapter 270

Chapter 270

Theyd missed the early briefing, so as far as I knew, this was the first time they saw me in person.

There was a considerable silence as the group took me in. At best, a few of themJulian, Charlotte, and Lucasseemed politely interested. Paul and the Queen were less engaged but willing to hear me out.

Nathanial, though? The grizzled knight was pissed. He was making some effort to hide it behind cold rationality, but all the signs were there. Hed been leaning back in his chair this whole time, barely engaging with the others. Now he was sitting with his back ramrod straight, piercing gray eyes lancing through me. n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m

He spoke to Nick, never shifting his gaze. This is your Page?

Yup. Nick grinned obliviously. Ask him whatever. Hes wicked smaht.

Im not a genie, asshole.

Sorry. Nathaniel rested his chin on his thumbs, still staring me down. Im the old man in the room, so maybe Im just slow or missing something here. Isnt your Page also the leader of Region 14?

Thats him. Nick affirmed, completely walking into it before I could stop him.

Right. Nathaniel nodded, unimpressed. And on an unrelated note, didnt the leader of that region directly oppose the guild alliance?

A wave of realization rippled through the group, ambivalence shifting to caution and even distaste.

Uh. Nick stalled, probably realizing how badly hed flubbed the introduction but otherwise unsure how to salvage it. He came around?

The air of skepticism grew. I couldnt even blame them for it. If Kinsley brought a random stranger into the Merchant Guilds inner-circle with that weak of an explanation, Id be looking for my first chance to get them out of the room so we could have a conversation about proper vetting. Unfortunately, passive-follower-Mattthe role Id intended to maintainwasnt going to work now. It would look like I was a trojan horse, doing what they wanted in the short-term until I gathered what I needed to breakup the alliance.

Better to play it aggressively.

I didnt. I stared them down in distaste.

Oppose the guild alliance? Nathanial asked, raising an eyebrow, preparing to catch me in a lie.

Come around. I corrected testily, glancing at Nick with an annoyance that was all too real before addressing them again. I still think this is a stupid idea. Instating a court and king and establishing a class system we collectively left behind centuries ago. Aaron pulling my regions ass out of the fire didnt change that.

I let that linger, watching until I was sure I was about to be thrown out of the room.

However, I spoke to Hastur. And that experience widened my perspective.

My nature allows for great insight, not unlike yours. But were both aware thats hardly a replacement for hearing it from the source. He tapped a spot on the table to his right. Come. Speak with me.

Fuck. I didnt know how to play this. He wasnt giving me anything to go off of. While part of me was terrified he might say something to out me as Myrddin, I knew refusing him here in full view of the court would be beyond stupid. Begrudgingly, I approached and leaned against the table beside him. When he stared at me blankly, I realized he was still waiting for an answer to his previous question.

Fine. If he won't give me anything else to go off of, may as well be honest.

I was all too mindful of the eyes on the back of my head as I answered. Stressed. Conflicted.

Hastur gave me a proud smile. Yet you performed admirably, regardless. There was an undercurrent of pained sympathy in the statement.

I only did what was required.

And that was no small matter. He looked past me, addressing the room now. Matthias had his doubts about our institution. Doubts that were entirely justified given a history I will not share out of respect. But this is a new age. One where it is unnecessary to label skeptics as heretics. More importantly, he holds the same spark of potential within him as the rest of you. I sought him out after the assault on his holdings, we conversed, and in the wake of our recent intervention I asked him for something incredibly difficult. Something only he could do. And he came through. While he may not be a member of the order on paper, make no mistake. He is one of us.

Just like that, Hastur was gone, leaving a bleary, disoriented old man blinking in his wake.

I turned, facing the rest. They were still stunned and flatfooted from their patrons sudden appearance, and I needed to strike before they recovered. Again, I have my doubts. But same as the rest of you, I still have people living in the dome that I care for, people I dont want to see put through another transposition event. From the way their expressions darkened, they understood. A tenth of us died during the first event, and if the trajectory of the game is anything to go on, the second will be worse. Stopping it is all I care about. And despite my position, theres not a political bone in my body. So long as were inside the tower, Im not here as the leader of Region 14. I inclined my head towards Nick. Im here as Nicks attendant. A page of the court.

It was a big swing, putting myself in the same boat as them. Risky enough that I wouldnt have dared to do so, if Hastur hadnt interfered directly.

For a long time, no one spoke. The inside of the tent was deadly quiet.

Mari broke the silence. Perhaps, a simple test. To establish if you are as capable as the Gilded Knight believes you to be.

Go ahead. I said, half-expecting the giant of a woman to challenge me to a duel, right then and there.

You heard our earlier discussion. She tapped the round table. The issues broached and solutions given. With that in mind what is the best path forward?

Arbitrary as it was, unearned as it was, these people obviously cared about rank. I declined to answer and stared down at the floor. As an attendant, it is not my place to say.

And if it was?

Well, you asked.

Dropping the faux modesty, I looked over to Charlotte. What sort of curses can you cast?