1.44 In Which the Dark Lord Needs a Nap

1.44 In Which the Dark Lord Needs a Nap

Needless to say, we did not make good time on the return trip. Having the kids along slowed us considerably, especially once their energy ran out and we had to carry them. I was in much better shape after a couple of months on Ephemera and Aster had been active and athletic for basically her whole life, but neither of us were the kind of hulking muscular specimens which could carry a child each and not be slowed by it. And that wasnt even factoring in the breaks we needed to take due to the extra effort expended.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

We actually took the risk of making camp for the night, in the middle of the khora forest. Not far off the old road Aster found a dead khora husk not unlike the one in which the catfolk tribe kept their Spirit, though less complete; it wasnt as fully enclosed but at least it gave us an arc of something against which to put our backs and only have to watch in a few directions. The kids were scared of the forest, but also exhausted, and they slept like logs while Aster and I napped in turns, one always keeping watch. Biribo didnt sleep and insisted he was a perfect guardian for that reason, but he couldnt fight, either, and I wanted at least one able to reach for a weapon without having to shake the sleep from their eyes at need.

I summoned a light slime for convenience; maybe because of that, no predators or catfolk decided to try their luck with an obvious Blessed. I wouldnt have called it a peaceful night, but the kids were somewhat rejuvenated and Aster and I managed a couple of hours of rest each. When we left, I took the slime with us, rather than letting it join the ecosystem where god knew what might happen. It rode on my shoulder, its melon-like weight not that bad now that the young ones were walking again.

They werent properly rested, though, and we were back to carrying them by the time the battlements of North Watch rose into view between the khora fronds. I didnt even have time to point them out to the kids before the frantic barking started.

Benit hid behind my legs as Junko came barreling out of the broken gates; Radon, bless him, tried to plant himself between Benit and the dog, but I just knelt to welcome Junko with a hug which she immediately wriggled out of in her frantic excitement.

Its okay, Aster reassured our new charges, clearly amused. This is Junko, shes Lord Seijis dog. Shes actually very nice as long as youre nice to her.

Looks like one of the strays from outside the Gutters, Benit muttered, shying back again as a furiously tail-wagging Junko tried to sniff her.

Funny story about that, I said cheerfully, still scratching the dogs ears.

Those things have killed Rats, Radon said, calmer but still extremely wary around the excitable animal which was about as big as he was. I knew a girl got eaten by a pack.

Well, there went my nascent good mood. God damn it, Ephemera, why was there always something horrible around every corner?

Junko, heel. Thanks to the influence of Tame Beast, Id not had to do any actual training aside from teaching her what the commands were; she obeyed instantly, looking up at me with those big eyes and her tail still wagging. I preferred to let her work off her energy as a rule, but the kids noticeably calmed now that the dog was calm. We can tell stories and the like later. Right now, lets get you kids an actual meal and some real rest in a proper bed.

I knew little about kids; wasnt there some stereotype about them being reluctant to go to bed? I figured it would be the prospect of real food that appealed to them most, but apparently that just revealed my ignorance.

A bed? Benit asked in clear surprise. Wait, for us?

Surely you have beds.

She shook her head. My sleeping spot is a blanket against the wall. Usually. Sometimes its easier to just sleep on the roof, when one of the bigger kids gets in a mood.

I sleep on a shelf, Radon added.

I turned and started walking again toward the gates, at least in part so they wouldnt see my expression. This was what Id left them in for weeks so I could use them to gather information for me. And what had I even gained from it, apart from some city gossip? Maybe Virya was right about me. Brushing the light slime off my shoulder, I gave it a mental nudge through the bond of Tame Beast and sent it into the fortress. Either Id find and bottle it later, or somebody else would.

We dont mind sharing, Lord Seiji, Benit said quickly, apparently misinterpreting my silence. Were small! If theres a free bed, thats surely big enough for

A bed each, I stated. Youve earned that, at the very least.

Cmon, guys, were almost there, Aster prompted. With Junko and the children trailing along, we crossed the last steps to the old fortresss gates, where the noise from within the walls already told me what my next headache was going to be.

Wed started out from Gwyllthean in the late morning, and thanks to the incredibly slow pace set by having to handhold the two youngsters, we were just arriving home as dawn was beginning to break. I was gratified to see, upon stepping inside the gates, that Kasser had kept the place running and the schedule intact: everyone was assembled in the courtyard for exercise and training, as I had directed. It was less gratifying to see how that was going today.

Training was suspended; my new army was clustered in two rings making various communal noises, one around Sicellit who was on the ground bleeding from a head wound, and one around Jadrin and Adelly, who were practically nose-to-nose, screaming in borderline incoherent rage, and clearly seconds from mutually attempted homicide.

I had left them alone for one day.

Lord Seiji, said Kasser in clear relief. Miss Minifrit stood next to him, idly smoking that long pipe of hers and watching the incipient fight with a wry expression.

Kasser, I said, then ignited a burst of pink light around Sicellit which caused the women surrounding her to yelp and jump back. Heal. Minifrit, were you planning to do anything about this?

Yes, she said evenly, after it has concluded. That is the appropriate time to dispense consequences, and trying to break up a fight between two individuals who are each better fighters than I is a fine way to acquire a black eye and lose credibility in front of my employees. Lord Seiji, did you really just adopt two Gutter Rats?

Oh, you would not believe the stuff he drags home, Sakin said merrily, sidling up to her. Minifrit gave him a sidelong look of unvarnished dislike, earning a flirtatious wink in response.

Well, clearly I had successfully built myself an organization composed entirely of discipline problems. I was about to comment further, but that was the moment Adelly gave Jadrin a hard shove, prompting a chorus of catcalls from the onlookers. Predictably, Jadrin recovered from her stumble and surged forward with a fist and the clear intent to inflict debilitating damage.

Windburst.

For some reason, I kept underestimating how powerful that spell was; its a small and brief movement of air, which you somehow never expect to be typhoon strength. Id seen a Gwyllthean Kingsguard use that on Flaethwyn and it threw her across the street. I was a good ten meters from the knot of women about to dissolve into a brawl, so it merely knocked them all down.

Ara, ara, ara, I drawled, my boots crunching on gravel in the sudden ominous quiet as I paced toward them. What a unique method of training youve discovered. All right, whos the lucky winner who gets to explain this to me?

Jadrin was back on her feet almost immediately, followed a half second later by Adelly. It was the latter who managed to speak first.

Lord Seiji! Wed be getting a lot more training done if this maniac wasnt using it as an excuse to beat the shit out of everyone!

Oh, spare me your fucking whining, Jadrin snarled back. What kind of soft-headed corebait expects to teach people how to fight and not get bruised? Im trying to keep these girls alive, no thanks to your sniveling

The rest of them dispersed in their various mandated directions and I led Sakin around the corner of the fortress, with my familiar buzzing along above us, leaving behind the clack of akorshil practice sticks as Adelly started walking the girls through sword forms.

Biribo, howre we on privacy?

Nobody within earshot, boss. Nobody trying, either. Thatd be hard to pull off with a crew this size, anyway. Now, once weve got most of the population of Cat Alley in here, therell be more opportunities for snooping.

Right, crowds were his weak point. I did not say that out loud in front of Sakin, even though I would be very unsurprised to learn he already knew how to get around a familiars senses.

Was it like that all day yesterday? I asked.

It built up to that over the course of the day, but the seeds of it were there from the start. The problem was you werent there, Lord Seiji. Personalities like Jadrin really need someone indisputably in charge of them. She only barely toed the line with Kasser, and that just because he had the sense not to push her.

Thats about what I figured, I sighed. I really did not want to leave them alone so soon, but

But the situation is what it is and you made the necessary call, Sakin said, nodding. I think its going to be a good long while before were in anything resembling ideal circumstances, Lord Seiji.

Yeah. Ill keep a closer eye on them going forward. For now, I want to ask your assessment of the new batch of recruits.

Theyre hopeless, he grinned, but in a way thats rectifiable. Theyve got the spirit and the anger; all thats missing is the know-how. That just takes time. Adellys a bit stiff, but shes shaking off the moss as she goes. Oh, and that girl Kastrin is a crack shot with a crossbow.

Wait, really? Kastrin?

It happens, he said, shrugging. There are some people whore just gifted. Training will only make her more terrifying, but she could put a bolt in a bastards eye at the weapons maximum controllable range the moment she picked it up. Considering the small size of this recruitment pool, we really lucked out having that kind of savant among em. A nation the size of Fflyr Dlemathlys can expect maybe one of those every two to five years among its military recruits.

Huh. How about that. Well, good, but there was one other thing I wanted your opinion about. Lady Gray keeps running circles around me, and for the most part Im pretty sure its because shes just years more experienced at this kind of thing than I am.

Good to respect your enemies, Lord Seiji, he said seriously. Gotta give em credit before you can work out how to beat them.

Right, well, more specifically, Im wondering about the possibility that shes managed to plant an agent in our ranks, now that weve suddenly grown them so fast.

Incredibly unlikely, Sakin said without hesitation.

Really? Because I cant help noticing that we went and recruited two of her own people

I wouldnt consider either of those a likely prospect, Lord Seiji. Its good that youre aware anyone might be a spy, but thats just the first step. The hard part is sussing out who is a probable suspect. Frankly, neither Jakkin nor Jadrin are good fits.

Go on, I said, frowning.

You need a spy to be unobtrusive and not draw suspicion, he explained. That rules out Jakkin, who flipped on his boss the second you scared him enough and will without question flip on you the second someone else scares him more. He has to be the target of our suspicion from the outset. That is not how you position your agent. And Jadrin is just a resentful hothead, which is entirely the wrong profile for a spy.

Unless thats an act

He chuckled, shaking his head. Sure, thats been done. But Lord Seiji, youve gotta consider who youre dealing with, and the circumstances. For the kind of deep cover agent who can build a whole backstory and project a false front for years, just on the off chance of getting recruited by someone like you? Well, the Lancor Empire employs people like that, for example. Because an empire has a need for them, and the resources to support them. Somebody like Lady Gray? No chance. The trope of the multiplicitous genius who always triumphs because they have a plan for every possible situation only exists in stories. Actual, real-world pragmatists like Gray prepare reasonable contingencies for foreseeable problems, and build enough flexibility into their organizations to be able to react to the unexpected.

Some good advice under the explanation in that. I nodded, making a mental note. It was something to keep in mind as I sorted out how my bandit army was actually going to be structured, and I didnt think for a moment he hadnt mentioned it with that in mind.

So, no spies yet.

Probably no spies, Sakin chided, grinning. Nothing is ever certain, Lord Seiji. But, yes, at this juncture I think you should reasonably focus your energies elsewhere. Speaking of which, and of Jakkin Just so were clear, you do know hes going to turn on you sooner or later, right?

Yeah, I sighed. Not out of any ambition or duplicity. All its going to take is somebody spooking him as badly as I did. And its not like hes even particularly useful

Sakin nodded, his expression pleasantly casual. Yep. If you want, I can take him for a stroll in the forest.

Back in Japan, it probably would have taken me a few moments and perhaps some prompting to understand what he was implying. After two months on Ephemera it was instantly obvious. Worse, my reflexive reaction was not horror at the idea, but considering the merits.

Not yet, I said after a short pause in which I frowned thoughtfully at the wall in front of us. The whole reason I saddled us with Jakkin in the first place was because the recruits I was actually aiming for spoke up for him, and my whole strategy has been to work on their morale. Give these women a chance to fight back, demonstrate that they can, and prove I can provide them a means to take control of their lives again. Morale being the point, I need them to trust me and know that I can protect them, and that means I cant have any arbitrary executions or mysterious disappearances.

Solid, he said, nodding. I wont lie, Lord Seiji, I mightve objected if you were just going to be soft-hearted about it, but thats excellent reasoning.

What I would like you to do is keep an eye on him, I continued. Nomore than that, try to feel him out. Figure out what makes him tick. Him and Jadrin both, for that matter; if we can get those two through their issues like I did, say, Donon, there may be a way to leverage those issues into actual loyalty, like his. Alternatively, if Jakkin is going to turn on me, its best that he do so under controlled circumstances where I can contain the consequences. And hes the perfect target to make an example of. At some point Im going to have to make it clear that the consequences for crossing me are worse than anybody wants to risk; for purposes of morale, its best if the object lesson in question is a spineless reject from Grays organization who nobody likes, instead of one of the girls.

Sakin grinned hugely. Now youre talking, Lord Seiji! I do love these moments when you remind me why I threw in with you.

As if plotting this way didnt make me feel gross enough, he just had to sprinkle salt on the wound. All this time Id been so worried Ephemera was going to be the death of me; more and more, I was starting to wonder if that might not be better than what this place was slowly turning me into.

But I wasnt ready to lie down and die just yet, so I just nodded once, turned, and strode back into the fortress to get a head start on planning my next war crimes.