4.6 In Which the Dark Lord Lays Down the Law, Again

4.6 In Which the Dark Lord Lays Down the Law, Again

Youd think Id know by now that nothing is ever that simple. Tossing out a few Heal spells during a night visit to the cat village was one thing, but it turned out when you wanted to offer the same to close to two hundred peoplebecause, understandably given what theyd been through, more of the wolves than otherwise requested healing once I made it clear that no issue was too smallin the middle of the forest, you had to get actual logistics involved.

Fortunately I had Rath Kadora, who knew his people, and Zui, who knew how to organize people. We rapidly turned the glade into an impromptu campground; given its occasional use as a meeting space there was even some basic infrastructure in the form of old firepits buried under the snow and a designated latrine area down at the far end. I was able to repeat my trick from Kzidnak of using fire slimes as impromptu camp fires, though I had to Windburst the snow away first as conjuring one in the middle of a snowbank would only have killed it as it flash-melted its surroundings and then was immediately doused. The wolves all clearly thought this was weird, but were grateful for the warmth.

Even so, the project itself didnt take all that long once it was organized; even that mostly amounted to triage and setting up waiting areas where there was some warmth. I was a one-person bottleneck, being the sole provider of Heal, but casting the spell itself took less than a second and barely any effort.

Getting the chance to meet most of the entire tribe, however briefly, was enlightening, mostly with regard to the amount of trouble I was about to have. Oh, I saw a lot of gratitudeand interestingly, none of the suspicion Id met in my first forays into Cat Alley. I guess it made a big difference that my ulterior motive was known up front. But gratitude, yes; I unquestionably saved many of their lives, chiefly among their very young and old. Dozens of them had been suffering from the early stages of at least three distinct kinds of diseases, which made me think of the zombies and understand better why Rhydion was so insistent on not going near that without a dedicated healer along.

Gratitude and little suspicion, but no shortage of hostility. Not among all or even most, butenough. None of them were ungrateful enough not to thank me, but enough glared and had nothing to say other than a terse thanks that I suspected the only reason they werent going for weapons was the fact that Rath Kadora himself loomed at my shoulder, artifact spear in hand.

That, and theyd just seen me light a man on fire with my mind.

I hope you will not take offense, Dark Lord, Rath Kadora rumbled, this being his first comment to me after the last of his people had been Healed. They mean no ill. We have had a hard span of days.

Plus, I agreed quietly, theyre not stupid enough not to know whose fault it is your village burned. And they just saw me kill their shaman.

Oh, not just that, he grunted. You extinguished the shamanic tradition.

Hm. How much of a problem is that going to be?

He dismissively waved one hand. Its happened before. Foolish practice, keeping their methods secret and tied to one bloodline. In the past, another shaman essentially proclaimed themselves, and went about learning medicine from scratch and their predecessors leavings. Usually trading for secrets from the goblins and squirrelfolk. Not like the role of chief warrior. I can be confident that there are plenty of candidates for my successor. One day I will be older and too weak and one will overthrow me, and the tribe will still have a strong leader. Nor does it matter that my child isnt interested in the role. Its a simple system. Simple works.

Yeah, I bet thats nice, I sighed. Simple stops working when youve got more complicated systems to organize.

You should find ways to simplify them, then.

I gave him a speculative look. His lupine features were a tad hard to read, but he didnt appear to be mocking or trying to undermine me. Of course, he might just be really good at deadpan, but that was fine, itd just mean he would fit in very well.

Thats good advice. See, youre already pulling your weight. So, tell me about the squirrels and the zombies.

He curled his upper lip, and damn those teeth made that expression look immediately threatening despite the contextual evidence that it was merely contemptuous. I took note that even while talking with me, and distracted by his apparent annoyance at squirrels, he kept up constant, slow movements of his head, keeping watch over his tribe.

They were all arranged in the clearing now, with my crusaders moving among them. Id had them bring some basic supplies; there was no point in setting up a full camp with hot food and everything when we were just a few hours walk from North Watch (assuming it would take longer to get back than it had to get here, with this many vulnerable people along). Still, a light and temporary camp gave my people the opportunity to distribute the trail food theyd brought, and the hot tea that had been brewed over fire slimes while I was Healing everyone. I had to give the Fflyr credit, their overly-strong, spicy-sweet tea was just the thing to get a cold body moving.

I dont know what has happened to the squirrels or on their land, nor do I care. Theyve never shifted their fluffy tails to help anyone else. Their village is high in the khora, well off the ground. It was probably destroyed entirely in the Inferno. No loss to Dount, that.

Perhaps not. Both of us shifted to regard Velaven, who had drawn closer and now spoke up. The rest of my spirit bondand also Jessak, who seemed less nervous about my presence than being surrounded by wolves without my protectionhad also stayed nearby. No one had offered me any violence or even rudeness, but they made for a visibly impressive bodyguard, which couldnt go amiss with this many unknowns standing around. The Inferno traveled along the root networks of single khora megastructures, I believe? The squirrel tribes village is up in the branches of a large stand of nhithra khora. There are only a few stands of that species on the islandvery tall and very sturdy. It makes a good landmark, visible for a limn in every direction so people know not to approach them by accident. But there are none anywhere near North Watch. The village itself was probably unaffected, though its outskirts were doubtless singed.

Hnh. Rath Kadora didnt bother to not look disappointed. Well, anyway. No word from them, just undead trampling the forest from the direction of their land.

You suggested these zombies didnt seem to be acting in a directed manner? I asked.

The wolfman nodded. Like wild animals, but stupider. They stumble about, attacking whatever they happen to see. Even each other, sometimes. No sign of pack behavior or any awareness of one another. Most are slow and feeble, but we learned painfully not to assume that. A few seem morecomplete. They move very fast and are hard to put down. None of the weak points a living person would have.

These zombies, said Velaven, now staring at him intently, how fresh were they? Well-rotted corpses, or recently dead? And dead of what race? Were there any squirrels or other beastfolk among them?

I slowly turned my head to give her a pointed stare.

Identifying the dead used will help discern the nature of this threat, my lord, she said in an apologetic tone, inclining her head. I noted Aster and Zui both giving her long looks as well. It is good news if they are all older; corpses being freshly raised indicate whoever has raised them is actively working and likely on the verge of deploying them toward some purpose. Also, the Fflyr burn their dead, as do the local forest tribes. If this witch is using only old, interred corpses Well, she must be on the verge of running out of materials; there is a dearth of such on Dount. This could indicate a near end to the threat, or the reverse if she decides to transition to acquiring fresh subjects.

Huh, makes sense, Rath Kadora rumbled. I dont know about freshness, but every zombie weve seen was rotted enough to be obvious for what it was. Nothing I would mistake for a living person at a glance, even if I couldnt smell them. Now you mention it, I saw no tails on any of them, and only short skulls. Humans, or maybe elves; not many had intact ears to check, not that I wouldve bothered. I fought many of them, but not all. Hey, Drun! The Dark Lord has questions.

I heard, father. Another wolf approached at his call, a young woman carrying a spear, with a bow and quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder. Not artifacts, in her case. The resemblance was apparent; she was tall, though not as tall as Rath Kadora, and her pelt was the same gray-and-brown mottled pattern as his, though her highlights were more blonde where his were reddish. I cant say I fought every zombie that you didnt manage to, but between us we probably saw most of them. And yes, I saw the same. Old corpses, all human or maybe elf. Except they werent all original corpses, I dont think, she added, golden eyes narrowing in thought. Not like I was curious enough to cut into them and check, but I suspect somethe slower, dumber ones, especiallywere stitched together from different parts. Did you tell them about the smell, father?

Ah, yes. He nodded, turning back to me. This is why I ask the girl things. They stink of rot, obviously, but they also smell like alchemists. Like herbs, soap, and alcohol.

Now that is encouraging news, Lord Seiji, said Velaven. Undead usually mean Void magic, but they can be made through alchemy. Obviously, an alchemisteven an extremely advanced oneis much less dangerous than a Void witch.

The squirrels like alchemy, Zui piped up. Sneppits company has occasionally traded with them, mostly for Youdas sake. Theyre good at harvesting reagents from the khora, and they mostly want other stuff we can only get from underground, all for alchemy.

Well, well, a picture begins to form, I mused. I wondered how much of this Rhydion knew. Hed been actively working at the problem for weeks while I was ignoring it, so it was dubious how much of a head start this would give me, but every possible bit of leverage would help when I went to approach him.

My daughter, Drun, Rath Kadora added, grinning. Demonstrating the reason I bother to feed her. Shes managed not to stab her own foot while huntingrecentlybut lets say its a good thing she inherited her mothers brains.

Youd best shut that mouth before someone does it for you, old man, the younger wolf retorted. Without venom, though; it was clear this was a playful dynamic.

That would be Drun Kadora to you, my lord, Velaven murmured, leaning closer to my ear. Use of the first name alone is only between family members, unless the intent is to be extremely provocative. And used toward an unattached female, it might be taken as a suggestion I dont believe you intend.

Now even Nazralind was frowning at her. Jessak did a better job of keeping her thoughts away from her face but she kept glancing at the dark elf sidelong.

Were not completely stupid, you know, Drun Kadora said before I could reply. She had been studying my entourage with more interest than she showed me, seeming particularly curious about Jessak, but now fixed her attention on Velaven. If a human makes the most common and obvious cultural mistake we encounter, Im not gonna immediately assume he wants to start a fight or marry me.

Youll have to excuse Velaven, I said, were still housebreaking her. Ill want to talk more about the zombies, but lets not keep your people standing around in the cold. If we move out now, we can be back at North Watch by noon, easily. Just to let you know, we can house some of your people in the fortress itself, and in fact I want to make sure you are represented among my core forces to make sure your tribe has a presence and a say, but most are going to have to stay in Kzidnak. Its the only place weve found room enough for everyone. At least until we get your village repaired and resupplied.

The goblin city, huh? Drun Kadora tilted her head inquisitively, ears straight upright. Thatll be interesting. You actually got humans to go underground? I thought they were terrified of that.

And do you think you have made positive or negative progress toward that goal today?

There as another pause while she apparently wondered whether that was rhetorical. I just stared at her, until eventually an answer emerged.

Iwould have thought positive, my lord, as it was my entire purpose in so acting. It seems I erred.

Did you ever. This is not a solicitation of your opinion, Velaven, it is me issuing an order. Disagreement is not an acceptable response. Am I clear?

You are, my lord.

I inhaled and slowly let the air out through my teeth. And that leaves the question of what to do about this. Because just telling you about it obviously isnt going to suffice. That was the first thing I tried, and here we are again. You lasted one week.

Aster chose that moment to demonstrate the phenomenon to which I had just referred.

If she were one of the people under my command, my lieutenant said, studying Velaven with that thoughtful expression which said this was what shed refrained from saying earlier, I wouldnt punish the specific event. She acted in good faith, with good intentions, and got a good result. It is the pattern thats the issue. It doesnt surprise me that former royalty tends to assume she has to act personally if she wants anything done correctly. That unconscious assumption seems to prompt her actions on a level that supersedes conscious decision-making; Im pretty sure Velaven wouldnt choose to defy you on purpose. In other words, she needs to learn new habits, and in my experience rapping peoples knuckles does help with that, butnot all that much, and definitely not by itself. More positive methods are necessary.

Velaven shot her a quick sidelong glance, still impassive.

Well, I mused, thats valid. As Zui reminded me recently, its pretty absurd to expect Velaven to fit into the organization better if I dont extend some trust and give her some responsibility.

It was that, of all things, which finally cracked her reserve, causing the dark elf to look over at Zui in a brief flash of open surprise before she recovered her poise.

So, I said aloud, I have a job for you.

In other circumstances I might have pretended to have just had a flash of insight, so as to impress with my keen Dark Lord intellect, but Velaven was more than canny enough to recognize I had thought this up during my long silence over the walk back to North Watch. I wasnt about to start playing mind games with this woman, that would just be setting myself up for embarrassment.

I want you to form a squad of your own. You will report to Aster in this matter. Your mandate is reconnaissance and infiltration, and the training thereof; I want you to teach your subordinates everything you can of shadow scout technique, and cultivate them as potential future officers to train other units at a later time. And this is the important part, Velaven: this will be an all-volunteer group. It will consist of not more than fifteen or less than ten individuals, representing every racial group currently in the Dark Crusade in as close to an even balance as you can reasonably arrange. You may recruit anyone except the goblin veterans of your uprising within Jadraks organization, these are to be all new contacts for you. You will approach and solicit their membership personally, making it clear that this affords them no special privileges, is entirely optional, and will carry no repercussions for refusing.

Whoah, hang on, Nazralind cut in, thats gonna be a tall order, Lord Seiji. Shes pretty unpopular around here, you know.

Everyone turned to stare at her in silence.

Oh, the elf said after a moment, lowering her eyes. yeah, I get it.

You may request advice from Aster and Minifrit about suitable prospects to approach, I continued, but that is the only aid you are allowed. No one is to attempt to sway any prospect into your unit under any circumstances, youll do this entirely on your own merit. Aster, sorry to hand you more work, but I will need to you monitor Velavens unit for training progress, combat effectiveness, and above all morale.

I gave all this just a moment to sink it, holding the dark elfs eyes with my own.

In short, Velaven, you are going to start getting people around this fortress to respect, obey, and like you. Good luck.

She blinked once, her face a neutral mask. And am I under a time limit for this task, Lord Seiji?

The time limit is that as you make progress, my trust in you will increase. And if I start to think you are dawdling I will inevitably start to consider that if I cant have a suitable dark elf subordinate, this Queen Lyvien might at least make an adequate ally.

Another momentary pause to let that one weigh on her. Somehow, her utterly neutral expression hardened without changing in the slightest. I was impressed in spite of myself.

Kindly dont put me in that position, Velaven. I dont like the sound of that woman, and at absolute best it would be a massive pain in the ass. Refrain from disappointing me again, please.

Velaven bowed deeply. I shall, my lord.

Good. Then lets get stated, we have a lot on our plates today.

And then it got weird.

Still staring at me, Velaven shifted her posture. In a very measured, deliberate manner, she half-turned her torso, bringing her bust into three-quarters profile, and arched her back subtly. Then added a tilt to her pelvis to emphasize her hips. And then, one facial muscle at a time, adjusted her lips and eyebrows into a coquettish little smile, finally tilting her head so as to look at me through her eyelashes.

I do not do things by half-measures, my lord. Rather than merely not disappointing, I shallendeavor to please you.

Then she turned and walked slowly to the door. Unnaturally slowly, rolling her hips in a way that didnt work with her gait at all. While we all stared in stupefaction, she opened the door, paused to give me an obviously carefully-timed look over her shoulder, and finally sauntered out.

The four of us stared in gobsmacked silence at the half-open door for quite a while.

Biribo? I finally asked.

Shes gone, boss, he reported. No invisibility, shes halfway across the mess hall right now.

Okay. Well. Right. What the hell was that? Seriously, what was that?

Maybe all the time Ive spent around prostitutes lately has affected my standards, Aster murmured, staring pensively after Velaven, but that was pretty embarrassing.

Nazralind scratched her head in puzzlement. Shes usually so smooth. How the hell did she manage to do that so tragically wrong?

I dont think that woman has ever tried to flirt with anyone before, Zui said thoughtfully.

Shes like a horrible puzzle box, I grumbled, or a set of Russian nesting dolls. Layer after layer of nonsense, confusion, and lurking issues, all brightly painted with a coat of good manners and political savvy. I am terrified to learn whatll come up next. All right, well, were gonna have to worry about that another time. Come on, girls, weve got shit to do.