Season of Bloom - 13. Restov's Resolution

“I got it!”

Kiba frowned at the strange words coming from the halfling’s maw, the kobold doing his best to figure out exactly what it was Linzi had got. She’d been trying to teach him Taldane, but it was slow going. Kiba’s mind was having issues figuring out how he was supposed to fit war, famine, and disease all into one word for death.

They sat in front of a small hearth, tables spread through the room as they waited for Lapis. Linzi had said something about the catfolk probably heading south to find a ford or a bridge

The dark one glanced up from the book he was reading, the painting of a six legged fire lizard adorning the wooden cover. He spoke roughly in the softskins’ tongue, the tone doing nothing to dampen the bard’s spirits. She waved a parchment excitedly for a moment, before catching herself and handing it to him carefully.

Faes’ eyes seemed to glow inside his hood, a sure sign of excitement, and he read through the parchment carefully.

“Perfect…”

Kiba blinked in surprise, wondering if Linzi had told him the wrong definition for that word. The dark one never seemed to think anything was that good.

“Set hair for Cassiel?”

The kobold frowned, trying to figure out what the two were saying. Why would a dead baron worry about his hair? He was distracted by the opening of the door, a loud chuff lifting his spirits.

“The Khemet is returned!” he announced loudly in Common, a sense of pride soaring through his chest at the simple sentence.

A pride that quickly vanished as he was bowled over by the white tiger. Rough barbs scraped over his scales as the kobold struggled to escape the tiger’s tongue, the dark one snickering at the small kobold’s predicament.

“Khemet.”

The tired rumble of Lapis’ voice filled the large room, the party all letting out sighs of relief. Kiba’s was doubled by the sudden lack of a tiger on his chest. Suddenly they were in motion again, a stunned look on the amurrun’s face as nearly everyone in the post gathered their bags and filed outside.

“What’s happening?” he frowned in Kiba’s direction. “Why is Valerie hurt? Where are we going? I thought we’d have a night to rest…”

Kiba shook his head, opening his pocket to make sure Apsu was still safely tucked away.

“The dark one says we leave. So we leave,” he shrugged.

“I thought I was the baron. I need to rest; I’ve been walking all day to get here.”

“You will ask the dark one to stay here then?” Kiba frowned. “The dark one won’t like that.”

“His name is Faes. You can call him that you know,” the ammurun sighed. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Kiba will continue preparing for the night walk,” the kobold replied, still running through his bag to make sure he had everything. “Kiba asks you don’t leave again. Dangerous wilds cannot be tread alone.”

“I didn’t have much choice. I had to help Kaessi,” Lapis sighed quietly. “But I’ll try to stay with you. We’re still a few days ahead of the full moon. Maybe we should head out anyway, I want to be in a city when it hits.”

The journey to Restov took place over a rough road, the party having to check their horses’ hooves every night for loose dirt and stones. They reached the city after two days, Faes noticing their baron growing rather anxious with each passing day. Knowing the cat, it had nothing to do with the hopeful coronation coming and everything to do with whether he could worship his deities properly in a strange town.

Faes was more than willing to help the amurrun out with his concerns, but he had his own concerns ahead of him. Namely the scrolls in his bag. Each had been painstakingly forged by Linzi to show Lapis had been adopted as Baron Cassiel’s heir, supposedly witnessed by Jhod Kavken. He prayed it would be enough for the Aldori. According to the half orc son of Jamandi, the Aldori would do anything to keep Ellesmera from falling into the hands of either Pitax or Brevoy. If the Surtovas took this land over, the Aldori dream of taking back Rostland would remain a dream forever.

Their horses were handed off to a stableboy near the Aldori mansion, Faes scoffing at the terror that filled the young human at the sight of Khemet. He was certainly a wild tiger, but he was also well trained by Lapis. The only danger the boy was in was of getting flayed alive by the big cat’s tongue. And Khemet had Kiba for that, the kobold’s scales surprisingly resistant to the pull of the barbs.

“Lady Aldori will see you at once,” a guard said sternly, confirming what the half-drow suspected.

There had been eyes watching them from the moment they had left Ellesmera, scouts racing them back to Restov to report to their master. Sure, Jamandi likely wasn’t certain what this was about, but a delegation from the young barony that was being personally bankrolled by her, that was not something she would ignore.

Slowly Faes was sinking into the world of politics. How often had he seen cities, baronies, entire kingdoms playing this game? And now he was one of the players himself, the stakes admittedly low. Nothing more than a barony and a catfolk. It was a comfortable gap between him and disaster, and Faes was happy with it.

They passed through an empty throne room, Faes scoffing slightly. Of course they would not be received there, not when Jamandi didn’t know what they were doing here.

The office they were taken to was richly appointed, various trophies lining the walls as a pair of crossed dueling swords adorned the open space above Jamandi Aldori’s seat. It was a miniature replica of the throne room, and Faes smirked as he examined it. No originality, just flat out bragging about their skills. He wondered what those skills would mean on a Surtovan chopping block.

“I do not believe I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance.”

Lady Aldori’s voice pulled the half-drow back to the task at hand, the kineticist studying this noble who handed out baronies like she was the queen. Glenebun, the Shrike Hills, Dunsward, all new baronies, all under the command of inexperienced adventurers simply to give Restov allies in a coming civil war. And people had the audacity to call Faes evil. At least he made no pretenses about what he wanted. Power, and if it meant he had to play nice, so be it. He could be nice.

“Valerie, Linzi, you two I recognize. Perhaps you can clarify the cause of your visit for me?” the Swordlord asked pointedly.

“Baron Cassiel’s death,” Valerie said immediately, and Jamandi’s face soured. “There was an attempt to bring him back, but it apparently failed. We bring a… replacement for your consideration.”

“Lapis,” Linzi introduced the catfolk quickly. “He is Cassiel’s adopted son and heir.”

The amurrun stood to the side of the group, his hands tightening in the tiger’s fur at the sight of another tiger’s head hanging from a plaque.

“I will never see you up there,” he promised Khemet quietly, his faithful companion letting out a wide yawn that seemed to put the room at edge.

Silence enveloped them, and belatedly, Lapis realized they were all staring at him.

“Cassiel chose you?” the woman behind the oaken desk demanded almost incredulously. “I… have trouble believing this. You were not among the original group, nor was there enough time for Cassiel to know someone enough to offer his barony so soon.”

“We have the scrolls to prove it,” Faes said, pulling the parchments from his bag.

“Easily forged,” Jamandi said quietly. “And yet…”

Her eyes zeroed in on Kiba, a note of disgust piercing her next question.

“What is a kobold doing here?”

“He guarded Cassiel’s body as we searched for the scroll you gave us,” Linzi said. “Right now we assume he’s the envoy from a tribe of kobolds we helped within Ellesmera.”

“He is a friend,” Lapis said, setting a hand on Kiba’s shoulder. “Khemet can vouch for him.”

The amurrun figured the tiger could anyway; he had never warmed up to Faes like he had with Kiba. It seemed Khemet was a better judge of character than himself.

“You are obviously trying to pull something,” Jamandi scowled. “But I cannot have the Stolen Lands be without leadership. The Surtovas would snap them up in an instant. Valerie, do you vouch for this cat?”

“He… he is chaotic, my lady. But he seems to do what is best for others when he can, just as Cassiel did. At least he couldn’t do any worse than the bandits,” the fighter said quietly.

“Very well. You will have your barony, Ser Lapis. On one condition. The envoy I sent with Cassiel, Kassil, he will remain with you,” Jamandi said.

“I’ll do my best not to dishonour Cassiel’s memory,” Lapis said quietly, his head lowering slightly in a bow. “Thank you for the trust you have given me.”

“The scrolls. I will need a copy of them, to satisfy the houses,” Jamandi added, looking at Faes. “You have them with you?”

The half-drow nodded, handing forward two scrolls. He kept two back, their own original copies of Linzi’s handiwork.

“Your forger did a good job. They should be proud of themself I suppose,” the Swordlord said. “You may go now. Take the night to rest; tomorrow I will have my guards see you back to Oleg’s.”