Season of Bloom - 16. Ismenian Interactions

“I have a letter from Lady Aldori regarding Oleg’s Trading Post.”

Lapis shifted in the wooden seat, his cheeks still tender from Faes’ training the night before. The amurrun had healed the pain away easily enough, but the memory of the heated slaps still made him twitch, and made paying attention even more difficult.

He had earned the punishment. In his first day back, Lapis had set Kanerah up as the barony’s treasurer, causing no small amount of anger from Faes. He wasn’t the hollowborn’s slave. More than that, he had continued feeding Khemet at the dining table. The tiger was his family, and Lapis wasn’t about to let Faes dictate what Khemet could or couldn’t do. But he would gladly be Faes’ plaything. The pain was fun in a way, even without Tristian’s protections, and the amurrun found he enjoyed having the flames lick over him. It was a feeling he hadn’t been able to explore since his exile from the House of Cats, and feeling the wrath of Faes’ flames reminded him of his first home.

The catfolk adjusted his seat again, nodding for Kassil Aldori to continue. He was already tired of petitioners, of matters of state, but Lapis had a new duty, and he would not let the barony down. The Celestial Cats had seen him here, and he would answer their call.

“Your predecessor, Cassiel, sent a letter to Lady Aldori requesting that the rights of taxation for the trading post be handed to Ellesmera. Naturally, Lady Aldori is less than pleased at the prospect of losing the revenue from the post.”

Lapis would ask to see the letter, but his Taldane was not the best, and the amurrun knew he would make little sense of the letterings. Linzi was helping him with that.

“I believe she sees it as a matter of loyalty more than money. Nevertheless, I was able to smooth things over, and Lady Aldori has agreed to let us collect taxes from the post. However, she insists that the road between Restov and Ismenia be restored.”

Lapis frowned as the half orc fell silent. A second passed, and then another, before he realized he was supposed to say something himself.

“Is the road not being worked on already?”

“No, we have been busy with other projects. I would advise that we get the road repaired as soon as possible. It will greatly aid trade in our barony,” Kassil said.

Lapis nodded in understanding, his eyes flickering over the half orc’s well dressed body. The amurrun let out a small merf, pulling himself from his open appraisal of the body before him.

“Then let’s get the road repaired,” he said.

“Of course my lord,” Kassil said, shifting uncomfortably under Lapis’ gaze. “I will get Octavia to draft the orders at once.”

He bowed and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Lapis frowned. “The gnome… Jubilost… You said he was still waiting at the Skunk River?”

“He might be,” Kassil nodded.

“It might be a good idea for me to check on him personally. He’s the writer, right? I wouldn’t want him to put a bad report out on Ellesmera,” the amurrun said.

“That is reasonable. I believe he was looking for the dwarven fortress. If you took him to see the fortress, it might go a long way toward aiding a good review of the barony,” Kassil suggested.

Lapis frowned at the half orc suspiciously.

“This isn’t a plot to have me find someone to kill me, is it?” he asked.

“Oh not at all my lord. I am ever your faithful servant,” Kassil said quickly. “You said you were hoping for a favourable article. I am merely suggesting a feasible path toward getting one. Besides, Linzi has been mapping out resources for the barony. With the southern Narlmarches now under our banner, it is a perfect time to seek out new resources to the south.”

Lapis nodded, gritting his teeth as he stood up.

“Go ahead and get Octavia to write those orders. I’m going to get Faes and Kiba. We’ll head out to the fortress tomorrow morning.”

Faes watched the fighter slam her mace into a target dummy, bits of wood and stuffing flying with every strike. Valerie was pissed. Or maybe that’s just how fighters trained. Faes honestly wasn’t sure.

The hollowborn watched silently, waiting nearly ten minutes before the armoured woman finally took a break. Breathing hard, Valerie sat on a bench, pulling out a cloth to wipe the haft of her mace.

“Greetings,” she said roughly.

“Good day,” Faes said. “How are you doing? I see your face hasn’t healed yet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Valerie brushed off. “If time permits, I’ll see a healer. Besides, it might shut those Shelynite dogs up for good if their champion marred my ‘celestial beauty’.”

Her chin raised proudly, the former paladin looking Faes in the eye.

“I must admit I had no doubt that we would duel. And that I would win. The paladins of Shelyn are pompous fools, better suited to leering at young women than swinging a weapon. Now that I know for a fact I am free from their clutches, I can better set myself to serving Ellesmera… and my liege lord.”

“And the fact that your liege lord is a promiscuous catfolk?” Faes prompted.

“Water under the bridge and I’m over it. So long as he obeys the law himself, I will have little problem. I am… ashamed that my first impulse was to accuse him of carnal relations with his pet. That was unworthy of me. But I am glad that it was cleared up.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

Faes turned at the voice. Lapis stood a few feet from them, Khemet watching Faes and Valerie with subdued interest.

“We’re leaving to search for a gnome by the name of Jubilost Narthropple,” Lapis said, his tail twitching slightly. “Valerie, do you know anything about this gnome?”

“He is conceited in the extreme, so full of himself it is surprising he was ever able to learn anything,” Valerie scoffed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he had moved on by now.”

“Regardless, we will search for him. If he is not at the river, Kassil wants me to scout out resources in the bog. It shouldn’t take us more than three or four days to return to Ismenia.

“As you command, my lord,” Valerie said evenly.

Swords met in a ferocious clamour, Kiba falling aside as Regongar beat on his blade. The kobold groaned as his arm shook, the weight of his scimitar starting to overpower him. He had been fighting with the half orc for nearly an hour. More accurately, Regongar had been toying with him for the past hour.

The training quarters rang with the sound of steel and bows, the town guard working under the watchful eye of Keston Garress. The man left Regongar and Kiba to their own work though, focusing more on the human guards that needed to be trained up.

“Get that sword up!” Regongar bellowed at the kobold, and Kiba hastened to obey as the half orc charged.

Once again, he was knocked across the practice yard, his blade flying out of his slackened grip. Kiba let out a yelp, scrambling toward the scimitar. A foot stomped on his arm, crushing it under two hundred pounds of half orc, and cold steel met the back of his neck.

“You are useless, dead,” Regongar snarled. “Get up. Since you are so eager to lose your blade, you can practice dodging my blade.”

Kiba reached for his sword, only to be knocked aside by the half orc’s boot.

“No. You will earn the privilege of holding steel.”

The kobold scrambled to his feet, reptilian eyes staring at the half orc in fear.

“Move,” Regongar grinned, raising his blade.

Lightning crackled along the length, and Kiba darted away frantically, trying to put as much space between him and the electrified sword as he could. For every step he took though, the half orc was there, swinging inches from the kobold’s face.

“Enough!”

Kiba stumbled away from Regongar, warm fur rubbing against him. Khemet grunted at the half orc as Lapis stepped between Regongar and Kiba.

“That is enough,” the amurrun repeated sternly.

“Whatever you say, Baron,” Regongar scoffed. “The gods forbid I try to instill any kind of discipline into someone wielding magic.”

“If he’s going to learn discipline, I feel there are better ways to teach him than trying to cut him to ribbons.”

“He asked for training. I’m training him. If he doesn’t want it, all he has to do is tell me so. I’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart, you know.”

Kiba looked between the two warily, the smaller lizard slipping around to his sword. He picked it up again, trying to be as stealthy as possible. Letting out a sigh of relief as his actions went unnoticed, the kobold slunk away from the training grounds as Regongar and Lapis argued. He would find some other way to train. Hopefully one that didn’t result in as many bruises.