Donovan tsked, he felt the connection to one of his summoned morphlings vanish as he was exiting the meeting. There had always been a slim chance that his spies would remain undetected within this city. There were just too many unknowns. But he still felt that the risk was worth it. He had learned a few things of note already.
Some of this city’s magical defenses rivaled or even surpassed the Councils. It was a sobering realization. The city gate alone was so layered in magic that Donovan wasn’t sure if he could breach it with his magic. Then there was that building outside the wall. He wasn’t sure what it was meant for but the thing radiated magic like a bonfire.
He wasn’t sure if any of the other councilors had noticed the enchantments since they didn’t have his ability to sense magic.
Then there was the Lord himself. An unassuming young man on the outside, but Donovan could practically feel the power contained within the man and layered across his body. He was more festooned with magical items than even Donovan. And that spell he cast, while it wasn’t visible to the naked eye, just being close to that beam of deadly energy had made the hairs on Donovan’s arms stand on end.
Despite the danger the man and this city posed, Donovan couldn’t help but smile. He had worked hard to maneuver his fellow Councilors so they would fight over who came with him on this little excursion. Although, they didn’t know this. He had a hand in quietly nudging certain people to attend.
Gail and Sharina had been easy to fool into following him. Gail was the easiest because of her past history with the pair. Donovan still didn’t know the full story behind that only that they knew one another. And Sharina came to protect her investment in the portal mage. That only left the hot-tempered J-son. A few words to the right people and the man came storming to Donovan demanding to come of his own accord.
And the man’s ability to spark conflict wherever he went hadn’t disappointed him one bit, hell if anything he exceeded Donovan’s expectations. Although, he hadn’t expected Lord Norman to kill J-son outright. The stupified looks on his fellow councilor's faces made it a worthwhile trade. It was too bad he didn’t have a camera with him to capture the moment.
His one worry before coming here was that the other councilors would try to negotiate with Lord Norman behind his back for assurances of revival. But seeing him so ruthlessly cull one of their own, over a small slight, made sure that they would never seek the man out for deals on their own.
The council only tolerated his son’s magic because Donovan kept Vincent on a tight leash. There was no such guarantee with Lord Norman. And Donovan had dealt with the Council long enough to know they were all cowards at their core. Anything that threatened their sovereignty or perceived immorality was not something they would tolerate.
He was sure there would be grumbling about the disrespect shown to the Council. And that would devolve into arguing over when and how to raze this country to the ground. Of course, they would want assurances that the country could never rise again to threaten them, but Donovan could handle their whining and whingeing.
Honestly, most of the Council acted like spoiled children. Spoiled children that got angry when you didn’t allow them to play with your favorite toy, so they would break it so you couldn’t have it either. It's also what made them so easy to lead around by the nose. So far all of his plans were falling into place. Now he just needed to see if this self-stylized Lord would kill off Gail for him.
***
“Sir, may I speak freely?” Commander Alvarez asked after the two of them were led back to their waiting room and left alone. The faith healer had taken the opportunity to go sightseeing.
“Go ahead, Commander.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Everything is fine, Alvarez, why?” Barnes asked as he sat down in the waiting room again.
“… It’s just that you were acting a bit strange in the meeting.”
“Oh, that. I was playing it up for the Council. We haven’t interacted since the first peace talks and I wanted them to think I had grown unstable.”
“You wish to make them underestimate you, Sir?”
Barnes smiled, this is why he liked Alvarez, the man was quick to understand tactical necessities. “Precisely.”
Alvarez finally sat across from him. “Won’t this hurt our chances to form an agreement with this Lord Norman?”
Barnes shook his head. “If his people are listening in, they will relay this conversation to their leaders. I also hoped that Pedro might independently interact with the Lord. Now that the Council is here we can’t state publicly what we want, but I am fine with dealing in the dark for other things.”
“Aren’t you worried that Lord Norman or his people will just notify the Council of our actions?”
“Nope, I believe if Lord Norman wanted anything to do with the Council, he would have joined them at their last meeting.”
“So you believe what Kane said was true? What do you think they discussed?”
Barnes leaned back in his seat and rubbed his chin. “I can’t honestly say. It seems odd they would even ask him. They have the necromancy side of their council covered by Donovan’s son Vincent. Our spies haven’t gotten wind of any dissent within their ranks, but there must be if they came all the way out here to ask Lord Norman to join them. You haven’t heard anything have you?”
“Only that his son has been sequestered at his home for the last few weeks. But that isn’t all that unusual for their council members. It usually means they are working on a spell breakthrough.”
Barnes winced slightly at that. Any breakthrough the Councilors made was usually turned against his forces with frightening efficiency. He was thankful it took a long time to develop new magic or there would not be time to adapt to these changes. “What are your thoughts on this Lord Norman?”
“Young. Perhaps a bit over his head. Although he hides it well. As for his capability, terrifying. It seemed to even surprise the Council.”
Barnes had to agree. The spell the young Lord released gave a person no time to react or even save themselves. They were just dead instantly. “And his guards?”
“Strong and professional. Did you see how easily they carted away the dead councilor?”
He hadn’t been paying attention to that, his gaze had been fixed on the Lord, waiting to see if he would lash out again. If he did, Barnes had wanted to be ready to respond instantly. “So, they are likely enhanced. At least all of the ones wearing that dark grey armor. It certainly appears too heavy for a normal person to walk around in. It reminds me of the power suit projects that the government kept trying to make work.”
“Sir?” Alvarez asked in confusion.
Barnes waved away the man’s concern. “Top Secret stuff before your time, Commander.”
Commander Alvarez looked uncomfortable by the revelation that he had just been privy to top-secret information. And Barnes shouldn’t have told him but it had been ten years. Not a single US official had reached out to him or given him new orders during that time. Even when there were portals and ways to bypass zones to reach them.
Some days he wondered why he bothered keeping Southern California out of the Council’s hands. Then he remembered what the Council was like and his anger and distrust for them was renewed yet again. He would rather burn it all to the ground before letting the Council have any of it.
Barnes understood how fatalistic that sounded but they were fighting a war for their very lives. He had seen what happened to those deemed unimportant in the Council’s territory. Those without magic or useful skills were turned into serfs, forced to work the land as little more than slaves.
Then they had their awakened and unawakened. Barnes would fall under the unawakened caste as he was someone who had abilities but didn’t have spells like the awakened. Not that most of the awakened had it much better under the Council’s rule. If they refused to use their magic for the Council’s benefit, they were simply killed off and turned into undead. The ones that agreed were forcefully conscripted into the Council’s army as Controllers.
It was all very draconian.
Some might ask why he ever tried suing for peace between the groups. That was an easy answer, he hadn’t known about any of this back before the war. If he had, things would have been very different.
***
Pedro was glad to be out of that meeting. He knew he was only here as a chess piece to be moved about for the benefit of the Commonwealth. He had no qualifications to be in such high-level talks. Especially now that those talks also included this Council. The Council members reminded him a lot of the Brotherhood higher-ups. Which made Pedro instantly dislike them, as if he hadn’t already due to the war they were waging in California. He let those negative thoughts go.
The meeting was over for the moment and he decided to take full advantage of the time between to explore Ashvale. The name was a bit odd, but so was the man who controlled the town. But that didn’t detract from the city’s rustic charm and beautiful vistas. Small rolling hills and small forests dotted the landscape around the town. Even the trip to the city was picturesque, with only a single dirt path to mar the untouched beauty of the landscape. It was only when they got close to Ashvale that signs of habitation started to appear, starting with small farms and people herding livestock while riding zitha.
There was a strange dichotomy to the buildings as well. Most were rustic and looked to be hand-built. This rustic aesthetic was offset by the large structure going up outside Ashvale, its imposing walls, and the ministry building. All of which would not have been possible without modern means or magic. And Pedro hadn’t seen a single sign that Norman or his people had modern machinery.
Even now as Pedro walked down the street, bustling with people and market stalls, he was impressed by what Norman and his people had built. He even saw a good number of people from the wasteland among the locals, hawking wares. He smiled at that, giving the merchants friendly nods as he passed. It made him recall the fonder times he had spent in Beskara before he got tangled up in the Brotherhood’s machinations.
He walked up to one stall and traded for a colorful silk scarf. It wasn’t for him, but he thought Evelynn might enjoy it. A sad thought crossed his mind when he realized he would never be able to tell her where it came from. That thought soured his good mood. He certainly couldn’t blame Norman or his people for protecting what was theirs. From everything Pedro learned about her short-term incarceration, she was the lucky one in her group.
He knew all about being locked up against your will. Maybe that’s why he was so good at counseling people who had experienced similar traumatic events. But Pedro wasn’t fully healed himself. There were still times when he woke up in a cold sweat, recalling the distant screams from inside his gilded prison in Beskara. He had fully expected to die that day when Norman and his army arrived and was at peace with that. So when he was released and allowed to return to California it had been a shock as well as a wakeup call.
Had he known then, what he knew now, he might have counseled Norman to show more compassion. But he was a bit biased.
Pedro was just reaching the end of the market when two spear-wielding men in dark grey armor approached him.
“Mr. Sanchez?” one of the guards spoke.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, Sir. The Lord would like to speak with you.”
Pedro was wondering if Norman would reach out to him. It seems like he was right. The question was, was this a good thing or a bad thing? “Very well. Lead the way.”
The guard that spoke, bowed slightly and Pedro stepped in line behind him while the last guard followed behind. The trio made quick time as the crowds parted before their distinctive armor. Even other guards moved aside and gave acknowledging bows to the armored men.
Soon the trio came to a very imposing stone building. It stood out in its stark difference from every other building around it. This was not a building meant to be ornate or flashy so much as it was a statement. And that statement was “Fuck around and find out!”
Pedro’s first thought was that it was a prison. The part of him that still remembered being locked up in Beskara gibbered in the back of his mind screaming for him to run. He did his best to ignore that voice and followed the guard inside. He was led through hallways with mostly closed doors, but the few he saw open were simple offices. The fact that they didn’t appear to be cells certainly put his frayed mind at ease.
At the end of the hall, they came to another door, this one guarded by four more of the dark grey armored knights. In unison, all six tapped the butts of their glowing spears on the ground and the one closest to the door knocked.
“Your guest has arrived, Lord.”
After a moment, there was a muffled reply and the guard motioned for Pedro to step forward. The guard opened the door and Pedro stepped inside, unsure of what to expect. Norman walking over and giving him a big hug certainly wasn’t the first thing on his mind.
Donovan tsked, he felt the connection to one of his summoned morphlings vanish as he was exiting the meeting. There had always been a slim chance that his spies would remain undetected within this city. There were just too many unknowns. But he still felt that the risk was worth it. He had learned a few things of note already.
Some of this city’s magical defenses rivaled or even surpassed the Councils. It was a sobering realization. The city gate alone was so layered in magic that Donovan wasn’t sure if he could breach it with his magic. Then there was that building outside the wall. He wasn’t sure what it was meant for but the thing radiated magic like a bonfire.
He wasn’t sure if any of the other councilors had noticed the enchantments since they didn’t have his ability to sense magic.
Then there was the Lord himself. An unassuming young man on the outside, but Donovan could practically feel the power contained within the man and layered across his body. He was more festooned with magical items than even Donovan. And that spell he cast, while it wasn’t visible to the naked eye, just being close to that beam of deadly energy had made the hairs on Donovan’s arms stand on end.
Despite the danger the man and this city posed, Donovan couldn’t help but smile. He had worked hard to maneuver his fellow Councilors so they would fight over who came with him on this little excursion. Although, they didn’t know this. He had a hand in quietly nudging certain people to attend.
Gail and Sharina had been easy to fool into following him. Gail was the easiest because of her past history with the pair. Donovan still didn’t know the full story behind that only that they knew one another. And Sharina came to protect her investment in the portal mage. That only left the hot-tempered J-son. A few words to the right people and the man came storming to Donovan demanding to come of his own accord.
And the man’s ability to spark conflict wherever he went hadn’t disappointed him one bit, hell if anything he exceeded Donovan’s expectations. Although, he hadn’t expected Lord Norman to kill J-son outright. The stupified looks on his fellow councilor's faces made it a worthwhile trade. It was too bad he didn’t have a camera with him to capture the moment.
His one worry before coming here was that the other councilors would try to negotiate with Lord Norman behind his back for assurances of revival. But seeing him so ruthlessly cull one of their own, over a small slight, made sure that they would never seek the man out for deals on their own.
The council only tolerated his son’s magic because Donovan kept Vincent on a tight leash. There was no such guarantee with Lord Norman. And Donovan had dealt with the Council long enough to know they were all cowards at their core. Anything that threatened their sovereignty or perceived immorality was not something they would tolerate.
He was sure there would be grumbling about the disrespect shown to the Council. And that would devolve into arguing over when and how to raze this country to the ground. Of course, they would want assurances that the country could never rise again to threaten them, but Donovan could handle their whining and whingeing.
Honestly, most of the Council acted like spoiled children. Spoiled children that got angry when you didn’t allow them to play with your favorite toy, so they would break it so you couldn’t have it either. It's also what made them so easy to lead around by the nose. So far all of his plans were falling into place. Now he just needed to see if this self-stylized Lord would kill off Gail for him.
***
“Sir, may I speak freely?” Commander Alvarez asked after the two of them were led back to their waiting room and left alone. The faith healer had taken the opportunity to go sightseeing.
“Go ahead, Commander.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Everything is fine, Alvarez, why?” Barnes asked as he sat down in the waiting room again.
“… It’s just that you were acting a bit strange in the meeting.”
“Oh, that. I was playing it up for the Council. We haven’t interacted since the first peace talks and I wanted them to think I had grown unstable.”
“You wish to make them underestimate you, Sir?”
Barnes smiled, this is why he liked Alvarez, the man was quick to understand tactical necessities. “Precisely.”
Alvarez finally sat across from him. “Won’t this hurt our chances to form an agreement with this Lord Norman?”
Barnes shook his head. “If his people are listening in, they will relay this conversation to their leaders. I also hoped that Pedro might independently interact with the Lord. Now that the Council is here we can’t state publicly what we want, but I am fine with dealing in the dark for other things.”
“Aren’t you worried that Lord Norman or his people will just notify the Council of our actions?”
“Nope, I believe if Lord Norman wanted anything to do with the Council, he would have joined them at their last meeting.”
“So you believe what Kane said was true? What do you think they discussed?”
Barnes leaned back in his seat and rubbed his chin. “I can’t honestly say. It seems odd they would even ask him. They have the necromancy side of their council covered by Donovan’s son Vincent. Our spies haven’t gotten wind of any dissent within their ranks, but there must be if they came all the way out here to ask Lord Norman to join them. You haven’t heard anything have you?”
“Only that his son has been sequestered at his home for the last few weeks. But that isn’t all that unusual for their council members. It usually means they are working on a spell breakthrough.”
Barnes winced slightly at that. Any breakthrough the Councilors made was usually turned against his forces with frightening efficiency. He was thankful it took a long time to develop new magic or there would not be time to adapt to these changes. “What are your thoughts on this Lord Norman?”
“Young. Perhaps a bit over his head. Although he hides it well. As for his capability, terrifying. It seemed to even surprise the Council.”
Barnes had to agree. The spell the young Lord released gave a person no time to react or even save themselves. They were just dead instantly. “And his guards?”
“Strong and professional. Did you see how easily they carted away the dead councilor?”
He hadn’t been paying attention to that, his gaze had been fixed on the Lord, waiting to see if he would lash out again. If he did, Barnes had wanted to be ready to respond instantly. “So, they are likely enhanced. At least all of the ones wearing that dark grey armor. It certainly appears too heavy for a normal person to walk around in. It reminds me of the power suit projects that the government kept trying to make work.”
“Sir?” Alvarez asked in confusion.
Barnes waved away the man’s concern. “Top Secret stuff before your time, Commander.”
Commander Alvarez looked uncomfortable by the revelation that he had just been privy to top-secret information. And Barnes shouldn’t have told him but it had been ten years. Not a single US official had reached out to him or given him new orders during that time. Even when there were portals and ways to bypass zones to reach them.
Some days he wondered why he bothered keeping Southern California out of the Council’s hands. Then he remembered what the Council was like and his anger and distrust for them was renewed yet again. He would rather burn it all to the ground before letting the Council have any of it.
Barnes understood how fatalistic that sounded but they were fighting a war for their very lives. He had seen what happened to those deemed unimportant in the Council’s territory. Those without magic or useful skills were turned into serfs, forced to work the land as little more than slaves.
Then they had their awakened and unawakened. Barnes would fall under the unawakened caste as he was someone who had abilities but didn’t have spells like the awakened. Not that most of the awakened had it much better under the Council’s rule. If they refused to use their magic for the Council’s benefit, they were simply killed off and turned into undead. The ones that agreed were forcefully conscripted into the Council’s army as Controllers.
It was all very draconian.
Some might ask why he ever tried suing for peace between the groups. That was an easy answer, he hadn’t known about any of this back before the war. If he had, things would have been very different.
***
Pedro was glad to be out of that meeting. He knew he was only here as a chess piece to be moved about for the benefit of the Commonwealth. He had no qualifications to be in such high-level talks. Especially now that those talks also included this Council. The Council members reminded him a lot of the Brotherhood higher-ups. Which made Pedro instantly dislike them, as if he hadn’t already due to the war they were waging in California. He let those negative thoughts go.
The meeting was over for the moment and he decided to take full advantage of the time between to explore Ashvale. The name was a bit odd, but so was the man who controlled the town. But that didn’t detract from the city’s rustic charm and beautiful vistas. Small rolling hills and small forests dotted the landscape around the town. Even the trip to the city was picturesque, with only a single dirt path to mar the untouched beauty of the landscape. It was only when they got close to Ashvale that signs of habitation started to appear, starting with small farms and people herding livestock while riding zitha.
There was a strange dichotomy to the buildings as well. Most were rustic and looked to be hand-built. This rustic aesthetic was offset by the large structure going up outside Ashvale, its imposing walls, and the ministry building. All of which would not have been possible without modern means or magic. And Pedro hadn’t seen a single sign that Norman or his people had modern machinery.
Even now as Pedro walked down the street, bustling with people and market stalls, he was impressed by what Norman and his people had built. He even saw a good number of people from the wasteland among the locals, hawking wares. He smiled at that, giving the merchants friendly nods as he passed. It made him recall the fonder times he had spent in Beskara before he got tangled up in the Brotherhood’s machinations.
He walked up to one stall and traded for a colorful silk scarf. It wasn’t for him, but he thought Evelynn might enjoy it. A sad thought crossed his mind when he realized he would never be able to tell her where it came from. That thought soured his good mood. He certainly couldn’t blame Norman or his people for protecting what was theirs. From everything Pedro learned about her short-term incarceration, she was the lucky one in her group.
He knew all about being locked up against your will. Maybe that’s why he was so good at counseling people who had experienced similar traumatic events. But Pedro wasn’t fully healed himself. There were still times when he woke up in a cold sweat, recalling the distant screams from inside his gilded prison in Beskara. He had fully expected to die that day when Norman and his army arrived and was at peace with that. So when he was released and allowed to return to California it had been a shock as well as a wakeup call.
Had he known then, what he knew now, he might have counseled Norman to show more compassion. But he was a bit biased.
Pedro was just reaching the end of the market when two spear-wielding men in dark grey armor approached him.
“Mr. Sanchez?” one of the guards spoke.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, Sir. The Lord would like to speak with you.”
Pedro was wondering if Norman would reach out to him. It seems like he was right. The question was, was this a good thing or a bad thing? “Very well. Lead the way.”
The guard that spoke, bowed slightly and Pedro stepped in line behind him while the last guard followed behind. The trio made quick time as the crowds parted before their distinctive armor. Even other guards moved aside and gave acknowledging bows to the armored men.
Soon the trio came to a very imposing stone building. It stood out in its stark difference from every other building around it. This was not a building meant to be ornate or flashy so much as it was a statement. And that statement was “Fuck around and find out!”
Pedro’s first thought was that it was a prison. The part of him that still remembered being locked up in Beskara gibbered in the back of his mind screaming for him to run. He did his best to ignore that voice and followed the guard inside. He was led through hallways with mostly closed doors, but the few he saw open were simple offices. The fact that they didn’t appear to be cells certainly put his frayed mind at ease.
At the end of the hall, they came to another door, this one guarded by four more of the dark grey armored knights. In unison, all six tapped the butts of their glowing spears on the ground and the one closest to the door knocked.
“Your guest has arrived, Lord.”
After a moment, there was a muffled reply and the guard motioned for Pedro to step forward. The guard opened the door and Pedro stepped inside, unsure of what to expect. Norman walking over and giving him a big hug certainly wasn’t the first thing on his mind.
