The next day, Drake was once again summoned to a cabal. This surprised no one. Shortly after he rose and had breakfast, however, he officially inducted River and Hector into the Gloomwood Manor blood pact. Both were quite pleased to be offered their new roles.
Drake also explained how his blood pact was different from all the others—no compulsion—which surprised them. River’s eager and relieved grin was nice to see, and Hector looked gobsmacked. Both swore they would serve him loyally, and since they couldn’t lie, that was good enough for now.
River accepted the job as Lydia’s assistant with an eagerness that suggested she was excited by the chance to prove herself. River seemed like a woman who enjoyed challenges, and serving as Lydia’s assistant would be a challenge. Even now, Drake still felt like he didn’t know half of the matters Lydia handled for him on a daily basis.
As for Hector, he looked beyond honored to be offered the role of Drake’s attendant. He took to his new role with vigor. That morning, after the man adjusted Drake’s collar in a way he hadn’t known was necessary, adjusted his cuffs to fit a way he hadn’t known they could, and then offered to comb and style his hair, Drake glanced in Sky’s mirror.
He whistled in appreciation. It wasn’t that he’d ever looked slovenly as a manor lord, but today... he looked good. Hector was going to be an asset to his manor. Once Drake saw how pleased Anna was to have Hector in the manor, he felt even better about his decision.
As for his escort to the cabal, Drake took Lydia, Emily, River, Darion, and Marissa. While the threat of anyone discovering he could lie now seemed remote, he still couldn’t risk putting any thrall in a room with the other manor lords where he could be called to testify. Samuel, unlike Lydia, still knew Drake could lie... and he would be more useful gathering intelligence.
His choices to support him at the cabal were straightforward. Lydia was his steward and closest advisor. Emily’s spectral soul-chopping axe made her a murder machine. River needed to start shadowing Lydia immediately to get better at her duties, and Darion was the only healer they had with them in the capital. A healer was always welcome.
Finally, Marissa was a former manor lord who knew the noble court as well as anyone in the capital. That would leave Valentia, Nicole, Robin, Carl, and Gaby to defend their chambers and the non-combatants recovering within. Drake wasn’t about to leave his people unprotected, even this deep in the capital. Not after that attack on the beach.
Drake and his entourage arrived in the Chamber of Council to find all the lords but Lord Skybreak already gathered. Compared to the prior cabal, the chamber felt empty. No Lord Frostlight. No Lord Blackmane. No Lord Redbow. As Drake reflected on the empty seats, it occurred to him that the kromians couldn’t have chosen a better time to launch their attack.
Had the kromians decided to attack the capital a month ago, they would have faced a dangerously organized four manor alliance with Lord Brightwater supporting it. Now, thanks to Drake’s ruthless dismantling of that alliance, the kromians faced a group of manor lords in disarray. He’d had to break the big four apart... but it was sure was inconvenient now.
Lord Skybreak arrived not long after Drake, and brought just who he’d expect. Viktoria, Karth, Head Ranger Cask, Ali, and Mary. Kari was not among them, which made Drake wonder if she’d been chosen to guard the chambers or had been injured in yesterday’s attack.
He’d have time to catch up with Sky later today. She did offer a nod his way, which he returned. As soon as Sky and her people were settled into their box, the Judge spoke.
“As Judge, I call this cabal to order! Six manor lords were summoned! Who has come?”
Last time, it had been nine. Even so, events proceeded as they had. Lord Mistvale rose and announced himself first, followed by Lord Proudglade and then Lord Brightwater. Drake came next, followed by Sky. Finally, Lord Ashwind announced his presence with dull resignation. He must still be worried about the son Lord Redbow had abducted.
“As Judge, I have called this cabal,” the Judge said. “Therefore, the cabal is called.”
No need for five manor lords to agree to call a cabal when the Judge was involved. She was the ultimate authority in this city. In this case, given all the manors save for Drake and Sky’s seemed to still be in disarray, that was probably a good thing.
“As Judge, I declare that this cabal is called under extraordinary circumstances,” the Judge continued. “There will be no announcements and no grievances. Instead, we will move immediately to business. Yesterday, an army of kromians attacked our great city.” Her keen eyes turned to Drake’s former enemy. “Lord Proudglade. Share your report.”
“Once we took the field, the kromians retreated in disarray,” Proudglade said calmly. “Orson and my golden knights aided a force of capital guards in taking back the streets and buildings the kromians had invaded. We have verified no kromian spies remain inside the city.”
Drake expected Proudglade to sound smug about his victory, but he sounded more businesslike. His face was calm, his gaze flat. He had watched his youngest son beheaded not long ago. Despite the fact that this man had sent multiple people to kill him, Drake found he couldn’t hate Lord Proudglade any longer.
The man had only tried to kill him because Westin let him think Drake was evil.
“Lord Mistvale?” the Judge said. “Make your report.”
“My scouts have finished their search of the surrounding countryside for additional pockets of kromian resistance,” Mistvale said in his prim, snooty voice. “No threats to the capital remain in the countryside. However, we were unable to fully search the lakes.”
“Given the kromian need for saltwater, we have little worry in that regard,” the Judge said. She pivoted to look at Sky. “Lord Skybreak, your forces engaged the kromian invaders the longest. In that time, were you able to determine any purpose in their attack?”
So Sky’s forces had been on the frontlines defending the city? Or, more likely... its people. That was exactly what Sky would do if she heard the city was under attack by kromian butchers. She would lead her people out to stop them and save as many as she could.
“No, Judge,” Sky said calmly. “The kromians killed whoever they could get their spears into and did not distinguish between soldiers and citizens. They burned what they could and wrecked what they could not. Their only purpose, in my eyes, was slaughter and destruction.”
Drake measured his anger as he listened to Sky’s calm and certain words. As he remembered Hugo lying facedown on the beach. As he remembered returning to cover to find Alice staring at nothing, her face blue and cold. As he remembered Xutag.
“Lord Gloomwood.” The Judge’s gaze turned to him. “You and the staff of your manor were out on a private beach when the attack occurred. Can you describe what happened?”
Drake took a moment. “While we were on the beach, several of my thralls noticed an abrupt change in the bay. Hundreds of forms swimming in a thick line toward the capital. My steward’s assistant recognized them as kromians and called out a warning.”
The terrifying sound of arrows peppering the beach prayed back in Drake’s mind.
“A detachment of kromians appeared to separate themselves from the main force. Thanks to River’s warning, some of my people were able to take shelter beneath a heavy leather tarp before the first wave of arrows arrived. The rest were cut down on the beach. Six dead. Eight injured. All would have died if not for the medicine provided by the noble court.”
He didn’t miss as Sky winced in sympathy as she sat in her box.
“Cresh, the leader of my zarovian vanguard, took his zarovians into the water to engage the kromian attackers despite being outnumbered five to one. Thanks to the brave efforts of Cresh and his warriors, a much smaller number of kromians made it to the beach. We lost seven zarovians in the battle, but they took down so many kromians I lost count.”
Cresh and his people had fought like absolute badasses, and seven had fought to the death to protect everyone else. They deserved all the credit Drake could give them, especially since he suspected many manor lords still looked down on demihumans.
“The remaining kromians reached the beach and attempted to slaughter the rest of my manor. To be clear, killing us offered no tactical advantage. They simply decided to slaughter us because we were there.”
Drake worked to keep himself calm. “Unfortunately, the kromians neglected to anticipate they would face the best warriors in my manor. So after we killed every last fucking one of them, we fell back to higher ground and tended our wounded.”
“Do you believe the kromians intended to assassinate you?” the Judge asked.
“No, Judge. I doubt they could even identify me at the distance they were when they decided to murder us. I and my thralls were dressed for the beach. I believe the kromians saw a group of unarmed civilians and decided to butcher them for fun.”
“We are not here to speculate on the motives of the kromians, only to compare accounts of the battle,” the Judge said calmly. “But... you have our sympathy. While no capital guards tasked to protect the beach survived, that does not excuse our failure to protect your people. It will not happen again.”
Drake simply nodded and sat back down. When he sensed Lord Proudglade’s gaze on him, he met the man’s eyes in challenge. Rather than glaring back, Proudglade simply looked to the Judge. He did not look nearly so combative as he had in the prior cabal.
“I will now share reports from our capital guard,” the Judge said. “The damage to the docks was extensive. Most every fishing and merchant ship in the bay or tied up at the docks was crippled or destroyed. We estimate it will be months before the docks will be open to commercial shipping again. For now, we are prioritizing our efforts on restoring an area of docks for the military and critical fishing vessels.”
So perhaps the kromian attack hadn’t been totally random. By crippling the Korhaurbauten docks and destroying its fishing boats, the kromians had crippled the city’s ability to resupply from the sea. Without a constant flow of fresh catches from the sea, a city this large would inevitably need to ration food. That could lead to unrest and infighting.
It would also make it a hell of a lot more difficult to launch a counterattack.
“While the kromians were unable to fight past the first wall, few buildings outside it survived unburned. While we will be able to salvage some, the reconstruction efforts must by necessity take a backseat to those on the docks. This has created a number of refugees. As such, the noble court will be requesting each manor temporarily offer them shelter.”
Drake half-expected to hear loud groans from the other manor lords at that revelation, but no one so much as coughed. That surprised him. It made him wonder if he had misjudged Lord Proudglade and Lord Mistvale just a little.
Nope. Probably not. Both of them were still assholes.
“Lord Brightwater?” The Judge turned to her. “Share your report.”
Lord Brightwater stood and brushed back some of her frizzy black hair. “At about the same time as the attack on the capital, Mooncaller Bay and Highweaver Bay were also attacked by kromian raiders. They sunk many ships and damaged the docks at both locations.”
Drake leaned over to Lydia and whispered, confident his voice would not carry outside the box. “Where are those places?”
“Critical trade ports in Proudglade and Blackmane territory, respectively,” Lydia whispered back. “If they were attacked as well, this suggests a larger campaign at work.”
Drake turned his attention back to Lord Proudglade. It was looking more and more like the kromians had launched a full scale war on the surface world, which called to mind the question his mother had asked on the cliff as they watched the kromians retreat.
Why?
“While my forces beat back the attack, commerce will suffer,” Lord Brightwater continued. “I expect we will have no choice but to cut trade shipments in half until we have fully restored our trading hubs and vessels, many of which the kromians sank.”
“How long will you be so crippled?” Lord Mistvale asked.
“With donations of lumber from other manors to restore our ships and our docks, perhaps six months,” Lord Brightwater said calmly.
“That is unacceptable,” Lord Mistvale declared. “My people cannot subsist on half shipments of vital goods for over half a year. You must remedy this immediately.”
“Lord Mistvale.” The Judge stared him down. “This is not the time to negotiate or to complain. Such matters can wait until we have accomplished the noble court’s business.”
Drake snorted quietly. Lord Mistvale remained an asshole. This shipping disruption was yet more evidence his manor needed more resource independence, like Sky’s.
“Thank you for that report, Lord Brightwater.” The Judge turned to the gathered lords. “You have heard from your fellow lords and from the noble court about the current state of affairs. Now, we will hear one more account from a guest of the noble court.”
The Judge looked to the doors to the north. “Send them in!”
The doors opened, and while Drake was not the first manor lord to jump to his feet and reflexively reach for his weapon, he also wasn’t the last. Eight capital guards entered first, but they were escorting someone far worse. Kromians. Seven fucking kromians.
One of which wore a thin golden tiara.
The next day, Drake was once again summoned to a cabal. This surprised no one. Shortly after he rose and had breakfast, however, he officially inducted River and Hector into the Gloomwood Manor blood pact. Both were quite pleased to be offered their new roles.
Drake also explained how his blood pact was different from all the others—no compulsion—which surprised them. River’s eager and relieved grin was nice to see, and Hector looked gobsmacked. Both swore they would serve him loyally, and since they couldn’t lie, that was good enough for now.
River accepted the job as Lydia’s assistant with an eagerness that suggested she was excited by the chance to prove herself. River seemed like a woman who enjoyed challenges, and serving as Lydia’s assistant would be a challenge. Even now, Drake still felt like he didn’t know half of the matters Lydia handled for him on a daily basis.
As for Hector, he looked beyond honored to be offered the role of Drake’s attendant. He took to his new role with vigor. That morning, after the man adjusted Drake’s collar in a way he hadn’t known was necessary, adjusted his cuffs to fit a way he hadn’t known they could, and then offered to comb and style his hair, Drake glanced in Sky’s mirror.
He whistled in appreciation. It wasn’t that he’d ever looked slovenly as a manor lord, but today... he looked good. Hector was going to be an asset to his manor. Once Drake saw how pleased Anna was to have Hector in the manor, he felt even better about his decision.
As for his escort to the cabal, Drake took Lydia, Emily, River, Darion, and Marissa. While the threat of anyone discovering he could lie now seemed remote, he still couldn’t risk putting any thrall in a room with the other manor lords where he could be called to testify. Samuel, unlike Lydia, still knew Drake could lie... and he would be more useful gathering intelligence.
His choices to support him at the cabal were straightforward. Lydia was his steward and closest advisor. Emily’s spectral soul-chopping axe made her a murder machine. River needed to start shadowing Lydia immediately to get better at her duties, and Darion was the only healer they had with them in the capital. A healer was always welcome.
Finally, Marissa was a former manor lord who knew the noble court as well as anyone in the capital. That would leave Valentia, Nicole, Robin, Carl, and Gaby to defend their chambers and the non-combatants recovering within. Drake wasn’t about to leave his people unprotected, even this deep in the capital. Not after that attack on the beach.
Drake and his entourage arrived in the Chamber of Council to find all the lords but Lord Skybreak already gathered. Compared to the prior cabal, the chamber felt empty. No Lord Frostlight. No Lord Blackmane. No Lord Redbow. As Drake reflected on the empty seats, it occurred to him that the kromians couldn’t have chosen a better time to launch their attack.
Had the kromians decided to attack the capital a month ago, they would have faced a dangerously organized four manor alliance with Lord Brightwater supporting it. Now, thanks to Drake’s ruthless dismantling of that alliance, the kromians faced a group of manor lords in disarray. He’d had to break the big four apart... but it was sure was inconvenient now.
Lord Skybreak arrived not long after Drake, and brought just who he’d expect. Viktoria, Karth, Head Ranger Cask, Ali, and Mary. Kari was not among them, which made Drake wonder if she’d been chosen to guard the chambers or had been injured in yesterday’s attack.
He’d have time to catch up with Sky later today. She did offer a nod his way, which he returned. As soon as Sky and her people were settled into their box, the Judge spoke.
“As Judge, I call this cabal to order! Six manor lords were summoned! Who has come?”
Last time, it had been nine. Even so, events proceeded as they had. Lord Mistvale rose and announced himself first, followed by Lord Proudglade and then Lord Brightwater. Drake came next, followed by Sky. Finally, Lord Ashwind announced his presence with dull resignation. He must still be worried about the son Lord Redbow had abducted.
“As Judge, I have called this cabal,” the Judge said. “Therefore, the cabal is called.”
No need for five manor lords to agree to call a cabal when the Judge was involved. She was the ultimate authority in this city. In this case, given all the manors save for Drake and Sky’s seemed to still be in disarray, that was probably a good thing.
“As Judge, I declare that this cabal is called under extraordinary circumstances,” the Judge continued. “There will be no announcements and no grievances. Instead, we will move immediately to business. Yesterday, an army of kromians attacked our great city.” Her keen eyes turned to Drake’s former enemy. “Lord Proudglade. Share your report.”
“Once we took the field, the kromians retreated in disarray,” Proudglade said calmly. “Orson and my golden knights aided a force of capital guards in taking back the streets and buildings the kromians had invaded. We have verified no kromian spies remain inside the city.”
Drake expected Proudglade to sound smug about his victory, but he sounded more businesslike. His face was calm, his gaze flat. He had watched his youngest son beheaded not long ago. Despite the fact that this man had sent multiple people to kill him, Drake found he couldn’t hate Lord Proudglade any longer.
The man had only tried to kill him because Westin let him think Drake was evil.
“Lord Mistvale?” the Judge said. “Make your report.”
“My scouts have finished their search of the surrounding countryside for additional pockets of kromian resistance,” Mistvale said in his prim, snooty voice. “No threats to the capital remain in the countryside. However, we were unable to fully search the lakes.”
“Given the kromian need for saltwater, we have little worry in that regard,” the Judge said. She pivoted to look at Sky. “Lord Skybreak, your forces engaged the kromian invaders the longest. In that time, were you able to determine any purpose in their attack?”
So Sky’s forces had been on the frontlines defending the city? Or, more likely... its people. That was exactly what Sky would do if she heard the city was under attack by kromian butchers. She would lead her people out to stop them and save as many as she could.
“No, Judge,” Sky said calmly. “The kromians killed whoever they could get their spears into and did not distinguish between soldiers and citizens. They burned what they could and wrecked what they could not. Their only purpose, in my eyes, was slaughter and destruction.”
Drake measured his anger as he listened to Sky’s calm and certain words. As he remembered Hugo lying facedown on the beach. As he remembered returning to cover to find Alice staring at nothing, her face blue and cold. As he remembered Xutag.
“Lord Gloomwood.” The Judge’s gaze turned to him. “You and the staff of your manor were out on a private beach when the attack occurred. Can you describe what happened?”
Drake took a moment. “While we were on the beach, several of my thralls noticed an abrupt change in the bay. Hundreds of forms swimming in a thick line toward the capital. My steward’s assistant recognized them as kromians and called out a warning.”
The terrifying sound of arrows peppering the beach prayed back in Drake’s mind.
“A detachment of kromians appeared to separate themselves from the main force. Thanks to River’s warning, some of my people were able to take shelter beneath a heavy leather tarp before the first wave of arrows arrived. The rest were cut down on the beach. Six dead. Eight injured. All would have died if not for the medicine provided by the noble court.”
He didn’t miss as Sky winced in sympathy as she sat in her box.
“Cresh, the leader of my zarovian vanguard, took his zarovians into the water to engage the kromian attackers despite being outnumbered five to one. Thanks to the brave efforts of Cresh and his warriors, a much smaller number of kromians made it to the beach. We lost seven zarovians in the battle, but they took down so many kromians I lost count.”
Cresh and his people had fought like absolute badasses, and seven had fought to the death to protect everyone else. They deserved all the credit Drake could give them, especially since he suspected many manor lords still looked down on demihumans.
“The remaining kromians reached the beach and attempted to slaughter the rest of my manor. To be clear, killing us offered no tactical advantage. They simply decided to slaughter us because we were there.”
Drake worked to keep himself calm. “Unfortunately, the kromians neglected to anticipate they would face the best warriors in my manor. So after we killed every last fucking one of them, we fell back to higher ground and tended our wounded.”
“Do you believe the kromians intended to assassinate you?” the Judge asked.
“No, Judge. I doubt they could even identify me at the distance they were when they decided to murder us. I and my thralls were dressed for the beach. I believe the kromians saw a group of unarmed civilians and decided to butcher them for fun.”
“We are not here to speculate on the motives of the kromians, only to compare accounts of the battle,” the Judge said calmly. “But... you have our sympathy. While no capital guards tasked to protect the beach survived, that does not excuse our failure to protect your people. It will not happen again.”
Drake simply nodded and sat back down. When he sensed Lord Proudglade’s gaze on him, he met the man’s eyes in challenge. Rather than glaring back, Proudglade simply looked to the Judge. He did not look nearly so combative as he had in the prior cabal.
“I will now share reports from our capital guard,” the Judge said. “The damage to the docks was extensive. Most every fishing and merchant ship in the bay or tied up at the docks was crippled or destroyed. We estimate it will be months before the docks will be open to commercial shipping again. For now, we are prioritizing our efforts on restoring an area of docks for the military and critical fishing vessels.”
So perhaps the kromian attack hadn’t been totally random. By crippling the Korhaurbauten docks and destroying its fishing boats, the kromians had crippled the city’s ability to resupply from the sea. Without a constant flow of fresh catches from the sea, a city this large would inevitably need to ration food. That could lead to unrest and infighting.
It would also make it a hell of a lot more difficult to launch a counterattack.
“While the kromians were unable to fight past the first wall, few buildings outside it survived unburned. While we will be able to salvage some, the reconstruction efforts must by necessity take a backseat to those on the docks. This has created a number of refugees. As such, the noble court will be requesting each manor temporarily offer them shelter.”
Drake half-expected to hear loud groans from the other manor lords at that revelation, but no one so much as coughed. That surprised him. It made him wonder if he had misjudged Lord Proudglade and Lord Mistvale just a little.
Nope. Probably not. Both of them were still assholes.
“Lord Brightwater?” The Judge turned to her. “Share your report.”
Lord Brightwater stood and brushed back some of her frizzy black hair. “At about the same time as the attack on the capital, Mooncaller Bay and Highweaver Bay were also attacked by kromian raiders. They sunk many ships and damaged the docks at both locations.”
Drake leaned over to Lydia and whispered, confident his voice would not carry outside the box. “Where are those places?”
“Critical trade ports in Proudglade and Blackmane territory, respectively,” Lydia whispered back. “If they were attacked as well, this suggests a larger campaign at work.”
Drake turned his attention back to Lord Proudglade. It was looking more and more like the kromians had launched a full scale war on the surface world, which called to mind the question his mother had asked on the cliff as they watched the kromians retreat.
Why?
“While my forces beat back the attack, commerce will suffer,” Lord Brightwater continued. “I expect we will have no choice but to cut trade shipments in half until we have fully restored our trading hubs and vessels, many of which the kromians sank.”
“How long will you be so crippled?” Lord Mistvale asked.
“With donations of lumber from other manors to restore our ships and our docks, perhaps six months,” Lord Brightwater said calmly.
“That is unacceptable,” Lord Mistvale declared. “My people cannot subsist on half shipments of vital goods for over half a year. You must remedy this immediately.”
“Lord Mistvale.” The Judge stared him down. “This is not the time to negotiate or to complain. Such matters can wait until we have accomplished the noble court’s business.”
Drake snorted quietly. Lord Mistvale remained an asshole. This shipping disruption was yet more evidence his manor needed more resource independence, like Sky’s.
“Thank you for that report, Lord Brightwater.” The Judge turned to the gathered lords. “You have heard from your fellow lords and from the noble court about the current state of affairs. Now, we will hear one more account from a guest of the noble court.”
The Judge looked to the doors to the north. “Send them in!”
The doors opened, and while Drake was not the first manor lord to jump to his feet and reflexively reach for his weapon, he also wasn’t the last. Eight capital guards entered first, but they were escorting someone far worse. Kromians. Seven fucking kromians.
One of which wore a thin golden tiara.
