“What is the meaning of this ambush?” Lord Mistvale demanded. “Why were we not immediately informed that the capital guard had taken prisoners?”
“Lord Mistvale.” This time, the Judge’s glare was obviously a warning. “This is a manor lord cabal, not a presentation in your personal court. You will cease speaking out of turn or you will be censured. Sit down.”
Lord Mistvale reluctantly sat his ass down. “Apologies, Judge.”
Watching the Judge smack Mistvale down like that was the only thing that stopped Drake from yelling the same. He itched to shoulder Magnum and put a crossbow bolt through the face of the nervous-looking kromian wearing the golden tiara. Was he responsible?
“Lords of the noble court,” the Judge said, “I now introduce Prince Lorel of the kromian empire. He has joined us today to shed some light on these unfortunate events.”
Drake glared at this so-called kromian prince. With the initial desire to put a crossbow bolt through the kromian’s head temporarily suppressed by the fact that it would get him censured, Drake examined the prince in more detail. He sized up his new enemy.
Like all kromians, Prince Lorel had a basically human face, though his skin was a light blue and he had small head tendrils instead of hair. His lips were dark purple and he wore gold and silver nose, lip, and ear jewelry in abundance. He was slim for a kromian, though given the only clothing he wore was a silvery loin cloth and a bunch of beads, it was clear he was fit.
Yet the differences went beyond that. His eyes were bigger than a human’s eyes, taking up more facial real estate than human eyes did, and his nose was smaller, with almost no tip and no visible nostrils. That was likely because he breathed through the flaps in his neck.
Prince Lorel also looked rather young, at least if the approximate development of kromian facial features was similar to those of humans. He looked like he might not even be in his 20s... by human standards. Still, kromians could age very differently.
Finally, he looked nervous. Despite being surrounded by six armed kromian warriors and eight armed capital guards, he still eyed the manor lords arrayed in this room like a person might eye a room of hungry predators. Good. Drake hoped he was scared.
Still... what was Lorel doing here? Given he was surrounded by kromian guards carrying kromian weapons, Lorel obviously wasn’t a prisoner, which suggested that the noble court might already be on the way to organizing a peace treaty with the kromians... assuming Prince Lorel was capable of doing that. A peace treaty would piss Drake off.
“Thank you for allowing me to speak.” Prince Lorel had a measured, almost lyrical voice that was far more pleasant than Drake wanted to admit. “First, I want to begin by offering my deepest sympathies to all of you for the losses you have suffered. We grieve with you.”
“Lord.” Lydia caught Drake’s arm just before he was about to stand up again. “Let us hear him out. Remember, we will lose all control of matters if we are censured by the Judge.”
Drake forced himself to relax. He also thanked Lydia for keeping a level head. He needed to do the same. He was furious about his murdered people, but revenge could come later.
“I come to you today as a prince in exile,” Lorel continued. “My eldest brother, Prince Varnath, seized the throne after the death of my father. He now claims full control of the kromian empire. It is Prince Varnath who ordered this shameful attack on your city.”
Drake’s fury at this kromian prince was gradually succumbing to a mental groan. There was more than one prince? And this was an exiled prince?
That meant he was going to have to distinguish between “good” kromians and “bad” kromians when it finally came time to shoot them all in the head. They all looked the same to him, and given how eager the “bad” ones would murder his people without hesitation, not shooting even one kromian on sight would be a pain in the ass.
“Prince Varnath also attempted to have me assassinated,” Lorel continued. “I escaped the attempt, but only thanks to the sacrifices of a number of noble retainers. Those six warriors who have come with me to your cabal today are the last of those who helped me escape.”
So this Prince Lorel was down to six soldiers? No wonder he’d thrown himself at the mercy of the noble court. This weakass idiot probably wanted help reclaiming his crown, which was about the last distraction Drake was interested in at the moment.
“Please rest assured that not all of my empire supports Prince Varnath’s designs on the surface world,” Lorel continued. “They have been led astray with promises my elder brother cannot fulfill, and deceived into believing those of their own school are their oppressors.”
School? Oh. Like a school of fish. So Prince Lorel was saying Prince Varnath had deceived the other fish people into turning against their own. Yet another belief disparity to deal with.
“I intend to return to my home and reclaim my crown,” Prince Lorel said, which was a hell of a claim for a dude who had six loyal soldiers to his name. “When I do, I will immediately order a cessation to all hostilities and open negotiations for peace and reparations.”
Except that would never happen because this guy was weak, useless, and exiled. Drake doubted Lorel was right about having a majority of people back in his own empire waiting to follow him. He might believe that, but if his empire actually supported him as ruler, his brother wouldn’t have been able to push him out.
Prince Lorel was an idiot. Lorel’s own brother now held the crown and had tried to assassinate him, which meant he also wouldn’t be any good as a hostage. This young exiled prince couldn’t seize the kromian throne or make his people follow him again.
Still, perhaps Lorel could offer useful intelligence about their true enemy: Prince Varnath. Drake was glad to have a name for the fish man he was going to strangle.
“I thank you again for allowing me to speak,” Lorel said. “Now, to thank you for sheltering me in this trying time, I will answer any and all questions I can.”
“We will now commence an examination,” the Judge said. “Manor lords, you may ask one question at a time until your curiosities and concerns are addressed. Each lord will be allowed one question and one follow up, and then the next lord may speak. If you have no questions, you may pass. If all of you pass, the examination will be concluded and we will move on to our final business for today... your roles in assisting the noble court.”
Drake had many questions for Prince Lorel, but he wasn’t going to get to ask first. He looked to Marissa as Lord Mistvale stood. “You both agree this prince is full of shit, right?”
“Let us hear what the other lords have to ask,” Marissa said quietly.
Lord Mistvale spoke. “Prince Lorel, let me begin by saying I am sorry for your losses as well. I also thank you for your bravery in bringing this grave news to us.”
Was Mistvale seriously going to kiss this guy’s ass? What good would that do anyone?”
“However, I am afraid I must also ask you to clarify a few of your bold claims,” Mistvale continued. “You claim that with our support, you can regain your throne. Yet you appear to have little support at the moment. How do you see our aid assisting you in this quest?”
That was a far more diplomatic way to tell Lorel he was full of shit than Drake would have offered, but at least Mistvale was asking the question. Come to think of it, Lord Mistvale hadn’t done much to Drake since he’d arrived, other than be buddy-buddy with Proudglade. Mistvale might be snooty, but at least he recognized how weak Prince Lorel was.
“I fully understand your skepticism,” Lorel said. “However, I assure you that once Prince Varnath is defeated, his support among my people will falter and mine will return. Help me defeat my brother, and I will offer you a partner in peace.”
Drake glanced at Marissa. “So all we have to do is win this whole stupid war for him, and he’ll give us peace. How generous of him.”
“Sssh,” Marissa said.
Seemingly satisfied with Lorel’s weaksauce answer, Mistvale sat back down. Really? Lord Proudglade stood next, and he looked considerably more skeptical. Good.
“Forgive me, Prince Lorel, but you are now asking us to fight a war for you.”
Finally! Someone had said it! Drake hated agreeing with Lord Proudglade, but at least the big overconfident dickhead was right in this one instance. Broken clocks and all that.
“If we restore you to your throne through force,” Proudglade continued, “what benefit do you offer us?”
Lorel frowned in obvious confusion. “Peace, of course.”
“We will have peace when we defeat your brother,” Proudglade said coldly. “We will also have reparations, whether they are offered in exchange for mercy or taken after we crush your empire’s armies. So what, specifically, can you offer us that we cannot take ourselves?”
Drake actually respected Lord Proudglade for that one. He’d offered a stone cold delivery of an obvious truth. At least Proudglade hadn’t lost his edge when he lost his son... or maybe he’d simply sharpened it.
“The kromians are not universally in favor of war!” Lorel protested. The fact that the prince lost his composure so easily was another point against him. “Many oppose my brother, but they are too frightened of his loyalists to act openly. My people are not your enemies.”
It sure felt like they were yesterday on the beach, Drake groused silently. And there seem to be plenty of you who are all too eager to slaughter anyone you could.
“Since you have not answered my question, I will pose it once more,” Proudglade said. “What do you offer us that we cannot take ourselves?”
“A brief and less costly war,” Lorel said stiffly. “I know secret paths through my empire that will allow your best warriors to avoid the bulk of our armies and attack our capital directly. Prince Varnath shelters there. This will allow you to remove him with minimal bloodshed.”
“Or it will allow you to lead our best warriors to their doom,” Proudglade said coldly. “I have a follow up question. Does your brother also know of these secret pathways?”
Lorel visibly grimaced before his face went calm. “Not all of them.”
Proudglade sat back down. He obviously needed no further clarification, and he remained sharp. He looked to Lord Brightwater and offered an inclination of his head.
“I pass,” Lord Brightwater said.
Shit! Drake had been expecting her to ask something as well and had not yet decided on his own question. Unfortunately, the Judge was already turning his way.
“Lord Gloomwood?”
He wasn’t about to pass up on his first chance to get some answers for the attack yesterday. All those murdered people, including his people. Yet Proudglade had already made the main points he wanted to make—about Lorel being useless—so what could he ask?
The words of his mother on the clifftop yesterday bailed him out. However, he was still going to ask the question his way, because he didn’t want this prince to weasel out of answering or have time to come up with some way to get out of this with doublespeak. Like Lord Proudglade, Drake was determined to put Prince Lorel back on his heels.
Drake stood and made sure the prince saw just how angry he was about all the slaughter yesterday. “Here’s my question. It’s a simple yes or no.” He paused to make sure everyone in the room was listening intently. “Is your brother an idiot?”
“What is the meaning of this ambush?” Lord Mistvale demanded. “Why were we not immediately informed that the capital guard had taken prisoners?”
“Lord Mistvale.” This time, the Judge’s glare was obviously a warning. “This is a manor lord cabal, not a presentation in your personal court. You will cease speaking out of turn or you will be censured. Sit down.”
Lord Mistvale reluctantly sat his ass down. “Apologies, Judge.”
Watching the Judge smack Mistvale down like that was the only thing that stopped Drake from yelling the same. He itched to shoulder Magnum and put a crossbow bolt through the face of the nervous-looking kromian wearing the golden tiara. Was he responsible?
“Lords of the noble court,” the Judge said, “I now introduce Prince Lorel of the kromian empire. He has joined us today to shed some light on these unfortunate events.”
Drake glared at this so-called kromian prince. With the initial desire to put a crossbow bolt through the kromian’s head temporarily suppressed by the fact that it would get him censured, Drake examined the prince in more detail. He sized up his new enemy.
Like all kromians, Prince Lorel had a basically human face, though his skin was a light blue and he had small head tendrils instead of hair. His lips were dark purple and he wore gold and silver nose, lip, and ear jewelry in abundance. He was slim for a kromian, though given the only clothing he wore was a silvery loin cloth and a bunch of beads, it was clear he was fit.
Yet the differences went beyond that. His eyes were bigger than a human’s eyes, taking up more facial real estate than human eyes did, and his nose was smaller, with almost no tip and no visible nostrils. That was likely because he breathed through the flaps in his neck.
Prince Lorel also looked rather young, at least if the approximate development of kromian facial features was similar to those of humans. He looked like he might not even be in his 20s... by human standards. Still, kromians could age very differently.
Finally, he looked nervous. Despite being surrounded by six armed kromian warriors and eight armed capital guards, he still eyed the manor lords arrayed in this room like a person might eye a room of hungry predators. Good. Drake hoped he was scared.
Still... what was Lorel doing here? Given he was surrounded by kromian guards carrying kromian weapons, Lorel obviously wasn’t a prisoner, which suggested that the noble court might already be on the way to organizing a peace treaty with the kromians... assuming Prince Lorel was capable of doing that. A peace treaty would piss Drake off.
“Thank you for allowing me to speak.” Prince Lorel had a measured, almost lyrical voice that was far more pleasant than Drake wanted to admit. “First, I want to begin by offering my deepest sympathies to all of you for the losses you have suffered. We grieve with you.”
“Lord.” Lydia caught Drake’s arm just before he was about to stand up again. “Let us hear him out. Remember, we will lose all control of matters if we are censured by the Judge.”
Drake forced himself to relax. He also thanked Lydia for keeping a level head. He needed to do the same. He was furious about his murdered people, but revenge could come later.
“I come to you today as a prince in exile,” Lorel continued. “My eldest brother, Prince Varnath, seized the throne after the death of my father. He now claims full control of the kromian empire. It is Prince Varnath who ordered this shameful attack on your city.”
Drake’s fury at this kromian prince was gradually succumbing to a mental groan. There was more than one prince? And this was an exiled prince?
That meant he was going to have to distinguish between “good” kromians and “bad” kromians when it finally came time to shoot them all in the head. They all looked the same to him, and given how eager the “bad” ones would murder his people without hesitation, not shooting even one kromian on sight would be a pain in the ass.
“Prince Varnath also attempted to have me assassinated,” Lorel continued. “I escaped the attempt, but only thanks to the sacrifices of a number of noble retainers. Those six warriors who have come with me to your cabal today are the last of those who helped me escape.”
So this Prince Lorel was down to six soldiers? No wonder he’d thrown himself at the mercy of the noble court. This weakass idiot probably wanted help reclaiming his crown, which was about the last distraction Drake was interested in at the moment.
“Please rest assured that not all of my empire supports Prince Varnath’s designs on the surface world,” Lorel continued. “They have been led astray with promises my elder brother cannot fulfill, and deceived into believing those of their own school are their oppressors.”
School? Oh. Like a school of fish. So Prince Lorel was saying Prince Varnath had deceived the other fish people into turning against their own. Yet another belief disparity to deal with.
“I intend to return to my home and reclaim my crown,” Prince Lorel said, which was a hell of a claim for a dude who had six loyal soldiers to his name. “When I do, I will immediately order a cessation to all hostilities and open negotiations for peace and reparations.”
Except that would never happen because this guy was weak, useless, and exiled. Drake doubted Lorel was right about having a majority of people back in his own empire waiting to follow him. He might believe that, but if his empire actually supported him as ruler, his brother wouldn’t have been able to push him out.
Prince Lorel was an idiot. Lorel’s own brother now held the crown and had tried to assassinate him, which meant he also wouldn’t be any good as a hostage. This young exiled prince couldn’t seize the kromian throne or make his people follow him again.
Still, perhaps Lorel could offer useful intelligence about their true enemy: Prince Varnath. Drake was glad to have a name for the fish man he was going to strangle.
“I thank you again for allowing me to speak,” Lorel said. “Now, to thank you for sheltering me in this trying time, I will answer any and all questions I can.”
“We will now commence an examination,” the Judge said. “Manor lords, you may ask one question at a time until your curiosities and concerns are addressed. Each lord will be allowed one question and one follow up, and then the next lord may speak. If you have no questions, you may pass. If all of you pass, the examination will be concluded and we will move on to our final business for today... your roles in assisting the noble court.”
Drake had many questions for Prince Lorel, but he wasn’t going to get to ask first. He looked to Marissa as Lord Mistvale stood. “You both agree this prince is full of shit, right?”
“Let us hear what the other lords have to ask,” Marissa said quietly.
Lord Mistvale spoke. “Prince Lorel, let me begin by saying I am sorry for your losses as well. I also thank you for your bravery in bringing this grave news to us.”
Was Mistvale seriously going to kiss this guy’s ass? What good would that do anyone?”
“However, I am afraid I must also ask you to clarify a few of your bold claims,” Mistvale continued. “You claim that with our support, you can regain your throne. Yet you appear to have little support at the moment. How do you see our aid assisting you in this quest?”
That was a far more diplomatic way to tell Lorel he was full of shit than Drake would have offered, but at least Mistvale was asking the question. Come to think of it, Lord Mistvale hadn’t done much to Drake since he’d arrived, other than be buddy-buddy with Proudglade. Mistvale might be snooty, but at least he recognized how weak Prince Lorel was.
“I fully understand your skepticism,” Lorel said. “However, I assure you that once Prince Varnath is defeated, his support among my people will falter and mine will return. Help me defeat my brother, and I will offer you a partner in peace.”
Drake glanced at Marissa. “So all we have to do is win this whole stupid war for him, and he’ll give us peace. How generous of him.”
“Sssh,” Marissa said.
Seemingly satisfied with Lorel’s weaksauce answer, Mistvale sat back down. Really? Lord Proudglade stood next, and he looked considerably more skeptical. Good.
“Forgive me, Prince Lorel, but you are now asking us to fight a war for you.”
Finally! Someone had said it! Drake hated agreeing with Lord Proudglade, but at least the big overconfident dickhead was right in this one instance. Broken clocks and all that.
“If we restore you to your throne through force,” Proudglade continued, “what benefit do you offer us?”
Lorel frowned in obvious confusion. “Peace, of course.”
“We will have peace when we defeat your brother,” Proudglade said coldly. “We will also have reparations, whether they are offered in exchange for mercy or taken after we crush your empire’s armies. So what, specifically, can you offer us that we cannot take ourselves?”
Drake actually respected Lord Proudglade for that one. He’d offered a stone cold delivery of an obvious truth. At least Proudglade hadn’t lost his edge when he lost his son... or maybe he’d simply sharpened it.
“The kromians are not universally in favor of war!” Lorel protested. The fact that the prince lost his composure so easily was another point against him. “Many oppose my brother, but they are too frightened of his loyalists to act openly. My people are not your enemies.”
It sure felt like they were yesterday on the beach, Drake groused silently. And there seem to be plenty of you who are all too eager to slaughter anyone you could.
“Since you have not answered my question, I will pose it once more,” Proudglade said. “What do you offer us that we cannot take ourselves?”
“A brief and less costly war,” Lorel said stiffly. “I know secret paths through my empire that will allow your best warriors to avoid the bulk of our armies and attack our capital directly. Prince Varnath shelters there. This will allow you to remove him with minimal bloodshed.”
“Or it will allow you to lead our best warriors to their doom,” Proudglade said coldly. “I have a follow up question. Does your brother also know of these secret pathways?”
Lorel visibly grimaced before his face went calm. “Not all of them.”
Proudglade sat back down. He obviously needed no further clarification, and he remained sharp. He looked to Lord Brightwater and offered an inclination of his head.
“I pass,” Lord Brightwater said.
Shit! Drake had been expecting her to ask something as well and had not yet decided on his own question. Unfortunately, the Judge was already turning his way.
“Lord Gloomwood?”
He wasn’t about to pass up on his first chance to get some answers for the attack yesterday. All those murdered people, including his people. Yet Proudglade had already made the main points he wanted to make—about Lorel being useless—so what could he ask?
The words of his mother on the clifftop yesterday bailed him out. However, he was still going to ask the question his way, because he didn’t want this prince to weasel out of answering or have time to come up with some way to get out of this with doublespeak. Like Lord Proudglade, Drake was determined to put Prince Lorel back on his heels.
Drake stood and made sure the prince saw just how angry he was about all the slaughter yesterday. “Here’s my question. It’s a simple yes or no.” He paused to make sure everyone in the room was listening intently. “Is your brother an idiot?”
