Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 5

The maids led the girls away to be seated around the campfire, where they hungrily dug into their meal. The four noblewomen were left alone together to continue their discussion, and Ludmila continued surveying the town below.

“It wasn’t a nice thing, laughing like that,” Clara shot Liane a look.

“A powerful countess of the mighty Sorcerous Kingdom, jumping scared at little girls?” Liane said, “You can’t say that wasn’t funny.”

Clara pouted as the others joined in Liane’s mirth, laughter rising over the wind and the dancing flames. Far away from the eyes of outsiders, the layers of courtly conduct fell away between them, replaced by the casual tone between friends. Well, as casual as one might be with their current circumstances; much of their conversation revolved around their work by necessity.

“Besides, I believe such initiative should be lauded,” Liane continued. “With a little bit of training, her naked ambition can be harnessed and refined towards productive ends. If there are no objections, I’d like to take her for one of my companies.”

“You can’t just steal girls off of the street, Liane,” Florine said. “Her parents must be worried sick.”

“From the looks of it, I doubt she has any.” Liane replied, “Her value is lost on this sorry excuse for a town.”

“We should have some answers about what happened to them now,” Ludmila said. “The one that brought them has returned as well. Tell us what happened.”

The three other noblewomen looked around themselves, confused over who she had addressed. A cold voice filtered through the night air before them.

“The boy ordered for retrieval encountered three men and a woman, who were struggling with the three Human girls. He fought – presumably to free one of them. The matter was…expedited.”

“It is discourteous to conceal yourself from the others in this situation,” Ludmila said. “Do not make them listen to a disembodied voice.”

Beyond the edge of the cliff, the Shadow Demon rose out of the darkness and floated before them. Even when not purposely concealing itself, its translucent form must have been difficult for the others to see with just the light of the campfire.

“This…is one of the servants Lady Shalltear sent with you?” Clara eyed the dark figure warily.

“Yes,” Ludmila said, “they are called Shadow Demons. Lady Shalltear saw fit to have three of them accompany us to aid in our work.”

“D-demons…” Florine turned pale. “Wasn’t there some disturbance last year in Re-Estize’s capital involving some Demon invasion?”

“I’m the last person that would know about anything of the sort,” Ludmila replied. “You should be well aware that Humans are just a part of the Sorcerous Kingdom, so, while we may be responsible for Human subjects ourselves, acting as if we are still nobles of a Human kingdom would be foolish. These Shadow Demons currently serve me; I serve Lady Shalltear; Lady Shalltear serves His Majesty. It’s not so different from before, yes?”

Beside her, Clara nodded. After a moment, Liane and Florine slowly nodded as well. Ludmila addressed the Shadow Demon once again.

“So these men,” she asked, “for what reason were they doing this?”

“They were stealing them,” it answered.

The women blinked.

“The girls were struggling against their captors,” the Shadow Demon explained at length. “The boy opposed their actions.”

“Fassett’s men, my lady,” a voice from behind them said. “Or someone working under their auspices. The children have the look of street waifs: if the homeless vanish from the streets, they will not be missed.”

The Linum sisters came to stand near their mistress, and Lluluvien continued speaking.

"Young girls are valuable," she said matter-of-factly, “for various reasons. I would be surprised if they were not being taken away to be sold – the evidence of their neglect aside, they would all be considered pleasing in appearance to most.”

“So they were slavers, then?” Florine’s mouth twisted.

“Probably not just slavers, Lady Gagnier,” Lluluvien said. “House Fassett has their hand in other...ventures as well. The same skills are used across many lines of this sort of work.”

“I suspect we’ll be discovering in detail what exactly they’ve been involved in over the next few days,” Ludmila looked towards the other noblewomen. “But I still cannot understand how this all came to be. It’s in flagrant defiance of the Crown Laws and these are the laws of Re-Estize: in force since before the E-Rantel changed hands.”

Clara, Liane and Florine exchanged quick glances at her words. Liane was singled out by the others, and she met Ludmila’s gaze before letting out a sigh.

“What?” Ludmila frowned.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…” Liane let out a short laugh, “It’s just that I’ve never known a noble like you before. We’ve all seen each other through the years at a few functions, but we’ve never really spoken plainly, I guess. I’ve always thought Clara upright and austere, but you’re far beyond even her. Or maybe it’s a part of you that’s rubbed off on her, considering how close you two are.”

Liane rubbed her chin, then looked up at the clear night sky. She let out a breath and met Ludmila’s gaze again.

“Okay,” Liane said. “Let’s try it this way. Nobles are granted their authority, rights and privileges through the contract they hold with their liege. With that power, they are expected to fulfil their obligations to land and liege. Makes sense so far, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Ludmila replied.

“Now,” Liane asked her, “what happens if they fail to meet their obligations?”

“That would depend on what the circumstances are, wouldn’t it?” Ludmila answered, “Bad harvests can happen, so one could appeal to have their tax obligations waived. Natural disasters, monster attacks, sickness and death – they can all affect how well one can meet their contractual obligations.”

“Are you doing this on purpose?” Liane frowned.

“Doing what on purpose?” Ludmila frowned back.

“We had an audience with Campbell earlier today, then Jacqueline just now: you even puked in front of her manor after sensing all of the problems in this county. Do you think either of them are doing any of this accidentally? What we see is House Fassett’s doing, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“It still begs the question why they would do something like this in the first place,” Ludmila said. “To me, at least. How they’ve been able to get away with it for so long is difficult to grasp as well. One glance and you already know that something has gone terribly wrong.”

“You can now, sure,” Liane replied, “but in better days, the towns and villages along the highway can be made to look much the same as any other and, to be honest, there are more than a few places out west that are just as bad, or even worse. The King only came to E-Rantel for one reason: to be there for the annual skirmish against the Empire – I doubt a review of his demesne was anywhere near the top of his list of priorities. The Provosts that were appointed managed things from a desk in the city. In short, you could say it’s a matter of reach. Only a noble of the same court has any chance of bringing it to the attention of their liege. Without the means to provide decisive proof, however, it becomes the word of one noble against another.

“As for why they would do this…well, it’s because they can. We are judge, jury and executioner within our own lands: answerable only to our own liege. I suppose you could say that we nobles may be placed on a scale: there are those that try their best to serve faithfully, promoting development and upholding order, then there are those that are entirely self-serving and get away with whatever they can. Those on the extreme ends of the scale are extraordinarily rare; most are somewhere in between, for any number of reasons. They may lack the power and will to do what is just, or have the power and will to do what is just, but decide to exercise it for their own interests.”

“Did you know about all of this, Clara?” Ludmila asked.

“I understand how it works, roughly,” Clara replied. “When it comes to knowledge and experience on things that happen elsewhere, however, I can’t make any statements with much conviction. Liane, on the other hand, should know quite a lot about it.”

“Why would Liane…”

“Because Liane is Lady Wagner,” Liane shrugged, “and House Wagner owns a half-dozen merchant companies – well, more now. Hundreds of merchant caravans, plus all of their employees. I get to hear all sorts of things about what goes on in the wide world, and not all of it is nice and pretty. Uh…I hope you weren’t suspecting me of anything: I’d rather not get stabbed.”

“It’s difficult for me to suspect others like this,” Ludmila admitted, “even after all that’s happened, these conclusions just don’t easily come to mind. Thank you for being so patient with me, Liane.”

“It’s not a bad frame of mind to have,” Clara said, “as long as one is also aware of what can potentially be going on. Without a balanced perspective, there would be no end to how far one could go in the pursuit of what we imagine. I’m sure we’ll all learn a lot from this; hopefully we’ll figure out a way to effectively deal with House Fassett as well.”

“There’s always Ludmila’s new duties,” Florine said, “whatever they are…but yes, a peaceful solution is best.”

Ludmila agreed silently: she did not want to resort to extreme measures unless it became necessary. Doing so was the same as saying that the laws in place were insufficient. The more she relied on her new authority, the more likely it seemed that the laws would be viewed as unacceptable and torn apart. She needed as much information as possible, taking precise actions that would only result in minor amendments or special measures being implemented for what His Majesty had put in place.

She felt that there was much more to be discussed, but it could wait until they started their investigation. Ludmila turned to address the Shadow Demon, who had floated patiently before them the entire time.

“These men you encountered,” she asked. “What happened to them?”

“They were made to suffer,” a yellow gash appeared on its face as it smiled, “before being slain. The Great Master’s Mandates are not to be frivolously disregarded.”

“And the woman?”

“She was allowed to flee,” it replied. “One of the others is watching her.”

“Good,” Ludmila nodded. “You may withdraw. There should be some new instructions soon, so stay nearby.”

The Shadow Demon shimmered briefly in the darkness as it concealed itself again, and Ludmila’s gaze followed it for a time before she turned back to the gathering.

“Peaceful solution, huh,” Liane said.

“You...you just killed three men,” Florine said quietly.

Ludmila did not deny her words; agents of the nobility carried out their will, after all. If anything, the reminder only served to fuel her anger against House Fassett.

“If they were caught doing the same in our territories,” Clara said, “this would have been the result as well. Considering the condition of the boy, I’m of a mind that it was the most appropriate action, if only to intervene in abduction and murder.”

“So this is the answer, then?” Liane’s voice wavered in the wind, “To find and hunt down every criminal in Fassett County, until the Undead start to appear from the mountain of corpses?”

“We have a little under two weeks,” Ludmila replied, “so I don’t think there’s time enough for that – not that I intended on doing what you suggested. I was hoping a demonstration that the Crown Laws could no longer be evaded in such a manner would encourage House Fassett to relent…but we’ll need to find those that would impress this notion upon them first.”

“So some sort of manager?” Florine said, “Or…or…I don’t know. How do these people even operate?”

“They’re merchants,” Liane shrugged, “of a sort. Slavery is perfectly legal outside of the Sorcerous Kingdom and Re-Estize, so it’s simply just another part of a merchant’s business to those who operate abroad. House Wagner doesn’t do it, obviously, but it’s just not something that’s done in secrecy elsewhere. It would be a simple matter to shut down House Fassett, if we had more time. Especially with Ludmila suggesting that she can somehow act above the law…”

The head of House Wagner’s words trailed off abruptly, and her icy blue gaze turned up towards Ludmila.

“Are you sure you can do this?” She said, “This kind of power is dangerous.”

“It’s beyond dangerous,” said Clara flatly, “it’s euphoric. Especially to people like us. My father once told me that blind righteousness can lead to ruin just as easily as rampant corruption. Now, there are four of us all together that hate what is going on here for the same reasons – Lu–Camilla especially. If she were to exercise the authority she has been entrusted with without constraint…well, she is nothing if not thorough.”

They stared out over the town in silence at her words. A log broke and collapsed into the fire, sending a cloud of sparks into the night sky.

“It’s not just Camilla,” Clara added. “I don’t think I can fight this feeling either. Whenever I have someone responsible for all this in front of me, I become positively livid inside. I could barely maintain control over my own words when I spoke to the both of them. You heard me just now: I essentially told Jacqueline Fassett that she was a dead woman at the end of our audience. I’m not confident that I can represent the House of Lords if condemnation spills out of my mouth every time I see one of the Fassetts. We’re supposed to be helping them out of their predicament, not setting them at odds against us.”

“It might just be something to get used to,” Ludmila offered. “At least I hope it is something we can get used to, not that I enjoy it. You have a more measured disposition than my own, Clara – if anyone manages to reign this in, it would be you. You’re still the most qualified to represent us here, besides. I can imagine the reception that someone of lower rank would get from them.”

Clara frowned worriedly upon hearing her vote of confidence.

“Maybe it isn’t strange at all?” Florine said, “Maybe there are other nobles out there that have the same sort of thing influencing them. It’s not something one would talk about, would they? If I didn’t have it myself, it would sound absolutely crazy.”

“It’s not even something to share,” Liane mused. “We all inherently knew each of us were the same without putting it into words, shortly after we got to know one another. Perhaps others gather in the same way, nobles of the same disposition assembling naturally and influencing their subordinates – we don’t exactly see tyrants purging great swathes of their own vassals for the sake of order, do we?”

“We do, actually,” Florine answered quietly. “Just not in Re-Estize.”

Liane’s mouth opened, then closed again. No one wanted that repeated here – it was the worst possible outcome that they were trying to avoid.

“Let’s not make grim monikers for ourselves, shall we?” Clara said, “The ideal outcome is that this land is restored to order in an agreeable manner and set on the path to recovery. I’m not so optimistic as to think that everything will fall into place so easily, even without our…biases, but we must still make our best efforts. We’re starting from a poor position: both of our meetings with Campbell and Jacqueline only made them reciprocate by digging in their heels. It may take all the time we have to make them realize that they absolutely need to fall in line, or they may even remain stubborn to the bitter end. For this possibility, we will need to draw the line after which stronger measures are required to convince them…and, in the worst case, the line where we consider the situation unsalvageable.”

Ludmila mulled over the available options, of which there were too few for the time being. They needed more information. She turned back to see if the girls had finished their dinner.

“Ah–” she said, “the children are falling asleep.”

The others turned at her words. Two of the girls – including the one that had spoken – were sleeping in their chairs with emptied trays in front of them. The third, however, was still picking at her meal. She looked hesitant to finish her food, and stole furtive glances at the carriages behind her.

“Was it your brother that came with you?” Ludmila asked as she came close and knelt in front of the girl.

With wide eyes the colour of clear topaz, the girl stared back at her. After a moment, she nodded.

“The fellow that saved you told me what happened,” Ludmila said. “Your brother was very brave. We have treated his wounds, but he was quite badly injured so he needs his rest. There will be food for him as well; you need not save a portion of your dinner for him.”

The flickering light from the flames nearby played across the girl’s face as she seemed to weigh Ludmila’s words. Her silver fork moved to pick up the food on the plate before the girl and she resumed eating.

“I am the one called Camilla,” Ludmila said. “How shall I call you?”

“Saye,” the girl’s fork paused, but she did not look up.

“What about your brother?”

“Liam.”

“Liam…” Ludmila smiled warmly, “That is a very troublesome name.”

“Why?”

“A part of you should already know,” she replied, “even if the rest of you does not quite yet. Make sure you take care of your brother, Saye.”

Saye nodded, and a fitful voice sounded nearby from one of the sleeping girls, turning Ludmila’s attention towards the sound.

“Do you know these other girls as well, Saye?”

The girl shook her head.

“I see,” Ludmila said, rising to her feet. “Well, once you are finished with your meal, we will take you back to your brother so you can watch over him. When he wakes up, just let one of the servants know and they will bring him his meal.”

“Okay.”

Ludmila walked back over to the others.

“We’re not starting immediately, my lady?” Lluluvien asked.

“With the children? No.” Ludmila replied, “There are still other things to do besides. I’ll have you and your sister learn to work together with the Shadow Demons first. You’ll coordinate with them at night, Lluluvien, and Wiluvien will do so during the day. Use what you know as a base of knowledge from which to expand from – then we can weigh your findings along with what these children share with us after they’ve rested tonight.”

“Very good, my lady,” Lluluvien withdrew to wait on her once again.

“Your maids are very close to you,” Clara noted as Ludmila rejoined them.

“I only have four of them,” Ludmila replied. “You don’t have any maids that are the same way?”

“Not to the point where I openly plot the demise of a noble house together with them,” Clara said with a slight laugh. “How are the children?”

“The girl that was awake was worried about her brother,” Ludmila said. “The other two are sound asleep…where are we putting them?”

“There are plenty of spare things packed,” Liane said. “It shouldn’t be a problem taking care of them. I’ll have another tent prepared.”

“In that case,” Ludmila told them, “we should get our rest while we can as well: the coming week will be a busy one.”

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