Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 11

After staying overnight with the Martinez family, Neia and Saye sailed out of Lloyds on a fishing boat belonging to another member of the Corps. They were dropped off at the nearest village to the east, from where they slogged their way through the muddy county roads to Bast. Fortunately, it was no longer raining, but a ceiling of heavy-looking clouds lingered over them.

“I hope Mister Moro gets back soon,” Neia said. “We’re going to need a lot of help.”

“What are we going to do when we get back?” Saye asked.

“We need to help Lloyds,” Neia answered. “You saw what happened yesterday. The royalists are going to keep pushing to get what they want and they know how to make everything play into their hands. We need the strength to deter their activities.”

“How much strength is that, exactly? The Nobles have thousands of men in those camps around the city.”

That was indeed a difficult question to answer. The Nobles were accustomed to having the only professional warriors outside of the military. No matter how well-trained the members of the Corps’ guard unit were, the Nobles would believe they had the advantage in both numbers and troop quality.

While the latter was probably a false perception, the former mattered quite a bit. Members of a house’s armed retinue were at least as strong as career soldiers and usually more so due to the traditions of the rural elite and the aristocratic tendency to invest in private security. They in fact used their contacts in the Royal Army to identify and entice the best soldiers into working for them.

“I’m not sure, exactly,” Neia said. “But I’m also sure that they won’t come out swinging. Royalist tactics so far have always been to bait their opponents into making mistakes, which they then capitalise on. All we need is to make them think twice about doing anything and keep our people from getting manipulated by the Nobles’ tricks.”

“If these people you’re bringing in are like the others we’ve spoken with,” Saye said. “That might be hard. If they see something they think is wrong, they aren’t afraid to let everyone know how they feel about it. Why not bring in Lord Lugo? He’s responsible for this part of the front anyway.”

That would probably be helpful. A Noble was better suited to countering the moves of another Noble. Neia didn’t have the knowledge or experience to consider all of the factors that might be involved.

They arrived at the gates of Bast early in the afternoon. On their way across the town, Neia noted the tall masts of a galleon in port.

“It looks like the first ship is already back from Rimun,” Neia said. “We should at least have the second group of armsmen from the conservatives.”

She couldn’t see any additional men on the streets, so the ship must have arrived long enough ago for everyone to disembark. They left the town, and, on the way to Lord Aston’s manor, stopped to check on the rancher camp. Neia was surprised to see how many more tents had been set up along the meadow.

I guess some members of the guard unit came in with that ship. Well, more than some…

Dozens of men greeted her as she made her way to the camp’s central fire, where they found Carlos and a few of his ranchers chatting with a handful of newcomers. Among them was a tall, blonde man by the name of Gaspar Guerrero, who had served as one of the guard unit’s Captains during the war.

“Carlos,” Neia said as she joined them at the fire. “How are things going here?”

“Gettin’ crowded, Miss Baraja,” the rancher said. “The new guys just came in this morning, so they’re still clearing out the space the Nobles lent ‘em.”

“It’s good to see you again, Miss Baraja,” Captain Guerrero nodded in greeting.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Neia bobbed her head. “How many men came with you today, Guerrero?”

If she recalled correctly, he preferred to be addressed by his surname. It was very militant compared to his first, so Neia supposed she could understand why.

“Two hundred from Rimun and the nearby villages,” Captain Guerrero said. “The ones further out couldn’t make it to the city in time, so they’ll be in on the next few ships.”

“How many more are coming?”

“Everyone that can, Miss Baraja. Mister Moro said some real trouble was brewing here, so it wouldn’t be right to leave you hanging. I’d say two or three thousand will arrive by the end of the week.”

“…isn’t the entire guard unit three thousand people?”

Members of the guard unit lived all around the country, so three thousand from Rimun Prefecture alone should have been impossible.

“Er…the guard trained more of the guard. It just sort of happened. Strengthening ourselves for justice and all that. Plenty of boys and young men were interested in what we were doing.”

Neia looked between the rows of tents. Quite a few boys were running around, but she initially thought they were locals attracted to the horses and soldiery as boys tended to be.

“I hope you don’t expect me to send children into this,” Neia said.

“Oh, no, Miss Baraja,” Captain Guerrero said. “They’re nowhere near ready, but they’re a big help with camp chores and such. Around half of those coming are trainees who’ll train out here while doing whatever needs to be done around the camp to earn their keep. I figured it’d be a good experience bringing them over.”

She nodded in agreement at the Captain’s words. One could train all night and day, but real battlefield experience was rare. Before and during the war, a soldier’s first trip to a battlefront could often be their last. With the Abelion Hills now under the Sorcerous Kingdom’s control, trainees would have even fewer opportunities to gain practical experience. Any chance at all would be invaluable for anyone interested in becoming a professional soldier.

At least if it wasn’t for those damn royalists messing up our country.

“What did Mister Moro tell you about what’s going on here?” Neia asked.

“Something about the Nobles setting up shop in Lloyds doing things that they shouldn’t,” the Captain replied, “and that we lacked the weight to hold our ground. As you can see, we’ll be remedying that real quick.”

The Captain’s rock-solid confidence made a great deal of tension leave her. It really was great to have reliable people around.

“Before anything,” Neia told him, “we’re going to have to familiarise everyone with the royalists’ tactics. Lord Lugo will also want to be involved.”

“We’ll be answering to a Noble?”

“The royalists in Lloyds don’t pick fights by making direct, physical challenges. They use people’s ignorance of the law to bait them into making moves they can legally act against. Along the way, they’ll try to do things to their opponents that they know they won’t get in trouble for. Having a Noble watching out for their tricks is the best way to stay out of trouble.”

“So long as he doesn’t put on any airs…”

Neia looked over at Carlos.

“He seemed like a decent fellow on the trip here,” Carlos said. "Didn’t rub any of us the wrong way, anyway. Don’t tell him I said so, but Lord Lugo and the other lordlings were more like excited young men than anything else. Did you need us ranchers for anything, Miss Baraja?”

“How are things over at the hacienda?” Neia asked.

“We’ve barely been away a week,” Carlos shrugged. “I wouldn’t say it’s boring, but life on the ranch usually changes by the season, not the day.”

“So the royalists haven’t shown up to cause more trouble for us?”

“The patrols haven’t noticed anyone. Those barn rats are either smart enough not to bother us after what they did or too craven to try. Suits us either way.”

“In that case,” Neia said, “I’d like three companies to come up and join us. I’ll arrange for more pasture for the horses.”

“Want us to bring spare mounts?”

“Yes,” she nodded, “we may have to cover a lot of ground, depending on what happens. Try to come as quickly as you can. I don’t like how rapidly things are escalating in Lloyds.”

“I’ll head out right away.”

After spending a bit more time speaking with the men who arrived that morning, Neia made her way to Lord Aston’s manor. Lord Lugo was standing out in the castle courtyard, putting his companies through their drills.

“Ah, Miss Baraja,” he nodded, “welcome back. How was Lloyds?”

“The royalists are already making their move on the city, Lord Lugo,” Neia told him. “I was supposed to return last night, but there was an attempted arson in the city. Then, a brawl broke out right on one of the main streets between the royalists’ men and the city residents.”

“A brawl? Now I wish I had gone with you. What was it about?”

“The citizens tried to turn in the Rogues who attempted to set those fires to the Holy Order. Those Rogues were royalist men and the guards insisted on having them handed over to them.”

Lord Lugo’s lip curled into a sneer.

“A house taking care of its own is supposed to be an honourable practice. These royalists are smearing mud across the face of the entire establishment! What happened in the end?”

“We called in an arbiter.”

“The proper choice,” the nobleman said, “but I can’t imagine the Holy Order has the resources to conduct a proper investigation. Rimun had five Paladins for the entire prefecture…I see. So that’s the game they’re playing.”

Neia nodded. It was amazing how quickly Lord Lugo grasped what had happened and what the royalists were up to. She had been patrolling the lands that they managed for months and hadn’t realised what was going on at all.

“For future reference,” Neia asked, “how do we counter their tactics? In a legal, non-violent way, of course.”

“It’s difficult given their strategic and legal advantages. But we should confer with Lord Aston about this. I’d rather we not repeat the same discussion twice. Plus, he’ll get jealous over being left out.”

“Is he in the hall?”

“Where else?”

In the short time that Neia started interacting with Lord Lugo and the rest of the scions, she quickly found out that most of their time was eaten up by their duties managing the realm. It was nothing like the glamorous lifestyle that most city folk imagined Nobles to have. She figured the source of that misconception was somewhere between Bards glorifying the most generous hosts on their travels and the fact that most Nobles with city manors were High Nobles or at least ones with the wealthiest lands near the urban centres of the realm.

“We’ll meet you there in a bit,” Neia told him.

“Of course.”

They split off from Lord Lugo after entering the manor, making their way to Neia’s suite. To her disappointment, it appeared that Mister Moro hadn’t returned on the same ship as Captain Guerrero.

“Welcome back, Miss Baraja,” Mrs Diaz came out to greet her.

“I’m back,” Neia replied. “Did anything happen while I was away?”

“We received a letter from Mister Moro this morning,” Mrs Diaz replied. “And I’m sure you saw that some of the guard unit came in…”

“I did,” Neia said as she undid the buttons of her dress. “I have an audience with Lord Aston. Could you please help me get ready?”

“Of course! Give me a bit to draw a bath. Oh, and the letter is on the desk in the office.”

Neia shrugged off her dress and went to pick up Mister Moro’s letter. In addition to what Captain Guerrero told her, there was a projection of the finances they could probably gather as well as a report on the various experts that he was going to recruit as instructors for their discipleship program.

“It’s kind of scary how quickly everything is coming together,” she mumbled to herself.

“Why do you say that?” Saye asked.

“Isn’t it? So many people are popping up out of nowhere offering all sorts of things. All because I asked.”

“Seems normal to me,” the Bard shrugged.

She looked up from the letter to frown at Saye.

“You’re actually the last person I expected to hear that from.”

“Why?” Saye tilted her head curiously.

“Because…because you grew up in a terrible place. One where people were selfish and evil and put you through all sorts of horrible things.”

“That’s true,” Saye admitted, “but that doesn’t mean I have to be like the people who made my life horrible. It just makes me aware of how people can potentially behave in certain situations.”

…you became an insufferable, insubordinate brat after being assigned to the Sorcerer King as his attendant, you know that?

“I don’t understand,” Neia stared at the carpet. “I wouldn’t be able to stand even a tenth of what you went through. How did you go through all that without ending up like all those people who hurt you?”

“Because even if my mother threw me away,” Saye said, “I still have a brother who loves me. Because some real Nobles rescued us from the hell we grew up in and showed us that the world wasn’t the hopeless, twisted place we thought it was. Because the gods didn’t condemn me, but instead embraced me for everything that I am.”

Neia sniffed despite herself. Saye was only eleven, yet she had lived such a remarkable life. The more Neia heard about it, the less she seemed like a Bard and the more she seemed like a walking legend.

“If the King does not lead, his Nobles will not follow.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s something one of the Nobles that rescued us told me once,” Saye said. “You were wondering why so many people were popping out of nowhere offering you stuff.”

“…but I’m not a King.”

“I’m pretty sure it applies to leaders in general. People can usually get by just fine in their daily lives without them, but for what they are to become greater than themselves, someone needs to bring everything together and move things in the right direction. I think Humans naturally recognise that on their own and that’s why you got that response. They’re answering your call, offering their wealth and services to keep the justice they cherish from being snuffed out.”

Nope, no pressure at all…

A world of difference lay between speaking to her following during the war and the task that lay ahead of her now. Maybe it was because everything was now tangible and lay within their grasp. It felt far more real than back in the war when outcomes hinged on the existence of the Sorcerer King or Jaldabaoth. Choosing who to support was a straightforward affair since there were only two options: side with the Sorcerer King to defeat the invaders, or be crushed by Jaldabaoth.

Looking at things that way, was anything that the Holy Kingdom did of any worth at all? She considered how people felt about what had happened during the war and what was going on in the present. That line of thought led to disturbing places, however, and she pushed it to the back of her mind to focus on the tasks immediately ahead of her.

After making herself presentable – or at least as presentable as being in a rancher’s outfit could be – she went to join Lord Aston and Lord Lugo in the manor hall. The two scions were standing at the main table, upon which a map littered with documents was laid.

“Sorry for the wait,” Neia went to stand across the table from the two scions. “What’s all this?”

“The information we have on Lloyds and what our allies did here before the royalists took over,” Lord Aston told her. “Additionally, there’s what we know of the royalists’ activities in the area.”

“You sent people to collect information?”

“We did,” Lord Aston nodded, “though we have nowhere near enough people to send all over the prefecture. Most of this information was cobbled together from what we could learn from the local Merchants.”

Neia’s gaze scanned through the papers on the table. It mostly contained information on local taxes and tolls.

“Policies in the rural regions have remained relatively unchanged,” Lord Aston said. “Though that part hardly matters since all rural production is intercepted before it reaches the urban centres. Lord Lugo mentioned some sort of fight breaking out in Lloyds…?”

“The royalists have been trying to take over businesses in the city,” Neia said, “but the pressure they’ve been applying hasn’t worked. Yesterday, they sent Rogues to start an ‘accident’ at the facilities of the largest warehouse owner in Lloyds during a severe storm. They were caught in the act, but, when the locals tried to deliver them to the Holy Order, the city guards working for the Nobles interfered.”

“That’s…”

“Annoying,” Lord Lugo crossed his arms. “I can’t imagine Lloyds will stay peaceful for long.”

“Does that mean there’s no counter to this tactic?” Neia asked.

Lord Lugo looked over at Lord Aston, who shook his head.

“Laws depend on those who serve the law to ensure they are enforced,” Lord Aston said. “The Holy Order has the authority to audit any institution in the Holy Kingdom, but the Paladins are next to nonexistent now. While they may possess the legal right and will to combat abuses of authority, they no longer have the means to properly perform their role in that capacity.”

Neia already had a good idea of how ineffective the Holy Order currently was, but it was still depressing to hear a confirmation of their state from a Noble. Before the war, the Holy Order had five hundred ordained Paladins, plus hundreds of Squires. Additionally, they usually enlisted the help of the Royal Army for large-scale investigations, but the royalists had replaced the Royal Army with their own creatures.

Justice without power is meaningless.

His Majesty’s wisdom continually proved itself to be an immutable truth of the world. In this case, it was both the laws of the Holy Kingdom meant to uphold the Holy Kingdom’s justice and the way of justice Neia had learned from the Sorcerer King that were powerless before injustice.

“Actually,” Lord Aston said, “I may know of one way.”

“Really?” Neia leaned forward against the table.

Lord Aston seemed taken aback by her action. He took a step away and cleared his throat before speaking.

“This is purely a theoretical built on precedent,” he said. “A member of the Holy Order can enlist the help of local authorities to assist them with their judicial procedures, so…”

Lord Lugo let out a snort.

“I get it.”

“You mean you want the Paladins in Lloyds to ask us for help?” Neia’s eyes widened.

“The law doesn’t state where that assistance has to come from,” Lord Aston shrugged, “and rightly so. If a town authority or Noble is under investigation, enlisting the local authorities would constitute a potential conflict of interest. In those instances, the Holy Order would call in any necessary help from elsewhere.”

The proposal was so unconventional that it may as well have been unprecedented. Usually, if a problem similar to the ones he mentioned occurred, a task force formed entirely out of Holy Order members would be dispatched from Hoburns. Before the war, they had never needed to do anything else.

But there’s technically nothing wrong with this solution…

“This is great!” Neia’s excitement grew, “I’ll head back to Lloyds and talk to Brother Ander right away!”

“We don’t even know what he thinks about what’s going on,” Saye noted.

“But he knows there’s something amiss,” Neia said. “All he needs are the resources to conduct the required investigation.”

Lord Aston held out a palm.

“Just a moment, Miss Baraja,” he said. “Let’s first ensure those resources are available when and where he needs them.”

“I don’t disagree,” Neia replied, “but we need to be quick about it. The royalists could already be acting again as we speak.”

“I have two companies that can move at any time,” Lord Lugo said, “but the other companies that arrived today are already en route to their positions in the south with our allies. Between the messengers we send and the march back, It will take more than a day for the closest to join us.”

“The other administrators nearby don’t have many armsmen available,” Lord Aston said, “but I think I can add one company to Lord Lugo’s forces. Town security will be rather bare while they’re away, however.”

“We have one functional company that arrived today,” Neia said. “More should arrive with the next ship. I also sent for three companies from Los Ganaderos. They should catch up with us on the way there.”

“You wish to travel by foot?” Lord Aston frowned.

“As I said,” Neia told him, “we need to be quick about this. Wait, do you mean to say that you want to use the galleon in port?”

Lord Aston shook his head.

“It sailed out of port an hour ago,” he said. “I was thinking we’d use the galleon that arrives tomorrow morning.”

“That would add at least a day to our arrival,” Lord Lugo said. “Additionally, we’ll be in trouble if the royalists challenge our landing. We can’t expect to blithely disembark at Lloyds like a bunch of vacationers in Rimun. Miss Baraja’s option will allow our vanguard to establish a beachhead so future reinforcements and supplies can be delivered via ship without issue.”

“…why must you make it sound as if we’re going to war?”

“Because assuming that the worst can’t possibly happen is a good way to get killed,” Lord Lugo told him. “I would be delighted if it didn’t come to blows, but I would also be rather displeased if I was derided as an optimistic fool in some historical footnote.”

A long sigh left Lord Aston’s mouth.

“Fine,” he said. “Miss Baraja, I hope you’re prepared to shoulder some extra logistical burdens for your forces.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Neia said. “As long as we can secure a landing, I can always have some of my people’s supplies diverted to us.”

“Then I suppose that’s what we’ll do,” Lord Aston said. “I’ll have a report delivered to Rimun on the next outbound vessel. The Duke and his advisors may catch something that we’ve missed.”

After going over their plans once again, they parted ways to gather their forces. Neia stopped by her suite to inform Mrs Diaz about what was going on before she jogged down the road with Saye to the rancher camp.

“We’re mobilising,” Neia said as she entered the officer’s pavilion.

“As in, immediately?” Captain Guerrero asked.

“Yeah,” Neia nodded. “I think we figured out how to justify entering Lloyds with a military force, but we need to move right away.”

“I’ll call in the men working on the clearing,” the Captain said. “How are we being supplied?”

“By ship,” Neia told him. “Our first task is to secure a landing in or outside the city.”

Captain Guerrero started issuing orders to his sergeants. Soon, the camp was a hubbub of activity. Neia went to speak to the ranchers, attaching two squads to the guard unit company while leaving a handful of men to serve as messengers should they require them. Then, she returned to the pavilion to issue last-minute instructions.

“Lord Lugo will be leaving Bast with three companies of armsmen,” Neia told Captain Guerrero. “You’ll be joining him on the march to Lloyds. The cavalry companies from Los Ganaderos will arrive to join you at some point along the way.”

“You’re not coming with us, Miss Baraja?”

“I’m going to hire a fishing boat and sail ahead to Lloyds,” Neia replied. “I have to contact the Corps members there and the Holy Order. I hope you’ll get along with Lord Lugo while I’m not around.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As the men broke camp, Neia went back up to the road to meet with Lord Lugo. The scion was at the gate of the wooden palisade, looking more than a bit impatient as his armsmen made their preparations in the courtyard beyond.

“Miss Baraja,” he nodded.

“Any problems, Lord Lugo?”

“Delays already,” Lord Lugo sighed. “Mostly due to Lord Aston needing to collect his men. Still, we’ll be out by sunset.”

“At least that will give the cavalry time to arrive,” Neia said. “I’m just glad that we finally seem to be able to do something.”

“You and I both. It’s been weeks of analysis, debates, and endless planning on our part. I know that our strategy is predicated on supporting the Prince when he arrives with the fleet, but sitting around as the royalists ruined Roble was unbearable.”

Neia looked up at the primal forests to the south. Lord Lugo’s sense of urgency felt quite different from hers.

“Just to be clear, Lord Lugo,” she said, “my people have long run out of tolerance for royalist rule.”

“I feel the same way, Miss Baraja.”

“No, you don’t,” Neia told him. “Unlike you, we never had the luxury of strategising at arm’s length, safe and secure in our provision. The royalists have been choking the life out of us for months. They burned down our homes and murdered our friends and families before our very eyes. What I saw in Lloyds proves that they have no intention of stopping.”

She turned her gaze away from the forested hillside and held Lord Lugo’s gaze with her own.

“If they stand in the way of our justice,” Neia told him, “we won’t hesitate to destroy them.”

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