The Merchants Guild hall, like the other guild halls in Bald Peak, had been built in the very first years of the settlement’s expansion from a mining camp, to a city. At the time, Liv had been scrambling for every scrap of coin she could find, and more than willing to cut deals which gave away lots of land - which effectively cost her nothing – in return for discounts on the goods and services the guilds could provide.

  As a result, the building where Liv’s carriage halted was built on a prime piece of real estate, at the center of the city, on the west side of Old Mine Road. What had once been little more than a muddy track worn into the land by the repeated passage of wagon wheels and trampling hooves had been widened, dug out, levelled, lined with layers of sand and gravel, and then capped with wide, even paving stones. The same construction process had produced a circular drive more than capable of accommodating half a dozen wagons at a time, with no less than two small cranes leaning out from the upper floor of the guild hall to aid in loading and unloading.

  The guild hall was, in truth, as much a warehouse as anything else. Master Eluard Fox’s private apartments and office took up only the leftmost corner of the side facing the road. The public office portion was located on the ground floor, and that was where Fox conducted most negotiations on behalf of the guild. The second floor contained his private quarters, connected by a small staircase for his own personal use, and it was there, in his sitting room, that Liv and her niece were received. Ghveris was forced to remain below, as the stairway was too cramped for him, both two of Liv’s guards waited just outside the sitting room, while the rest watched over the carriage.

  “Thank you for having us, Master Fox,” Liv said, once she’d had her first sip of tea. The merchant’s apprentice, a young man whose notable height was only exceeded by his unusually lanky frame, managed to shake the tray of sweets only a little bit when he set it on the table.

  “It is a pleasure to host you at any time, Your Majesty,” Fox said, with a broad smile. There was no color left in his hair, and he’d put on quite a few pounds since Liv had first met him, but his mind was as agile as ever. “And the chance to establish a relationship with your niece, no less! What a pleasant surprise. I look forward to working with you someday, Lady Henriette.”

  “Hopefully not for a very long time to come,” Ettie said. “I’d prefer my father and mother run the dutchy for many years yet.”

  “As would we all, of course,” Fox said. “And yet I find that it’s never too early to begin building relationships. Relationships are what a merchant’s success rests on, you know.”

  “One of my old friends likes to think of relationships as investments,” Liv told him.

  “Oh? Might I ask who that would be?”

  “Airis ka Reimis, of Al’Fenthia,” Liv explained. “He met me when I was a very young girl, and decided that I was worth investing in. I like to think he was correct, and that he’s done well by that choice.”

  Eluard Fox laughed out loud, and set his tea cup down on the table. “I should think so! I’ve had to bargain with him on a few occasions, and it's always been a bracing experience.”

  “One might say you’ve done just as well as he has,” Liv pointed out, setting her own cup down and selecting a raspberry tart from the platter. “From a single deal for enchanted scarves eighteen years ago, you’re now the head of the merchant guild in the capital of the alliance. It’s a powerful position.”

  “I’m fortunate that the guild saw the value in developing our relationship from that foundation,” Fox demured, with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. “Which brings me to the matter of the upcoming vote. James, make yourself scarce.”

  “Yes, sir,” the thin young man said, and with a ducked head, made his way out of the sitting room, closing the door behind him.

  Liv sighed. “I’ve explained my position to you already, Eluard, and it hasn’t changed. I don’t like the idea of the guilds having votes in both Lucania and the alliance. At their core, they’re Lucanian guilds. I don’t mind them doing business here - it’s been good for all of us, honestly - but that doesn’t mean they should have a voice in our government.”

  “And on a personal level, I understand your concerns,” Fox said, taking another drink to whet his throat. “But I report to Guildmaster Harrow, and he has given me my marching orders.”

  “That’s another thing,” Liv said, leaning forward. “Save for the Mages Guild, all the guildmasters are still being appointed by the Lucanian crown. I’d be allowing the monarch of another kingdom to effectively dictate a voting block in my own great council.”

  “Not all the guilds have had the personal backing of an archmagus and a regent for the last twenty years,” Fox grumbled. “After the way the Temple tore through the Drovers Guild, none of the rest of us were in a position to object - you know that.”

  “I know it, though I can’t say I have any sympathy for the Drovers,” Liv said. “If they hadn’t let themselves be thoroughly riddled through with cultists, they wouldn’t have been in that position.”

  “Regardless,” the old merchant said, “this is ground the two of us have tread over time and time again. I daresay there isn’t much of a point in trampling it once again, and that isn’t why I asked you to come here.”

  “I was told it was urgent,” Liv said. Of course, that was news to Ettie, who shifted at Liv’s side, but the girl was smart enough – and had been trained by Matthew and Triss well enough – to hold her tongue.

  Fox leaned forward and lowered his voice, glancing from side to side with the manner of a man who wants to make absolutely certain that no one could overhear his words. “The guildmasters have been negotiating with your mayors and your barons,” he said. “Significant financial incentives have been offered to support the vote for representation.”

  Liv kept her face as blank and smooth as a frozen lake in winter. It was a skill that she’d had great opportunity to practice, since she’d become queen. The days when the tips of her ears and cheeks would blush a brilliant pink at the slightest hint of embarrassment, or when she’d felt the urge to duck her head and slump her shoulders when many eyes were upon her, had passed long ago.

  “They don’t have the votes, even if they managed to get every one of the mayors,” Ettie said, which was only echoing aloud what Liv was already thinking. “Six isn’t enough to push this through. They can bring the proposal forward and force a vote, but they can’t actually win.”

  “They do have all of the mayors,” Fox replied. “It took promises of significant investment in each of their cities, with, I’m certain, a pretty penny to be made by each one of those honorable office holders on the side, but the guildmasters have them. Bought and paid for. They also have three of your Elden houses and at least one of your barons.”

  “Bullshit,” Ettie explained.

  Liv, on the other hand, was quietly doing math. There were forty-eight voting members of the Alliance council - three from each barony or duchy, including the titled noble, their heir, and the mayor of their largest town or city. They’d worked things out that way to match the Elden tradition of sending three elders to the Hall of the Ancestors – and then, of course, there’d be three from the Red Shields. If Fox was correct, Liv wasn’t looking at a doomed motion from six mayors – she was dealing with a minor rebellion, in the form of a voting block sixteen strong, more than a third of the total votes on the table. She’d thought that she had twenty-four reliably in her corner, more than enough to dictate the outcome, but now she wasn’t so certain. Mayor Buckler of Bald Peak was one of the votes she’d been counting on. Worse, she didn’t even know which houses she’d already lost.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Which of the Elden houses,” Liv asked. She’d never had close relations with House Veitha; it wouldn’t surprise her at all if –

  “Keria, Isakki, and Esteri,” Eluard Fox answered, and Liv felt like she’d been punched in her stomach. It must have shown in her face, because he softened his voice. “They’re merchants, Livara, just like I am. They’ve had extensive dealings with the merchant guilds for generations now. I don’t know precisely what favor was called in –”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Liv said, waving her hand. “If they’ve made the commitment, that’s the end of it.” She tried not to let herself feel personally betrayed. “The Esteri have close ties with the Chirurgeons Guild, and the Isakki with the Masons Guild. Neither one of those surprises me.” But it did mean that she had to rapidly adjust her math. How many votes could she actually be certain of? Twenty one – no, twenty. Fox had said that she’d lost one of her barons, as well.

  Fox leaned back in his chair. “I wanted you to know what was happening before you walked in the council chambers,” he said. “I didn’t want you to be taken by surprise.”

  “Thank you,” Liv said, her voice hollow even to her own ears, and then she shook herself. “Truly, thank you. You didn’t have to do this. I hope it doesn’t cause you grief with the guildmaster.”

  The old man shrugged. “If Guildmaster Harrow couldn’t see the benefit of having someone friendly with you here in Bald Peak, he’d have moved me out ages ago. Don’t worry about me.”

  Liv stood up. “It’s a pity we didn’t have time to eat more of these pastries,” she said. “The raspberry tarts were delicious. But I’m expected at luncheon with the assembly of mayors –”

  “Part of the reason I wanted to see you this morning,” Fox said, rising and offering a very careful bow. “Thank you for your time, Your Majesty. And Lady Henriette, it was a pleasure to have you hear. If you have time between your classes, perhaps you and your friends could visit an old man for tea.”

  “I may take you up on that,” Ettie said. The curtsy she offered in return was picture perfect, though Liv would have expected nothing less. Her niece had actually been raised in her position, rather than being forced to spend her formative years scrubbing out chamber pots. They were no sooner out the door of the sitting room and heading down the stairs than the girl spoke.

  “Which baron do you think –”

  “Hush,” Liv said. “Nothing until we’re in the carriage. I have to get you back to your classes.” She could tell that Ettie wasn’t happy at the delay, but she stopped speaking, which was the important thing.

  “Queen’s Court,” Liv told the carriage driver, as soon as they were outside of the guild hall.

  “I’ll just walk back, then?” Ettie asked.

  “Get in the carriage,” Liv ordered, but didn’t say anything further until the door was shut and they were alone. “No, you aren’t going back to your classes today, I need you. But I didn’t want Fox’s apprentice there to overhear anything.”

  “You don’t trust him?

  The carriage rumbled into motion, pulling away from the guild hall and heading toward the street. “If Eluard had trusted the boy, he wouldn’t have kicked him out of the room,” Liv explained. “I don’t want the mayors to know I’m bringing you, so that you can take them utterly by surprise. Normally I’d have my husband do this, but he isn’t in the carriage, and you are.”

  “You want me to tell you if any of them lie,” Ettie concluded. She licked her lips, took a deep breath, and then nodded. “I can do that. I mean, I’ll do my best. I haven’t exactly practiced my Authority much –”

  “Good.” Liv settled back into her seat. “Good. Thank you, Ettie. None of them are mages, so you shouldn’t have a problem. In any event, it seems we’ve got our own little conspiracy brewing right here in Bald Peak, and I think it’s time we find out precisely who’s behind it.”

  ?

  Queen’s Court had been built to fill the function of Eastgate Court in Lucania, or the Hall of Ancestors among the Eld. It had been designed to serve as a symbol of the three peoples who made up the alliance, constructed primarily of granite bricks mined from the surrounding mountains, but with wood fittings imported from not only Al’Fenthia, but the jungles of Varuna, as well.

  Three stories tall, the gray building had been built with the future in mind. The council chamber itself could easily hold double the representatives that had ever actually attended, with a gallery for guests to observe the proceedings. There were private offices and meeting rooms, garderobes, extensive kitchens designed for the task of keeping the council members fed during long sessions, and of course the private dining room. Liv had been leery of the idea when she’d first seen it included in the plans: anything that separated her from the other council members of the alliance didn’t set the tone she wanted. But Kaija, Ghveris and Wren had eventually talked her into it.

  And Liv had to admit that she’d found the setting useful on countless occasions over the past eighteen years. Hosting a group of councillors for a small, private discussion could sometimes allow her to make progress on arguments which, in public, had become points of pride or principle. This particular luncheon had been, until that very morning, far less important. It was meant to be simply a chance to remind the assembly of mayors where their priorities stood, and to assure Liv that she had their support in the upcoming vote. It never hurt to take a few hours to hear out their concerns, and she’d had the vague intention of taking a few notes down while they ate.

  When she stormed into the dining room with her niece at her side and Ghveris at her heels, Liv felt more like she’d marched her troops into an ill-conceived ambush, set by soldiers who didn’t actually understand what they were dealing with. The half dozen human mayors who made up the assembly had, apparently, arrived before her and made themselves comfortable. Only upon her entrance did they get to their feet, offering shallow bows and curtsies which she might have been inclined to interpret as signs of familiarity, if she didn’t know that every one of the snakes had come here intent on betraying her.

  Liv strode up to the head of the table, but rather than pull her chair out and sit, she remained standing - forcing the mayors to do the same. Ettie followed her, taking an empty place at her right hand that might have been left with the expectation of Keri’s presence. Ghveris, on the other hand, remained by the door, closing it firmly and then shifting his massive, armored body to stand directly in the path of anyone who might get the bright idea to leave.

  “Good day, Your Majesty,” Grover Cartwright, the mayor of Whitehill, said, with a broad smile which Liv now knew to be as false as the day was long. “It is always such a pleasure to have you join us. I trust that it wasn’t too troublesome to take the time out of your busy schedule?”

  “Finding time in my schedule, it turns out, is the least trouble I’ve had today,” Liv snapped back.

  The mayors shifted for a moment. Madeline Saltner, the mayor of Newport, hadn’t even put down her fork when she’d stood, and now it looked like the gray-haired woman couldn’t decide what to do with it.

  “Mayor Buckler,” Liv began, after allowing the silence to stretch long enough to hopefully be uncomfortable, “When was the last time we spoke?”

  Ira Buckler shrugged, blinked, and spoke slowly, as if pulling the memory forth from a locked chest he’d buried somewhere in his great oak desk, and then forgotten about. “Three days ago, I believe, Your Majesty,” he said. “You came down to my office to touch base on the accommodations for all the council members and visiting guild masters. As I said to you at that time, I have everything quite well handled.”

  “And at that time,” Liv said, “only three days ago, you didn’t feel the slightest urge to tell me that you were planning to vote in support of the guild proposal?”

  “Ah,” Buckler said, and looked down at the table.

  “Yes. ‘Ah,” Liv repeated. “It had been my impression, Mayor Buckler, that we had a fairly good working relationship.”

  “And so we do, Your Majesty.”

  “But not so good that you wouldn’t rather see me taken by surprise on the day of the vote,” Liv pointed out.

  “None of us are obligated to report our positions to you in advance,” Mayor Saltner said, her lip twisting into a plain sneer. “Nor are we obliged to see your pet policies enacted, should we disagree with them. That is the entire point and the entire promise of this council – that you would not be a tyrant queen who dictates to our people according only to her own whims.”

  “I believe you’ve forgotten something, Mayor Saltner,” Liv said. It was no longer – and hadn’t been, for years – an effort to push out her Authority. Instead, it felt like settling back onto her bed and relaxing after a long day. A burst of cold air exploded out to fill the chamber, frosting over the windows instantly. Madeline Saltner’s legs buckled, and she caught herself with both hands on the table, letting her fork clatter to the floor. Her shoulders sagged, and her head bowed.

  “Your Majesty,” Saltner grunted.

  “Yes, I believe that’s what you forgot,” Liv said, and reeled her Authority back in like a fisherman catching a trout from the Aspen. The cold eased, and Mayor Saltner gasped in relief.

  Liv yanked her chair out and took her place. “Why don’t we eat before it gets cold,” she said. But she didn’t so much as reach for the food. Instead, she watched every one of the mayors carefully as they sat. Not a one of them could meet her eyes without looking away.

  on Patreon!

  here. I am more available there than I am here.

  Dramatis Personae

  Livara t?r Valtteri Kaen Syv? - Archmage, former scullery maid at Castle Whitehill, the bastard daughter of Maggie Brodbeck and Valtteri Ka Auris. Queen of the Alliance and Lady of Winter. Already certain that she has made a mistake in agreeing to this nonsense... [38 Rings of Mana, not counting mana stored in items.]

  Eluard Fox - Member of the Most Honest Guild of Traders and Merchants. Informant.

  Grover Cartwright - Mayor of Whitehill. Obsequious.

  Henriette Summerset aka Ettie- Daughter of Matthew and Triss, niece of Liv and Keri, cousin of Rei and Princess Rianne. Heir to the Duchy of Whitehill. Apprentice of the Mages Guild. Lie Detector. [12 Rings of Mana]

  Ira Buckler - Mayor of Bald Peak. Getting called on the carpet.

  Madeline Saltner - Mayor of Newport. Carrying a pretty big chip on that shoulder.

  Ronja t?r Taneli k?n Asuris - Apprentice of the Mages Guild. Doing her Tiny Tim impression. [14 Rings of Mana]