Mohlda: The Fourth Seat

  All was prepared for the convocation. I knew not the reason for it, but I had cause to believe that aught was amiss - for my spies had informed me of disturbing tidings. Someone had told the King of Carrowen the name of our order; knowing this, I ordered them to lay low and fall back to our stronghold. Unfortunately only half of them made it - for the Carrowen hideout was raided by the city guard aided by some band of adventurers or other. Those who weren’t slain outright were captured and would likely be executed.

  The loss of personnel is inconvenient, but we hadn’t laid much in the way of groundwork in Carrowen yet - we wanted to start a war between them and Calvernia, of course, and to use the ogres living in the Avonian Wilderland to cause havoc in the countryside while their armies were distracted. This was to be expected, after all, for we had only but recently enacted the Mastermind’s latest plan in the Green Reach and were now in the information-gathering phase for the next scheme.

  All was going according to plan. There was nothing else that I needed do as overseer - we had but to wait for the rest of the pieces to fall in order to throw this war-torn land into further chaos and despair. I knew the date and location of our meeting. I had but to step onto the teleportation square and then make the rest of the journey by horse.

  Our stronghold was in good hands, for we had a reliable pawn on the surface; some years prior we encouraged an ambitious young lord to build his fortress right on top of our bunker. We promised him fortune, the glory of conquest, power, women, all the trimmings of a great empire - which of course we planned to crush once he’d played his part.

  He spent years building up a loyal following and brought a number of monstrous troops under his train - though he isn’t a member of our order his heart is every bit as blackened as my own; yes, he is a useful tool.

  There is no need to worry, I thought, for the lord’s army is strong and our dungeon is protected by powerful monsters and traps of various sorts to keep out intruders. I knew not what this trepidation in my heart was, and I cared not - I brushed it clear away. Yes.

  This war has been set in motion and there is no conceivable way of stopping it, for our secrets are well-hidden inside the Mastermind’s lair - protected by Wain and the Black Guard!

  Hanzorian

  I had just finished deciphering some of the data that Victor and her highness found within the Mastermind’s lair.

  “Andalon is safe, for the time being.” I said.

  After spending many, many days carefully examining their documents I determined that the Black Order presently did not have a viable plan for the Kingdom of Andalon and there was a very good reason that I came to this conclusion:

  “All extant plans for Andalon died with Wylt, Nurven’s apprentice.”

  “I see,” said a human woman with black hair and tanned skin, “So they planned to release a plague into Andalon City itself by means of necromantic magic.”

  This was Thysa Kimbo, my counterpart in Andalon - rather sun-kissed for a spy, but deadly with kukris. Not Andalonian by blood, she was an adventurer from far south; she was given her position after saving the king’s life from assassins. Incidentally, recent events had induced me to re-investigate that attempt - the Black Order had been responsible for it, too.

  Even had Sharisiel and Sir Hildebrand of Cara not used their respective powers to probe her heart and mind, I knew that I could trust Miss Kimbo to not be a Black Order plant. My old student, Andres, was with us in my office as well.

  I nodded, “Indeed. This plan was contingent on the necromancer surviving his mission in Anaura. But alas for them,” I allowed myself a little smirk, “He was struck by a bolt of red lightning.”

  “Hm,” Miss Kimbo suppressed a laugh through her nose, “No one could account for that.”

  Andres nodded, “Mister Kirkland is quite the wild card - cunning, but capable of masking it beneath a playful veneer that even I, who pride myself on my deductive powers, could not peel back. I was looking at some of the dates of these documents - it seems that there is a long lag time between information gathering, planning, and implementation.”

  I said, “Months if not years worth of preparation go into each of these. In other words…”

  Andres said, finishing my thought, “We can conclude that Cara and Anaura are also safe for the moment, as we have found no evidence of further machinations at work for the region. ”

  The time had come to move on to the next set of documents; I suppose I was half relieved to know that our closest neighbors to the west were safe, but also half irritated that we had wasted so much time gleaning this knowledge. But it was not an entirely fruitless endeavor, for we had also determined a few key things about their system of documentation.

  Unmarked documents had yet to be read by the Mastermind; these we could safely ignore for now, but they may provide useful clues for future anti Black Order operations. Those marked with a single crimson stroke were in the process of being used in formulation, and those marked with two had been utilized in a completed plan marked for dissemination to a member of The Circle.

  Additionally, we found three neatly wrapped packages which contained completed plans for three different regions; I had these set aside, for since we had seized them prior to their intended recipients ability to peruse them we may have already delayed their implementation.

  I thought that perhaps we could use these and the unmarked documents to find out exactly where these particular members of the circle of thirteen were operating and root them out. Indeed, we had already acted upon documents pertaining to the Titanvale - Third Princess Sylfaena and Lady Nenewyn delivered information to the correct people and the King of Kurvania put an end to the Black Order’s scheme before it had even been formulated.

  We were also investigating matters in Verdan, for certain pieces of evidence have led me to believe that one of their landed nobles is a member of the Black Order. Specifically, I found the way he phrased certain things within his missives to The Mastermind highly suggestive; for instance he referred to “his land” rather than “his homeland” or “his region” when referring to his base of operations.

  This by itself is not enough for decisive action, but all the same I had set Barrian to the task of discreetly investigating Verdan just in case my suspicions turned out to be correct.

  We had been prioritizing the documents with two marks, for the most worrying notion was that any plan that the Mastermind had completed prior to his death could be causing havoc as we speak. Knowing that the goal of the Black Order was nothing short of the world’s destruction meant that we needed to prevent mass despair-inducing incidents at all costs.

  If the knowledge of their Mastermind’s demise had reached them, some plans may have to change - but in situations where the first tiles had already begun to fall…

  Andres said, abruptly, “Teacher…I found something.”

  “Hm?” I received the document from Andres and looked it over. It had two parallel marks in red ink. I nearly gave a start, but I managed to maintain my composure. I had taught an apt pupil, with sharp deductive reasoning skills.

  After a deep breath, I said, “Indeed you have. If you will pardon me, I must away.”

  It was imperative that I locate Lady Nenewyn or Princess Sylfaena; I cared not which, only that I found either of them. Whether I spoke to a colleague or a superior didn’t matter, they both knew the selfsame spell, the one that I was in desperate need of.

  As quickly as I dared I sprinted down the hallway. As fortune had it I caught a glimpse of Lady Nenewyn as she entered the library - her ears twitched and she turned to face me, I was making no effort to engage in stealth so it was only natural that she would notice me.

  “Lord Hanzorian?” She said, “You seem troubled.”

  “Hm,” I said “I suppose I am. We have an emergency, and I have need of your abilities.”

  “At your service,” she said, a glint in her eyes.

  She pressed her pince-nez specs and stood with her arms crossed, hm, a more confident stance than she used to take, better posture besides. I will admit that it is an improvement over the meek way she used to stand in my presence - but no matter. I crossed my arms and came straight to the point.

  “I need you to cast Transmission,” I said. “Target: Victor Alexander Kirkland. Message-”

  Victor

  It was a frantic drive back to Caer Caradon, the two of us were worried beyond belief. Illiana knew where Juliette lived so we drove straight to her front doorstep. I’d actually missed Caer Caradon a fair bit; honestly, Tor Anaura’s majesty was overwhelming at times and it was nice to go somewhere more grounded. But beyond that it held a special place in my heart because it was the city where I became an official adventurer, the place where I formed a party with Illiana, the place where we spent so much time together and gotten close over the course of many adventures. That reminded me, I still needed to talk to Doctor Wangdoodle about certain alchemical matters. But that wasn’t important now.

  “We’re here!” Said Illiana, as we rounded a corner in an upper-middle class sort of area. Well, okay, upper middle class is what I called it at any rate since it was nicer than the area we lived in but not as nice as the upper crust type neighborhood; plus, as far as I knew, anyone with enough money could buy a house here and didn’t need an official title. The existence of Adventuring as a profession pretty much upended medieval economical classifications, among other things, in this world.

  At the third house from the corner, we halted and immediately made our way to the front door. Illiana knocked, and a moment later the door creaked open. There was a man I’d never seen before - one of those wolf-ears beastfolk with dark gray hair and ears featuring fur of the same color. The man had yellow irises and a strong jawline to match his impressive physique; the short-sleeved tunic he wore showed off his well-toned arms and shoulders, and his legs were filling out those casual trousers of his pretty well. Adding to his intimidating warrior look were the scars: one across his left cheek, one above his right eye, and one running the length of his right bicep.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The wolf-ears looked at Illiana and his ears perked up, “Ah! Miss Illiana?”

  Illiana curtsied, “So good to see you again, Lanicus!”

  He looked at me appraisingly, “Who is this? His scent hangs heavily upon you. Is he your mate?”

  Illiana blushed a little but coughed, and put on airs, “Aye, you have the right of it.”

  He turned to me and held out a hand. “I am Lanicus, formerly of Durania. Mate of Juliette.”

  I shook his hand, “Victor, formerly of Texas. Mate - er - fiancee of Illiana.”

  He squeezed firmly, “You’ve a good grip. Swordsman?”

  I nodded, smiling a little, “I get by. I use an arming sword or my Bowie knife with a shield, usually.”

  His ears went erect and he smiled, “Oh, I favor a short sword and shield myself!”

  Illiana coughed and said, “Lanicus, is Juliette within? How does she fare?”

  Lanicus’ ears flattened, and he crossed his arms. “The midwife says she’ll start labor any day now.”

  I could tell the man was anxious - yeah, his first child was about to be born and soon. But then his ears pricked up again and he gave a start; he leaned, as though to look behind me.

  “Ah! Is that…?”

  Whatever could he be looking at, I thought, then I turned around and realized my car was right behind me. Oh.

  I stuck up my thumb and grinned, “Yup. That’s the steel horse I rode in on.”

  Lanicus took a deep breath, “I’d heard stories from Julie but to see it for myself…”

  “Boys!” Illiana said, sharply, and the two of us stood at attention. “Thou mayst play with thine toys later! I must needs attend to Juliette!”

  We both gulped; the “yes dear” and “yes ma’am” issued from our respective mouths at the same time - when Illiana speaks in a formal tone you know she means business. Lanicus let us into the house, its description is unimportant; it was a lovely place. Cozy. A little lived-in; yeah, spare trousers thrown onto the couch and that sort of thing.

  We were led into a well-appointed room where, on a large bed, I saw Juliette resting on her side. That bump of hers was much bigger than it had been the last time I saw her - yeah she was ready to burst I reckoned. There was a stout gray-haired woman with impressive braids attending to her; I assumed her to be the aforementioned midwife.

  Juliette’s eyes lit up when we entered. “Illiana! Victor! I knew you’d come!”

  Illiana stood by Juliette’s side and took her hand. “I’m so sorry I hadn’t come to see you sooner! Things have been, um, well…”

  I bowed and said, “It’s my fault, really. I’ve been taking up a fair bit of her time.”

  With Juliette’s face the way it was, you’d almost expect a big blue question mark above her head.

  Illiana said, “Sir Victor and I are engaged to be married now.”

  “Oh! That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”

  “Thank you, Julie. Now, um…” she reached for Juliette’s swollen belly.

  The midwife gave a start but Juliette said, “Tis all right, Della, Illiana’s a chosen of Elianora.”

  Illiana’s hand glowed with green light for a moment, as did her eyes. After a moment she smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Your child is very healthy, with normal life signs,” Illiana said. “I can also tell that - ah, would you prefer to be surprised whether ‘tis a boy or a girl, human or beastfolk?”

  I suddenly recalled Malcolm’s explanation about what happens when a human and a beastfolk had kids. Something like a fifty-fifty chance either way. But Juliette shook her head.

  “Aye, I would much prefer to find out when Della hands me my baby for the first time. Though, Lanny…”

  Lanicus said, “I can tell by scent. But I promised to keep my mouth shut.”

  Della said, “Ach, yer a good boy Lan - but I need both o’ ya manfolk to bugger off! Ladies only!”

  Illiana smiled and said, “Forgive me, Sir Victor. But I have much to discuss with Juliette, and t’would be easier on her if only us healers remain with her for the time being.”

  I nodded, tipping my hat. “Makes sense to me - I’d just be in the way.”

  Lanicus gave a stiff bow, “I leave the care of my mate to you, then, Lady Ironbrow, Miss Illiana.”

  There’s that “miss” again. Ah, right, Juliette must not have told Lanicus that Illiana’s a princess. I remembered her saying something about only Juliette and the Guildmaster knowing her true identity back then. Anyhow, Lanicus led me to the living room where he poured us both an ale - oh, it was cold.

  “Thanks. Is this beer cooled by magic?”

  Lanicus nodded, “Yes. I don’t know all the details. It’s a special tap that my wizard friend made for us after I announced I’d be Juliette’s mate for life.”

  I laughed, “A magical wedding present. Illiana’s sister made a magical tool for us, too. How long have you been an adventurer for?”

  Lanicus’ tail flicked to the right and he stared at the ceiling for a moment, “Ten years, I think. But, I’ve been a fighting-man for longer than that.”

  “Were you in an army, a militia, or the like?”

  He shook his head, his ears drooped. “No. I was a slave in the Duranian arena - a gladiator forced to fight for the amusement of others. Then I was assigned to guard a merchant’s vessel. Then I got shipwrecked and was lucky enough to end up in Cara.”

  “Damn. Sounds like you had a rough time of it.”

  Lanicus nodded, “Hmm, indeed. I faced many hardships, but, the fact that I’ve found such a sweet and attentive mate in Juliette makes all of my struggle worthwhile.”

  “Love makes everything worth it, take it from me. How did you meet?”

  “We met five years ago. I had just finished a dangerous monster hunt and she was the receptionist who handled the paperwork. It was her first week on the job, actually, but she was very helpful.”

  I nodded, “She was the one who helped me when I registered to join the guild in the first place, but Illiana’s known her longer.”

  “Hmm, hmm,” He nodded, uncomfortably. Ah.

  I gave a bobbing-snap point. “You’re not one for small talk are you?”

  His ears flattened and he shook his head. “I’m not one for big talk either.”

  Was that intentionally a joke? Nah, I won’t press it. “Well then, how about we get to know each other with a good ol’ fashioned test of strength.”

  His ears stood straight up and his tail wagged; oh lord of course it would. “Yes! I haven’t had a chance to sharpen my mettle in many weeks, not since Julie entered her final, um-”

  “Trimester?”

  He nodded, “Yes, that is what Lady Ironbrow called it. Come!”

  I drained my glass - he turned around and quickly made for the hall. Of course I followed, and we ended up in the backyard. Adjacent to the exit was a large shed; when Lanicus opened the barn-like door, I saw that it was full of weapons.

  I whistled, “That’s an impressive collection.”

  “I thank you. Some of these are trophies from defeated enemies, but others I had made especially for training.”

  “So what rules are we using?”

  “We fight until we get tired or someone gets knocked down.”

  I laughed. “Fine by me.”

  For the purposes of our little bout, we decided to each use a wooden practice sword and a shield as that was the style we were both most comfortable with. The swords in this case were short, not much bigger than my bowie knife, but clearly swords and not large knives. The shields were round, bigger than the one I’d gotten used to; I almost wanted to call them small hoplons considering their overall design.

  I assessed my opponent: his ears were swept back and completely stiff and his gaze was narrow, serious, focused. As to his stance he had his blade in a high guard with his right leg forward, his shield at the ready. I matched his stance and we stared at each other intently for what seemed like an eternity. Lanicus was no thuggish orc fiending for the quick release of violence, ready to attack regardless of whether it was tactically sound; he was a cunning and intelligent warrior waiting for the moment when I’d slip up and give him an opening.

  That’s what his eyes were telling me; I’d sparred with Valyrian enough times to know that piercing look of appraisal and readiness. I’d also seen it in Rayna, Selafyn, and Guy when we’d trained together in the weeks leading up to our attack on the Mastermind; in fact, Guy had taught me a thing or two about using a shield. The wolf-ears had several years of adventuring experience more than I did; he was likely faster and stronger than me which meant that I needed to be clever.

  I smirked. But what does that matter? We’re just a couple of guys having fun to pass the time. I didn’t particularly care if I won. That said…I can’t just not do my best. With a flourish of both our weapons, the bout was on. I opened with a high feint. Lanicus raised his shield to catch my sword but at the last moment I changed the directionality of my strike; my opponent narrowly avoided taking a hit as he took a quick step back and immediately followed up with two rapid swings of his own.

  I quickly sidestepped the first one and caught the second with my shield before attempting another thrust; he parried that one and followed up with a counter that I deflected with my shield.

  The bout went on like this for a while. His attacks came in fast, and it was only thanks to my footwork that I was able to avoid taking hits. I was amazed at how agile he was; even when my feints worked he was still quick enough to recover and counter. Then, at some point, we attacked nigh simultaneously and wound up in a bind. We both grit our teeth and grunted as we struggled. Lanicus was smiling, oh, he was enjoying this? Me too.

  But just as I was about to make my next move, something unexpected happened. I felt a sensation in my brain that I’d never felt before and I heard words spoken in a familiar woman’s voice. With the sudden pulsing inside my head I was distracted just enough for Lanicus to overpower me in the bind; next thing I knew he’d shield bashed me and knocked me on my ass.

  What the hell just happened? There was a sort of throbbing in my skull, but not like a painful one, just weird. There was also a warm, tingly sort of feeling almost like little bits of electricity coursing through my skull - it was kind of like the first time Illiana cast a spell on me but from the inside.

  Like a spell? Wait, that’s it!

  I put my fingers to my right ear and, um, kind of felt around in my head. Was this that transmission spell thing? That voice sounded like Nenewyn, yeah, that measured and scholarly tone was unmistakable plus…well it’s hard to explain but it just sort of “felt” like Nenewyn. Could I send a message back the way Illiana had done even though I wasn’t a magic-user? I took a deep breath, focusing on the sensation in my head, and spoke intently.

  “Sorry Nenewyn, could you repeat that?”

  Lanicus had dropped his weapons and was now reaching out, his face wrought with concern, “Are you all right?”

  I nodded, “Yeah, hold on.”

  I waited with baited breath for Nenewyn to try her spell again, and there it was.

  “Urgent. Mastermind had plans in motion before he died. Need your speed. Hanzorian has details. Name meeting location for briefing. We will gather your allies.”

  So much for rest. Over the horizon lurked the shadow of the Mastermind.