Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 9

“If someone purposely set a building in your village on fire, what would you do?”

“I’d put an arrow in the asshole who did it,” Reed replied. “Three arrows, just in case the first didn’t kill ‘em.”

Liam sighed.

“Wrong answer?” Reed asked.

“No,” Liam answered. “Just wondering why the people of the city don’t do the same.”

“‘Cause they’d be slaughtered if they did,” the woodsman said. “A regiment of armsmen and four Mercenary companies would wipe ‘em out in no time.”

He was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. As far as his reconnaissance could make out, there were about five hundred Blumrush armsmen and fifteen hundred Mercenaries in the Re-Blumrushur. That was sufficient to keep an eye on things and put down small uprisings, but, if the city’s thirty-five thousand residents simultaneously rebelled, they could easily drive House Blumrush’s forces into the castle.

“If the entire city revolts,” Liam said, “Lord Reginald would lose control in less than a day. Some of the Knights and Mercenaries are pretty strong, but they’d still be overwhelmed by the sheer number of citizens.”

He had seen that much, at least. The unskilled labourers of the city were more likely to turn on the Guilds than the nobility and there was undoubtedly all sorts of history between both individuals and groups of people.

“There’s also the fact that we’re facing a famine,” Lady Beaumont added. “The people already expect a future of extraordinary hardship. This allows House Blumrush to push them much harder than they usually could.”

“Are people that predictable?” Liam grumbled.

“Predicting specific individual actions might be difficult,” the Countess said, “but knowing what the average person is capable of and how to limit undesirable behaviour isn’t. Nobles must consider such issues on a daily basis.”

“Why are you thinking about this, anyway?” Reed asked, “I thought we wanted our asses out of here as quick as possible.”

Claire emerged from the office to give the woodsman a smack.

“You’re speaking in our lady’s presence,” she told him. “Watch your mouth, Mister Reed.”

The Maid retreated to the Countess’ office, nursing her hand.

“Is she allowed to do that?” The woodsman asked.

“I have no idea,” Liam answered.

It was one of the long list of things that women were apparently allowed to do, but men weren’t. He had no idea who came up with that list, but everyone seemed to adhere to it.

“Anyways,” Liam said. “As much as I’d like to have us out of the city soon, it looks like we won’t be able to. Lady Beaumont, how did your meeting with Baroness Illerand go?”

“Not as well as I would have liked,” the young noblewoman replied. “Not only are her accounts a mess, entire portions of her territory haven’t reported their summer harvests, nevermind the autumn harvest.”

“What does that mean?”

“It could mean several things,” Lady Beaumont said. “Baroness Illerand’s magistrates could be testing the bounds of their new liege’s power or tolerance. Villages may have been plundered or razed by bandits, Demihuman tribes, or Monsters. A rival lord may have taken control of pieces of her territory…we won’t know until we send people to find out.”

“Wouldn’t the latter mean war?” Liam asked.

“There’s no law against Nobles waging war against one another,” the Countess answered. “In fact, it’s to House Blumrush’s benefit that its vassals weaken one another militarily. Of course, they’ll intercede if such a contest isn’t worth the cost in economic damage.”

Which would probably never happen. In Re-Estize, war was the province of Nobles and was fought in predetermined battlegrounds to prevent collateral damage to developed territories. That meant two opposing forces fought until honour was satisfied. Of course, fighting in a way that wasn’t advantageous to the cavalry that Re-Estize’s aristocrats favoured was considered dishonourable.

“If someone’s taken a piece of Baroness Illerand’s territory,” Liam said, “does she even have an army to fight with?”

Countess Beaumont shook her head.

“She barely has any armsmen. If she were to call for a levy, she doesn’t have the people to organise it. Her only real option would be to petition House Blumrush to support her claim and that may not achieve the desired result.”

“Why not?” Liam asked, “Isn’t a liege obliged to defend their vassal?”

“On paper, yes. In practice…the worst-case scenario is that the liege determines the petitioner is incapable of ruling their territory and allows the offending Noble to take over. If we’re talking about two vassals under House Blumrush, the winner of a court battle like this would be the house that offers the greatest ‘contributions’ to the realm.”

“So the biggest bribe wins,” Reed said.

“It doesn’t have to be an immediate monetary contribution,” the Countess said. “Vassals can make future concessions to sway the opinion of their liege.”

“So a Noble can take over a village,” Liam said, “then offer half of that village’s industrial production as a bribe to their liege so they can keep it.”

“That’s one way, yes.”

“But that’s basically saying ‘I’ll give you half of what I stole’.”

“The offender wouldn’t use those particular words. Phrasing matters. Also, keep in mind that a liege would never approve of such a takeover if it makes one of their vassals too powerful for their liking.”

“No matter who it benefits,” Liam said, “it’s still wrong.”

“Oh, Liam,” Lady Beaumont said endearingly, “that upright nature of yours is something I truly adore. However, it’s not something that we can realistically follow in our present situation.”

Liam figured that their ‘present situation’ would change after he stabbed a few people, but he hadn’t been ordered to do so. Not yet, at any rate.

“What is our present situation, in your opinion?” Liam asked.

“There might be some trouble on the way…”

Liam rose and walked from the solar’s drawing room to the office.

“Trouble?” What kind of trouble?”

“Countess Highwood arrived in the city sometime in the last few hours.”

“One of House Beaumont’s enemies?” Liam asked.

“It’s more problematic than that,” the Countess answered. “They’re allies.”

“So it’s bad because we can’t compete against them for resources?”

“No, the issue lies…elsewhere.”

Liam looked down at the young noblewoman, who fidgeted nervously in her seat.

“Being vague about it doesn’t help us,” Liam told her.

“It’s complicated,” Lady Beaumont didn’t raise her gaze to meet his. “More to do with what was going on before I went to Beaumont County than anything else.”

“What were you doing?” Liam asked.

A long sigh issued from the young noblewoman’s lips.

“K-Keep in mind that my moves were made in complete ignorance,” she answered in a small voice. “I thought that my House was in the situation that my late lord father suggested to me, so I conducted myself in a manner matching that position of strength.”

“I have no idea what that means,” Liam said.

“It means that…it means that I conducted myself as any proper noblewoman would. Rumours flowing from the capital suggested that the leader of this new faction of ours was little more than an oblivious fool. With that in mind, I set about consolidating my own small faction in Re-Blumrushur in the hopes that I would be recognised as a superior leadership candidate or at least competent enough to oversee matters in the Azerlisian Marches.”

So that’s why she was removed from the city by the Eight Fingers…

Liam’s knowledge of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s designs was limited to what he was briefed on, but what he knew of those designs and the general behaviour of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s top people neatly explained things. They always conveyed themselves arbitrarily and pieces – which was pretty much everyone beneath them – were expected to perform their designated roles.

These expectations, of course, also applied to Countess Beaumont. She was supposed to be one of many oblivious idiots filling the ranks of a faction meant to disrupt the politics of Re-Estize at some point in the future. Showing ‘initiative’ by acting outside the bounds of her role was not a part of that plan, so she and her co-conspirators were placed somewhere where she wouldn’t be able to interfere with the Sorcerous Kingdom’s designs. The fact that Liam knew so little about Lady Beaumont – or any of the region’s nobility – was also a result of how insignificant they were in Lady Albedo’s eyes.

“Alright,” Liam said, “so how will this affect what we’re doing now?”

“Without more information,” Lady Beaumont replied, “I can only offer broad predictions. As the name suggests, House Highwood administers a fief specialised in forestry with some mines, just like House Beaumont. The main difference now is that the Sorcerous Kingdom’s support has granted us a huge windfall – both with the gains from the materials gathered from the wilderness and ending the Eight Fingers’ control over our territory.”

“So this Countess is coming into the city poor,” Liam said.

The Countess nodded.

“How poor they’ll be will depend on how Countess Highwood negotiates the special reconstruction levy with House Blumrush. Regardless of the outcome, she’ll most certainly come to me for support under the assumption that I still lead our ‘faction’.”

“So she’ll ask you for food or money?”

“No,” the Countess shook her head. “She’ll avoid any moves that directly expose her weakness. The obvious action for her would be to encourage me to leverage the collective bargaining power of our faction to secure what our members need.”

“…just so we’re on the same page here, how big is this ‘faction’?”

“…roughly half of the Azerlisian Marches, perhaps?”

Liam’s mouth fell open.

“You rallied half of the Azerlisian Marches behind you without knowing the true state of House Beaumont?”

“It wasn’t intentional!” Lady Beaumont protested, “I didn’t mean to mislead anyone and it’s what any Noble in my situation would have done. The Battle of Katze Plains destabilised everything. Old friendships needed to be reaffirmed and it was a chance to forge new bonds. It’s just…it’s just that everything became far larger than I could have possibly imagined at the time.”

“I don’t get how something like this couldn’t be intentional,” Liam frowned.

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A tired expression broke through the young noblewoman’s mask of composure. After a moment, she looked up at her Maid.

“Claire, fresh tea, if you would.”

Claire bobbed her head before leaving the solar. Lady Beaumont closed her eyes, not speaking until the Maid returned. Once a steaming cup of red tea was placed before her, she breathed in the calming aroma of her drink and gingerly took a sip.

“I honestly don’t think anyone could fault me for my actions,” she said. “The first thing I did was solidify the friendships between House Beaumont and houses like Illerand. They’ve traded with us for generations and any disruption of that trade threatens the survival of our subjects.”

“I guess that’s fair,” Liam said. “How did it get so crazy?”

“The Eight Fingers hosted a function in Re-Blumrushur, similar to what they did in the capital. Lady Albedo didn’t make an appearance, nor did anyone of any importance, so it was a meaningless and empty affair from the outset.”

Liam frowned.

“I think I missed something…”

“The lack of significance to anything had the effect of illuminating my activities,” the Countess said. “Honestly, it could have been anyone. The important part was that someone was doing something beyond empty posturing and everyone else latched onto it. Do you understand my meaning?”

“Alright, so the fact that something was happening attracted everyone’s attention,” Liam said. “But how did that lead to…whatever happened?”

“Because it’s what we’re born and bred to do, Liam,” the young noblewoman said. “Even those whose parents didn’t have the means to properly raise all of their children understood that something was going on – something that they should also take part in. What I was doing was far from anything grand, but it was essential for everyone involved. It was a chance to gain experience; a chance to experience the tiniest bit of success. I do not think it too different for those of other vocations.”

Except a guy in another vocation doesn’t affect hundreds of thousands of people doing what they do.

“So you just did a bunch of ‘normal’ things and it ended up becoming huge…but it’s still made up of normal things, right?”

“Yes and no,” the young noblewoman replied. “Transactionally, you have the regular business that the houses would conduct – the ‘normal things’. It’s the new web of relationships that we must be careful with. On top of being based on erroneous assumptions, we’re talking about a very real accumulation of political power that House Blumrush usually wouldn’t tolerate. I can only guess at how things will play out.”

I need to ask Lady Wagner about this.

He had no clue where to begin with what Countess Beaumont had shared. Would House Blumrush act against them? How much protection did their association with the Eight Fingers provide? What would the addition of a faction mean for the ‘experiment’ with Lady Beaumont?

A knock sounded from the entrance to the solar. Claire glanced at the Countess, who nodded in response.

“Yes, what is it?” The Maid said as she opened the door.

One of Reed’s woodsmen stood in the corridor outside, clutching a dripping leather cap in his hands. He looked about uncertainty until Reed rose to his feet.

“What’s going on?” Reed asked.

“Some carriages are parking in the street out front,” the woodsmen answered. “Got house sigils on ‘em. No one’s come out yet.”

A long sigh rose from Lady Beaumont’s office.

“Did you know they were coming?” Liam asked, “Was that why you brought all of this up?”

“I knew it would happen eventually,” the young noblewoman replied, “but not this quickly. I thought it would take more time for more of my peers to arrive in the city.”

The Countess rose with a whisper of her long skirts. She tentatively looked out of her office window with a frown on her tired face.

“That’s strange,” she murmured. “How long has it been since those carriages arrived?”

“Couldn’t be more than five minutes, my lady,” the woodsman replied.

Liam joined Lady Beaumont at the window. The tops of several carriages could be seen over the estate’s hedge, parked along the street. Several thoroughly soaked footmen stood at their stations on and around the vehicles, but there was no sign of their lords or ladies.

“Are they waiting for the rain to stop?” Liam asked.

“That’s unlikely,” the Countess answered. “They could have taken turns disembarking at the front entrance. Turns…oh, I believe I know what's going on.”

“What?”

“Going by the livery of the footmen, not all of these carriages came together. They probably rushed here upon seeing others do the same. Now they’re trying to determine the order of precedence between them.”

“…this isn’t a party,” Liam said.

“They’ve turned it into one,” the Countess said. “Mister Reed, have your off-duty men move the retinue’s belongings out of the great hall before you post them around the manor.”

“Uh…where do we put our stuff?”

“They can move their things to the empty servants’ quarters and return them to the great hall once our guests leave. Claire, see if the Cook can’t come up with some refreshments.”

“Yes, my lady.”

As the Countess and her staff scrambled to make their preparations, Liam went outside to take a closer look at the parked carriages. He couldn’t identify the sigils upon them, nor could he figure out which vehicles harboured the highest-ranked Nobles.

“Why are they just sitting here?” Liam asked.

“Beats me,” one of the woodsmen posted at the gate said. “They’re talkin’, I guess.”

Liam peered at the carriages along the street.

“Talking how?”

“They’ve got some poor guy going back and forth between two of the–oh, there he is.”

A miserable-looking footman in yellow and brown livery appeared from around the bend. Liam and the woodsmen’s heads turned in unison, following the footman as he jogged by without a word before disappearing up the street.

“Have any of these guys said anything?” Liam asked.

“Nope.”

This is stupid.

At least it bought Countess Beaumont time to get ready. The footman went back and forth a dozen more times before it finally seemed that things were settled. From up the street, the sound of approaching hooves grew steadily over the pouring rain. A black carriage came around the bend, bearing a single plaque with a black horse on chequy sable and argent. The footman driving the carriage looked down at them, managing a prideful look despite the rain streaming down his soaked uniform.

“Count Zachary Lias Dale Raley is here to see Lady Beaumont,” the footman told him.

“House Raley should have done us the courtesy of calling ahead,” Liam said.

The driver pointedly ignored him, looking expectantly at the still-closed gate.

What did that mean? Since so much time had been spent determining rank between the visiting Nobles, did the footman’s behaviour mean that House Raley considered itself above House Beaumont?

A second carriage rolled in from the opposite direction, stopping right behind the first. The other vehicles parked on the street started moving as well. Reed’s men sent questioning looks in Liam’s direction. Liam looked over his shoulder through the bars of the gate, finding Claire and a dozen woodsmen lined up at the entrance of the manor.

“Open the gate,” Liam said.

He rushed to the manor’s great hall, which had been hastily rearranged to accommodate the unexpected guests. Lady Beaumont sat at the head of the chamber, her slender fingers idly tapping the polished oaken tabletop before her.

“We just started letting them in,” Liam said. “The first carriage acted pretty rude.”

“Rude?” The Countess asked, “In what way?”

“They announced themselves and wouldn’t answer us. Count Raley was the guy.”

A furrow creased the young noblewoman’s brow.

“Raley? Why would a Count come in first?”

“Because he thought he was the most important person attending?” Liam guessed.

“What?” Lady Beaumont blinked, “Ah, no, that’s not how it works for functions at this level. Normally, the most important guests arrive last.”

“Maybe he forgot. Is he a part of this faction of yours?”

“No, he wasn’t involved with us before. His behaviour is also troubling…”

“Was he at that party the Eight Fingers hosted?”

“He was, but he didn’t get caught up in the excitement that I caused. As far as I could tell, the man just watched us from a distance and he didn’t visit me at any point afterwards. In terms of House Raley’s influence, something must have changed while I was away. Its holdings are agricultural, so Lord Raley may be using that as a way to force his way to the top.”

“What is he going to do?”

“It stands to reason that he’ll use his surplus grain to win several Nobles to his side and take steps to become a major player in the faction. Given his behaviour outside, he may even believe he can wrest leadership from me.”

Yet again, Liam pondered the ridiculousness of the situation. How did something as simple as trading wood for grain explode into a web of relationships spanning most of the Azerlisian Marches? How would things look by the end of the gathering?

“Maybe you should just let him have it,” Liam said. “Then we can get out of here.”

“I doubt it will be so easy,” Lady Beaumont replied. “Even if I relinquish leadership, I’m still the former leader. That makes me a potential threat to be suppressed, which makes securing what we need all the more difficult.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Is there any easy way out of this mess?”

“Staying in control of the faction is the easy way.”

“But that doesn’t get you out: it just gets you stuck.”

The young noblewoman quietly looked up at him for several moments.

“Liam,” she said, “it’s clear that you consider all this a hindrance. However, if House Beaumont’s affairs were in order, I would have been more than happy being ‘stuck’. Any Noble would if the opportunity arose.”

He wasn’t so sure about that. At the least, Lady Zahradnik did her best to avoid entangling herself in that kind of stuff.

The shadow of movement in the corridor outside caught Liam’s eye. Reed appeared at the entrance. Behind him was a queue of well-dressed men and women. The first to enter was a blonde-haired man of modest height and build, who smiled slightly as Reed fumbled his way through announcing him. His blue-grey eyes scanned the great hall as he made his way to the dais at its head.

Lady Beaumont rose to her feet with a pleasant smile.

“Count Raley,” she said, “it has been too long.”

“Countess Beaumont,” the nobleman replied. “I couldn’t help but notice your lack of proper household staff.”

“I only intended to stay for as long as my business demanded,” the Countess replied. “Imagine my surprise upon discovering the myriad of challenges that now face us. Please, have a seat.”

Count Raley froze with one foot on the dais, his smile vanishing. His host had not gestured to a seat at the head of the hall beside her, but to the table below and to the left. Liam expected him to ascend the dais anyway given his actions so far, but he wordlessly went to his assigned place.

Reed’s voice sounded from the entrance again, announcing the next guest. Countess Highwood, a shorter girl with blonde ringlets, breathlessly swept into the hall.

“Beaumont! Thank the gods you’ve returned to the city!”

“I wasn’t aware that you had arrived from the south, Countess Highwood,” Lady Beaumont said.

“It was just this afternoon,” Lady Highwood replied. “I heard rumours of a disastrous harvest across the north, so I came to see what could be done. Then I arrived in the city and found that all the warehouses had burnt down! And Lord Reginald…oh, Beaumont, we have so much to discuss!”

“I’m sure everyone attending the gathering this evening shares the same concerns,” Lady Beaumont said. “Shall we wait until everyone is settled down?”

“Yes, of course.”

Countess Beaumont gestured to the table below the dais and to the right. The other noblewoman blinked in surprise, but nodded and went to her place after glancing at Count Raley.

Liam committed each Noble’s appearance to memory as they entered the hall. Their seating arrangement reflected their relationship with House Beaumont, with members of her faction sitting at the right table and everyone else on the left. The numbers were about even, with just over twenty guests in attendance. The low din of discussion quieted as Countess Beaumont rose to her feet.

“Well, the timing of this gathering was unexpected, but I suppose it had to happen at some point. Welcome, everyone – you’ll have to forgive the limited hospitality given the city’s circumstances.”

“The city’s circumstances are the least of our concerns,” Count Raley gestured empathetically. “Disaster has befallen the north and the results of that disaster will soon come for us. We must prepare to defend our food stores from the waves of outlaws that will inevitably appear from without and within.”

“I resent your insinuation, Lord Raley,” Countess Highwood frowned. “If there is a rise in banditry in our territories, it will be because you and similarly-minded lords have closed your granaries to us.”

“Is that true, Lord Raley?” Lady Beaumont asked.

The Count snorted.

“Hardly. All we ask for is fair trade.”

“Fair trade?” Countess Highwood half rose from her seat, “You and your collaborators are demanding double last year’s prices! Between that and the special tax for construction materials that Lord Reginald has levied upon us, feeding our people has become an impossible task!”

“Your relationship with House Blumrush is your own business,” Count Raley said dismissively. “As for myself and my ‘collaborators’, we must attend to our own fiefs. They will undoubtedly be the main target of any outlaws over the winter. The increased price of grain is necessary for hiring the security required to turn away the raids that will inevitably occur.”

Countess Highwood sent an exasperated look at Countess Beaumont. It seemed like the exchange wasn’t going well for her. Count Raley was correct that every Noble prioritised their fiefs. Rulers of lands specialised in forestry and mining had little to offer that would help defend against the threats they faced.

“Aren’t you overestimating the threat, Lord Raley?” Countess Beaumont said, “The coming famine will undoubtedly lead to a rise in banditry, but House Blumrush would hardly let an army of outlaws roam the land unchecked bringing starvation and crippling our industries.”

“And how would they know?” Count Raley asked, “A village a day away from Re-Blumrushur could be raided and the raiders would be long gone before any help arrives. Unless House Blumrush spreads its forces throughout the Azerlisian Marches – which it won’t – every fief must see to its own defence.”

“The woodland territories could levy forces to assist with that defence,” Countess Beaumont suggested. “It would be far cheaper than hiring Mercenaries.”

“And far less reliable,” Count Raley replied. “A peasant militia is just as likely to flee as fight in the face of aggressors.”

“Then I must wonder why you and all those who sit with you have come,” Countess Beaumont said. “You are clearly not here to cooperate with us.”

“We are here to show that the lords of the lowlands stand in solidarity,” Count Raley said. “There is no scheme that you and your friends can come up with to lower our prices for grain. In fact, you should take advantage of our generous offer before the deteriorating situation forces us to increase them once again.”

All at once, the great hall exploded into an uproar. Lords and ladies alike shot to their feet, shouting across the chamber at one another. Liam looked back and forth, rapidly losing track of everything being said. Nothing in his training had prepared him for this.