Autumn remained in Vargas to prepare for the influx of refugees from the Archipelago. Her mother Auror was still staying in the manor, and was eager to offer her expertise on emergency planning. Xu also remained behind, foreseeing that Autumn might have need of a swift messenger. And with Iria staying at the manor with Elianora, Tolly now only had three women to worry about; King Bali’s daughters, and his new apprentice Crystal.
It was nearing sunset by the time the remaining members of the Legacy cleared the gate at Aleppi and
wind walked their way to Trageon. They saw the Tower long before they arrived at the city, its dark surface jutting upward like a scar on the afternoon sky. When they arrived, Arrie went to the Tower to try and convince the scholars there to begin collecting what information they had about the Tauric Empire, while the others proceeded to the church of Ardara in Trageon.
“We will make our request for an audience with the prime minister through Tribute Hadar,” Tolly said. “As an established spiritual authority in the city, I imagine Father Hadar will have enough clout to get our foot in the door. After that, we should be able to drop enough names to get their attention. Osborn, if you want to…”
Tolly turned to see that the hin was nowhere to be found. Tolly scanned the crowds for a moment, and then shrugged and went on his way. If there had been trouble, either Osborn or Rupert would have raised an alarm. Osborn knew where they were heading, and knew the city well. Besides that, the hin had mentioned having contacts in town that could help. Tolly had every confidence that Osborn could take care of himself.
Tolly walked into the church and swept past the acolytes with hardly a second glance, as the three women with him hurried to keep up. Tolly had made sure that the seal of the Inquisitor Primus was plainly visible before approaching the temple, and had instructed Crystal to unveil her own Inquisitorial trappings. This had the desired result; no one challenged their passage into the temple’s inner chambers or their presenting at the offices of the Tribute.
Father Hadar was an old man, though he still appeared robust. It was no secret that he was ready to retire; the office of the Tribute in Trageon had been presented as an option to Tolly months ago by Archprelate Frelarr, before he was offered the job of Inquisitor Primus. Seeing his old mentor for the first time in three years, Tolly could not help but notice how much he seemed to have aged.
“Brother Nightsleaving?” Hadar exclaimed, as Tolly walked into his office. Smiling, the old man rose and crossed the room, embracing Tolly like a lost son.
“You’ve come up quite a way since we last spoke, my boy!” he said, beaming. “In more ways than one. I used to be taller than you. Either you’ve grown, or I’ve shrunk.”
“I am a bit taller, Father,” said Tolly.
“And more popular too, I see,” Hadar said, glancing at the women behind him.
“Oh, of course. This is Lajila and Nidru, daughters of King Bali of the Red Archipelago, who are currently under my protection. And this is Crystal, one of our own sisters, now apprenticed to me. This is Hadar, Tribute of Ardara.”
The three women bowed respectfully, a gesture that Hadar returned. “I take it that you’re here on official business, then?”
“I’m afraid it has to be. I need to get in to see the prime minister as soon as possible.”
“I see. Unfortunately, he’s a rather busy man. I’ll see what I can do, but…”
“What I need to inform him about,” Tolly said, “is a possible invasion fleet from the Tauric Empire. The fleet will reach and overwhelm the Red Archipelago within two weeks, and then continue on to Affon. Their numbers appear sufficient to completely blockade Targeth if they chose.”
Hadar turned pale. “I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t make any promises.”
“Feel free to invoke the office of the Inquisitor Primus if you need to,” Tolly said. “I’m also here with Ariadne Verahannen, Imperial Princess of Tlaxan.”
“I’ll drop the appropriate names,” Hadar grinned.
“Excellent,” Tolly said. “Now, while I’m waiting, where are the kitchens?”
“Right where they’ve always been,” said Hadar. “You remember washing all those dishes, right?”
“I do,” admitted Tolly. “I just wanted to say hello to the cooks. I’ve also got to find a tailor to get some proper attire for these women.”
“Picking out women’s clothing?” Father Hadar gasped as he shuffled toward the door. “My goodness, Tolly, you have changed.” Before leaving, Hadar looked at Tolly again, his expression grave. “Is it really that bad, Tolly?”
“The only description we have for the number of ships approaching from the Tauric Empire is ‘all of them’,” Tolly said. “Even if they aren’t hostile, it’s not going to be pretty.”
* * *
Osborn knew he’d made contact with the Shadow Hand when someone tried to pick his pocket.
“Hey!” he said, grabbing hold of the pickpocket’s wrist. It belonged to a young human boy, no more than fourteen, who squirmed and wriggled to get free, but couldn’t break the hin’s grasp.
“That’s not how you do that!” Osborn chided, and he pulled the protesting youth off to a dark alley nearby. Pulling off his gloves, Osborn held out his hands, clearly revealing the network of faint tattoos on his right hand that made it appear slightly darker than the left. Seeing this, the boy relaxed.
Osborn gave the young boy a few quick tips on his craft, then looked at the boy sternly. “I need to speak to the Guild master,” he said.
“The master?” said the boy. “No one sees the master.”
“Go to one of the lieutenants,” Osborn said. “Tell them Slip is back in town. They’ll see me.”
The boy ran off, while Osborn and Rupert waited in the alley. He spent several minutes preparing himself mentally for the upcoming meeting; he hadn’t been ‘Slip’ in years, and he didn’t particularly enjoy the experience the first time. But it had served a higher purpose then, just as it would now.
Osborn knew he was being watched, and sensed someone approaching, even though he couldn’t see anyone.
“Good to see you, Slip,” said a voice.
“Been a long time, Noose,” he replied.
A tiefling stepped out from behind a pile of refuse. He was an older tiefling, perhaps in his sixties. They clasped hands, and immediately slipped into a casual banter about politics and the weather that hid their true conversation.
“I need to see the boss,” Osborn said.
“Sure,” said Noose. “Follow me.” They left the alley and began walking down the street, heading for the tunnels that led into the Undercity. “You haven’t been around for a while.”
“I’ve been traveling,” Osborn said. “I got into the Tower for a while, and after that ended up joining an adventuring party. You may have heard of them – the Legacy?”
“Sounds vaguely familiar, but we don’t get a lot of news from the outside world that doesn’t pertain to the profession.”
“Well, I have some information that the boss can use. I was recently in the Red Archipelago…”
Noose grinned. “I’ve had some good vacations there. Any time you get to bed a paladin, makes you feel like you got away with something.”
“Well, I would have had a good time, if it wasn’t for some trouble heading this way.”
Noose’s smile quickly inverted. “Do the other lieutenants need in on this, too?”
“Yeah, probably.”
They finally arrived at the guild house. Osborn, of course, had known where it was the whole time, but also knew better than to approach uninvited. He and Noose walked in, and Osborn was shown to a small room.
“Wait here,” the tiefling said. “I’ll come get you when he’s ready.” Noose looked down at Osborn. “Good to see you back, Slip. Wasn’t the same around here after that botched job that you and Darkglove were on. I’m glad you didn’t get offed like he did.”
“Me too, Noose,” grinned Osborn. Of course, Osborn didn’t mention the one part of that tale that no one but he and one of the city guard knew; that Osborn himself had been the one who killed Darkglove, retribution for a robbery of the circus he’d grown up in. ‘Slip’s’ standing in the guild would worsen considerably if that news ever came out; Darkglove had been one of the master’s favorite lieutenants.
Osborn waited another twenty minutes before Noose came to get him. He was led deep into the guildhall, to a dark room dominated by a V-shaped table. Osborn stood in the middle, between the two arms of the V, while the Shadow Hand’s lieutenants flanked him on either side. At the vertex of the table, shrouded in shadow, was the master. No one ever saw the master, or even knew his (or her?) name. Osborn knew that the guild master of the Shadow Hand was warded with potent magic protecting his identity.
“You have your meeting,” said Noose, taking his seat at the table. “What news do you have?”
Osborn related the information that they’d learned about the approaching armada from the Tauric Empire. He was careful to gloss over certain details (he figured that claiming to have spoken to a dragon would get him laughed out of the room), but also careful to explain exactly who and what the Tauric Empire was. After all, the majority of people in Affon had no idea that a large continent ruled by animal-human hybrids even existed, much less only a few hundred miles north.
“So, what is it you want from us?” asked the master, in a voice that was neither male nor female, neither familiar nor unfamiliar.
“I want us to get the word out to our outlying guilds, especially in the Expanse,” Osborn said.
One of the lieutenants, a fire-touched known as Cinder, scoffed. “Sounds awfully charitable. What’s in it for us, Slip?”
Osborn knew he had to tread carefully. After all, he was dealing with a thieves’ guild, not a group of altruistic do-gooders. “Well, for one thing, even though we’re safe behind the shield here in Targeth, they aren’t. No sense losing good people in a surprise attack. Besides, if we tell the other guilds, and they make the proper preparations…”
“Wartime profiteering?” the master finished. “A lucrative business, especially if you can get the inside track before anyone knows there’s a problem.”
“Exactly,” Osborn agreed.
“Very well,” the master said. “We’ll notify the branch guildmasters of the impending attack. The information is appreciated.” Although Osborn couldn’t see the master’s face, he felt like the head of the Shadow Hand was staring at him intently. “Will you be returning to the fold, then, Slip?”
“I’m afraid not,” Osborn said. “If I came back now, it would raise too many questions – more trouble than it would be worth to the guild.”
“Questioners can be dealt with,” said Noose.
“The questioners are both persistent, and highly placed,” Osborn explained. “Hardly worth the effort just to bring back one hin with sticky fingers. I’ll be glad to help train some of the new blood while I’m here. The pickpockets seem a little sloppy.”
Filch, the lieutenant who was in charge of what the Shadow Hand referred to as ‘back alley jobs’ like pickpockets and muggings, scowled. The others chuckled.
“Anything else, Slip?” the master asked.
“Just this.” Osborn produced a good-sized diamond from a pocket, and set it on the table close to the guildmaster. “This should cover the dues I’ve missed while I was away,” he said.
“And then some,” the master replied, reaching out with a gloved hand and pocketing the gem. “You may go about your business, Master Greenbottle.”
Osborn quickly left the room, suppressing his smile until he was out of the guild house and well on his way back to the temple of Ardara. In informing the outlying guilds of the impending attack, those guildmasters would be certain to pass the news on to their government contacts, and from there it would go to the militias and the populace. Under the guise of promoting ‘war profiteering’, the Shadow Hand would effectively spread the news of the armada far more quickly than they ever could alone. It never ceased to amaze Osborn how simple it was sometimes to get people to do the right thing, even if they only thought they were doing the right thing for themselves.
Now, as the sun set behind the massive bulk of the Tower, and the floating crystalline islands that comprised the Upper City began to reflect the lights of the Middle City, Osborn hoped it would be enough.
* * *
Arrie, Tolly, and Osborn painted a suitably horrific impression on the Prime Minister. The Minister, a human as old as Father Hadar but much more feeble, at first listened impassively, and began to recite rote answers about the impenetrability of Targeth’s arcane barriers, and how the Empire was not obligated to see to the well-being of its neighbors. But then Arrie began to vividly describe the effects of several months of complete blockades on Targeth, and how eventually the Taurics could mass their forces and overwhelm the nation’s armies at the three gateways. Then Tolly pointed out that the Tauric Empire’s capabilities were unknown, but since their population was much greater than Affon’s, it stood to reason that they might have enough arcanists of sufficient power to negate the shields entirely. That got the Minister’s attention.
“I’ll pass this information on the appropriate sub-bureaus,” he said.
Tolly and Arrie sighed, but knew that when dealing with Targeth’s bureaucracy, this was about the best result they could hope for. “Thank you, Prime Minister,” said Tolly, bowing.
As they left, Arrie looked around at the chunks of the Upper City floating nearby. “I managed to bribe enough people in the Tower that they agreed to collect the material they have on the Taurics for us. I’ve reserved a room there we can use.”
“Excellent. Let me get Lajila and Nidru back to the temple, and then Crystal and I will join you.”
“I’ll have to pass,” Osborn said. “I made some promises to people in order to help get the word out about the fleet. I’ll be busy for a couple of days.”
“So,” Arrie said, “we’ve told everyone we can possibly think of about the Tauric armada, we’ve started preparations to evacuate the Red Archipelago, and we’ve even got a nice, cryptic prophecy to mull over. The question is, what do we do now?”
“I wish I knew, Arrie,” Tolly sighed. “I wish I knew.”
* * *
It was a few more days before everyone met again in Vargas. It was less than a cheerful reunion.
“We don’t know much more than when we started,” Kyle said, clearly unhappy. “The Tauric Empire has a strict caste system. Tauric creatures, like centaurs, minotaurs, wemics, harpies, and the like, form the ruling class. The empire’s police and military forces are composed of lycanthropes. The majority of the citizens are the slaves – various humanoid races.”
“How big a majority?” Autumn asked.
“Conservative estimates place the Tauric Empire’s population at about 300 million,” said Tolly. Like Kyle and Lanara, their own research at the Tower had turned up woefully little information. “Of that, it’s thought that two or three percent are taurics, and an additional five percent or so are lycanthropes.”
“Three hundred million,” sighed Arrie, shaking her head. “The whole population of Affon’s less than sixty million.”
“And far less organized,” Kyle observed. “The Tauric fleet is presumably all under one chain of command. We’ve got six sovereign nations, plus the Steppes, the Expanse, and the Haran Desert.”
“Anything else?” asked Xu.
“They do practice arcane magic,” Kyle said, “and there are far more practitioners of nature magic there than there are here. They do have clerics, but only for the One and the Four; they consider the Many too weak, and too humanoid in nature to deserve worship.”
“Well, while you were doing that,” Autumn said, “the refugees from the Red Archipelago have been arriving. A fleet from the Peca Provinces arrived to help transport most of them. My duchy is currently hosting about a hundred and fifty thousand, many of them from King Bali’s islands.”
“Lajila and Nidru should rejoin their people as soon as possible,” Tolly said. “They’ll need the reassurance of seeing some form of leadership among them. I’m assuming, of course, that the king and his sons remained behind.”
Autumn nodded. “About a hundred thousand stayed behind to challenge the Tauric fleet,” Autumn said.
“Any word on where the fleet is?” asked Lanara.
“When we left, we were guessing about ten days until the fleet reached the islands,” Osborn said. “So they’ll get there in the next two or three days.”
“So, unfortunately, we’ll have to wait to plan our kidnapping,” Arrie said, referring to their plan of abducting a Tauric officer for information on why they were invading. “Until they’ve stopped at the Archipelago, it’s going to be impossible to set up anything.”
“Well, Tolly and I can try and keep an eye on things from here,” Kyle said. “We can also consult Erito through Maddie’s relic at some point. Anything else anyone wants to do before our doom arrives?”
“We’re not doomed yet,” Autumn said. “The good news is that the leaders of Affon are meeting to organize a response. Merlion is hosting the conference. The bad news is that it’ll be about ten more days before everyone can arrive.”
“Mother must be thrilled,” Arrie said. “She finally gets to play hostess to the whole world.”
“Even Targeth is coming?” said Osborn, surprised.
“Yes, as are the hin clans from the Steppes and the orc clans from the Haran.”
“I’m surprised about Targeth,” Osborn commented. “I half expected them to send an envoy to the Taurics instead.”
“You know,” said Tolly, “I’m not so sure we shouldn’t be going out there and negotiating with the Tauric Empire as the Legacy.”
“Ooh! I’ll try it!” said Lanara.
“I like the idea,” said Kyle, “but the leaders of Affon’s nations will need to decide if they want to parley, and who they want to do it. It does little good if we go out there; even if by some miracle we made a deal, the nations are under no obligation to honor it.”
“I agree with Kyle,” Autumn said. “We need to let the leaders do their job. The strategic defense of Affon is out of our hands.”
“There are better ways to apply our expertise,” Kyle said. “There’s the kidnapping, of course. But we could also look into what caused the Tauric Empire to come sailing south looking for trouble in the first place, and put a stop to it. Remember Tishalullé’s vision? ‘That which had fallen has risen again – as a rock thrown into a hornet’s nest’. If we can find out what it is that’s ‘risen’, we might be able to affect it. I was hoping for some sort of clue in our research, but we’ve got nothing on the Empire’s history.”
“I still say it’s a slave revolt,” Lanara said. “They came here because they lost control of their country.”
“It’s possible,” Arrie said. “As are a lot of other things. But what Tolly said about negotiating got me thinking. There is a chance that we actually will be chosen to represent Affon in parley, because of our political connections. If that happens, it’ll look bad if a few days earlier we kidnapped one of their admirals. Maybe we ought to reconsider the abduction plan.”
“Hold on,” Tolly said. “Let’s settle this question.” He pulled out a few items, and performed a brief ritual. “Ardara,” Tolly intoned, “will attempting to abduct a citizen of the Tauric Empire for information bring us weal or woe?”
He tossed a set of polished stones into a marble bowl, and then looked at how the stones landed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an augury come back with that strong of a ‘woe’,” he said.
“What if we try infiltrating them?” Lanara asked. “I could probably do it.”
“Lanara, you’re a talented performer and a skilled liar, and I’m sure with magical help you’d do a great job, but we know nothing about their culture,” Arrie said. “We don’t even know if they speak Common. We’d get caught.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Lanara sighed.
“We don’t need to decide everything now,” Autumn said. “Let’s wait and watch a few days.”
“And just hope it’s not a few days too late,” Kyle sighed.
