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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3033680" data-attributes="member: 3448">Lieutenant Zachary did a remarkable job of maintaining his composure in the face of those statements.  He didn’t entirely succeed, but came much closer than Alistair thought he could have managed under similar circumstances.“Lieutenant Zachary,” began Dame Brionna, “we’d like to discuss the matter of the trip to Tarsh.  I understand you picked the guards who accompanied her grace?”“Yes, Captain.”“What criteria did you use to pick them?”“The most presentable ones, Captain.  We were representing the Archduchy on a state visit; the Archduchess’s guards had to have impeccable grooming and bearing.”Alistair winced at the not unexpected reply.  “Where did you post your guards on the night Lady Brenda died?”“I had two guards with Amelia, the Archduchess Amelia, one outside the door to our suite, and one patrolling the large ceremonial garden.  I was one of the guards with the Archduchess, of course.”  Kit was struck that his thoughts perfectly matched his statements.  Often, that would be a sign of a well-trained mind, trying to avoid giving anything away.  In his case, she thought it more likely that he simply was incapable of maintaining two separate thoughts at once.“And did the guards notice anything unusual?”“I can’t say truthfully that they noticed anything, your grace.  One of the guards, the one in the ornamental garden, had some sort of night terror.  He claimed to have seen a gorilla thing going into the apartment.  But we searched the apartment and found no sign of a gorilla monster.  So it must have simply been his weak nerves, in a country without the Light of Glor’diadel.”With a withering tone of voice, Alistair continued, “Look at the demon corpse there.  Do you think that might have been described as a gorilla like monster?”“I suppose so, your grace…”Dame Brionna frowned.  “I’m sure you have noble blood… which family are you related to?”“Yes, Captain.  The Baron of Mossbark, Captain.  I’m his cousin.  I don’t know that he would remember me, Captain, but I am his cousin.”“I think we could afford any ill-feelings from the Baron of Mossbark, your grace, and he can’t stay in the palace guard.”“If there even were any.  It sounds like his cousin will hardly notice.”Dame Brionna nodded and focused her attention on Lieutenant Zachary.  “You should begin packing your bags.  Your reassignment orders will be ready shortly.  I think we’ll station you in one of the mountain postings.  The giants are always a threat, and we need brave soldiers to force them back.”“Yes, Captain.”  Lieutenant Zachary couldn’t quite keep the hurt and confusion from his face.  He knew that he was being dismissed, and because of something in Tarsh, but he still didn’t really understand what.“Dismissed.”  After Lieutenant Zachary left, Dame Brionna blanched.  “Wait… he called Her Grace the Archduchess ‘Amelia.’  Kit, were you able to read his thoughts?”“What little there were.”“When he thought of the Archduchess… there wasn’t anything unusual there?  He is a handsome man, and I just thought…”“No.  Admiration, and the high degree of personal loyalty and familiarity that most of the Archduchess’s circle have.  But nothing like that.”  Kit glanced, almost involuntarily, at Alistair.  “Trust me, I’d know.”“Good.  I suddenly had the fear that he had been a special friend of the Archduchess, and I would have felt terrible about sending him to likely get killed if he were.”“Indeed.  We would have had to have found him a safe posting outside the palace if he were,” said Alistair.  “By the way, Dame Brionna, we need to weed out any other officers like that from the Archducal Guard.  Times are too dangerous for guards who think their duties are ceremonial.”“Yes, your grace.  I was planning to handle that.  But things have been so busy…”“It wasn’t criticism.  You’re doing a fine job.  But it’s something to deal with for the future.”  He paused.  “But now we need to figure out how to trace the demon back to its allies.  They must be near the capital still…”</blockquote>

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