Chapter Thirty-Two - An Assassination

  54th Day of Spring - Year 1758 of the Golden Era

  Shorefarm, Yellowfield, Draya Calyrex

  "You want us to kill the priest?" Viridian asked.

  "Yes," the baron said. "I wouldn't have taken puppets made by such a distinguished Magus to be hard of hearing."

  "Sorry," Viridian replied. "I thought the priest would be an ally of yours. I just want to understand the situation better before we agree to anything."

  The baron leaned back into his seat, then he brought his hands together. Thick finger pads touched each other under his chin as he thought for a few long moments. "Very well. Sit down, and I'll explain the situation as best I can. Though I suspect that you'll want to move with some alacrity. Our time may be shorter than you think."

  Viridian moved forwards hesitantly, then sat in one of the seats set out before the Baron's desk. There were three of them, just enough for her and her companions. She hadn't quite noticed from the far end of the room, but Baron Goldfilius wasn't a small man. His shoulders were wideset, his neck was a mass of corded muscles, and even sitting down, he was taller than she was by a head.

  "This isn't the first time in the history of Draya Calyrex that a dragon passed. In the passing of a dragon comes chaos, but also change and opportunity. This whole situation does not bode well for me and mine. The Goldfilius family will be destitute without our draconic forefather to support us, but our blood still runs hot with dragon's blood. We will prevail."

  Viridian nodded, though mostly to keep the man talking.

  "But what worth is our blood if we cannot keep our serfs and peasants in line? Is a lord truly a lord without loyal subordinates? To this end, the priest must die."

  "He is subverting you?" Lazur asked. It was the first time she spoke in the lord's presence.

  Henodded. "In a way, yes. The Church of Scales is a place for the common folk to come and worship our draconic forefathers and the blessings they lay upon the land. It is a place where people can make small donations that, on their own, would be seen as insultingly little to a dragon, but in the aggregate? The church isn't poor."

  Viridian hummed. "It takes some of the riches?"

  "Some. A fraction of a fraction, but the church has existed for a millennium or more, and those donations come in a constant stream. Some nobles cozy up to the church and make grander donations as well, of time, money and resources. It has a place, and it has served us well as a tool to keep the serfs healthy and happy. The church educates, holds weddings and helps the young find a place for themselves in our fair lands."

  The baron paused, then he opened a drawer and plucked out a piece of cloth which he coughed into.

  "Forgive me," he said. "I ramble. The church is good. But the church's purpose is now lost. Its members are the most dedicated to the dragon lord, and the death of a dragon will not be so easily accepted. This too has happened before."

  "I see," Viridian said. "Why can't you have the priest arrested, then? Do you lack the power to do so?"

  "To some degree," he admitted. "My house guard is strong, but not so strong as to fight my own town. The truth of the matter is that, at some point, the priesthood placed itself between the noble dragon-blooded lords such as myself, and the common people. Now the commoners follow their lead first. A mistake."

  "Ah," Lazur said. "So, if we are to rid you of the head priest, will things calm down as you wish?"

  "Doubtful," he said. "But it will remove the head of the snake. Afterward, the mice caught in its stomach might choose to flee. What was the condition of the town? The last I heard was from my servants who left some days ago for fear of not being welcome any longer."

  Viridian thought back for a moment before replying. "Somber. But not... insane. The people seemed thin. Tired."

  "Some of that may be attributed to hard news and hard times, but we are in spring yet. The fields should be tended to, and we have reserves of food enough to last until the very last harvest of the year and more besides. There is no reason for our supplies to run so low that the peasantry would find their belts tightening so."

  Stolen story; please report.

  He shook his head. "The head priest has taken over the supplying of food, then, and I've no doubt that what we had is either locked away and being passed out in tiny quantities while he plays the role of saviour, or the supply was sent wholesale to the main Church to the east."

  "Will your people starve?" Carnel asked.

  "No. I won't allow it. But first, we must rid ourselves of the man."

  The Baron raised his head fully and turned towards the door. A moment later it opened and a middle-aged gentleman in the guise of a soldier stepped in. "My lord, a report has arrived," he said.

  "Come," the Baron said. He extended a hand, and the soldier slid across the room and handed him a slip of paper.

  The Baron read it over, his brows drawing together.

  "I see," he said. Then he refocused on the three puppets. "You will have to leave now. Succeed in eliminating the head priest and I'll return the apprentice into your care. I will even assist you in retrieving the other's body to be returned to the Reclusive."

  "Wait," Carnel said. "I have a question."

  "Go on," he said.

  "Why not send him? Or the others?" Carnel asked as she pointed to the soldier.

  The soldier in question straightened his back a little, but didn't look away from the lord.

  "Because I wish for this to still be a nation with some stability and civility, and asking a member of my house guard to do what I tasked you with would break their oaths," he said. "Even them knowing of your task would put them at odds with you."

  "I see," Carnel said. "Can you supply us with anything to help? The... task might be hard."

  "The task isn't a combatant, though yes, he will have some amount of essence to pull upon. I suspect that you will have little difficulty with him, truly. On my word as Baron Goldfilius, I do not give you this task lightly, nor do I plan to renege on the trust you have accorded me. Now go."

  The three of them rose, then Viridian led them out of the office. The maid was waiting just outside, and she bowed very shallowly on seeing them before guiding the three towards the front exit.

  It wasn't long that they were outside in the mid-morning sunlight. The day had turned cloudy and obscure, as if the sun dared not peek out from behind the canopy above. Viridian noted that there was now a group of young men to one side of the central courtyard. Some standing around, but most were moving and preparing for something, something violent. There were many weapons at hand, and more were being brought out. She eyed a rack filled with arbalests with interest, but continued on until they were past the gate and the maid abandoned them to their walking.

  "Are we going to do as he asked?" Lazur asked.

  "I don't mind," Carnel said. "Didn't like the priest."

  "I didn't either, but I don't know if I wanted to kill him," Lazur said.

  Carnel shrugged. "He has lots of essence. It could be worth it."

  Lazur made a disapproving sound. "And if this isn't what Magus Maldrak wants?"

  "He isn't here to guide us," Viridian said. "I think he would want us to trust our instincts."

  "And what do yours tell you?" Lazur asked.

  Viridian considered it. "I... trust the Baron more than the priest. I don't want to fight the priest, but... he killed the apprentice, and wants to kill the other. He doesn't feel like a good person. I suppose I would rather capture him for Magus Maldrak to decide what to do, but that seems impossible."

  "He likely has draconic magics," Lazur said. "Nocthorn warned us about those. I don't want to have fire breathed on me."

  "Then we don't fight him head-on," Carnel said.

  "I thought you liked fighting?" Viridian asked.

  The puppet shook her head. "I like winning more," she said. "I have a plan. It might work, and if it does, it will make things easy. If it doesn't, then things won't be any harder. But it will need a good actor."

  "Viridian can do it, then," Lazur said. "I can lie, but I can't act."

  "Me?" Viridian asked. This was sudden, and a little fast. "What do I need to do?"

  "Just draw the priest out to somewhere where we can take him out quickly," Carnel said. "It'll be easier. We outnumber him, we just need a place where we can take advantage of that."

  ***

  This is... day 12 of the project. I'm mostly doing a vertical slice. So only 3-5 parts of each section so that I can get to playtesting on my Discord as soon as possible.

  Also, I might be posting SCS at weird times. I got roped into helping a local community thing? I do some volunteer work every week, and I guess it got around that I know a bit about writing, and now I'm giving writing lessons every-other-week on Thursdays. Uh... anyway! If you live in the Montérégie region of Quebec, come... hang out? idk.

  So, on those weeks, I'll be posting SCS on Mon-Wed-Fri instead of Tues-Thurs. I think a few bonus chapters would do well for SCS anyway, since I'd like to climb back into the top 10 on Popular This Week and don't quite have the views for it as it is!