Tezir's Army (3rd month of Autumn, 28th day)

  That morning, Kedi realized there was nothing urgent planned for the day. The agreement he had been working on had already been sent to a lawyer in Bizenki. He had a few minor matters that needed resolving, but after the strain of the past two weeks, everything seemed petty and unworthy of effort. The door opened, and his brother, Kemi, looked inside.

  "Have free time?" he asked. He was in a good mood, which had been rare lately.

  "The whole day," Kedi answered. He only hoped it wasn't about the latest squabble between Kemi and Xia.

  "Great. I'll bring my map."

  Soon, he returned and spread a map out on the table.

  "The captive told me something interesting. He's a peasant from a village approximately here," Kemi said, placing a wooden marker on the map.

  "That's rather far from us."

  "Yes. I think that's intentional — so they're not recognized by the neighbors they raid. But all in good time. Listen. Their village has been almost stripped of grain, like others in Tezir's territory. Soon they'll have nothing, so the peasants turn to banditry. The interesting part is how they're organized. Now this — " he placed a dark marker, " — this is the guy who visits villages regularly. He's called Odli."

  "Odli? Like in 'oddly enough'? That's not a real name," Kedi said.

  "Of course it isn't, but hear me out. This Odli promises grain in exchange for work. At first, it's simple — scouting — and the pay is meager. But since peasants have little to do in the winter, some agree. And he pays. Then he tells them he could pay much more if they help with a raid. He even arms them on credit."

  "Is he one of Tezir's men?" Kedi asked.

  "Not officially. Or at least, no one knows him. He calls himself a mercenary. He always comes between patrols, accompanied by a couple of warriors. He says things like, 'Your lord won't feed you,' and 'You've got to act or die.' But I think he's actually hired by Tezir."

  "Why? Couldn't he just be a bandit?"

  "Because he does it too openly. The captive said Odli comes every three days or so. I think he just circles Tezir's territory like this." He drew a circle on the map. "He completes a loop every three days. It's simply impossible to roam like that without patrols noticing. Tezir knows. All this talk about mercenaries is just for appearances' sake."

  "And how many agree to this 'work'?"

  "Many. People are desperate. Sooner or later, they'll all follow him. Young men and women with stronger magic see this as a chance. That's why we see swarms of those scouts daily. They're not warriors. They're not your usual bandits. They're more like a peasant militia."

  "You're basing all this on the word of one terrified captive?"

  "Sort of, yes. But it matches our observations."

  "I see," Kedi said, leaning back. "So you're saying Tezir stripped villages of grain, left just barely enough for the near future, and now recruits those same peasants into raiding parties — using a setup man by the moniker of Odli?"

  "Pretty much, yes."

  "Even if it's all true, what of it?"

  "What of it? Tezir's strategy is to sack villages. Another bout of bad weather and I'm sure they'll attack several of ours. They'd kill our people, take our grain, and we'd have no means to defend ourselves."

  "And what do you suggest?"

  "Retaliate! For starters, sack one of his villages in exchange for ours."

  Kedi sighed. What Kemi suggested would come with a long list of repercussions. In his own way, he was right — only retribution could stop an aggressor. All the legal fallout would have to wait until spring, and even then the Conference tended to fine rather than outlaw nobles. Whoever survived the winter could deal with fines. Kedi looked out the window. It was snowing lightly — a beautiful and peaceful morning.

  "Tezir agreed to a deal," he said. "We're signing in a week. It'll give him the means to feed himself. He won't risk attacking us, so stand by."

  "What? I think you don't understand. His territory has a severe food shortage. He started the storm, and now he can't stop it. He has a small army of hungry, armed peasants. There's no feeding them by taxing caravans — unless he takes everything."

  Kedi turned away from the window and looked Kemi directly in the eyes.

  "Then prepare for war. But don't start it. For now, find a way to thwart the raids. These are peasant raiders, right? Create advanced posts, organize militia. Think of something. Can you do it or not?"

  He thought his words would anger Kemi, but instead he became calmer, as if the idea of war was soothing.

  "I can. And I will," Kemi said simply. "But wouldn't it be easier to just burn the bastard's mansion down?"

  "And then explain it to the Conference? Without proof? One tortured villager is not a witness, Kemi. And a mysterious mercenary named 'Odli'? That's just laughable. Best-case scenario, we'll be fined into bankruptcy. So bear with me, and let's not escalate. Make those raiders fear you. Make them hit someone else."

  Kedi drummed his fingers, thinking of another worst-case scenario that came to mind.

  "If this escalates further," he said, "if Tezir's warband gets involved, then we'll retaliate in force. Then you can have your fill of violence. Until then, stand by, would you?"

  Kemi chuckled.

  "I will, I will. I just hope the time for action comes before we starve."

  Kedi ignored the jab. "Xia is upset about your interrogation," he said, changing the topic.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Yeah, I couldn't fathom why. It wasn't even torture. She can't shelter Aya from everything."

  "True, she cuddles her too much. But she has a point about the necromancer story. You realize this spooky business scare our people as well? Don't turn the girl into a boogeyman. I want her integrated. Let's start by including her into you main team. Take her with you, show her real combat."

  "She's not ready."

  "You don't have to babysit her. She has great endurance — she won't slow you down. She is currently wasting her time on patrols. I want her to see some real action, to learn from the best."

  Kemi shrugged. "If you put it that way, then I'll take her. After all that Negli told us, I am actually eager to see her in action. But tell Xia yourself, will you? I'm tired of her lectures."

  Rationing (3rd month of Autumn, 29th day)

  In the morning, Xia announced rationing. For the warriors, almost nothing changed, but guards and servants would face certain limitations. The restrictions weren't severe — simply a precaution, as Xia put it — but they signaled the approaching scarcity to the people. No one was particularly happy, but there were no objections either. In the North, thrift was considered a natural part of survival.

  Aya thought about the reaction such a measure would elicit in a southern estate. As here, no one would complain openly, but in the South, there would be no end to angry talk among the servants. Here in the North, there were no private complaints either. People were more united, more integral. Later that day, however, she overheard the following exchange between two guards:

  "How come we're rationing and still feeding the prisoners?"

  "Beats me. I've heard no one buys them as slaves."

  "There's a food shortage — of course no one buys slaves. I wish we'd kill them."

  So, Aya thought, perhaps complaints are universal.

  Negli Closes the Case (3rd month of Autumn, 29th day)

  Negli entered the main building, passed through the arched corridor, and turned into the first auditorium. In the large, domed room sat just five elves: Berenji, his aide, a secretary, Atli and Dolen. The first three sat at the presidium, while Atli and Dolen occupied seemingly random seats, rather far from each other.

  "Your Excellency, respected colleagues, forgive my lateness," Negli said, heading toward the podium.

  "It's quite alright, Negli — you're just in time, just in time!" Berenji said with a gracious smile. "We've been discussing the report — quite intriguing, a fresh approach too. But all in good time. Let's begin the official part, shall we? Secretary, ready? Very well. Respected colleagues, I declare the first investigation committee meeting on case 1789 open. The first and the last, hopefully, eh? — don't record that, secretary. We begin with Senior Arcanist Negli presenting findings from report number... yes, copy the number from here... Without further ado, the floor is yours, Negli."

  "Thank you, Your Excellency," Negli said. He placed his prepared notes on the lectern and quickly scanned the page.

  He began by reading the introduction and voicing support for the report's conclusions. He was, of course, speaking of his own report, but for the purposes of the transcript, he was commenting on the work of the anonymous expert "N." One by one he presented the technical points, making brief comments where necessary. Atli listened attentively, Dolen looked bored, Berenji wore an expression of polite interest.

  Finally, Negli concluded:

  "The proposed theory of contamination by admixture with the blood of a grave fairy seems plausible, if somewhat speculative. According to the well-known treatise by Caseus, the elements of Death and Moon are primary in those magical creatures. Sadly, Caseus' work is somewhat outdated, and obtaining contemporary data would be desirable. Regarding the possibility of magical contamination, the author admits limited expertise in necromancy and suggest consulting an expert in the field. That is all."

  Silence followed, broken only by the scratch of the secretary's quill. Berenji waited for him to finish before announcing:

  "Thank you, Senior Arcanist. Any questions?"

  Atli posed a few technical questions. Negli spent five minutes addressing them. Once Atli was satisfied, Berenji continued:

  "The report mentions the possible role of necromancy and suggests deferring to experts. Let's defer to the experts, then. Senior Arcanist Dolen, could you comment on the contamination of sample B? Would it be consistent with the use of Lycanthropy or any other Death-infusing spells?"

  Dolen shot Berenji a glance of disdain.

  "No," he said. "While lycanthropy infuses the individual with Death and Moon, the proportion leans heavily toward Moon. Besides, it introduces other elements such as Growth. I know of no spells matching the presented ratio. Gholification is almost all Death, and Vampirism leans toward Death. So no."

  "Shapeshifting transformations?" Berenji suggested.

  "Not a necromancy per se, and barely has a Death component."

  "Very well," Berenji said. "Let's vote to accept the report. All in favor? Four. Against? None. It's decided. The report is officially accepted."

  He paused to let the secretary catch up, then continued:

  "Now, onto the second question. As some of you know, there's a pending familiar claim between samples A and B. Let's discuss admissibility. Senior Arcanist Negli, your opinion?"

  Negli made a show of thinking, though he had already prepared his answer.

  "I believe it would be nearly impossible to reconstruct the original composition of sample B — at least with our current knowledge. In short, the sample is practically inadmissible."

  "Very well. Senior Arcanist Atli, what do you say?"

  "Inadmissible."

  "Dolen?"

  "Inadmissible."

  "Well, that's it, then. The case is closed. The item will be disposed of to free up a stasis box. Hard times, gentlemen — we're short even on those. Thank you, colleagues. The meeting is adjourned."

  Atli and Dolen left at once. Berenji and his aide exchanged a few whispered words, and the aide departed as well. The secretary finished the transcript, set it to dry, and packed up his writing kit.

  "Negli, could you stay a moment? A private matter — it won't take long," Berenji said.

  The secretary rolled up the dried transcript. Berenji sealed it with his ring.

  "I'll take it to the Archives myself. You're free to go," he told the secretary, who bowed and exited.

  Only Berenji and Negli remained in the toom.

  "Negli, have you been to those nobles' estate lately — the ones south of Bizenki? What's their name? Veber? Vemer?"

  "Vemer, Master Berenji, and yes, I have. Is anything the matter?"

  "No, not per se — at least nothing yet. There are strange rumors circulating in Bizenki, that the Vemers are practicing necromancy, strange creatures flying about by the hundreds. Did you see anything like that?"

  "Master Berenji, with all due respect, as a hired warlock I cannot divulge clients' private affairs. I hope you understand the precariousness of my position."

  "Yes, integrity above all — I understand, always! Still, your station obliges you to report any unlicensed practice of necromancy — it's part of your oath, remember?"

  "Of course I remember. The oath is sacred to me. Had I witnessed any signs of necromancy, I would have reported them to the Tower at once. I assure you, Master Berenji, nothing illegal took place while I was there. To be honest, I am hurt by the mere suggestion that I would conceal such things."

  "My apologies, my friend — I meant no offense. Just a reminder. You see, the Magistrate is displeased with them and asked me to investigate the matter. It's likely just rumors, but I must follow up."

  "Why not send the Inquisition, then?"

  "You see, Negli, the situation is delicate. With all the food shortages in the city, and the Vemers controlling the road, you know? I've been asked to handle it discreetly, to ask someone close to them. Perhaps you could visit them not as a warlock, but as a guest? Your families were once close, correct?"

  That was an uncomfortable amount of personal knowledge, but Negli kept his composure.

  "Master Berenji, I could only assist in an official capacity. And even then, I would detest spying on friends. But suppose I agreed — what does the Magistrate truly want? Evidence of forbidden magic to outlaw and crush Vemer? I don't think he needs evidence for that. What then? Find some minor misstep?"

  "You always see straight to the heart of it, my boy, always. You'll go far, mark my words. The answer is — I don't know myself. I think he just wants some dirt, just in case, so he could pressure them. Official capacity I can arrange, along with a generous sum in silver. And if you perform well, then I perform well in the eyes of the Magistrate. Which opens the path for my promotion — and yours too. Chief Arcanist in two years — would you like that? A man like you must aim high."

  Becoming Chief Arcanist would be a big leap for Negli, but not unimaginable. Of course, his enemies would talk of corruption — but when was anything ever done without it?

  "I am interested," he said.

  They spoke quietly, ironing out the details. By noon, Negli was already on the road, bound for the Vemers' estate.