“Let’s retire to your offices and talk this over for a while,” Stel concluded. “There is much we need to discuss.”
Once we were seated around the table, Stel and Evans began to inform me of the plans they had to ensure my safety. It was immediately apparent that this was not the first time they had discussed the issue, as their ideas seemed to have been well thought out in advance.
The two of them insisted that it was time for me to take up residence in the Palace, since the solid stone building was far more secure than the house I had been living in. Not only that, but they were also assigning me a personal guard that would watch over me at all times. Once they laid out their terms, the two sat back and braced themselves for my response, obviously expecting a vigorous objection. My acquiescence caught them completely off guard.
“I agree with your assessment,” I replied. “But the changes you propose only address my own personal security. The events of last night have made it clear that it’s time for me to deal with a great many other things as well.”
They all turned to me with various looks of confusion on their faces, as my cryptic words left them wondering just what I intended. I had not let my mind lay completely idle during the past few months, and although I was reluctant to assume the role that fate had given me, it was obvious that I could no longer avoid the responsibilities—responsibilities that were far too much for any one person, Sintári or not, to handle. So, once I let Evans and Stel dictate the need to protect my Realm’s leadership, I began to divide up those roles among my companions.
“First Marshal,” I started. “Your duties are relatively clear, but you will also be called on to offer your aid and counsel on matters of internal and external security from now on.”
“Stel,” I said as he turned to me clearly surprised to hear his name. “It is time for my Realm to have a Minister of Finance. That title, and the responsibilities that go with it, are yours, and you will tend to the financial affairs of my Realm from this day forward.”
As I spoke, I slid him the keystone that unlocked the treasury vault in the Palace depositories. He picked it up from the table and stared at it for just a second before nodding his assent.
“Aye, she got you good, my friend,” Khorim said with a chuckle.
“Did you think you were going to leave this room without a similar assignment, master dwarf?” I asked him pointedly.
Khorim’s laughter came to a sudden halt, and he stared at me wide-eyed, as I continued.
“Due to your unique talents, I am naming you Minister of Intelligence,” I informed him as I held his gaze. “You will be responsible for rooting out our enemies among us and, to be blunt, spying on them outside our borders.”
“It seems I’m not the only one,” Stel retorted with a smirk.
“Broda,” I continued without waiting for Khorim to respond. “I need you to be my Ambassador. You will lead our efforts to build goodwill among our neighbors, and eventually, bring them under our control. I think you may find your husband’s duties helpful in those regards.”
“He might be of some use,” Broda smiled. “Finally.”
“Venna, your role is most critical,” I said as I faced her. “You will be my Chief Minister. I need you to tend to the affairs of state and keep me apprised of any important developments. You are free to deal with any lesser issues as you see fit, but anything of real importance must be brought to my attention.”
“I understand, Dreya Sintári,” she replied solemnly. “I am honored by the trust you have placed in me.”
“There is one position more to fill, Tási, and it is yours,” I began. “Our relationship makes you the perfect choice to head up the personal guard that Stel and the First Marshal have so kindly assigned to me. In addition to that role, you will also oversee Palace security and have overall command of the fortress.”
Tási smiled back at me, knowing that I had not only given her a very important role, but also one that would keep her closest to me.
“I accept,” she replied, barely able to contain her happy smile.
“Oh, there is one small additional responsibility, Tási,” I added with a wry grin. “You must also assign a head of security and guard details for each of my Ministers and Ambassador Broda as well—their safety is of critical importance to my Realm.”
They had almost come to terms with the roles I had given to them when I dropped that little extra bit on them. Stel recognized the trap I had set instantly, and smirked as he commented on it.
“Well done, Sintári,” he complimented me. “You’ve snared us in our own web, and we cannot escape.”
“No, you cannot,” I said with a grin. “I expect you all to not only set up your official offices in the Palace, but to take up residence there as well. After all, as you said, it’s much more secure there.”
“It appears that we have a lot of work to do,” Venna remarked with a sigh. “I think I’d better get started.”
The rest agreed with her assessment, even if it was reluctantly so—especially in Khorim’s case. Once they’d all departed I turned to Tási, who had remained with me.
“I need to ask you a favor, and you’re not going to like it,” I began hesitantly. “You have to include Ella in my guard detail... There’s no other way I can continue to heal her without drawing attention.”
“I have a brain you know,” Tási replied dismissively. “I realized that the moment Stel and the First Marshal brought up your personal guard.”
“I’m very lucky to have you, Tási,” I replied sincerely as I let the matter go. She had it under control, and there was no need to discuss the awkward topic any farther.
“Yes, you are,” Tási smirked back at me.
“So modest too,” I quipped back. “Now, if you can contain your ego for a few minutes, I need to check my notifications.”
I didn’t wait for her response, and she faded into a blur as I pulled up the messages that had been waiting for me since the previous night. I had completely forgotten to check them with all that had happened, but the icon that had popped up just a few minutes before reminded me that they were still there.
Experience gained – You have gained 770 XP.
Quest, The Uniter, Advancing – You have successfully thwarted the first assassination attempt against you. Truly, you didn’t think this was going to be easy, did you? You have been rewarded with 2200 XP.
Sintári Quest, Control, Advancing – You have gained the ability to inflict the effects of your emotions at range. This is a powerful talent, and one that you must use with great restraint. It also marks the beginning of true mastery over your powers. 5,500 XP.
Quest, The Uniter, Advancing – You have formed a government for your Realm. A very momentous event indeed! You have been rewarded with 1,100 XP.
Who the hell was writing these things? I wondered. The Uniter quest in particular was getting a bit… cheeky. It was yet another mystery I could only file away with all the rest—between the XP rewards and the note about my control improving, I decided to take a quick peek at my sheet, focusing on how close I was to my next level, and the gains that I had made in my control.
Dreya Dae
Sintári Female
Title: Sintári
Level - 32
442969/461200
Health - 341/341 Aura - 647/847 Endurance - 341/341
Sintári Abilities
Natural Affinity – The Sintári’s unique connection with the natural world may manifest itself in random ways at times. While these effects are generally beneficial they are also typically outside the direct control of the Sintári. Modifier – Charisma.
Control – Effect varies, applies to all Sintári Abilities. – 51%
The XP gain was decent—and very welcome—as I hadn’t been able to do very much to advance myself while trying to run my Realm, but what really stood out to me was the gain I had achieved in my control. I was finally over 50%. Not only that, but I could now channel my emotions at targets bey
ond my reach, and I felt the corners of my mouth curl up in a mischievous grin as I closed the window.
Tási sat across from me patiently waiting for me to finish my ‘Deathless business,’ and the unexpected rush of emotion that I flung at her took her completely by surprise. She only caught a brief glimpse of the tiny glowing ball before it struck her hand and sent a wave of mischief, amusement, and delight flowing into her. Perhaps I could have chosen better, or if I’d been truly wicked, I could have filled it with passion and desire, but I went with what I was actually feeling, rather than opting for any of the more awkward options. Regardless, she turned to me in shock when she realized what I had done.
“None of us are safe anymore, are we?”
“No, so I would encourage you to be on your best behavior,” I smirked as I replied to her.
“In that case, I think I’ll just go see the First Marshal about assigning you some guards then,” Tási said as she shot out of her chair.
“I’ll see you later!” I sung out to her as she fled the room.
I let her get a few minutes ahead of me before I followed on her heels—if I knew Evans, he had already picked out most of my guards, so Tási wouldn’t have much trouble putting things together. That was fortunate, because I intended to return to what was my former home and inspect the assassin’s corpse to see if it held any clues that might identify his ‘employer,’ and I was certain that I wouldn’t be allowed to do that without a suitable escort.
As I expected, when I caught up to Tási, she and Evans were surrounded by a group of soldiers. To my surprise, the group was almost entirely female, an oddity that Evans addressed as soon as he saw me.
“Dreya Sintári,” the First Marshal greeted me. “These are the first recruits for your personal guard. Since they need to be by your side at all times, I have chosen mostly women for this honor, to avoid any awkward situations.”
He made a good point—anyone serving on my personal guard might have to be in my private chambers at times. It made sense to have women available for those moments, and I appreciated his foresight and consideration.
“Thank you, First Marshal,” I replied. “Tási, I’m sure you still have much to do and probably haven’t chosen your seconds, but I need to return to our old home to see if the assassin’s body might reveal any indications of who hired him.”
She took my meaning instantly and assigned a detail of six to accompany me. Tási reluctantly remained behind, recognizing her duty to interview the rest of the candidates.
“I’ll be fine,” I whispered in her ear before I left.
I recognized most of the women that accompanied me as we walked through the canyon together; even if I hadn’t, the names of the ones I had previously met floated in the air above their heads as a helpful reminder. As soon as the one I hadn’t met before introduced herself, her name popped up in the air just beneath her full health bar for me to see. Addressing each of them by name seemed to impress my guardswomen, and while they remained very attentive to our surroundings, we still managed to engage in some friendly conversation along the way. When we finally arrived at my old home, Bane was waiting for me on the front porch.
I remained here to ensure that no one touched the body.
‘That was very wise of you, Bane,’ I sent back to him.
Who are these women with you? He sent with some reservation.
‘After last night’s events, I have been assigned a personal guard. These are a few of them.’
Bane spared them only a quick glance before resuming his position. I took that as his acceptance of the situation and strode inside to see what the corpse might reveal to me. Unfortunately, it turned out that there was very little to be garnered from what was left of him.
Once I was able to peel the battered cloak from the assassin’s body, the full extent of the devastation my dark orb had wrought on him became apparent—his entire upper body was a ruin of scorched skin and shattered bones. I knew that the ball of energy I had hurled into the assassin had withered his arm, but the damage went far beyond merely crippling the extremity. Beyond the charred remains of his limb, the assassin’s entire torso was simply… destroyed. There wasn’t even enough left of his features to determine what race he had been. The only thing that was certain was that he was either an elf or a human male.
His weapons, and there were many, were high-quality. The daggers and sharp blades that were strapped to his remains were sharp and deadly, just as one would expect of a paid assassin. What truly startled me though was the sheer volume of coins that were in his purse. I found nearly 100 Talons worth of gold and silver when I opened the pouch, a King’s ransom, or perhaps, more accurately, the value of a Queen’s life in this world.
With nothing more to be gained from the search, I dragged the shattered body outside and tried to come up with a suitable method of disposal. Bane asked what I was up to as I stared blankly at the corpse, and when I told him, he came up with the perfect solution.
Let me carry it out beyond our walls. I’ll drop it in the wilds, so the animals may feast on one of their own.
‘You are my most favorite person right now,’ I smiled at him as I hugged his ever-increasing body.
You know that I’m not really a person, right? He replied with amusement.
‘You are to me, Bane.’
He nuzzled his face against my body, since it was long past the time when we could actually rub only our faces together, and I felt his affection flowing into me through our bond. We had grown close enough that I could sense him that way without even trying, although the strength of those feelings was far less than the powerful threads that were at my command.
“Are you sure he’s not really a dragon?” Karina, one of my guardswomen asked as Bane flew away with the body.
“Yes, Bane is a Rhastoren, not a dragon,” I answered her. “Although, if he keeps growing, I’m not sure that will make much difference.”
With my task complete, my guards led me back to the Palace. It irked me more than a little bit to be escorted around like that, but the need for the added protection had been made all too clear the night before, so I didn’t give voice to my inner objections. Instead, I tried to make the most of the situation, and learned as much as I could about my new constant companions. They were an interesting bunch, and had come from many different places, with just as many different backgrounds, and even with their constant vigilance, I still managed to pry a lot of information out of them before we returned to the Palace grounds.
“Dreya Sintári,” one of the guardswomen greeted us as we returned. “Commander Tási has asked me to escort you to your temporary residence.”
Commander Tási? I wondered where that rank had come from, and even more, I wondered just what sort of quarters she had picked out for me. With my curiosity piqued, I followed the woman as she led me and my escort into the Palace.
The chambers Tási had chosen were located on one of the upper levels. The height lent it some additional security, and its single entrance would make it easy to protect. Although the Palace did have dedicated quarters for the leader in residence, Ridge had not yet constructed those sections of the building.
“You chose my chambers well, Commander Tási,” I complimented her while pointing out the title she had somehow acquired.
“Yeah, um, sorry… we didn’t have a chance to get your approval first,” Tási replied awkwardly. “The First Marshal said it was the appropriate rank for the duties you assigned me.”
“Far be it from me to contradict the First Marshal on such matters,” I sarcastically demurred.
“Now you’re just being a–,” Tási stopped herself when she remembered that we were not alone.
“Careful, I may feel the need to retaliate if you offend me,” I taunted as I wriggled my fingers and mimicked tossing an orb at her.
“That’s not fair,” she plead as she took a step back. “You can’t keep doing that just to get your way.”
“I can’t?”
“Well, I guess you can, but it’s still not fair,” Tási amended her statement.
I let her go at that and took a quick tour of the rest of the rooms Tási had secured for me. In addition to the large room where we first entered, there was an adjacent chamber that would be suitable for a bedroom, and another room that I determined I would use as a private study. The suite had been designated as the offices for some bureaucrat in the Palace plans, but it was more than adequate for my needs.
“There’s no furniture,” I suddenly realized. “I should have at least brought our bed when I left our house.”
“Yeah, well, as usual, I’m way ahead of you.” Tási smirked. “I sent a detail to retrieve everyone’s furnishings. We’ll need to commission new stuff at some point, but it will serve for now.”
I was so appreciative of her insight and thoughtfulness, especially considering the whirlwind of events that had transpired over the last hours, that I let her snarky comment slide.
“What ever would I do without you,” I replied with a quick kiss.
“A great deal, I imagine,” Tási smiled back at me. “Just without a bed to sleep in at night.”
“Now that you’ve seen your quarters, I should introduce you to the rest of your personal guard,” Tási quickly added. “There’s some additional chambers down the hall that I’ve commandeered for them. We can go there now if you’d like.”
We left to go meet my new babysitters… sorry, personal guards, and found them just down the hall from my own chambers. The rooms Tási had taken over for their use were similar to my own quarters, so the guardswomen would be very comfortable once we got the place furnished for them.
Tási made the introductions, and I was surprised by how few of them she needed to prompt for their names, especially considering the very short time she’d had to familiarize herself with her new soldiers. In all, there were twenty of them. Each had been raised to the rank of sergeant, and Tási informed me that was the minimum rank any of my personal guard would hold. Lastly, she introduced the two she had chosen to be her lieutenants: Karina, the human woman who had accompanied me when I went to inspect the assassin’s body, and Aiva, an elf that I had met before.
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