Normally, this was when Rys would use his fury manipulation Gift and claim ultimate victory. Turning the budding flames of anger between Maria and Barul into a fiery blaze of fury could shatter their relationship instantly.
And at the end of it, make it easier for Rys to deal with Maria by herself.
But he didn’t have that Gift and needed to rely on mundane means to get his way. Fortunately, Maria’s and Barul’s relationship was weak. Probably because Barul was an asshole.
“Barul, apologize,” Maria snapped.
“Maria—” Barul tried to say.
“Enough!” Maria glared at her fiancé. “We had an agreement. Apologize. Now!”
Fury bubbled within Barul’s eyes. Only an idiot thought he was going to apologize. But he took his hand off his sword, straightened up, and faced Maria directly.
“My deepest apologies, Lady Maria. I meant no disrespect to Lord Talarys—such a deeply important and sensitive matter requires equally thoughtful words,” Barul said, his words slow and stilted as he returned to speaking in the common tongue.
Rys nearly laughed. It took almost all of his willpower to keep his expression stony.
What balls on the man to pull that off after pissing off everybody in the room. A shame he was such an asshole. Rys imagined the ways he could use a warrior like him, if he was as brave in battle as he was when facing down his future wife.
Maria looked as if she was going to incinerate Barul through sheer fury. Her hands balled up into tiny fists. “Barul. I will not repeat myself.”
Although he winced, Barul turned to face Rys, then spoke quickly in simple words, “If you want me to say sorry, then we do this the Kinadain way. You talk a lot with words. Kinadain talk a lot with blades.”
That was as close to a death threat that Barul was going to make, Rys felt. The Kinadain had been burning to pick a fight since he arrived, and now he had.
Maria’s face had run out of expressions to go through. She looked at Rys with a pale and lost expression. Presumably, her “agreement” with Barul had failed utterly to stop this from happening.
Rys stood up. Barul’s hand fell on his sword. Infernal energy rushed through dozens of holes in Rys’s soul as he prepared his spells. The seals might restrict his power and ability, but he was more than capable of putting Barul in his place. Rys had been nice enough so far, but allowing a death threat to slide was too much.
If the stupid bastard wanted a fight, Rys would give it to him.
Chapter 12
Rys and Barul stared each other down. Infernal energy simmered within Rys, waiting to be unleashed. He felt Barul activate a spiritual technique within his sword.
The first move would be some sort of draw-slash technique. The angels loved those tricks, given they specialized in spatial manipulation. The winged bastards could cut an entire platoon in half with a single slash by controlling the size or position of their blade during the swing.
But Barul wasn’t an angel and couldn’t use true astral power. Whatever technique he used would be a poor imitation of the real thing.
Fara tried to catch Rys’s eye. Her stance shifted, and he realized she was about to interfere. He ignored her.
Right before fighting erupts, the door opened with a click. A giant of a man stooped through the doorway, grimacing as he pushed his arms together to fit through. He was a genuine giant, standing over eight feet tall. An enormous runic greataxe followed him into the room. He was bare-chested but wore a thick steel helmet.
The giant stopped behind Barul, before pausing and looking down at the much smaller man, as if in confusion. Two glowing embers stared out from within the helmet.
Barul turned around, face pale, and stared up at the towering giant. Although the bodyguard was only several inches shorter than Rys, that mattered little compared to the newcomer.
“My captain of the guard, Grigor,” Rys said blandly, trying to hide a grin.
Grigor had collected many Gifts over the years. For a demon operating in Harrium, a Gift that allowed them to blend in with mortals was a necessity. Many infernal courts even considered them a necessity at formal events, as some devils disliked the monstrous forms of demons. Only Grigor’s axe remained unveiled and stood nearly as tall as he was.
“Am I interrupting something, Rys?” Grigor asked, playing dumb. Those glowing eyes seemed to twinkle. No doubt the demon prince had sensed Rys summoning his power through their connection.
“Nope. Barul was in the middle of apologizing for his insolence toward Lady Maria and me,” Rys said. He fixed his gaze on Barul but kept his expression stony.
Barul turned to Rys, terror spread across his visage.
Oh, how badly Rys wanted to break out in a shit-eating grin and laugh at Barul right now. But that would ruin the effect.
Fara had described Grigor as a mountain when she met him. Even behind his Gift, Grigor’s raw magical power roiled off him. Barul must have sized him up the moment Grigor stepped into the room and realized how massive the gap was between them. To Barul, Grigor’s mere presence was like a half-ton weight crashing down on his shoulders.
“Barul,” Maria said, her earlier anger missing from her voice.
Barul licked his lips. A long pause. “I am sorry for my actions, Lord Talarys,” he uttered in slow, stilted words.
Victory felt sweet.
“Barul, please join Captain Grigor outside. I will finish my discussion with Lord Talarys in private,” Maria said. Her tone brooked no argument.
Barul’s face looked as if Maria had rammed a whole lemon down his throat, but he obeyed. Grigor looked at Rys.
“Help yourself to a plate of food, Grigor,” Rys said.
Once they left, Rys settled back in his chair. While he couldn’t enjoy a triumphant grin as Maria still sat across from him, he internally enjoyed his victory.
Weren’t subordinates great?
Maria’s expression said that while she might not like what had happened, she held some grudging respect. The women in the room retreated to the refreshments table to refill their drinks and plates. At some point, a full coffee appeared in front of Rys. It was poison-free, for what little that mattered given his unique constitution.
“Remind me why you’re engaged to him?” Rys asked. “And don’t say love, please.”
Maria laughed again. “I was right. You genuinely don’t believe in love. I’m guessing you’ve never married, Lord Talarys? I didn’t spot a ring, but I’ve learned that often doesn’t mean much.”
Rys didn’t bother to answer, despite her apparent interest.
“I’m engaged to him for the same reason that you made me look like a fool just then,” Maria said, her tone lighter than her words suggested. “Politics. The Kinadain influence in my family is fading, and it has been vital to the Jarsil family’s influence in the region. My father arranged the marriage with the Kinadain.”
“Why Barul? You’re a noble and he’s clearly not,” Rys asked.
Maria shrugged. “The elders of the local dains chose him.”
A low whistle escaped Vallis. “I bitch about my father, but that’s something else. I don’t need to fuck an asshole who stares at another woman’s tits, at least.”
Fara glared at Vallis. “Was that really necessary?”
“Would you prefer if he stared at mine?” Vallis asked.
The muttering from Fara suggested that Barul wouldn’t have escaped the room alive if he had done that.
Maria coughed. “Things haven’t progressed anywhere near that far. Barul is… a gentleman. He serves as a bodyguard dutifully and is exceedingly respectful of me and my position.” She frowned. “Usually. He’s never been this hot-headed.”
“Wait, ‘anywhere near that far?’” Vallis asked. She cocked her head. “Have you done anything with him? He didn’t even want to be called your fiancé when you first arrived.”
Maria shrugged. “As I said, it is an arranged marriage. Perhaps after we actually marry, he might show interest but
…”
So a loveless arranged marriage where the husband showed literally zero sexual interest in his wife. Barul wasn’t even asexual, given his apparent interest in Fara.
“It’s not a cultural thing, is it?” Rys asked.
Maria rolled her eyes. “If it is, then somebody needs to tell the Kinadain hunters that make extensive use of Anceston’s seedier establishments.”
“Yeah. They have a bit of a rep,” Vallis said, nodding. “Good for the economy, though.”
Rys leaned back and let the women loosen up. Maria’s stuffy exterior received some treatment through Vallis’s bluntness. Maria certainly was no sheltered princess.
Which, again, made Rys curious about why Fara had thought she was weak. She seemed aware of both her situation and what was happening in Anceston. A ruler that understood the importance of even a city’s red-light district when it had a lot of young fighters around was far sharper than those in denial of its existence.
“I believe we have two major topics left,” Rys said. “What do you want from me, and why did you choose to come to me?”
Maria grimaced and took a long slurp of her tea. “Given earlier events, can I assume you are largely unaware of local politics?”
“I’d be interested in your side of the story,” Rys said, refusing to give her a straight answer.
The sides of Maria’s lips lifted. “I’ll set the scene as I go. For the benefit of anybody who may not understand the full picture.” Her gaze fixed on Rys and he returned it blandly. “The short version is that you’ve built a manor practically overnight. That speaks volumes about your resources, and this visit has only proved that. I want to work with you to solidify my rule over this region of Kavolara and drive out Compagnon.”
Rys blinked. He hadn’t expected that, or at least not presented so bluntly.
People didn’t normally walk up to others and say, “Hey, you, help me conquer this land and kick out my competitor.”
On the other hand, it did capture Rys’s interest. He wasn’t a normal person. Maria had said she’d repay him if he overlooked Barul’s behavior. Giving him the opportunity to rule part of the island was considerable repayment.
“Is this because you want to control the region, or because of Compagnon?” Rys asked, curious about her motivations.
“Both,” Maria said. “But Compagnon is the root cause for both. Allow me to explain.”
Rys, Vallis, and Fara settled in for a long explanation.
“The colonization of the archipelago by the continents has split it apart. Some regions are controlled by influences from Gauron. This is the case for the island of Gorgria as well as the Malus League, who control the southern portion of Kavolara. Other regions are still in control of the natives, but these are few: namely the island of Kinaria, and the northern-most regions due to how cold they are. Finally, the central island of Dalyros has become a mixture, as the Tolaran Federation is led by a coalition of former dains but is run using practices from Gauron.”
Rys wondered who had convinced the natives to do that. It sounded like a plan ripe for disaster. But he held his tongue.
Maria continued, “Kavolara is split between all three styles of governance. The Malus League rules the south with an iron fist, enslaving demihumans and destroying every dain they encounter. To the north, the dains remain in control, but have grown in size and created their own city called Avolar. And here, my family has mediated between the dains and continental arrivals for a century, creating Anceston in the process.”
“Until Compagnon arrived?” Rys asked, then frowned. “No, you indicated that Gauron had been interfering earlier.”
“That’s right,” Maria said. “We’re close to Tarmouth. Plenty of nobles, mages, and merchants have arrived here in the past and tried to take over the region. Most fail swiftly and move on. Their interference sometimes lives on, as seen in my title. But Anceston has seen off hundreds of pretenders.”
“I’d call them powermongers,” Vallis said. “Any hick mage or dickhead strong enough to kill a knight can take over a town, but they can’t force farmers to sell their crops there. Then they get bored or somebody stronger puts them in their place, and they fuck off.”
“Powermonger is an overly simple word for them,” Maria said. “Most of them came to the archipelago to escape from their past. Usually, some form of dead-end drudgery or a mistake they made that limited their advancement. They don’t want to conquer the island. Instead, they want to rule their own little corner and do whatever they want.”
Rys tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair and stared out a window. Lots of dumb warriors constantly trying to take over villages and towns. Local Kinadain politics interfering in the largest town in the region. An artifact trade that is monopolized by said Kinadain. A plan formed in his mind, but he was aware of something else.
“This is where Compagnon comes in, isn’t it?” Rys said. “If I had unlimited funds and wanted to take over a region, I’d start with a bunch of easily controllable pawns. Then I’d move on the largest trade in the region. Finally, I’d start pushing out all competition, both political and financial. Once that’s done, who is left to oppose me?”
“Did you need to sound like the villain?” Fara said. “Because you did a great job.”
“He is right,” Maria said, eyes twinkling as she leaned forward. “Although he’s missing a few steps. Compagnon first established their own city and port to compete with the locals. Aretiers allows them to bypass the markets in Anceston and the harbor at Port Mayfield, limiting my family’s influence. Afterward, they followed Lord Talarys’s plan. Support the largest powermongers with soldiers and money and drive out everybody else. Then they crushed most competing merchants and are trying to force everybody else to trade in Aretiers, rather than Anceston.”
“Which means minimal tax revenue for you, so no way to maintain the town or keep it safe,” Rys said. He leaned his head on one fist and stared at her. “Then all of those soldiers can threaten the town and neighborhood. You take the blame and they take over.”
Maria grimaced. “That is correct.”
“Good plan. I give it an eight out of ten. It’s vulnerable to financial disruption or anybody with an actual military, but probably works in this tiny place,” Rys said. “What happened to the artifact trade?”
“The Kinadain are loyal to Anceston and my family. My father was at least able to maintain that relationship,” Maria said.
Vallis raised an eyebrow. “Sure, but Compagnon were buying a lot of artifacts in Anceston. It’s why I’m taking mine to Port Mayfield myself. All of my contacts in Anceston were selling to Compagnon or refused to trade with me.”
Maria stared at Vallis. “That’s… I had been told otherwise.”
The entire situation fascinated Rys, despite the relative simplicity of it. He thrived on this sort of stuff. Unraveling the schemes of others, pulling at the weaknesses he found, then crushing the schemers utterly.
“That’s a creepy grin,” Fara said.
Oops.
“I may be interested,” Rys said.
“I assumed as much,” Maria said drily, unable to hide her smile.
“Let’s talk about what I get out of it.” Rys placed his hands together and leaned over the table. “I’m curious what you mean by solidifying power over the region. Getting rid of Compagnon is easy enough. They’re a merchant league. Money only gets you so far in a game of empires. At some point, the exchange rate of money to power becomes extortionate and you go bankrupt.”
Maria stared at Rys and slowly lowered her cup. “I feel that you’ve done this before.”
“He’s not some hick powermonger, that’s for sure,” Vallis said. She grinned at Rys.
“I can tell. Most of them would pale in comparison to your guard captain, Lord Talarys,” Maria said. “Can I assume that you have more warriors, even if they’re not as powerful?”
“Soldiers, spies, mages—you can assume I’m self-sufficient for the
purposes of dealing with Compagnon,” Rys replied. “The same goes for wealth.”
Maria nodded, but a tinge of panic crossed her face. “Then I was correct to approach you. People powerful enough to oppose Compagnon are few. The fact you’re working with Vallis is fortunate, as I trust her judgment. It allowed me to risk approaching you directly. I don’t know if I would have done so otherwise.”
Vallis shot Rys a triumphant look. He ignored her, but made a note to thank her later.
“While I may only be a Lord-Mayor, I’m the most powerful and influential person on Kavolara outside of the Malus League,” Maria said. She puffed out her chest and Rys wondered if she was going to topple over. “I can offer the support of the locals, connections to the Kinadain, political knowledge, and I know rulers outside of the island. The two of us can jointly share the results.”
Cute. She called conquering the region “the results.” Rys wondered if she was unwilling to admit to herself that she was basically taking over the region because the past century of decentralized governance had allowed a train of random people to terrorize everybody.
In his mind, her decision was right. But he didn’t really care. If he used her to take over the region, then it greatly increased his power base.
But that was the problem. He needed her under him if he wanted to control the region. This little idea of “joint control” couldn’t work. Unless it involved removing Barul from the picture and doing a particular form of “joint control,” but he doubted that would work for long.
Rys sent Maria on her way, promising to meet with her once he had investigated the matter himself. While her words sounded convincing, he needed to confirm them first. That was a task for the Malakin.
“She seemed to like you,” Rys told Vallis. “Do you have a history?”
Vallis shrugged. “I tutored her before my father ruined everything.”
“She was a lot smaller back then,” Fara added. Her hands rose up and pushed her breasts together. “And she didn’t have these back then. I can’t believe they’re bigger than yours.”
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