“Thank you for receiving me, Queen.” I kind of fumbled the last word.
“I had planned to send for you in a few moments. Perhaps you are a mind reader as well as a skilled warrior?” She raised an eyebrow and gave me a slight smile.
“I just do what I can, Queen.”
“Ugh. The word sounds so formal when we are alone. Also, the title is wrong. I would like you to use my first name. If it suits you, of course.”
“That is fine with me,” I said with a nod.
“Excellent! It is Chrysa. Will you allow me to call you Leo?” The woman’s smile was endearing, and while it lacked the smolder of Zarra or Lady Feeyaz’s, it was still all kinds of beautiful.
“Of course,” I said with a nod. We stared at each other for a few moments, and the young woman’s cheeks suddenly seemed to redden.
“You must forgive me, Leo. I am not used to violence, and I’m a bit… how should I say, exuberant? That you came to my rescue. Yes, exuberant is the correct word.”
“That is fine.” I shrugged. “I wish I’d been faster. Your other servant was murdered before I could save her.”
“I have mourned for her. I will mourn more tonight, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life. She was a dear friend, but I do not blame her death on you. It is my fault she is dead. It is my burden to carry.” The young woman let out a long sigh and then glanced at the other women in the room. She made a small signal with her hand, and one of the girls brought me a chair to sit on.
“You mentioned that earlier. You said the pirates are here because of you?” I knew what the captain told me of Chrysa’s situation, but I wanted to see if the woman would give me more details, or gloss over things that were important.
“Yes. Perhaps I have misrepresented myself to you. You see, Leo, I am not really a queen yet. That is why I am en route to Tylue. Ahh. This is a long story. Would you care to listen?” she asked with a hopeful look in her big brown eyes.
“Of course.”
“Excellent. I should start in the past a bit. A time before I was born. Sanduport was one of the major trading partners of my kin. We are the Aitcha family. You’ve no doubt heard of us.”
“Of course,” I lied a bit, but I feared that if I told her I didn’t know about her family, she might have spent an hour filling me in on their glorious past. She seemed rather proud to say the name.
“Sanduport was in turmoil at the time. They had been at war with their neighbors, Gartuna, for dozens of years. Gartuna is on the opposite side of the continent from Sanduport, and they have only one port city. The place is very far from Iria or Arnicoal, so it is hard for them to trade. They have wanted Sanduport’s coastal cities for some time. My father came into power during the final years of this conflict, and he managed to establish a trade agreement with my family that enabled him to offer Gartuna a deal. They accepted, and it ushered in a time of peace for their land.”
“So your father was a peace bringer. Sounds like a good guy,” I said.
“No. He was a tyrant from all accounts. I never met the man, fortunately. My mother was given to him to seal the trade deal. She was the jewel of our nation and had princes from the islands asking for her hand. That is another story though, and I am afraid I might be boring you with trivial details. My father wanted sons, but he got me. He tried again with my mother, but there were no more offspring. Then my mother grew ill and passed away. I was but four or five summers old at the time, and he sent me back to live with my family.”
“That’s a dick move,” I said as I shook my head.
“Excuse me?” Chrysa asked with confusion.
“Oh, nothing. I’m sorry, please go ahead.”
“He married again, and again, and then a few more times. Each attempt met him with more girls as offspring, and the wives grew ill before they passed. I’ve lost track of all of them. I didn’t care for the man, but then news came of his passing, and I worked to eliminate all thoughts of him from my mind. Then the council of Sanduport sent word that they still considered me royalty. They had no apparent heir, and they wanted me to visit them to determine if I was fit to rule.”
“I see,” I said. It made me happy that her story seemed to match up with the captain’s.
“At first I didn’t want to go. I love my home and am involved in my family's business. I don’t wish to be associated with the politics of running a kingdom. However, my grandparents, aunts, and uncles are savvy with such things. My father’s widow is from Gartuna, and the rumor is that she wishes to use her status as regent queen to eventually give the country over to Gartuna. This makes Binna nervous.”
“Binna?” I asked. I hadn’t heard the name before.
“Binna is the third country on Rinniji. They are on the north side. You haven’t heard of them?”
“No, Chrysa. I am not much traveled. I’ve done most of my adventuring in Cutno.”
“Cutno? Isn’t that the small kingdom east of Arnicoal?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. I was thankful she wasn’t familiar with the place, or she might have asked me questions I didn’t know how to answer.
“Ahh. That is far removed from the western trade routes. Binna is a small kingdom, but they are rich with metal ore. They are Sanduport’s primary trading partner, and through them, move their exports through our part of Ohlavar. They are worried that Gartuna will invade after they take over Sanduport. They are probably correct.”
“I don’t see why you would care about Binna,” I said.
“My family has some ties there. We don’t trade directly with them, but the agreement they have with Sanduport benefits all of us. It is not the real reason I am going, though. There is a question of my future safety, even if I don’t go. It needs to be resolved with my presence.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” I said. “You can’t just, ahhh, bow out and let someone else be queen? Sounds like you aren’t excited about this trip.”
“I wish I could. My family has considered all options. They feel my father’s widow, or other agents from Gartuna, will make moves to assassinate me. Even if I don’t speak to the council.”
“Why is that?” I asked. “It makes no sense.”
“If the council refuses to have me be queen, it will be the end of the matter, and I can go home. If I never come, there will be people who will use that as a reason to fight against whoever is chosen as the new ruler. Even if it isn’t my father’s widow, one of my half sisters will want to make sure there aren’t any loose ends who might one day rise to take her power. No, I need to make an appearance. Even if the council merely dismisses me.”
“I’m guessing your family has ships, and an army. Why are you on this boat as a normal passenger?”
“My half sisters, and my father’s widow, all want this much more than I. The best way for them to assure themselves the throne is to kill the rest before they can make it. My family launched three ships, and various members of my kin are on board with girls who have a similar appearance to me. I am on this ship to throw them off. No one knows I am here.”
“Except they do.”
“Yes, it appears someone does. The First Sunrise is a fast vessel and will make it to Tylue many weeks before the rest of my family. It has never been caught by pirates. Those raiders were a special force, and I think they must have used magic to reach us.”
“Do you think there is someone aboard the ship who knows your identity?” I asked the slow ball question. This was working out easier than I had thought it would.
“Perhaps. It is the only answer that makes sense.”
“You’ve got money, why not use one of the Mind teleporters to get you to Tylue?” I recalled Cornalic telling me about them as soon as we set sail, and I thought the concept would save a lot of in game time.
“Using a teleport to travel to another location is generally safe, as long as the mage has been there. However, there have been attacks on people while they travel.”
“How can that be?”
�
�If another with strong magic and the ability to teleport knows the identity of someone who is traveling to their city, they may be able to interrupt the journey. They wouldn’t be able to kill me, but they could divert the teleport. I could end up at all sorts of places in Ohlavar.” The beautiful girl shivered. “It was also one of the ways my enemies expected me to take. So…” she gestured to the boat. “I came with some of our best guards and the captain who has been with our family for over twenty years. They were good men, but they fell against the pirates.”
“One of the pirates used a pair of magical weapons that blinded the people he cut,” I explained, and I realized that Allurie still had the daggers. I hadn’t seen them on her dress when she left, and I guessed she may have left them in the room. “The other men could have also used magical weapons or abilities. I didn’t inspect their equipment.”
“I see. That explains it. My man was a powerful Body ability user, and I have seen him lift hundreds of pounds over his head with ease. I was terrified when he died, and I felt ashamed when I asked you to help me. You might have faced his same fate, but I didn’t want my friends to die.” Chrysa gestured to her girls.
“I’m hard to kill. Don’t worry,” I smiled at her.
“I know that now. You amazed me with your combat ability. The five men you killed murdered my bodyguard with ease, but you defeated them even easier. Then the other two men showed up, and you protected us again. I would like to ask you for your assistance, Leo. You and your friend, Sir Cornalic of the Mind, seem to be the adventuring type. Can you tell me what your reason is for traveling from Arnicoal to Tylue?”
“I’m looking for something. It’s actually a magical item rumored to be in your father’s possession. I didn’t know he was dead, but I planned on trying my hand at adventuring, and then trying to trade him for it.”
“Ha! My father was a braggart. In truth, I have no idea if he even had a quarter of the treasure he claims. However, I would bet he would have never traded any of it away. I’m surprised that was your plan.” She smiled at me, and the way she did it made me think she was implying that I intended to steal it.
“My plan might not have worked, but I wasn’t going to get what I was looking for in Arnicoal. So…” I shrugged my shoulders.
The beautiful brunette looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then her big brown eyes met mine. “What treasure are you seeking?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll know when I see it.” I thought about lying, but I figured it wouldn’t get me anywhere. I doubted Chrysa even cared about the Pieces of Heliotrope. It sounded as if she just wanted to show up, get told “no” by the council, and then head back home to her previous life.
“Perhaps I can help you get it?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“If you were the queen, you could give it to me, but that doesn’t sound like what you want,” I smirked at her.
“Your words are somewhat true, Leo. Perhaps I am indifferent. I love my home and would be happy to return there, but if this council determines I am fit to be queen, I will fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities. This is where I need some help. The captain has informed me our trip will be a bit delayed because of the pirate attack, but we will still make it to Tylue before the rest of my family and their guards. My men are dead, and I am left with my servants only.”
“So you would like Cornalic and me to serve as your bodyguards while on the ship? That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Ha! Leo, you have made this easy for me. Then again, you are a man of honor. I knew that when I spoke with your servant. Allurie is her name?”
“Oh, Allurie isn’t my servant. She is my friend.”
“You are interesting. When you first saved us I was astounded, and I must admit, a bit fascinated by you. However, when I saw that you had a pretty elf girl in your cabin, my fascination turned to disgust.”
“It did? Why?” I felt my hackles rise, and I thought about the old woman at the fancy restaurant in Arnicoal who gave Allurie dirty looks.
“Most men traveling with elf women treat them as concubines. It is disgusting because the poor things don’t know any better until they age. Most civilized countries have outlawed elf girls or boys being sold into the sex trade, but people often end up acquiring one or several as ‘servants’ since it isn’t against the law.”
“It isn’t like that with--”
“Oh, I know. Your friend expressed her endless frustrations with us. It was quite funny.”
“Ahhh. She’s my friend, so I don’t find her advances that funny.”
“Good,” the woman said with a cheery smile. “Let us then speak about payment. I would like to retain your services for the remainder of the voyage and during my stay in the palace in Tylue. Let us say a month at the most. Would you be open to employment for that length of time? What about your friend, Cornalic? Do you think he will be willing?”
I sat back in my chair and puzzled through the young woman’s offer. If I could get access to the palace by being in her employment, it would take me one step closer to the relic.
Assuming there even was one in the dead king’s treasure trove.
Best case scenario, Chrysa was chosen as queen, and I could probably get her to gift me the relic. Worst case scenario, the relic wasn’t even in the treasure trove, and I’d be wasting four weeks. Then again, I was sure that I’d have access to the Sanduport Palace Library. Did the king have a loremaster or Mind Sage? Maybe someone would know about the location of one of the relics.
Surrounding myself with rich traders, noble persons, and the kingdom’s decision making council was probably going to be the quickest path to finding the relic, even if it wasn’t in the palace.
“I think we can be free for that long. What about payment?” I asked as I recalled Sal’s lessons on negotiating.
“Our guards made five silver a week,” Chrysa said proudly, and then her smiled faded when I didn’t look impressed. “How much do you feel would be appropriate?”
“How many hours will you need me to guard you?” I asked as I crossed my arms.
“All the time, Leo. Either you or Cornalic. I imagine the assassins will seize any opportunity they can to take me out of the competition.”
“The last dungeon exploration Cornalic and I went on earned each of us over four thousand gold pieces plus several magical items, and it took us about six hours.”
“Four thousand gold pieces!” she gasped.
“Each. For a quarter of a day’s work. Granted, my friend and I are skilled adventurers, but if you want us to be guarding you, it will mean that we cannot be leaving to do the task which we are journeying to Tylue for.”
“Earlier you said that you came looking for the something out of my father’s treasure room,” she pointed out with a huff. The way she said the words made me think she had plenty of money but hadn’t planned on spending it on bodyguards.
“That is true, but you might not become queen, so--”
“What if I could get you into the treasure room? What if I could give you this item you are seeking?”
“Can you do that? I’d hate to take less pay and then reach the end of our term and come to find out you couldn’t get me what I am looking for.”
“Leo, I feel as if you have suddenly turned into a businessman, instead of the heroic adventurer, willing to die to save the beautiful woman.” Chrysa laughed and then shook her head.
“I’m always available to save a beautiful woman, but I also have to complete my quest. I only have a limited time. Four weeks is a long time to spend not making the kind of gold I am used to making. Especially if the time doesn’t get me closer to my goal.” I smirked at her and then sat back in my chair. I could tell the woman was used to negotiating, but she wasn’t nearly as skilled as Zarra, and not even on the same level as Sal.
“I will pay each of you two thousand a week if I cannot get the item you seek. If I can get the item you seek into your possession. I will pay you each five gold per week.”
The brunette nodded after she spoke, and she fluttered her dark eyelashes at me.
“Make it five thousand a week if you can’t get me the item,” I said.
“But we don’t even know if it was in my father’s possession!” she cried out with a hurt expression on her face, and I guessed I may have pushed the negotiations too far. The woman was in desperate need right now, and there was a real possibility she’d get murdered if I didn’t protect her. I just didn’t want to spend four weeks working for her, and then not get the relic at the end. I only had two years to get all fifteen, and every month was precious.
“If that is the case, will you ensure your palace loremasters or mind sages help me find the item?” I asked.
“I will do what I can with the powers I am granted during this process. Leo, I swear on my honor as a member of the Aitcha family that I will help you if you help me. That is good enough for almost anyone, and I am somewhat--”
“It is good enough for me as well, Chrysa.” I nodded at her. “It is important to me that I find this item, but it is also important to me that you live. How do we seal this deal?”
“I can draft up a contract if you wish. I will have it ready by the time you return with your belongings. Oh, and of course. . .” She held out her hand to me with her palm facing down. Lady Feeyaz had made the same movement to me when we first met, and I wondered if it was something that noble women did.
I raised my fingers to touch her palm and then lowered my lips onto the back of her hand with a soft kiss. The woman made a gasping motion, and so did her servants. She didn’t pull her hand away, and I gave her a puzzled look after I kissed her.
“Sir Lennox, hmmmm, Leo. Why did you kiss my hand?” Her face was bright red, and one of the girls behind me started to giggle.
“Uhhh. Didn’t you want me to? Wasn’t that why you held out your hand to me?”
“Ohhh my.” Chrysa’s bare arms were colored red now, and she looked as if she was about to explode.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.
Lion's Quest: Trinity: A LitRPG Saga Page 4
