Fool's Errand

by David G. Johnson

  Arian called for a guardsman, gave him orders quietly and dispatched him to his duties.

  “Daemius, send for Dadao and Xiao Hong and have them meet us in the war room in half an hour. Arian will escort me to my ready room. A little cold water on my face, and I will be fine.”

  The high counsellor bowed in acknowledgement and withdrew. Tarynna’s brief shakeup passed quickly, and she was once again clearly in command.

  As Arian escorted her to her ready room, the Field Marshal broke the silence.

  “Your highness, I am curious. Why did you not mention the kashaph powers in the meeting? We could have seized them while they were weaponless, killed the mage, and held the rest for trial. If the alliance council decides we should move against them, it will be much more dangerous to take them armed and ready. Milady, if you are to rule a kingdom, you must learn to think more strategically and seize the moment.”

  “Field Marshal,” Tarynna said, her lip involuntarily curling as she suppressed her distaste for Arian’s opinions and his audacity at questioning her. “When you have ruled a kingdom, then you will be qualified to give me advice on diplomacy with potentially hostile visitors. You may have lead Cyrian troops on the battlefield, but I still lead Cyria itself, and I am more than capable of defending my own life. They may have been unarmed, but there were still five of them to three of us, and their mage was already prepared for casting while Daemius was not.”

  “Yes, your highness, but I had my sword already drawn and ready.”

  “Your sword would not have stopped all of them before they rushed me and snapped my neck, wards or no. And you, not being warded, would have been the first to die beneath the mage’s kashaph, leaving Daemius and I without physical defense. No, to have escalated a conflict at that moment would have been both reckless and imprudent.”

  “My apologies for questioning your wisdom, princess.”

  Tarynna could hear the seething rage beneath the field marshal’s cool exterior. This man was looking for any weakness in her, any opportunity to seize power. He would need to be watched very closely. In the meantime, he needed to learn who was in charge.

  “Arian, I know you served with my father during the war, and you think of me as some pretty, brainless plaything that you hope my father awards to you some day. You can put that thought out of your head. My father will never rise from his sickbed. I have reconciled myself to that reality, and you should too.”

  “Yes, your highness.”

  “I will be your queen, but will never be your bride. I would see you dead on the gallows first. You keep your mind focused on the defense of our nation, and let me handle negotiations with our enemies. Are we clear?”

  Arian gave a resentful nod and took his station in the hall outside her ready room. In a few minutes, she was back and en route to the war room. Arian followed, but as she passed she saw his fists were clenched, his jaw set, and his eyes staring as if to burn a hole through her. Once she had passed him to where he could not see her face, she let slip a smile of satisfaction.

  As they proceeded down the hallway toward the war room, the guard she dispatched to the prison earlier approached her. He bowed deeply.

  “Well,” she said in a commanding and impatient tone, “report.”

  “Milady, it was as you suspected. Nearly two months ago, there was a tavern keeper named Podam in prison for murdering a gang of ruffians trying to extort protection money. There was also a bard, Rarib, in prison for nonpayment of debts. Having no family or relatives to clear his debts or look after him in prison, it is doubtful he would have survived much longer according to the jailor. Per your instructions, the jailor Marut has been taken into custody and is awaiting the executioner.”

  “Perhaps, I was a bit brash with that order.”

  “Begging your pardon, highness?” inquired the guardsman.

  “If Lord Garan commanded Marut to release the prisoners to him, he would have no choice but to obey a Cyrian Lord. This still does not explain why he did not report the incident, but perhaps Garan was behind that as well. Have the executioner delayed until I have a chance to personally interview Marut. He has been a faithful and responsible jailor for many years. It would be a shame to lose him over something he had no choice but to be complicit in.”

  The guard nodded, saluted the princess, and quickly headed off to give these updated orders to the executioner. Tarynna and Arian continued on to the impromptu meeting in the palace war room.

  Daemius was just stepping through a summoned portal in the war room as Tarynna arrived. He was the last one through and, being the caster of the transportation kashaph, it closed behind him. The other two expected guests were already there.

  The first was Dadao, a huge man, thick and strong, with a bald head and full flowing black beard. He was the representative ally from Tynon, the land just south of Dotham Woods along the west coast of Ya-Erets. Dadao was a Piqa chats-enash, so his skin was light blue in color. Though few Piqua came this far west, they fascinated Tarynna. She remembered many hours spent in the palace library researching the different servant races of Ya-Erets, but the Piqa were always one of her favorites.

  Piqa were the storm lords, followers of the Malakim Uziel and were the masters of lightning koach magic. They were highly sought as predictors of weather, particularly by those who sailed the seas. Dadao’s bald head and arms were covered with striped, wild-looking tattoos, indicating having spent time training in one of the Stormfist sect’s monasteries. Stormfists were a Piqa sect of renown warrior monks. Piqa were benevolent, will-bound servants of the Malakim. Dadao, however, was a free-willed chats-enash. Tarynna mused that benevolent was not a word she would ever associate with the half-Piqa slaver.

  He once told Tarynna why he had taken the nickname Dadao. It meant large blade, the same as the name of the weapon he carried. This weapon was a large, wide, single-edged sword blade affixed to the end of a long iron pole. Six holes had been drilled in the back side of the blade and into each hole had been set a thick, iron ring. When the weapon was wielded in battle, the clanging of the rings added to the considerable impressiveness and intimidation of the already menacing figure of the Tynoni warlord.

  The other new arrival, Xiao Hong, was almost the polar opposite of the huge Piqa half-blood monk. She was a petite, young Adami girl with dark hair and yellowish skin tone common to northeasterners. She was younger than Tarynna and dressed in red leather armor. She wore a head wrap and scarf covering much of her hair and face. Her jet-black hair and green eyes were an unusual and stunning combination. On each hip, she wore long, double-edged daggers in red leather scabbards that matched her armor. Xiao Hong was an expert thief currently serving Cyria as a security consultant.

  There were no thieves’ guilds in all of Cyria, so to get advice on how best to defend against infiltration and understand the strategies of thieves, Tarynna hired a thief of her own. Thus far, despite her age, this young girl from the Great Timur Empire had proven worth her weight in gold for her sage advice and cunning strategies.

  Dadao, with customary impatience, did not wait on formalities or proper decorum, speaking up before everyone had even taken their seats at the council table.

  “I assume sending your pet warlock to summon us to an unscheduled meeting means you have urgent news. Since good news is rarely urgent, I further expect you have some unpleasant tidings that require my attention?”

  Tarynna needed allies right now, and those willing to support Cyria were few and far between. While she did not particularly like the Tynoni warlord, she had no choice but to tolerate his insolence for now.

  The so-called nation of Tynon was more like a loosely organized anarchy than an actual, functional nation. Dadao was powerful and held influence over many equally powerful allies. At the base of it, however, he was nothing more than one warlord among many. The Tynoni warlords were all thieves, pirates, slavers or worse, and Dadao was no exception, but with Cyria cut off on all sides and resource-poor, Tarynna didn’t have th
e luxury of being choosy.

  “You are correct, Dadao. It seems there are a number of things we need to discuss.”

  The large Tynoni folded his arms and took his seat at the table, awaiting Tarynna’s next words with growing impatience.

  “I received a party of visitors today from the nations east of Stonehold. According to them, they have eliminated the bandit threat in Dragon Pass and once again reopened the way for westbound traffic. Also according to them, they discovered Lord Garan of Cyria was in collusion with the bandits and were forced to kill him.”

  Dadao exploded to his feet, his voice rife with anger.

  “I told you Garan was trouble. He was your responsibility. You were warned, and yet you let that obnoxious, arrogant fool jeopardize everything we have worked for. Once word gets out that there was a Cyrian working with the bandits, how long do you think it will be before you have your borders crawling with outsiders poking around.”

  “If that happens, Dadao, it will be Cyria’s problem and my situation to deal with. Don’t overly concern yourself.”

  “Don’t concern myself? Tarynna, how long do you think it will be before it becomes known you have been working with factions from Tynon? I assure you, once that is discovered and our cooperation exposed, the fine upstanding nations of the northwest will rip your pathetic kingdom from your tenuous grasp.”

  Arian seized the moment.

  “Lord Garan’s treachery will surely heighten already pervasive aggression toward Cyria. Surely, those already evidencing apprehension toward us will use this as an excuse to justify an invasion.”

  Daemius cleared his throat. The subtle gesture brought the room to silence, demonstrating some modicum of respect for the High Counsellor.

  “This most definitely will increase the prejudice against Cyria. They will perceive Lord Garan as representative of our nation as a whole, and the other nations may see open hostility against us a necessary course to undertake.”

  Xiao Hong nervously added.

  “As security consultant, if these visitors have truly broken the blockade of Dragon Pass, then there is nothing stopping Rajik, Darkmoor, Stonehold, and the free-city of Aton-Ri from sending weapons and troops to Parynland. They could easily join forces with them and the V’rassi of Ketarynne in attacking and destroying Cyria. While trade will resume normally with Cyria now, Garan’s actions will surely turn former trading partner nations into potential spies and invaders.”

  Tarynna’s face went from sternly concerned to genuinely dismayed as another thought occurred to her.

  “I am afraid it is even worse. I thoughtlessly spoke of my father’s ill health to the visitors. Once word gets out that King Cyrus is no longer running the country, it will no doubt be seen as a sign of weakness and an indication that our nation is primed for takeover.”

  Dadao’s virulent rage exploded.

  “You told them of King Cyrus’s condition? You foolish, careless girl! This is why women should be in the kitchen and the bedroom and not on the throne. What a stupidly careless thing to do. Above and beyond the weakness you have projected, do you think for one moment that word of his brother’s illness will not bring King Paryn to the very gates of Cyria? Oh, and I can assure you he will not come alone and unprotected. Under the guise of a doting brother, that paladin will bring his elite guard to your very palace and expect to be ushered in and welcomed with open arms.”

  Arian had heard enough from the mouthy monk.

  “Listen, you blue-skinned slave-trader, you are addressing Cyrian royalty. Mind your tone and your words. If you ever speak to the princess of Cyria in that manner again, then I can assure you that you will get the opportunity to test your knife-on-a-stick against battle-tested Cyrian steel.”

  Xiao Hong shouted above the general clamor.

  “Yes, yes, you are all powerful, tough, scary, and in charge. However, if you insist on killing each other right here, then you will leave precious little to do for any enemies who might want to attack Cyria. I would suggest you save your strength and energy for use on those who are not on our side. There will be plenty of time for you to see to the oh-so-important task of killing each other once the current situation is resolved.”

  “There is only one resolution,” Dadao replied. “The visitors must be killed and their bodies disposed of before any word of Garan’s treachery or your father’s condition reaches the ears of our enemies. I cannot risk the exposure of myself or my allies cooperating with Cyria. If word of our alliance gets out, your nation will not be the only one receiving undue attention. Should that happen, I will not need to wait for outsiders to invade Tynon as my fellow warlords will take their displeasure at increased attention directed at them out on me long before any foreign boots hit Tynoni soil.”

  Arian, dropping his immediately previous antagonism toward the warlord, nodded his vigorous agreement.

  “Milady, I told you that missing the opportunity to take them while they were unarmed was a regrettable mistake.”

  Tarynna shot the field marshal a disapproving we have already discussed this glance.

  “With all due respect to my impetuous field marshal, an entire countryside full of peasants saw the foreigners come to Varynia, and no one has seen them leave. Do you think for one moment no one will come looking for their heroic deliverers? I will not cast further aspersions on Cyria by having the heroes of Dragon Pass disappear without explanation within our borders. I understand you have powerful allies, Dadao, and I have a couple of resources of my own to bring to bear. There is no hurry as our guests will be carefully-guarded at our state hostel until the morning when they will be safely escorted to our borders amidst much fanfare and in front of the eyes of many witnesses.

  “Daemius will use his far-portal kashaph to take you back to Tynon where you can gather a few powerful and trustworthy friends. We will meet back here in four hours and put the plans together for the alliance council to pursue the visitors outside the borders of Cyria and dispose of them in the wilderness between our border and the city of Paryn’s Gate. Then it will be the Parynlanders that will have to answer for their disappearance.”

  Xiao Hong stood up.

  “Wait just one minute. You hired a thief to advise you in the matters of thievery. I am no assassin and do not intend to kill anyone. That was not what I signed on for, so if you wish to do this thing, you all are no doubt capable of accomplishing it without me.”

  A vicious scowl consumed Dadao’s face, and the tone in his raised voice was palpably hostile as he addressed Xiao Hong in a slow, deliberate, and menacing tone.

  “You are part of this alliance council, thief, and you will do whatever you are told to do. You do not carry those daggers for decoration. Should you be attacked, surely you would fight and even kill to preserve your life, would you not?”

  “Yes, but that is different.”

  “It is no different,” Dadao continued. “Consider this a matter of self-preservation because if you choose to withdraw from this council at this precarious juncture, I will have no choice but to consider your actions as resigning your alliance with us and joining with our enemies. I will then, of course, be forced to mount your head on the wall of this war room as a warning to any others who feel they can pick and choose which decisions of this alliance they support.”

  Xiao Hong’s face flushed crimson, whether from frustration or fear was not clear. Dadao pressed his verbal assault.

  “In fact, since you have no allies or additional weapons to gather, you and Arian over there can sit in this room and await our return. He should be good company. Word is that he has quite a fondness for young girls.”

  This comment drew a look of apprehension from the eyes of the young rogue and a look of renewed, indignant anger from Arian.

  Before the verbal sparring once again escalated into to threats of violence, Tarynna interceded, ignoring Dadao’s provocative but accurate accusation against the field marshal.

  “So it is decided. Daemius will port Dadao
to Tynon to grab a few key assets for this mission. Arian will wait here with Xiao Hong. I will go and gather the additional resources I have here in Varynia, and we will meet again here in the war room in four hours to finalize our plan of action.”

  Xiao Hong watched in helpless dismay as the princess departed the war room. Immediately after her departure, she saw the mage Daemius summon another far portal, just like the one he had used to bring her here from her temporary housing on the other side of Varynia. The elder mage followed Dadao through the magical gateway and the portal disappeared behind, leaving no trace as witness it was ever there.

  Xiao Hong glanced nervously at the field marshal who was currently eyeing her with unsettling interest. She wondered if the rumors were true about Arian’s appetite for young girls, an appetite he purportedly sated through secret purchases of adolescent slaves from Dadao. By the inappropriate looks he was currently subjecting Xiao Hong to, she had little reason to doubt the veracity of the rumors.

  After what seemed like days under the lecherous gaze of the aged field marshal, her discomfort was finally brought to a merciful end as Princess Tarynna returned to the war room. Entering the war room with her were two friendly, familiar faces, Felonious and Pernicious.

  Xiao Hong had brought these two Mitsar to Tarynna’s attention when the princess requested help locating resources for hire. She wanted dependable allies to get rid of troublesome individuals with discretion and efficiency.

  Xiao Hong met Felonious and his wife named Pernicious on a ship. When she boarded at Xijing, the couple was already aboard the Mitsarian trading vessel stopping at the Timurian port of Xijing to take on supplies and passengers en route to Aton-Ri.

  She knew enough about Mitsar to realize these were not their given names, of course, but rather a reflection of the Mitsar custom to take nicknames as one built a reputation in one’s profession. The names they had chosen left no doubt that their profession was a shady and dangerous one. They all were pursuing lives of adventure and fortune across the inland sea from their northeastern homelands.