by Rosie Scott
Chance grinned with a mixture of admiration and relief. “I do understand that, Kai, but offering you unlimited gold was my way of ensuring I truly want to work with you. I have offered my services to other gods in the past. You are the first not to be overwhelmed with greed when you hear of my powers of transmutation. You are just as intelligent as the rumors say, and I am all the happier for it.”
“Are you working with other gods now?” I questioned.
“No,” Chance replied. “I haven't worked with them in centuries. I grew tired of their pretentiousness. Other gods don't care for me unless I can be their tool. I avoid warfare, so many believe my powers are weak. I prefer taking a frail business or economy and turning it around. It is so satisfying to see something thrive after it once faltered.”
I couldn't help but smile. Chance's passion and energy were refreshing. “Why are you here now?” I asked. “Why offer me your service?”
“Well, for centuries, I've moved around Chairel and Nahara and offered my services to civilians as a financial adviser. I enjoy my work, but I've always wanted to do it on a larger scale. I've had to be careful about revealing particular powers to people because I didn't want to become an enemy of the other gods, and many of my skills are unique and would give away my identity. Now, many gods I once feared are dead by your hand. I know you wish to take Chairel, and I've heard you treat your followers well and are intelligent. By offering my service to you, I can work with the economies of a nation. Based on everything I've heard of you, I believe you will treat me well. Since you didn't cave to my offer of making you a fortune, I can tell you are honest.”
“It sounds like you would be helpful to have during diplomatic conversations whether or not they were about trade,” I commented.
Chance nodded. “My powers do not only affect trade; I'm persuasive in any situation. If you hire me and I have access to knowledge of Chairel's political climate and its allies and enemies, I'm sure I can convince skeptics of reason in times of unrest. Because my powers of persuasion are related to my personality, it is not magic and cannot be defended against.”
“What would you ask of me, Chance?” I inquired. “You mentioned wanting to work with me. I like the people under my service to be happy and feel fulfilled, but I'd also need to see that you would be a benefit to me and continue to be as open and honest as you are now.”
“Well, I'd like to work with you to get Comercio back on its feet,” Chance began, motioning to the empty trading stalls along the street. “War and high tax rates have depleted this city of its tourists and merchants. I can find traders here willing to work with us who can establish new trading routes with Nahara, the underground, and Fremont. I will make suggestions as to which products to supply and demand, and if you're willing, I can speak with your allies about this so we can come to an agreement that will make everyone happy. I'm assuming you will take the war outside of Comercio before long, so I volunteer to stay here and work while you're gone. All I ask of you now is to take a chance on working with another god until you can see I am trustworthy, and offer me the same protection from the gods as you do your followers. If the gods know I'm working with you, they will target me. Once you take all of Chairel, I would like to do what I love while being a member of your court. I understand you have many concerns with the war so I wouldn't ask for payment until you are queen.”
“Be honest,” Calder spoke up as I considered Chance's offer, “do you get greedy? Seems to me like the god of fortune would be greedy.”
Chance chuckled. “I love gold, but I've always been able to make it so its allure has faded over time to me. Besides, hoarding gold means you see its shine, but not its true splendor. Gold must be traded and funneled into projects and ideas to be any use. If I wanted all gold to myself, I could not see the marvels of its use in trade. Supply and demand is the most interesting subject in all the world to me.”
Calder smiled. “I've often felt much the same.”
Chance's face brightened. “I sense you're not jesting.”
“Not at all,” Calder replied. “I spent six decades as a mercenary captain on the seas. Traveling from one harbor to the next, seeing the imports and exports between them and noticing how they change over time and circumstances...it's fascinating to me. One product's value can change so drastically from one land to the next. Ferris is so common in the wildlands it's nearly worthless, but I made a hell of a fortune by trading it with the Naharans, who treated it like liquid gold.”
“I have never been on the seas,” Chance admitted, “but you are making me long for it. How wonderful it must be to witness all that in person.”
“If Kai ends up hiring you on, you'll see it for yourself one day,” Calder said. “She loves being on the seas as well, so I'll be taking her and her other favorite rejects on some voyages here and there.”
Chance glanced at me, a look of longing and excitement in his golden eyes.
“Well, now I have to hire him, Cal,” I mused. “I can't say no to that face.”
Chance laughed joyously while Azazel teased beside me, “I'm sure that's what he wants you to say.”
“Absolutely,” Chance agreed, “but I promise you, my intentions are pure. I would rather earn your trust than charm you for it. Long-term partnerships require trust.”
Azazel said, “Remember when you said back in Hallmar that if the gods were smart they would offer to join you? If Chance is as intelligent as he seems to be by his offer, he could prove useful to us.”
“Every god who fights against you fails,” Chance told me. “The arrogance of the gods is causing their own extinction. I can't be proud of my identity because it wasn't my choice; instead, I am proud of my accomplishments. And I can't accomplish anything if I'm dead. Thankfully, with you it seems the rumors I care the most about are true. You seem open-minded, good-humored, and intelligent. Perhaps by working with you, we can prove there are gods who can overcome their isolating natures and work together.”
“When you put it that way, I find myself looking forward to it.” I reached out a hand, and Chance smiled as he took it. His grip was warm, firm, and confident. “I accept your offer, Chance. I have a few ideas of where you could be useful. If you are as helpful as you say, you will be the first god I accept into my court. Like anyone else who works for me, I will reward you handsomely for your contributions.”
Chance's youthful face was bright and hopeful as he shook my hand with determination. “Then I plan on making many of them.”
Twenty-five
The echoes of sexual pleasure rang out behind the door of the inn room Nyx shared with Holter, but the scout's voice didn't join the others. I thought twice about knocking, but it was nearly a fortnight into Dark Star, and I still hadn't spoken with Holter about the battle.
My knuckles only tapped on the door twice before Nyx called out, “Door's open!”
I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “I'm not here to join you.”
“Oh! Shit! Kai,” Nyx laughed merrily, and the sounds of pleasure ceased. I heard a few murmurs, and then footsteps padded over to the door before it opened. Nyx grinned at me, her hair a greasy mess. One hand held a blanket up over her breasts like she'd tried to save me from the view. In the room behind her, four men of various ages and races were nude and in different locations. The bed was a mess of epic proportions with pillows situated in suspicious places and stains of unknown origin dotting the sheets.
“This is almost impressive,” I commented, swirling a finger around at the four men. “What do you even do with four at once?”
“Do you really want to know or was that more of a rhetorical question?” Nyx asked. “Your drive is almost as high as mine. I'm positive you're creative enough to figure it out.”
I grinned. “It was a rhetorical question. I just feel bad for the fourth man who has to wait his turn.”
“Ah, some of them keep each other busy,” Nyx chuckled.
“Where's Holter?” I questioned.
“The
re's the true reason you interrupted me,” Nyx teased. “Holter left. He's been patrolling the city at night, you know.”
“I do know that, but I wasn't sure what time. I'm surprised you're having this party without him.”
Nyx shrugged. “Holter doesn't like being here for this, so I wait until he leaves.” She hesitated. “If you want to catch him before he transforms, you probably still can. He only left a few minutes ago. He goes up on the northern wall to transform and puts his clothes in the northwestern tower.”
“Okay, thank you.” I took a step back. “Have fun doing what you do best.”
Nyx chuckled, but quickly sobered. “Hey...before you go, did you have any plans tonight?”
I sensed the hope in her tone. “You wanted to talk to me?”
“Well, yes, but not for any super important reason. I just miss you, is all.” Nyx grimaced at the sentimentalism on her voice. “I thought maybe we could drink and bullshit. Like old times.” When her black eyes found mine, there was a certain vulnerability to them that surprised me. “I know you're busy,” she added quickly. “Drinking and being lazy is probably the last thing you need—”
I held up a hand to stop her. “I'll find Holter and say what I need to. Give me an hour or two, finish up with these unfortunate souls, and I'll come back here. Deal?”
Nyx relaxed, and her smile came back. “Deal.”
I left Nyx to her orgy and jogged out of the inn to Comercio's shadowed streets. Even at night, they were busy. Many soldiers had to camp on the sides of roads or sleep on the floors of inns and taverns because the lodging of Comercio could not hold them all. It was little wonder why Chairel had forced its army to camp out on the plains. I'd invited all the Seran Renegades and my allies to stay in the castle with me and Cerin, and most of them had taken me up on my offer. Nyx only refused because she always partied with men of ill-repute and didn't wish to be a nuisance to the rest of us.
The wide cobblestone streets of Comercio were cluttered with tents and glowed with the firelight from sconces, makeshift fire pits, and braziers. Even though the limitless starry skies above were black and clear, the residual glow of the city hid most of their majesty. I hurried to the northern wall and jogged up the steps, heading to the northwestern tower where Nyx told me Holter left his things. Only when I was this high above the city did the night seem to consume me, for the top of the wall beneath my boots glowed here by the pale white and cream light of the double moon.
Holter wasn't on the wall, but I also didn't see or hear him in the skies above. I let myself into the northwestern tower, immediately closing the door behind me and spinning to look at it as I realized the scout was in the midst of undressing.
“Oh—Kai,” Holter laughed abruptly in embarrassment. “Hi.”
“I apologize for walking in on you. Nyx told me you kept your clothes here during your flights at night, but I had no idea you'd undress right inside the entrance.”
Holter chuckled softly behind me. “I'm trying to get over the whole embarrassment thing. Maybe I'm taking this risk to teach myself to get used to it.”
“Is it working?” I asked.
“Meh,” Holter replied, before a short laugh. “Do you need me?”
“I do. Can you spare a few minutes for me?”
“Of course.” There was the swishing sound of clothing, and then he added, “You can turn around, Kai. I'm dressed.”
I turned to Holter, noticing as he put a dark finger beneath a silver chain around his neck and pulled a necklace out of his shirt so it laid over it. From the chain hung the Seran Renegade ring I'd given him in Olympia.
“That reminds me of Calder's necklace,” I commented, motioning to it.
“Oh?” Holter lifted it and glanced down at it. “And yours, too. Yeah, Calder gave me this. I couldn't wear my ring if I planned on transforming since oozlums don't have fingers, so I often left it in my satchel. But sometimes I couldn't take that with me, so I was terrified of losing it. Calder suggested wearing it like this instead, and now I wear the ring even when I'm in blood-kin form.” He met my eyes again and smiled.
“Calder gave me mine as well,” I told him, lifting the little black bottle that hung from my neck.
“In the underground?” Holter questioned.
“Yes. This once held some ashes of a mutual friend, Ricco Mara, who died in our takeover of Hazarmaveth. Calder asked me to set him free in Eteri, and I did so on the shores of Tal.”
Holter nodded sadly. “So it's empty now, but it still means a lot to you.”
“It means a lot to me, yes, but it's no longer empty.” I hesitated as I held the small bottle until it warmed with my body heat. “Just before we buried Jakan and Anto in Welkin, I took locks of their hair. Now they are with me wherever I go. If other Renegades fall in battle, I will do the same for them.” I paused. “I kept this necklace after freeing Ricco to ward off further tragedies by remembering my past mistakes. After the Battle of Highland Pass, I kept it to remind myself that no matter how strong I become, I can't always control my power, or who lives or dies, and I can't always correct the injustices of fate.”
“I don't think anyone expects you to,” Holter said softly, though he was sympathetic.
“I do,” I replied with a humorless chuckle. “It is a curse that comes with having any amount of power, Holter. I have saved more people than I have lost, but it isn't the faces of the people I've saved that haunt me.” I exhaled heavily. “You focus on aiding and saving people in battle much like I do. One day, there will come a time when you cannot, and it will be no fault of yours. When that day comes—and it will—I pray the person isn't someone you're close to. Such situations cause mental trauma I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.”
“I feel guilty over those in our army who died under Amora's spell that day,” Holter admitted. “But no, I didn't know most of their names. I saved many, but sometimes I wonder if I could have acted more quickly and saved even more.” He grimaced unintentionally like he hated admitting his flaws in front of me.
I smiled warmly at him. “Come, Holter.” I grabbed the door handle and opened it to the cold night air. “I need to speak with you, and I fancy the beauty of the double moon.”
Holter chuckled nervously and followed me out of the tower and back onto the wall. I stopped at its center and leaned onto the battlement, and Holter did the same beside me. A few campfires dotted the northern plains ahead where the orcs and giants were cooking and socializing. Above them was an endless black sky filled with thousands of stars. Eran was a ball of white high to the right in the heavens while Meir finished its multi-week trek by setting over the northwestern horizon. The second moon was so large it took up a chunk of the sky, and its creamy glow cast the plains in a brighter light. It reminded me of how close we were to Sera. Due to the Seran Peaks behind the city, I'd rarely gotten to see the latter half of Meir's journey growing up. Because of the giant moon's location, then, I could better pinpoint where Sera was just over that horizon.
Holter was quiet beside me, but I could feel the anxiety exuding from him. I knew how worried he was thinking he'd disappointed me, and it felt both terrifying and flattering that my decisions and opinions could so greatly affect a person.
“Do you remember back in Eteri when I asked you to deliver that assassination contract to Corvina in Hazarmaveth?” I questioned.
“Yes,” Holter replied.
“I'm assuming you'd never been to Hazarmaveth before.” When he confirmed my suspicions, I continued, “Did you have any trouble following our directions there?”
“It took me a few hours to find Corvina's apartment once I was in Hazarmaveth,” Holter admitted. “But otherwise, no, I had no trouble. I have a good sense of direction. That's part of the reason why I worked as a scout back in Silvi. I don't get lost easily, and when I do, I don't panic.”
“Were you comfortable going to a place you'd never been while you were alone?”
“I was. The most uncomfortable thing about
it was seeing the underground. Imagining being a slave there. The underground was otherworldly and beautiful, but it was also cold and the people were generally callous. When I was there, I thought about the things I'd heard Azazel and my father had to go through as slaves, and then I felt a need to leave as quickly as possible.” Holter hesitated and laughed softly, embarrassed. “Sorry, I kind of rambled there.”
“No, it's fine. You're interesting to listen to. You think into things like I do. It seems that no matter what subject I want to bring up with you, we end up getting side-tracked with philosophical musings.”
“I like talking about that kind of stuff with you,” Holter told me. “Mostly because you're receptive to it. Nyx has to be in a very particular mood to think into anything.” After I chuckled, he asked, “Anyway, did that answer your question?”
“Yes. It's good to hear you had no problems with delivering the contract. I asked you to do that when we didn't know each other well, and you handled it perfectly. Last year, I offered you a position leading a reconnaissance unit, and while you agreed, I have the feeling you would have taken any position I gave you. I wanted to make sure that you do like doing these sorts of tasks.”
“Oh—well, yes. I enjoy it. I'm sorry if I seemed flippant about it.”
“You're a habitual apologizer, aren't you?” I teased.
“Yes.” Holter's immediate affirmation made me laugh. Seeing my reaction, he smiled.
“I have a job for you, Holter,” I said, turning my head to watch him as I spoke. “Consider it your first true reconnaissance mission in your position. I'm going to tell you what I want you to do. Be honest with me if you need aid or want me to consider different options.”
“Okay,” Holter agreed, meeting my gaze.
“You know that Narangar is next. Before we attack it next year, I need to know what we're dealing with so that Azazel and I can come up with a strategy. Narangar is a unique city. It is on ground level, but they built it in a mountain, and it has a harbor in the northwest. The only part of Narangar I've ever seen myself was its harbor when I destroyed it back in 422. It was open to the city via a large tunnel.
