Not needing another word of encouragement, Fredrick fled from the giant plant, whose fangs were dripping with his blood, pain spiking through his arm with every heartbeat. Daniel gave a last futile swipe before following him, and they were all breathing hard as they ran for the entrance.
And along the way, Fredrick couldn’t help but wonder what the hell the monster was. He’d never heard of a creature like that before.
* * *
Sistina smiled slightly as she watched the two thorn shamblers chase off the intruders. They weren’t fast creatures, and they weren’t smart, either, but they were tough and strong, though axes or fire would make short work of them. But they had also surprised the intruders, which had helped deal with the problem.
She turned her attention to the two elven slaves, though. One was in a pitcher plant, and was half-asleep already, while the other was screaming as she was being pulled upward into the hanging vine trap. She probably thought she was about to die, and Sistina sighed as she started toward the entryway. She’d need to grab them and get them out of there before the intruders regrouped and came back. She didn’t want them being digested, after all.
* * *
“Shit. Living plants, glow-globes… I think I know what this is,” Evansly growled, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the unassuming cave entrance which his first scouting team had just escaped from.
“What might that be, My Lord?” Lieutenant Tarys asked, her voice soft as she watched one of the healers treating the injuries of the escapees. The plants had been mildly venomous as well, which just made them more of a threat to any explorers.
“I’m fairly certain that this is a dungeon,” Evansly told her grimly. “And that’s going to make this a much harder task to complete. I don’t know that we can do it with our current equipment. I thought we were prepared for this, but I was expecting a cave with bears or the like, not a damned dungeon.”
Tarys seemed to digest that for a moment before nodding. “I think I understand. I don’t know much about dungeons, I’m afraid. Should I send a messenger back to Westgate, My Lord?”
“Not yet. I want to make a list of items we’ll need.” He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, then smiled thinly. “Obviously, though, axes are going to be the first on the list.”
“As you say, My Lord.” Tarys bowed her head, and then paused as they heard a bear roar from deep inside the cave.
“This is going to be more difficult than I thought.” Evansly sighed, shaking his head.
Chapter 19
The music and food at the party was excellent, the eternally glowing lanterns illuminated everything well, and the swirling clusters of nobility were gaily dressed in the best finery that Sifaren had to offer. It was also what Phynis considered a waste of time and money, considering the forces that Kelvanis had arrayed against them. But who was she to object? She wasn’t even the heir anymore.
“Your Highness? May I have this dance?” Phynis’ dark thoughts were interrupted by a handsome young man who she vaguely recognized. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was the son of one of the northern earls. Unusually for most of their kind, his hair was a light, sandy brown that set off his amber eyes well. Even more unusual was the fact that his smile didn’t seem to be feigned, nor was there any distrust in his eyes, unlike some other nobles.
“I’d be delighted,” Phynis replied with a smile, giving him a polite nod as she took his offered hand. Then she asked softly, “And who might you be? I know we’ve met in passing, but it’s slipped my mind due to recent events.”
“I’m not surprised, Your Highness.” He chuckled in good humor, smiling back as he led the way onto the dance floor. “I’m Reva Lucien, son of Earl Lucien.”
“Oh! Aren’t you the warrior who traveled to Morak last year and won their national tournament?” she asked, suddenly far more interested in the young man. He had the good grace to blush as he nodded.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. I didn’t realize that you’d heard of me,” Reva replied with a downcast gaze, obviously somewhat embarrassed. “I actually was simply hoping to hone my skills in that tournament, and I certainly didn’t expect to win. And I didn’t expect word to get back here, either.”
“Well, whether you expected it or not, you won. And once you did, is it any wonder that word spread? Morak is famous for its love of swordplay, and that you won even a tournament not for knights is incredible.” Phynis smiled and shook her head, dancing to the lively music with marked skill. She noted that he followed with impressive skill of his own. “What brought you to the capital? I don’t remember you coming to court often.”
“I’m here with my father. We’ve recruited a company of knights and soldiers to help patrol the border, and try to help hold off Kelvanis. It’ll get me experience and help keep the kingdom safe at the same time.” He grinned, a faint bit of humility that she didn’t think was false to his eyes. “I think of it as gaining multiple benefits at once.”
“Well, I personally find that to be an admirable motivation,” Phynis told him with a smile of her own, warming to the young man even more. “I’m glad to hear that your earldom is contributing as well. Some of the northern realms are much more sanguine than your own.”
“Thank you for your compliment, Your Highness. And I must convey my condolences as to your recent captivity,” Reva apologized softly, and hesitated before adding, “I must say that I was distressed to hear that you had stepped aside in favor of Prince Zanath. I’ve always heard that you would be an excellent ruler when Her Majesty stepped down.”
Well, that put a sudden damper on her mood, and she sighed before nodding. “It was an unpleasant experience, and an even more unpleasant decision. But it had to be done, and I asked Her Majesty’s permission first.”
“I see. I didn’t mean to complain or pry, I just…” Reva paused as the song came to an end, chuckling wryly as he saw several others hovering nearby. “I see that my number is up. My apologies, Your Highness.”
“It was a pleasure, Reva,” Phynis told him, and let go of his hand before turning to see who approached her first.
To her surprise, the first one to move wasn’t one of the three she’d seen waiting in the wings, but a young woman who’d been part of the nearest couple, a short, spunky young woman who, if she remembered right, was Lisa Vanath, third daughter of Duke Vanath. Unusually for most dusk elves, her hair was naturally black, and she looked up at Phynis challengingly. “May I have this dance, Your Highness?”
“Certainly. Lisa Vanath, yes?” Phynis smiled as the young woman nodded, taking her hand confidently.
“Indeed!” The young woman had an oddly predatory gleam in her eye, and Phynis suddenly felt a little less certain of her safety with the young woman.
* * *
“That was a lovely dance, Your Highness.” General Chavin Fairbrook bowed slightly as he smiled at Phynis. “I would love another, if you wouldn’t mind?”
Phynis smiled in return, but shook her head at the older general. “While I wouldn’t normally mind, I’m finding myself a bit exhausted by the dances. I must excuse myself to gather my breath again, General.”
“Certainly, Your Highness. Take all the time you need.” He smiled more broadly as he asked, “Would you like me to bring you anything?”
“Well, a drink… ah, my apologies, it appears that I have a plate waiting for me.” Phynis found herself distracted as she spotted Desa in a corner, unobtrusively holding up a plate of food and a glass of wine meaningfully.
“Oh? Ah, I see! Well enjoy your food, Your Highness,” he told her with a bow, then slowly backed away.
Politely refusing several other invitations to dance, Phynis wound her way through the crowd to where Desa was waiting for her. As Desa wordlessly offered her the glass, Phynis sighed in appreciation. “Thank you, Desa. You’re a lifesaver.”
“You’re welcome, Your Highness,” Desa spoke dryly as she glanced across the room. “You aren’t quite as popular as your brother, but I notice that
more people have screwed up their courage than before you stepped down. Many of them were too scared to approach the heir apparent.”
“Quite. Did you see Lisa Vanath? I swear the girl was propositioning me!” Phynis commented, taking a sip of the wine before nibbling on a few of the smaller items. At the memory, she shook her head.
“She probably was at that,” Desa murmured, prompting Phynis to almost choke on the bite of sandwich she’d been about to swallow.
“Say what?” she demanded, looking at Desa in shock. Desa simply gave her an amused look.
“Don’t you know? Lisa’s not set to inherit much of anything, so she’s been prowling about for anyone who might increase her status. She doesn’t have enough of a dowry to tempt most of the heirs, so she hasn’t tried for you before, but now?” Desa shrugged and smiled. “I’ve heard that she has even looser morals than most of her family does. Don’t they have nymph heritage or such?”
“Yes, they do, but that’s a little… extreme, even for them.” Phynis paused in shock, then shook her head. “What about Reva Lucien? Is there anything I haven’t heard about him?”
“Everything I’ve heard about him is that he’s an honorable, straightforward knight in most respects, and he’s as politically motivated as your average rock.” Desa smirked slightly. “Why, interested in him now that you just might be able to marry for non-political reasons?”
“What? No!” Phynis protested, blushing slightly at the accusation. “I mean, he’s handsome and all, I was just curious about him. And I’m too young to be thinking about marriage.”
“Pfft. You’re never too young to think about marriage,” Desa retorted softly, shaking her head.
“And have you thought about it? I thought that your life was the Royal Guard,” Phynis asked with a hint of malevolence, starting to pick at her food again.
“If I found the right man or woman, I might. I haven’t met anyone who I liked that way, though,” Desa spoke absently, shrugging. “And now I’d be hesitant to let anyone close. I can’t trust quite as easily anymore, I don’t think.”
The comment put a damper on Phynis’ mood, and the food suddenly began to taste less appetizing. And after a moment Phynis spoke softly, “You know, you might be right.”
* * *
Desa was getting a headache. Instead of reducing suspects, she was starting to form new ones.
Reva Lucien was broadly admired, as she’d told Phynis, and his reputation was solid, but that could be a front. He’d been in Morak, which bordered Kelvanis. Most of the warrior nation’s attention was generally focused on the orcs in the Bloodcrag Wastes, which meant it wasn’t out of reason that a sufficiently ambitious lordling might have slipped across the border and struck a bargain. The very idea almost gave her ulcers.
Lisa Vanath didn’t seem likely, since she hadn’t been after Phynis before. On the other hand, everything she’d heard about the girl made her think the young ‘lady’ was a manipulative, dangerous woman. She didn’t head the list of prospects, but she was a possibility.
General Fairbrook’s attitude toward Phynis, on the other hand, hadn’t changed in the slightest, much to Desa’s surprise. He’d long been courting Phynis, as a two decade difference in age wasn’t unusual at all for elves, and he’d treated Phynis with great respect and care. Desa found herself grudgingly approving of that, since there had been subtle but noticed snubs by those in power toward her princess all evening.
Such as the snub by Duchess Elina. The pretty, century-old duchess was a bit old for Zanath, who was a quarter of her age, but her wealth and power was undeniable. And while Phynis seemed to have not noticed, Desa had spotted her give several extremely pleased glances in the direction of Phynis while Elina hung on Zanath’s arm. Desa was fairly certain that even if the duchess wasn’t behind Phynis’ ambush, she wasn’t upset by it in the slightest.
The only suspects who weren’t here were Baron Galthor and his son Farren. Both were still in their barony, which wasn’t surprising, given how often Kelvanis raided it. They rarely came to the parties, which made it hard for her to judge how likely their involvement was.
“Well, back to the dance floor. Ask the maids to have a hot bath ready afterward?” Phynis asked as she finally set her plate and glass aside, giving Desa a pleading look.
“Of course, Your Highness,” Desa replied, with a gentle smile at her charge’s antics.
As she watched the princess go out onto the dance floor with one of her many admirers, Desa felt the throbbing hint of a headache grow.
Chapter 20
“A dungeon?” Jared asked, his voice incredulous. “The cave system is a dungeon?”
“That’s the best guess that the exploration party sent back, Adjudicator,” Acting Captain Gareth confirmed, frowning as he looked at his notes. “The first party that Captain Evansly sent in was well prepared for animals and traps, but encountered a chamber filled with plants, several of which proved to be hostile in their own right. The weapons they’d selected were designed to deal with charging bears and the like, which meant they were minimally effective against the attacking plants, which forced them to retreat after having lost most of their slave trapfinders.”
“Evansly reports that he intended to send for alternate weapons at this point, but that at the request of one Sergeant Buchold, he agreed to send another expedition down a different cavern path, accompanied by a fire mage.” Gareth hesitated a moment, then sighed before continuing. “The second group made more progress, with the mage destroying a number of plants and other hazards before they encountered one of the cave bears. Sergeant Buchold was slain during the battle and they also retreated, but with the corpse of the bear and several of the plants.”
“Examination of the corpses showed evidence of rapid, forced mutation. This confirmed the suspicion of Captain Evansly’s that it was a dungeon, though there is no evidence of particular valuables yet,” Gareth finally finished, then put his notepad in his belt pouch. “That’s what we know now. Captain Evansly has requested additional equipment for delving into a dungeon as well.”
“You can skip his list for the moment. This is going to make the exploration quite a bit more of a headache,” Jared replied with a frown, shaking his head. “One minute while I think about this, please.”
A dungeon wasn’t something like slavery or raiding a temple, where you could just sweep its existence under the rug. A dungeon was always an area of powerful magic, treasures, and other wealth. If not handled properly, one could cause war between nations wanting its riches, and as powerful as Kelvanis was, it couldn’t fight all of its neighbors at once. Worse, adventurers who sought out dungeons would inevitably show up within days or weeks, no matter how quiet they tried to keep word of the damned place. And if they tried to stop them or mistreated them… he shuddered to think of the potential consequences. Adventurers were far too powerful to offend in most cases, and all of them were eccentric.
No, he couldn’t make a decision about this on his own. He needed to go to higher authority for guidance, so he sighed and shook his head. “Go back to your duties for the moment. I’m going to speak with the Archon about this.”
“Sir?” Gareth’s eyes went huge and he almost squeaked in shock.
“A dungeon isn’t something I dare to make decisions about on my own. I need to speak with Him. So go on. You’re dismissed,” Jared replied calmly, even as a hint of nervousness coursed through him. The Archon was usually personable and reasonable, but he hadn’t made Kelvanis into a superpower by being nice to everyone. And that meant that if Jared mishandled his duties, he could easily end up a slave himself.
“Yes, sir!” The man quickly saluted and left, and Jared waited for a minute before standing and straightening his fine suit, taking a deep breath.
Approaching the full-length mirror on one wall, he carefully studied himself and took a deep breath before speaking firmly, “Adjudicator Jared Falgrave requests an audience with the Archon.”
The mirror b
egan to glow faintly blue, and he waited patiently, not willing to show the slightest amount of disrespect. The Archon was not a man to displease or disappoint, though he was at least willing to overlook honest mistakes when the offender was wise enough to admit to them.
Jared was waiting that way for ten minutes before his image in the mirror abruptly vanished, replaced by the Archon himself. The Archon was a tall man, with shoulder-length black hair and modestly handsome features, as well as deep blue eyes. He was lean but strong-looking, and Jared admired the way his superior pulled off his deep purple robes without looking garish or undignified. The man was practically ageless despite being nearly a hundred years old, and he looked at Jared with a smile.
“Ah, Jared! It’s a pleasure to hear from you,” the Archon boomed in a deep, friendly voice. “Dare I hope that you’re bringing word of Serel’s task?”
“I am afraid not, Archon. Another problem came up that I felt I couldn’t make a proper decision on without your guidance,” Jared apologized, bowing his head slightly. “However, I did receive a messenger from High Enforcer Serel, stating she expects to be back within the week.”
“Excellent! I had wondered about the timing, but your news is most heartening.” The Archon smiled broadly and crossed his hands in front of him. “Now, what is this problem you speak of?”
“I’m not certain if you have seen it, but when Princess Phynis escaped, a cavern system was discovered. Within the caverns were fragments of old elven artifacts which I believed indicated there might be relics from before the Godsrage as well, so I sent an expedition to investigate the caverns not long ago,” Jared replied, pausing to see if the Archon had anything to say about it.
“I had not seen that yet. There are so many reports, I only generally get the ones that are of particular importance, and the Princess isn’t a priority, no matter how valuable she may be,” the Archon mused, his eyes still focused on Jared’s. “But I presume that something has changed. Otherwise you, of all my Adjudicators, wouldn’t be contacting me directly.”
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