“Psh, pathetic. Back in our day, we would’ve gotten the job done regardless.” Tsarsko scowled, his sharp filed down teeth revealed. It was a tradition back in the town of Mebna, located in the bog with the same name. It was supposed to give them the tenacity of the local Drator, vicious twin-headed beasts that hunted in that area, eating man and animal alike. Finguine was unsure if it worked, but Tsarsko was certainly a tenacious man, so perhaps there was some truth there. “Would’ve smashed those Lusus to a pulp without hesitation.”
Finguine let out a laugh.
“Oh, without hesitation? I remember someone shaking like a leaf when they saw their first Shade.” Finguine smirked. “I almost had to take that one out for you.”
Tsarsko turned his head, a playful frown on his face. “I still took it out, didn’t I? Caved it’s skull in with these.” With a flash of light and the sound of clanging steel, massive armored gauntlets appeared over his armored hands, his swerdan appearing in all its glory. They were black in color, with ridges along the side of them and a golden jewel on top of the hands. The knuckles were a golden color though, bumps along them much like a pair of brass knuckles. “Hell, that was back when our swerdan were in their infancy. Remember when you had those two small scythes?”
“Hah, yeah. Though, I’m glad I have only one now. Was a pain to use them.” Finguine smiled as he recalled his early years as a squire. It wasn’t all sunshine and flowers, as it was a difficult time after Bogdan was finally killed. Recusants were still out and about, the Lusus from the leftover invasions were still around, and there were a few nobles who decided to try their hand at splintering off to form their own factions. It was a hard time, but one that he had enjoyed with his team. “Speaking of back then, you know Father Gennadi is still preaching down at the Church of Miion?”
“That old bastard is still kicking?” Tsarsko asked, before he let out a laugh. “Does he know I’m here?”
“Of course. Who do you think told him?” Finguine smirked. “You know, he still remembers you quite well. Said you could test the patience of the saints.”
“Well of course he said that.” His grin was positively reptilian, the sharp teeth of his shown large and wide as he grinned. “I did try and steal his daughter away after all.” His grin slowly fell off his face. “Wonder whatever happened to her.”
“Who knows.” Finguine finished his cola, crinkling the can in his hands. “Probably the same thing that happened to our teammate Meaghan.” He felt a pang of regret in his heart at the mention of his teammate. Their split had not been admirable. “She simply left. Noticed he didn’t have many pictures of her hanging about, so it must not have been a particularly kind split.”
Tsarsko was quiet for a moment before he spoke up.
“Things change.” He gulped down the last of his ale before tossing it into a nearby trash bin. “But at the very least, we’ll still have plenty of scumbags to knock down a few pegs, eh Finguine?” He clanked his fists together, sparks flying from where they met. His grin was back in full force, the man motivated to knock some heads in with all his might. Finguine smirked, having grown used to seeing this side of his friend.
“Of course. Speaking of scumbags,” He drawled out, “How was the info down at District Five?”
“Place is a dump, but I got about the same as you. Some nutjob was acting funny. Matches the same description as you gave me earlier over the talker, though I didn’t get a name from them.” He scratched his chin, a bit of stubble swaying under his fingers. “You mentioned he didn’t have a last name. He’s a bastard, isn’t he?”
“It’s a very good probability.” Finguine said. “Which is why we’re going to run protection on the Valentinovich family. There are two particularly lower ranking members of the family, younger siblings and such who won’t inherit much, that like to stroll around town. I’ll talk to the Duke and get something sorted out. If all goes well, our groups will be split in two. You and your group will protect one sibling, while my squires protect the other. I’ll be on standby to intervene in case more Lusus get involved.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Tsarsko said. “Let’s catch this scumbag.”
Finguine couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s enthusiasm.
Chapter Eight
“So you wish to protect my siblings?” Duke Aleksander eyed him up, his bright blue eyes sizing Finguine like a predator would its prey. It was something every noble did when they saw him, many knowing what the color of his armor represented. He would either be bringing them fortune, or asking them a few questions they would very much not like to answer. Or worse. “Is this because of the Lusus attack? I assure you then, that I could have a few Enforcers around them at all times.”
“Your Serenity, I’m afraid that it may be more than just some Lusus.” Sir Finguine said. “We have evidence that the invasion was orchestrated by someone with a grudge against your family.”
It was circumstantial evidence at best, but Finguine had been an inquisitor for a long while. Long enough to know to never leave anything to chance. With a Lusus invasion on the line, in one of the most populated cities in the empire no less, he couldn’t afford to.
Besides, he knew the man’s type. He was so confident, so self-assured of his own power. It was a subtle arrogance, different from those who were boisterous and proclaimed all their deeds. No, much like the dragons of old, he sat atop his mountain of gold, believing nothing could touch him.
Duke Aleksander’s eyes widened for so brief an instant that Finguine would’ve missed it had he blinked, before it settled back into that confident gaze. “And what evidence can you bring to me?”
“Not much.” Finguine admitted. No matter what he did, he’d have to admit that. He could not conjure evidence out of thin air, at least not without lying and that would only result in complications for him if the mission went even further south than it already had. “However, we have had reports of a strange figure with similar features to your family. It’s…circumstantial at best, but he was heard claiming to want revenge on the Valentinovich family for what they did to him.” Not entirely true, but the suspects words could be construed that way. He slid his notes towards the man, Duke Aleksander looking at it with a critical eye.
His eyes looked it over as he held it up to his face. He periodically glanced at Finguine, his gaze running over the knight, yet he kept his cool. If he gave nothing away, the Duke could use nothing against him, making it even easier to get his way.
“And you say this man, this…Damir was it?” Finguine nodded. “Wants to harm my family? All for some preconceived slight?”
“Oh come now, you saw the picture in those files.” Finguine said. “Would you dare to tell me that he does not have your family’s features? Those high cheekbones, combined with the light brown hair and vibrant blue eyes. We both know who he’s related to.”
“Hmm.” The Duke rubbed his chin. “It must have been one of the younger lords or perhaps some love child between one of the ladies and some commoner.” Duke Aleksander grumbled under his breath. It was common for there to be relations among the higher class and the lower class, a terribly kept secret among the populace. The children of such unions were heavily looked down upon. Some were provided with money to live a decent life, or inducted into the nobility proper but they were the exceptions. “And why would his quarrel be with me? We have done nothing to him.”
“You have done nothing for him you mean.” Finguine corrected, irking the man slightly. Not that he cared. “You know bastards do not live well in the empire, especially once conceived from nobles. A lot of resentment can be built up since his birth till now, and you know well that they can lash out. Especially with such easily available targets.”
“My enforcers could easily dissuade him from such an action. He’d be torn to pieces by their casters before he could even blink.” The Duke replied.
“Your Serenity, did you ignore the part where this Damir fellow wants revenge?” Finguine asked. “You know
their type are not right in the mind. He would’ve done anything to gain it, even letting the Lusus into the city. Your enforcers are well trained, I’ll admit. They handled the invasion well, and it stands to your leadership and their action that martial law wasn’t needed to be instated. Yet.”
“I’d rather not raise paranoia and suspicion among my people with farfetched theories about this freak occurrence.” The Duke said. “It’s bad enough that rumors are spreading of someone letting them in. Soon enough, I very well may have to institute martial law.”
“And you’d need all the enforcers you can get, especially since a good chunk of your forces were wounded or killed by those vile creatures during the invasion. If he used them once more in an invasion of that size, your enforcers would be doomed.” Finguine said. “Yet, if my squires were to guard her, those specifically trained to deal with the Lusus, we would both be satisfied.”
“Yes, you get to use my sister as live bait for that mongrel and guard her with children.” The Duke growled out. There it was, the anger. “These are not the squires of old who could take out masses of Lusus by themselves. Don’t think I don’t know about the recruiting your kind is doing back at the academy. Scrounging up even the orphan children to refresh your numbers after The Rebellion of The Five Houses, especially after the Recusants decimated your numbers.”
“Careful now.” Finguine felt a brief flash of anger fill his heart, before he squashed it.
“No, I will not be careful. These children are not as strong as their forebears, and you wish to lay my siblings’s live in their hands? Do you take me for a fool?” The Duke ground his teeth.
“I do not, Your Serenity, but you need not worry about the squire’s skills. They have more than proven themselves capable of handling a couple of Lusus and, if it comes to it, some common criminal.” Finguine replied. “I will be waiting nearby to deal with any attackers once they fire off the excandescent spell, and Sir Tsarsko and his squad will be protecting the other. No matter which target the suspect attacks, he’ll have to face a fully trained knight.”
“So you say.” The Duke ran a hand through his hair, a sign of nervousness. Good. It meant he had let go of a bit of that anger and was starting to see things from his point of view. “But either way, my siblings will be a target. Or more specifically, bait.”
“If my squires do their job, then your siblings won’t even notice a difference.” Finguine said. “And they will be protected.”
“And if they are killed?” The Duke asked, his bright blue eyes staring straight in Finguine’s. “What then? What if it not just some common criminal? If he is indeed the perpetrator, then this Damir fellow must be powerful with some unknown magics to make his attack possible.”
Finguine shrugged. “I am not Miion. We could circle each other all day with what ifs and ask questions about the future, but the truth is, I cannot account for everything. But tell me this, would you rather have enforcers guarding them, men and women not specifically trained to deal with Lusus? Or would you have those who specialize in it?”
“Can you vouch for these young ones?” The Duke asked. Ah, it finally seemed that he was coming around.
“Of course. Why, just the other day, one of my squires took on a whole pack of Shades by himself. The other managed to cut down a few Skitters as well.” They weren’t truly impressive feats by any means. Any squire would be capable of it, even if the lower ones were dangerous when they swarmed, which they usually did, but it leant the squires some credence to their names. “I cannot say with one hundred percent certainty that they will keep her safe. But let me ask you this. Would you rather have them stuck in this mansion, cowering before some bastard child? Or would you rather show Krasnolovka that the Valentinovich family has nothing to fear, even after a Lusus invasion?”
There it was. That must have hit the nail on the head, for Finguine could see the gears moving in the man’s head.
“I…I just do not wish to see them harmed.” The Duke admitted. “As you may have heard, my father, Sidor Valentinovich, passed on during the invasion. Massacred by some Lusus.” He clenched his fists. Clearly, it was a sore spot for him. “The enforcers said it looked like he was torn apart by animals. Can you believe that? The man who ruled this city well for several decades, ripped to shreds by those beasts?”
“The Lusus do not care who’s magic they consume, only that they consume.” Finguine said, the common saying reverberating throughout the room. “He served his city well. No one could’ve predicted that a Lusus invasion would happen, especially one inside the walls.”
“I know…but when he passed on, I was put in charge of maintaining this city along with the power of the House of Valentinovich. It is not easy. Even with my sister Nadia’s help in maintaining the budget, it is difficult and grinding work. I do not wish for anything to happen to them if I can prevent it.”
“And you have done a great job so far, but keeping them inside will only have the people grow angry with you.” Finguine said. “Your image, and the image of the Valentinovich house will suffer if they aren’t allowed to leave. The people must see the nobles, it assures them that they are safe.”
Duke Aleksander took his words in, not speaking for a while as he contemplated them. Finguine simply sat patiently and waited for the man to think, completely silent as he sat there and waited.
“I…I will acquiesce to your help, Sir Finguine. Just promise to do everything you can to keep my brother and sister safe.”
“I promise, Your Serenity.”
Chapter Nine
“While I am one who loves my privacy, I can’t help but be thankful that the knighthood has seen to give me two guards of my own, even if they are mere squires.” The noblewoman said to Craeft and Veliane as she walked down the roads of the First District. She wore an exotic dress with a frilled collar, dark red in color that ended right above her knee, ripples in it making it look like flowing water. The Valentinovich noble, named Nadia Valentinovich, was a pretty woman with fair skin and light brown hair, with blue eyes that hid an intelligence gained from years of experience behind them. “Normally, I would simply rely on the enforcers to do their job, but with the recent Lusus invasion, I find myself requiring…heavier protection. Thankfully, Sir Finguine was able to lend me you two for a few days.”
“You won’t need to worry about a thing Madam Valentinovich,” Craeft said, trying to assuage any anxiety she had about their little situation. Though, Craeft couldn’t blame her. With a possible crazed maniac after her and a Lusus invasion having damaged her city, he would’ve been a bit cautious if he was in her position. “We’ll make sure to keep you safe.”
“As you should Mr…” She tried to egg his name out of him.
“Proudhill.” He replied.
“Oh, one of those northerners with their tattoos and such.” She let out a scoff. “Can’t see how they can stand it with how cold it is up there. Though, you seem to be lacking in those markings. Why is that?” She asked. Craeft looked uncomfortable, not wanting to say why, so Veliane answered for him.
“He’s from a different branch of the family.” Veliane spoke up, her boots clanking against the concrete as they walked through the marketplace, the moon shining overhead and blanketing them in its pale light.
“I wasn’t aware that the Proudhill’s had a branch family.” The noblewoman narrowed her eyes, before they widened briefly. “Oh, you mean that kind of branch family.” She let out a scoff. “Well, at the very least I know I’ll have one capable squire to defend me.” She said as she eyed Veliane.
Craeft clenched his fists but did not speak. He was used to being blown off by people like her, especially people like her, so the sting was quite numb compared to what it was when he was a child. Frost grew along his gloves though, as he dearly wished to show her just how capable he was.
‘You’re a disgrace to our family name.’
“Shut up.” He murmured as the memory of his grandfather’s words played in his mind.
“Oh,” He bowed his head, “My apologies Madam Valentinovich. Forgive me. It won’t happen again.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, her blue eyes boring into his. She let out a scoff before she spoke again, her voice haughty as she spoke, like one used to having their authority worshipped as if they were Miion themselves. “I’ll forgive you just this once. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.” His tone was neutral, but the frost edged up his gloves and began to form around his wrists. He forced his magic back down, lest he lose control and disgrace his family by attacking her outright. There would be a time for revenge, once he became a knight. One who was glorious and loved by all, rather than disrespected and seen as a blight. Then she’d change her tune.
She proceeded to ignore him as she looked around, her eyes inspecting the wares that surrounded her. “And where are you from girl? You look like an islander from the Marliana Archipelago. You have those purple eyes that they’re famed for.”
“Yes. I’m from Iquizon, Madam Valentinovich.” Veliane replied, her lip twitching as if she wanted to curl it in distaste. Whether because of the nature of the woman, or, Craeft hoped, that she didn’t like the disrespect she had lambasted him with, he couldn’t tell. Either way, the friendliness was fake, but the noblewoman didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, didn’t care.
“Ah, a minor island in the Marliana Archipelago. Even the smallest of them are ones of beauty, or at least, that is what I’ve heard.” She was silent for a moment before she spoke up. “And I presume you are not in a similar situation as Mr. Proudhill,” Her voice was drowning in sarcasm as she said his last name, as if it were false, “over here?”
Squire Page 9
