The King's Knights

Chapter Eight: Setting Out

William and Felix had already left by the time Sophia and Casia got up.

Vanion took time to see the two Amazons off, remembering when both had been young. Only children when he met them initially. He'd taken them for siblings by their resemblance, but they had been distant cousins.

Either way, they went out onto the threshold.

"You're sure you'll be alright?" asked Vanion.

"Yes, I'm quite certain we can find our own way," said Sophia, who had gone from quiet to formal and polite. "Tef has offered to show us an affordable inn."

"Are we sure we want to trust a girl with cat ears?" asked Casia.

Said girl with cat ears was five feet away, so Casia's brazen nature had only worsened. She had a confrontational attitude you normally see in boys. At first, you could have mistaken Casia for a boy, being skinny as a rail. But as the years past, Casia had grown up and solved that problem.

"Vanion and Azgora have vouched for her, Casia," said Sophia.

"She has cat ears," said Casia. "Cat's are evil."

Tef remained silent where she was standing with her back to them with hands behind it. She had, of course, heard everything.

William was aware of how she operated; they had discussed it.

But Vanion suspected that Tef would be more of an asset kept close than at arm's length. For one thing, she seemed devoted to her cause. If Vanion were working for the Demoration, he'd be plotting the ruin and destruction of all his superiors. The entire situation had been a fiasco for them, which they were now trapped in.

"In any case, I wish you luck," said Vanion. "If you need any help or advice, by all means, come by. We should be here for some time yet. At least until things with the Sorcerer's Guild are worked out.

"Thank you, Sophia, and good luck. Tef, don't do anything I wouldn't do. We're in a delicate position here, you and I."

"Of course not," said Tef, smiling.

It seemed more genuine.

As they left, Vanion wondered why being called a good agent had made her so happy. He'd guessed she felt underappreciated by her superiors. But were they so utterly divorced from reality that they didn't see her potential?

Abandoned in a foreign land at eight years old in the care of the priesthood. And Tef had managed to make herself an asset. Not to mention, clean up loose ends no one else even realized needed tying. All while ingratiating herself to the High King and House Gabriel. Thereby making herself a potential bridge between them.

She was good.

Wasting an asset like that was criminal.

Truly criminal.

But Vanion had a guest coming and needed help to think of that.

Guests were expected.

But there always seemed to be more time to meet them all. Vanion had wanted to spend more time with family. However, events were getting away from them, and with the arrival of Sophia and Casia, now more than ever. Vanion had taught William to be the ideal heir, giving him the needed skills.

Now, those skills might make it impossible to keep up any kind of real bond with his son. Vanion had seen it in Estal, where that cursed Safara had started an all-out war to suit her narcissism. She'd unraveled years of careful diplomacy, and William had suffered the worst.

But that was neither here nor there.

Vanion might not like the present situation, but it was the situation he was living in.