Fear's Union

Chapter Thirty-Four

—Kantal—

That shut the bastards up. Kantal was sick of his time in this stinking town, waiting around with nothing to look forward to but dreary discussion. He was a soldier, damn it. He had been in Saphos for fifteen nights, but to little avail. The Enabler was still here, him and his charlatan boy who promised so much and delivered so little. Just the presence of the man was holding him back. The agreement remained unsigned.

But he'd received a message, and he needed to be gone. Dusk was coming. He hoped he could use that urgency to his advantage.

"Can you repeat that?"

"I said I must go. Delfinia's far border is threatened, and I must return. The Gathering Dusk is very real, and it's closing in."

The boy ruler was not impressed. "Pah! That's a fairy-tale, you fool. What do you take me for?"

For once, the Enabler didn't mimic the little lord in his childish amusement. The shadowed face didn't move, and the little lord's laughter trailed off.

"If there's one thing that the House of Red is not, it is a horde of fairies."

Did even the Enabler sound unnerved?

The trio were in the same damned room again, the three of them plus a collection of the Governor's treasured deadwood warriors; including that child of chance, the Enabler's pawn. The little lord's face melted, which was amusing. It was night, again, and the shadows of doubt danced all over the young lord's features.

"What will you do? Meet them in the field?"

He laughed as broadly as he could muster. This was his chance to earn the upper hand. Even the Lord of Chance would struggle to dominate this discussion. This was his territory, and he would pounce on it.

"Of course not. You think Delfinia would charge willingly into suicide before exhausting all other options? Is that what you would do?" He rammed the food into the young lord's mouth. "Delfinia is only interested in maintaining relations with sage collaborators, of which we assumed you were a member. Do I need to return to my king with an unsigned agreement?"

He picked up the paper and it crackled, but the little lord swatted the document back to the table.

"I will sign it!" He rubbed his hands together, grabbing a pen. "I may be young, but I am not without my own wisdom."

He doubted it.

"Lord Governor. I advise you consider the details before you commit yourself to the contents." The lisping voice of the Enabler slithered from the shadows. The freak really was like a serpent.

"I am well aware of the details, thank you."

He hoped not, and he licked his lips. But the little lord was indeed an idiot, and he signed the contract blindly. Thank the Mother this torture was over! The young lord may not know it, but he was now servant to the whim of Delfinia's King. He would know soon enough.

The scratching of the nib ceased, and he picked up the paper, blowing over the ink. He then placed the document in his carry-sack, and looked at his conspirators with a beaming grin. The Enabler looked dark, and the little lord reclined, an air of relief in him. He would soon regret his actions.

"So, what will you do?"

Wisdom, eh? Those weren't the words of the wise.

"We will treat with them, of course. Every arrangement has its price, and I suspect that my King will be generous where this foe is concerned."