2a: His Master's Voice

[First: Prologue: Some Days
Previous: Episode 1]

Worldweavers Guildhall, Atharin City, Kingdom of Renar, 4 Alana 1507 AC

"You were what?!"

It's not every day I get to surprise my boss. As a Master of the Worldweavers Society, Krisa Njasita would like everyone to believe that he's literally incapable of surprise, because he already knows what's going to happen, because he helped to arrange it. Frankly, he's gotten more than a little pompous in the years since he'd first recruited me, so I have to admit I rather enjoyed his discomfiture.

"Ambushed. Well, sort of. They were only watching, but they were watching very intently."

"You're certain they weren't just ordinary bandits? The Winter Festival's coming up, and banditry always enjoys boom times in the week leading up to the Festival."

"If you like, we could summon my newly minted henchm...er...servant up from the stables and you can question him yourself."

Krisa blinked. "Am I to understand that you have retained one of the miscreants in your own service?"

"It seemed like the thing to do at the time. He's a natural born henchmen – he does what he's paid to do and he doesn't think about it much."

"A mercenary?"

I laughed. "No. A simpleton. Really. Like I said, question him yourself. Actually, I mean that in earnest. A second opinion wouldn't hurt before I go off into the world with him as a sidekick."

"What does Ambassador Tezhla think?"

"Tezhla thinks I'm crazy, but he doesn't think Kraz is a threat of any kind. He just thinks I can do better for servants. He may be right, but I've got an instinct about this one."

Krisa nodded thoughtfully. "Your instincts have served us well enough in the past for me to trust them, but I would like to speak to this...Kraz myself. That will have to wait a bit, however. The easiest way for me to brief you on why we've summoned you this time would be for us to listen in on what the Ambassador is about to report to the council, and that session should be starting shortly."

The older man was holding a tall, ornate staff, which he now banged against the flagstones while muttering under his breath. I guess we all have our own style for these things. I tend to prefer to be fairly surreptitious about my invocations, which is only natural given that I am, for all intents and purposes, a covert agent.

Krisa, on the other hand, likes to make a show, at least, when he's "at home". I've often thought he and other mages like him are frustrated actors, because their penchant for theatricality (and for drama, come to that) is pretty noticable.

The end result of Krisa's flourshy spell, however, was that we now both appeared to be floating in mid air in the high-roofed Council Chamber in the royal palace, just across the Central Market from where we were actually standing. Of course, we were really still in the same room at the Guildhall. The council was just now assembling - this close to Winter Festival, it was rare that any normal business got conducted on time, as there were many preparations to be made throughout the capital city.

Krisa and I sat down in the two comfortable chairs he'd provided. I ignored the sensation of sitting on a chair seemingly supported by nothing but air; this was not the first time Krisa had invited me to join him while he spied on somebody.

On the table between those chairs had appeared (whether as part of his spell or by action of a servant I hadn't noticed) two large containers of warm, buttery-smelling popcorn, a delicacy I'd introduced Krisa to many years ago, after enduring several similar intrusions without. Both of the sentient species of this world tended to be more heavily carnivorous than humans, but they did eat some vegetable matter as well, and Krisa had seen the appeal of popcorn as a snack one could quietly munch on while one's mind was really occupied with something else.

At last the councillors settled down. There were eight Iri and 6 Noliri present, reflecting the rough proportion of the Renara population. Noliri had been subjects of equal standing since Renar's formation from earlier, smaller kingdoms, most of whom had already developed similar customs.

Neither the king nor queen were present today, so the justiciar was presiding. Justiciars are often chosen for their focus and ability to get things done, and this one was no exception. Once everyone expected had assembled, she wasted no time calling them to order and summoning Tezhla in to speak his piece.

As Tezhla, in full ambassadorial array (and pumped full of ambassadorial pomposity) came in, Krsia and I each almost simultaneously reached for our popcorn buckets, and settled in to listen.