Tears of Liscor, page 22
part #9 of The Wandering Inn Series
“I, uh—I—well, that’s very kind of you, Embria. But I, uh, have an appointment with Watch Captain Zevara, and I’d hate to keep her—”
Embria’s red cheeks flamed brighter. She waved a claw hurriedly.
“Of course. Forget I said anything.”
“Right. Well, I’ll be going. I’ll, uh, see you around. And we could have a drink. At another time.”
“Sounds good. Um. Thanks.”
Olesm edged out of the room as fast as he could. Embria kept smiling until she heard him rapidly moving away and then she buried her face in her claws.
“Damn it, Dad! Why do I ever listen to your advice?”
She sat like that for a moment. Then Laskaillia, forgotten, spoke up.
“That young Olesm is quite an attractive Drake. Not that I think he’ll be falling for your lines anytime soon, Miss Wing Commander.”
Embria started. She looked up at Laskaillia and flushed even further. She stood up hastily and made to exit.
“Thank you for your help, Magus Laskaillia. I must be going. To work.”
She was nearly out the door when Laskaillia called after her.
“You flirt as well as your father, my dear. I think he tried a line like that on me, once. Of course, whether it worked or not is another matter entirely…”
All the color drained from Embria’s face. She stared at Laskaillia, who gave her a serpentine smile, turned to the door, staggered, and then rushed out to get herself as drunk as possible.
Laskaillia cackled to herself as she sat back in her chair. Relc had never flirted with her, but she knew the Gecko of Liscor by reputation. She cleaned her claws, smiling to herself. Laskaillia had only a few vices in life at her age, but one of them was tormenting the youth. And as insults went, that one had been a good one.
——
Silly things. Happy things. It was because the Raskghar were gone that they could happen and be laughed at. The City Hall in Liscor felt lighter to the young woman who slipped inside. She watched Olesm practically run out of the doors and Embria depart as well. Neither Drake noticed her in their embarrassment, which was unusual—or not, given that she was hiding behind a door jamb and peeking out. She had a feeling she wasn’t supposed to be here.
Still, the few Drakes at work in the building didn’t slow her, and the two Drakes standing next to the door didn’t stop her from entering. Wall Lord Ilvriss looked up from the enchanted bow made of some kind of ivory and sighed loudly as Erin Solstice entered the room.
“You are aware, Human, that Liscor’s city hall is off limits to members of the general public? And I am a Wall Lord. How did you get in here?”
“They let me in. I told them I wanted to speak with you. And I bribed them with cookies. Sorry about that.”
Erin smiled unapologetically. As she shut the door, Ilvriss caught both of his guards eating cookies. They looked guilty as he narrowed his eyes at them. Erin shut the door and then stared around.
“Wow. There’s an entire armory in here. Hey, is that—”
“Don’t touch that.”
Erin snatched her hand back before she could touch a suit of armor that looked as though it was made of blue metal and bronze. She stared at Ilvriss. He sighed and took his eyeglass off.
“What do you want, Solstice?”
“Nothing…I was just checking on you. And Olesm. It’s been a while. You’re good, right?”
Ilvriss sat back in his chair and folded his arms. Erin gave him a big smile. She reached for a bag at her side.
“Wanna cookie?”
“Is it sugary?”
“Yes?”
“Then my answer is no. Why are you here?”
“Can’t I be here to give everyone good cheer?”
Ilvriss slowly raised one of his brows. He had no eyebrows, but the effect was largely the same. Erin put her hands behind her back and studied the room, taking in the parchment, Ilvriss, and the gold sitting in the bags next to him.
“You’re busy, I get that. I bet you have a lot of paperwork, and I’m sorry for bothering you. But…I dunno, it feels like we should all be giving thanks for defeating the Raskghar, don’t you think? And I dunno, celebrating the teamwork? The joint effort? Goodwill towards Humans and Drakes? And Goblins?”
The Wall Lord waited. Erin indicated the gold in the bags meaningfully.
“Hint, hint.”
They stared at each other for a few more seconds. At last, Erin gave in.
“Can I have some money?”
“Is that all you came here for?”
“Yes! No! Okay, yes. I really could use some gold.”
Ilvriss glanced at Erin as he leaned back in his chair. His tail curled around his chair leg.
“Is your inn doing that poorly? I was under the impression that your plays had resumed and that Liscor’s citizenry were frequenting your inn quite often. The Hubris of the Raskghar is the name of the play, is it not?”
“What? Oh, that. Yeah, we’re filling the inn each night! I’m making tons of coin! Uh…but I could use more? I did help with the Raskghar, remember?”
“I recall. Why is the need for coin so pressing?”
Erin scuffed at the carpet with one foot.
“Well…I’ve got expenses. The Goblins, you know? They’re sort of an additional expense. I’ve been trying to feed them at least one meal per day, but, uh, buying that much food is expensive. I can handle it! But I heard you were giving out money so…”
“The lottery and division of the coin and artifacts will happen later.”
“Oh. Right.”
The young Human woman stared at Ilvriss. She looked around the room and seemed to be deciding whether to leave or not. Ilvriss stared at her and then leaned forwards.
“The Goblins are still connected to your inn via that magical door, are they not?”
“Yup.”
“Something will have to be done about them soon. You are aware of that, aren’t you?”
“Like what?”
The Wall Lord narrowed his eyes.
“Liscor cannot have a few hundred Goblins nesting close to the city. It is a security risk, and it will kill trade. The Goblin Lord may be on the run, but until the Humans destroy his army, the Goblins are a legitimate threat.”
Erin sighed. She took a seat across from Ilvriss without being asked.
“I know that. But these Goblins helped us. They saved the Gnolls. Without them, everyone would be dead. You remember that, right?”
“I haven’t forgotten. But that changes none of the facts. The…Hobs under your command were one thing. But three hundred Goblins—how many of them are in that cave, incidentally?”
“Dunno.”
“You have no idea? Surely you’ve counted.”
“Well, there are a lot of them, but I didn’t sit and count them one by one. Why would anyone do that? There’s Goblins. Y’know?”
Erin gave Ilvriss a round-eyed stare. Normally, that would be enough to make Ilvriss snort and dismiss her. However, this time it didn’t work. The Wall Lord glanced suspiciously at Erin, drumming his claws on the table.
“And you have no idea what their plans are either, I suspect.”
“Nope. I just feed them. That’s my job. Hey, did you know they really like fish?”
The Drake looked up suspiciously at Erin. She smiled at him.
“Fish with sauce. Have you tried my fish flakes? They’re a big hit. Takes a lot of oil and eggs and flour, though. Oh, and sauce. Which is why I came here. For the money.”
“I had gathered.”
Erin had an amazing talent to distract from the conversation at hand. It was incredible, really. And aggravating. Ilvriss pinched the scales around his temples with one claw. He would have dearly loved to see what would happen if he let Erin sit in on one of Salazsar’s meetings between the Wall Lords and Ladies. Then again…
He closed his eyes for a second. Erin took that moment to breathe a sigh of relief. Her diversionary tactics had worked. She sat up and gave Ilvriss a broad smile as he looked up.
“They will have to be dealt with. I am not ungrateful. But Goblins are monsters.”
He looked seriously at Erin. And her smile faded. She sat up in her chair and then put one elbow on the table. She leaned forwards, losing her smile for a second.
“Not all of them. You and I know that. It’s just how they’re seen. But the five Hobs at my inn—Pebblesnatch—they went into the dungeon and saved lives. They owed us nothing. They could have run. But they didn’t. They risked their lives, and no one’s given them more than passing thanks. Don’t forget that.”
Startled, the Wall Lord met Erin’s eyes. She didn’t use her aura, but for a second, just a second, he felt the intensity in her stare. Then Erin sat back, and the mood lightened as if nothing had happened. After a second, Ilvriss spoke.
“I do not forget. And while it is not expedient for Liscor to acknowledge the Goblins, I honor my vows. I had intended to send this to you, but since you insist on interrupting me—here.”
He reached for the bags of coin at his side. He inspected the gold and then pushed two of the bags across the table. Erin wavered.
“What’s that?”
“Your share of the bounty. One thousand two hundred and eleven gold coins. A small sum, but it was decided that would be the reward for the use of your magic door. And payment for stamina potions and food provided afterwards. I’ll require the bags of holding back, by the way.”
“Buh—all this is mine?”
Erin’s eyes went round with genuine shock this time as she stared at the two bags heaped with gold coins. They were lesser bags of holding so they had a larger depth than their size indicated. Erin poured several gold coins onto the table. Ilvriss nodded. Then he looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
“Young Olesm and Watch Captain Zevara have done many calculations. I oversaw them and agree with the distribution of wealth. Many of the Gold-rank teams are eligible for one of the magical artifacts—perhaps even two. The other teams may combine claims or accept a monetary payout. However, there is an aberration.”
“The…Redfang Goblin team saved quite a large portion of Gnolls. Each one earns them a reward of two thousand gold coins. They saved thirty-three before the final raid on the dungeon.”
“Thirty-three. Then that means—”
Erin’s eyes went wide in genuine shock this time. Ilvriss nodded. He stood up.
“Normally, I would award the coin in full. Or rather, issue a letter of credit if possible since providing all that coin up front would be tedious. However, that will not occur. Because the Goblins are not an adventuring team.”
The young woman froze as she placed gold coins back in her bag.
“What do you mean? They’re totally adventurers! Selys did the paperwork and everything!”
Ilvriss nodded. He took a deep breath and looked at the table.
“They are. But as a new team, their paperwork was being processed during the dungeon attacks. And—sadly—it will appear that they were not registered until several days after the Raskghar were defeated. Thus, invalidating their claim for the gold.”
Ilvriss said the last of that in a rush. He waited, staring at his claws for a second, and then looked up. He saw Erin’s open mouth slowly close. The young woman stood up slowly. Her face was pale.
“That’s a lie.”
“It is not.”
Erin leaned over the table, putting both hands on the glossy wooden surface.
“That’s a lie. Selys filed the paperwork! Is this—is this some kind of joke?”
“Absolutely not.”
The Drake met her eyes. Erin stared at him, disbelieving, and then slowly looked around the room.
“Paperwork? That shouldn’t matter. This is—you don’t want to pay the Goblins, do you? They saved thirty-three Gnolls! You’d have to give them sixty-six thousand gold coins, and you don’t want to! Well—okay, I understand that! But give them something—”
“As a matter of fact, I will be paying the full amount I promised to the pool the adventurers and Liscor may claim from. Money is not an issue.”
Ilvriss’ voice was steely. Erin stared at him.
“Then why—is it because they’re Goblins? Is that it?”
The Wall Lord nodded slightly.
“It would be politically disastrous for a Lord of the Wall to pay Goblins any kind of sum. Moreover, if their contributions were recognized, the other adventurers would surely riot. The Goblins have the greatest claim to the treasure and gold of any group. Thus…well, it is a regrettable accident, but their status as a Bronze-rank team will be certified by Liscor’s guild on the morrow.”
For a few seconds, Erin couldn’t do anything but stare at Ilvriss. Her vision went red. She clenched her hands into fists.
“That’s so—I can’t believe—how could you? How dare you? They saved the Gnolls! They helped fight the Raskghar! They nearly died!”
“I know.”
Ilvriss looked at her calmly. Erin was at a loss for words. She struck the table and then tried to flip it, but it was a huge table and she couldn’t budge it. Erin stormed around it.
“This isn’t right! This isn’t fair! You can’t just take away everything they deserve!”
The Drake didn’t flinch back as Erin shouted in his face. He folded his claws together.
“It’s done, Solstice. The decision was not mine alone. Liscor’s Council voted on the measure. And Olesm and Watch Captain Zevara helped…clarify the issue legally.”
“Olesm did?”
Erin stared at Ilvriss. She stepped back and looked around. Then she stormed over to the two bags of gold. Ilvriss saw her lift it up and braced himself. Erin hefted the bag of gold and then hesitated. She stared at it.
“A thousand gold pieces. That’s a lot of money. Yeah. But it’s nothing compared to what they deserve. And this—”
She glanced up at Ilvriss, her eyes narrowed.
“My door helped a lot, but I bet it’s not worth a thousand gold. Is it? Is this your way of giving me money for the Goblins? A thousand pieces instead of sixty thousand? Is this right?”
He didn’t answer her. Ilvriss’ tail was curled up. Erin lifted the bag as if to throw it and then slowly lowered it.
“I’ll take the money. But this isn’t right. And you know it! I thought you were—I thought you were better than this! More honorable!”
“Human.”
Ilvriss looked steadily at Erin. She turned angrily and stomped to the door, the bags of money in her hand. Ilvriss raised his voice.
“Human.”
“Don’t—”
Erin whirled, face ready. She was ready to pop. But she paused as Ilvriss reached down and pulled something up.
The golden axe with the green edge. Ilvriss put it on the table and pushed it towards her. Erin stared at the axe.
“What’s that for?”
Ilvriss gave Erin a blank look to match her own.
“That’s an axe.”
She opened her mouth and then glared and hefted the bag of gold like a shot put. Ilvriss sighed.
“It’s a potent magical artifact recovered from the Minotaur. Calruz, I believe his name is. Unfortunately…I seem to have misplaced it.”
Erin stared at the axe and then at Ilvriss. Slowly, she lowered the bag. Her arm was getting tired anyways.
“Really? That’s awfully careless of you.”
Ilvriss bristled a bit.
“Well, I wasn’t the one to lose it. I was inventorying the artifacts recovered and found a discrepancy. And, naturally, I searched quite diligently for the artifact, but it was nowhere to be found. I naturally suspected a [Thief], but what high-level rogue would stop at stealing only one magical artifact? Perhaps it was lost in the recovery process from Liscor. It may well have sunk into the lake or remained in the Raskghar camp by accident.”
He stared pointedly at the axe. So did Erin.
“That would suck.”
“Indeed. Unfortunately, the weapon was marked as lost. Not to be found again. And the record of it was—erased.”
Ilvriss carefully picked up a piece of parchment. As Erin watched, he tore it up. She stared at the axe.
“So this axe—”
“What axe? No weapon that has a magic jade edge which can enlarge itself into an enchanted blade was ever recovered from the dungeon. The records show that quite explicitly. This? This is a paperweight. And I don’t have time for distractions. I have artifacts to sort out. Human, your kind often deals in trash. Take this out for me as you go, will you? Toss it away somewhere. Or give it to the Goblins. They enjoy trash, or so I’ve heard.”
Ilvriss pushed the axe across the table to Erin. She stared at it. Then, slowly, she picked it up.
“Oof.”
The Drake coughed.
“You can put it in the bag of holding. Which I’ll need back, as I said.”
“Aw, I can’t have it?”
“No.”
Erin opened the bag and clumsily tried to put the axe in. To her surprise, the haft of the axe sank into the bag until only the head was visible. She popped it into the bag and stared at the plain leather sack.
“That’s a cool magic trick.”
“Indeed. Now, as to the Goblins. It’s regrettable, but they’ll have no compensation. As is only right. I will brook no objections, Human.”
Ilvriss folded his arms. Erin started and then stared at him. She looked at the bag of holding and then Ilvriss. He waited for her to do…something. But Erin just stared. She grew still, and Ilvriss began to feel uncomfortable as she looked him up and down.
At last, Erin made a sound like a laugh. She shook her head.
“I don’t know if that was nice or not. I think you’re a good person, Ilvriss, somewhere in there. But there’s still being fair and—well, bending the rules to do the right thing. There’s a difference.”
She looked at Ilvriss. He felt a spark of anger in his chest, surprising him.
“I do what I have to do for my people. Law and custom can’t be so easily ignored, Human.”
“No. I guess they can’t. But this? I don’t know if this is fair or just trying to make you feel better about doing wrong things. It’s not right. I know that. And I think you do too.”
