28 The Mind of Mordred!

(Mordred Blois)

"Any word on when brother and father will be making their return to the city, dear brother?"

The man that interrupted my concentration was my younger brother Percival, who had made himself at home inside of the confines of my office. The younger man sprawled across the couch positioned against the eastern wall of the room. His normally kept hair was now tangled with its strands loose from the ponytail that he favored. He had recently returned home from his campaign against the bandit raid on the city of Theoscyran, so he decided to rest himself after delivering in his report personally.

The rise in regional dissension had been a steep rise following the lack of public appearances of the former lord of Astana, Lady Ana Von Angea. It had been weeks since her disappearance and the news of it had been kept hidden from the public. Although that did not stop many of the people to launch their own rumors and speculations on the reason for her sudden sequestering. In the meantime, someone had to step up in order to properly manage the city in her stead.

That job was entrusted to our father and as such he dedicated a small portion of our military forces in the hopes of relocating the missing lady. At first that was seen as a good idea, but as those days grew into weeks things became even more bleak. It became harder to keep the news under-wrap and it slowly began leaking to various nobles within Astana, and the surrounding region.

Due to the lack of substantial progress, my father decided to personally lead the search for Lady Ana, and our elder brother Gareth pooled his men in to aid in the search. Major issues had begun to pop up following their decision.

"There has been no word just yet. It is taking longer than expected to garner an audience from the Regent. Just know that you and I are the only ones standing in between a total collapse of power within Astana. With Lady Ana and her daughter bedridden from their respective afflictions."

"Wow-Wow What a time for the women of the Angea to be incapacitated. Now father and brother are out of our reach as well."

"I need not remind you of the severity of our situation.", I responded to him.

My words prompted the shift in position of Percival on the couch. The male who was just laying on his back a moment ago had moved to sit upright. He sighed loudly as he corrected the various imperfections within his hair. Despite his attitude, Percival proved himself to be a reliable man while our elders were away. I had my doubts that he would be able to hold himself accountable, but his first failure at negotiations with the Conscripted Forces and then success at defending Theoscryan, Percival seemed to be living up to my expectations.

It was thanks to his timely rescue of their army and Theoscryan that we were able to properly launch a partnership. As such he hasn't stopped praising himself and his men since he had returned to anyone that would listen to him. That has been a stroke of good news following the scare amount recently.

Ever since I was informed by the former High Mage that a bandit brigade managed to slip onto the route that Lady Ana was using to travel to Histanople for a summit, things seemed teeming with bad news. After all, she and her only daughter Claire were declared missing following that event.

Before our father had departed, he instructed me to only inform Percival when I deemed it necessary to do so. Instead, I opted to convince him that the two women were down with an illness and tasked him with missions outside of the city in order to distract him.

"Hey-Hey. You know I can handle things on my end. You continue doing the boring work and you can entrust my men and I to deal with the interesting work. As you know we are capable."

Percival would stand from his seat, then approach my desk. Something likely caught the man's attention, but before he arrived, I flipped the stack of papers over. I scolded him with my eyes, and as usual he backed off to reconsider his actions.

"I was merely curious about what type of work that you were currently doing.", he explains.

"You should ask then."

Accepting that I had no intentions of informing him of my tasks, Percival instead plopped back onto the couch.

"Fine-Fine. I suppose I do not care to know more about what you are doing anyway. It is likely boring and trivial anyway.", he grips.

The couch was not enough to contain my unmaintainable younger brother as he once more took to his feet. Much like a gust of wind, Percival blew through the room and made his way to the exit.

"Staying around you is a drag, dear brother. I wish to go celebrate my victory with my men. Call for me when something interesting pops up."

With that Percival left without a trace. The once disturbed atmosphere was left vacant and still. Perfect conditions to once again look over the reports that I had turned over on top of my desk. As I pulled the next page over and analyzed the information, something shook the room. The fine, ornate candles alongside the books perched atop the shelf shook uncontrollably.

'Did some launch a high tier spell within the city?'

The strength behind the spell must have been great as I could feel the aftereffects from my position in the manor. I suppose that there must be someone of great talent within our ranks now. Those were my thoughts before the door to my office was suddenly pushed open.

"Ah- Reporting! There has been an explosion on the outskirts of the city's limits!"

The sound of a winded messenger boomed across the room, causing me to stand almost instantly. It was out of instinct, and as such I leapt into the motion. The messenger quickly fell into line as I exited my office and traversed the hallway.

'An explosion this close to the city? Perhaps there is a monster or perhaps there is an attempted raid. Not under my watch. I will not yield this city to them under any circumstances!'

My destination was the commander center for the city guards housed directly on the grounds of the Golden Manor. Upon reaching it, the disarray that was festering amongst the gathered officers soon corrected itself. The room was filled with the many officers of the Astana Guard. Many of them have worked previously under both my father and Lady Ana. Yet, currently the man that stood above them all was me. The de facto Commander of the Astana Guard.

"Status report.", I called them as soon as I entered the room.

"Arch Captains Dawn and Adame are still currently out of the city! They are too far from the site, and likely will arrive later! Meanwhile Arch Captain Bellenger is shored up near the eastern wall facing the origin of disturbance!"

With Arch Captains Dawn and Adame out of the city, then that means that our current manpower is currently lacking. If we are to face a raid in our current state, then things will be rather difficult. If the originator is a monster, then we still won't get off unscathed. Decisive actions are needed right now.

"I want scouts mobilized to the site of the event immediately! Pull men from the northern garrisons if necessary. If that explosion that we all heard is the product of an attack, then I want to reinforce the wall!", I ordered.

As I took my position at the head of the assembly table, I pointed out the positions from the city map that laid on the table. My finger slid across the smooth parchment, occasionally bumping over the dried paint that our defenses were etched in. It didn't take long to realize that many of the top ranking military officials were not currently present in the assembly. Most notably, only one of the five Arch Captains was currently present at the assembly. If Arch Captain Dawn and Adame were currently out of reach and Bellenger was defending the eastern wall, then that only left two.

Many of the men scrambled out of the room after receiving my orders, but a few remained behind. The most notable of them was Arch Captain Dedicrus Fallworth. A seasoned warrior with years of service mirroring the strands of gray hair resting atop of his head. A defining scar cut across the man's stoic face as if preventing an inch of hesitancy to appear on his face.

"There are still people at the gate right now, Commander.", Dedicrus says.

When Dedicrus speaks, then the room grows silent. It is the privilege earned by a man that dedicated his life to defending our city. He is a man that I have come to rely on when my brother and father left the city.

"Where is Arch Captain Silvers, Arch Captain Fallworth?", I asked him promptly.

The man remained dignified so much that military uniform was perfectly maintained and moved as he did. He offered no verbal response at first, but instead pointed towards the east. I immediately knew what he meant.

"She is leading the scouting party personally."

The brilliant and brash young Arch Captain has taken upon herself to see to the matter. A weight was lifted off of my shoulders, and the once tense atmosphere went with it.

"Is that so? Then we should consider this matter settled. I would like for you to oversee the screening process for any new entries within the city, Arch Captain Fallworth. I believe that if any of those that are responsible manage to slip past Arch Captain Silvers were to arrive, then you will be more than capable of locating them."

With his orders received, Arch Captain Fallworth would take his leave. One by one I began issuing the remaining officers in the room with the role of ensuring that public order remains. With a possible threat on the outside of our city, certain individuals within the city may begin to stir confusion within our city limits. That is something that we must go out of our way to overcome and prevent.

I believe that things will become more precarious as more time without father's presence trickles by. It was with that belief that I located a piece of parchment and began writing a note on it. Entering into the hallway, I would gesture for one of the men on guard duty to approach me. It was a younger elven male with a stern expression.

"Head down to the Garrison Captain overseeing the Copper District. Inform him to increase the presence of men for the time being. Before you leave, inform Lieutenant Fafnir to increase the security around the manor's grounds. No one gets in without my permission.", I instructed as well as handing him the missive that I had written.

Without delay, the messenger would take off to deliver my message. I would continue to the very next location that I had in mind. The garden on the Golden Manor was revered for its beauty within the city. It has served as a witness to many important meetings of Lady Ana Von Angea as well as my father. I too decided that it would serve as a base of operations.

Many minutes would go by following my arrival to the garden before any information had reached my ears about the disturbance outside of the city limits. Not much useful information had been funneled in at the time. There has been no confirmed sighting of a monster or any clear indication of bandits on the move. Lieutenant Fafnir had bolstered the security around the Manor, and the men in the Copper district had begun organizing more men in order to better patrol the section.

There will be no public upheaval while a man of the Blois is in charge. This will not be another Theoscyran. I sat underneath the pavilion in the garden, awaiting the channel of information to once again open up. The roof of the structure provided me much needed shade from the assault of the sun. With the relocation of my position came with the relocation of the work that I had been doing.

While The Disturbance was a priority, the other paperwork that required my attention was equally as important at the moment. It was something needed to pass the time while the others dealt with the jobs that I had ordered them to complete earlier. It was peaceful surrounded by the sounds of nature. The stillness of the smothering air was relieved by the occasional cool breeze flowing by. Much like that slight reprise, a voice called to me and as such the individual garnered my attention.

"High Commander Blois-"

"Yes, Hildebrand. Any news about what transpired outside of the city? Was it a monster or-"

"Someone is seeking an audience with Lady Angea at the eastern gate of the city. It is Lady Clarice."

My eyes moved from the pile of paper scattered across the table before me and took Geriant's figure hostage. Instinctively they narrowed at his words. Geraint Hildebrand has served under my family for several decades at this point. Those dark eyes of his hid no traces of deception, so I knew what he was informing me with trustworthy information.

Several weeks ago following the disappearance of Lady Ana and her daughter, this Clarice figure appeared before us one day. Clarice Von Angea, a member of the noble house that I had not heard of prior, appeared looking for the missing lady. To me the timing is impeccable, one member of the house and the other comes to take its place. I have been able to delay the gaze of the woman thus far as she seemed to have gone along with the cover story. Yet, over the course of the next few weeks, Clarice has become more persistent than before. Once more she is attempting to peel back that wound once again.

"Remind her of Lady Ana's condition, and that she can not meet with her at the moment. WE have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment."

The man didn't budge from his position as if he was waiting for something else to happen. I shifted up my position in the chair that I was sitting in, and presented him with more of my attention.

"Is there more?", I questioned him.

"It is stated that three unknown men of the Conscripted Forces have also arrived here as well. A Human…a Shadow Elf.. And a Fox Demi-human."

'How peculiar…'

It appears that something strange is about to happen. As Hildebrand listed out the races of the men that appeared alongside Lady Clarice, two stuck out in particular. A Shadow Elf, and oddly enough a Fox Demi-human had arrived with her. It was quite odd that a group of that diversity would be acquainted with the nobility of Astana, but the fact that they are members of the Conscripted Forces also drew my attention.

It was common knowledge that the Conscripted Forces worked directly under the orders and supervision of the Regent Feno Angea. While Astana has worked independently for the most part, the Angea regime has concentrated most of the power over the region. That is the reason for much of Astana's success via Lady Ana's connection, and the fact Regent Feno Angea was also raised in our city.

While he currently oversees the much larger de facto capital of the region of Astapoklis, The Angea were playing on strengthening their influence to the point that they would be unrivaled in power.

If members of Regent Angea's military force were currently arriving, then it is likely that he would have received word that his sister and niece had indeed gone missing. That could raise more pressure on our side and possibly embolden the criminal element within the region. While its original intention to combat the brigades of bandits creeping in number has had its share of successes and failures, the Conscripted Forces still has a sense of formidableness to it.

Even the mightiest cities in our area could hardly withstand a direct confrontation with their numbers, and even if we could it would not be advantageous for either of them.

"Allow them entry into the city, but have some men keep an eye on them until they arrive at the manor. Once you have seen to that, then go retrieve my younger brother. Have him meet the individuals at the inner gates of the Manor, and then bring them all to me. I will deal with them from there."

Well over an hour passed since I last issued that order to Hildebrand and he faithfully followed through. No new information other than the arrival of Lady Clarice and the three men of the Conscripted Forces had arrived. It was during that meeting that I discovered something truly interesting concerning the individuals. It had been revealed that the three men were actually deserters, and had become acquainted with the noblewoman out of sheer fortune.

While their explanation seemed to have rubbed my younger brother the wrong way, my thoughts differed from his own. It seemed completely fabricated, but in a way that could lead someone into believing that it could be accurate. I attempted to lure them all into a sense of security by portraying myself in a completely non hostile manner. Yet, there was always a sense of disbelief from one of them.

In this case, it was not the human or either of the elves. Standing meekly, subserviently behind them was the taller fox demi-human. His facial hair was neatly trimmed and yet he seemed to keep his mouth closed. There were several occasions that I managed to lock eyes with him, just for him to break it and shy away.

Percival reveled in it, but I grew even more wary of it. Although his eyes moved from place to place as if he was a starry eyed tourist, his ears subtly flickered around on several occasions. There is no doubt in my mind that this demi-human, this man, the one introduced as Mark Drago was analyzing us. His movements were testing us, and likely he was testing the others that he came across as well.

'These men are not who they portray themselves as. There is more to this Clarice Von Angea. Why would men fleeing discrimination against their ally side with a noblewoman whose name is tied with the institution that was discriminating against him in the first place?'

That was the question that plagued me more as we developed in conversation. Since I was being tested, I decided to throw them all off guard. I had decided that then was the time to inform Percival and Lady Clarice about the disappearance of Lady Ana and her daughter. It was that moment that raised my intrigue.

The Shadow Elf proclaimed that they had no real interest in the matter, but the reaction of two of his allies told me otherwise. While her feigned ignorance was convincing at first, I began to notice the true slights hidden in her expression. I became more skeptical of her ignorance.

On the other hand, I could sense the sharpened eyes of the seemingly meek demi-human land on me once more. Compared to his comrades, he seemed more attentive. It was clear that he wasn't indifferent like the others. My words clearly poked his brain into motion. I would not overlook him in the way that my brother seemed to have done.

It was not long after the arrival of Clarice and her men, that the returning Arch Captains Esta Dawn and Vanya Silvers returned before our audience. There was a notable shift in both Arch Captain Silvers and the demi-human once she arrived. I intended to allow the action to play out, but my brother spoke out and discouraged the young Arch Captain from acting hastily.

While I was intrigued on what would have transpired, I believe that things would be more interesting if things progressed unimpeded. As such, following the report from Arch Captain Esta Dawn, my brother decided to claim center stage for himself. Inviting all in attendance to become guests of his at the banquet that he planned on hosting tonight.

I grew curious on where the decision would land for Miss Carice Von Angea. It was to my surprise she decided to accept his offer rather quickly. It was as if she was expecting him to do so.

Moments following that, the mysterious group of individuals would depart the garden and my presence. Though following their departure, I would ask the Arch captain Vanya Silvers to stay back a bit longer to finish her report to me personally.

"Arch Captain. I assume that you have news regarding the incident outside of the city. Speak on the matter."

My words would reach out to the woman as I gathered her attention from the departing meek demi-human. She watched him intently as if she was counting every hair visible within his facial hair. It was a scary sight to see her locked in a fashion like that.

"Ah- Yes. With your permission I would like to apprehend and detain that demi-human and his allies for questioning.", she says sternly.

The voice of Vanya was that of a ghost. A chill would normally run down the spine the moment that this woman spoke, but after working as her superior for a while now, I have grown used to its frigidness. Her desire to apprehend the individuals further pointed out that there was something strange about those men that were right before me.

'Just where did Miss Clarice manage to find those individuals?'

"I will not permit such a thing. For you see, those men are now servants of the Angea faction now. With our current situation, we can not afford to provoke the remaining noble within the city.", I responded to her.

I could tell by the look in her eye that the Arch Captain did not like what I had to say. Her fierceness was evident due the slight creases above her nose, but that would not change our reality at the moment. There was too much that we quite do not know about. Time after time, Miss Clarice somehow managed to elude the surveillance units that I assigned on her.

She managed to prove the authenticity of her claim to the family, but she and I do not see eye to eye fully. It is obvious to me that the woman is incredibly wary of me and many others.

If I were to allow the Arch Captain to detain the men, then it could spell the end to our already fragile partnership.

"Those men were the ones at the scene. They ambushed me and my men. I recommend that their intentions should be brought to question. If Lady Clarice has employed them, then she should-"

"Not a word more, Arch Captain. That is a member of the Angea that you are talking about. We do not have the ability to properly question her at the moment. Not without reasonable cause or she will become even more alert than she currently is."

"But-"

"There will be no further questioning about the event. We will say that a rogue monster had appeared. You and your men will be credited with defeating it. I will ask you to drop the matter for now. I will deal with the matter from now on. Keep the involvement of those men a secret. Do whatever is necessary to keep the truth hidden for the time being. Leave it be."

My words seemed to have reached her ears, and she would nod her head in understanding. Her head lowered as she bowed before me, and made her own departure. While she did agree to my orders, I could feel that my words would ultimately go unheeded. The Arch Captain simply would not let this matter go. Her cold demeanor soon faded and I was once more left alone to my thoughts.

I will double the eyes on Von Angea and inform them to keep her men under tighter surveillance as well. These men ambushed and somehow managed to overcome Arch Captain Vanya Silvers. A task that is nigh impossible to do due to her tenacity. I had never seen her that upset and twitchy before. I should begin making preparations for the future. I could sense it… A change is evident.

A cool breeze soon welcomed itself through the opening in the pavilion. With it brought a rose petal. The beauty of its reddish tint tainted by an ever expanding brown when it landed before me on the table. After a few seconds of its company, another breeze took it from my sight into the air. Not a trace to be found.

'Ah- Dear Brother…You have inadvertently brought about the beginning of an interesting evening for us all. Now doubt, she would not be able to contain herself. Clarice Von Angea… I will figure out what your intentions are. One can not hide their ambitions for so long. I will never surrender Astana. Not even to the Angea.'