Dao 3 Chapter 15

After the surprise at the docks, Dar wandered around the nearby markets, managing to wrangle seeds for apples, oranges, as well as some plums. The citizens of Bellhaven didn’t have a tremendous variety of fruits. He had hoped for some berries, but those were being sold as food and were under strict control, as the nobility worked to ration food.

The shortage hadn’t hit yet. People were hungry, but not ravenous.

Dar decided not to push to claim any of their food. He was sure he could find some berry bushes to transfer into his inner world for Cherry. The seeds he had found would have to do for the moment. Looking around to make sure nobody was watching, he secretly sucked them into his inner world.

Neko’s eyes were wide as she watched the seed disappear into his navel. “Cherry will love them. She likes plants.”

“Yes, she does.” Dar chuckled. The bounce of his abdomen caused him to wince. He’d pushed his body about as far as it was going to go for the day.

“You should have stayed and rested.” Neko chastised Dar.

“Sometimes resting is harder than doing things. Besides, we were able to check in on Dane. He wouldn’t have been there tomorrow; something about having too many goats to deliver.” He fixed Neko with a hard stare. “I’ll let it slide because they deserved it, but don’t force people to do things for you Neko.”

“Only bad people.” Neko agreed.

Dar rubbed a hand into his face, trying to determine how to help her understand. “Neko, bad people won’t stop being bad just because you punish them like that.”

She paused, looking up at him. “I should have asked for more goats? That seemed like enough.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. Look at what they did after that. They still attacked us.” Dar coached.

She put a hand over one of her eyes. “Not Patchy. He was being good when he saw me.”

Dar held in his laugh. “Yes, Patchy was terrified of you. But that only made him good to you.” He agreed, trying to drive home the lesson. “He hadn’t become good to everyone else.”

“As long as he is good to Neko and her family, then all is good. I can’t be everywhere.” Her final statement sounded like Samantha.

“That’s a fine way to think, Neko. But if we ever meet someone that is very bad, I need you to realize that they won’t stop being bad. If them being bad would eventually cause problems for the family—”

Neko interrupted him. “Then I kill them. No one threatens my family.” She made a terrifying grin that showed off her teeth.

Sometimes when she was being cute, Dar forgot just how much of a predator Neko actually was. Maybe he didn’t have to worry about people taking advantage of her.

He was starting to realize that she was astute at many things, despite her simple language and seemingly simple thought process. Her savageness and perceptiveness did a lot to overcome some of the language and cultural barriers.

He knew if something really did threaten the family, that the predator in her would come out tenfold.

“There you are.” Tami was waiting outside her home as the pair approached. “The Prince is looking for you.”

“Good or bad?” Dar wanted to know what he was walking into.

“Good. He wants to thank you for helping with the city’s defenses today. Then if you have time later, I think he wants to show you off and try to celebrate demons.” Tami hesitated before continuing. “Also, Karn is over there.”

“Ah. He’s trying to make up to Karn quickly.” Dar realized.

“Yeah, though, a fat load that will do him. Karn isn’t going to change his mind, not with how beat up he looks. Everyone knows that you did that to him, so that’s only made you more terrifying to The Prince and his men.” Tami continued.

Dar thought about clearing up any misconceptions, but then realized he didn’t care. He was okay with them, thinking he was terrifying. It might help protect his town.

“Okay, lead on. I’m not sure I want to be paraded around, but I’ll go meet the Prince.” Dar pulled Neko along.

The cat girl frowned. “Dar is tired. Make sure he can sit.”

“Of course.” Tami agreed, turning heel and leading them in a different direction and into the city’s daily court.

Dar had been there once before under the guise of a wizard. He didn’t much like the politics of the human city and doubted he was going to appreciate it this time.

But this time, the guards at least looked at him with a measure of respect as they entered.

Rows of wooden pew-like benches dominated the room. The only reason he refused to call them pews is that it would then sound like they were worshiping the Prince as he sat up front in a large throne managing the discussion.

Before the Prince were a number of high-ranking officials in their own chairs rather than the wooden benches. Everyone seemed to have runners and helpers that flitted about the room, passing papers and jotting down what was said.

The Prince looked up from a scroll in his hand. “If it isn’t the hero of the day.” He celebrated Dar’s entrance. “A demon that went out and fought back a dozen trolls on his own.”

Despite The Prince’s encouraging words, the rest of the men present didn’t give Dar a warm welcome. Instead, they all seemed to stare at Dar as if they could bore holes in him with looks alone.

He should have known better than to expect them to receive him warmly. They coveted power too much.

“Come, sit. We’d love to hear your thoughts on several things. Karn, unfortunately, is in need of rest.”

His words caused a ripple in court. It seemed that Karn’s injuries were well known among these men, and now that the Prince confirmed it, more of the members of court evaluated Dar with worried eyes.

“I too need some rest.” Dar joked, trying to lighten the mood. “But if you give me a chair, I’ll do my best to keep my eyes open and participate.”

The room stayed silent, apparently not finding it amusing as they waited to see The Prince’s reaction.

The Prince let out a forced laugh, and the rest of the court joined him. “Come. Someone get this man and his companion a big chair.”

A set of servants darted out of the room to do just that, returning in seconds with a heavy wooden chair for Dar. They put it before court, along with the other major nobility. From what Dar could tell, it was a sign of honor.

They had left to go grab a second chair, but Neko had other ideas, curling up in Dar’s lap.

Her move caused a few of the men to cough politely, but Neko gave zero shits about them or their decorum. Dar decided she could rest where she wanted to. Stroking her back, he settled into the chair.

“Now that Darius Yigg is here, why don’t you go on with the scouting report. We’re all eager to hear what you saw today.” The Prince’s tone was bitter as he spoke to Tami. Apparently, her being out of the city prior to an attack was not what The Prince had planned.

“I’ve written out a detailed report for all of your scribes to copy and give you.” Tami handed the scroll off to a man that came up to her as she held it out. “But for brevity befitting the court’s constraints, there are two masses of devils in the hills. What we are seeing with the trolls and the gremlins appears to be the losing side fleeing in search of food.”

“Will they destroy each other?” A noble asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

“Unlikely that both will be wiped out. Both are continuing to produce devils, but it is highly likely that the insect types will win out and use the trolls as a food source to continue growing.” Tami answered.

A noble raised his hand to get attention before speaking. “Is it something that the Cervus house can step forward and deal with?”

His question caused a small stir of agreements. They were more than happy to hand this problem off to another to deal with.

“My father is currently unaware of this problem. A boat left yesterday, heading for Kindrake. With it, we sent a missive and will send one on every boat leaving to insure he gets the message, but that would be weeks away.” Tami informed them.

Dar wondered why she didn’t use it as an excuse to run up to Kindrake with her speed. But he figured that no matter how fast she was, sending things via boat would always be much easier in terms of personal effort.

The court mulled over her information.

“Do we think it is likely that danger will come to Bellhaven before your father can get notice?” The Prince asked.

“Given what I saw, the battle between the two sides in the hills could be resolved any day. The insects have a clear advantage, as well as more elite devils.” Tami reported emotionlessly.

“Could we help the trolls?” A noble asked before he was heckled by his peers.

“Help the trolls?”

“A fucking idiot.”

The Prince knocked on the side of his throne to settle the court. “Not the worst idea I’ve heard. We could send a party to harry the insects, helping the trolls indirectly. However, I would not feel comfortable putting people in danger by attempting to give the trolls more direct aid.”

The chuckles died down at the Prince’s suggestion.

“Who do we send?”

“The wizards of course.” A noble shouted, slamming his desk. “It is their fault that we don’t have spirits or demons to help us. Throw them at the devils and see if we can’t kill two birds with one stone.”

A wizard stood up, outraged. “We are not marching out there; that would lead to our deaths. And do not downplay your own part in what has occurred. The nobles riled up the rabble to throw out the spirits. Maybe they should be sent to fight.”

Dar watched with a cold calculation as the nobles and wizards threw accusations back and forth. The two groups seemed to be competing for attention from the Prince. Dar was sure they must be on edge after Karn’s declaration that he was withdrawing The White’s protection.

Dar wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling there would be backlash from Kindrake over the withdrawal. Each group was likely trying to position the other to take the blame.

Seeing the discussion for what it was, Dar leaned back in his chair, done with the conversation. They weren’t truly trying to solve the issue. They were posturing and trying to position themselves better. It was boring.

He far preferred it when people did something about a problem rather than talk about it.

The Prince banged on his throne again, trying to restore order before he turned to Dar. “What do you think, Darius Yigg?”

It rankled Dar that the Prince kept using his full name. But he also understood why the Prince was doing it.

“I think you all have a very serious problem. The trolls and gremlins are stupid and blunt. To date, you have been defending against small war parties that fled the battle in the hills, and your forces have already become drained. If I had not been out there today, there would have been many more casualties.” He paused, enjoying the way the wizards and noblemen shifted uncomfortably at that fact before he continued.

“The insects though? They are far more organized, and there are some that fly among them. I am concerned that they will come in a force large enough to overwhelm Bellhaven should they attack.”

The Prince kept his face neutral. “But certainly, something can be done.”

Dar knew what he was asking. The Prince wanted to know if he could fix their problem. The entire court was waiting for Dar to speak.

“As you can see.” He gestured to his bandages. “I’m still a little worse for wear after a scuffle this afternoon. I won’t be doing anything today.”

The Prince gave him a placating smile. “As a citizen of Kindrake, you should take care of yourself, but also rise when the Kingdom needs you.”

Dar froze. The gall of the man to claim Dar had a duty to do anything for him. “If my people and I were such honored members of this Kingdom, then why were we run out of our homes? Fired upon by the city guard, with one of our most venerated members cut down?” It was everything Dar could do to say those words and not shout them.

He was minimally appeased by the fact that the Prince looked uncomfortable at the questions. “Those were the actions of outlaws. You can’t hold the kingdom accountable.”

“I’d say the ruling nobles of the city damn well represent the kingdom. And I’d love to know what you have done since to punish those that took such actions, showing what is accepted by the kingdom.” Dar couldn’t help but let some anger seep into his voice. He knew he couldn’t let Bellhaven fall, but he could at least make these men uncomfortable and wring them for all they were worth. “If I went back to my village and asked my people to pick up arms for Bellhaven, they’d laugh their asses off. They would think it was a joke.”

Watching The Prince’s face twitch was priceless. “There are often hard times when we must step up—” The Prince started some flowery bullshit again.

Dar really wasn’t willing to hear it. “I could kill this entire assembly and walk out of the city unscathed. Yet you dare demand things from me after what happened?”

“It was not a demand.” The Prince tried to reign in the situation, but he was also keenly aware of the danger Dar posed. His eyes flickered to Tami, looking for her support.

“Dar saved my life earlier. It would be poor form for me to interfere.” Tami stated. Dar smiled.

“If I really am your only option, then we should begin negotiations, starting with reparations for what was done to my people and I. Otherwise, I’ll not lift a finger.” Dar stated his terms plainly.

“Oh. Yes, that can be done.” The Prince was keeping a calm mask on, but Dar could tell he was seething inside. But Dar had given him a viable option. The Prince had things to bargain, and that was what he did all day. “We will discuss later.”

Dar knew he would not be able to sit still after that outburst and stood to leave.

“Staff, please get Darius situated in a room, and make sure he’s as comfortable as possible while I wrap up court.” The Prince called out.

Several attendants came to Dar immediately and directed him out of the hall and into another room designed for entertaining nobles. Large plush couches dominated the room with enough table space for food and drink.

“Please, wait here for Prince Gregor. He will not take long wrapping up court.”

Dar wanted to tell the servant to get lost, but that was residual anger reserved for the Prince. Berating a servant did nothing for him. “Fine. Bring me food and water.”

Neko shook her head. “These people are stupid. Maybe Stupid Bear has the right approach.”

“What’s that?”

“Kill until you get your way. Much easier.” Neko nodded.

“That wouldn’t go over quite as well as you think.” Tami said from behind them as she followed them in.

Dar let his eyes rove the deer demon as she opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a glass and a bottle of liquor. Tami was attractive. The way she sauntered in and made herself at home was far more interesting than how she’d meekly dealt with prior challenges.

“You seemed happy to take a few jabs at the prince.”

She sighed as she poured herself a glass. “Small barbs that will amount to little more than me doing my duty poorly. Want one?”

“No thanks.” Dar said.

“I’d like one.” Neko stepped away from Dar to sniff at the alcohol. Her nose wrinkled, but she was undeterred.

Tami shot him a questioning look.

Dar shrugged. Neko was an adult.

Neko returned to his side with a glass in hand, sipping it distastefully, but continuing none the less.

“Tami, are you under an oath here?” The thought had occurred to Dar earlier, when he was trying to figure out her actions and decisions. He’d been surprised she hadn’t taken a stronger stance, given the treatment to her brother.

“Yes, well, under oath to my father. That is why I’ve asked permission to leave this post in my communication to him.”

Dar went from thinking poorly of her to being sympathetic. Dao oaths were harsh things; it was no wonder she played within the political rules. She likely had no other choice.

“Shitty of your father to force that on you.”

“It’s not uncommon for demons and their kids. It is another way for demons to exert control. I assume you have oaths with Neko, for example.” She said it calmly, but there was curiosity in her eyes.

“Neko is the best. Dar has never asked for an oath.” Neko looked up at him with a brilliant smile.

“No. She isn’t going to betray me. Why would I take away her independence?” Dar shrugged at the thought. It seemed abusive to him to put his family under oaths.

“Oh.” Tami said, wide eyed before looking down into her drink. “You really are very different from the other powerful demons I’ve met.”

He shrugged. He was okay with that.

“Dar is the best.” Neko took another heavy sip from her drink.

“I’m starting to see why.” Tami humored Neko. “Your victory over Karn is already well known in the court. I think The Prince will concede to whatever you ask for at this point. He has few options.”

Dar leaned forward, looking at Tami. “What do you think I should ask for, then?”

“I don’t know… things for your village, noble status?” She struggled to come up with a solid idea.

Dar leaned back, thinking it over. This was a good opportunity to ask for whatever he needed, but he was still trying to piece together what that was.

There was so much that Hearthway could use, but was asking for material things really the best option?

They could make or craft many things. It likely wouldn’t be long before whatever he asked for would be something they could have had, anyway. There was no doubt in Dar’s mind that Hearthway was going to expand rapidly next year.

No, what Dar needed was to ensure the safety and expansion of Hearthway.