A Soldier's Life - 480 - Vartaholme

Chapter 480: Vartaholme

I pulled some maps from my space and the others dismounted and crowded around me while the legionnaires watched on. “If we travel north along the road, Varta is three hundred miles. The port city of Othal is close to Varta, and we can likely find passage there to the capital, but we might have to wait days or weeks for a ship, and we probably have to leave our mounts behind.”

My finger tapped on our location again. “Vartaholme is a hundred and fifty miles to the east across the plains. It is a small dungeon town. From there, we would have to travel another hundred and fifty miles northwest across the plains again to the dungeon town of Cawe.”

“That still puts us six hundred miles from Telha, for the same distance to Varta,” Kyrenic said analytically.

“But from Cawe, travel will be faster with the old trade roads here.” I traced the route I had in mind. “It is only five hundred miles to Parvas, and then we can use the portal to reach Telha,” I said. “Even if the portal in Parvas was not available, it is just a hundred more miles to Telha.”

“Crossing the plains is dangerous, Death Hunter,” one of the legionnaires volunteered, but didn’t move closer. “Perhaps you want to talk with our mage commander?”

That drew my attention. “How many mage commanders are here, and who are they?” I had no intention of entering the fort, but was curious if I knew any of the mages.

The legionnaires looked at each other before volunteering the information, seeing no harm in telling me. “Mage Crispus and Mage Scaevola, Death Hunter.”

I didn’t recognize either name. “Are we free to travel the Empire then?”

The older legionnaire nodded slowly, somewhat unsure. “Death Hunters are still given a writ of travel. He looked at the others, pausing on Maveith, ambassadors too. We will need to record your entry in the ledger, but there are no Hounds to relay your eminent arrival in the capital. I suggest you discuss this with one of the mage commanders. Perhaps Mage Scaevoa?” He left the last as a question, clearly indicating he thought he would be the better choice.

I nodded in acquiescence, and the other legionnaire rode back to the fort. A few minutes later, a middle-aged mage commander in legion armor marched out with six guards. His armor was polished but bore clear signs of combat damage, expertly repaired. He had a confident gait and luscious mid-length black hair that swayed as he walked. He was clean-shaven and exuded an air of authority. I wouldn’t have paid much attention to this if Alhar hadn’t criticized my own appearance. I liked my beard, but maybe I should spend more time trimming it.

“I am Mage Gnaeus Antonius Scaevoa,” he announced formally. After our introductions, he continued with his concerns. “You have news about what has disrupted magic throughout the Empire?” We spent an hour addressing his questions while his legionnaires stood at attention. He was not your typical conceited mage, as he showed as much respect as he received. Maybe it was because we had announced ourselves as emissaries. We discussed our plans to reach the capital, and he gave us his informed opinion.

“Matius is correct. The plains are dangerous. But you are not likely to find a merchant ship near Varta. Many were sunk in the war, and now the Great Salt Sea stirs with more beasts than fish,” he said unhappily. While traveling east will save you a week, I advise you to stay on the roads north before heading east.” As he was finishing his advice. Another mage commander exited the fort.

This mage was much younger, with peach fuzz on his face. He almost tripped over a stone in his haste before regaining his balance. He reached out to us, out of breath. “Mage Scaevoa, you should have let me know we have company. Ambassadors from the south, I am told. I am Baron Quintus Aemilus Crispus.” This mage commander appeared eager and inexperienced, with his friendly smile and lack of physical fitness. The fact that such a mage was put in charge of a company of legionnaires showed me how desperate things were in the Empire. Still, a mage doesn’t need to swing a sword to burn a hundred men in flames.

“We are emissaries from the Death Hunters and represent a myriad of nations. We are tasked with recruiting Empress Renna to our shared cause. Even if the Telhian Empire does not support it, they will be made aware of the threat. Our time is precious and we must continue,” I said as diplomatically as possible.

“You must come and join us for a meal. Fort Defiance isn’t much, but we can entertain you sufficiently,” he said almost pleadingly. I could tell the First Citizen was bored.

Thankfully, Mage Scaevoa rescued us. “Their mission to reach the Empress is of the most importance and they are going to leave immediately after we record their names, Crispus.” The younger mage let out a long disappointed sigh.

It only took a moment for parchment to be produced and a legionnaire to record our names. There was no need to conceal our names, and it might cause trouble if we changed them when we did get an audience with the Empress. I was only hesitant because I wanted to surprise Renna when I saw her, but in the end, I relented and didn’t play games.

Eryk Marko, Death Sentinel Purgator
Knight Kyrenic Aurelith of The Wardens of the People
Maveith of Clan Stoneskin, Lord Protector of the Goliath Peoples
Baelira Lunareth, Death Sentinel Seeker
Alhur Larethian of House Caelorian
Evie Maguire, Death Sentinel Initiate

It was curious that Alhar didn’t give a title to connect him to Bartiradia, but I could understand the reasoning behind it. Mage Scaevoa showed some modest surprise at the elven names and looked more carefully at Alhar and Baelira but said nothing. A brief physical description was added after our names to verify our identities when we arrived in the capital.

“We cannot spare men to escort you as proper,” Mage Scaevoa said, giving Mage Crispus a look when he tried to speak. “We wish you well, and may Mercury bless your steps. I hope your news can bring an end to these troubling times.”

He handed a standard free passage token to me. Foreign merchants were usually required to purchase one if they wished to trade in the Empire. I thanked him and we were soon out crossing the plains. I had chosen this route to save time, and I thought our group was capable of defending itself. This was not the first time I had passed this way. When I fled my Hound duties to track Corvus to the Archives, I had passed this way.

After a few hours, I rode next to Evie. “Evie, keep searching behind us. If they have any Hounds, they will probably be tracking us.” She nodded, happy to have an important task.

When we set up camp at dusk, all we had seen were a few wild aurochs. We were well north of the Dragon Spine Mountains, and to my knowledge, there were no dungeons or access points to the Endless Dark in these plains. Evie only had grass to practice her wind blades against, but her accuracy was getting better. She tried to explain how it felt to release the aether from her core and send it out of her hand with a snap of her wrist. The description reminded me of a whip, but in reality, the hand motion was just an aid. She could cast the spell without it, but her accuracy was terrible.

Alhar started talking with Maveith that evening, and I didn’t know whether to step in or not. It wasn’t that Maveith was gullible, but he was too trusting. He knew Alhar had tried to kill me, so I trusted my friend. I napped for a few hours before taking the overnight watch. As before, much of my energy was spent skyward.

The next two days of travel were uneventful as Evie didn’t find anyone following us. We did see plains creatures in the distance, but they scattered before our party. When we encountered vultures circling something in the south, Evie scouted, finding two partially eaten aurochs carcasses. “The vultures are circling, so the predator is likely hiding under the earth. If we give it a wide berth, we should be fine,” I determined.

I would have assumed the creature that killed the Aurochs was a bulette, but the lack of disturbed earth around the kills made me doubt it. The vultures, unwilling to risk descending to feast, kept me on alert for the remainder of the day. I had Evie scouting continuously because I had a bad premonition. Baelira helped Evie stay in her saddle while she scouted.

“It is your eyes and posture that are your biggest weakness,” Alhar said from my right. Ginger and I both looked, surprised he had suck up on us.

I decided to take the bait on his attempt at conversation. “What are you talking about, Alhar?”

“How you present yourself. Your eyes are those of a predator, which is not unusual for a soldier, but you can learn to soften them. When you stand, you are always tense and ready to strike. Again, not a bad trait for a warrior, but when talking with nobles or women, it puts them on the defensive,” he casually explained.

I could understand the comment on my eyes. I judged people by their eyes all the time. I never thought much of the saying, “the eyes were a window to one’s soul,” but after my time on Desia, I believed it now. I didn’t know how a person could change how their eyes looked. Maybe Alhar had some useful knowledge. I was still skeptical as to why he was suddenly willing to help me.

“How should I stand?” I probed after my reflection.

Alhar chuckled darkly, and it was in celebration of a victory. After three weeks, I had finally relented to his counsel. “Sorry, I was just remembering General Glavien once told me he had to imagine a spear being shoved up his arse to straighten his spine to keep his posture when he was attending formal gatherings. You want to appear upright but as relaxed as possible—like you belong. When you walk, you are not stalking prey, but you want to appear unconcerned and I daresay seem happy. We can talk about your grooming preferences as well.”

“No, you have given me enough to think about,” I encouraged Ginger with my heels to go ride next to Kyrenic. If I were going to be taking etiquette lessons, maybe a prince would be the better teacher.

My orienteering was slightly off, and we arrived south of Vartaholme. It was just late afternoon, and we were able to follow the dried river bed to the dungeon city. It was my first time in this city, as when I came through here last the blood compass had kept my path more northward tracking Corvus.

Vartaholme was one of those ancient kingdom cities that the Telhians had incorporated into their Empire. It had definitely experienced a lot of contraction over the centuries, with old building foundations now far from the city walls. The stone walls were made of blue-gray stone, showing chips and erosion from time. The city guards wore steel helms and soft Auroch hide. They looked quite stylish for city guards. They seemed slightly surprised as we approached from the south, with one of them running into the city to get someone in charge.

I slowed my team and waited for the leader to arrive. If he caused us trouble, we'd simply go around the city. Feeding six people was heavily depleting my dimensional space supplies, but I could support us for at least another month if necessary.

A pompous-looking official finally reached the gates. His white robes indicated he was a magistrate, and I had little love for his kind. “Adventurers!” he opened his arms wide in greeting as he approached. “You look road-weary. I welcome you to Vartaholme!”

Even with our Death Sentinel medallions clearly displayed, he thought we were adventurers. That didn’t surprise me, as this was the borderlands of the Empire. We did appear to be adventurers from a distance. I held onto my token in check, looking like I would not need it. “Is the Adventurers’ Hall open?” I asked, pulling my Adventurers Medallion to my hand. “We would like to spend the night.”

“Open and eager for your contribution. Numerous tasks need attending to,” he said with a politician’s smile.

“We will leave that to your local adventurers,” I said. “We plan to leave in the morning.”

The magistrate’s frown appeared instantly. “We have very few adventurers remaining. The dungeon is barely delved, affecting the economy. Deep worms keep the farmers out of the fields, and their flocks are gone. The Hounds tell me the goblin and hobgoblin hunting parties roam the southern lands. You look to have travelled quite a distance. Perhaps we can convince you to remain a few days?”

“What about Vartaholme’s Count? Can’t you request a mage company from the Empress to deal with your problems?” I asked. It was a few hours till sunset, so I wouldn’t be opposed to a quick dungeon romp.

“The Count of Vartaholme was executed by the Empress for treason. It has been seven months, and he has yet to be replaced. We have sent three requests in the last four months for a mage company, but without message sendings, it takes a month to reach the capital and we do not know if the requests are being honored,” the magistrate said pleadingly.

Even with our urgency, I could see Kyrenic itching to get started on his good deeds for the day. “Fine, lead us to your Adventurers' Hall and the Guildmaster there can tell us what needs doing while we eat.” Either way, we were leaving tomorrow.

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