World Sphere - 87 - To the Victor Goes the Spoils

Chapter 87: To the Victor Goes the Spoils

I waited as Pomare Torrent led the other Triumvirate members toward me, a grin spreading across his face as he approached. He raised his hands to get the crowd's attention. The crowd had remained, waiting for the announcement. Someone stopped Baladon from leaving. “Baladon, you must leave your arms and armor!”

The young Bricio mage soured and stared me down as he removed the damaged mithril chain shirt. He tossed it at my feet with his sheathed longsword. I held off picking it up. That mithril chain probably had 500 mithril coins of weight to it. A single mithril coin was worth 100 platinum coins. That would be 50,000 platinum or 5,000,000 gold! There was no way they were going to let me walk out of here with it, and I could see the Bricios in fervent discissions. I wasn’t about to offer it back to the Bricios without a significant price. They were also probably discussing how I managed to tear it.

An older woman with a Miaden signet ring whispered something into Pomare’s ear as the crowd watched the spectacle. Pomare sneered and said, “Baladon, I have been told you also used the enchantment on the necklace around your neck during the duel. As per the accords, any item used in an Honor Duel is the winner’s prize.” Baldon’s face had  a simmering rage. He unclasped the necklace and tossed it gently at Pomare, who caught it easily. Baladon shot me one last stare before spinning on his heel and walking away.

Tessa stood beside me as Pomare announced the clear outcome of the Honor Duel between the Torrent and Bricio Houses. “The Bricios have been judged by combat to be in the wrong. A slight has been made against my granddaughter, Tessa Torrent, and a formal apology will be issued to the Triumvirate.” Life seemed to return to Pomare as he finished speaking. All this ritual, and the only result was that the Bricios had to issue a formal apology?

Tessa whispered to me, “My grandfather wants to meet you, and we can get some hair growth elixir from the Citadel alchemist.”

My hand reached up to my head, and I realized I was almost bald. My hair, including my eyebrows, was gone except for a few patches. That flames had been closer to ending me than I realized . I closed my eyes, concentrating on my hair follicles, and cast my lesser restoration spell to regrow my hair. Before long, I had a wild, shaggy mess. Tessa couldn’t help but run her fingers through my new hair, which I have to admit was a nice touch.

I looked for Gareth but didn’t see him in the crowd. Seeing me scanning the dispersing nobles, Tessa offered, “Gareth and Loriel returned to her apartments in the Citadel. We should talk to my grandfather and can join them after.”

I didn’t like the lingering nobles around me. They reminded me of Loriel, and use me to their advantage. They were hovering and waiting for their chance to talk with me. A Wolfsguard in Torrent colors came and collected the items that Baladon had discarded and followed the direction that Pomare had left in. He must be trying to make assurances that I would talk with him by taking my prizes. I figured I had no choice at this point. I started walking with Tessa, following two Wolfsguard in Torrent uniforms.

Tessa spoke quietly in my ear after we reached the corridors, “Why did you do it? You didn’t have to.”

I wanted to say that I regretted stepping in and acting like a lovestruck puppy trying to win her favor. I was confident her ability wasn’t affecting me, but that could be how her ability worked. I was  enamored with Tessa, her beauty, her mannerisms, and her maturity. I replied hesitantly, somewhat questioning my true motivations. “What’s done is done.” At least I made the choice to fight myself and wasn’t tricked like I had been with Loriel.

“My grandfather will explain things better than I could. I think you have greatly upset the ship. The ripple you created in the political air currents is possibly a wind that could have a lasting impact,” she said seriously. I just knew I had put a target on my back and possibly my family’s. I would need to use this meeting with Pomare to protect my family from the Bricios.

We moved deeper into the Citadel, and the Blackguard changed to Wolfsguard, dressed in Torrent colors of white and silver. This was the wing of the Citadel where the Torrent apartments resided. We approached a large double door that two Wolfsguard attendants opened. The room reminded me of Loriel’s entry room, just grander. We were led to a side room and found Pomare there in the study. The shelves had hundreds of books, and the old man looked up with a wide smile. The mithril shirt and sword were on the desk in the center of the room.

“Storme Hardlight! I should have guessed my granddaughter’s escort was more than he seemed!” his smile seemed to get wider and wider as he poured some wine for us. “Do you realize what you have done?”

He handed me a glass. I took it but didn’t drink. “No. Tessa told me you would explain.”

He pointed at the mithril shirt, “That belonged to Halifax Bricio. He likes to display his wealth openly and wears that everywhere, not just for his protection but as a symbol. After the Sadian attack, he used it as collateral for loans to rebuild his estates with loans from the Miadens. He will now face financial pressure due to the public loss of the mithril. That entire branch of the Bricios may collapse under the financial strain!” He took a deep drink and savored the wine.

“Oh, I am sure his family will bail him out, but everyone was strained after the Sadian attack! If one thing can be said of a Bricio, they hate public weakness, even among their own! You have single-handedly weakened the most powerful arm of the Bricio family!” Pomare said excitedly.

I decided it was a good time to voice my concerns. “What should I be doing to protect myself?”

Pomare put down his wine and got serious. “Yes. I understand your concern. He went to the desk and fingered the mithril shirt. “If you left here with this, then half the Citadel would be willing to kill you for it.” He looked into my eyes, his gray eyes appraising me. “I think it is best that we spread the word that this was all a counterplot by myself to obtain this mithril shirt. I can spread the rumors that I hired you as my granddaughter’s escort to counter Baladon and surprise him.”

“You get the mithril shirt, and I get your protection?” I asked with uncertainty. Did Pomare think I didn’t realize this one chain shirt was worth more than half a dozen armored Harbinger skyships? 

He seemed to sense some distrust from me. “Storme, I will take it from you but compensate you.” He walked to a shelf and pushed hard on a stone rosette. I didn’t see it move but heard a click. Pomare turned and smiled. “Mechanical devices are still the best to hide from magical detection.” The entire panel between the shelves swung inward to reveal a narrow hallway. “Come, Storme. Tessa, you as well.”

We followed him down the corridor into a small room that was maybe ten feet by ten feet and lined with a few small aether lights. On one wall, there were some books and vials that I recognized as dungeon essences. As we got closer, I saw the books were dungeon spellbooks.

Tessa’s mouth was agape at this treasury. Pomare spoke, “While this room was secret a thousand years ago, it is now almost common knowledge. I have four Wolfsguard constantly guarding it, but it remains the safest place in the Citadel for generations of treasures waiting to be used by my family.” He looked at Tessa and said, “When you are raised to your ascension seat, you will be gifted a treasure from here.”

Pomare let us look for a minute longer, “Storme, I have two treasures in here that I have in mind for you.” He took two dungeon essences off the shelf. He motioned for us to follow him out to the study and placed the items on the table next to the mithril shirt while resealing the secret chamber. I realized he showed me the treasures to show that the Torrent family was not weak and had resources.

The dungeon essences were small, clear vials with swirling, illuminated liquids inside. The container was covered with a runic script from the dungeon that created it. The aetheric script indicated what the essence would do. When you consumed them, they dissolved quickly in your mouth and empowered your body or aether core.

According to Gareth, taking his prize from the Annuals was a euphoric experience. I couldn’t understand the script for the aetheric dungeon, so I waited for Pomare to explain. He was expecting me to ask about the essences, but when I didn't, he got a bit sulky and told me anyway.

“The essences are tier two and tier three. One is aether reclamation. It will increase your aether recovery by 20% and double your aether tolerance,” my eyes opened wide, and Pomare smiled. “I was saving that for the next archmage in my family.” He looked at Tessa. “But it appears my granddaughter found the next archmage of Skyholme, whom I hope to make an ally.”

I knew that aether tolerance determined how much aether a mage could use. It was usually based on a mage’s total aether core and could increase further with the aetheric exercises I was already doing. This dungeon essence increased the speed at which the aether core was refilled and allowed me to use more aether in a day.

But more importantly, with 20% more aether each day, this essence could boost the amount of metal I can produce. Seeing my grin, Pomare beamed and said, “You might not have a large arsenal of spells yet, but you demonstrated the depth of your aether core when you fought Baladon. I know you want this.”

He tapped the other vial with a swirling green liquid and a faint glow. “This is a tier 4 essence. Don’t get too excited. It is tier four, but a dozen of my predecessors couldn’t find a use for it. It requires a lot of aether to use, and it won’t work on the islands as long as the Heart Stone powers the array. But,” he smiled, “it should work in dungeons. You are a delver, no?”

As I held the vial, I waited for him to explain its purpose. “This is called exchange,” he finally said. “It's a teleport ability, but it swaps your location with another target's. It sounds advantageous, but it requires a lot of aether to work. Our research on this essence shows it would cost almost 100 aether to use at 100 feet, and the cost increases with distance. So, it's basically useless in combat for a Torrent mage without a large aether core—but you're both a mage and a fighter….”

I saw many opportunities, and teleport abilities were much safer than teleport spells. Porting to an enemy skyship, getting behind an enemy formation, escaping from an unwanted situation — it was a powerful skill for both flight and combat. I already believed the aether reclamation essence was a monumental gift, and Pomare couldn’t give me the full value of the mithril shirt in exchange. The shirt was less valuable to me since I could probably produce that much mithril in a few months.

It looked like Pomare Torrent wasn’t done with his offer, though. After I looked ready to accept, he continued talking, “I am willing to shade you under the Torrent family, Storme. After today, the Bricios will be after some revenge, and anyone who has any sense after seeing that fight will be making plans to get you in their house. He fingered the tear in the mithril armor. He didn’t ask for an explanation, and I didn’t give one.

I had doubts about the Torrent House protection since they were the weakest of the three Triumvirate families. But it was clear the Bricios would come after me. I was fine if they targeted me as long as they didn’t go after my family. I asked, “What does the Torrent protection entail?”

A man stepped out of the shadows, surprising both Tessa and me. We hadn’t realized anyone else was in the room. He walked casually over to Pomare and handed him a book.

Pomare opened the book to a bookmarked page. “This book, Storme, is the registry of the two hundred and four Wolfsguard of House Torrent. I know you have probably heard each house is only allowed two hundred Wolfsguard, but it actually fluctuates. Right now, the Miadens and Bricios have two hundred and seven each. This means I have the first choice in the newest class. I can add three to my household to replace Wolfsguard we lost in the Sadian attack, which would bring me to two hundred and seven as well. If I do that, then the Miadens and Bricios could add two more Wolfsguard each. The maximum number of Wolfsguard a House can have is two more than the lowest House.”

Pomare smiled. “I see you figured it out. It becomes a slippery slope, and one thing I’ve managed during my time in this position is to keep the Triumvirate Wolfsguard numbers in check by keeping my House numbers low. At one point, each House had over five hundred Wolfsguard and…” he stopped. “Well, back then, there were five Houses.”

I asked, “Why do you not already have two hundred and five Wolfsguard?” He looked up from studying the book.

“An astute question, Storme. The Torrent family lost seventeen Wolfsguard in the Sadian attacks. We have replaced five recently. The other families lost a similar number, and I have greatly irritated the other two Triumvirate members by holding my family at the current number. But I am able to add one and still thwart them. That is what I am offering you, Storme,” he said with a massive smile. “Not of value to the mithril shirt, but close and will give you protection and status.” Tessa gasped in shock.

His plan made sense to me. He was going to assign me a guard in Torrent colors and tie me to his house. I could see the shock on Tessa’s face by her grandfather’s boldness. Pomare pulled a sheet of paper and handed it to me. On it were twenty-three names, each with notes.

The man who handed Pomare the book spoke, “The Wolfsguard are trained in groups of twenty-three. This list has the details of the upcoming training group. They are not due to the Blackguard for seven months, but we can add them to the family roles immediately if requested.” There were three Wolfsguard circled on the list.

The spy that had handed the list continued. “The three interesting ones in the class are Rollo, a male with superior speed and danger sense ability. Adolpha, a female with a minor awakened core and a prodigy with a two-handed axe. And Bleiz, a male Wolfsguard with a modest awakened core and a penchant for stealth.”

“Forgive my ignorance, but how does it work when you assign a Wolfsguard to someone outside the family? I know Admiral Sebastian Woodcraft has a Wolfsguard named Nisil, but she appeared to have left his service,” I asked, while looking over the notes on each of the Wolfsguard.

Pomare nodded in familiarity. “Nisil? She has been working in the naval hospital since the Sadian attack at Sebastian’s direction. She is still bound to him. It was my father who entrusted her to Sebastian. Once a Wolfsguard is bonded, it is for life. If their charge dies, they either follow them or become a member of the Blackguard in the Citadel. They cannot bond easily to another,” Pomare said, educating me. This sounded like slavery to me.

“What about Loriel’s Wolfsguard, Gammon? He's definitely much older than her,” I asked, trying to piece together something I shouldn't have been privy too.

“He is bonded to her grandfather still. He charged him with protecting her and will do that until he gives Gammon a different order. If you wish, I can assign you one of the Wolfsguard bonded to me? But I assume you want one that you know is independent and free of the influence of all the families. Otieno likes to have all the Bricio Wolfsguard bonded to him. I think you have earned this reward from my House for what you have done,” Pomare stated seriously. “I don’t think you understand what a boon I am offering you.”

Tessa was looking at the list, our hips almost touching, and she nodded emphatically. She spoke with passion, “Storme, I don’t think you understand what an honor is being given to you.”

Deep down, I didn’t want to turn down this offer, but I struggled with the thought of the Wolfsguard being bound to me. After all, I'd already had a hard time accepting Aelyn’s forced servitude. Noticing my hesitation, Pomare chimed in, “The three Wolfsguard Alistair mentioned would usually be selected to protect a family member in the order of succession. Any one of those three would make a good guardian for you—and your family.”

I walked around the room with the sheet of paper, reading and rereading the notes. “I am willing to tie myself to the Torrents, but I will need one thing in return.”

“If it is within my power, consider it done,” Pomare said with too much enthusiasm. Tessa was also smiling eagerly, and I felt bad for her because what I was about to ask was not what she was thinking.

“I wear the ring of an indentured,” I held up Aelyn’s ring. “I want her mark removed and her to be freed,” I said firmly. Tessa looked confused and deflated. Pomare also looked confused, not aware I had an indentured. I explained, “She was captured when her mother was taken from the traveling carnival. She was deemed innocent of her mother’s treachery but still marked for life as an indentured.”

Pomare gave his spy a nod. The man left for what I assumed was a mission to find out more. Pomare relaxed and poured himself another glass of wine. “While we wait for Alistair, have you decided on a Wolfsguard?” 

I had read the list numerous times and knew a Wolfsguard with an awakened core was extremely rare. Adolpha and Bleiz were the only two on this list of twenty-three. It didn’t say what a modest core was, but I assumed it would help him be a decent mage. “How much aether training do the Wolfsguard get? I don’t see any notes for spells on the sheet?”

Pomare took the paper, “I believe they are only trained in the aether core exercises. Whoever they bonded with would choose which spells they would imprint.”

“How old are these Wolfsguard?”  I asked before making a decision.

Tessa answered, desperate to be part of the conversation. “Seventeen—or sixteen since they are months away from being assigned. Usually, the graduating group is all seventeen.” Pomare nodded and gave Tessa a pleased smile.

My question was simply to determine how mature the core might be. Age twenty was the cut-off age when a mage knew his core size was fixed. “The third one, Bleiz. If you can free Aelyn, I would pick Bleiz as my companion.”

“A good choice, even if raising a mage is expensive.” Pomare looked over at the mithril shirt, sword and necklace longingly. “If you want, I would be willing to purchase that necklace from you for a dozen platinum.”

An invisibility necklace was a powerful item. I also already had plans for it after I studied it with my metal sense. The dungeon runes were complex enough to mimic a tier three invisibility spell. “I am afraid I plan to keep the necklace, but I appreciate the offer.”

Callem Dregalla and Wynna Puresight already sponsor Storme. I doubt he needs much coin,” Alistair said, emerging from the shadows. He had only been gone about ten minutes and handed Pomare a piece of paper. Pomare took it, read it, and furrowed his brow. He looked up at Alistair, who nodded, confirming what he had read.

“We can release Aelyn Imudius, but we cannot free her mother. Her parole will be on you. That means you will be accountable if she commits any crimes after her release. If you are satisfied with this, I can proceed,” Pomare seemed distracted. I nodded. I wanted to see what was on the paper he had been given, but he gave it to Alistair and said, “Alistair, begin the paperwork for Bleiz,” and the paper vanished with the man into the shadows.

Pomare looked thoughtful and then said with a smile that made him look younger. “Well, now that everything is settled, let us go and make some announcements and see how red-faced we can make the Bricios.” I picked up the dungeon essence vials, the sword, and the necklace on my way out of the room. I made a show of putting the necklace on and tucking it under my shirt, but in reality, I sent it to my dimensional closet. The sword was clipped to my belt, the only visible prize from my victory.

I examined it while walking, feeling it with my metal sense. It was a very simple dungeon-constructed sword. It had a hardness rune and another runic pattern that seemed directed to slay earth elementals—or maybe disrupt earth spells. I would need to confirm with Aldon Aethon when I returned to the academy in Hen’s Hollow.

We entered the large room where we had dinner a few hours earlier. Now, it was filled with sofas and chairs, and perhaps a third of the people who were at dinner remained, most inebriated. They all looked toward Pomare, who climbed a small dais, eager to make his announcements, and that I was now officially affiliated with the Torrent House.

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