Heart of Dorkness

Terror Twelve - Zealous

Romulus seems very uncomfortably curious about what we’d been up to. I manage to deflect his first few questions, but I’m falling behind his continued onslaught. “Hardly safe for a young noble lady, and for you to head out with only your young companion here isn’t all that wise. Not that I would question your wisdom, but perhaps your foresight. Which begs the question once more: what were you doing in such a terribly uncivilized part of town?”

“Ah, well, we were just looking for, um, something,” I say. It has the advantage of being partially true as well.

“Oh, and what was that?” Remulus asks.

It’s not fair for people to be so tall. He’s at least three heads taller than me. That’s bigger than Mom, even!

“Romulus,” a kindly voice asks. It’s soft, and definitely feminine, yet there’s a bit of a snap to it.

Romulus stands taller and looks over to the carriage where a woman’s head is poking out. Middle-aged, with a few crow’s talons around the edges of her eyes hinting at someone that spent a lot of time smiling. She’s shaking her head.

[Paula Plautus - The Gentle Word]

Novice Spokeswoman

Novice Flower of the North

Initiate Mother

“Paula,” Romulus says. “Forgive me, dearest. I grew too zealous.”

“Zealous,” the lady repeats. “Yes, I’m certain that’s it. Now, invite your new friends over for dinner tomorrow, and let’s continue heading home.”

Romulus bows ever so slightly towards the carriage, then turns towards us and bows deeper. “Miss Valeria, Miss Felix, my dearest wife is quite correct. I am being rude. Let me beg for forgiveness in the greatest way I may. Come to our humble estate tomorrow afternoon. I am certain one fine meal, and my lack of good graces will be entirely forgotten. And invite your parents as well, of course,” he says.

“Um, sure,” I say. Anything to get out of this situation.

Romulus grins wide, his bushy moustache twitching under his nose. “Most wonderful.”

I wave as he turns and gets back into the carriage, the entire thing tipping to the side to accommodate his weight.

“We should go,” I mutter.

The guards are coming back, and I really don’t feel like wasting more gold on bribes if I can avoid it.

The carriage rolls out, and Felix and I are right behind it. I can hear some of the guards calling to close the gates behind us, so I figure we’re safe for now.

There might be more thugs on this side of the town, but I kind of doubt it.

As I walk, more or less aware of where the inn we’re staying in is, I take stock of what I have. I’ve spent a bunch of gold, but that’s not a problem. I’m pretty sure I can get more from Mom if I send a letter home. One of my little friends can carry it there and bring a pouch back in a day or two. What I have now is plenty.

Speaking of little friends, I’m mostly stocked up on those. I didn’t use any in the race with the thugs. There were a lot of them, and my little friends are only so good against someone. They were great at swarming, but it’s hard to swarm a group that outnumbers you.

As for information... I have lots now. Enough to start drawing some big conclusions. The Church of the Hero had decided to mess with Mom’s books. That was super petty, and it sounded exactly like the way Héroe acted, according to Mom.

Burning the temple down though, that wasn’t so much petty as it was an attack.

I’m not too sure how the gods play their games of one-upmanship. I don’t even think they have clear rules.

Still, doing something like cutting off another god’s supply of entertainment is something they can brag about between each other. The stories Mom told me makes me think that the gods are like school kids sometimes. They play pranks on each other and try to cause trouble when they can get away with it.

Burning down another’s temple would be like setting fire to someone’s desk.

It’s a bit more serious than cheating on a test or stealing a book.

“Are you okay?”

I blink, and look up to see Felix almost-looking at me. She doesn’t quite turn her head enough to face me dead-on. “I’m fine,” I say.

The streets are well-lit, lamps set out every dozen metres casting flickering orange light everywhere. Plenty of homes still have candles lit within them too. The city is quieter at these hours, of course. Other than a patrol of guards and some people hurrying along, there’s not much in terms of traffic.

I notice Felix yawning a bit before walking closer by my side. “I’m sorry,” she says when her shoulder bumps mine.

“It’s fine? You used a lot of magic today; you might be tired if you’re not used to it.” I am used to it, and I’m still a bit tired. Messing with your emotions tends to drain you.

Felix nods. “You can leave me near your inn. I can find my way back.” She smiles, big and pleased. “Today was very exciting. Thank you.”

“Find your way back?” I ask. I’m still holding onto her hand, even after all this time.

Felix nods. “I’m having a bit of a hard time sensing things, but I’m sure all I need to do is remember how fun today was, and I’ll be fine.”

“And where would you go?”

“The Roughs. There are a few places I can hide there. I have a place where I hid some clothes too.”

“What about what you’re wearing now?”

Felix touches the shirt she has. It’s just plain dyed wool. A nice pastel blue that I think is made using the scales from locally caught fish. The colour seems common in the clothes I saw on the better-off merchants and some nobles.

“I can sell these,” Felix says. “I’m sorry, but it’s too nice for someone in the Roughs.”

I shake my head. “You can stay in the inn with me tonight.”

“But you don’t need me anymore.”

“Well, I don’t need you now, but who knows. Maybe I’ll need a guide again tomorrow. And besides, I haven’t paid you yet.”

Felix’s smile turns a bit wobbly. “Thank you, Miss.”

“Just call me Valeria, please.”

“Yes, Miss Valeria!”

I don’t remark on that, mostly because we’ve arrived at the Ocuous Inn’s entrance. We move past the court, and then back into the lobby where a new person is behind the desk. “Miss Valeria,” he says.

I guess the last one told him what I look like. “Yes.”

“Your rooms are waiting for you once more. Is there anything you need?”

“No, thanks,” I say. “Well... actually, a small snack wouldn’t be bad? Maybe some fruit?”

I didn’t trust Fancy’s fruit, but some from the inn wouldn’t be bad. “Of course. Anything else?”

“Yes! Do you know anyone called Romulus? His wife is called Paula, I think.”

The concierge nods. “You’re speaking of Baron Plautus, I presume. A rather tall man, very energetic?”

“That sounds like him, yeah,” I say.

“He’s a common figure in the nobility of Santafaria. What do you wish to know of him?” the man asked.

“Felix, if you want, you can head up,” I mutter before moving to the counter. “I... don’t know exactly where to start. He saved Felix and I this evening from a bit of trouble. He’s a strong mage.”

The concierge nods. “I believe he was part of the royal army before obtaining his peerage and retiring to Santafaria, though the Plautus family is somewhat extensive here. He may have been a third son. Forgive me, I don’t know.”

“That’s fine,” I say. “Does he do, ah, dinner invitations often?”

“His wife, Lady Plautus, is known for those, yes. She is one of the more connected individuals in the city.”

“Oh, she’s a gossip.”

The man clears his throat and looks away, but he doesn’t deny it.

“Alright, thanks. I think that’s all I needed to know. Um... does he have any allegiance to the Church of the Hero?”

“I believe so, yes.”

I nod and run up the stairs and to my rooms to find Felix hesitating a step within the room.

“I... don’t know what to do, exactly,” she admits.

“Well, we could probably use another bath,” I say.

“I took a lot of baths today already.”

I shrug. “Then bed time it is. Let me just... station some of my friends around the room, alright?”

“Sure?” Felix moves over to the bed, but she looks intimidated by it.

I decide not to poke at that while I set some of my little friends in the nooks and crannies around the room where they’ll be able to surprise anyone trying to do anything sneaky.

Our late night snack arrives, a bowl filled with fruits and nuts, and I watch, amused, as Felix tears into them.

And then, at long last, it’s time for bed.

It’s a strange end to a long day, but not an unpleasant one.

***