Chapter 107: Loyalty to Chall

  SENA

  Pisca waited patiently as Sena reviewed the reports. They’d been given orally, so the review rgely consisted of Sena quietly looking over her map of the Domain and occasionally walking to the other side. Her tail swayed slowly as she thought, tried a new angle, then reconsidered again.

  It was a pattern she had been doing for a little longer than Pisca’s liking.

  Fully aware of the discomfort of her subordinate, Sena turned about and settled into her chair. Pisca was still young, but talented enough that she’d earned direct contact with Sena, reporting to the head of the Silent Order’s office in person. Sena also knew that Pisca was still new to this, and every report was nerve-wracking.

  Good. Let the girl sweat a little and learn how to control her fear better. She’d be an excellent agent.

  At st, Sena rest her hands together, staring at the newest of her top agents. Only three at a time knew her true identity, but Pisca didn’t need to know the exclusivity of her secret. So long as she kept the secret.

  “In summary, what is your assessment of the Spirits and their role in this disturbance?”

  The question came abruptly, and the dark eyes of the stocky woman widened. She thought for a moment, composing her response, and then cleared her throat.

  “It is possible they aggravated the situation.” Pisca’s words came clearly and confidently, earning another small notch of approval from Sena. “However, if so I believe it to have been incidental. The Spirits do not have any motive that I can ascertain, and just as many of the tasks I heard of were helpful to the region as harmful.”

  Sena remained still as the summary was given. This was in line with what she’d expected, but few knew where the Spirits had come from, or why they were here now. In fact, Sena was reasonably certain that only she and one other knew what they really were.

  For once, it irked her that she knew such a deep secret.

  “Very well,” Sena replied in an even tone. “And what is your assessment of the recent turmoil?” Her tail twitched, anticipating this response. Pisca had yet to pass any of these tests, though each time she came closer. If she could center herself and understand her true role, she would make a possible repcement for Sena.

  The woman hesitated. “The three individuals I noted are the three most important in stirring up trouble. However, the cause of their grievance is in Councilman Tasset. They believe that he has crippled their ability to sell their crop due to his affair with Phenom Rosta’s wife. Now, Rosta has decred that his province will not trade with Tasset’s holdings, despite the demand. The result is hurting both of their local economies.”

  “Mmmhmm?” Sena’s voice didn’t say a full word, merely demanded the next part.

  Pisca stiffened for a moment. “The most immediate solution would be to handle these three, quieting the riots until such time as Tasset can find another buyer. It will result in a short term destabilization of the region and possibly lose Tasset his position, but it would allow the area to come under stable control within a year.”

  Cwed fingertips drummed on the table as Sena listened. She nodded. “Do you have further thoughts on the matter?”

  The resulting twitch was a bit of a tell. Pisca had yet to fully master her ability to hide her emotions. “Tasset and Rosta’s wife both deny the affair ever happened, and my cursory investigation into that – done on my own time – could not find any strong evidence that confirms it occurred. Several others in the Council have long been at odds with Tasset’s attempted reforms, such as Councilman Bardek. I believe the situation warrants further investigation instead of the removal of citizens who, while criminal now, only turned to this behavior due to the destruction of their livelihood by an upper css feud.”

  Sena let out a long sigh. She stopped tapping on the desktop, then leaned back, leveling a long stare at Pisca.

  “Firstly, your cursory investigation is not unwarranted. You are to be commended for looking into possible other angles, even if it was not your assignment. We wish to be thorough in this organization, and you did well to organize a theory with incomplete information.”

  Pisca started to rex after Sena’s slight praise, but the seated woman lifted a finger to forestall any further comment.

  “Having said that, your reluctance to take the necessary steps is still clouding your judgement. While it is not your pce to decide who to remove, if anyone, you must remember that innocence is not a factor in our decisions. Efficiency and the long-term stability of Chall is our priority, not justice.” Sena lowered her finger, her voice stern. “That is the sacrifice we must live with. What we do in the shadows is not moral or good, it is necessary.”

  “Y-yes, of course!” The younger woman tensed again as she blurt that out, and Sena mentally sighed. A stammer? That wasn’t good. Pisca continued, though. “Shall I eliminate the three targets?”

  Sena shook her head. “It is good that you are willing to take that step, but no. I have someone else in mind to handle the deed itself. For now, your hands remain clean. You may go.”

  The other woman seemed to defte, opening her mouth as if to protest. She wisely thought better of it, turned, and left the room without any further statements.

  Sena leaned back in her chair and cursed to herself.

  When she’d brought up the idea of her people looking to spirits for guidance, she had been testing Kenta’s reactions. She hadn’t expected him to nod thoughtfully, smile, and thank her. That didn’t tell her anything.

  Not until years ter, when the first Spirits began to appear and offer Quests.

  They were not as structured as dungeon quests, but they were far easier to get, and usually much simpler. Pyful and erratic, the Quests the Spirits gave were often enigmatic and apparently pointless, but almost always led to something much more pronounced in importance than anyone expected. The fact that they improved leveling made them in demand despite the occasional fatality when attempting the Quests.

  Somehow, Kenta had arranged for these to manifest. Something Sena was quite sure had not even existed before.

  “Irritating,” she muttered to the empty room.

  Who could that man know that could create such creatures? Clearly, it wasn’t as simple as making them do what he wanted. His failure with the dragons had made it clear that while Kenta was quite familiar with the mechanics of the world, he did not control all aspects.

  Although that did not mean he didn’t create the Spirits himself.

  She shook her head to herself. That level of magic was far beyond anything she’d even heard of in stories, let alone witnessed herself. Kenta was clearly a skilled [Patternist], but he hadn’t demonstrated anything on the level of creating entire species.

  Even if he’d somehow recreated his staff… and, she suspected, a frk.

  She brushed the thoughts away. He was not here, and though he’d promised to inform her when he returned, a promise was nothing more than a few words to someone like that. She doubted she would see him again, but so long as his meddling did not harm Chall, she could live with that.

  Her curiosity, however, was another matter.

  Sena grimaced as she pushed the thought aside. She had work to do.

  Pisca had been correct that there was more to it than some angry farmers. Tasset was not really a good man, but he was sharp. His proposals had been pushing for more social programs and an easing of the tax burden on the lower castes, which he believed would quell the current tensions in the Domain. Bardek, his opponent, was more of the belief that a consolidation of nds under the upper castes would solve the problem by assigning the lower castes to work on the nd as renters, controlling them by obligation.

  “I dislike politics,” Sena muttered to herself. Ironic, as knowledge of politics was one of the most important elements of the job she’d inherited.

  There were, of course, other items that Pisca was unaware of. She had to commend the intuition. Bardek was bckmailing Rosta, and had aided in pnting the rumors that led to this entire situation. If he could maneuver Tasset to be dismissed from the Council, either Bardek or one of his close associates would take control of the nds, and the votes. This would give them the numbers needed to push through the agenda, locking it down and eventually restructuring Chall into an even more stratified caste system.

  Setting aside the morality of it, the resulting government would be more predictable, at least.

  She pushed her chair out and rose from it with a sigh. “In the end, the long-term stability of Chall is my responsibility.”

  Sena rarely did ‘wetwork’ herself, but sometimes it was better to handle these things personally. She was not the best assassin in her organization, but in this case she was the one who knew all the details, and Pisca was likely not up to this task.

  She gathered her tools and went to work.

  Soldiers swarmed the house, the servants and family outside confused and annoyed. The air was chill today, and rain threatened at any moment. It was somewhat telling how few of them were distraught over what had happened. A terrible accident, to be sure – and so sudden! – yet not a tear to be found.

  Genth stepped up beside Sena where she stood and watched from a distance. “Your doing, hmm? Don’t answer that, I know you can’t.”

  Genth had retired just st year, but he still kept in touch with his successor. Sena rarely spoke to him any longer, but she didn’t mind his verbal jabs. Not when she had so few people to talk to about her tasks.

  “A terrible accident.” Sena’s voice was ft. “Just a broken sb in the stair that slipped. I hear his neck was broken in the fall and he died almost instantly.”

  “Indeed.” Genth looked at her again, a long stare that ended in a sigh. “And I hear that the instructions found upon him were very telling. The Council is in an uproar. It will be chaos for months now, maybe even years, as the alliances shift and new agendas solidify. It seems your area of concern.”

  Sena shrugged. “Perhaps. Although it may be for the best. Bardek’s pns would consolidate power, but a popution continually repressed would have continued to cause problems for certain people to solve. Stability and strength come in many forms, don’t they, Genth?”

  Again, the now-elderly man stared at her. This time, he nodded slightly before turning back to the scene before him. He csped his hands behind his back and smiled. “Well. The next few months will certainly be interesting. I hope our silent guardians are up to the task.”

  Sena’s tail flicked behind her, and she fshed a smile. This one, unlike most she shared with Genth, revealed a glimpse of her fangs.

  “As always, my only loyalty is to the longevity and stability of Chall.”