jackal-among-snakes-16091326
chapter-108

Elias opened a set of thick stone doors, stepping into a cold hall. His father sat there at his desk. At Elias’ entry, he set down a dagger.

“Father,” Elias greeted a bit stiffly.

Margrave Reinhardt stared at his son. He said nothing for an uncomfortably long period, and Elias felt the need to squirm. He managed to stay still, though only with his best effort.

“Where is your fiancée?” the Margrave asked.

“I… introduced her to Rose,” Elias stepped forward. “I figured she should know my sister if she is to be… a part of the family. They seemed to be getting along when you called me,” he said optimistically. “Both enjoy books. The two are similar, I think. Ridia is near as sweet as Rose.”

The Margrave nodded. “I’m glad there is some affection forming between the two of you.”

Elias hung his head. “…I’m sorry. I know I should have—”

“Don’t apologize. You did well,” Reinhardt interrupted.

Elias raised his head back up, red eyes wide.

“You made a decisive choice as a leader to earn a benefit, and to protect your people. This is something that I wanted you to learn, and you learned it.” Reinhardt spread his arms out. “The fact that you ignored my authority doesn’t matter, because you considered the people first.”

“Well, I… Argrave is the one who made this happen,” Elias deflected, his promise of not mentioning Argrave vanishing when blame turned into praise. “He was the smart one. He saw what would happen and made it a reality. I just… was led around.”

“That one seems to be the sole force for change in this family,” Reinhardt looked away. “It doesn’t matter.” Reinhardt grabbed the dagger on his desk, tossing it aside. He retrieved a paper, handing it to Elias. “This came not hours ago.”

Elias took two steps forward, retrieving the paper. He oriented it to read it properly, then furrowed his brows. After a time, he rose his head. “Elbraille declared its support of our cause?”

Margrave Reinhardt nodded.

Elias smiled. “That’s… that’s great!”

“That boy you brought, Stain…” Reinhardt continued, not sharing his son’s jubilation. “He tells me of some things. He’s been… he said he was ‘keeping his ears on the beating heart of the underworld.’ I didn’t know what he meant, but he elaborated that he was keeping track of rumors.” Reinhardt sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what he’s saying half the time.”

“He’s a good one at heart, even if he does like to do some… less than reputable things. He didn’t have a good chi—”

“Let me finish,” Reinhardt held out his big hand. “Despite this letter… Stain says a lot of people are talking about unrest in Elbraille. He says people claim someone is stirring the people against the lord, bringing to light certain injustices. Unjust taxes, corrupt guards, malfeasance by those near the Duke…”

“That’s… is that true? These incidents, that is,” Elias questioned.

“I’m not saying Duke Marauch is a saint—far from it—but we need his support in the war, and someone is moving against him, trying to oust him from power.”

Elias stepped away, thinking, then turned back and nodded seriously. “What do we do about it?”

Reinhardt leaned back in the chair, his brawny frame completely hiding the backrest. He sighed for a long, long while. “I don’t know.”

Elias was taken aback, as though he’d never heard his father say that.

“But we need to figure it out,” the Margrave said. “Tomorrow, I’ll call together some advisors I trust. We’ll discuss this, decide how to act. Personally, I think that you and Stain should go there and maintain order. Doubtless the Duke will welcome it.”

“If someone is trying to undermine the Duke, it’s definitely going to be a supporter of Vasquer,” Elias said. “It would be dangerous to go there.”

“I will keep that in mind, should this come to pass,” the Margrave shook his head. “But this person, or group of persons, evidently lacks the strength for an outright coup.”

“I see,” Elias nodded.

Reinhardt pointed at Elias. “Tomorrow, I want you up early. Come to me, here. We’ll talk more then. For now… ensure your fiancée is comfortable here.” Reinhardt leaned forward once more, picking up the dagger he’d set aside and examining it.

“Thank you, father,” Elias said, lowering his head slightly. He turned and opened the stone door, stepping out. As he made to leave, he stopped.

Elias turned, grabbing the stone door. “Argrave told me something at the Tower of the Gray Owl.”

Reinhardt kept the dagger in hand, looking up coldly towards his son. “And?”

“He said there was a… salamander. On the hills of Vysenn,” Elias proceeded carefully.

“Is this pertinent?” the Margrave questioned.

“Argrave seemed to be under the impression this salamander might hold some secret in healing Rose.” Elias took his hand off the stone door and stepped back into the room. “I looked into this… and, well, some of it holds true. There are barbarians in Vysenn, known for their regenerative abilities. These salamanders, too…”

The Margrave turned his ruby eyes away from his son. “If you think it has merit… look into it further.”

“Thank you, father,” Elias said once more, a little more excitement on his tone. He left and shut the door quickly.

The Margrave dropped the dagger, and it clattered against the desk. “This boy… maybe I need to meet him once more.” Reinhardt rubbed his forehead, clearly torn.