Seeing doubt and suspicion among the members of the War Council, Wizard Draconis cleared his throat casually and said, “I’d like to make two observations, having been there personally.”
The Duke replied, “By all means, War Wizard.”
“First, nearly everyone around this table has been in the heat of battle. Can you all say, with surety, that you never made a decision that, in the quiet of reflection by yourself or others after the fact, was not in error?”
The expressions turned inward, and the hostility eased.
“Second, the only two options open to Commander Istari were to kill the Gray Master and all those he had just fought beside against the undead, or assume the mantle of the Gray Master and seconds later, devise an action that allowed him to walk away without wholesale slaughter down below. Personally, I found it a brilliant solution to an impossible situation.
The Ranger Commander added, “And having the Gray Master owe a debt of gratitude may be worth something important to us before this whole ordeal is over.”
A few heads nodded in reluctant agreement around the table.
The Knight Commander, usually silent at these meetings unless asked a direct question, stood and said, “Commander, I cannot and will not approve your action concerning the Gray Brotherhood.” A few around the table shifted uncomfortably. “However, I respect and appreciate your predicament. It says a lot about you and your honor that you accepted such a personal dishonor to save lives and shed yourself of it only moments after assuming it.” He emphasized the word “honor,” and coming from a knight whose entire existence was based on a strict code of honor, such a word had power and meaning.
He paused before continuing, choosing his words carefully. “I have been a reluctant supporter of yours. The Marine and Naval Commanders had similar concerns, but they accepted you before I would. My age and stubbornness did not allow me to be open to the fact that, in your youth, and also as a mage, you would possibly be willing to sacrifice yourself for others in the same manner that a soldier would. You have continually placed yourself in harm's way, been offered great temptations for power and wealth, and have walked a straighter path than many three or four times your age could manage. I salute you and welcome you to this table. It is something I should have done sooner, if not in obedience to my liege, than at the words of others whom I have learned to admire and respect across decades.”
He actually gave me a Knight’s Salute, where he placed his right hand on his sword hilt and slammed his left arm across his breastplate with a closed fist. He then sat back down and resumed his typical, contemplative expression.
“Thank you, Commander.” The Duke said, nodding to the knight. “Unless there are additional questions for the Patron, I suggest we move on to a discussion about what should be said publicly and how we might address the remaining threat in Undercity.”
Sam, who also almost never spoke at these meetings, said, “I have a question for the Patron.”
The Duke nodded, and all eyes turned to Sam. “I was not aware that you had swordsmanship skills, let alone those developed enough to accomplish what was lightly covered in your summary. Can you please elaborate?”
There was renewed interest among the commanders, and once more they all looked at me.
Isaac interrupted. “I’m fine with the Patron explaining, but there is much he does not know about his own abilities in this regard. With his permission, I will offer a brief explanation that will answer Sam’s question to his satisfaction, although it will likely leave unanswered questions for the Patron himself and the High Minister.”
Isaac turned to me. “May I reveal your blade?”
I nodded.
Isaac said, “Gwydion bears Sir Will Marshal’s blade. It has adopted him and changed its name to the Holy Sword of the Servant. Gwydion received a single lesson in one-handed slashing weapon mastery from a Servant of Light.”
Sam’s eyes widened, and all the commanders reacted in a similar way. The Knight Commander stood once more. “May I see the blade, Patron?”
I looked at the Duke. Drawing a blade in his presence was generally frowned upon and could result in unexpected reactions from his ever-present guards.
“You have my permission.” He said, equally as curious as the others.
I stood and took a step backward from the table. I drew the blade and held it across my arm as I had seen knights do at a parade. My movement with the blade was fluid and natural. It was as if the blade knew how it should be presented.
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The Knight Commander walked around the table and stood before me. He reached out his hand but did not touch the blade. His eyes filled with tears.
After a moment, his hand moved to my shoulder and he squeezed it gently. “I am very glad I said my words to you before seeing this blade. If I had not, my loss of honor would have shamed me. I apologize for my doubt and ask for your forgiveness.”
And then the Knight Commander knelt before me.
There were gasps around the table, and I was as stunned as the others.
Bella said, Tell him there is nothing to forgive and that you are on a journey and pieces of your duty are only slowly revealing themselves. There was no way he could know when you, yourself, did not know either.
I repeated her words.
The Knight Commander looked up into my eyes, nodded once, stood, and walked back to his chair, where he paused and waited for me to be seated.
He sat immediately after I did.
Everyone sat silently, staring at me with mixed emotions on their faces.
Sam said, “Thank you, Patron. That answers my question. If you wish additional training, you will come to me or the Knight Commander directly.”
“Thank you, both. I will.” I said.
Sam looked to the Duke, as did many of the others.
“Then we will move on.” The Duke said.
The remainder of the meeting focused on public awareness of the alchemist necromancer crisis, mobilizing marine and Holy Orders forces to assist Undercity in an offensive against the undead, and housing and supply challenges that had begun to arise as more and more refugees began to flee to the city.
I was not thrilled that part of the solution to the necromancer threat was a special commendation to me as the defender of both the city and Undercity, all Keelwellians united against evil. But it was part of the narrative getting created to reveal the threat of a second necromancer and then demonstrate the swift resolution to it, just as had been accomplished by other heroes during the Deathlight. As such, I was awarded the title, Champion of Keelwell, a thousand gold pieces reward, which was announced that I donated all of it to the Ears Academy in the lower boroughs. I was further confirmed as Lord Istari and not merely a hereditary lord, and the Duke granted me all the land and buildings south of the city to the sea.
True, the granted land was marshland and swamp, useless for most anything that a businessman might want to do with it, but it was quite large and comprised a few hamlets, farms, nearby warehouses, an inn, an abandoned keep that was under lease by a local cloth merchant I knew well, and importantly, the former alchemist tower with its tunnels into Undercity and the caverns in the deeps even further below.
The public ceremony only lasted ten minutes and was hurriedly arranged in the large lobby of Watch Keep. But my parents were there, as were many of the members of Special Services who cheered wildly when the medal was placed around my neck by the Duke.
The AL whispered into my ear. Enchanter Gwydion earns a spell or skill point to be placed as desired for advancing the Home Safe Home quest. You have earned an unnamed enemy. You earn an addition to your cognito and are known as Champion of Keelwell. Prestige changes from level 5 Notable to level 6 Splendid. Additions and notes have been added to your Book of Quests that remain unread.
My father was proud that we went from a noble house to landed gentry, even if it was swampland, a fact that Biff and the journeyman would have hours of fun poking at me and asking if I wanted to buy some more swampland or bridges that they could sell me cheaply.
After the brief ceremony, business went on as usual. I accompanied Isaac and the fourth cart back to The Tower, and we discussed a variety of plans, including his review and removal of potions acquired from the alchemist tower, as well as the imminent trip to the capital to pick up some more supplies as soon as he sent back the rings he needed to enchant. He suggested that Toby would be a good courier as one of the fastest running irregulars, much to the chagrin of his adult guard protectors.
When I returned to the Shoppe, there was a celebration planned for me. There had not been time to bake a handmade and decorated cake, but Bella provided some magically created delicacies that went over well. I made my rounds, thanked everyone, and told stories of those who had been down below to spread out the fame a little. Daniel made a big announcement and handed out bags of 500 gold pieces to all those who had joined me below, which resulted in another round of cheers. He made sure I also got one, which made everyone laugh.
I placed my miniature chests in my private chambers, planning to move the coins to the bank vault later, as well as add the books to my shelves when I had time. There were some very rare and valuable works that I would delve into later. Some would likely lead to adventures and others to lost spells and skills. But it would take hours of reading to discern, and that was time I simply did not have. The magical spellbooks I collected would get returned to their respective guild halls in honor of those fallen who had lost them decades ago, but I might glance through a few of them first.
Red had pulled me aside and introduced me to someone who stood out among all the attending guests. His name was Journeyman Cephus Ungula or Stone Hoof in his kind’s language. He was a centaur, half man and half horse. His upper body made Biff look like a scrawny kid, and his gray-haired horse’s torso and legs were those of a powerful stallion.
“Stone Hoof is one of a hundred of his fellows that entered this city along with some knights and rangers earlier today,” Red explained. “The Ranger Commander sent him along to join us after I convinced him to create a small lightning-fast land cavalry and an even smaller but faster airborne cavalry.”
I learned to just go with Red when he stormed on like this. His ideas flowed like a river, and more than a few of them turned into brilliant resources we were using to defend the city. These ideas sounded pretty good to me.
“Yes, Stone Hoof and I met with Adric, and we are going to modify the centaur’s greatbows into possible siege weapons, and their children’s bows-”
“Foal bows,” the centaur added helpfully.
“And their foal bows, which have a draw nearly equal to a human longbow, can be used by mounted rangers because they are far shorter and have an unusual recurve shape to them. But mounted humans could use them to fire on either side of a horse or griffin. It would be cumbersome to use their own regular longbows when mounted, which is why we have never had a mounted archery company before.”
“That sounds exciting. How did this all start?” I asked.
“The Ranger Commander wanted to see if we could make some exploding arrows for the larger versions that centaurs use. Their arrows are thicker than our yard-long greatbow arrows, say the thickness of a human thumb and half again as long as our arrows, around four and a half to five feet in total length. They look like human javelins.”
He smacked his head. “Of course! We can combine this effort with our javelin and spear productions! Your giant war quivers could be used to help us with transport as well.”
I laughed and walked away, letting him launch into yet another series of plans that will no doubt save more lives and build the reputation of the special services. Red was a rare treasure and was thriving here in a way he never had at the university. The president foresaw his greatness. I would need to send him a special note of thanks.
